Be Well. Well Read.
Books make us better citizens, better neighbors and better human beings. As our favorite librarian Christina says, "Be well. Well Read." We hope you find some time to read this summer!
Maxine wears the Stanton Racerback Polo & Darrow Boxpleat Skirt-Wolffer Vineyards in NY
This year's list includes a broad variety of books; we are the curious type and we want to escape into worlds unlike our own so that we may become more empathetic. We also love to read books where we can identify with the characters in worlds we can relate to so we feel normal.
Before we get to THE LIST we wanted to share a relevent recent essay from The Paris Review entitled Tennis is the Opposite of Death. An excerpt: 'Tennis has brutal match lengths and returns and apartness and ongoingness and sunshine. It has one player as an intelligence moving around in space. It has elegance and wreckage and bad manners.' The essay is brilliant, read it.
Antonia wears the Douglas Dress reading the history of tennis at our club waiting for our tennis clinic to begin
INTERESTING NON-FICTION:
Amanda Fairbanks, The Lost Boys of Montauk
In this account, Fairbanks retells the haunting story of a four-man encounter with a Nor’easter sailing off the coast of East Hampton.
Paulina Bren, The Barbizon
Discover all about The Barbizon hotel, a place where women could find comfort and freedom.
Marc Hamer, Seed to Dust
Gardener Marc Hamer tells his experiences tending to 12 acres of garden for over two decades and the relationships he's made with others as well as his own reflections.
GREAT LITERARY FICTION:
Gabriela Garcia, Of Women and Salt
Of Women and Salt tells the complex immigrant story of a cuban family living in Miami.
Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet
In Hamnet, O’Farrell provides a fascinating story behind the play of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Jeanine Cummins, American Dirt
When a Mexican family is suddenly uprooted from their hometown of Acapulco, a mother and her child must find a new way of life in the United States.
Yaa Gyasi, Transcendent Kingdom
See into the world of Gifty, a student neuroscientist at Stanford studying the topics her family is struggling with; depression and addiction.
Jhumpa Lahiri, Whereabouts
Pulitzer prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri presents a rich novel following a woman's changing perspectives.
Jackie Polzin, Brood
Follow the story of an unidentified narrator attempting to keep four chickens alive.
Maxine in the Brooks Bodysuit & Vale Varsity Jacket relaxing by the pool reading one of our recommendations from last year, The Water Cure, between shots during our photo shoot last year.
INSPIRING MEMOIRS:
Mallory Weggeman, Limitless
In Weggemann’s biography, Limitless, she tells an inspiring story of resilience to her sport as a gold-medalist Paralympic swimmer.
Kwame Onwuachi, Notes from a Young Black Chef
Notes from a Young Black Chef details Onwuachi’s hardships being a person of color in the world of fine cuisine.
Peter Heller, Kook
In his remarkable memoir, Peter Heller tells us his discovery of surfing culture, and how he used it to find a connection with the sea.
GREAT BEACH READS:
Fiona Davis, Lions of 5th Avenue
How will two women spanning several generations protect their family's New York Public library?
Lauren Weisberger, Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty
Weisberger gives an entertaining insight into the lives of these seemingly perfect sisters.
Kiley Reid, Such a Fun Age
When Emira Tucker is publicly humiliated for "kidnapping" a white child in a high-end supermarket, how will her employer Alix Chamberlain connect with her to solve this issue?
Meg Mason, Sorrow and Bliss
Mason details the trials and tribulations in Martha and Patrick’s marriage, how will Martha get out of her mental rut?
Brit Bennett, The Mothers
What could've three young adults done differently? Would there be a baby? Who would've fallen for who?
Lauren Edmonson, Ladies of the House
Devour this dramatic retelling of Sense and Sensibility; will the Richardsons recover from their plight?
Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
What if I told you there was a library where your life was contained in a book, and the books on other shelves are the lives you could've lived. What would you do differently?
Frederick Backman, Anxious People
A flustered bank robber takes a group of people hostage during an apartment open house. Each of them is carrying their own personal baggage; how will this mess turn out?
Jamie Brenner, Blush
In Blush, Brenner tells the story of three generations of women finding the practicality of romance novels as it applies to their family’s winery; could it help them find love too?
Brit Bennet, The Vanishing Half
Identical twin sisters now lead completely different lives, but who knows, could their paths intersect once more?
Jennifer Weiner, That Summer
Can Daisy Shoemaker find peace? Even with some of her family and work struggles, she thinks she has it good: could a strong friendship find her center?
Jill Santopolo, Everything After
Travel with Emily as she tries to reconnect with her past and find her true meaning (and love) in life.
Julie Clark, The Last Flight
When two desperate women, Claire and Eva, switch plane tickets and Eva's plane goes down, Claire has to take on Eva's identity as well as carry all her secrets.
GREAT SELF HELP & HEALTH:
Amy Shah, I’m So Effing Tired
How do we solve burnout? In I’m So Effing Tired, Dr. Shah gives a guide to eating better and managing stress to put more energy into our lives.
Lauren Martin, The Book of Moods
Go on a journey with Lauren Martin as she learns to stabilize her ranging emotions.
MYSTERY:
Sarah Penner, Lost Apothecary
What will happen when Caroline Parcewell investigates a trail of unsolved apothecary murders?
Hannah Mary McKinnon, You Will Remember Me
Follow the chilling story of the connections between two women, Maya and Lily, and one man, Asher; who is telling the truth?
Paula McLain, When the Stars Go Dark
Become absorbed in missing persons detective Anna Hart’s obsession with finding a teenage girl in the Northern Californian village of Mendocino.
Laura Dave, The Last Thing He Told Me
An unlikely mother and daughter duo team up to uncover the secrets of Bailey’s father Owen: what is his real identity and what is he hiding?
Lucy Foley, The Guest List
Watch as a wedding slowly turns from a celebration of love into a murder mystery.
GREAT YA:
Nicola Yoon, Instructions for Dancing
Take yourself on a spirited adventure through the eyes of Evie, will she find spontaneous new love?
SCIENCE BOOKS:
Abigail Tucker, Mom Genes
Tucker explores the science behind a mother’s natural maternal instincts.
DEATH, LOSS & GRIEF:
Laura Lynne Jackson, Signs
In Signs, Laura Lynne Jackson details her experiences as a psychic medium.
Chimanda Ngozi, Notes on Grief
Shortly after Ngozi’s father’s death, Notes on Grief was created to help process her sadness through stories of her father’s life.
TENNIS-THEMED:
Katrina Adams, Own the Arena
Adams shares her cornucopia of knowledge about leadership through her position as the former President and CEO of the United States Tennis Association.
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Thank you Christina Karvounis @spdylibrarian & Zibby Owens @momsdonthavetimetoreadbooks as well as my sister Cassie, and besties Kim and Kristi for your recent faves, XOXO