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Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
What we're reading for summer 2025 — by Rachel Reeves and more
Parliament is in recess, schools have broken up and the sun is taking a little time off — it must be the beginning of the Great British Summer. With room in any suitcase at a premium, we've asked novelists, historians, broadcasters, fashionistas, chefs — and members of the cabinet — to tell us the one book they're packing for their holidays this year. What will the chancellor read to chillax before the autumn budget? Which title is on the Vogue editor's radar — and how do Booker winners choose their beach reads? We asked them all. And if you're looking for more recommendations, our books desk have put together their 80 picks of the year here, while John Self has curated a list of reads to suit any destination, from Athens to Los Angeles. Happy reading. I was obsessed with Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith from the moment I read its opening sentence — 'All nights should be so dark, all winters so warm, all headlights so dazzling' — and I shamelessly borrowed his concept of an honest policeman in a corrupt totalitarian state when I came to write my first novel. I'm going to reread it this summer, along with Polar Star, its sequel (which in many respects is even better), mostly for pleasure, but also to honour Smith, who died this month — he was a writer, like John le Carré, who showed just how intelligent and artful a thriller can be. • Robert Harris: Conclave to elect a pope is like a global election Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is the perfect summer holiday read. It is a beautifully written, immersive story about pioneering women, the bonds of friendship, the beauty and heartbreak of true love and the risks people will take to help it triumph against the odds. Jenkins Reid also offers a fascinating insight into the US space programme in the 1980s, although she has undoubtedly, and rightly, deployed some artistic licence along the way to aid the story. If this book doesn't have you sobbing big ugly tears in the final pages, you must have a heart of stone. I was a fan already, but David Szalay's Flesh blew me away. Scenes from a man's life, from adolescence to bruised middle-age — it's spare and tough, but also hugely entertaining, gripping like a thriller as Istvan experiences love and violence, sex and success, wealth and failure. Yes, it's a novel about a certain chilly masculinity, but Szalay is also intrigued by luck and chance, the way a random encounter or rash decision can send a life spinning disastrously out of control. • David Nicholls: I adore Howards End — and I want to throw it across the room I confess I came late to the works of Norman Lewis, not until a review somewhere piqued my interest (as the best reviews do). A Quiet Evening: The Travels of Norman Lewis is a collection spanning five decades. Spain, South America, Sicily, Cuba and elsewhere — Lewis immerses himself in the local culture and history and brings fresh insights while providing terrific anecdotes and introducing the reader to a range of fascinating characters. The prose is sublime too. It's a chunky book (500 pages), but one you can dip into as the mood takes you. I hadn't heard of Siân James until I was sent a copy of her novel One Afternoon by the writer Rachel Joyce, telling me I'd love it, and she was right, I did. Born in Wales, James won the Yorkshire Post Book Award when One Afternoon was published in 1975. It follows the adventures of Anna, who is recently widowed and in charge of three small girls when, quite unexpectedly, an inconveniently young and dashing actor declares his love. It's exquisitely written, moving and very funny, the dialogue is perfect and the book impossible to put down. • Esther Freud — my favourite three books No-one writes better about celebrity and the gilded, tortured lives of the famous than Roger Lewis. Erotic Vagrancy, his study of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, is a gothic masterpiece. So I'm looking forward to his updated The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, which is reissued this summer with a new introduction by Steve Coogan. It's the only book of his I haven't read and I know I'll love every detail of his portrait of the genius as monster. Helm by Sarah Hall is a novel that features a mischievous wind as one of its main characters, a concept I love. It's out in August and I am reading an uncorrected proof that she sent me, which is incredibly exciting as normally I'm reading novels two or three years after everyone else. Joanna Miller's The Eights, about a group of young women who, in 1920, were among the first female cohort to matriculate at Oxford University, has heart, soul, intelligence and wit, and packing it might well make a suitcase lighter. If, on the other hand, American cop thrillers are more your thing, buy a pile of John Sandford novels — any John Sandford novels — and stack them next to your deckchair. Happy holidays. • The novelist Mick Herron lets us into his cultural life Maybe brain rot has truly set in, but my attention span is feeling more challenged than ever. I've always been a sucker for short stories — I recently devoured Send Nudes, Saba Sams's collection, highly recommended. My friend and colleague Funmi Fetto recently turned her hand to the format. The collection is called Hail Mary, and follows the lives of nine Nigerian women. I've been dipping in and out of both. And it scratches the itch of needing good literature — in a hurry. I love to take a well-thumbed favourite book on holiday, and no book is more of an old friend to me than Tove Jansson's The Summer Book. She is best known for her Moomin books, but this is a wonderful coming-of-age novel about a little human girl called Sophia and her elderly, hilariously cantankerous grandmother. Set on a tiny Finnish island, over one timeless summer, it is a Scandi classic. Dying to escape the 2020s crop of self-indulgent 'poor-old-me' narratives? Then go back immediately to John Williams's 1965 novel Stoner, one of the most exquisite portraits of a stoical man under life's brutal cosh you will ever read. Born into rural poverty, 'Willy' Stoner escapes the treadmill of farming life in the American Midwest to realise his unlikely dream of becoming a teacher of literature at the University of Missouri. But dream slowly turns to nightmare. An