Now that we are officially in summer – both by the calendar and by sultry weather – lists are sprouting like weeds, recommending books for “summer reading”. It’s a funny concept – that some books are more appropriate to one season than another; that summer brings out lighter literary works in the same way it brings out lighter clothing.

School may be out and vacations may be in but our brains and imagination crave stimulation. Yet, there is that odd thing called a “summer read”. What, exactly, does that mean? How does a book qualify? Why would we want to use our valuable time reading a book that is recommended for the summer, as if it would be less worthy in other seasons?

I decided to check out some of this year’s summer reading recommendation lists. Many books carry a summer theme, which I thought would be better to read in the dead of winter when one pines for those sizzling summer days and steamy nights (how quickly we forget that we try to dodge summer’s discomforts by seeking the nearest chilled environment). Some books on the lists seem light enough to blow away like the puffball seeds of a dandelion flower. There are also books that sound like they’d be spectacular reads, no matter the season; they just happened to debut at the start of summer. Like summer travel, there’s a destination to suit every taste and interest.

You can check various lists of “summer reads” if you’re so inclined. You can order books online, to be shipped to wherever you find yourself. You can download a boatload of books if digital is your preferred reading source. If you ask me, summer should be the time to stroll to your local bookstore or library, saunter through in relaxed summer style and let books pull you in. Kind of like waves along a shoreline that beckon and promise to share secrets hidden below the water’s surface, if you accept their invitation.