One of our favorite things to do in the summer? Throw a book and a picnic blanket in a tote bag and head for the nearest park. Here are some of the Jewish books you’ll catch us reading under a shady tree for the next few months.
I'm very excited to read the new Gary Shteyngart novel coming out next week, "Vera, or Faith." I am always a fan of Shteyngart's electric, hilarious prose and this one, told from the perspective of a precocious Korean Jewish 10-year-old whose family is falling apart, sounds extremely promising. —Molly
This is one of the best books I've read this year. If you're into complicated queer friendship and coming of age stories, '90s nostalgia and extremely Jewish plots, "Girls Girls Girls" is for you. —Vanessa
A romance featuring a charming queer bubbe roommate and lots of geeking out about books? Count me in! Sabrina is a grad student and library page at NYPL who lives with her 73-year-old roommate and bff, Marcia. Sparks fly when Marcia's handsome estranged grandson, Adam, joins their living situation after losing his job. —Lior
This isn't explicitly Jewish, but there's a lot of unsettling (if unsurprising) background about antisemitism in New Age philosophies and communities. Everyone who exists even a tiny bit on the internet should read this as a cautionary tale about cults and letting your beliefs become harmful to yourself and others. —Vanessa
Listen, I'm a sucker for a memoir, especially one written by a brilliant queer Jew. —Vanessa
If you're looking for a haunting, engrossing and sensual read, might I suggest this book? It comes out later this July and tells the story of an Israeli who moves to the U.S. for work and, in an attempt to feel truly American, joins her co-workers on a deer hunt that ends up being a lot more immersive and life-changing than she ever expected. —Lior
I've been meaning to read this for almost a year, and I'm hopeful that perhaps this summer is finally my time to get to it. —Vanessa
Apparently my perfect summer reading includes 656-page biographies, because I very much enjoyed this look into the life of Jewish SNL creator Lorne Michaels. —Daci
Queer Jewish author Gabrielle Korn's sci-fi books aren't explicitly Jewish, but she is, and if you're looking for a propulsive page-turner that will keep you up into the wee hours of the morning because you simply can't stop reading until you know what happens, her novels are for you. —Vanessa
If your ideal summer travel plans, like mine, are curated around fun bookstores to visit, you will love this history of bookstores in America. From Benjamin Franklin's first-ish ever bookstore to NYC's the Strand to the thankfully long-gone Aryan Book Store, there are also a surprising number of Jewish tidbits in bookstore lore — perhaps no surprise for the "people of the book." —Molly
I'm hoping to spend some time at the Jersey Shore this summer. This book, about a young Jewish woman who moves back to her father's home on the Shore after her life in the city implodes to replace him on his local softball team, sounds like the perfect Garden State beach read. —Lior
Jewish writer Amy Shearn's new novel sounds just juicy and trippy enough for the perfect summer read. Recently divorced mother of three Rachel Bloomstein dips into the world of online dating — before creating the AI chatbot of her dreams. —Molly
I've heard books like this one — slow paced, sarcastic with a throughline of discontentment — described as "millennial ennui" and I think it might be my favorite genre. The story here is about a middle-aged mother, and though herJewish parents and in-laws play a small role in the story, their appearances lend a bit of familiarity and comfort that cement this book's place on a Jew-ish book list. —Daci (Out in October)
My son and I are really enjoying reading this together. I love that it's teaching him to love Jewish mythical creatures and hopefully priming him for overnight camp one day? —Lior
I'm hoping my Libby hold comes through on this drama/thriller some time this summer. It takes place at a summer camp in the '70s, after the 13-year-old daughter of the camp's owners disappears — 14 years after her older brother suffered the same fate. (Yes, I'm counting this as Jewish solely because it takes place at camp. Deal with it.) —Molly
I can't go to Israel this summer but I can go to Iddo Gefen's wacky, otherworldly and charming version of it in this book, and that is almost good enough. —Lior
If reading a baking cookbook cover to cover isn't your idea of summer fun, I'm afraid we can't be friends. I'll be earmarking the "Browned Butter Apples and Honey" recipe for Rosh Hashanah. —Daci
This book has been called a Jane Austen-style tale about Syrian Jewish sisters in Brooklyn, and a sure fire way to get me to read anything is comparing it to a Jane Austen novel. —Lior