ill-judged marriage and a corrosive academic rivalry inflict lifelong punishment on a man with a dazzling mind and a too-kind heart. In its emotional intensity this novel has been compared to Jude the Obscure and holds up well under this scrutiny. • Rose Tremain: 'Writing about sex has to be done with taste' Tom McTague's Between the Waves: The Hidden History of a Very British Revolution 1945-2016 (out in September) is an extraordinary piece of writing and of historical research about Britain's relationship with Europe: it's lively, relevant, telling us so much about the world from which we are emerging, and what seems to be fracturing around us. I'm re-reading the 1977 revised version of John Fowles's 1965 novel The Magus. Fowles described his novel — he worked on it for 12 years — as the work of a 'retarded adolescent'. Consequently, the plot is suitably heady and preposterous, but what redeems the novel is the fact that Greece and her islands are wonderfully, tactilely present on almost every page. If you've never been to Greece, or are a passionate philhellene who can't make it this year, then reading The Magus will make you feel you've actually been on holiday there. A very strange but undeniably beguiling book. I loved Miranda Cowley Heller's debut novel, The Paper Palace, but I think I like What the Deep Water Knows, her follow-up novel in verse, even more. Each poem is a chapter in a life from childhood through marriage, motherhood, divorce and midlife crises. Funny, moving and above all true. I am looking forward to reading it properly, letting the words breathe before I gulp them down. Penguin has just brought out another batch of handsomely repackaged Maigret novels by Georges Simenon, including The Saint-Fiacre Affair, a small but resonant masterpiece. The plot is, as usual, preposterous — Maigret is summoned to the village of his birth by an enigmatic announcement of an impending murder — but, as usual, it does not matter. The opening pages, in which Maigret performs his morning rituals in a grubby little provincial hotel, are a perfect example of Simenon's gift for fixing a scene with vividness and poetic accuracy. This is fiction of the highest order, transcending all conventions of mere 'genre'. • John Banville: I will resist calling myself underrated I can't wait for the latest Sportsman cookbook, The Sportsman at Home (out in November). I've ordered it already. Stephen Harris and his pub on the Kent coast is one of the most beautiful and best places in the country. To show you how to cook using some of his techniques at home, this is a must-have for everybody. I went to India for the first time in a decade this year, and feel intoxicated. Keshava Guha's very well-reviewed novel The Tiger's Share promises to chronicle the growing pains of the most diverse, energetic, youthful and complex nation, not to say civilisation, on Earth — and to do it through the prism of difficult family dynamics. Perfect. I have a vast family in India as my mum and dad were one of the 13 and 11 siblings respectively. I'm half expecting one of my cousins to pop up in an early chapter. Don't make the mistake of thinking that this time you'll finally make it through a punishing book you've been defeated by in the past. But do make sure it's something of the highest quality. So: The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard. Two Australian sisters come to Britain in the aftermath of the Second World War. Their complex choices are rendered in prose that is gorgeously precise but never precious. One of the greatest — and most enjoyable — novels of the past 50 years. Lovely One is the memoir of the judge who made history three years ago when she became the first black woman to serve on the US Supreme Court. It goes from Ketanji Brown Jackson's family experience of segregation to her swearing in, and at this tempestuous time in American public life, I am hoping it helps me understand what it takes to serve at this level. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, the winner of the 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction, is an exceptional debut — exquisitely written, haunting, unsettling and deeply steamy. Set 15 years after the Second World War in a rural province in the Netherlands, it shines a light on the 'what happened next' periods of history, the forgotten aftermaths of terrible events and what it meant for those living through such times. It's a story of revenge, the corruptions of history, obsession and desire. Van der Wouden manages to confound the reader so that our sympathies are constantly switching between the two female protagonists, Isabel and Eva. A perfect summer read. • 80 best books to take on holiday this summer — chosen by the experts My pick this summer is The Good Liar by Denise Mina. For me, Mina is the UK's finest living writer of crime fiction. Her novel The Long Drop, about a fictionalised 48 hours in the life of the serial killer Peter Manuel, is the best book I've read in the past decade. The Good Liar is the tale of Claudia O'Sheil, a forensic scientist who may have got the biggest case of her life wrong. It's about truth versus legacy and the personal cost of honesty. No one gets under the skin of characters quite the way Mina does. She's sublime, and this book is too. I'm starting to aggressively rebel against the marginalisation of straight white males in the feminised publishing industry. If you too are sick of girliness and sensitivity, I can't recommend David Szalay more heartily. Flesh is fiercely male. The protagonist isn't given to tiring self-analysis. In a rags to riches to (spoiler alert) rags tale, a young Hungarian makes good in London because so many women want to sleep with him. But what makes this book is the writing: spare and muscular, with no frills, no decoration. Like a flat with bare walls, one table, and a chair. • Lionel Shriver: Now I've left Britain, here's what you look like Stephen Alford's All His Spies: The Secret World of Robert Cecil, which tells the story of the clandestine life of the chief minister of Elizabeth I and James I. It is a fascinating voyage into the nexus of monarchy, politics, diplomacy and espionage that was controlled by Cecil. There are many books about Elizabeth, but this gives the reader a real grasp of how personal autocracy and government worked under the last Tudor and first Stuart sovereign. It is also a biography of Cecil himself. It is written beautifully, elegantly, sparely. Its