It is summertime again and time to put aside a few books for vacation reading. Let me share some suggestions from books I have been reading to prepare for UNC-TV's North Carolina Bookwatch's new season beginning July 5 at 5 p.m.

Our series will open with one of my favorites, "Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue," by John Shelton and Dale Volberg Reed. North Carolinians argue about barbecue the way French people argue about wines and cheeses. The Reeds give you the facts to win every barbecue argument. The Reeds open the new Bookwatch series on July 5.

A few years ago, Greensboro newspaper editor Justin Catanoso learned that a cousin in Italy had been made a saint. This event launched Catanoso on journeys of travel and led to life-changing religious retrospection. He shares these experiences in his book, "My Cousin the Saint: A Search for Faith, Family, and Miracles." (July 12)

Todd Johnson left North Carolina for careers in music and theater production in New York City. But he set his first published novel, "The Sweet By and By," right here in his home state. His heroes are strong North Carolina women facing the brutal reality of aging in a nursing home. Their stories entertain us and make some of us cry. (July 19)

If you have read N.C. State professor Michael Walden's newspaper columns or heard him speak, you know that he explains clearly and simply how the workings of the economy affect the lives of North Carolinians. If not, read his new book, "North Carolina in the Connected Age: Challenges and Opportunities in a Globalizing Economy." (July 26)

UNC psychology professor Barbara Fredrickson is a leader in a relatively new field, positive psychology. Her research looks for ways psychology can help normal people improve their lives. She shares some of those findings in her new book, "Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive." (August 2)

If you are (or have been) a Sesame Street fan, how would you like to know the inside story of how the program started and responded to success? Michael Davis's new book, "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street," tells the tale. (August 9)

In "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions," Duke University Professor Dan Ariely describes how irrational our decision-making process can become, and how people and businesses take advantage of our irrationality. (August 16)

Howard Lee won the Chapel Hill mayor's election in 1969, becoming the first African American to win the top job in a majority white Southern town or city. He writes about that historic election in his new memoir, "The Courage to Lead: One Man's Journey in Public Service." (Aug. 23)

UNC's Marianne Gingher tells the story of how she came to be a writer in "Adventures in Pen Land." (Aug. 30)

Lincolnton lawyer Dan Barefoot has been writing about North Carolina history for many years. Recently he collected a set of writings for "Hark the Sound of Tar Heel Voices: 220 Years of UNC History." Looking at North Carolina history through university's lens is instructive for all of us. (September 6)

See you Sundays at five!

D.G. Martin is the author of "Interstate Eateries," a guide to family owned homecooking restaurants near North Carolina's interstate highways.