Recommended Reading: Summer Releases!
Summertime and reading’s…. breezy? This is undoubtedly a summer like no other. With our regular routines and trips and work and camps all in various stages of cancelled or reconfiguration, things look more unfamiliar than ever. However, there is one element of summer that no pandemic can ruin (we simply refuse to let it!), and that is the wave of brilliant books coming out. These are a few of the titles that have been moving us, wowing us, making us laugh, and making us smarter and we can’t wait for you to read them too, wherever and however that may look like now.
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora (April 7)
Lush, vibrant, and deeply mystical, Conjure Women is rich with secrets and spirituality. On a southern plantation bisected by the Civil War, two girls whose lives couldn’t be more different from one another’s become deeply entwined, perhaps even fated. With the arrival of a strange-looking newborn, followed by a traveling preacher, it isn’t long before the enslaved community starts to wonder if dark magic has cursed them all. But who is doing the cursing exactly? Absorbing and vivid, this is a book you will truly lose yourself in. –Colleen
The Mermaid, The Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall (May 5)
I have to admit, what lured me to read this book was the title. Mermaids, witches, and pirates! Sign me up! I’m grateful I found this gem because after many weeks in isolation I enjoyed escaping into this fantastical world of magical mayhem. Of course, if you adore dark YA fantasy I highly recommend this book, but I also recommend to all who live for #poc, #genderfluid, #queer, #nonbinary romance! Here is my final pitch: If you’ve been seeking a cup of all-inclusive fantasy adventure with a splash of love, look no further! –Jacque
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (May 12)
Fungi are WILD and this book is wild! I’m forever fascinated by these incredible organisms, to whom we owe most of life on Earth. In a time when I’m thinking a lot about adaptability, creativity, resilience, and mutual support, I’m inspired by what we have learned about the power of fungi — they truly are the heroes of our universe. For a revelatory and necessary read that braids ecological and natural science to our understanding of our everyday lives, pick this one up. –Colleen
Nine Moons by Gabriela Wiener (May 26)
Provocative, offbeat, and always insightful, Gabriela Wiener’s follow up to Sexographies does not disappoint. The book charts Wiener’s thoughts on pregnancy and motherhood during her own pregnancy with her signature daring and candidness. The second of her books to be translated into English, Nine Moons reads like the delightfully uncomfortable sex ed class you didn’t know you wanted. –Nika
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (May 26)
When I saw this novel pop up on two of my favorite publishers’ summer lists–New Directions in the US and Fitzcarraldo Editions in the UK–I knew it was a must-read. Minor Detail is an astonishing work of moral and political insight navigating memory, violence, and the legacies of Palestinian dispossession and occupation. Precise, restrained, and yet alarming, Adania Shibli’s language makes this novel, to borrow from and bend Garth Greenwell’s phraseology, one hundred percent political and one hundred percent high art. –Nika
This Is One Way to Dance by Sejal Shah (June 1)
I am such a sucker for linked essays—especially ones which explore the intersections of identity and language and place and culture—but I especially love what Sejal Shah brings to the form, which she describes as being “hybrid and nonbinary, aesthetic as queer.” These essays navigate notions of belonging and being “othered,” of erasure and visibility, specifically in the context of diasporic South Asians, and even more specifically, in the context of Shah’s Gujarati family. Where this collection thrives is in its liminality, when Shah embraces the glorious and complicated in-between-ness of her own experiences, memories, and sense of self. Overall, This Is One Way To Dance is deeply personal, illuminating, and written with the sensitivity of a poet. –Serena
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (June 2)
I loved Brit's debut The Mothers, and this book sounds just stupendous–a tale of twin sisters who go their separate ways, and one decides to pass as white. Her writing is both smart and propulsive, and Brit is a goddamn star. This book is going to shoot her all the way to the moon. –Emma
Parakeet by Marie-Helene Bertino (June 2)
It was immediately clear–from the very first page–that this book was going to be wild, wondrous, and strange, and so it was! Bertino's use of language made me cackle with enjoyment, like if a poet and a medium had a baby and that baby wrote a novel about a woman who didn't want to get married but was getting married anyway. –Emma
