Summer reading season is upon us, and a books editor at a publication has released a curated list of the titles likely to dominate beach bags and book club discussions in the coming months. They range from historical fiction with supernatural twists to sharp satires and family dramas, offering something for every kind of reader.
The editor notes that the process of finding these picks began in January, reading far ahead of the publication schedule to identify the books that kept her “urgently flipping pages.” It includes both already-buzzy releases and titles available for pre-order.
A ghost town, a plane crash, and a gunslinger
One of the more structurally ambitious entries is a triple-timeline novel about 24-year-old Nina, who survives a plane crash in the Wyoming mountains. While searching for her boyfriend, who was piloting the plane, she stumbles into a ghost town. There, she uncovers secrets connecting her to a gunslinger from a 1902 pulp novel and a historian trying to preserve the town in 2003. The book explores who writes history and what they might be hiding.
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Anne Boleyn returns, head in hand
Historical fiction gets a grotesque twist in a novel about Anne Boleyn, who wakes up after her execution — headless but alive. She sews her head back on and takes on Tudor London, driven by revenge and a need to protect her daughter from Henry VIII. It leans into the familiar rhyme — divorced, beheaded, died — but with a supernatural edge.
Another historical novel follows a mapmaker in post-Great Hunger Ireland. Tomás is determined to chart the starvation written on the land. An encounter with a mysterious spring changes his life in a tale that weaves folklore, trauma, and emigration.
A tradwife influencer wakes up in 1855
For readers who prefer satire, one of the sharper picks centers on Natalie, a tradwife influencer with millions of followers, a rustic farmhouse, and five children (with a sixth on the way). She wakes up one day in 1855 and discovers that the traditional life she idealized is far more violent than she imagined — and she may not escape it. It is described as a “darkly electric look at trauma and motherhood.”
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In a different kind of suburban nightmare, a story set in an expensive Connecticut suburb follows Vivian, who is inches away from joining an exclusive women’s club. She just needs a luxury pool, more online purchases, and for her daughters to act normal. When her husband bombs the biggest pitch of his career, he starts living in the backyard. This is a funny, modern take on consumerism and unhappiness.
Sedaris returns with essays on Duolingo and the Pope
After four years, humorist David Sedaris is back with a new collection of essays. He quotes an early teacher who told him the only rule in comedy is to “always be as tasteless as possible.” The essays cover everything from taking vacation photos to listening to music aloud on a crowded train. He confides in a Duolingo AI, meets the Pope, and argues with his husband.
Alien abduction, sisterhood, and a motherless Louisiana
A story about alien abduction explores what happens when Alex and Ana vanish into the desert at age 6 and return with stories of extraterrestrials. Bonded by their infamous childhood, the pair drifts apart as adults. When a real signal from outer space has Earth bracing for contact, they must confront what actually happened in the desert.
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The list also includes a story about motherless best friends in Jim Crow-era Louisiana. Neicy and Annie take different paths — one toward college and wealth, the other chasing her mother through brothels and bars. It is a bighearted tale about longing, queer desire, and chosen family, and has drawn praise from Oprah and author Ann Patchett.
Finally, three disparate sisters — a broke dog walker, an influencer handling a viral disaster, and a workaholic PR specialist — reunite at their family beach house in New Hampshire after their mother’s death. Their father plans to sell it, and they must untangle their problems to save the home.
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