In addition to LWDs, sandals, strong sunblock and shades, good books to read are essential for summer. After all, you need something to bide the time while you’re chilling poolside or lounging on the beach. But unless your friends have been bombarding you with recommendations (that’s what Facebook is for, right?) how do you know which books are worth your time?
With that in mind, we searched high and low for the best books released within the past eight months or so. And it wasn’t easy. (It was almost as time-consuming as trudging through a James Joyce novel.) We had to check out reviews on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, compare those with what’s trending on The New York Times Best Sellers list and, for due diligence, read book reviews and author profiles on sites like Vogue and Nylon.
But all that research paid off because we now have a mini library comprised of 16 really great books to read. Think of it like our very own book club, just without the meetings to dissect every theme and plot twist. Whether you’re into fantasy, feminism, nonfiction or a little romance, these top books have you covered (sorry, had to). Check out the slideshow above for 16 of the best books to add to your literary list now.
Good Books to Read (SEO)
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Best Poetry Book: There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé
Members of the Beyhive, relax. This collection of poems isn’t about taking down your queen. It’s a raw journey dissecting pop culture and what it means to be a black woman in America.
There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker, $12.26 at Barnes & Noble
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Best Feminist Book: The Answers
If you’re hooked on Hulu’s The Handmaid's Tale, take a break from binging and check out Catherine Lacey’s tale of a young woman who participates in the "Girlfriend Experiment," taking on the role of the Emotional Girlfriend to pay for a holistic medical treatment. It’s an examination of love, intimacy and what it means to be with a woman.
The Answers: A Novel by Catherine Lacey, $16.72 at Barnes & Noble
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Best Memoir: Hunger
Roxane Gay holds nothing back in this breakdown of dealing with weight, body image and food, allowing readers to experience her life from childhood through her 20s. This is quite literally a "memoir" of Gay’s body, but along the way, manages to show why hunger applies to more than just appetite.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay, $11.09 at Amazon
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Best Laugh-Out-Loud Book: We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
Samantha Irby doesn’t take herself too seriously and it shows. From pondering becoming the next Bachelorette to her convoluted trip to scatter her father’s ashes, it’s just as real and emotional as it is hilarious.
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.: Essays by Samantha Irby, $10.97 at Amazon
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Best Mystery Book: Swimming Lessons
Can a series of letters a wife wrote to her husband and stuffed in books provide clues to her sudden disappearance? This mystery shines a light on the institutions of marriage and family while keeping you guessing about what exactly happened to its central figure.
Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller, $16.15 at Amazon
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Best Culinary Book: Cork Dork
Have you ever wanted to give up your day job to spend your time sipping wine? Well, you can live vicariously through Bianca Bosker as she explores the often hoity-toity world of sommeliers on a quest to see if she can refine her palate.
Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste by Bianca Bosker, $9.88 at Amazon
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Best Fantasy Book: Norse Mythology
While you’ll recognize characters like Thor and Loki, this definitely isn’t The Avengers. Neil Gaiman puts his own twist on classic Norse myths peppered with his trademark wit and by doing so, reveals the humanness behind the gods’ actions and relationships.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, $19.94 at Barnes & Noble
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Best Romance Book: The Art of the Affair
Not your typical romance novel, The Art of the Affair unearths the backstories of the romantic and sometimes platonic relationships that affected some of the greatest artists and performers of all time. You’ll trace the characters involved in Frida Kahlo’s affair-heavy union with Diego Rivera and learn how Jean-Michel Basquiat handled his breakup with Madonna. And the illustrations are divine.
The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence by Catherine Lacey and Forsyth Harmon, $10.82 at Amazon
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Best True Crime Book: The Fact of a Body
What happens when you’re presented with a case that challenges your beliefs? That’s the real-life scenario that faced Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich back in 2003 when she was serving as a summer intern at a death penalty defense firm and she heard about the case of a child molester first sentenced to death, then given life in prison. Due to her own childhood experiences, Marzano-Lesnevich has a hard time justifying this defendant’s right to live. Don’t expect any easy answers here, just a lot of thought-provoking moments.
The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, $19.40 at Barnes & Noble
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Best Nonfiction Book: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
You don’t have the time to figure out your life, let alone the universe. But astrophysics whiz Neil deGrasse Tyson has given us a no-excuses guide on everything from black holes to whether there’s really life out there.
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson, $11.37 at Amazon
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Best Psychological Thriller: Into the Water
If you were intrigued and yet horrified by The Girl on the Train, you should brace yourself for all the twists and turns in Paula Hawkins’ suspenseful follow-up. A single mother and a teenage girl are both discovered at the bottom of the same river on different days, but they aren’t the first souls the river has claimed. FYI: You’ll probably wanna read this good book all in one sitting.
Into the Water: A Novel by Paula Hawkins, $24.29 at Amazon
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Best Photography Book: Stoppers
It’s like having all your favorite fashion editorials from the fashion bible (i.e., Vogue). We’re talking spreads by Annie Leibovitz, Patrick Demarchelier, Bruce Weber, Helmut Newton, to name a paltry few. If you’re looking for the perfect coffee table book, you just found it.
Stoppers: Photographs from My Life at Vogue by Phyllis Posnick, $45.38 at Amazon
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Best Fiction Book: Goodbye, Vitamin
After splitting from the fiance she left college for, Ruth heads back to Los Angeles to help her mom care for her father suffering from Alzheimer's. It's a portrait of a 30-year-old being forced to revisit her childhood from an adult perspective as she begins to see things as they really are.
Goodbye, Vitamin: A Novel by Rachel Khong, $17.69 at Amazon
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Best Fashion Fiction Book: My Mrs. Brown
A Rhode Island woman travels to New York City for an Oscar de la Renta dress and coordinating jacket she’s convinced will change her life. William Norwich takes us along for the ride as Emilia Brown aims to prove that style really does make the woman.
My Mrs. Brown: A Novel by William Norwich, $13.98 at Amazon
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Best Thriller: Gwendy's Button Box
Looking for something to give you chills this summer? You can count on Stephen King (and Richard Chizmar) to deliver goosebumps with this tale of 12-year-old Gwendy Peterson’s daily trip up the Suicide Stairs and the strange man she encounters one day.
Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, $16.48 at Amazon
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Best Self-Help Book: Option B
The death of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s husband had a profound effect on her and her children. Author of the now iconic Lean In, Sandberg needed to find a way to reengage with her life and somehow experience joy again. Mixed in with her insights are Wharton psychologist Adam Grant’s research on how to bounce back from devastation.
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant, $18.17 at Amazon
