Finding the right summer read is entirely different from hunting for a book at any other time of year. Our tastes shift as the days get longer, and a successful, season-defining literary experience requires different criteria. In the crisp fall or dead of winter, you might hunker down with a dense, spooky tome, but in the summer, you want to dive into a story you'll breeze through in one sitting on the beach or in the AC. That doesn’t mean you’re limited to frothy, frivolous beach reads. A gripping psychological thriller, sweeping historical drama, or juicy celebrity memoir can be surprisingly satisfying poolside.
Fortunately, we’re a diverse group of readers at KCM. We polled our top bookworms — including Katie herself — to find out what’s on their nightstands this season. We’ve got just about everything: dishy memoirs, fascinating nonfiction, award-winning literary novels, and more.
Katie Couric's Summer Reading Suggestions
The Kings of Vegas by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman
I’m looking to do a lot of beach reading this summer, and one that’s on my list is my friend Karen Mack’s book, The Kings of Vegas. It follows the daughter of a Las Vegas casino dynasty as she returns home to run the family business, only to find herself caught between the Mob, the Feds, and her own brothers. Karen grew up in a multigenerational Vegas family, so the setting feels incredibly authentic — and it sounds like the perfect twisty summer read.
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
I'm excited to pick up a copy of The Calamity Club, from the author of The Help. Set in Oxford, Mississippi during the Great Depression, it follows an 11-year-old orphan, a woman who's down on her luck, and a visitor on a mission to get help from her socialite sister. Their fates converge when one of them comes up with an audacious — and risky — plan to take control of their lives.
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Everyone's been talking about Yesteryear, and I know I need to check it out for myself. You've probably heard the pitch: It's about a tradwife who suddenly finds herself back in time in the 1800s. What you might not know is that Caro is a former KCM writer, and she did a ton of research on tradwives while she was working with us.
You may have heard that I decided to start a book club earlier this year because I knew I needed to spend less time scrolling and more time actually reading. So if you need even more recommendations for a good book to tuck into your beach bag this season, look no further than the thought-provoking, moving novels we’ve covered in KCBC meetings so far, including The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, James by Percival Everett, More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen, The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, Whistler by Ann Patchett, and the recently announced pick for July, Someone Else's Husband by Kimberly McCreight. Catch up and follow along here — and on my Substack — as I meet with the authors of each book to ask them your questions, and mine.
KCM Staff Picks
Famesick by Lena Dunham
"It’s time I admit — in writing, no less — that I’m a longtime fan of Lena Dunham’s polarizing, occasionally uneven comedy-drama series Girls. So when I learned that Dunham had decided to release another edgy memoir, I immediately preordered a copy. If you’re a sucker for insider drama from the height of 2010s pop culture (and can stomach some upsetting and far too common health struggles), I highly recommend spending some time with Famesick." –Diana Valenzuela, Assistant Editor
American Fantasy by Emma Straub
"I prefer a really light read come summer, but like my colleague Diana, I've been wrapped up in Dunham's rollercoaster of a memoir. As soon as I finish, I'm diving into American Fantasy, which I first learned about when I read my colleague Ryan Buxton's article on the book. It has everything I require for summer entertainment: a thoughtless vaca (a cruise), amazing music (a boy band), and romance (with a famous person!). Thanks to Straub, known for The Vacationers and This Time Tomorrow, I also know the writing will keep me engaged no matter where summer takes me." –Maggie Parker, Website Director
A Good Person by Kirsten King
“I usually can’t watch cringe comedy, but for some reason I couldn’t stop reading this book — peering through my fingers. It’s hilarious and the epitome of can’t-look-away-train-wreck, and it centers on an unbelievably narcissistic main character who finds (or maybe inserts) herself in the middle of a murder investigation after her situationship is killed.” –Sara Levine, Managing Editor of Newsletters
The MASH Up by Laura Marie Meyers
“I came of age in the ’90s, when the M.A.S.H. game had an absolute chokehold on middle schoolers, so this one feels tailor-made for me. The story follows Ruby, who on her 35th birthday somehow wakes up inside her seventh-grade M.A.S.H. game, where the stakes are still Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House...but with very real consequences. It’s giving 13 Going on 30 in the best way, with a mix of nostalgia, romance, and a little chaos. Exactly the kind of fun, escapist read I want this summer.” –Danny Feekes, VP Affiliate Commerce
