A New Season of Reading: The Hot Books of Summer
Posted by Cybil on May 4, 2020
So many aspects of life and leisure have changed. This is true. It’s also true that we need to take care of ourselves, collectively and individually, until this crisis passes. And reading a book remains one of the very best things we can do in times of trouble—for the culture and for ourselves.
In that spirit, we’re proud to once again offer our guide to summer reading, based entirely on what readers are letting us know. Each list is assembled according to how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. New releases generating the most interest this time around include books from Emma Straub, Riley Sager, Max Brooks, Suzanne Collins, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia—plus two dozen more authors anxious to make a connection in these strange days.
Stay safe, and good reading…
A story about the things that follow us into adulthood, like it or not, All Adults Here tracks the fortunes of three grown children and the mom who raised them. Overachievers and underachievers both have their burdens to bear. Now a third generation of children has arrived to perpetuate the family cycles—or not. From the author of The Vacationers.
Release date: May 5
Release date: May 5
Jennifer Weiner, the author of Good in Bed and Mrs. Everything, delivers the perfect beach read with this tale of friendship and forgiveness set during a disastrous wedding on picturesque Cape Cod. Even if you can't dip your toes in the ocean, there's no reason not to enjoy this summer pick!
Release date: May 5
Release date: May 5
Historical fiction with a literary twist: An odd collection of people—doctor, widow, laborer, movie star—gathers to mark the anniversary of Jane Austen's death. United in their love for Austen, each endures struggle and tragedy. Natalie Jenner’s highly anticipated book is recommended for fans of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir.
Release date: May 26
Release date: May 26
Twin sisters, inseparable at birth, take very different paths into adulthood and the wider world. One stays in her Southern black community; the other heads for the horizon, secretly passing as white. Author Brit Bennett (The Mothers) digs into issues of identity and origin in a story that moves from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Release date: June 2
Release date: June 2
Unbidden visions of blood and madness bring a beautiful young woman to the dreaded High House, a mysterious mansion deep in the Mexican countryside. Mixing intrigue and horror in the classic Gothic mode, author Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Gods of Jade and Shadow) finds a sinister new wavelength for suspense.
Release date: June 30
Release date: June 30
Four childhood friends from an American Indian reservation community confront a violent supernatural entity. Stephen Graham Jones’ story folds and flips in unpredictable ways as he conjures personal and cultural demons, and the writing feels like Elmore Leonard with a high fever. Also, it turns out that elk can be terrifying.
Release date: July 14
Release date: July 14
Twentysomething artist Edie, making her way through the modern wilds of New York City, finds herself in a relationship with a man whose wife has agreed to an open marriage—with rules. Predictably, drama ensues. Raven Leilani revives the old-fashioned transgressive novel for a new millennium with this darkly comic and sexually provocative tale.
Release date: August 4
Release date: August 4
After years of tutelage from a manipulative film director, teenage actress Grace Turner disappeared from the Hollywood scene. Now she’s back—with a story to tell. Ella Berman’s debut novel toggles between two timelines as it navigates the treacherous waters of power dynamics in the media age.
Release date: August 11
Release date: August 11
From the author of My Year of Rest and Relaxation comes this twisty and twisted novel about a woman who becomes obsessed with a note she finds in the woods. It reads: "Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn't me. Here is her dead body." Except there is no body. Is there an innocent explanation? Or are we in the mind of a narrator more unreliable than we can possibly imagine?
Release date: June 23
Release date: June 23
Twenty-five years ago, the Holt family moved into a mysterious Victorian mansion, only to be chased out by terrifying supernatural powers. The parents made a fortune off the book rights. Now little Maggie Holt, just a child the first time around, is moving back. Could be trouble, Scoob.
Release date: June 30
Release date: June 30
Everyone knows a kid like Charlie Crabtree. Dark eyes, psycho vibe. Twenty-five years after Charlie’s infamous crimes, his childhood friend Paul Adams must return to their hometown to care for his ailing mother. And that’s when it starts to get weird. A twisty new thriller from the author of The Whisper Man.
Release date: July 7
Release date: July 7
When a dead body pops up in a sleepy rural village, the usual sequence of events takes place: The police show up, and the media, not necessarily in that order. His & Hers alternates point of view between police investigator Jack Harper and BBC journalist Anna Andrews. Someone is not telling the truth.
