Toby Rose’s 2024 Summer Reading List

Summer books are not supposed to come home with you. They are not meant to be a part of your permanent collection and should never see your bookshelves. Even if the pages are stained with suntan lotion or potato chip grease, you pass them along — to friends, sisters, the next guests at the rental house. Pay it forward. We’re a long way from the holidays and this is a way to keep your gifting muscles in shape. Below are some standout titles for your summer of bequeathing. So go ahead: Read. Share. Nap. Repeat. 

Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg

Twice a day, I drive past a roadside peach stand where a teenage dude has my dream job. He sits under a tent, surrounded by baskets of peaches, head buried in a paperback, never on his phone. Customers are rare. Can you imagine how many books he must meander through on the clock? Anyway. If I ever score that coveted position, my first order of business would be reading Housemates, a road trip novel about two young artists on a quest across America. With rich descriptive writing, and deeply human characters, it’s the kind of story you’d want on hand while dipping into an endless supply of peaches. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 

I Need You To Read This by Jessa Maxwell

One summer essential for your packing list is a twisty thriller to read during an afternoon rainstorm. When Alex Marks lands her dream job as an advice columnist for an NYC newspaper, she’s thrown into solving her predecessor’s murder. As she starts her own investigation, the dark secrets of Alex’s own past rise to the surface and soon she finds herself trapped in a dangerous and potentially deadly mystery. If you love Joy’s advice spirals—and who doesn’t?—you’ll like the epistolary elements of the advice column that are featured throughout I Need You To Read This. And the supporting cast of friends she meets in a diner will have you longing for a cup of coffee served in a heavy ceramic mug. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

Ashley Poston writes rom-coms for English majors. Makeout scenes are chock full of literary references and no trope is left behind. In A Novel Love Story, Elsy, a literature professor, gets lost on her way to a book club retreat and ends up stranded in a small town. After she falls for a bookstore owner who has “minty green eyes,” Elsy discovers they are trapped in the plot of one of her favorite romance novels. Back-and-forth banter continues; chemistry smolders; happy endings are found. Any book lover would give A Novel Love Story an A++. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 

Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi 

Nothing cranks up the drama like a heat wave. Personally, I like to lean into the apocalyptic nature of one by picking up some sci-fi. Convergence Problems is a collection of short stories that takes you from Nigeria to Mars, all touching on the changing role of technology in our lives. Lights in the Sky is only a few pages but super-intense; Saturday’s Song weaves in folklore; A Dream of Electric Mothers rightfully won a handful of awards. Author, Wole Talabi, has a day job as an engineer and it’s cool to see how his brain works. Read this one outside with an ice cold beverage as your face melts off, converging into your future self. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki

Who doesn’t love a femme fatale? Who doesn’t love reading about a femme fatale in the dog days of summer while donning a pair of big sunglasses and an even bigger sun hat? Butter is based on the true story of Manako Kajii, who killed lonely businessmen after seducing them with her delicious home cooking. In Asako Yuzuki’s version of events, journalist Rika Machida gets inside the Tokyo Detention House and manages to connect with our gourmet killer by exploiting her interest in food (i.e., asking for a recipe). There’s not as much violence or gore as one would think there would be in this book. Instead, it offers an abundance of sumptuous descriptions of food: textures, aromas, flavors, sensations, etc. To die for, truly. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Since I want to start writing a book this summer, I’m using Expiration Dates as a case study: What makes it so fun to breeze through … And how do I write like that? Maybe all it takes is a killer premise: Every time protagonist Daphne starts a new relationship, she mysteriously receives a slip of paper telling her exactly how long it will last. Knowing her future before it happens is a double-edged sword for Daphne, as you can imagine. Bonus: there are tons of LA restaurant recs sprinkled throughout the novel, which could inspire your next trip. Take this book on the plane and you’re sure to tear through it before you land. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr 

You’ll savor The Goddess of Warsaw after an al fresco luncheon, between poolside naps, or mid-flight en route to your summer paradise. The gripping WWII story follows a young Jewish actress turned assassin.  Hollywood star Lena Browning, aka Bina Blonski, is a Polish Jew who survived the Warsaw Ghetto. Lisa Barr’s writing is exquisite, the characters are well-developed, and there are powerful scenes set during the Holocaust as well as a more modern timeline in Hollywood. Plus, there’s a plot twist at the end that will make you drop your limoncello. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

This book got me, man. Every single page is an emotional rollercoaster because you’ll be laughing at one sentence then, two seconds later, a short description of a Paris-themed bathroom will make you want to break down and call out for your mommy. Our main character, Margo, is stressed ’cause she just had her professor’s baby and now he wants nothing to do with her and she has no money. She’s living with her ex-pro wrestler father when she decides to start an OnlyFans account. The story really takes off from there and you will totally fall for this tender, witty heroine. This book’s got heart, and tons of it. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 

The ABCs of Persian Food by Sunny Sanaz Shokrae

The only thing missing in my life right now is a Persian grandmother. I could really use one whose lap I could crawl onto while she scratches my back and whispers Farsi into my ear. She’s not coming along anytime soon, though, so I’ve been happily flipping through The ABCs of Persian Food. From Anar to Zereshk, each page features a Persian dish with phonetic pronunciation, Persian text, and tantalizing images by illustrator Ly Ngo Heisig. I want to be clear for those in the back, though: This is not a cookbook; it’s a children’s book. But I firmly believe that all homes should have picture books even if you don’t have kids. Awake your inner child, etc. Plus, it looks pretty laid out on your kitchen counter. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 

Blank by Zibby Owens

It’s very easy to meet Zibby Owens, the author of Blank. As a podcast host and founder of a multimedia publishing company, she’s constantly touring the country for a variety of readings and book events. In case you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet, though, reading Blank is a close second. The main character, Pippa, is as bubbly and witty as Zibby herself. Facing a deadline for her next book, Pippa solves a severe case of writer’s block with an especially clever solution. Following Pippa as she juggles her work, family, and friendships is a delight. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 

Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius by Carrie Courogen 

At least once a year, I Google “Is Elaine May still alive?” So that makes me the exact target audience for this new biography on the godmother of improv comedy. Carrie Courogen does an excellent job breaking down Elaine’s backstory, talent, and lasting influence on the entertainment industry. (You can check out Elaine May and Mike Nichols in their makeout sketch if you’d like a primer.) I need a biography that goes down like a novel and this one fits the bill. I was immediately sucked into May’s life story, captivated by how vicious and flawed she was. And, of course, charmed by all the details that made up her personality, including her unkempt hair and apple-only diet, cores and all. Here on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 

Here’s Toby Food-Themed Summer Reads from 2023 if you missed it last year!