It’s summertime which means it’s time to read!
Who Is Maud Dixon? / by Alexandra AndrewsWorking for a mysterious novelist known as Maud Dixon, Florence Darrow accompanies her to Morocco where her new novel is set – and where she, after a terrible accident and no sign of Maud, decides to become Maud, claiming the life she’s always wanted.
Appleseed / by Matt Bell
Two supernatural brothers who plant an apple orchard in eighteenth-century Ohio reel from the unforeseen circumstances after climate change ravages the earth and centuries later leaves the company they founded unfairly owning all the world’s resources.
Let Me Tell You What I Mean / by Joan Didion
A volume of 12 previously uncollected early pieces shares insights into the author’s evolving literary style and includes reflections on such topics as a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, a Vegas WWI veteran reunion and a visit to San Simeon.
On Juneteenth / by Annette Gordon-Reed
In this intricately woven tapestry of American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, the descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas in the 1850s, recounts the origins of Juneteenth and explores the legacies of the holiday that remain with us.
Libertie / by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Coming of age as a free-born Black woman in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson struggles against her mother’s medical aspirations for her when she finds herself more drawn to a musical career that could compromise her autonomy.
The Other Black Girl / by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books, 26-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel is hired until she after a string uncomfortable events, is elevated to Office Darling, leaving Nella in the dust.
Early Morning Riser / by Katherine HeinyFalling in love with Duncan, the world’s most prolific seducer of women, Jane finds herself part of an unconventional family, which includes his best friend and ex-wife, when one terrible car crash permanently intertwines her life with Duncan’s.
Klara and the Sun / by Kazuo Ishiguro
Waiting to be chosen by a customer, an Artificial Friend programmed with high perception observes the activities of shoppers while exploring fundamental questions about what it means to love.
Empire of Pain / by Patrick Radden Keefe
Presents a portrait of three generations of the Sackler family, who built their fortune on the sale of Valium and later sponsored the creation and marketing of one of the most commonly prescribed and addictive painkillers of the opioid crisis.
No One Is Talking About This / by Patricia LockwoodElevated to prominence for her social-media posts, a woman begins suffering from existential anxieties while learning the languages, customs and fears of her fans throughout the world, before an urgent text from home transforms her virtual perspectives.
Milk Blood Heat / by Dantiel W. Moniz
A debut collection explores such topics as human connections, race, womanhood, inheritance and inner darkness in a series of intergenerational tales featuring protagonists in the sultry cities and suburbs of Florida.
Aftershocks / by Nadia Owusu
An award-winning essayist combines literary memoir and cultural history to examine her personal struggles with her mixed-heritage identity and the emotional trauma of her mother’s abandonment and father’s dark secrets.
Detransition, Baby / by Torrey PetersA trans woman, her detransitioned ex, and his cisgender lover build an unconventional family together in the wake of heartbreak and an unplanned pregnancy.
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain / by George Saunders
The award-winning author of Tenth of December pairs scholarly essays based on his Syracuse University graduate MFA creative writing program with seven classic Russian stories to explain the essential literary processes of narrative, story immersion and perspective.
How the Word Is Passed / by Clint Smith
A look at how the legacy of slavery is preserved in monuments and landmarks such as Angola, a former plantation–turned–maximum-security prison in Louisiana that houses Black men working the fields for virtually no pay.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev / by Dawnie Walton
Accepting a contract from a fledgling record company, a talented music artist in early 1970s New York endures racist responses to her activism, before a reunion interview decades later reveals explosive secrets.
The Man Who Lived Underground / by Richard Wright
Fred Daniels, a black man, is picked up randomly by the police after a brutal murder in a Chicago neighborhood and taken to the local precinct where he is tortured until he confesses to a crime he didn’t commit. After signing a confession, he escapes from the precinct and takes up residence in the sewers below the streets of Chicago.
Crying in H Mart / by Michelle ZaunerThe Japanese Breakfast indie pop star presents a full-length account of her viral New Yorker essay to share poignant reflections on her experiences of growing up Korean-American, becoming a professional musician and caring for her terminally ill mother.
Between the Lines 