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60 Must-Read Books of the Summer

What are you in the mood to read this summer? This year boasts an unusual volume of stories exploring the thrilling and thorny stuff that makes us human. We think of them as books that make a difference—every one of them worth the plunge!
1.
Love Affairs

Love Affairs
2.
I Almost Forgot About You

I Almost Forgot About You

By Terry McMillan
3.
Invincible Summer

Invincible Summer

By Alice Adams
4.
What We Become

What We Become

By Arturo Pérez-Reverte
5.
The Blackbirds

The Blackbirds

By Eric Jerome Dickey
6.
Modern Lovers

Modern Lovers

By Emma Straub
7.
Love Wins

Love Wins

By Debbie Cenziper, Jim Obergefell
8.
The Gilded Cage

The Gilded Cage
9.
Smoke

Smoke

By Dan Vyleta
10.
This Is Not My Beautiful Life

This Is Not My Beautiful Life

By Victoria Fedden
11.
We Could Be Beautiful

We Could Be Beautiful

By Swan Huntley
12.
Rich and Pretty

Rich and Pretty

By Rumaan Alam
13.
Before the Fall

Before the Fall

By Noah Hawley
14.
Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty

Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty

By Ramona Ausubel
15.
Born in the USA

Born in the USA
16.
The Hour of Land

The Hour of Land

By Terry Tempest Williams
17.
The Lynching

The Lynching

By Laurence Leamer
18.
Witness to the Revolution

Witness to the Revolution

By Clara Bingham
19.
Under the Stars

Under the Stars

By Dan White
20.
Never a Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Rock Exploded

Never a Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Rock Exploded

By David Hepworth
21.
How the Post Office Created America

How the Post Office Created America

By By Winifred Gallagher
22.
Hear Them Roar

Hear Them Roar
23.
I'm Just a Person

I'm Just a Person

By Tig Notaro
24.
Dating Tips for the Unemployed

Dating Tips for the Unemployed

By Iris Smyles
25.
Sex Object

Sex Object

By Jessica Valenti
26.
Shrill

Shrill

By Lindy West
27.
Wilde Lake

Wilde Lake

By Laura Lippman
28.
Hot Little Hands

Hot Little Hands

By Abigail Ulman
29.
Icons

Icons
30.
Paul McCartney: The Life

Paul McCartney: The Life

By Philip Norman
31.
Everybody Behaves Badly

Everybody Behaves Badly

By Lesley M.M. Blume
32.
The Sun and the Moon and the Rolling Stones

The Sun and the Moon and the Rolling Stones

By Rich Cohen
33.
A Loaded Gun

A Loaded Gun

By Jerome Charyn
34.
Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays

Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays

By Cynthia Ozick
35.
Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer

Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer

By Arthur Lubow
36.
American Pastoral

American Pastoral
37.
The Girls

The Girls

By Emma Cline
38.
The Sport of Kings

The Sport of Kings

By C.E. Morgan
39.
Marrow Island

Marrow Island

By Alexis M. Smith
40.
Lions

Lions

By Bonnie Nadzam
41.
Buffalo Jump Blues

Buffalo Jump Blues

By Keith McCafferty
42.
Nitro Mountain

Nitro Mountain

By Lee Clay Johnson
43.
Future Shock

Future Shock
44.
The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047

The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047

By Lionel Shriver
45.
The City of Mirrors

The City of Mirrors

By Justin Cronin
46.
Underground Airlines

Underground Airlines

By Ben H. Winters
47.
The Swan Book

The Swan Book

By Alexis Wright
48.
Some Possible Solutions

Some Possible Solutions

By Helen Phillips
49.
The Sunlight Pilgrims

The Sunlight Pilgrims

By Jenni Fagan
50.
Odyssey

Odyssey
51.
Homegoing

Homegoing

By Yaa Gyasi
52.
The Nordic Theory of Everything

The Nordic Theory of Everything

By Anu Partanen
53.
The Gene

The Gene

By Siddhartha Mukherjee
54.
Double Cup Love

Double Cup Love

By Eddie Huang
55.
The Noise of Time

The Noise of Time

By Julian Barnes
56.
In the Darkroom

In the Darkroom

By Susan Faludi
57.
War & Peace

War & Peace
58.
Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War

Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War

By Mary Roach
59.
Tribe

Tribe

By Sebastian Junger
60.
A Hero of France

A Hero of France

By Alan Furst
61.
Native Believer

Native Believer

By Ali Eteraz
62.
Love, Sex and Other Foreign Policy Goals

Love, Sex and Other Foreign Policy Goals

By Jesse Armstrong
63.
The Way to the Spring

The Way to the Spring

By Ben Ehrenreich
64.
Sinners & Saints

Sinners & Saints
65.
Charcoal Joe

Charcoal Joe

By Walter Mosley
66.
The Hospital Always Wins

The Hospital Always Wins

By Issa Ibrahim
67.
The Cook Up

The Cook Up

By D. Watkins
68.
Walking the Dog

Walking the Dog

By Elizabeth Swados
69.
The Second Life of Nick Mason

The Second Life of Nick Mason

By Steve Hamilton
70.
The Crow Girl

The Crow Girl

By Erik Axl Sund

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