Dip into excerpts of the hottest books of the season—from romance to thrillers, memoirs to fantasy—with our Summer 2020 Reading Sampler. Our excerpt sampler also includes a Summer Sips & Snacks section so you can discover the perfect recipes to pair with your summer reading.
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Destination Wedding by Diksha Basu
From bestselling author of The Windfall—What could go wrong at a lavish Indian wedding with your best friend and your entire family? Infused with warmth and charm, Destination Wedding grapples with the nuances of family, careers, belonging, and how we find the people who make a place feel like home.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Playing Nice by JP Delaney
What if you found out that your family isn’t yours at all? How far would you go to protect them? A gripping new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of The Girl Before.
“[JP] Delaney takes domestic suspense beyond its comfort zone.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Sea Wife by Amity Gaige
From the highly acclaimed author of Schroder, a smart, sophisticated page literary page-turner about a young family who escape suburbia for a yearlong sailing trip that upends all of their lives. Sail away with this summer read.
“Stunning . . . Amity [tows] you to tragedy with the graceful crawl of a poet and the motorboat intensity of a suspense author.”—New York Times Book Review
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman
A riveting locked-room mystery about five college friends eager to reunite after years apart—only to be ripped apart again when their host’s disappearance unearths dark secrets and old grudges.
A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility. It will remind you of friendships hidden in the depths of your own past, and make you wonder how well you really know the people you’ve loved the longest.
A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan
The debut novel from an autistic writer, an extraordinary story of a fiercely original young woman whose radical self-acceptance illuminates a new way of being in the world, and opens up a whole new realm of understanding and connection.
Humorous and heartwarming, and brimming with joy, this hyper-saturated celebration of acceptance is a testament to moving through life without fear, and to opening ourselves up to a new way of relating to one another.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut perfect for your summer reading list.
“A haunting, unique read I couldn’t put down—a story that cuts to the heart.”—Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter
Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession
A disarming novel that asks a simple question: Can gentle people change the world?
Leonard and Hungry Paul is the story of two friends struggling to protect their understanding of what’s meaningful in life. It is about the uncelebrated people of this world—the gentle, the meek, the humble. And as they struggle to persevere, the book asks a surprisingly enthralling question: Is it really them against the world, or are they on to something?
Love and Theft by Stan Parish
An epic Vegas heist. A high-octane international romance. A charismatic thief forced to orchestrate one final, treacherous job to save his family. Propulsive, deeply suspenseful, and layered with mesmerizing twists, Love and Theft is a sophisticated thriller about the illusion of control and the high price of past transgressions.
“A breathless adventure both starry-eyed and cool-blooded, both charming and diabolical.” –A.J. Finn, bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir by Sara Seager
In this luminous memoir, an MIT astrophysicist must reinvent herself in the wake of tragedy and discovers the power of connection on this planet, even as she searches our galaxy for another Earth. Probing and invigoratingly honest, The Smallest Lights in the Universe is its own kind of light in the dark.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Real love . . . as seen on TV. A plus-size bachelorette brings a fresh look to a reality show in this delightful, razor-sharp debut.
“Relatable, incredibly smart . . . an extraordinary debut.”—Jasmine Guillory, bestselling author of The Wedding Date and The Proposal
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
From Grilled Corn Guacamole to a Sherry Colada, these recipes from some of our favorite summer cookbooks are perfect to enjoy while you dive into our Summer 2020 Reading Sampler.
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