What To Read

From Cixin Liu's sci-fi series that has taken Netflix by storm to Colson Whitehead's sticky NYC summer trilogy, we've compiled a list of the best books to binge this summer. Whether you're looking for an easy read by the beach or want to catch up just in time for the second season of House of the Dragon, we've got you covered.

For the sci-fi aficionado or the sci-fi curious

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Now a Netflix adaptation that's just as bingeable, The Three-Body Problem by Chinese sci-fi superstar Cixin Liu is sure to be one of the hottest series this summer to flip through til the beach sunset. This Hugo Award-winning series is a fast-paced, mind-bending sci-fi masterpiece that's been acclaimed by everyone from George R. R. Martin to Barack Obama.

Can't commit to the box set yet? Start with book one.

For the Game of Thrones fanatic

Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin

Get ready for the second season of House of the Dragon with George R. R. Martin's companion piece to A Song of Ice and Fire (AKA ASOIAF), Fire & Blood, the original inspiration for the hit spinoff series. While you're at it, why not just binge the original bestsellers, too?

For the reader with a soft spot for bygone New York

The Harlem Saga: Crook Manifesto and Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Colson Whitehead captures the sticky, fiery New York City summer like no other in the first two books in his award-winning trilogy. The latest installment Crook Manifesto, named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times and The Washington Post, transports us to 1970s Harlem with an unbelievably entertaining and evocative portrait of this cultural epicenter.

For the murder mystery devotee

Dublin Murder Squad Mysteries by Tana French

With her recent novel The Hunter being one of the most anticipated mystery novels of 2024, we're looking back at Tana French's amazing collection of the Dublin Murder Squad Mysteries. Each of these exhilarating novels bubbles over with suspense, giving new and old readers alike some pageturning summer mysteries to binge on late summer nights.

For the reader looking for their summer fling

Funny Story, Happy Place, and Beach Read by Emily Henry

Emily Henry is a summer mainstay with her bestselling romances finding their way onto many a poolside lounge chair. Funny Story is every bit as breezy, fun-loving, and satisfying as her previous successes Happy Place and Beach Read, but once you start reading one, you might just need to read them all!

For the avid reader who somehow hasn't yet delved into Rachel Cusk

The Outline Trilogy: Outline, Transit, and Kudos by Rachel Cusk

Join the legions of fans that have taken Rachel Cusk from an under-the-radar author with a cult following to a major global lit star and one of the most prominent writers today. Before you pick up her newest book Parade (sure to make a splash with its release on June 18th) take a trip into the acclaimed trilogy that got her on everyone's radar, an epic cycle that paints a starkly beautiful portrait of a woman learning to navigate loss, violence and womanhood at a turning point in her life. Hot tip: Best to read outside where the summer weather will really bring alive that oppressive heat in Athens where the narrator begins her journey.

For fiercely funny nonfiction

A Short History of Nearly Everything and The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson

Whether it's an all-American road trip, a fantastically funny history of life as we know it, or even a lively tour of the modern home, Bill Bryson is one of the most hilarious and engrossing nonfiction writers out there. If you're looking for travel inspiration or just want a laugh-out-loud read, any and all of Bryson's books will make for the perfect summer companion.

For the college graduate finding their way

The Idiot and Either/Or by Elif Batuman

A finalist for the Pulitzer Price for Fiction, Elif Batuman's books are funny, sensitive odysseys of self-discovery, making them especially great picks for a recent graduate. Start with the runaway bestseller The Idiot, praised as a "masterly funny debut novel" by Sloane Crosley and "intellectualy subtle, surprising, enlightening" by The New York Review of Books, and follow with Either/Or, the wonderful sequel that is every bit as addictive.

For the fantasy curious who haven't yet dived into ACOTAR

A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas

This runaway bestselling series initially gained popularity on BookTok and is now one of the most widely-read fantasy series of all time. Catch up with the whole saga this summer!

For a masterful sophomore novel from one of today's hottest novelists

Wandering Stars and There There by Tommy Orange

The follow-up to Tommy Orange's breakout bestseller and Pulitzer Prize-nominated There There functions as both a prequel and a sequel, and it has quickly become one of the hottest books of 2024. Wandering Stars is a masterful sophomore effort that takes a deeper dive into the legacy and generational trauma of Native Americans and their forced assimilation in the United States by tracing institutional violence across the lineages and bloodlines of its characters. Start with Orange's debut for the original tour de force that was praised as an "astonishing literary debut" by Margaret Atwood.