Summer is the perfect time to grab a good book, a beach chair, and escape reality. Here’s a look at our top ten picks, with a genre for every taste.
1. Romance
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee | $18
Set in 1942, Englishman Will Truesdale falls in love with Trudy Liang, however their affair is threatened by World War II. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong to work as a piano teacher and also begins a fateful affair. Impossible choices emerge-between love and safety, courage and survival, the present, and above all, the past.
2. Thriller
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn | $16
With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.
3. Memoir
Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks | $11
Chronicling the life-affirming journey of two brothers bound by memories, both humorous and tragic. Nicholas and Micah Sparks set off on a three-week trip around the globe. Against the backdrop of the wonders of the world and often overtaken by their feelings, daredevil Micah and the more serious, introspective Nicholas recalled their rambunctious childhood adventures and the tragedies that tested their faith.
4. Humor
I Hate Everyone… Starting With Me by Joan Rivers | $18
Here—uncensored and totally uninhibited—Joan Rivers gives the best of her worst to First Ladies, closet cases, hypocrites, Hollywood, feminists, and overrated historical figures. And even when letting herself have it, she doesn’t hold back in this honest, unabashedly hilarious love letter to the hater in all of us.
5. Self-Reflection
The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives by Katie Couric | $14
In this inspiring book, Katie Couric distills the ingenious, hard-won insights of such leaders and visionaries as Maya Angelou, Jimmy Carter, Michael J. Fox, and Ken Burns, who offer advice about life, success, and happiness—how to take chances, follow one’s passions, overcome adversity and inertia, commit to something greater than ourselves, and more.
6. Mystery
The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones | $15
The prizewinning author triumphs in this frightening yet delicious drama of dark surprises—where social codes are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety—and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence.
7. Real-life Drama
White Girl Problems by Babe Walker | $9
Babe Walker, center of the universe, is a painstakingly manicured white girl with an expensive smoothie habit, a proclivity for Louboutins, a mysterious mother she’s never met, and approximately 50 bajillion Twitter followers. Now she’s decided to write her memoir, revealing the gut-wrenching hurdles she’s had to overcome in order to be perfect in every way, every day.
8. Flirty
Playdate by Thelma Adams | $15
Inside their picture-perfect homes, the residents of this quiet California suburb are not at all what they seem. Playdate proves that relationships are complicated and the bonds between families, spouses and children are never quite what they seem. What happens next door, beyond the hedges, in the romper room and executive office—it’s all as combustible as a quick brushfire on a windy day.
9. Relationships
58 Bad Boyfriend Stories by Barbara Davilman | $7
What Was I Thinking? is a collection of first-person essays describing the moment in a relationship when, no matter how much you think it should work, or want it to work, or need it to work, you get that it’s not going to work.
10. Confessions
A Lifetime of Secrets: A Postsecret Book by Frank Warren | $21
People of all ages expose their private fears, hopes, regrets, and desires. From painful admissions of infidelity to breathtaking revelations and endearing sentiments, Warren’s latest collection will shock and move readers, revealing secrets that have haunted their creators for a lifetime.
