In just three days, it will be 鈥� officially 鈥� summer 2024. If you need suggestions for your warm-weather book list, we鈥檝e got you covered!
On Monday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air, we talked top picks with people who select books for libraries in St. Louis: St. Louis County Library associate Tammy Albohaire and St. Louis Public Library materials selector Ted Reidy.
Their beach read recommendations are listed below, along with brief notes about each title.
TAMMY鈥橲 LIST
FICTION
鈥淭his Could Be Us鈥� (2024) by Kennedy Ryan
鈥淚n 鈥楾his Could Be Us,鈥� we meet Soledad Barnes, a woman who has it all 鈥� or does she? After her husband does the unthinkable, Soledad must rebuild her life, and through rebuilding, she discovers herself and the love that she has been longing for. If you enjoy modern romance, then this book is for you.鈥�
鈥淐hildren of Anguish and Anarchy鈥� (2024) by Tomi Adeyemi
鈥淭his is one of the most anticipated books of the summer! The final book in the Or茂sha Series is sure not to disappoint. Z茅lie has seized the palace, and the maji reign again. Z茅lie is trapped on a foreign ship and is taken away from her homeland. When she meets King Baldyr, her true captor, it will take everything she has to save herself and her people.鈥�
鈥淕lory Be鈥� (2023) by Danielle Arceneaux
鈥淕lory is a small-time bookie who runs her business in a local coffee shop. When her friend is found dead in her apartment, police call it a suicide. But Glory is not convinced. She sets out as an amateur sleuth in the bayou to find her friend鈥檚 killer but ends up finding much more. This book was very entertaining 鈥� and who doesn't love a small-town sleuth?鈥�
鈥淢istakes We Never Made鈥� (2024) by Hannah Brown
鈥淓mma and Finn aren鈥檛 getting along, and their friends are getting married while they are pretending to like each other. When the bride goes missing, Emma and Finn hit the road in hopes of finding her, all the while rekindling a romantic relationship. If you like enemies-to-lovers stories, this one's for you.鈥�
鈥淏urn Baby Burn鈥� (2016) by Meg Medina
鈥淭his is a young adult novel about coming of age in 1977, during the time of Son of Sam. Nora is about to turn 18, and summer is heating up in more ways than one. There is a serial killer on the loose, and New York City is about to experience a blackout. Follow Nora as she faces her fears, all the while planning for her future.鈥�
鈥淛ust for the Summer鈥� (2024) by Abby Jimenez
鈥淓mma and Justin can鈥檛 seem to find love. They come up with a plan to date each other in hopes of finding love. Will it be forever or temporary?鈥�
鈥淐rash Landing鈥� (2024) by Janice Kay Johnson
鈥淲hile on a flight back to home base, EMS paramedic Gwen and her patient 鈥� an undercover DEA agent 鈥� survive a plane crash and become instant fugitives, on the run in the unforgiving wilderness. With limited supplies, will they survive, or will they be captured?鈥�
NONFICTION
鈥淟ife on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe鈥� (2023) by Aomawa Shields, PhD
鈥淎fter being told that she didn鈥檛 belong in a PhD astrophysics program, Aomawa Shields leaves the program to study acting for a decade. But, working a day job for NASA鈥檚 Spitzer Space telescope draws her back to the stars and her quest to find joy 鈥� and a place to belong 鈥� while she studies the universe outside of the solar system.鈥�
鈥淲e Are Never Meeting in Real Life鈥� (2017) by Samantha Irby
鈥淪amantha Irby is hilarious. She has a way of telling her truth and bringing laughter that jumps from the pages. If you enjoy reading essays, then this book is for you!鈥�
鈥淏aseball鈥檚 Leading Lady: Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues鈥� (2021) by Andrea Williams
鈥淭his is a true story of the first and only woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It is a great read, and a great history lesson.鈥�
LOCAL
鈥淕rowing Up St. Louis鈥� (2020) by Jim Merkel
鈥淚 love nostalgia, especially when it鈥檚 about my hometown. Explore all the good things about growing up in St. Louis and maybe learn some fun facts about St. Louis that you didn鈥檛 know.鈥�
