6 Sizzling Summer Reads

From a memoir set in the turbulent 70s to a novel where you decide the protagonist's fate, get whisked away on unforgettable journeys all season

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

June 28, 2024

Ready to dive into a collection of captivating summer books? Check out these six standouts that span genres and generations.
 

1974: A Personal History by Francine Prose
Publication Date: June 18
"The first memoir from bestselling author Prose is about the close relationship she developed with activist Anthony Russo, one of the men who leaked the Pentagon Papers—and the year when our country changed…The narrative is framed around the nights she spent with Russo driving manically around San Francisco, listening to his stories—and the disturbing and dramatic end of that relationship in New York.”

Grown Women by Sarai Johnson
Publication Date: July 9
“In this stunning debut novel, four generations of complex Black women contend with motherhood and daughterhood, generational trauma, and the deeply ingrained tensions and wounds that divide them as they redefine happiness and healing for themselves.”

All This and More by Peng Shepherd
Publication Date: July 9
“From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The Cartographers and The Book of M comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made…and how far she’ll go to find her elusive “happily ever after.” But there’s a twist: the reader gets to decide what she does next to change her fate.”

Glory Days by Simon Rich
Publication Date: July 23
“From the Thurber Prize–winning author of New Teeth comes a hilarious and powerful collection of short stories chronicling the plight of aging millennials. High-stakes and heartfelt, Glory Days mourns the death of youthful innocence and hails the beginning of something approximating wisdom.”

The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982 by Chris Nashawaty
Publication Date: July 30
“In the summer of 1982, eight science fiction films were released within six weeks of one another. E.T., Tron, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Conan the Barbarian, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, The Thing, and Mad Max: The Road Warrior changed the careers of some of Hollywood's now biggest names…The films showed a precarious turning point in Hollywood history when baffled film executives finally began to understand the potential of high-concept films with a rabid fanbase, merchandising potential, and endless possible sequels.”

Worst Case Scenario by TJ Newman

Publication Date: August 13
“When a pilot has a heart attack mid-flight, a commercial airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant in a small Minnesota town. With the potential to be worse than even Chernobyl, the ordinary citizens—power plant employees, police, teachers, and neighbors—must race to contain the damage that poses international dangers.”