{"id":249053,"date":"2026-05-30T23:08:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T23:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/249053\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T23:08:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T23:08:43","slug":"season-pass-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/249053\/","title":{"rendered":"Season Pass – The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is this stray weekend we find ourselves with between Memorial Day and June? A byproduct of this longest possible unofficial summer<\/a>, a strange gift of a weekend between spring and the month in which summer officially begins. A perfect weekend, I think, for determining our reading plans for this summer. I do this each year, decide which books will be inscribed indelibly into my memories: the novel I\u2019ll read while lying on the grass in the sun; the short one I\u2019ll finish in an afternoon under a blanket in the air-conditioning; the audiobook that\u2019ll accompany me on a long drive, window down, spritzing the pollen off the windshield every few miles.<\/p>\n

The road to absolutely not one book completed by Labor Day is paved with vague notions of wanting to read more, without much thought as to what will be read, or when. To actually manifest a season of reading, I\u2019ve found, I need a plan. It doesn\u2019t have to be complicated, or perfect, but it has to exist. May I present to you a lovely plan for getting a more-than-respectable amount of reading done this summer? It is the Summer Reading Bucket List<\/a>, brought to you by my friends at The New York Times Book Review. If we all follow this list, we\u2019ll expand our palates (\u201cRead a book in a genre you don\u2019t normally read\u201d), travel without traveling (\u201cRead a book in translation\u201d), make use of a resource whose wonder we might have forgotten (\u201cCheck out and read a book from your local library\u201d).<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, I galloped through a book a week, thanks to a group challenge<\/a> that prescribed 52 reading categories for the year. I got arrogant after completing two years of the challenge and thought I could go it alone, unyoked from the categories, which had started to feel like homework assignments. The next year I struggled to finish books, starting several at once and then casting them aside, tasting first chapters as if I were grazing at an all-you-can-eat buffet. As anyone who has filled their plate with a bit of Caesar salad, a dumpling, some cacio e pepe, two coins of roasted zucchini, maybe a little calamari knows, those buffets are a trap. You get a lot of interesting bites but you never feel satisfied.<\/p>\n

A checklist for summer reading may seem a little uptight for those who imagine they\u2019ll feast lavishly on the season\u2019s bounty. But for those like me whose eyes are bigger than our attention spans, we benefit from a menu.<\/p>\n

You could always create your own list if you prefer: 10 books you\u2019ve been meaning to read. One book from each of the past 10 decades. Or you could enlist friends, family members, colleagues to work through the list with you \u2014 a group text keeps everyone accountable and is good for recommendations. (Be sure to check out the Book Review staff\u2019s pointers: I didn\u2019t know that Stockard Channing is the audiobook narrator for Beverly Cleary\u2019s Ramona books! If I were taking a road trip with kids, we\u2019d be listening to every one.)<\/p>\n

Whatever books you select, do so knowing that you\u2019re architecting the literary memories that you\u2019ll associate with this summer for years to come. I remember the summer of 2015 not so much for what I did, but for how it felt to stretch out by the pool, the sun burning my legs, unwilling to move to the shade so engrossed was I in Gabrielle Hamilton\u2019s memoir, \u201cBlood, Bones and Butter<\/a>.\u201d \u201cThe Long Secret,<\/a>\u201d the Long Island\u2013set sequel to \u201cHarriet the Spy,\u201d was, for most of my adolescence, as constant a summer stalwart as lemonade. I can still feel the humid subway platform where I stood in 2012, almost immune to the August heat, devouring Lauren Groff\u2019s novel \u201cArcadia<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

So many of summer\u2019s signatures (the sun, the sandals, the mosquitoes) stay the same year to year, but the books we read give the summer its character (and characters!), its unique complexion. I\u2019m almost done with \u201cHow to Rule the World<\/a>,\u201d by Theo Baker, reading it on Kindle and listening to the audiobook \u2014 my favorite double-barreled method for total immersion \u2014 so I could count it as an audiobook, or check off \u201cRead a book published in the last year.\u201d Next up: a book in a genre I don\u2019t normally read. Is this the summer I get into romantasy<\/a>? I\u2019ll let you know.<\/p>\n

