So put on your flip-flops, if you haven't already been wearing them since the temperature hit 50 degrees, pour yourself a glass of lemonade, grab a lawn chair and get ready to look forward to everyone's favorite season. Celebrate it in style ... we've got a few ideas.

Summer Reading

Whether your sunbathing takes place beside a shimmery turquoise pool or on the dock at your lake cabin, nothing goes better with a developing tan than a slightly trashy, totally readable "beach book." After a semester full of thick textbooks and dry Freud, summer vacation gives you total freedom to enjoy a novel that is not by Nora Roberts or "The DaVinci Code," and we've taken the liberty of choosing a few favorites for your poolside pleasure.

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Photo Courtesy little brown and company

When this legendary book was written in the 1960s, it was considered super scandalous for its depiction of drug-addicted starlets, extramarital affairs, Hollywood drama and catfights between its female characters. Nowadays, of course, "Valley of the Dolls" seems relatively tame compared to an issue of "Cosmopolitan," but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It's the quintessential beach read: juicy, campy, gossipy and an easy, breezy page-turner. Goes well with a champagne cocktail.

Anything by David Sedaris/Augusten Burroughs

The essays and memoirs of these two hilariously talented gay men are crowd-pleasers in every sense of the word. Forget the horrid movie version of "Running with Scissors" and pick up a paperback copy of Burroughs' memoir to appreciate the relative sanity of your family during a campground reunion.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Photo Courtesy Vintage

This much-lauded Japanese author created a wonder with "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle," a novel about a young man's complicated quest to find his missing wife and their errant pet cat. The cast of characters Toru Okada encounters on his journey will delight you, spark your imagination and make you think. As cheesy and clichéd as it might sound, the book is definitely one of those rare novels you truly cannot put down.

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

We know you read "The Great Gatsby" back in the years of your more adolescent angst, but Fitzgerald (holler for our St. Paul homeboy!) delivers a stunning portrayal of an unhappy Gloria and Anthony Patch. The young couple clings to everything they believe their youth can grant them. This 1920s novel is worth a chuckle and a tear.

The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella

This comic novel, which follows the dazzling British Becky Bloomwood's escapades and disregard for credit card companies, is the perfect indulgence for a day at the beach. Rand and Tolstoy are for your heavy-layered lit courses. We know your best girl friend has got a copy tucked somewhere in her stacks of Cosmos and Seventeens. You've been stressed, so lay back, toss on your SPF 15 and be prepared to giggle.

Sound of Summer

We love the idea of summer barbecues, complete with a game or two of Bocce ball or croquet, and why not throw your own? Invite 20 of your nearest and dearest, throw some burgers and pineapple slices on the grill, and mix up some sangria or muddle some mint leaves for mojitos. And of course your festivities will need a soundtrack, right? We've compiled a quick pick of quite a few classic summer songs to tack on to your multitudes of fun in the sun.

Photo Courtesy Arista Records

We know it's totally cheesy, but we can't help retaining a soft spot in our hearts for LFO's biggest hit "Summer Girls." The lyrics are awful, but that's part of this boy band's charm.

Keeping it local is Minneapolis favorite Atmosphere with "Sunshine." It sounds like summer in the city if Minneapolis was more Harlem.

Chicas, you'll hate us for mentioning it, but toss on any old Sheryl Crow record, and top them off with a little Natalie Imbruglia. This summer is all about nostalgia. Toss on any track that'll make you smile for a minute or two. Remember "Hanging Around" by the Counting Crows or "Steal my Sunshine" by Len? Hell, it's May and about time you get a little spunky. Throw a car dance party or six. Two ands are a mouthful Roll the windows down and holler at the top of your lungs. Your beautiful tone-deaf version of that Shania song will inspire giggles and Karmic delight galore!

Also particularly effective for a summertime fiesta is '80s feelgood hip-hop like Run-DMC, or anything that plays on your local oldies station. Turn off the KDWB and turn on the Temptations! According to Mark Wheat of The Current (89.3), the song of the summer will be "Mykonos" by Fleet Foxes, so if indie-rock is your thing, check it out; everyone's favorite British DJ sure knows his music.

Where to go

Minneapolis and St. Paul are ideal cities for having some summer fun, and even if you won't be here, we think it's worth the weekend visit! Besides the obvious locations worth visiting like the Walker Art Center's gorgeous sculpture garden and its picturesque neighbor Loring Park, the Twin Cities have dozens of destinations that might spark your fancy.

Minnesota Zoo/ Como Zoo

The zoo isn't just for kids, you know, and we happen to have two great animal-gawking locales near our metropolis. It's about time you tossed your camera in your bag and took pictures of your friends acting like monkeys - standing next to monkeys. Buy some cotton candy, bring along your little cousins or your best friend, but please don't feed the animals!

Minneapolis Farmers Market (312 E. Lyndale Ave. N)

You've got to get up super-early to get the best this talked-about market has to offer: fresh produce, artists' wares, soap and flowers are just some of its gems. Buy some plump homegrown tomatoes for your BLT sandwiches or some Wisconsin honey and people-watch while you enjoy a bag of sweet-and-salty kettle corn. The market also offers a fantastic assortment of homegrown flowers. If you're thinking of igniting a summer fling, look no further than the sunflowers or peace lilies sold in the summer sun.

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Lake Minnetonka/ Lake Calhoun

Rent a Jet-Ski, but don't forget to buckle on a lifejacket! Since Minnesota is the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" (11,842 to be exact) you might as well take advantage of the Twin Cities' two best bodies of water. Visit Lake Calhoun in the evening, dip your feet in the water from the safety of the dock, and watch the sailboats go by - this situation, of course, goes perfectly with an ice cream cone from nearby Sebastian Joe's.

Hunt, fish and camp

After all, Minnesota does have 72 state parks and campgrounds abound. What could be more fun than tossing on bug spray, roasting up s'mores and pitching your parents' seven-person tent? You and five friends in the woods is a situation promising adventures and disasters, everything you'd love your summer to be!

Picnicking in the park

On a day off from your monotonous Target internship, run on over to St. Anthony Main, tread the Stone Arch Bridge and have a picnic in the park. If St. Anthony isn't convenient, there are more parks to choose from - Minnehaha, Loring or the Grand Rounds. Pack a few baguettes, a hearty chunk of Brie and watch out for those picnic ants.

Garage Sales

Need a new floral pattern couch or tea set from the 1970s? Most Minneapolis/St. Paul neighborhoods host a weekend when everyone is encouraged to toss all of their junk into the yard for so much less than you'd expect. The fun is in the find, so throw on your walking shoes and get ready to do some serious digging.