Release date: July 28
Release date: July 28
Ever have one of those parties where everything goes wrong? On a remote island resort off the coast of Ireland, a wedding celebration drifts into Agatha Christie territory when someone turns up dead. Author Lucy Foley (The Hunting Party) reminds us that even the best-laid plans require proper execution.
Release date: June 2
Release date: June 2
Max Brooks—author of the fabulous World War Z—returns with a story that’s part survival narrative, part horror story, part scientific investigation. Volcanoes! Massacres! Apex predators! The Bigfoot legend gets a thorough revamping via Brooks’ innovative narrative techniques, which blur the lines between fact, fiction, and all that lies between.
Release date: June 16
Release date: June 16
Humankind’s first contact with an extraterrestrial species is not going according to plan. A suspicious news leak has the press and public in a panic, and Cora Sabino suspects her whistleblower father has something to do with it. Her investigation gets more complicated when she finds herself acting as intermediary between species.
Release date: July 21
Release date: July 21
In the patriarchal land of Bethel, the Church’s word is law. But when Immanuelle Moore enters the forbidden Darkwood forest—where spirits and witches dwell—she makes a shattering discovery. The darkness in Bethel comes from within. Alexis Henderson’s debut novel maps new territories in feminist fantasy.
Release date: July 21
Release date: July 21
A worldwide pandemic has wiped out 99 percent of the world’s male population. Seems like an opportunity for improvement, but maybe not. A desperate mother flees across a dystopian American West, trying desperately to protect her young boy. Billed as a meeting of Blade Runner and The Handmaid’s Tale, Afterland is the latest from acclaimed author Lauren Beukes.
Release date: July 28
Release date: July 28
One of the year’s most anticipated sci-fi stories, The Mother Code imagines a future where genetically engineered children are incubated inside AI-powered robots. In the year 2049, the human child Kai and his robotic mother, Rho-Z, face down a series of unanticipated threats.
Release date: August 25
Release date: August 25
From radio personality and alpha podcaster John Moe, The Hilarious World of Depression mixes memoirs, scientific investigation, interviews, and first-person stories. Moe’s popular podcast has long been a haven for those struggling with depression and related illnesses. The power of humor should never be underestimated. Seriously.
Release date: May 5
Release date: May 5
Mikel Jollett has the most amazing story you’ve never heard. Born into one of the era’s most notorious cults, he survived a childhood of neglect, abandonment, and abuse—only to endure an adolescence of poverty and trauma. Then he made it to Stanford University. Then he built a life. Then he wrote a book.
Release date: May 26
Release date: May 26
As a 15-year-old student, Lacy Crawford suffered a terrible assault at one of New England’s most prestigious boarding schools. Years later, she stepped forward as a witness to help tear down a terrible structure of institutional silencing. Notes on a Silencing is both a tender coming-of-age story and a ferocious inquiry into the darkest corners of privilege and power.
Release date: July 14
Release date: July 14
A frank and vulnerable memoir that speaks to our changing times, The Fixed Stars tells of Molly Wizenberg’s experience falling in love with another woman at age 36. Married to a man and mom to a toddler, Wizenberg found new levels of meaning to that old saying: It’s complicated.
Release date: August 4
Release date: August 4
Camino Rios and Yahaira Rios have spent their lives separated by distance and circumstance. But when their father dies in a plane crash, they must reconcile. Writer, poet, and National Book Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo (The Poet X) returns with a unique novel-in-verse about love, loss, and the bonds of family.
Release date: May 5
Release date: May 5
From the author of a modest little series called The Hunger Games, this new installment is being plugged as a prequel, but past that it’s shrouded in secrecy. You didn’t hear it from us, but scuttlebutt says the story will begin on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games.
Release date: May 19
Release date: May 19
After a bummer of a summer, 18-year-old Georgia heads off to university with the goal of finding, or feeling, or at least understanding love. With the help of her new roommate Rooney, she makes an honest effort. But maybe she’s looking in the wrong places. Loveless trades in themes of identity, self-acceptance, and a revelation: After all, there are many different kinds of love.
