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Salt. by Nayyirah Waheed
A poetry book by a Black female author, both speaking to our current times and future solutions. I am deeply moved by it whenever I pick it up. —Cassandra Pintro
Notes From a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi
I recently interviewed James Beard Award–winning chef Kwame Onwuachi, and his memoir, Notes From a Young Black Chef is a page-turner. The book follows his journey from growing up in the Bronx to financing his first catering business with money he earned selling candy on the subway, appearing on Top Chef, and opening (and then weeks later closing) his first restaurant. Onwuachi’s memoir is currently being adapted into a film starring Lakeith Stanfield of Get Out and Sorry to Bother You fame. —Rachel Besser
Impossible Vacation by Spalding Gray
Over the last few weeks, I’ve become weirdly obsessed with the work of Spalding Gray, an actor and writer best known for his transfixing autobiographical monologues. (First active in the 1970s, Gray died in 2004.) I screened every performance of his that I could find, from Sex and Death to the Age 14 (his earliest go at the form) to Swimming to Cambodia—the one that made him a star (of sorts)—and * It’s A Slippery Slope*, which begins as a yarn about skiing and ends with the birth of his son Forrest. I’ve now moved onto his first and only novel, Impossible Vacation, published in 1992. It’s not an obvious beach read. (In fact, it’s about a man who tries, again and again but without much luck, to “just hang out”). But the rhythms of Gray’s wonderfully distinctive storytelling style—with his probing inquiry, easy humor, and strong New England accent—come flying off the page. (Not surprisingly, his experience writing the book became great material in its own right: Note the monologue Monster in a Box.) —Marley Marius
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
In an effort to cut back on my carbon footprint, I first looked through my own shelves and was lucky to find a book I bought as a present and thankfully forgot to give—The Turner House, Angela Flournoy’s brilliant novel about the bonds of family. I also reread Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, one of my all-time favorite books. It follows her family for a year of vowing only to eat foods grown by themselves or locally—or do without. It seemed particularly poignant during quarantine. —Virginia Smith
Writers and Lovers by Lily King
The last book I truly loved was Lily King’s Writers and Lovers. I was shamefully late to this title, so I’m not breaking any news here, but it’s an incredible book. A portrait of a (female) artist as a young woman, it is also a romance novel and belated coming-of-age story about a young woman who is determined to pursue a career as a writer when most of the people she set out with on this creative journey have detracted to more practical pursuits. I generally find books about writers to be inert and too interior, but I would have happily stayed in this protagonist’s head indefinitely. Reading this book was like finding a friend. —Chloe Schama
A Burning by Megha Majumdar Earlier this summer, Vogue noted the publication of Majumdar’s debut: “At the start of Megha Majumdar’s A Burning, Jivan, an ambitious young girl from the slums, comments on a provocative post while idly scrolling through her Facebook feed. A few nights later, the police are at her door, accusing her of a terrorist attack; with little delay, she’s transplanted to a jail, where she attempts to piece together how she ended up there.” Creative director Raúl Martinez recommends it here.
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
At this moment of national crisis—with the global pandemic showing no signs of ebbing, the racial divide in our country growing wider by the day, neighbor turning violently against neighbor over the simple task of wearing a mask, and a president whose ignorance has taken us even deeper into the abyss—I’ve found I need some reassurance that even in the darkest moments of history there was a way forward.