research is the fruit of decades in the archives. It is a magnificent masterwork and a joy from start to finish. The protagonist of Father Figure by Emma Forrest is a precociously clever Jewish girl who becomes entangled with the family of an oligarch when he places his daughter at her private school. The resulting intrigue fizzes and pops with diamond-hard observations on money, class, politics, sexuality and points in between. Forrest puts teenage emotions under the most powerful of microscopes, but this is anything but a small novel, and everything comes together beautifully in a coda that is wise, tender and moving. The plan is to get up to date (belatedly) with Sarah Perry's novel Enlightenment. I'm always impressed by her capacity to juggle different genres, voices and periods, and I found Melmoth one of the most searching and moving novels I've read for quite a while, so expectations are high for this one. She's one of a handful of British novelists who can anatomise the byways and pathologies of religious faith with real understanding and still find startling things to say about grace and miracle. • Rowan Williams: 'I shudder to think what Queen Elizabeth thought of me' Ian Penman is maybe my favourite critic, a mad zealot in praise of his eclectic enthusiasms, and with Erik Satie Three Piece Suite he draws us into the belle époque Paris of the great composer and innovator, and maps out his influence across 20th-century music, art and literature. It's a great book to dip in and out of, a kind of compendium of thoughts and digressions opening out from Satie's work and bittersweet life. I believe it will enliven (and help to inspire a playlist for) even the dreariest of holidays. AI is changing everything, from the way we work to how we dream. It's wildly powerful, potentially threatening and deeply inspiring. For me, it's not about fearing the future but understanding it, especially how it can help in my world: retail, media, storytelling, social content and creation. The blurring line between what's real and what's machine-made is exhilarating and unnerving. But it's happening fast, and it's best we keep up. So this summer, while I'm soaking in sunsets and slow moments, I'll also be diving deep into the world of AI with How AI Will Change Your Life by Patrick Dixon. The book of my summer is not — by conventional standards, at any rate — a book at all. The Universal Turing Machine is subtitled by its author, the novelist Richard Beard, 'a memoir', but that barely scratches the surface of how dazzlingly original and multifaceted an achievement it is. Beard has divided his life into 64 chapters, and patterned them on to an online chessboard. The order in which these chapters are read is then determined in part by a randomiser. At once a homage to Georges Perec, a work of science fiction and an often hilarious Bildungsroman, it can be read free here: • What we're reading this week — by the Times books team by Max Kendix As Rachel Reeves eyes her autumn budget, she believes that there is one way out of Britain's economic malaise — economic growth, whatever the cost. Her choice of book, Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, reflects this mentality. At its heart is a criticism of bureaucracy that stifles change and growth. Abundance, the notion of plenty that was once a byword for the American dream, has been reduced to a 'politics of scarcity'. Keir Starmer's mantra, that Britain must be a nation of builders not blockers, has echoes in this book. Whether rhetoric will meet reality remains to be seen. The attorney general is delving into ideological rigidity. In The Ideological Brain, Leor Zmigrod, a political psychologist and neuroscientist, asks whether ideological differences can be explained by the way people's brains work. She highlights brain scans showing that the amygdala, which processes negative emotions, is larger in those disposed to extreme right-wing ideologies. Experiments suggest that those with prejudiced views are more likely to reject the evidence of their own eyes in favour of existing patterns. It's a contentious and provocative book, and an interesting choice from Hermer, who has faced claims of ideological purism himself. Mahmood, whose first year in office has been dominated by the prisons crisis, has opted for pure escapism. She has picked Richard Osman's thriller We Solve Murders, a globetrotting tale of skulduggery among the super-rich. The book is pure Osman — the protagonists are a young bodyguard and her widowed father-in-law, an ex-policeman. Mahmood loves all detective fiction and would have gone for the new Cormoran Strike book, The Hallmarked Man, by JK Rowling/Robert Galbraith if she could, but it's not out until September. • Read more book reviews and interviews — and see what's top of the Sunday Times Bestsellers List Reynolds has spent much of his first year in office attempting to tread the finest of lines. Securing trade deals with the EU and US has meant attempting to balance competing factions, conflicting interests and at times mutual loathing. His success in negotiating with Donald Trump's regime and the court of Maga was pivotal in ensuring Britain was first in line for a trade deal with the US. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, Reynolds has gone for a classic — Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. Intrigue and treachery as courtiers attempt to navigate the whims of one man. Alexander has picked Karla's Choice by John le Carré's son, Nick Harkaway. He takes over his father's most memorable characters in this novel about George Smiley's attempt to leave 'the Circus' at the height of the Cold War. Set in 1963, it involves a Hungarian émigré, a German double agent and the title's Soviet spymaster. Reviews have praised the grubby tension and murky moral compromises — how much of a holiday that is from Westminster is unclear. Kyle has chosen to take a complete break from his day job with Robert Harris's Precipice, the rip-roaring tale of the affair between Herbert Asquith, the 61-year-old Liberal prime minister on the eve of the First World War, and Venetia Stanley, a 26-year-old socialite. The book charts their passionate affair, including the deluge of love letters between them, limousine journeys with the blinds down and official secrets. All against the backdrop of the looming conflict.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 13 Best New Beach Reads to Dive into This Summer!
