I’m coming to you with one thing a bit of completely different from my Race Issues column: summer season studying suggestions! I’ve been a guide editor for greater than 20 years; and studying is not only my profession, it’s my ardour. This summer season is filled with stellar books, which is nice for readers but in addition presents a problem: the best way to know what to select up. In case you want some guide concepts on your seashore bag, porch grasp, or street journey, I’ve narrowed down a listing of eight that has one thing for everybody…
It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan. In case you’re already a fan of Annabel’s books (Similar Time Subsequent Yr, Nora Goes Off Script, Summer season Romance), then she creates probably the most endearing, relatable characters that you may’t assist rooting for. Her latest heroine, Jane Jackson, is a former little one star making an attempt to survive her previous as a “wacky” sitcom character. She has her sights set on making a characteristic movie from a rom-com script she’s fallen exhausting for. To entice her boss to greenlight the venture, she guarantees that her outdated pal, mega pop star Jack Quinlan, will write an unique track for the film. The issue? Jack isn’t actually a pal, extra like somebody who broke Jane’s coronary heart years earlier than. To trace Jack down, she’ll want the assistance of the final particular person she needs to show to, her co-worker Dan. He simply might assist with the damaged coronary heart factor, too. This novel goes down like a glass of chilly lemonade on a sizzling day — straightforward, effervescent, totally satisfying.
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. In case you’re into audio books, I extremely advocate listening to this novel – the narrator Adam Lazarre-White has such a clean baritone, I’d take heed to him learn a toaster guide. King of Ashes doesn’t scream gentle seashore learn (there’s a gritty edge to Cosby’s work, plus a couple of lifeless our bodies) however you’ll by no means learn tales about gangsters, crime, and hazard with richer characters and a stronger emotional core. A stand-out characteristic of Cosby’s work is his settings — evocative Southern backwaters the place the language is colourful, the humidity thick, and the bugs loud. Roman, our hero, returns residence to rural Virginia to reckon with some high-stakes drama — a father within the hospital who’s unable to run the household’s crematorium, a sister haunted by their mom’s mysterious disappearance, and a brother tangled within the native legal underworld. The plot races alongside, however past the heart-pounding twists, the novel is a robust reminder of how a lot we are going to threat to guard these we love.
Ambiance by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’m past blown away by Taylor’s vary — she’s written over a dozen novels that discover completely different worlds, from aggressive tennis to Outdated Hollywood. All of which has made her a “publishing powerhouse,” as Time journal mentioned in a latest profile. Now she’s taking readers to… area. Set within the Eighties, this novel follows two ladies in NASA’s second class of feminine astronauts who should navigate the aggressive, sexist and exhilarating world of area journey as true pioneers in lots of senses. Hidden romance, new frontiers, and pulse-pounding journey? Test. Test. Test. Suppose: High Gun, Hidden Figures and For All Mankind vibes. One in all my favourite reads of 2025.
The Names by Florence Knapp. Random truth about me: my mother and father deliberate to call me Stephanie throughout my mom’s whole being pregnant; then after I was born they made a final minute swap to Christine. Typically I ponder, would my life have unfolded otherwise if I had been “Stephanie”? That’s the premise of this novel. The Names contains three completely different narratives – Sliding Doorways model – that comply with the life path of Cora’s son, if he got three completely different names. Names are solely a part of the legacy we give our youngsters, and Cora reckons with all she’s passing to her son – the resilience and the trauma.
Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera. There was certain to be a White Lotus comparability on this listing, and that is it! This novel explores class and tourism at a high-end resort within the Dominican Republic, and the page-turning plot hits the spot. I am keen on a narrative about sisters, and right here, dutiful older sister, Laura, realizes her wayward sister, Elena, is in serious trouble, the kind of hassle that might price Laura her dream promotion and the escape the orphaned sisters have dreamed of. The explorations of household, wealth and striving are as wealthy because the folks at this five-star resort. Coming, August twelfth.
Everybody Is Mendacity To You by Jo Piazza. You’d need to be residing below a rock to not have heard in regards to the tradwife phenomenon. Journalist Jo Piazza (who additionally occurs to be my writing accomplice) now brings us the quintessential tradwife novel. It’s an exhilarating, fast-paced thriller — come for the plot twists, keep for the commentary about social media. The novel expertly captures all the emotions we now have as we scroll by way of our feeds at 3 a.m. Coming July fifteenth.
What Sort of Paradise by Janelle Brown may very well be the older cousin of Jo’s guide. For all our love/hate of social media, this story takes us again to the eve of the web in Silicon Valley. Our protagonist, Jane, grows up in a rural Montana cabin along with her devoted however maniacal father, who’s susceptible to diatribes in regards to the ills of civilization. Jane turns into disillusioned along with her father’s world view, with a nagging sense that one thing is amiss with him and what he’s advised her about their previous. Ultimately, she builds as much as make a wide ranging escape, although not earlier than being ensnared in an incident that may have life-long penalties. Her path takes her to San Francisco within the Nineteen Nineties on the eve of the dotcom growth when the web promised to be an awesome utopia. As quickly as I completed the guide, I wrote Janelle a gushing private observe. I used to be utterly smitten with the voice and couldn’t put this one down.
And, in fact, I’ve to incorporate my very own. All The Males I’ve Beloved Once more, my solo debut, got here out final week and is very beach-friendly. It’s a narrative a couple of lady, Cora, who falls in love with two males in her twenties, and the identical two males once more as she’s about to show 40. A wild premise ripped from my very own life. It’s a enjoyable, heartfelt, steamy coming-of-age story, heavy on nostalgia and a ‘90s music playlist. I’ll mail a signed guide plate to any Cup of Jo reader who asks for one.
What books are on the high of your listing this summer season? Authors additionally find it irresistible when readers come to occasions. So, try the tour data for these novels, placed on a cute summer season gown, and go make a pal.
P.S. 5 attractive books we love, three favourite books of all time, and what’s probably the most stunning factor you’ve ever learn?
(Picture by Dana Saparova/Stocksy.)
