What To Read

FICTION

All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky (July 11)

I followed the author on TikTok awhile ago because of her amazing book recommendations. So, when she announced her debut novel about two co-dependent sisters where one mysteriously disappears after a explosive, drug-fueled night, I immediately added it to my TBR. This atmospheric coming-of-age story follows the unnamed narrator through LA's grimy, underground nightlife as she considers whether or not to find her sister. — Laurann Herrington

Counterweight by Djuna, translated by Anton Hur (July 11)

Book publisher Pantheon promises that this cyberpunk detective tale by the enigmatic Korean sci-fi writer Djuna (who's real name remains a mystery), will satisfy fans of Philip K. Dick, Squid Game, and Severance. That's a lot for any book to live up to, but if it can capture something of the unnerving, imaginative worlds that those stories conjure then this will be one of my books of the summer. — Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

Elsewhere: Stories by Yan Ge (July 11)

As its title alludes to, this debut English language collection from Chinese writer Yan Ge explores feelings of displacement, alienation, and longing, through a series of stories which drift between reality and surreality. Ge has a knack for fluidly shifting between genres and I am really excited to see how she handles that with these new stories. — Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery (July 11)

This fun debut novel set in 1960s New York follows a teenage girl named Mae who drops out of school and somehow lands a once-in-a-lifetime job as a typist for Andy Warhol at The Factory. It promises to be a wild coming-of-age ride filled with art parties, underground nightlife and colorful characters during one of New York City’s most exciting eras. If that isn't enough, the book is endorsed by Sally Rooney. — Fernanda Gorgulho

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter (July 11)

Sarah Rose Etter’s Ripe is the latest addition to the “woman vs. the void” genre of books – think Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Ling Ma’s Severance – that I love. The main character works a high-stress, cut-throat tech job in Silicon Valley as a literal black hole follows her around. Sounds bleak except Etter’s signature lush, lyrical writing and decadent wordbuilding is more than enough to draw a reader in and keep them around cover to cover. — Laurann Herrington

Open House by Robert Coover (July 24)

I've long been a fan of Robert Coover ever since stumbling across the hilarious, whimsical Gerald's Party. Open House looks to be just as original, crowded to the brim with memorable characters as a large cast descends upon a luxury New York penthouse for reasons unknown. This new metafiction, teetering between futuristic experimentation and literary homage, is one you definitely won't want to miss. — Sam Haecker

NONFICTION

How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill by Jericho Brown (July 4)

For anyone else who has been scouring the internet to find any craft books by Black writers, look no further than this thoughtful and inspiring anthology full of award-winning, literary greats such as Nikki Giovanni, Rita Dove, Jamaica Kincaid, Jacqueline Woodson, and more. Instead of just a step-by-step instructional manual, this book promises to challenge traditional ideas on craft and encourage emerging Black writers to hone their unique creative vision. — Laurann Herrington

Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir by Beth Nguyen (July 4)

This memoir from award-winning author Beth Nguyen is a coming-of-age story that explores family bonds (or lack thereof) and feelings of belonging from her life growing up as a Vietnam War refugee in the Midwest. Being separated from her mother for the first 19 years of her life is central to her story, especially the separation's profound effect on her own experience of becoming a mother. I’m a mother-to-be and am preparing myself to be deeply moved by her look at childhood, daughterhood, and motherhood. — Romina Raimundo

The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell (July 11)

It’s hard to comprehend all the scary things coming for us when it comes to climate change. This new book by award-winning journalist Jeff Goodell, the author behind several well-received climate books, puts extreme heat close to, if not at, the top of that doom pile. Some may want to ignore reads like this, but I think putting blinders on is unhelpful – especially when you have an unrepentant optimist like Goodell to guide you. — Erica Landau

The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial by David Lipsky (July 11)

Lipsky has time and time again demonstrated his incredible range, from his early fiction, to his reporting on life at West Point, to his memoir on his conversations with the late David Foster Wallace. Now, he's turned his attention to the great story of this century, climate change, and more specifically, how and why a culture of climate denialism has proliferated through our culture. With Lipsky's track record, it's hard not to be excited about this one. — Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben