Exotic vacations, big barbeque gatherings, and music festivals might not be in our calendars this summer, but to look on the bright side, it just means we have more time for books, amiright? Here are five new novels to add to your nightstand pile now.
Rodham
By Curtis Sittenfeld
In this captivating “what if” story, a charming southerner named Bill Clinton proposes to a budding young law student named Hillary Rodham. And she says no. Telling an alternate history of the woman we know as Hillary Clinton, had she chosen a different path, this novel is definitely THE read this summer.
Buy it here: Amazon | Indigo
Afterland
By Lauren Beukes
Here’s one to add to your preorder list and look forward to. Out later in July, this futuristic sci fi-meets-feminist novel is set after a pandemic known as The Manfall wiped away almost all the men. Now, the women are in charge. But there’s a twist: the heroine of the story is Cole, a mother who will do anything to protect her 12-year-old son, one of the last boys standing.
Buy it here: Amazon | Indigo
Ask Me Anything
By P.Z Reizin
For a lighter read, try this rom-com about a young woman with over-active smart appliances—not only does her fridge send her reminders to buy more milk and her fitness tracker keep her in shape, but now, her household technology is acting as team cupid and butting into her love life.
Buy it here: Amazon | Indigo
The Pull of the Stars
By Emma Donoghue
Another one for your pre-order list: the latest from bestselling author Emma Donoghue (of The Wonder and Room fame) is set in Dublin in 1918 at the height of the Great Flue. The book spans three days in the maternity ward, where a nurse, doctor, and a volunteer do the impossible work necessary in a pandemic—a chillingly relevant story for our times.
Buy it here: Amazon | Indigo
The Black Swan of Paris
By Karen Robards
This historical fiction story brings readers back to 1944 Paris, where a famous singer named Genevieve walks the delicate line between befriending the Nazis while maintaining a secret alliance with the resistance.
Buy it here: Amazon | Indigo
