Hot Summer Titles for 2021

Did one of the book covers on our homepage catch your eye? They are all titles that reviewers consider to be essential summer reads, and all are well-reviewed and anticipated. You can watch the video or read the description of each below, then click the linked title to request a copy or get your name on the wait list. And don't forget to watch for more featured titles next month!

Featured Fiction for July

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
Seventeen-year-old Lenni lives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Though the teenager has been told she’s dying, she still has living to do. Joining the hospital’s arts and crafts class, she meets Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined. As their friendship blooms, a world of stories opens for these unlikely companions who, between them, have been alive for one hundred years. Though their days are dwindling, both are determined to leave their mark on the world. 

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

When Poppy met Alex, there was no spark, and no reason to think they'd ever talk again. Alex is quiet, studious, and destined for a future in academia. Poppy is a wild child who only came to U of Chicago to escape small-town life. But after sharing a ride home for the summer, the two form a friendship. Over the years, Alex and Poppy's lives take them in different directions, but every summer the two find their way back to each other for a week long vacation. Until one trip goes awry, and in the fallout, they lose touch. Now, two years later, Poppy's in a rut. The answer to her problem is obvious: She needs to win back her best friend, Alex. 

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by a secret society of female students known as The Maidens. Mariana is a brilliant therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana's niece, is found murdered in Cambridge. Mariana quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Fosca is guilty of the murder. 

Featured Nonfiction for July

Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death, and Glory in America's Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt by Daniel Barbarisi
A first-person account of the treasure hunt set in motion by Forest Fenn--an eccentric art dealer and, some would say, robber baron--in 2010 that lasted a full decade and became the stuff of legend. When Fenn was told he was going to die, he hid a chest full of jewels and gold and published a poem that contained clues about the treasure's location. But he didn't die, and he wouldn't reveal the location. The hunt went on for another ten years. Barbarisi first learned of Fenn's hunt in 2017 when a friend began decoding the poem. What began as a great story quickly turned into a personal quest.

Americanon: An Unexpected U.S. History in Thirteen Bestselling Books by Jess McHugh

Americanon explores the history of thirteen of the nation’s most popular books. Overlooked for centuries, our simple dictionaries, almanacs, and how-to manuals are unexamined touchstones for American customs. These books sold tens of millions of copies and set out specific archetypes for the ideal American, from the self-made entrepreneur to the humble farmer. Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Webster's Dictionary, Emily Post’s Etiquette: Americanon looks at how these books have updated and reemphasized potent American ideals. 

Test Gods: Virgin Atlantic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut by Nicholas Schmidle

Based on exclusive inside reporting, New Yorker writer Schmidle tells the remarkable story of the test pilots, engineers, and visionaries behind Virgin Galactic's campaign to build a space tourism company. Schmidle follows a handful of characters-Mark Stucky, Virgin's lead test pilot; Richard Branson, the eccentric billionaire funding the venture; Mike Moses, the unflappable president; Mike Alsbury, the test pilot who lost his life; and others-through personal and professional dramas, in pursuit of their collective goal: to make space tourism a reality.