鈥淪t. Louis Sound, An Illustrated Timeline鈥� (2020) by Steve Pick with Amanda E. Doyle
鈥淭his book is the perfect coffee-table book! Learn about the early days of St. Louis music 鈥� from the fiddlers to Nelly, and everything in between. This book is like walking down a musical memory lane, and it鈥檚 sure to be a hit with your friends.鈥�
TED鈥橲 LIST
FICTION
鈥淢oonbound鈥� (2024) by Robin Sloan
鈥淎 mix of fantasy and sci-fi with a wildly colorful cast of characters. The reviews reminded me of the Oz books I read as a child. 鈥楳oonbound鈥� takes itself seriously but understands that it鈥檚 fantastical and an off-kilter, friendly book.鈥�
鈥淗orror Movie鈥� (2024) by Paul Tremblay
鈥淎 cult hit horror movie gets a big Hollywood remake. I鈥檓 still waiting on hold for this one, but Tremblay is always a great read. He brings horror into the modern age better than many other contemporary horror authors.鈥�
鈥淢y Favorite Thing is Monsters: Book Two鈥� (2024) by Emil Ferris
鈥淎 sequel to the fantastic semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Emil Ferris, the incredible colored pencil art of classic monsters 鈥� combined with a grounded version of 1960s Chicago 鈥� helps bring the reader into Ferris鈥� mind.鈥�
鈥淏eautiful Days鈥� (2024) by Zach Williams
鈥淎 book of short stories that seem to center around uncertainty and change. Beautiful prose but not for those who dislike ambiguity. 鈥榃ood Sorrel House鈥� is a story about a new family in a summer vacation house they can鈥檛 escape 鈥� and how terrifying it is to be a new parent.鈥�
鈥淧arade鈥� (2024) by Rachel Cusk
鈥淭his is not a typical summer read, but my preferred style. 鈥楶arade鈥� is meditative, filled with beautiful prose and far more questions than answers. It鈥檚 experimental and exquisite.鈥�
鈥淛ames鈥� (2024) by Percival Everett
鈥淭his is a retelling of 鈥楾he Adventures of Huckleberry Finn鈥� told from Jim鈥檚 point of view. It鈥檚 a page-turner that holds its own against the original, and it manages to create a worthy companion to the classic Twain novel.鈥�
NONFICTION
鈥淭he Demon Of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War鈥� (2024) by Erik Larson
鈥淎 story about the five months leading up to the Civil War, based on journals, letters, etc., all brought together to make something that reads more like horror fiction than a history lesson.鈥�
鈥淭he Puerto Rican War: A Graphic History鈥� (2024) by John Vasquez Mejias
鈥淎 graphic novel telling of the 1950s Puerto Rican nationalist revolution, using hand-carved woodblock prints for the artwork 鈥� stunning!鈥�
鈥淭raveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell鈥� (2024) by Ann Powers
鈥淎n excellent biography of a folk music legend, following not only her musical evolution but also her personal life and inner workings.鈥�
鈥淗ip-Hop is History鈥� (2024) by Questlove
鈥淎 wonderful history of a still-evolving art form. Questlove鈥檚 familiarity with the past and present of hip-hop provides a holistic perspective of the genre, as well as how it reflects and magnifies the cultures that produce it.鈥�
鈥淐ull of the Wild: Killing in the Name of Conservation鈥� (2024) by Hugh Warwick
鈥淓cologist Hugh Warwick discusses human meddling in the natural world, philosophically and scientifically. Warwick doesn鈥檛 prescribe solutions as much as he tries to present both hard and soft truths about our relationship with the animal kingdom.鈥�
LOCAL
鈥�7 Years in the City鈥� (2024) by Janet Muhm
鈥淎 book by the creator of the popular Year in the City calendars that collects all the art and includes a story for each picture. It鈥檚 great for new city residents or anybody who wants to explore St. Louis.鈥�
鈥淪ubterranean by Design鈥� (2023) by Josh Levi
鈥淐ollected works by local artist, musician and designer Josh Levi about the American DIY scene. It鈥檚 mostly about St. Louis, but a lot of other cities are included.鈥�
Tammy Albohaire and Ted Reidy share this year鈥檚 best summer reads, and their all-time beach read favorites, in this episode of St. Louis on the Air. Listen on , , or , or click the play button below.
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, , , , and . Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