The Evolution of Fire: Essays on Crisis and Becoming by Angela Pelster
“After reading her essay 'How Our Grandmothers Made Us and Saved Us' in Orion magazine, I immediately ordered The Evolution of Fire. I’d never encountered Angela Pelster’s work before, but I’m excited to dig into her collection of essays exploring how we survive global and personal crises through the lenses of evolution and biology, celebrating the resilience of humans and the world around us. We all need a little hope right now, and I have a feeling this is going to be a much-needed reminder that there can be beauty among chaos.” –Katie Pittman, Commerce Editor
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
"Jackson’s highly anticipated follow-up to the instant best-selling Pineapple Street is another incisive commentary on money and class — this time, set in a fictional version of the coastal New England town of Ipswich. The novel follows a group of old friends who let loose in the summer. When a new arrival threatens their status quo, relationships will be put to the test, secrets will be exposed, and life may never be the same." –Sara Levine
Go Gentle by Maria Semple
"This one's been on my list since its spring release, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it this summer. It follows a divorced former TV writer and Stoic philosopher who's living on the Upper West Side among her 'coven,' a group of impressive women who plan to 'grow old in curated company.' But her blissful existence is upended when a new man in her life drags her into bizarre corners of the art world's black market. I absolutely loved Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette, so I've got high hopes for this." –Ryan Buxton, Features Director
Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy by Bridget Todd and Michael Amato
“I am a huge There Are No Girls on the Internet podcast fan, so when I heard Bridget Todd and her contributing producer, Michael Amato, had written a book, I about lost my mind. It’s actually an audiobook, read by Todd, and I plan to listen to it during all of my summer travels (especially on my 8-plus-hour drives home to Ohio). She and Amato dive into the sometimes confounding relationships people have with artificial intelligence and how they’re changing our perception of human-to-human connections. After all, what does it mean when you fall in love with a chatbot that’s owned by a corporation and trained by an algorithm?” –Katie Pittman
Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim
"Fans of Severance will love this debut that touches on immigration, belonging, and identity. It’s set in a world where, when you cross the border, you leave a copy of yourself behind. You don’t need to take my word for it that this story will hook you — Junot Diaz praised the novel, saying, 'the immigrant story will never be the same,' and NYT bestselling author John Scalzi called it, 'one of the best debuts of the year.' –Sara Levine
Cuba: An American History by Dr. Ada Ferrer
"This book came out a few years ago, but I picked it up on my way home from Miami, where I visited the Hemingway House and learned about the writer’s relationship with Cuba. The author tells a much more nuanced and detailed story of the revolution, centered more around the people over the leaders, and explores the island's sordid past with the U.S. It’s a pretty dense read full of history, but also of personal experience, and it feels very necessary right now." –Sherrie Gonzalez, Senior Web Developer
Heather by Caitlin Mullen
"In the new mystery from the Edgar Award-winning author of When They See Us, a small-town detective reopens an unsolved case — sending shockwaves through multiple generations. It’s not your typical quick-turn mystery — NYT bestselling author Riley Sager raves it’s 'a gorgeously written page-turner that’s many things at once: gritty and lyrical, gripping and moving, suspenseful and profound.'" –Sara Levine
Walking Red Flag by Jared Freid
"I don’t exactly need dating advice since I’m happily married, but I’ll check out anything Jared Freid does — he’s consistently hilarious, whether he’s giving relationship tips or screaming about The Bachelor on Instagram. His book is a mixture of laugh-out-loud dating stories, insightful advice, and a refreshing dose of (sometimes brutal) honesty that’ll keep you entertained all summer long. It’s earned praise from comedians and relationship experts alike — from Michael Che to Logan Ury." –Alaina Mancici, Managing Editor of Branded Content
The Unknown by Riley Sager
"You’ll have to wait a little bit to check out Riley Sager’s 10th novel — it isn’t coming out until August — so consider this your notice to add it to your TBR list. It takes place on a remote island off Vermont, where in 1926, five women disappeared without a trace. Cut to 2026, when struggling actress Marin lands a role in a major movie that’s filming on that same island. Once they arrive, they start noticing strange noises and carved symbols. Then, an emergency leaves them stranded — and the disappearances start again." –Sara Levine
