Right now, the Travis family is in survival mode. We are just trying to make it to beach week, any way we can.

I'm especially looking forward to my annual novel. I really do love reading, but unlike others I know, I do not have time to read much, and what little time I have is usually spent reading for a class. Therefore, beach week is the only guaranteed time I have to enjoy a novel.

Around this time every year, I start to feel some pressure. My beach read better be a good one, because this is a one-time deal--no second chances until next summer. Thus, I have become a fan of the yearly NPR summer book lists. Each year in June, NPR puts out a series of recommendations by various booksellers and critics. Each list has a blurb about what makes the book a good read, along with an excerpt. Since our beach week is always at the beginning of June, right when these lists are published, I usually take my picks from a previous year (after all, a good book is timeless, right?). Here are the lists from 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.

I've been using these lists for the past 3 years and I haven't been disappointed yet.

This year, I may read City of Thieves (a 2007 selection), or Under Heaven (a 2010 pick). Have you read either of these? Do you have a favorite method for picking a good book? Other book recommendations?