School’s out for the summer, but that’s no reason to put your literary inclinations on the shelf. Whether you’re lounging on the Great Lawn, shore-side in Southampton, or grinning and bearing it atop your aluminum-paneled roof, a great book is always an ideal summer accompaniment (as is a high-SPF lotion).

So, in light of this fact, we’ve assembled our own psychoPEDIA-approved summer reading guide. Here, our list of favorites that will help you bide sun-filled time and ensure your cultural references are in tip-top shape.

Please Kill Me: the Uncensored Oral History of Punk, by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
From those familiar to those obsessed, this book is an essential for anyone even remotely intrigued by the birth of punk. NYC-centric, yet spanning decades, as well as the cross-Atlantic development of rock music post-1960, expect heavy drug use, egocentric subjects, morbidity and celebrity culture, not to mention a whole lot of rock ‘n’ roll. From Iggy and the Stooges, to the Sex Pistols and Patti Smith, this incredibly entertaining, informative text, compiled from first-hand interviews with those involved, offers insight into a who’s-who roster of everyone who made the movement memorable.

Illuminations, Arthur Rimbaud
This fall sees the release of the much talked-about Bob Dylan biopic (the heavily-blogged-about film featuring Cate Blanchett, as well as a handful of other actors). So, we figured, what better time to revisit the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud – the 19th century French écrivain often described as the archetypal enfant terrible (the poet maintained a long-term affair with symbolist poet Paul Verlaine, not to mention survived a gunshot wound, inflicted by his lover, to the wrist). Rimbaud’s prose not only had immeasurable effect on subsequent generations, but his transcendent text, Illuminations, heavily influenced many great artists – Dylan and other ‘60s songwriters included.

Anything by Kurt Vonnegut (though our particular favorites include Deadeye Dick, Slaughterhouse Five and Bluebeard)
In memory of the revolutionary American author who passed away this year, we highly recommend reading everything by this master of genre-bending and black humor. A top-notch satirist, and an even stronger storyteller, Vonnegut crafted his works to address important historical and cultural happenings, as well as the human condition, while consistently doing so with inimitable subtlety. To put it simply: genius.

The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: (From A to B and Back Again) by Andy Warhol and Edie: An American Biography, by Jean Stein and edited by George Plimpton
This past year saw the immortalization of both artist Andy Warhol and actress/socialite Edie Sedgwick in more ways than one. In addition to the Levi’s clothing line named for the pop artist who revolutionized concepts of art and celebrity, and half a dozen gallery exhibits in his honor, there was the release of the much-anticipated(and subsequently heavily criticized) feature film, "Factory Girl," which focused on Sedgwick – arguably the Factory’s most intriguing offspring.Unfortunately, as a result of countless reproductions and individual interpretations, these two unforgettable pop-culture figures are often greatly misunderstood.Thus, this summer we recommend delving into Warhol’s own philosophical guidebook, as well as the Sedgwick biography (based on first-hand accounts à la Please Kill Me) that comes as close as possible to uncovering the true nature of the unforgettable “it” girl.

Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth, by Chris Ware
From fellow author Dave Eggers’ non-profit 826 Valencia and adjoining Pirate Store, to Showtime’s radio-adapted television series This American Life, artist Chris Ware’s work can be seen in countless facets of contemporary culture. So, as a far less literary (and significantly more eye-pleasing) read, we recommend this debut title from Chicago-based Ware. The 380-page graphic novella includes fold-out instructions, an index, and paper cut-outs -- devices intended to aid the book’s exploration of the emotionally impaired existence of its namesake everyman, Jimmy Corrigan. Here, Ware proves he’s not your average cartoonist; rather, he’s an accomplished artist (Sean Lennon credits Ware as the greatest living artist today) and storyteller.

~Alisa Gould-Simon