The Summer Reading List

This fall, the latest Scorsese/DiCaprio flick, Killers of the Flower Moon, comes to theaters. It’s adapted from a book by Grann, whose latest tells the real-life tale of an 18th-century British ship that wrecked off Chile and the mutiny and murder, as the title suggests, that follows. The story inspired the likes of Melville and Lord Byron (whose grandfather survived the titular shipwreck and lived to tell the tale) and is already being adapted into a movie—by none other than Marty and Leo.

(Doubleday, out now)

This summer, fire up a blockbuster and pass the … caesar popcorn, made with mashed canned anchovies. You see, when it comes to fish, tin is in—you’ve probably seen proof at your favorite high-end grocer or wine bar. And now comes this book, written by a senior editor at Epicurious, and already named one of Bon Appétit’s best cookbooks of the season. It includes recipes for everything from triple pickle smoked salmon butter sandwiches and sardine curry puffs to that aforementioned popcorn.

(Chronicle, out now)

Consider the octopus. You probably know the basics: the tentacles, the ink, the … Ringo Starr song. And yet, there is much we don’t yet know, despite the efforts of marine biologist Scheel, who shares what he’s learned in 25 years of studying them. (For example, did you know octopuses occasionally throw things at each other and sometimes stand sentinel over their “neighborhoods”?) Bonus: illustrations by his daughter, who also appeared in the 2019 documentary about Scheel, Octopus: Making Contact.

(Norton, June 13)

At the peak of summer, an icy adventure to the North Pole sounds pretty good. Take yours via this riveting book from a member of The Explorers Club and an RL Mag contributor (who has also written for The Wall Street Journal, The Paris Review, and more). It follows both the heated battle to be the first to reach the North Pole (the titular ice) and the extended, six-decade war of words between New York City’s titan newspapers, the Herald and the Times, for the claim of who exactly accomplished the feat (the titular ink). The four main characters—two explorers and two publishers—are equal parts brilliant, eccentric, and fascinating.

(Viking, out now)

If a trip to Lake Como—the Italian escape where George Clooney famously owns a home, and where Ralph Lauren’s 1938 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic once earned multiple prizes at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este—isn’t in your summer plans, this book might be the next best thing. It includes more than 250 images of the breathtaking destination, from statue-lined verandas to frozen-in-time streetscapes to, of course, stylish people enjoying all the water has to offer.

(Assouline, out now)

Before a delicious lobster makes its way to your plate (or lobster roll), someone, somewhere, must do the grueling work of capturing the lobster and hauling it back to shore. For the most part, that someone is a man in Maine—but as this book shows, there are plenty of women doing that difficult job, too. One of them is the Maine-based artist Susan Tobey White, who often accompanied her husband, a commercial fisherman for over 30 years.

(Seapoint, out now)

A book likely to be on the nightstand of someone you admire, it’s written by a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” and blurbed by Greta Thunberg, Matt Damon, and Bill McKibben. So, what’s it all about? Climate change, from the perspective of our ancient history with water itself. But rather than taking a doom-and-gloom approach, the story is focused on what we can do about it, charting a map for the future drawn from the lessons of the past.

(PublicAffairs, June 13)

Another real-life adventure from an author whose work is beloved by Hollywood (his previous bestsellers include First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong). This book chronicles the adventures of two men who strove to become the first to cross the Atlantic solo by rowboat. As the book notes, Fairfax was a lovable rogue—a handsome playboy and ex-pirate. McClean was his opposite: an orphan who became the British equivalent of a Navy Seal. Get ready to feel inspired (but maybe start with rowing a nearby lake first).

(Pegasus, July 4)

Right now, less than a quarter of the ocean’s floor has been charted, and most of that has been done close to shore. By 2030, scientists hope to fill in the remaining 75%, and Trethewey’s book chronicles the competition to make it so. Suffice it to say, this isn’t just of scientific importance—among those hoping to make it happen are several militaries, not to mention wealthy celebrities like James Cameron and Richard Branson.

(Harper Wave, July 11)

If anyone knows where you should be taking a dip this summer, it’s the folks at Monocle. In their newest compendium, they chronicle luxe pools, off-the-grid swimming holes, Italian and Icelandic baths, and more—all with helpful, if aspirational, photography. The images are accompanied by considered meditations ranging from the healing nature of a steam bath to the contemplative virtues of doing laps.

(Thames & Hudson, October 10)

Even if you’re landlocked, there’s bound to be some surf music on your stereo speakers this summer. Complete the vibe with this coffee-table book, which chronicles the early ’80s moment when future champ Tom Curren and board shaper Al Merrick teamed up to help change surfing forever. Contributors include heavy hitters in the surf world, including Jamie Brisick (a pro surfer and Fulbright scholar) and Sam George (who won an Emmy for his surf doc, Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau).

(Rizzoli, September 5)