THE LATEST NEWS<\/p>\n

In the Courts<\/p>\n

Immigration<\/p>\n

More Politics<\/p>\n

The New York Knicks are in the N.B.A. finals for the first time in more than a quarter century, and the team has the city in its thrall. Matt Flegenheimer, a born-and-raised New Yorker, captured the vibe:<\/p>\n

For a few weeks now, strange things have been happening in New York City.<\/p>\n

Eye contact on the train is intentional, warm, knowing. Terriers in team sweaters sniff terriers without team sweaters suspiciously, triple-checking their loyalties.<\/p>\n

Drivers honk with joy and not rage (sometimes), as if flagging down old friends on some Rockwellian Main Street, shouting through open windows at sidewalk splotches of orange and blue \u2014 the least melodic performance on Broadway, and the likeliest to move grown men to tears anyway:<\/p>\n

\u201cKNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICKSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!\u201d<\/p>\n

Read his full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n

RECIPE OF THE WEEKTamarind-Glazed Chicken Thighs<\/p>\n

With their sweet-and-sour finish punched up by chile flakes, Ashley Lonsdale\u2019s tamarind-glazed chicken thighs<\/a> are glossy, savory and fall-off-the-bone tender. To get the deepest caramelization on the skin, Ashley recommends thoroughly drying the thighs before adding them to the pan. Patting with paper towels gets the job done, but I also like to spread them out on a plate and leave them uncovered in the fridge for an hour or so, or even overnight. Then, serve them with rice or a baguette to catch all the tangy drippings.<\/p>\n

REAL ESTATE<\/p>\n

Into the wolf\u2019s mouth: The artist Johnny DeFeo reimagined his wildlife paintings as a tiny adventure house<\/a> that he constructed high in the New Mexican desert. You can rent it.<\/p>\n

Sit down: Well-chosen, carefully sited outdoor seating is a powerful design tool that can beckon seductively to visitors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One too many? Carrying multiple cellphones, whether for cybersecurity or work-life balance, comes with some quirks and style challenges<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTERWhy are garden hoses so annoying?<\/p>\n

If you feel like your hose is constantly breaking, or you are buying a new one every year, the best thing we can recommend is to replace your flimsy vinyl hose with one made of rubber<\/a>. They are the most long-lasting options, and our favorite is nearly indestructible. If you would rather repair the hose you already own<\/a>, use a utility knife or a pipe cutter to remove the broken part of the hose. If the split is in the middle, try hose menders, which clamp together two pieces to make your hose whole and usable again. If the break is closer to the end, just cut off the damaged piece and use a thread-repair mender to put on a new attachment end. Hopefully your water will keep flowing all summer long. \u2014 Annemarie Conte<\/p>\n

We\u2019re entering one of the best sports weeks of the year, and there\u2019s just too much going on to pick a single game. Here\u2019s a rundown:<\/p>\n

Arsenal vs. Paris St.-Germain, Champions League final: Arsenal, fresh off its first Premier League title in 22 years, will try to win its first ever Champions League trophy today. Fans (including the mayor of New York City<\/a>) are jazzed about this shot at history, but beware: The Athletic\u2019s Nick Miller says P.S.G. is \u201cthe best team in Europe<\/a> and possibly the world right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights, Stanley Cup finals: Since joining the N.H.L. in 2017, the Golden Knights have won more playoff games than any other team. Now, after sweeping the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche,<\/a> they have a chance to add four to that tally. But the Hurricanes are the hottest team going<\/a>, with only one loss so far in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, N.B.A. playoffs. Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Alien vs. the M.V.P. This has been the best series of the playoffs, fiery and physical, and it goes to a decisive Game 7 tonight<\/a>. The Knicks await the winner.<\/p>\n

NOW TIME TO PLAY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is this stray weekend we find ourselves with between Memorial Day and June? A byproduct of this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":249054,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[97260,36197,9,11,10,96291,91556],"class_list":["post-249053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-audiobooks","tag-books-and-literature","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-seasons-and-months","tag-summer-season"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}