Release date: July 9
Release date: July 9
Billed as Moulin Rouge meets The Phantom of the Opera, this much-anticipated debut introduces an opulent world of competitive magicians engaged in a deadly game. As the stakes keep climbing and each act grows more dangerous than the last, showgirl Kallia is determined to prove herself no matter the cost. Sure to delight fans of The Night Circus.
Release date: August 25
Release date: August 25
When two authors move into adjacent summer beach houses, the temptation is to talk shop. He writes weighty literature. She writes happy love stories. Both are in a rut and staring down that beast called writer’s block. What if they switch assignments for the summer? Wouldn’t that be weird?
Release date: May 19
Release date: May 19
Hollywood gossip is a tenacious thing, and Jo and Emma are on the run. When the paparazzi start chasing a rumor about romance between the showrunner and her assistant, the two women must tread very carefully. But they’re getting along so well! And having such a good time! Would a little fling fan the flames?
Release date: May 26
Release date: May 26
Olivia Monroe is the busiest person you know. Starting a new law firm in L.A. is a full-time job. She’s got no time for romance, especially if it involves a junior senator who lives in the dead center of the spotlight. But look, the man sent a cake. A chocolate cake. Some protocols must be obeyed.
Release date: June 23
Release date: June 23
Super-stylish plus-size model Bea Schumacher has been cast in the hot new dating reality show. This is her chance to advance her career, subvert ridiculous beauty standards, and inspire women everywhere! Besides, all the love stories on these shows are fake and scripted. There is zero chance that she’ll fall in love. Right?
Release date: July 7
Release date: July 7
Which books are you most excited to read this summer? Let us know in the comments!
Jeff
Fiction:
If You Must Know by Jamie Beck. Releases June 1, 2020. Refreshing departure for an author primarily known as a romance author, this book evokes comparisons to the 2014 movie The Other Woman starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Kate Upton.
Mystery/ Thriller:
Stranger In The Lake by Kimberly Belle. Releases June 9, 2020. Great, well paced mystery/ thriller that has explosive revelations through very nearly the last page.
Fantasy/ Science Fiction:
NPC by Jeremy Robinson. Releases July 6, 2020. One of Robinson's most overt religious discussions since his early books, while still packaged in a breakneck thrill ride of a science fiction tale.
Nonfiction:
Shuttle, Houston by Paul Dye. Releases July 14, 2020. "IRON FLIGHT" Paul Dye is NASA's longest serving Flight Director, and this book arguably gives a better view into the mindset of the role than even Gene Kranz's Failure Is Not An Option.
If You Must Know by Jamie Beck. Releases June 1, 2020. Refreshing departure for an author primarily known as a romance author, this book evokes comparisons to the 2014 movie The Other Woman starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Kate Upton.
Mystery/ Thriller:
Stranger In The Lake by Kimberly Belle. Releases June 9, 2020. Great, well paced mystery/ thriller that has explosive revelations through very nearly the last page.
Fantasy/ Science Fiction:
NPC by Jeremy Robinson. Releases July 6, 2020. One of Robinson's most overt religious discussions since his early books, while still packaged in a breakneck thrill ride of a science fiction tale.
Nonfiction:
Shuttle, Houston by Paul Dye. Releases July 14, 2020. "IRON FLIGHT" Paul Dye is NASA's longest serving Flight Director, and this book arguably gives a better view into the mindset of the role than even Gene Kranz's Failure Is Not An Option.
Maximilian Birner
Of course, I'm really excited about Home Before Dark and The Only Good Indians.
Evelyn Glassier
I can't wait till Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes comes out!
Anthony G
Nothing that approaches literature here; sad.
TMR
These are all good selections.
Hufg Vjxtwobr
Good
Alyssa
Anthony wrote: "Nothing that approaches literature here; sad."
Literature doesn't always have to be heavy. Let's not judge books we haven't read. They just aren't your cup of tea.
Literature doesn't always have to be heavy. Let's not judge books we haven't read. They just aren't your cup of tea.
Sue
Maximilian wrote: "Of course, I'm really excited about Home Before Dark and The Only Good Indians."
I received an ARC of The Only Good Indians. Creepy good
I received an ARC of The Only Good Indians. Creepy good
Elizabeth
Ahh! SO.MANY. good ones on this list! Can't wait. Added a bunch to my TBR!
Maximilian Birner
Good to know Sue, you just got me more hyped!
