The Book Review

A Summer Book Recommendation Bonanza

June 5, 2026·43 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

June is here and the long summer days are stretching out ahead, which means it’s time to settle in front of the air-conditioner with a pile of books. (Just us?) But which ones should you read this summer? The “Book Review” podcast’s Gilbert Cruz talks with the Book Review editors Joumana Khatib and MJ Franklin about the titles they’re most excited about. Books discussed in this episode: “Red Sheet,” by James Ellroy “Villa Coco,” by Andrew Sean Greer “They All Fall in Love at the End,” by Haili Blassingame “Whistler,” by Ann Patchett “As If,” by Isabel Waidner “The Housewives Underground,” by Kaitlyn Tiffany “Nebraska,” by Monica Datta “Cool Machine,” by Colson Whitehead “The Mortons,” by Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld “Country People,” by Daniel Mason “Fixer Chao,” by Han Ong “Biological War,” by Annie Jacobsen “We Were Forbidden,” by Jacqueline Harpman “The Amateur,” by Chris Bohjalian “A Tender Age,” by Chang-rae Lee “The Jackal,” by Joby Warrick “A Moment in the Sun,” by Shane White “A Sudden Flicker of Light,” by David Thomson “Rabbit, Fox, Tar” by P.C. Verrone “The Au Pair,” by Teddy Wayne “Land,” by Maggie O’Farrell “Sublimation,” by Isabel J. Kim “Cloudthief,” by Nathaniel Rich “Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep,” by Paul Tremblay “You Won’t Get Free of It,” by Rachel Aviv “Awake Awake,” by Fiona Mozley “Triage,” by Claudia Rankine “Catch the Devil,” by Pamela Colloff “Helpless,” by Jessica Knoll “Life of M,” by Rachel Cusk Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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