Arts & Entertainment
10 Books You Need To Read In July
Beach reads, mysteries, political page-turners and more — these are the books everyone's going to be talking about this summer.
Now that summer's in full swing, it's time to kick back and enjoy a great book. To help get you started, we've put together a list of recommended reads — a mix of picks from Patch staffers and Amazon editors.
Whether you're looking for the ultimate beach read, a familial thriller, a sports biography or anything in between, we've got you covered. So go ahead: Nab a book (or 10), and let the summer reading begin!
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#1 "The Ruin: A Novel" by Dervla McTiernan
Twenty years ago, Detective Cormac Reilly discovered the body of Hilaria Blake, a mom who left two children behind. Two decades after Reilly's haunting find, she learns one of those children, Jack, has been found dead in the river from a suspected suicide. Maude, Jack's sister and the daughter of the late Hilaria Blake, comes forth with accusations of foul play. In "The Ruin," Detective Reilly is assigned to Jack's case and soon finds herself under pressure to charge Maude with murder. What unravels is an "unsettling small-town noir" that touches on betrayal and corruption in ways you'll never see coming.
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#2 "All We Ever Wanted: A Novel" by Emily Giffin
Nina Browning seems to have it all — including a wealthy husband and a beloved son who has just been accepted to Princeton. Tom Volpe is struggling as a single father to raise his teenage daughter Lyla. When Lyla earns a scholarship to an elite private prep school, Tom thinks things are looking up, but then Nina's Ivy league-bound son posts one picture to social media that changes everything. The scandal and backlash that follow bring Nina, Tom and Lyla's lives together in ways no one could have expected, and what results is a fresh, harrowing drama from the author of "Something Borrowed" and "First Comes Love."
#3 "The Perfect Couple" by Erin Hilderbrand
The Otis-Winbury wedding is supposed to be the event of the season. The groom's parents have spared no expense setting up a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront Nantucket home, but just hours before the "I do's" are expected to take place, a body is discovered in the harbor. Suddenly everyone in the wedding party — including the bride and groom — is considered a suspect. What transpires are twists and turns that remind us there's no such thing as a perfect couple or a perfect family.
#4 "Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure, And Overcoming The Odds" by Nick Foles
When the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback tore his ACL doing week 14 of the 2017 NFL season, many sports commentators and fans assumed he would be out for the rest of the season. But against all odds, Nick Foles got off the bench and led his team to their first Super Bowl victory ever. In "Believe It," Foles offers a behind-the-scenes look at how his faith, family and love of the game helped him find the unlikely path to victory.
#5 "The Poisoned City: Flint's Water And The American Urban Tragedy" by Anna Clark
When the people of Flint, Michigan, turned on their faucets in April 2014, the water that came out was poisoned with lead and other dangerous toxins. It wasn't until after 18 months of activism by residents and outsiders alike that the state admitted the water was poisoned. By this point, 12 people had died and irreparable damage had been done to the people of Flint. In "The Poisoned City," Anna Clark investigates how this could've happened and why it could happen in any American city.
#6 "Baby Teeth: A Novel" by Zoje Stage
When Suzette Jensen gives birth to a baby girl named Hanna, she is determined to raise her with the love and support she never received. But Hanna is a difficult child, and by age 7, she has yet to speak her first word — despite being able to read and write. Suzette is forced to home-school her daughter, but Hanna comes to resent her well-meaning mother and lashes out in anger. As Hanna's behavior begins to take a toll on her parents' marriage, Suzette starts to fear that her life may be in danger.
#7 "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel" by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant says exactly what she's thinking — to a fault. This precludes her from many social associations, and her weeks usually end with pizza, vodka and "talks with Mummy." This all changes when she meets Raymond, the unhygienic IT fellow from her office. When the duo help an elderly man who has fallen on the walkway, the three unlikely companions form a bond they never realized they were missing. This funny, heartwarming novel is a must-read, and it's in the process of being made into a movie by Reese Witherspoon.
#8 "Yes We (Still) Can: Politics In The Age Of Obama, Twitter, And Trump" by Dan Pfeiffer
President Barack Obama's former communications director makes no bones about it: He's not a fan of the current administration. But Dan Pfeiffer's comical, irreverent take on the current political climate is a riveting read for analytical minds from all parties.
#9 "Marriage Vacation" by Pauline Turner Brooks
Kate Carmichael looks like she has the perfect marriage, the perfect family and the perfect life living on New York City's Upper East Side. But after reconnecting with her graduate school friends one weekend, this restless mother of two realizes she's unfulfilled when it comes to her career. Without warning, she hops on a plane and goes halfway around the world. But as a wife and mother, will she be forgiven for this midlife crisis, and will it be the reset she wants?
#10 "Dear Mrs. Bird: A Novel" by AJ Pearce
When Emmeline Lake sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, she jumps at the opportunity to apply. She's disappointed to discover that the gig is working as a typist for renowned advice columnist Henrietta Bird, but she takes the job anyway. The year is 1940, and attitudes about women and dating are far different than what we know today. Emmeline can't help but respond to the love life questions Henrietta Bird skips over, and soon, this spunky ingenue is dispensing advice in secret.
Related: 10 Books You Need To Read In June
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