What We're Reading: Summer 2023

“I am reading Yellowface by R F. Kuang. How can one resist a book that skewers the publishing industry? Next up will be Emma Cline’s The Guest… which looks like it skewers the Hamptons.…” — Deb Futter, President and Publisher

“I’m looking forward to Ali Hazelwood’s forthcoming Love, Theoretically. I’ve adored her previous books, and I know that I will (theoretically!) love this one, too. Perfect summer beach reading!” — Randi Kramer, Associate Editor

“I cannot wait to tuck into The Guest by Emma Cline. Vanity Fair described it as ‘a book with the dog days languor of a Sofia Coppola film and the chilling tension of a Patricia Highsmith novel,’ which honestly sounds like a perfect summer read.” — Christine Mykityshyn, Senior Publicity Director

“A few friends have recommended The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff, so it’s high on my summer reading list! It sounds like it’s full of dark humor mixed with female empowerment and lots of heart.” — Jennifer Jackson, Executive Director, Marketing

“This book is much more than just another ‘celebrity memoir.’ At one point I may have been sob-reading beside a stranger on a plane because all the plot twists and double-twists put my emotions through the wringer. Maybe I’ll read his other memoir, Baggage, later this summer.” — Jaime Noven, Senior Marketing Manager

“Yume Kitasei’s The Deep Sky is a book that I’ve been excited to read for a very long time. The author has written some really lovely short stories, and to be frank, it feels like a weird and introspective commentary on the Among Us craze that swept the nation in 2020, so I’m looking forward to reading it this summer!” — Sandra Moore, Marketing Assistant

“I am totally planning on reading Kismet by Becky Chalsen this summer. I usually don’t read a lot of contemporary romance; however, the title and cover caught my eye as I was wandering through P&T Knitwear the other day. I spend the majority of my summers on Fire Island, so I knew I had to add this to my beach reads list!” — Julia Sikora, Publicity Assistant

“I’m really looking forward to Adult Drama: A Memoir in False Starts by Natalie Beach. I was fascinated by Natalie’s viral essay on her friendship with Caroline Calloway, and I think her memoir-in-essays will be funny, fresh, and perfect for summer. A cultural criticism and coming-of-age reflection on the pitfalls and (occasionally embarrassing) struggles of navigating life in early adulthood sounds like it might even resonate a little too much....”  — Faith Tomlin, Editorial Assistant

“The next book I’m looking forward to reading this summer is Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. I’m a big fan of her earlier work, and this new novel seems to be a big, complicated web of so many of my favorite themes — a literary thriller about eco-activists clashing with tech mogul weirdness? Sounds great to me!” — Martin Dolan, Editorial Intern

“With its movie coming out later this year and the renaissance the original books are having on social media, I think this summer will be the perfect time to jump back into the world of The Hunger Games. I have absolutely loved looking back and analyzing this series, which I first read in middle school. I am excited to see how it all began in this prequel.” — Yelizaveta Rogulina, Ad Promo/Social Media Intern