There’s a heatwave spreading across the nation, made hotter by some fiery new releases.
Summer is the perfect time to tackle a few reads as you lounge by the pool, beach, or at home under the A/C.
These five must-reads will whisk you away on a journey this summer and you won’t even have to leave your couch.
01
The Wedding Party – Jasmine Guillory
Steamy sex overtakes sanity in the exhilarating new offering from Jasmine Guillory. The Wedding Party will seduce you with the unlikely rendezvous of Maddie and Theo, who are attending the nuptials of a mutual friend. The two can’t keep their hands to themselves as they slowly discover they might actually like each other with their clothes on too.
02
The Travelers: A Novel – Regina Porter
What does it mean to be American? In her novel The Travelers, author Regina Porter explores this complicated question, beginning in the 1950’s and following two families—one Black, one White— through pivotal moments in this country’s history. From an audacious Black lesbian to a Vietnam veteran with PTSD, Porter’s characters are memorably brought to life.
03
The Yellow House – Sarah M. Broom
Sarah M. Broom’s obsession with her childhood home in New Orleans is the focal point of her intimate nonfiction debut, The Yellow House. Set in various parts of the Big Easy (specifically New Orleans East, where most tourists never go), this brave work delves into such issues as poor housing, subpar health care, family bonds, personal erasure and survival.
04
Everything Inside: Stories – Edwidge Danticat
Internationally acclaimed Haitian-born author Edwidge Danticat returns with Everything Inside, a vivid collection of eight powerful short stories that weave together tales of tenacity, family and unexpected love.
05
Patsy – Nicole Dennis-Benn
In Princeton University lecturer Nicole Dennis-Benn’s latest effort, Patsy, the book’s namesake leaves her 5-year-old daughter, True, in her native Jamaica as she searches for a happier life in Brooklyn, where she reunites with ex-lover Cicely. Peppered with Jamaican patois, the tome defies convention with themes of reluctant motherhood, homosexuality and the realities of immigration.