Longer days, warmer weather, weekends spent by the pool, lake or ocean (or relaxing in the A/C!)…there are endless reasons to love the summer season. Our favorite way to spend a sunny day? Sinking into a really good book. But searching for the perfect summer book or 'beach read' might look a little different depending on the reader. For some, a beach read is a breezy, lighthearted story or an on-theme romance that transports them to a small coastal town. For others, an ideal beach read is one packed with page-turning suspense and mystery. To help you find the perfect one for you, we gathered up a variety of the best beach reads (so far!) of 2025. From rich dual-timeline historical fiction to thought-provoking novels, heart-fluttering romance and more, there is truly something for everyone. Continue scrolling for 13 of our favorite beach reads just in time for summer vacation! We guarantee that no matter which genre you decide on, these stories will transport you. Want to escape to St. Tropez and London and choose between two charming suitors? Pick up Emily Everett's All That Life Can Afford. More in the mood to take off on a heartwarming road trip? Try The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Harnett. Keep reading for the rest of our summer of 2025 best beach read recommendations! This novel about friendship, family and travel is perfect for fans of Nancy Meyers' The Holiday. Lucy is a Dallas, Texas-based mother whose son ruined her hometown for her, thanks to a senior-year prank gone wrong. Greta is based in Berlin, Germany, but her husband, Otto, recently announced they were moving to Texas for his job. After being connected by a mutual friend, the two women swap houses, and that's when the chaos kicks off. As Greta tries to adapt to Lucy's high-tech suburban home and Lucy struggles to settle her 3 kids in a foreign new city, hilarity ensues. A wonderful story of second chances and starting over. What readers are saying: 'I loved this book so much. It was heartwarming, hilarious and filled with characters I couldn't help but root for.' From bestselling author Alex Aster comes a swoon-worthy summer love story set in New York City. Elle is a screenwriter currently suffering from writer's block. In an attempt to get over it she returns to New York City and ends up living right next door to her former lover, Parker Warren, who just happens to be a billionaire. Soon, the two begin to fake date, going on adventures all over the city so Parker can look good during his company's acquisition. But what happens when their 'fake' attraction to one another becomes real? This novel is perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers and opposites-attract. What readers are saying: 'Summer in the City is a witty, funny and fun summer adventure. Full of the catchiest one-liners and references to pop culture and just a fun time. It will make you want to run to New York City this summer and fall in love with some handsome billionaire. This dual-timeline novel, set in 1965 and 1978, is a must-read for fans of historical mysteries. Following the death of her father, Betsy receives a call from her mother saying she needs her and her sisters to return to their home on Martha's Vineyard right away so they can sell it. Upon her arrival, Betsy learns that she not only has to deal with her strained family relations but also with her former lover. What readers are saying: 'Brooke Lea Foster's Our Last Vineyard Summer is a quiet powerhouse of a novel—deeply atmospheric, emotionally resonant and steeped in the history and heartbreak of generational womanhood.' This propulsive novel features Jane, a teenager who has spent her whole life living off the grid with her dad in Montana. But when she discovers he hasn't told her the whole truth about her background—right after he makes her an accomplice to a violent crime—she runs away to San Francisco in search of the truth. As she digs into her dad's past, she starts questioning everything she knew as she builds her own life. What readers are saying: The author magnificently builds suspense and slowly peels away the layers of family secrets like an onion. This isn't just a mystery or thriller in the usual sense; it's really about how our parents' choices impact our lives far into the future and whether we can ever escape them. The premise is utterly unique and executed well. In this unputdownable tale, Odelia, a wealthy widow marrying a much younger man, invites her adult children and her best friend to South Africa for a luxury safari to celebrate the union. When she turns up dead before the wedding, everyone suspects her son, Sam, who swears he's innocent. As the family grieves, evidence comes to light casting doubt on Sam's guilt and leaving the rest of the family wondering what really happened—and if anyone is safe. What early readers are saying: 'When a wealthy, dysfunctional family gathers at a luxury African safari, a surprising murder wrecks their plans. This locked room murder mystery had lots of characters with tons of secrets, intrigue, tension and unreliable narrators. I found the book totally addictive!' This thought-provoking page-turner (out July 8) tells the story of the Cassidy-Shaw family, who are involved in a fatal car accident. As the investigation unfolds and the police question exactly what happened—and determine the role of the car's AI-driven safety features—every member of the family reveals secrets that make them each feel they're at least partly to blame for it. A compelling look at morality and how technology is changing every aspect of our lives. What early readers are saying: This is such a bingeable book! It captured my attention from the opening moments of the book and kept reeling me in every step of the way. Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Sex and The City will devour this heartwarming and hilarious debut novel from MEGABABE founder Katie Sturino. This body-positive story about Sunny, a newly divorced plus-sized NYC career woman who is doing her best to make her work and personal dreams come true, has all the ingredients for a perfect, feel-good beach read. What early readers are saying: 'What a debut! Sunny Side Up is a refreshing, feel-good read that blends humour, heart and a powerful message of self-acceptance.' This page-turning debut novel follows Anna and Willow. After meeting in art school, Anna finds herself fascinated with Willow and soon even considers Willow her muse. Flash forward five years in the future, and Willow has turned mean. Desperate to get her friend back, Anna stages a mugging that is supposed to end with Willow crying in her arms, but fate has other plans, and soon Anna learns that Willow has gone missing. Can Anna find her before it's too late? Only time will tell. What early readers are saying: 'Dark, twisted and layered with secrets, this domestic thriller went above and