Beach reads
Happy Fourth! Hope everyone enjoyed a good backyard barbecue, a trip to the beach, or simply had the chance to slow down and recharge.
With the holiday weekend winding down, that can only mean one thing: summer reading season is in full swing.
Personally, I’ve been reading Joanna Stern’s “I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything.” Joanna is a former colleague and current author of the awesome “New Things” newsletter. She writes the way she speaks. The book is hilarious, timely, and an absolute must-read.
I also asked our editors to share their favorite reads and recommendations. Here’s what they said:
Jamie Heller, editor in chief: I’m reading “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help. The book is slow in spots and at times slightly predictable. But, overall, it’s been a can’t-put-down read, and those are rare.
Julie Zeveloff, director of editorial product strategy: Money is the ultimate fiction: that’s the premise of Jacob Goldstein’s “Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing,” one of my favorite history reads of late. This book gave me a new perspective on how we all need to believe in money for it to work. Plus, it’s funny!
Joi-Marie McKenzie, editor in chief, Life: I’m reading Mara Brock Akil’s debut novel, “The Revelation of Dionne Daphne.” You might know Akil from her hit TV shows, “Girlfriends” and Netflix’s “Forever,” which is in production for its second season. The book is centered on a magazine editor, a messy character that’s delicious to read, coming to terms with her past.
Meghan Morris, Singapore bureau chief: Fortesa Latifi’s “Like, Follow, Subscribe” wades into the child influencer debate with much-needed nuance — and a smart angle about the big business of family content creators.
Akin Oyedele, deputy editor of newsletters: What do consultants actually do? The book “When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World’s Most Powerful Consulting Firm” answers it, and probably makes you very cynical of the super-secretive industry.
Ryan Kailath, senior editor, economy: My supply chain book club is reading Meg Jacobs’ “Panic at the Pump” about how the original “biggest oil shock in modern history” sprang from and spiraled into further political crises and changed the course of global history.
Kate Ortega, director of newsroom operations: My summer reading recommendation: “Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jared Diamond. It explains how the development of societies around the world is deeply rooted in the geographic differences of the places they were formed. I find myself thinking about it off and on, even a decade after I first read it.
Jennifer Beck Goldblatt, senior editor, health and parenting: Bruce Holsinger’s “Culpability” has a lot going on: tragedy, family drama, young love, and dark secrets, all set near the sprawling waterfront estate of a billionaire. The writing feels fresh as the suspense is amplified through the lens of modern technology, mainly the morality — or lack thereof — surrounding our use of AI.
Max Adams, deputy editor, markets: “Malazan Book of the Fallen,” by Steven Erikson. If you are among the fans waking up to the possibility that George R. R. Martin might not ever finish Game of Thrones, here’s a 10-book fantasy series that’s already complete. The books are a commitment, but once you’re in, it’s hard to get out.
What are you reading? Send me your summer reading list at [email protected].
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