Hello fellow sweaty humans and welcome back to the Lost Friends Lit Club!
I picked up a book preorder this week, and wow it got me thinking! This miserably hot season, June/July/August, is my favorite time of year for book publishing. Most people will tell you fall publishing is the best, because publishers do a big extra push to get books sold for the holidays. That’s all fine and great, but I always feel like the books that come out in the fall are mostly deep and moody and intense books, because people want to be ✨inspired✨ and also to give book gifts that make them seem all deep and intellectual. Something you should know about me: I do not (usually) care to be that deep in my reading. When it comes to summer, if I can’t read it on a beach with a piña colada in one hand, then I’m probably not reading it. Save the heavy stuff for those winter months when we’re all locked away in snow-covered dungeons.
This year, the publishing world really came through for the summer releases! Maybe it’s books pushed back from pandemic publication or I just haven’t really noticed before, but this year’s lot seems especially stacked. Lucky for you, I want to make sure everyone gets to really enjoy that stack! I’ve pulled my top picks for a handful of genres (with my own synopses) for you and yours to browse. Just remember that if you buy a new book, you should buy it from an indie bookstore! You can find my favorites here. A quick side note: a handful of these books are already out, but summer books are summer books and I am hyped about them anyways.
So without further ado!
If you prefer fiction:
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, out June 1- a group of fame adjacent siblings get together for a huge end of summer party but then things get real messy.
The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton by Eleanor Ray, out June 8- the reclusive Amy Ashton prefers to love things instead of people, but that starts to unravel when she makes friends with the new family across the street.
Palace of the Drowned by Christine Mangan, out June 1- set during the 1966 flooding of Vienna, a struggling novelist and her ambitious young admirer see their lives affected by the floods and their own human nature.
If you like a little spook and suspense in your reading:
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia, out June 1- the first book in a new murder mystery series set in 1920s Harlem, Louise is enlisted to help find the person killing young Black women in Manhattan.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, out June 15- a Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge is loved and revered by his group of fangirls called “The Maidens,” and if that weren’t icky enough, girls start dying and the group therapist trying to solve the murders gets a little too fixated and spirals out of control. Big Donna Tartt vibes.
The Husbands by Chandler Baker, out August 3- think Stepford Wives but with weirdly helpful/supportive husbands instead of cyborg submissive wives.
If you want romance with your piña colada:
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, out June 1- a young teen couple fall in love over seven wild days, then are reunited fifteen years later for another steamy seven days, their second chance at love.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, out May 11- for ten years, Alex and Poppy go on vacation together as best friends, and then it falls apart; two years late, they go on one last vacation to try to patch it all back together. As this book is in the romance section, you can probably figure out how that’s going to go.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, out June 1- girl meets girl, girl falls in love, girl gets displaced in a time vortex? Just hear me out on this one… McQuiston wrote one of my absolute favorite romance books a few years ago (Red, White, and Royal Blue) so I have high hopes for One Last Stop.
If you prefer real-world reading (aka nonfiction):
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C Ford, out June 1- Ford writes her memoir about growing up and coming of age while worshipping her father, who is incarcerated for a crime that Ford doesn’t know about. I don’t think my blurb can do this one justice but I’m really excited to read this.
Forget the Alamo: The True Story of the Myth That Made Texas by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, Jason Stanford, out June 8- three Texan writers explore the myths and legends that surround the Battle of the Alamo and break down the details that history left out.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell, out June 15- covering everything from Heaven’s Gate to SoulCycle, Montell explores the social science of cult influence and the language of power, while breaking down how culture has basically already indoctrinated us all.
If you like true crime:
Couple Found Slain: After a Family Murder by Mikita Brottman, out July 6- a 22 year old man walks into a Florida police station and admits to murdering his parents in their Maryland home, but he is deemed criminally insane and spends the bulk of his remaining life in a maximum security psychiatric hospital. Brottman takes a look at his life both before and after the murders and what it looks like to be a defendant when the case is said and done.
What Happened to Paula: On the Death of an American Girl by Katherine Dykstra, out June 15- in July 1970, Paula Oberbroekling walked out of her house and then never returned. Her family never got answers and her case was cold for 50 years, but the author takes a look at how the late 1960s and their gender politics could have had a bearing on Paula’s life, her disappearance, and how her case was handled.
The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Cobb, out July 13- sometimes true crime gets a little bit too true for me, and then I turn to historical true crime. It’s nice to put some distance between you and a murderous psycho doctor that targets sex workers across three different countries, wouldn’t you agree?
For the Young Adult (and young-adult-at-heart) amongst us:
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson, out June 15- this is the book that I mentioned above, preordered and picked up and tbh, read in about a day and a half. The fourth in my favorite YA series, teen sleuth Stevie Bell solves old crimes and is a total badass, this time while working at a spooky summer camp that was once the home to a multiple murder in the woods.
We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman, out June 1- a hopeless teen meets his dream girl while working in his father’s failing bookshop. I shouldn’t have to tell you more; there is nothing more perfect for summer reading than YA romance.
You and Me at the End of the World by Brianna Bourne, out July 20- overacheiving, perfect student wakes up one day to find that she’s completely alone in the world, except for super hot guitar boy that she would normally never speak to. They fall in LoOoVe and try to figure out what the heck is going on. I’m really bummed that this doesn’t come out until after my beach vacation.
DANG that’s a big list! You’re welcome. Did you see something you’re interested in? Got something new to read? Please tell me! I’d love to know what you’re reading.
Since this newsletter is already pretty link heavy, I’m not going to share all the stuff that I read this week, but just know that you can always find out what books I’ve recently finished on the Lost Friends Literary Club instagram.
For one last thing before we go- since it is indeed Father’s Day- I thought I’d get a couple of book recs from some dads I know, just in case you need a last minute gift: From my dad, a recommendation for Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible, which would definitely go great with the round of golf he’s hoping to play today. From my husband’s dad, the book She Calls Me Daddy, from Focus on the Family, about raising girls. And from my friend who’s a new dad, The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life which was honestly not what I expected him to recommend but now I think maybe I want to try fly fishing? This books seems kind of awesome.
And that’s all I’ve got for you kids today! Later this week, we’ll take a little trip to the library together on instagram, and we’ll talk more about all things library in the next newsletter. Do you have something about the book world that you’d like to know more about? Thought of a book or topic that you’d like to read more about in this space? You can always respond to this newsletter to let me know, and I’d love your input.
Until next time! Thanks for reading ❤️