96. Must-read books of the summer paired with beach-worthy backlist titles

It’s that time of year, readers! Pull out your favorite book tote and get thee to pre-ordering (or library requesting) because we’ve got an episode full of our most anticipated reads for summer 2022. Since we can’t help ourselves, we’ve paired each buzzy new title with a backlist pick. We’re also talking about summer reading hopes (not goals), our favorite summertime genres, and what’s happening in Classics Club this season. 

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Books mentioned (thanks for supporting us by shopping our Bookshop affiliate links!):

May

5/3 The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

• Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price, Sense & Second Degree Murder

5/3 When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

• Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister

5/17 We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu

• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

5/17 Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces by Elamin Abdelmahmoud

• Piccolo is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture by Jordan Calhoun

5/24 Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

• Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward 

5/31 Half-Blown Rose by Leesa Cross-Smith

• Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones, Half Light 

June

6/7 Woman of Light by Kali Farjado-Anstine

• A Girl is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

6/7 Fibbed by Elizabeth Agyemang

• Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

6/14 Horse by Geraldine Brooks

• The Son by Philip Meyer

6/28 American Royalty by Tracey Livesay

• The Royal We, Red, White & Royal Blue, or American Royals
• Like Lovers Do by Tracey Livesay

July

7/5 Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

• Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link

7/5 Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

• There, There by Tommy Orange, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

7/12 The Crane Wife by C.J. Hauser

• The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy

7/12 Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevinn

• The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

7/19 Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn