Ann Patchett & Maureen Corrigan's Top Summer Book Recommendations

Fiction Recommendations

• 💡 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a debut epistolary novel about a grouchy older woman who forms new connections.
• 🎯 The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang is a quiet, funny, and smart book following a woman's life in the Bay Area, reminiscent of Anne Tyler.
• 📚 King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby is a mystery/suspense novel about a young financier investigating his father's hit-and-run and saving a family crematory from a mob.
• 🔍 El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott explores a women's finance club in Detroit that turns into a Ponzi scheme within a close-knit community.

Non-Fiction Picks

• 📖 Who Is Michael Lewis? features essays by various authors on individuals within different branches of government (FDA, IRS, DOJ), highlighting their impactful work.
• 🦠 Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green delves into the history and current state of tuberculosis, questioning why a curable disease still causes so many deaths.

Sea and Farm Stories

• 🌊 A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst recounts the true story of a young couple who build a boat, sail the Pacific, and survive a whale attack, testing their marriage and endurance.
• 🌱 On Firm Ground is a memoir by an editor who moved to a farm in Vermont to raise Icelandic sheep, offering a perspective on interconnectedness in nature.

Children's & Classic Reads

• 🐶 Mr. Dog Lives by Helen Brown is a whimsical children's book about a dog named Crispian, creating an imaginative world for readers.
• 🏕️ In the Wild by Zadie Smith is a children's book about a Guinea pig in a judo suit who goes camping, a strange and terrific adventure.