If you need some reading suggestions for the summer, check out our list of new and popular titles that are perfect for your vacation or upcoming book club meeting. With everything from beachy rom-coms to fast-paced thrillers to celebrity memoirs, there’s something for everyone. All titles are linked to our catalog, but feel free to stop by the Adult Reference Desk for help finding a book on this list.
Fiction
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Bestselling Backman returns with a tale of four teenage friends depicted in a painting. Artist Louisa ends up with the portrait 25 years later and decides to find out the story behind the canvas.
Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake
After Ramona Riley and Dylan Monroe have an adorable meet cute as teenagers, they unexpectedly reconnect eighteen years later in this enchanting sapphic second-chance romance.
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
Video producer Katie Vaughn heads to Key West to profile Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, but between his family drama, her escalating lies, and their growing attraction, she must confront her fears and find courage in paradise.
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises, but they’re unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga perfect for readers of Mary Beth Keane and Claire Lombardo.
All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett
Anna’s dream of London’s elegance collides with harsh realities until the glamorous Wilders sweep her into their world of wealth, temptation, and self-discovery, where she’s torn between her ambition, her identity, and the allure of belonging in this retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Photographer Alice and shameless flirt Charlie connect over balmy nights and long summer days in this lakeside summer romance, but as they begin to see a future together, Alice worries that Charlie might break her heart.
The Names by Florence Knapp
This debut novel traces one boy’s three alternative lives, one for each baby name that his mother is considering. Each name shapes his life, as well as his mother’s, over the course of 35 years.
The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb
Bestselling Lamb returns with the story of a young father who is sentenced to prison after he causes an unbearable tragedy. In jail, he forms kinship with the prison librarian and others, finding a way to transcend the walls of his cell and contemplate hope, mercy, and reconciliation.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
After resurrecting her great-aunt and befriending a half-villainous talking fox, Sera Swan loses her magic, but an old spell book mentioned by a handsome historian may hold the key to restoring her power.
The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris
In 1888, Celia Hart, a young Chinese American woman, awakens in the cargo hold of a ship, with no memory of how she ended up there. As she pieces together the twisting path that led to her abduction, from serving as a maid to becoming entwined in the case of a goldminers’ massacre, Celia realizes she must find a way to escape.
Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe
In 1908, young Eliza revels in the fields and wildlife at Mayfield, her family’s estate in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Those idyllic days don’t last, and Eliza becomes the matriarch of the family and must make difficult decisions to protect her family legacy and the land she loves. This is the first of two planned novels covering this family saga.
Esperance by Adam Oyebanji
Detective Ethan Krol investigates two unusual deaths: two victims drowned in seawater, found in a Chicago high-rise more than 600 miles from the nearest body of saltwater. Meanwhile, in England, Abidemi Eniola is on a quest to return heirlooms to their owners. When their lives intersect, the consequences could be deadly.
Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid
In 1980, physics and astronomy professor Joan Goodwin joins NASA’s Space Shuttle program, where she meets Vanessa Ford, an aeronautical engineer who longs to pilot the space shuttle. The two women are drawn to one another, until a mission in December of 1984 when everything changes in an instant.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Three women’s stories tangle together across centuries and continents, from 1521 Santo Domingo, to 1827 London, to 2019 Boston in this powerful and memorable vampire tale.
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
Madeline Hill and her mom have lived alone on their farm in Coalfield, Tennessee since her dad left. But one day Reuben Hill pulls up in a PT Cruiser and announces that Madeline is his half-sister, and he wants her to join him for a crazy road trip to find their father and half siblings.
Mystery & Thriller
Whistle by Linwood Barclay
A woman and her young son move to a small town looking for a fresh start, only to be haunted by disturbing events and strange visions when they find a mysterious train set in a storage shed.
The Last Session by Julia Bartz
Social worker Thea learns that her new patient, a catatonic woman, is linked to Thea’s own traumatic past. Thea’s determination to help the woman leads her deeper into her own harrowing history and to a suspicious retreat center in the desert of New Mexico.
The List by Steve Berry
This standalone contemporary legal thriller finds attorney Brent Walker returning to his small Georgia hometown, where he unravels a corporate corruption scheme at a local paper company.
Don’t Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine
Annabelle has a great life with a successful career and a wonderful husband and daughters. When her nightmares seem to be turning into premonitions, she fears for her daughters’ lives in this psychological thriller from bestselling author Constantine.
Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
Five families gather for Parents Weekend at a small college in Northern California, but their kids never show up for dinner, and FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller must discover if the sins of the parents have put their children in danger.
Heartwood by Amity Gaige
This suspenseful and wrenching literary thriller takes the reader on a gripping journey as a search and rescue team races against time when experienced hiker Valerie mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.
The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
After their husbands lost all their life savings in a bad investment, three best friends turn to murder to collect on their husbands’ life insurance policies, but the husbands have a plan of their own.
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in the first book in this cozy new detective series.
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
A supporting character in Lippman’s Tess Monaghan books, middle-aged widow Muriel Blossom takes on real main-character energy in this standalone cozy mystery. While on a French river cruise, Muriel finds herself with a new case on her hands involving stolen art and flirtatious men.
Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon
Fifteen years ago, Frida and her brother escaped a cult. Now estranged, the two siblings attempt to reunite at a luxury resort in the Utah desert, but a murder there reveals shocking secrets.
The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb
Curtis Wilson, a cello prodigy from D.C. who rose to classical music stardom, is forced into witness protection after his drug-dealer father turns informant. But when the cartel remains untouchable, Curtis and his family must use their wits and his musical gifts to fight for survival.
Nonfiction & Biography
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic
A linguist and content creator’s account of the ways our vocabularies are evolving, the internet’s influence on communication, and what our use of language reveals about the modern world.
Uptown Girl: A Memoir by Christie Brinkley
In 1974, a twenty-year-old Brinkley was “discovered” outside a Paris phone booth, which set off a meteoric modeling career that would land her on the covers of hundreds of magazines and cement her legacy as an All-American icon. Although she’s lived more than fifty years in the public eye, the full story of her roller-coaster life has never been told until now.
Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness by David Attenborough and Colin Butfield
Award-winning broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough and longtime collaborator Colin Butfield provide an awe-inspiring exploration of the open ocean, kelp forests, and six other marine biomes. They present a powerful call to action focused on our planet’s oceans, exploring how critical this habitat is for the survival of humanity and the earth’s future.
Speaking in Tongues by J.M. Coetzee and Mariana Dimópulos
In this dialogue between a Nobel Laureate and a leading translator, provocative ideas emerge about the evolution of language and the challenge of translation.
We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions by Glennon Doyle
Explores twenty essential life questions, offering wisdom, personal insights, and transformative lessons designed to help readers confront challenges, find healing, and share inspiration through courage, solidarity, and meaningful conversations.
The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future by Keach Hagey
An exemplary blend of biography, financial technology reportage, and futurology from Wall Street Journal reporter Hagey, who has been tracking Sam Altman for years. This detailed account of Altman’s rise to become the co-founder of OpenAI explores his ambitious journey in Silicon Valley, his leadership struggles, and his unyielding belief in AI’s potential.
Baking Across America: A Vintage Recipe Road Trip by B. Dylan Hollis
Join the bestselling author of Baking Yesteryear on a cross-country culinary journey with 100 uniquely American recipes. From the deserts of the Southwest to the shining Atlantic Coast, Hollis takes you on a delicious road trip to taste everything from the coffee-crazed creations of the Pacific Northwest to the larger-than-life sheet cakes of Texas.
John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie
A myth-shattering biography of a relationship that changed the cultural history of the world. Music legends John Lennon and Paul McCartney knew one another for twenty-three years, from 1957 to 1980. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, Leslie offers insights into the complicated relationship between the two icons and their lives before, during, and after the Beatles.
Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
Bestselling nature writer Macfarlane explores the concept of rivers as living entities, weaving together travel writing, natural history, and reporting from Ecuador, India, and Canada to illuminate the interconnectedness of humans and rivers.
Boat Baby: A Memoir by Vicky Nguyen
In a memoir where heroism meets humor, NBC News anchor and correspondent Nguyen tells the story of her family’s daring escape from communist Vietnam and her unlikely journey from refugee to reporter with laughter and fierce love.
Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools by Mary Annette Pember
Ojibwe journalist Pember offers a mix of history and personal biography about Indigenous boarding schools in the U.S. These religious and governmental institutions separated tens of thousands of children from their families, including Pember’s mother, and subjected them to horrible abuse. Pember considers both their history and their lasting reverberations.
Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Marcus Rediker
From a preeminent scholar of Atlantic history and the award-winning author of The Slave Ship comes a definitive, sweeping account of the Underground Railroad’s long-overlooked maritime origins. This deeply researched account highlights the pivotal role of sea routes in aiding enslaved people’s escapes, offering a new look into these lesser-known routes and the vessels that carried people to freedom.