I’m coming to you with one thing just a little totally different from my Race Matters column: summer time studying suggestions! I’ve been a e book editor for greater than 20 years; and studying isn’t just my profession, it’s my ardour. This summer time is filled with stellar books, which is nice for readers but in addition presents a problem: how one can know what to select up. In the event you want some e book concepts to your seaside bag, porch grasp, or highway journey, I’ve narrowed down an inventory of eight that has one thing for everybody…
It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan. In the event you’re already a fan of Annabel’s books (Identical Time Subsequent 12 months, Nora Goes Off Script, Summer time Romance), then you recognize she creates essentially the most endearing, relatable characters you could’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 laborious for. To entice her boss to greenlight the venture, she guarantees that her previous pal, mega pop star Jack Quinlan, will write an unique tune 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 desires to show to, her co-worker Dan. He simply could assist with the damaged coronary heart factor, too. This novel goes down like a glass of chilly lemonade on a scorching day — straightforward, effervescent, solely satisfying.
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. In the event you’re into audio books, I extremely suggest listening to this novel – the narrator Adam Lazarre-White has such a clean baritone, I’d take heed to him learn a toaster handbook. King of Ashes doesn’t scream mild seaside learn (there’s a gritty edge to Cosby’s work, plus just a few 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 prison underworld. The plot races alongside, however past the heart-pounding twists, the novel is a robust reminder of how a lot we’ll threat to guard these we love.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’m past blown away by Taylor’s vary — she’s written over a dozen novels that discover totally different worlds, from aggressive tennis to Outdated Hollywood. All of which has made her a “publishing powerhouse,” as Time journal stated in a recent 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? Examine. Examine. Examine. Assume: Prime 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 total being pregnant; then after I was born they made a final minute swap to Christine. Generally I’m wondering, would my life have unfolded otherwise if I had been “Stephanie”? That’s the premise of this novel. The Names contains three totally different narratives – Sliding Doors type – that comply with the life path of Cora’s son, if he got three totally different names. Names are solely a part of the legacy we give our kids, and Cora reckons with all she’s passing to her son – the resilience and the trauma.
Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera. There was sure to be a White Lotus comparability on this checklist, 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 like a narrative about sisters, and right here, dutiful older sister, Laura, realizes her wayward sister, Elena, is in serious trouble, the type of hassle that would 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.
Everyone Is Lying 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 associate) 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 sentiments we’ve as we scroll by way of our feeds at 3 a.m. Coming July fifteenth.
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown might be the older cousin of Jo’s e book. 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 together with her devoted however maniacal father, who’s liable to diatribes in regards to the ills of civilization. Jane turns into disillusioned together with her father’s world view, with a nagging sense that one thing is amiss with him and what he’s instructed her about their previous. Finally, she builds as much as make a wide ranging escape, although not earlier than being ensnared in an incident that can have life-long penalties. Her path takes her to San Francisco within the Nineteen Nineties on the eve of the dotcom increase when the web promised to be a fantastic utopia. As quickly as I completed the e book, I wrote Janelle a gushing private notice. I used to be fully smitten with the voice and couldn’t put this one down.
And, after all, I’ve to incorporate my very own. All The Men I’ve Loved Again, my solo debut, got here out final week and is extremely beach-friendly. It’s a narrative a couple of girl, Cora, who falls in love with two males in her twenties, and the similar 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 e book plate to any Cup of Jo reader who asks for one.
What books are on the high of your checklist this summer time? Authors additionally like it when readers come to occasions. So, take a look at the tour information for these novels, placed on a cute summer time gown, and go make a pal.
P.S. Five sexy books we love, three favorite books of all time, and what’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever read?
(Photograph by Dana Saparova/Stocksy.)
