As the warmer weather approaches, many GBH staffers have been amassing lists of books they can’t wait to tackle. From historical fiction to psychological thrillers to memoirs, there is something for every reader. See what their “To Be Read” lists include and enjoy some programs and clips to get you deeper into the story.
This article was written as part of a book-themed edition of The Deep Dive. Sign up here to make sure you don’t miss another issue of this newsletter that explores a different topic each week.
USE YOUR IMAGINATION
Explore these recommendations for newer fiction and historical fiction, including one that will be released this summer. To learn more about historical fiction, check out this Under the Radar program, “Historical fiction: The genre that makes history come to life.”
Historical Fiction: Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
The last installment of Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy that includes Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto is coming in July. It follows New York City furniture salesman — and part-time criminal — Ray Carney, and his family through the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. Our staffer said, “I can’t wait to see what Whitehead’s eccentric cast of characters is up to and how he weaves their personal narratives into the larger story of American history.”
- Learn more about Carney’s world by watching this clip — Making Black America Through the Grapevine: Harlem, The Black Metropolis.
- Check out this interview with Whitehead regarding the first book in the trilogy, Harlem Shuffle.
Historical Fiction: Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki
Go into the world of 19th century Transcendentalist, Margaret Fuller. Although she was the first female foreign news correspondent and was a brilliant writer with close relationships with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others, her story is not well-known. “I’m particularly excited about how much of the book is set in places I know in Concord,” said the staff member who chose this book.
- Watch an interview with Pataki about this book.
- Learn more about the mentor relationship between Emerson and Thoreau in this clip from Ken Burns’ film, Henry David Thoreau.
Historical Fiction: A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys
Set in Detroit in 1927, the youngest daughter of a powerful family secretly applies to an elite arts program backed by a mysterious benefactor. But there are secrets that were inspired by real, long-buried events. This gothic novel explores power, control, and the rights of women.
- Watch an interview with Sepetys about her previous book, Salt to the Sea.
- Peek into some other 1920s Detroit history through the story of Detroit Coneys hot dogs.
Fiction/Contemporary Romance: American Fantasy by Emma Straub
Set sail for four days on the American Fantasy cruise ship with a 1990s boyband and 3,000 of their diehard fans. Newly divorced Annie reconnects with her adolescent fandom and makes a connection with one of the band members.
- Watch an interview with Straub about a previous book, The Vacationers.
- Ever wondered what goes into building one of these ships? NOVA will take you into the process.
Contemporary Fiction: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
A young executive named Roy and his new wife, an up-and-coming artist named Celestial, are faced with the unthinkable when he is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Celestial is comforted by a friend and when Roy is released, they must figure out what their life looks like.
- Listen to an interview with Jones on Under the Radar.
- Explore the topic of incarceration with GBH News’s Life After Prison series.
THE SCARY STUFF
Ready for something that will get your mind twitching? Try a dark or psychological thriller or maybe a paranormal pick.
Interested in a few more things to get your heart racing? Try this Beyond the Page with Lucy Foley or this PBS Books interview with Tana French.
Psychological Thriller: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
This book was on the lists of three different staff members. The debut novel imagines an influencer committed to portraying the “traditional American woman (tradwife) lifestyle” who awakens in the harsh realities of life in 1855. Is it a reality show? Time travel? Or something darker?
- Read more about how a period drama like MASTERPIECE’s The Forsytes can inform us about the current moment of “tradwife” influencers.
Horror: The Strange series by Uketsu
“Each book contains multiple short stories about ‘strange’ images that, at the closure of the novels, are revealed to be connected,” says the staffer who made this pick. “It’s a perfect mystery beach read with enough horror elements to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.”
- Explore some other “Strange Happenings” on this episode of Stories from the Stage.
Horror: The Butcher Legacy by Alaina Urquhart
In the third book of the Dr. Wren Muller series, an autopsy technician is forced to re-engage with a serial killer and a Massachusetts pastor who is hiding a sinister secret. This psychological horror novel is written by the host of the true-crime podcast “Morbid.”
- Interested in how the term “serial killer” was coined? Find out with All Things Considered.
Paranormal: Remain by M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks
This book is what happens when the author of The Notebook teams up with the writer/director of The Sixth Sense. A New York architect is designing a friend’s summer house on the Cape as he tries to get his mind off his recently deceased sister who confessed to seeing spirits. He meets a woman with whom he finds a connection that throws the world he thought he knew into chaos.
- In this short clip, medium Tyler Henry talks about living with the gift of clairvoyance.
- See an interview with Sparks about the book and collaboration on PBS NewsHour.
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
Ready to follow someone’s personal journey? Try these memoirs, travelogues, and true crime offerings.
For a little more true crime programming, check out the “Catching the Codfather” podcast.
Travelogue: This Land Is Your Land by Beverly Gage
Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Beverly Gage travels the country in search of historic sites, attractions, and souvenir shops where Americans try to engage with the nation’s history. Explore the contradictions between the history that is presented and the reality, the things to celebrate and the things to critique.
- Watch Gage discuss writing historical fiction on PBS Books.
- Travel the U.S. and beyond from your armchair with Samantha Brown’s Places to Love.
True Crime: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
In this true story, a 19-year-old dies from a fall from a high-rise building into the River Thames, and his family discovers that he had a secret life in London’s criminal underworld. “I read the New Yorker article that preceded its release. It was so engrossing, I knew I had to read this book,” said the selector of this book.
- Hear Keefe talk with Jared Bowen about this book on The Culture Show.
- Explore another secret with FRONTLINE Secrets of the Vatican.
Memoir: How to Ruin Everything by George Watsky
With humor and brutal honesty, a musician and artist tells his stories of success that arose after humiliation and how he learned to accept defeat as part of growth. From accidental ivory smuggler to middle-school rap battle victor to struggles with epilepsy, Watsky shares it all in this debut collection of essays.
- Speaking of accidents — Did you know that John Cleese’s entry to comedy was accidental?
Memoir: Don’t Call It a Comeback by Keira D’Amato
After a decade away, D’Amato returned to elite running, culminating in breaking the American women’s marathon record at age 37. The person who recommended this book said, “It serves as an inspirational guide for balancing life, setting goals, and finding personal growth outside of a traditional path. I love a story about a mom who fearlessly goes for her goals and defies the standards.”
- Bostonians know that their marathon is among the best. What is it that makes the Boston Marathon special? Find out in this clip.
Want more summer reading suggestions?
Check out this story from Under the Radar.
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