And so, I’ve recently turned to The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson’s portrait of Winston Churchill during the worst days of the Blitz. Even if I hadn’t already been an admirer of Churchill—and also of Larson, whose earlier book, The Devil in the White City, I loved—this phrase from the book’s jacket was enough to convince me that this was the right book to spend my July Fourth weekend with: “The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today’s political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership when—in the face of unrelenting horror—Churchill’s eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.” There may be no Churchillian figures in our midst today, but for a few days this weekend, I’m going to imagine that there are and take whatever temporary solace I can in that fantasy. —Stuart Emmrich
Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm
The only time I wear a flower crown is on Swedish midsummer. For that and many other reasons, I could never be described as a festival girl, but I do enjoy music—and reading. Last summer’s reading list included the eye-opening Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001–2011. (James Murphy and company, I hardly knew ye.) I’m following that up this summer with another oral history (a favorite format), Everybody Loves Our Town: A History of Grunge, which seems topical as fashion has the 1990s on repeat. —Laird Borelli-Persson
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This book is a revealing, beautiful read that I picked up and couldn’t put down. It gives readers a glimpse into Coates’s experience growing up as a Black man in America, along with some essential education about our country’s history and the influential figures who fought for change. The book itself is written as an open letter to his 15-year-old son, who became upset when no criminal charges were brought against the Ferguson police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager. This book may be from 2015, but it’s as timely as ever. —Atalie Gimmel
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
I don’t know if it is just me, but I have been unable to focus on reading a book ever since the pandemic began. My sense of focus in general has suffered. That being said, I made my first attempt at starting to read again this week: Alicia Elliott’s A Mind Spread Out on the Ground. As a Haudenosaunee writer, Elliott perfectly captures the modern Indigenous experience, and I found myself relating to many of her words. It is by no means a light book—touching on issues of racism, mental illness, and more—but it’s been a gripping read that I (finally) can’t put down. —Christian Allaire
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
During a time when life feels a bit out of control, reading Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist put the seemingly unstoppable uncertainties running through my head back in perspective. His notable novel was recommended to me by a friend a year or so ago as a short read with lasting takeaways. That’s exactly what Coelho serves up in this page-turning passion-driven journey of a young boy’s tenacious quest for love and the meaning of life. From the omens to the oasis, I easily devoured this emotional story in one sitting. While we all try to find some safe ways to have fun this holiday weekend, I highly suggest diving into Coelho’s award-winning adventure for a thrilling escape, bound to whisk you away without actually having to go anywhere at all. —Elisee Browchuk
Cecil Beaton’s Bright Young Things by Robin Muir
I’m devastated not to be able to experience Britain’s National Portrait Gallery exhibition Cecil Beaton’s Bright Young Things firsthand, but I am taking consolation in Robin Muir’s handsome catalog (art directed with suitable elegance by Thomas Persson). The museum’s retrospective of Cecil Beaton’s work in 1968 was not only the first photography exhibition dedicated to a living artist in any British national museum but also the first time the gallery had showcased living sitters—from Garbo to Edith Sitwel to the queen mother. That exhibition was a staggering success and led to a reassessment of the value of photography. Half a century later, this celebration of Beaton’s work in documenting the beautiful people of his cultural and social circles (both in photography and in his often acerbic but acute word pictures) has already inspired Erdem. —Hamish Bowles
Dressed for War by Julie Summers
Night of the Assassins: The Untold Story of Hitler’s Plot to Kill FDR, Churchill, and Stalin by Howard Blum
I’ve been enjoying Julie Summers’s Dressed for War about British Vogue editor Audrey Withers, who steered the magazine through the Second World War and into the Swinging Sixties with intelligence and aplomb. Now that I am hooked on Fauda, Homeland (I know, late to the game, but heigh-ho), and The Plot Against America, I’m about to embark on more wartime derring-do and nail biting with Howard Blum’s Night of the Assassins: The Untold Story of Hitler’s Plot to Kill FDR, Churchill, and Stalin. —H.B.
Notes on Decor, Etc. by Paul Fortune
Modern Nature by Derek Jarman
I’m also enjoying remembering the wit, elegance, and unique style of the much-lamented tastemaker and bon viveur Paul Fortune, who died too young on June 14 of this year. His self-penned book, Notes on Decor, Etc., evokes his wry style and his legendary interiors—notably his own marvelously welcoming 1940s cottage in Laurel Canyon and the Sunset Towers hotel—that so shaped my own experience of, and affection for, the city that my fellow Englishman made his home. (He made so many visitors feel it was their home too.) In a further elegiac mood, I am also reading Modern Nature by the great filmmaker, artist, garden designer, and LGBT activist Derek Jarman. It’s composed of his beautifully written and poignant diaries from 1989 and 1990 as he battled the cruelest ravages of HIV/AIDS. —H.B.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
You don’t need to be an aspiring novelist to fall in love with Stephen King’s masterful On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, rereleased last month for its 20th anniversary. With honesty and humor, the author reflects on his process, his career, and his life. Tales of fatherhood, addiction, and recovery breathe humanity into this thoroughly practical guide. Often witty and always wise, the book serves as a reminder of why we tell stories, why we read them, and―most importantly―why we need them. —Ian Malone
Dead Style by Mordechai Rubinstein
I’m excited to dive into New York’s favorite fashion mensch Mordechai Rubinstein’s first book, Dead Style,, in which he chronicles the best looks of Grateful Dead fans. Welcome to the psychedelic and trip-tastic world of tie-dye! —Liana Satenstein