beyond. From the complex group dynamics to the overt manipulation and unbridled deceit, the mind games being waged were simply sublime. Overlaid on top of this well-utilized motif was a spine-chilling plot that had me questioning every morally gray character in this realistic yet unhinged tale.' Steamy, flirty and fun…this novel from bestselling author Meghan Quinn has it all. Desperate to impress her boss at her male-dominated job, Scottie Price accidentally tells everyone she's in an unhappy marriage. Thankfully, her boss has a solution: His wife is a couples therapist and would love to help Scottie and her husband. The only problem? Her husband doesn't exist. That is, until Scottie's best friend's brother, Wilder Wells, agrees to step in and act the part. Next, Wilder signs them up for an eight-day couples retreat with all of Scottie's coworkers. What could possibly go wrong? What early readers are saying: 'This book is everything I love about Meghan Quinn. Her stories are SO fun, quirky, comical, but mostly, the raw emotion and connection between her characters, with a healthy dose of spice. I absolutely loved Wilder and Scottie!' This lyrical coming-of-age debut novel by Emily Everett is a Reese's Book Club pick filled with Austenian flair, sweeping settings and a complex cast of characters. Anna first fell in love with London reading books at the library when she was just a girl. But when she arrives in London after college, she's struggling and barely making ends meet. Then she meets the glamorous Wilders, who fly Anna to St. Tropez to tutor their daughter. Here, she encounters two handsome young men and is whisked into an elite world. What readers are saying: 'My book club recently chose this novel about love, ambition and England's upper-crust society, and I have to admit I savored every page of this Cinderella story sprinkled with Jane Austen nods!' Desperate to hide her romance manuscript from her literature-loving parents, Emma Page heads to her family's cottage. While there, she discovers a secret that could destroy her family's legacy and their business, The Mighty Pages. What readers are saying: 'As soon as I heard bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews describe this read as 'a dishy inside look at the world of publishing,' I was sold. Emma was such a relatable character and I was fascinated by the dynamic between her and her family and the bookish themes throughout the story.' At 63, PJ Halliday thinks the best of life is behind him: The divorced million-dollar lottery winner drinks too much, is estranged from his grown daughter, Sophie, has had three heart attacks and hasn't left his hometown in decades. Then, just as he plans a cross-country road trip to find an ex-girlfriend, he learns he is the guardian of his brother's two grandchildren—kids PJ has never met—so he makes the unlikely decision to bring them on the road with him, Sophie and a stray cat. What readers are saying: This book is a must-read! It's like a warm hug, a good laugh, and a breath of fresh air all wrapped up in one. This dual-timeline story asks the eternal question, 'Does your past define your destiny?' The plot bounces back and forth between the summer of 1996, when Tess Murphy, a teen whose mom is working as a chef at a wealthy woman's estate, falls in love with Grant Alexander, the rich boy next door, and 2021, when Tess and Grant find themselves running against each other in the election for Governor of Virginia. A tale of past secrets, shocking betrayals and lost love. What readers are saying: 'I was drawn to this by the stunning cover, but I quickly got lost in the dual-timeline love story. I loved the drama of the political race, the teen love story and the secrets throughout.' For more book recommendations, keep scrolling! 10 Historical Fiction Books About Women in Wartime to Move and Inspire You Heroic, Heartfelt and Hot: 10 Firefighter Romance Books to Ignite Your Heart From BookTok to Hollywood: 12 Book-to-Screen Adaptations You'll Be Obsessed With This Year
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Headed On Vacation? Stuff These Must-Read Books In Your Bag, Stat!
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Everyone's beach bag packing list includes a few can't-forget essentials, like SPF, sunnies, and—super important!—snacks. But there's one more item you'll definitely want to add to the mix: a good book. Whether you're lying on a towel steps from the ocean or ensconced under a cabana pool-side, there's no better way to unplug (seriously, put the phone down!) and relax than with an engrossing read. To help you find the perfect tome, we asked the editors of Women's Health and Men's Health to recommend their favorite beach reads. Among this list, you'll find romances, mysteries, and even a treatise on trees (seriously). In short, there's a little something for everyone here. So dive into these 13 picks and splash around for a while—you'll be glad you about an Italian getaway but stuck with a Coney Island budget? The Mediterranean sea breeze is a simple page-turn away with author Ali Hazelwood's latest. Problematic Summer Romance follows grad student Maya Kilgore (first introduced as a side character in Hazelwood's Not in Love) as she sets off for her brother's destination wedding, where his best friend, Conor (and Maya's much-older crush object) will also be in attendance. Flashbacks elucidate the pair's complicated history—and crackling chemistry—creating a star-crossed lovers dynamic that is just about as dreamy as the novel's Sicilian backdrop. —Amy Wilkinson, contributing entertainment editor, Women's Health $12.98 at picked up this twisty, dark, coming-of-age thriller thanks to a book club my mother-in-law started with some family members to create a fun way to keep in touch. It was the first book we read, and it was gripping from the first page. You're instantly thrown into the worlds of 13-year-old Joseph "Patch" Macauley and his best friend, Saint Brown. When Patch is abducted from their sleepy town, Saint turns her life upside down in her quest to find him. And just when you think one mystery is resolved, another takes its place. The effect? Me, lying awake late into the night, desperate to know what happens next. It's got everything: haunting mystery, love story, cultural critique, and a touch of real-life magic. —Currie Engel, news and features editor, Women's Health $14.80 at laugh, you'll cry, you'll contemplate concepts of love and friendship and life itself. I cracked open this book shortly after my own wedding, and admittedly worried it would be 'too soon' to read about wedding mishaps and drama—but this text went in a completely different direction than I expected. The novel takes place in Newport, Rhode Island, where protagonist Phoebe Stone accidentally crashes a wedding—from there, you're swept up on a surprising journey of heartbreak and hilarity