We asked our team what everyone is reading this summer — or watching or listening to. Here’s our list. What’s on yours?
WHAT WE’RE READING
Niccole
Less by Andrew Sean Greer — “A struggling novelist travels the world to avoid an awkward wedding in this hilarious Pulitzer Prize-winning novel full of “arresting lyricism and beauty” (New York Times Book Review).”
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman — Reese Witherspoon book club pick, #1 on New York Times best seller list. Love story. Soon to be a movie.
Amy
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick — Insane read and good to read now with everything going on there.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi — Quick read about a doctor facing his own mortality.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah — Page turner.
Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and my Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray — Another page turner about a 15-year-old homeless girl who gets into Harvard.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins — Good beach read if you haven’t read it yet.
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man who left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs — One of my favorite books.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt — Good beach read. Pulitzer Prize Winner. “The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.”
Blood, Bones and Butter: The inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton — New York Times best seller. Very interesting and different type of book to read. Then go to the restaurant in New York City when done!
Fran
Jerusalem the Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore — I heard an interview with Montefiore about his book. A bit thick, but engaging. I really do not know any history of the city and with all the strife about the city, I thought I would do some reading – I just started and I am fascinated.
The One that Got Away by Simon Wood — On a lighter note, a psycho thriller.
The Go Giver by John David Mann & Bob Burg — Motivational book.
Stacey
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr — Beautifully written and touching about two lives that collide in occupied France during WWII.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles — One of my favorite books ever.
The Myth of the the Nice Girl by Fran Hauser — It’s OK to be nice at work and Fran lays out why it’s a powerful asset. An Amazon Best Business Book in 2018.
The Confidence Code for Girls by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman — The popular confidence code is now available for young girls. My daughter got this at one of her summer camps and it’s a must have for girls.
Jen
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman — “A shocking discovery on a honeymoon in paradise changes the lives of a picture-perfect couple in this taut psychological thriller.” Really liked it.
Calypso by David Sedaris — It’s impossible to take a vacation from yourself. Very funny.
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO
Amy says these are good books on tape, good books to read and shows to listen on long car rides with your teens:
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight — About Phil knight who created Nike. Good to listen to in the car. The man deserves every cent he earned.
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen — Autobiography narrated by Bruce himself.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood — Written and narrated by Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show.
A few more:
American Fiasco by Roger Bennett (if you’re interested in the world cup) — Full disclosure he’s Niccole’s brother in law but the podcast made it on Vulture’s Best Podcasts of 2018 list.
Caliphate — An audio series following Rukmini Callimachi as she reports on the Islamic State and the fall of Mosul for The New York Times series).
How I Built This — Guy Raz interviews builders of some of the most notable brands of our time and they tell us how they did it. Stories of good ideas and perseverance. Excellent and good to listen to with the kids.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Let’s face it. We don’t have a ton of time to watch, but when we do!
The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes (Netflix) — Incredible homes in incredible locations.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime) — Hilarious and inspiring.
Manhunt: Unabomber (Discovery) — Mini-series about the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. Husbands love this as well and only 6 or 7 episodes.
Making a Murderer — Addictive. We listen to it in car while our daughter watches it and then we can discuss all the legal aspects along the way. Really good.
Need more? A few lists.
73 Books to Read While the Sun is Out and the Days are Long (NYT)
Your Real Simple Summer Reading List 2018
The 40 Best Books to Read this Summer (Elle)
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