Summer book list
Summer looks a lot closer from this side of Memorial Day. We’ve put together some suggestions for your next commute, Sunday picnic, or weekend beach trip. Here are 10 books from 2015 to put on your reading list, plus a few extras.
Fiction
In the Unlikely Event, Judy Blume
Your favorite children’s author is coming out with her first book for adults in 16 years. Judy Blume, known for her beloved classics Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret and Freckle Juice, will release In the Unlikely Event on June 2 via Knopf. It centers on a series of historical plane crashes that occurred in New Jersey from 1951-52 and the responses by a fictional web of characters.
Inside the O’Briens: A Novel, Lisa Genova
From the author of Still Alice, now a major feature film, Genova delivers another hard-hitting narrative of a devastating disease. Joe O’Brien is a 44-year-old police officer in Charlestown when we meet him. He soon begins to suffer from disorganized thinking, short-tempered flares, and muscular spasms that ultimately leads to the diagnosis of Huntington’s disease. The novel unfolds as the family grapples with his diagnosis and prognosis, and their uncertainty about the future.
Eight Hundred Grapes, Laura Dave
Described as “a charming summer read with depth,’’ by Booklist, thisnovel explores the themes ofmarriage and family. A week before their wedding, Georgia Ford discovers her fiancé has been hiding something from her. She retreats to her childhood home of Sonoma, only to discover that the security of her family’s vineyard isn’t quite as comfortable as she thought it was.
The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
Since its release in January, The Girl on the Train has shot to best-seller status with The New York Times. It’s a psychological thriller that’s been called “addicting,’’ “immersive,’’ and “bedazzling.’’ It’s the story of a split second in one commuter’s day: When she sees something through the window of the train, the protagonist Rachel becomes embroiled in a complex “Hitchcockian thriller.’’
The Rocks, Peter Nichols
The story of a “60-year old secret that has shaped two families,’’ thisnovel opens on a moment that irrevocably estranged two honeymooners. It’s the perfect beach read, with romance, mystery, humor, and drama all set on a tiny island in the Mediterranean sea.
Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?, Dave Eggers
Told entirely in dialogue, Eggers’s new novel is a unique quest for truth. The novel takes place over the course of four days. A disturbed young man named Thomas kidnaps a NASA astronaut, keeps him hostage in an abandoned California military base, and peppers him with questions that he thinks will help him to understand our nation and our lives.
Nonfiction
Missoula, Jon Krakauer
Sexual assault on college campuses is clearly in the public consciousness, as evidenced by the botched Rolling Stone article, Columbia graduate Emma Sulkowicz’s mattress performance art, and the documentary The Hunting Ground. In his latest book, Krakauer investigates the incidence of rape in small-town Montana and its ramifications in the local justice system.
The Folded Clock: A Diary, Heidi Julavits
Author Heidi Julavits revisits her childhood pasttime of diary writing, assuming her old habit of starting entries with “Today, I …’’ But instead of writing about spelling tests and playground fights, Julavits chronicles her life as a 40-something woman, balancing relationships, raising kids, and forging a career as writer.
Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America, Jill Leovy
The story of a real-life murder in South Los Angeles, Ghettoside feels particularly appropriate in a year full of #BlackLivesMatter protests. It’s a gripping narrative about “a community bonded by tragedy,’’ the rollercoaster investigation of one young man’s murder, and the epidemic of violence that still exists in America.
So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, Jon Ronson
Ronson spent three years meeting with the victims of public shamings: those whose workplace mistakes or social media faux pas ended up spiraling beyond their control. The book explores the idea that “justice’’ in society has fallen into the hands of anyone with a smartphone, and what it means to be a flawed human in the modern age.
In case you missed these gems from 2014:
The Empathy Exams: Essays, Leslie Jamison
This collection of personal essays is part travel memoir, part exploration of illness and medicine. She dissects people’s reaction to pain and how the empathy we feel for others can sometimes be counterproductive to the hurt we seek to heal.
Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty
Moriarty’s sixth novel sharply engages with three women raising children at the same school.
All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
And if you’re looking to revisit some classics, allow us to suggest:
Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family, Thomas Mann
Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
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