and tender self-discovery. This may not be your typical beach read, but it'll certainly leave you with a sunny sense of levity and optimism. (TW: suicidal ideation) —Kristine Thomason, contributor, Women's Health $18.17 at short time-traveling sci-fi/fantasy queer epistolary novel with some of the most romantic letters I've ever read this side of the galaxy and in this timeline. Did I mention it's also an enemies-to-lovers story? I mean, come on! —Cesar Bustamante Jr., social media editor, Men's Health $9.39 at little bit of friends-to-lovers romance, some beautiful descriptions that transport you all over the world (the protagonist is a travel writer, after all), and witty banter that'll leave you chuckling by the pool—this quintessential summer read has it all. This was the first book I ever read by Emily Henry (who has been called a modern-day Norah Ephron), and I was immediately hooked. Reading this book is like watching your favorite classic rom-com (in fact, a movie adaptation starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader is coming to Netflix in early 2026!): The characters are endearing, the story is romantic without feeling cheesy, and there's a certain level of self-awareness that makes it all the more enjoyable. Plus, the primary setting in Palm Springs (where most of the mishaps and hilarious antics ensue) firmly cements this novel as a must-read for summer. —Thomason $8.80 at hasn't been a novel that gives more dedication and adulation to trees than this Pulitzer Prize winner. Richard Powers weaves together concentric stories that span time periods to provide a collision course for activism, nature's rights, and how humans fit into this world (and how our interpersonal relationships shape us and our actions). —Ryan Brower, senior gear and commerce editor, Men's Health $12.00 at bored—but stylish—suburban housewife, Mimi Smithers one day finds herself drawn into a vibrant subculture of gay men of 1980s New York. From Manhattan to Fire Island, Mimi's bawdy new friends introduce her to a world of pool parties, piano bars, and poppers. Possibly a great read for: any woman who's ever spent time around men of a certain persuasion and wondered whether or not she was fully in on the joke. Mimi may be oblivious more often than not—but she has a hell of a time, and looks fabulous doing it. —Kengo Tsutsumi, executive editor, Men's Health $15.76 at in the Hamptons, All the Summers In Between tells the story of a decades-long friendship, jumping back-and-forth in time between the '60s, when Margot and Thea become friends, and the '70s, after they've mysteriously grown apart but have reentered each others' lives. Reading Brooke Lea Foster's novel has the welcomed effect of transporting me from hot, sticky New York City to the sunny breezy beaches of the Hamptons. —Addison Aloian, associate health and fitness editor, Women's Health $18.99 at more of a dark, cool apartment read than for the beach, but I couldn't put this one down and the story stayed with me for months afterwards. Beautifully written and so deeply moving without being slow or leaving you in despair. Charlotte McConaghy touches on so many relatable topics (parenting! family! love! climate! travel!) that will have you on the best kind of emotional rollercoaster. —Dangi McCoy, deputy visual director, Women's Health $39.41 at book is not only addictive but highly likely to make you feel giddy with every page you turn. There are (somewhat) relatable Tinder dating excursions, an eerily attractive swimmer, and lots of existential dread and ponderings about self-love and self-hate. It's like My Year of Rest and Relaxation meets Emily Dickinson with a dash of a half-written, procrastinated Sappho dissertation. If you're into sharp, witty fantasy romance and Greek mythology, this is your vibe. —Isabel McMahon, assistant social media editor, Women's Health $12.39 at Lynch's 2023 Booker Prize-winning novel starts fast in the dark of a present-day Dublin, and never slows down. Protagonist Eilish Stack's life is flung into constant disorder as she tries to protect her four children from an authoritarian regime tightening its grip on the Irish citizenry—while her husband has been disappeared. It's an enthralling tale of denial, loss, survival, sacrifice, and longing that I wasn't able to put down. —Brower $12.00 at Winters, a single mother in 1980s London, lives with her toddler above the antique shop where she works, and together they watch the seasons change. Through gardens and grief, new friends and old scars, The Juniper Tree moves between realism and morbid fairy tale, never fully choosing either. Barbara Comyns writes in a deceptively light tone, and this dreamy, odd novel is an ideal beach read for anyone who doesn't mind a little shade with their sunshine. —Tsutsumi $9.58 at Hollywood caper, part vacation romance, It's a Love Story is all heart. Jane Jackson is a former child star desperate to make good in the industry. Dan Finnegan is the self-assured cinematographer who keeps getting in her way. When the two agree to work together on a script they finally both love—and find themselves sequestered in Dan's small hometown (for reasons)—the fireworks truly begin to ignite. Much like author Annabel Monaghan's previous novels, It's a Love Story also features an intricate family dynamic, which adds richness and groundedness to what might otherwise read as pure fantasy. —Wilkinson $15.20 at You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
Geek Girl Authority
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on June 24
There are a lot of new books coming out every week. With New Release Radar, I'll help you narrow down the week's new book releases into the titles you should get excited about. This week I have 11 great new books to share with you, including some fun romcoms and plenty of other beach reads. Read on! Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler After a breakup and job loss, former professor Nina Hunnicutt returns home. Once there, however, she finds her childhood crush Quentin Bell back in town too. When he suggests they resume the treasure hunt that ended their friendship 17 years ago, Nina agrees, hoping the rumored riches will help her start over. But as they dig into the past, old feelings resurface, as do the secrets that tore them apart. To find the treasure and maybe a future together, they'll have to face what really happened all those years ago. Finders Keepers is a second-chance romance featuring childhood sweethearts. Sarah Adler adds a sprinkling of magic to a delightful small-town setting. RELATED: New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out On June 24 As You Wish by Leesa Cross-Smith Three au pairs, Lydia, Jenny, and Selene, head to Seoul chasing their dreams. A wish made at an enchanted Jeju Island waterfall transforms their lives overnight. Lydia becomes the center of attention, Jenny dives into a secret fling and Selene finds clues to her birth mother. But when love complicates Jenny's wish, the girls must face the magical consequences and discover that their strongest bond may be their friendship itself. Leesa Cross-Smith's new book release is the epitome of 'be careful what you wish for.' A s You Wish is a heartfelt coming-of-age story full of self-reflection and a longing for acceptance. An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward Thorn Scarhart is a 39-year-old 17th-century witch struggling to find love. Her world completely changes when a misfired love potion flings her into the present day. Stranded in a modern city where her old cottage is now a museum, Thorn discovers indoor plumbing, electric kettles—and online dating. With help from the museum's curator and his charming vet brother, she braves 21st-century romance and rediscovers herself along the way. Pick up An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating if you're looking for a cozy, magical rom-com. Cecilia Edward's debut is perfect for fans of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and The Ex Hex . RELATED: Book Review: Wearing the Lion A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox In 1650s Friesland, Clara van Wieren sees a beached whale—an ill omen she dismisses just as a marriage proposal offers her a path to freedom. But everything changes when she meets the mysterious, sea-eyed Maurits, and passion threatens to upend her carefully ordered life. As secrets surface and an ancient bargain between sea folk and land rulers unravels, Clara must choose between duty, desire and survival in a world where magic still claims its due. A Magic Deep and Drowning is a retelling of The Little Mermaid with a unique twist. This romantic, historical fantasy shows off Hester Fox's talent for writing realistic and powerful women's stories. Among Ghosts by Rachel Hartman In the muddy haven of St. Muckle's, anyone can become free if they live there for a year and a day. There, Charl and his mother found safety from their past. But when Charl sees a ghost, the peace they've built begins unraveling, ushering in a chain of tragedy: murder, plague, and even a mercenary dragon. Fleeing to a ruined abbey, Charl falls into a dangerous tangle of magic, memory and haunting history, where survival means facing the past he's tried to forget. Rachel Hartman returns to the world of her bestselling novel Seraphina in a truly original ghost story. Among Ghosts is an introspective and cathartic novel of grief, loss, change and growth. Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell Following her husband's death, Nina Swann reconnects with his charming old friend, Nick Radcliffe. Her daughter Ash, however, senses something sinister beneath his polished surface. Meanwhile, in a nearby town, florist Martha grows increasingly suspicious of her husband's unexplained absences. As Nina, Ash and Martha's lives intertwine, long-buried secrets surface, leading to a chilling revelation: some doors, once opened, should never be unlocked. One man connects three unique women in Lisa Jewell's kaleidoscopic new thriller. Don't Let Him In is a tense, breathless novel that will captivate you until the final page. RELATED: Book Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil The Lady, the Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death by Helen Marshall As Sara Sidorova lies dying, the tiger god Amba grants her a vision of the future. Years later, her granddaughter Irenda grows up in a war-torn land, and, after a tragic loss, seeks refuge with Sara in Hrana City. There, she begins learning the power to tame death itself. In a traveling circus filled with danger and magic, Irenda must master her gifts, confront a tiger of her own and begin a journey of vengeance and justice that could reshape her world. Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus meets Helen Oyeyemi's Mr Fox in The Lady, the Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death . Helen Marshall's new book release is a dark, rich and haunting fable. The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley 16 and pregnant, Adela Woods is sent from her privileged Indiana life to her grandmother's home in Padua Beach, Florida. There she meets a tight-knit group of teen moms raising kids while navigating high school, friendship and survival from the back of a red truck. Though the town sees them as lost, the Girls are carving out their own messy, beautiful path through motherhood and girlhood side by side. The Girls Who Grew Big is more than a heartbreaking story: it's a raw, powerful exploration of the complex intersections of identity, betrayal and resilience. With unflinching honesty, Leila Mottley offers a deeply human perspective on what it means to be a young woman and a very young mother, capturing both the pain and the beauty of growing up while raising someone else. RELATED: Book Review: A Sharp Endless Need Salty by Kate Myers Captain Denise, seasoned and tough, prefers handling stingrays over socializing, while her troublemaking sister Helen lands back on her boat after getting fired yet again. Forced to work together, the sisters navigate their fraught past and their first charter: the shady Falcon family, ruthless real estate developers who destroyed their childhood home. When a building collapses and a body is found, Denise and Helen race against a coming storm to unravel the Falcons' deadly secrets before evidence, and their chance for justice, sinks for good. Kate Myers' new book release is the perfect beach read for fans of Below Deck and stories of rich people behaving badly. Salty is a hilarious page-turner of a mystery you'll finish in no time at all. A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek Raised by a sorcerer, Odile is ready to pull off the heist of a lifetime: impersonate a princess, steal the king's enchanted crown and restore magic to the realm. But when someone murders the king, Odile must team up with the real Princess Marie d'Odette. Falling for her, however, was never part of the plan. A Treachery of Swans is a sapphic Swan Lake retelling full of deception, magic and impossible choices. A.B. Poranek's second novel is perfect for fans of Allison Saft and V.E Schwab. RELATED: 11 New Young Adult LGBTQ+ Books You Should Read for Pride Month A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace by Emily Skrutskie On the eve of a battle she expects will kill her, legionnaire Katrien shares a fleeting connection with her battle partner Emory. When they wake the next day, however, they find a world saved by an unexpected hero. With the Demon Lord defeated, Kat faces an uncertain future in a peacetime army, complicated by Emory's dedication and the attention of a hidden prince. As they join a final campaign to root out the Demon Lord's lingering servants and build a new future, Kat and Emory must decide if there's room for love at the end of the road. A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace is a charming fantasy with a friends-to-lovers romance. Emily Skrutskie's newest is more vibes than plot, but it's a warm hug of a story about what happens when peace finally comes. You can check out these new book releases at or your local bookstore. What June 24 new release are you most excited to read? Let us know below, and tune in next week to grow your TBR. Book Review: CRUELER MERCIES
