A Midsummer Night's Reading List in Carroll Gardens

Whether you're spending the weekend out of town, taking the family to a local beach or simply looking to spice up your morning subway commute, there are a slew of great books by local authors for you to enjoy.

Here we've chosen a few varied reads perfect for a midsummer reading slump! 

The Book - Lionel Asbo
The Author - Martin Amis
The Blurb - English novelist and Cobble Hill resident Martin Amis's latest work has been described as a Dickensian satire. The book follows a young boy from the wrong side of the tracks with a love of books and his cantankerous uncle as various life lessons on love, celebrity and crime roll out.

The Book - Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
The Author - Mason Currey
The Blurb - Looking for creative inspiration? Carroll Gardens resident and author Mason Currey has chronicled the writing routines of 161 artistic minds ranging from Hemingway, to Darwin, to Frank Lloyd Wright. Little gems, such as how Edith Sitwell used to lie in an open coffin before starting her day, are deliciously strange and addictive.

The Book - Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery
The Author - Andrew Cotto
The Blurb - Travel along as local resident Andrew Cotto crafts a Brooklyn noir set in early 1990s gentrifying Fort Greene, that follows drifter Caesar Stiles as he tries to earn an honest buck, avoid his trouble-making brother and evade an arch nemesis who goes by the handle The Orange Man. 

The Book - The Year of the Gadfly
The Author - Jennifer Miller
The Blurb - This delightful, fast-moving first novel by Brooklyn Heights resident Jennifer Miller is a dense mystery that tracks prep school student and budding journalist Iris Dupont as she tries to recover from a haunting past, make friends in a new town and uncover the truth behind a secret society blackmailing people at her school. Plus, entomology, albinism, mental illness, and the ghost of Edward R. Murrow! A must read.

Have a favorite summer read by a local author? Share your own suggestions in the comments below.