Summer 2023 book releases to check out

Books and sunglasses on beach background

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published 15 June 2023

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The first official day of summer is almost here, which means the season for beach reads is upon us. Whether you've already made a dent in your to-be-read pile since spring or not, these are a few upcoming summer book releases that are creating a buzz.

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Aisha Harris, a culture critic and co-host of NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour," weaves her pop culture expertise and personal anecdotes together in her debut essay collection, "Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me," out mid-June. Kirkus Reviews calls the collection a "vibrant well-researched view on how current pop culture both reflects and informs our society." Harris examines the role TV shows, films and music played in shaping her life. She laments about her role as a Black critic tasked with critiquing Black art and interrogates the evolution of the "Black friend" trope through films like "She's All That" and more contemporary shows like "New Girl." "For readers already inclined to read culture to understand themselves, 'Wannabe' is a compelling affirmation that they're looking in the right place," Elamin Abdelmahmoud wrote for The New York Times. Order here.

It has been over a decade since Lorrie Moore has published a novel, her last being 2009's "A Gate at the Stairs." She has made a name for herself over her four-decade career with gripping short stories and prose that lingers with fans and critics alike. Her latest novel explores love, mortality, loss and rebirth while oscillating between 2016 and the Civil War era. The story follows Finn, a recently suspended high school teacher who embarks on a cross-country road trip with the reanimated corpse of his recently deceased ex-girlfriend. Moore's "thoughtful and witty" novel will delight her fans, and "those new to Moore will want to see what else they've been missing," Publisher's Weekly mused. Pre-order here.

Colson Whitehead's forthcoming crime novel is the highly anticipated sequel to 2021's "Harlem Shuffle." Set in 1970s Harlem, the saga follows Ray Carney, a former criminal and family man, trying to lay low and focus on his furniture business. When his daughter asks for Jackson 5 concert tickets, his former vocation as a fencer suddenly seems more alluring. "Crook Manifesto" is "not just crime fiction at its craftiest," Kirkus opined, "but shrewdly rendered social history." Pre-order here.

Environmental journalist and author Jeff Goodell returns with "an alarming and timely look at how rising temperatures across the globe will radically change our lives unless we make a concerted effort to scale back the use of fossil fuels," Joumana Khatib and Neima Jahromi wrote in the Times. In his latest, Goodell warns readers about the risks that "may appear incremental now but carry profound ramifications," the pair added. His 2017 book, "The Water Will Come," focused on the rising sea levels worldwide. Pre-order here.

Spoken word poetry champion and award-winning author of "Poet X," Elizabeth Acevado is stepping out of the young-adult genre with her first novel written for adults. In "Family Lore," Acevado explores the lineage of a Dominican American family as a group of sisters gathers for a "living wake" to celebrate their sister Flor, who has a knack for predicting when someone will die. Acevado has already made a name for herself with her YA hits, but now readers get the chance to see if her work appeals to an older audience. Pre-order here.

Following his National Book Award-nominated debut, 2018's "A Lucky Man," Jamel Brinkley returns with another collection of short stories. Set in New York City, the collection is composed of stories about people grappling with the choice to speak up or remain silent on behalf of others. "Brinkley is immensely talented, making this one of the year's most anticipated works of American fiction," NPR's Michael Schaub opined. Pre-order here.

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.