Feasting Wild by Gina Rae La Cerva (June 2)
At a time when I’m cooking so much more than I used, I’ve found myself thinking a lot more about where my food comes from — and its history. La Cerva’s deep dive into wild foods provides that road map, connecting wild foods’ origins to the delicacies they are today. –Michael C
Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier (June 9)
Funny, tender, and heartbreaking. Pizza Girl hits all the right notes in its compact 190 pages. As a former pizza delivery driver, I remember being obsessed with repeat customers and how excited I’d be to find out a little more with every pizza ordered. I loved this book. –Mike FS
Seeing the Body by Rachel Eliza Griffiths (June 9)
In her new collection, Griffiths—who is both a (transcendent!) poet and (spectacular!) photographer—merges poem with portrait, as she explores the many ways that grief resides in the body and the space around it. Here, lyric image is reinforced with literal image, and vice versa, in this haunting, vulnerable, and heart-achingly beautiful collection. The poems are often elegeic, in them, the speaker grapples with life and love after loss of a mother, frequently challenging the invisible line that separates private grieving and public mourning. –Serena
Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory (June 23)
I have been obsessed with Jasmine’s work since the first of her series, The Wedding Date, which, if you haven’t read, please do! I genuinely appreciate her PoC characters and specifically the fact that she always showcases black women in a different light then what we usually see. They are goal-oriented career women who are not always looking for love; rather, they value their families, friendships, and themselves. But as the rom-com queen she is dubbed to be, no one does jaw-dropping, heart-stopping romance like her, and I’m sure Party of Two won’t disappoint. –Daisy
Jasmine's books are always satisfying–and this, somehow already her FIFTH in the last three years, will be no exception. I will read any love story Jasmine writes, forever and ever, amen. –Emma
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (June 23)
If you have asked me for a contemporary romance rec in the store, I more then likely shoved Get A Life, Chloe Brown in your face, and hopefully, you loved it! But here I am again with the sequel! This story follows Chloe’s sister Dani, a strong-willed, in your face professor who is NOT, and I repeat NOT looking for love. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and completely devoured this book. It’s sexy as hell, very funny, and touches on sensitive topics in a relatable way. I can’t get enough of Talia Hibbert, and I told her so when I slid into her DM’s. –Daisy
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (June 30)
Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes excellent novels in so many genres, but I couldn't be more thrilled at the thought of her writing a gothic novel set in the 1950's Mexican countryside. Mexican Gothic's protagonist travels to the countryside to investigate what's led her cousin to send her a disturbing letter–the premise and eeriness remind me of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting on Hill House and Iris Murdoch's The Unicorn. –Martiza
I adored Gods of Jade and Shadow and have been hungry for more ever since! She’s back with a glamorous gothic suspense set in the isolated countryside of 1950s Mexico—specifically inside the walls of the High Place. This mansion has many secrets and is also home to Noemi’s cousin, who is facing a dangerous fate. The cover is absolutely stunning, and I can’t wait to dive into this moody tale. –Daisy
Action Park by Andy Mulvihill (June 30)
This fast-moving romp gives you an inside look at the people that brought you the world’s most dangerous amusement park. I loved every page. One thing that sticks with me about this book is how Mulvihill and Rossen describe the carefree nature of it all. No rules. Just running with an idea. Of course, this didn't always work out, but it did pave the way for many amusement parks across the country. Having been to Action Park once when I was 7, it brought me back to the fear and excitement I felt that day. –Mike FS
Self Care by Leigh Stein (June 30)
Just read Catherine Lacey's blurb and tell me you aren't dying to read this book:
“Self Care is a skewering mockumentary about influencer culture, internet feminism, and the infinite ways that big tech capitalizes on our worst fears and insecurities. Utterly teeming with humor, this is exactly the sort of book that Dorothy Parker would have written if she’d been reincarnated as an Instagram celebrity.”