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
What to Read this Summer
Readers, get ready: Summer books are here. These are the novels destined to grow plump with pool water. They're the memoirs, biographies, histories and mysteries to lose yourself in while slathered with sunscreen or sitting strategically downwind of an air conditioning vent. They'll whisk you away if you can't escape and ground you when you're far from home. They're best served with Popsicles, peaches, soft-serve, ice water and lemonade. Cold beer, too. For some of us at the Book Review, summer reading is our Super Bowl and Oscars Night. We search for new and clever ways to wax rhapsodic about the joy of turning pages in the sun — or during a July thunderstorm or in a hammock or by the light of a campfire. (To be honest, hammocks make me queasy, and I've only slept in a tent once.) Beach reads are my bailiwick, and I've written about them so many times I now have to cross-reference previous dispatches to find out if I've already opined about my favorite chair (Adirondack), sunglasses (cat eye) and soundtrack (seagulls). But when Memorial Day weekend rolls around, I'm grateful all over again to toil in the realm of Slip 'n Slides rather than stadiums or red carpets. There's that stillness and lull, that sweaty, sandy, chlorinated, blueberry-scented sense of a break, even for those of us who are long out of school. Life's requirements loosen, the box fan gets lugged down from the attic, books beckon. The Book Review has lists of 31 new novels and 21 nonfiction books to carry you through the summer. Here are a few I'm excited about: Romance and thrills On the fiction front, I predict that Taylor Jenkins Reid's 'Atmosphere' will catch a big wave this summer, with its clandestine love story set in a 1980s space mission. Amy Bloom's novel, 'I'll Be Right Here' is as comfortingly titled as her debut story collection, 'Come to Me,' and follows a group of friends over decades and generations, beginning in postwar Paris. (Speaking of interesting jobs, one character works as a masseuse to the writer Colette.) Finally, I have my eye on 'Our Last Resort' by Clémence Michallon, whose last thriller, 'The Quiet Tenant,' stoked my insomnia at a lakeside rental with a shed not unlike the one where her protagonist was chained to a radiator. This time Michallon follows two cult escapees to a luxury hotel in the Utah desert. What can go wrong in a place with high thread-count sheets? A lot, apparently. Moms and classic rock On the nonfiction side, 'How to Lose Your Mother' by Molly Jong-Fast, is funnier than it sounds, and a tender, honest account of caring for an aging parent who happens to be famous. (Jong-Fast's mother is Erica Jong, author of 'Fear of Flying,' among other trailblazing and autobiographical works.) I'm also looking forward to Sophie Elmhirst's 'A Marriage at Sea,' about a married couple who, in the 1970s, were stranded on a tiny rubber raft in the ocean for 117 days, and Peter Ames Carlin's 'Tonight in Jungleland,' about the making of Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album. And because it too has a Jersey Shore angle, I'm curious about 'Baddest Man' by Mark Kriegel, which follows Mike Tyson's complicated, often troubling journey from Brooklyn to Atlantic City and beyond. It sounds like an intriguing accompaniment for my 'Rocky'-style workout, a leisurely stroll on the beach with occasional lunges for pretty shells. For more: Looking for a new book to read? Let us help you find one. Tariffs Foreign Policy Immigration Middle East More International News Other Big Stories Peter Orszag, a budget director under President Obama, argues it's time to worry about the national debt. We need to stop being weird about people eating alone at a restaurant, Callie Hitchcock writes. Here are columns by Michelle Goldberg on a new movie from the creator of 'Succession' and Nicholas Kristof on how to counter Trump. American men are getting worse at friendship. Only 26 percent of men reported having six or more close friends, a 2024 survey found. Polling for a similar question in 1990 put the figure at 55 percent. 'Your dad has no friends,' John Mulaney said during an opening monologue on 'Saturday Night Live.' 'If you think your dad has friends, you're wrong. Your mom has friends, and they have husbands. Those are not your dad's friends.' A writer feels this in his own life. He once had a rich world of male friendship, but he now has a more isolated adulthood. He uses his personal experience to explore a broader phenomenon. Read the story here. Your pick: Staffing cuts could make national parks a mess this summer. The most clicked article in The Morning yesterday lists five state parks to visit instead. One writing class: 35 years, 113 deals and 95 books. Ask Vanessa: How can I help my children make dress appropriately? Parenting: The Cut asks, 'Should we give our kids fewer choices?' Trending: People are talking about the season finale of HBO's 'The Last of Us.' For those unafraid of spoilers, here's a recap. Metropolitan Diary: A whiff of glamour at LaGuardia. Lives Lived: Nino Benvenuti was an Italian boxer who was named the outstanding fighter of the 1960 Rome Olympics. He died at 87. N.B.A.: The New York Knicks overcame a 20-point deficit to take Game 3 and narrow the Indiana Pacers' series lead to 2-1. Indy 500: Alex Palou won the race for the first time, beating Marcus Ericsson. Hockey: The U.S. won its first men's World Championship since 1933 in dramatic fashion, beating Switzerland 1-0 in overtime. Sixty years ago, when Muhammad Ali caught Sonny Liston with a sharp right 1 minute and 44 seconds into their title bout on May 25, 1965, a few things happened in quick succession. Liston hit the mat. Ali hovered over him, shouting, 'Get up and fight, sucker!' And, Neil Leifer, a 22-year-old freelance photographer, tripped the shutter of his camera. Read about what many say is the best sports photo ever taken. More on culture Mix Prosecco, Aperol and sparkling water to make an Aperol spritz. Shop the best Memorial Day sales. Protect yourself from ticks. Stop being so judgy. Take our news quiz. Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were beanpole and openable. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. 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