The arrival of summer always requires a lot of planning, whether you have to find a summer job or make your vacation arrangements. But don't forget about planning one of the most important aspects of the season: your summer reading list.

That's right. You know time off from school and work means time to finally read all of the books in the Song of Fire and Ice series or secretly read the latest book by that YA author you just can't resist. How else are you supposed to spend your days?

And while books like these may be good to read on the airplane on the way to your summer vacation destination or as you're trying to get over your withdrawal of your favorite TV show on hiatus until fall, beach reading requires a certain type of book. You want something that's going to gel with your chill as you bask in the glory of the warm sun or listen to the serene sounds of the ocean. At the same time, you still need an irresistible book that's going to keep your interest for hours and not let you succumb to the temptation to jump in the water or doze off.

Luckily, no matter what genre you're into, there are plenty of books out there that fit the bill. In fact, several fun and evocative page-turners have been published since Summer 2014, so your summer reading list will be as fresh as ever this season, even if you've probably heard of many of the books on this list since they're big best-sellers that all of your friends have been telling you to read for months.

Well, now is your chance. Here are 12 books you need to have in your beach bag this summer.

1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

You breezed through Gone Girl. Now what? Many consider Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train to be the next great thriller to take over the world. With its story about a woman named Rachel and how her life is turned upside down by what she sees during her commute, it's sure to captivate you too.

2. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

There ain't no drama like family drama because family drama gets real. You'll quickly find that out when you read A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, which chronicles four generations of one Baltimore family whose members have an interesting way of recounting the clan's history.

3. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

We never thought this day would come, but it's almost here. The publishing company Harper announced in February that it would be publishing the second novel of long-elusive author Harper Lee, which will be a sequel to one of the most famous and beloved books of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird. Hitting shelves on July 14, Go Set a Watchman is not only sure to be one of the most fascinating reads of the summer but also of the year.

4. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

Girls creator and star Lena Dunham released her first book Not That Kind of Girl last September, which subsequently drummed up a ton of controversy. However, if you look past the headlines, Not That Kind of Girl is a collection of wonderfully written and provocative autobiographical essays that every woman should read to help her find out what kind of girl she really is.

5. Lucky Alan by Jonathan Lethem

A book of short stories is perfect for the beach because you're able to feel the satisfaction of finishing a few stories during your time there but avoid getting too sucked in so that you end up disappointed when you have to pick up everything and leave once the sun goes down. Jonathan Lethem's third collection of stories titled Lucky Alan features tales of a father's nervous breakdown at SeaWorld, the rescue of a child in the woods and a desert island full of characters from forgotten comics, just to name a few. As you can probably tell, the stories in this book are sure to stay with you long after they end.

6. Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos

When the weather heats up, so do tensions between married couple Claire and Don Lowry, who spend the summer trying to find themselves and figure things out with their marriage, much to the confusion of their children. When Summerlong is released on June 16, it should be intriguing enough to keep you entertained all summer long.

7. So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

The Internet has given rise to a kind of public shaming that we have never seen before. Though we read headlines about normal people thrust into the spotlight because of some offensive joke they made that eventually went viral, what happens when the high-profile backlash dies down? Jon Ronson explores this in his new book So You've Been Publicly Shamed by speaking with those that have gone through this type of ordeal. In case you can't get cell phone service at the beach this summer to keep up with what's going on in the world, So You've Been Publicly Shamed will feed your appetite for constantly staying connected to the online world and also show you why it's a problem.

8. At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen

Even if you're not going to be visiting Loch Ness in Scotland this summer, At the Water's Edge, a novel about a trio of Americans that go on the hunt for Nessie in the 1940s, should still be a gripping tale. This latest novel from Water for Elephants author Sara Gruen will have you wishing your summer could be just as epic.

9. Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg

Saint Mazie just oozes cool. The novel, hitting shelves June 2, is like two stories in one. First, there's the tale of Mazie Phillips, the owner of a movie theater in Jazz Age New York, who ends up caring for the down-on-their-luck inhabitants of the Bowery during the Great Depression. Then, the book fast forwards more than 90 years to chronicle a documentarian's search for who Mazie really was after stumbling upon her diary. I have a feeling we're all going to fall in love with Mazie.

10. The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman

There's nothing like reading a dystopian thriller on a hot summer day, and this one from Sarah Newman might be the freakiest one you've read in a while. In the book, a mysterious plague kills off everyone before they reach the age of 20. However, that doesn't prevent 15-year-old Ice Cream Star from risking everything to try and find a cure. Now aren't you dying to know how all of this ends?

11. Almost Famous Women by Megan Mayhew Bergman

You know Oscar Wilde and Lord Byron and James Joyce, but you probably haven't heard of the extraordinary women in their lives. Luckily, Megan Mayhew Bergman introduces us to this eccentric group of women in her book of historical fiction short stories, and in some ways they are even more fascinating than the men they were in the shadow of.

12. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

One hundred years ago, the British oceanliner the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine, killing more than 1,200 people in one of the most famous disasters in history. Erik Larson, the best-selling author of Devil in the White City, dives into the sinking of the Lusitania to give us a suspenseful account of what really happened that day. The only problem is this tale will probably make you never want to go in the water again.

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