— Catherine Lacey, author of The Answers and Certain American States: Stories –Emma
Friends and Strangers by J Courtney Sullivan (June 30)
I love when my friends become parents and suddenly write devastating books about parenthood. This novel, about a new mother and her college-aged babysitter, is sad, funny, and ever so relatable for those of us in the throes of raising young children and trying to maintain autonomy–it feels especially relevant right now. –Emma
The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (July 7)
I loved The Royal We, and I can't wait for the sequel! Total royal escapism, and Cocks and Morgan are terrific. –Emma
The Party Upstairs by Lee Conell (July 7)
I'm looking forward to this debut about a New York City take on the upstairs/downstairs story, about the daughter of a super in a fancy apartment building. Class, privilege, family, art–all in one day. Sounds delicious. –Emma
In The Land of Good Living by Kent Russell (July 7)
Three friends walk across the state of Florida. They encounter exactly what you’d expect they’d encounter while walking through Florida. Part history, part travelogue, In the Land of Good Living got me feeling nostalgic for the state I grew up in. I also learned a few things! –Mike FS
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (July 7)
Another debut! I loved this book. A plus size fashion blogger is the next Bachelorette–sex and love and humor galore. –Emma
A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt (July 14)
This book blew me away, and it is genuinely difficult to express how much I think you should read it immediately. A History of My Brief Body combines theory, personal history, and poetry to explore the ever-present “history” of settler colonialism and its ongoing violence, queer identity, art, freedom, and decolonized love. Belcourt’s poetic sensibility permeates every word, molding language and form towards joy, care, and resistance. –Nika
Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell (July 14)
I've been waiting for the next novel from David Mitchell for what feels like an eternity, and it was definitely worth the wait. You can’t talk about one of his novels without eventually mentioning another, his novels take place in an interconnected universe and there is something special that you experience when reading them. You'll see characters appear or be mentioned from previous novels, and it's like walking down the street and bumping into an old friend. You weren't expecting to see them and these memories come flooding back, you'll get to see them in a new light and change how you saw them before. Utopia Avenue is everything that I never expected and everything I wanted at the same time. Told from the different viewpoints of the band members of an obscure British band in the 60's over the course of their two albums, they struggle with everything that comes with fame in this era, and more. While you can't listen to the fictional band's music, Mitchell mentions so many songs throughout his pages it creates an amazing playlist to listen to as you are reading. –Anthony
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine (July 21)
I’m a longtime fan of Tomine’s work. This graphic memoir seems like it’s his most personal yet — right down to how the book is designed as a sketchbook complete with a classic elastic band, signaling that we’re looking straight into his personal thoughts, haunted memories and absurdities of life. –Michael C
Kings County by David Goodwillie (July 28)
This book sounds like a companion to Emily Gould's Perfect Tunes, another great novel about the aughts in New York City. I think it's finally been long enough that I can read books about that period and enjoy it more than I did in real life, or maybe, maybe even see the beauty in it. I'm looking forward to this one! –Emma
Here is the sweet hand by francine j harris (August 4)
I meeean it’s francine j. harris, what more can I say? A living, literary icon. Her third collection explores “solitude as a way of seeing,” and in typical harris fashion, stretches language to its utmost potential for clarity, luminosity, and deliverance. What I love about these poems is that when you’re in them, you’re like, reeeally in them, which is everything I (and perhaps we?) need right now. Maybe that doesn’t make sense, but you’ll have to read it to see what I mean! –Serena
Luster by Raven Leilani (August 4)
One of my favorite books of the year! It’s so deliciously smart and brutal, sexy and gut wrenching. A young woman loses her job and falls into a bizarre affair with a married man. It’s messy af and I couldn’t put it down. If you like the grittiness of Ottessa Moshfegh and the wry humor of Halle Butler, this one is for you. –Colleen
Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim (August 4)
Roselle Lim’s debut book, Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune, was one of my favorite books of 2019 and my May 2020 staff pick! I’m thrilled to announce Lim’s sophomore novel has all that I fell in love with from her first novel and more: family focused plot, sweet romance, & lyrical yet easy-breezy prose! My ultimate favorite staple of Lim’s books is her descriptions of food. You’ll definitely finish the book determined to become a chef, and what better time than now to start a new hobby? In short, if you need a book to lift your spirits, trust me, this is it! –Jacque
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer (August 4)
I’m sorry, is 2008 calling? As my roommates can attest, I absolutely LOST my mind when this news dropped! I chewed all my nails off in anticipation of the reveal as Stephanie so nicely just dropped a countdown on her website with no information, quite rude if you ask me. My inner 15-year-old self is truly shaking in her boots. I still have the original PDF of this story somewhere on my home computer, I’ve reread it several times, and I have no shame. If you are a Twilight stan or have simply just read the books, Midnight Sun is the first in the series in Edward Cullen’s perspective rather than Bella Swan’s, and it is a LONG time coming. Midnight Sun was initially supposed to be published in 2008, but someone leaked the PDF, and Stephanie said no more. But in our time of need, she has come to save the day, and we can’t thank her enough! –Daisy
True Story by Kate Reed Petty (August 4)
A twisty-turny page turner that kept me guessing until the final pages. Petty uses multiple writing styles to craft a truly propulsive read. –Mike
Spellbound by Bishakh Som (August 18)
I was first introduced to Som’s work through her super electric, genre-defying debut collection of short comics, ASPARA ENGINE (which just came out this April!) . So when I heard about this new graphic novel/memoir, I was stoked! Both collections explore themes of gender and sexuality, especially pertaining to diasporic queer and trans South Asian folks, but Spellbound is a meta-autobiographical account of the artists’ coming-of-age as a professional illustrator and trans woman. Them described Som as an “up-and-coming comics superstar” and I 100% agree, I believe this is just the start of a long and prosperous arts career for Som, so make sure to keep an eye out! –Serena
