Sometimes, blanket categories can make it difficult to pick out the perfect book. For that reason, we’re sharing this list of twenty personalized book categories for when the sections at your local bookstore aren't quite doing it for you.
If Oddball Families Make You Smile
The People We Hate at the Wedding, by Grant Ginder
An estranged family flies en masse to London for a wedding complete with fancy hotels and trendy restaurants. What could possibly go wrong?
To buy: $12; amazon.com.
If You’re Bummed That Stephen King Doesn’t Have a New Book Out
The Last Time I Lied, by Riley Sager
Four girls share a cabin at Camp Nightingale, but only one returns home. Emma, now a successful artist in New York, is haunted by the disappearance of her friends and returns to the summer camp as a painting instructor to piece together what really happened that night.
To buy: $16; amazon.com.
If You’re All for a Literary Masterpiece You Can Read in One Sitting
Walks With Men, by Ann Beattie
This transfixing 112-page novella by the acclaimed prose stylist explores a troubled May-December romance.
To buy: $8; amazon.com.
If You Want a Good Cry (Two Boxes of Tissues, Minimum)
The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying, by Nina Riggs
This memoir, published posthumously, sets out to answer the question: How do you make your life meaningful when you know your time is limited?
To buy: $9; amazon.com.
If You’re Looking to Learn Something
Wine. All the Time.: The Casual Guide to Confident Drinking, by Marissa A. Ross
In this hilarious and unpretentious guide, comedian-turned-wine critic Marissa Ross walks readers through the basics to picking out a great bottle of wine at any budget.
To buy: $9; amazon.com.
If You’re Happy With a Smart, Grown-Up Romance
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor, an awkward woman living a perfectly average life begins an unorthodox friendship with the IT guy in her office, who teaches her about love and how to live a life that's more than just fine.
To buy: $10; amazon.com.
If You Like a Bit of Good Old-Fashioned Schadenfreude
Made for Love, by Alissa Nutting
A woman moves into a trailer park full of senior citizens with her father in order to escape from her obsessive tech-mogul husband.
To buy: $14; amazon.com.
If You Wore Out Your Copy of Like Water for Chocolate
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, by Aimee Bender
Fans of magic realism should dig into this tale of a young girl whose mother’s despair is a key ingredient in her desserts.
To buy: $11; amazon.com.
If You Just Want a Good Laugh While on the Plane
How Did You Get This Number, by Sloane Crosley
In this hilarious collection of essays, Crosley comments drolly on her adventures traveling around the world.
To buy: $13; amazon.com.
If You Don’t Have The Time to Commit to an Entire Novel But Still Want to Be Immersed
If You See Me Don’t Say Hi, by Neel Patel
This collection of short stories told from the perspective of different first-generation Indian Americans aims to unravel stereotypes by introducing surprising, yet relatable characters in each piece.
To buy: $16; amazon.com.
If You Just Went Through a Breakup
Alone Time, by Stephanie Rosenbloom
Four cities, four seasons, and countless tables for one. In this memoir, Stephanie Rosenbloom explores the joys of solo adventuring.
To buy: $19; amazon.com.
If You’re a Shameless History Nerd
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders
George Saunders weaves a riveting narrative of both truth and fantasy, constructing the imagined life—and afterlife—of President Abraham Lincoln’s deceased son, Willie.
To buy: $11; amazon.com.
If You Love Quirky Science and Psychology
Swearing Is Good For You, by Emma Byrne
A damn good read, packed with scientific proof that sometimes it's OK to drop a few f-bombs.
To buy: $15; amazon.com.
If You Can’t Read Enough About Hygge, Lagom, and Swedish Death Cleaning
The Finnish Way, By Katja Pantzar
Learn to do as the Finns do in this charming, approachable book about sisu and the benefits of movement, being in nature, and healthy eating.
To buy: $11; amazon.com.
If You Think People Take Hygge, Lagom, and Swedish Death Cleaning a Little Too Seriously
Pantsdrunk (Kalsarikanni), by Miska Rantanen
The Finnish term “kalsarikanni,” translated as “pantsdrunk,” means exactly what it sounds: drinking at home, alone, in your underwear. This adorably illustrated guide will help you relax and de-stress.
To buy: $13; amazon.com.
If There Aren’t Enough True Crime Podcasts for You
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World, by Sarah Weinman
This in-depth exploration of the 1948 abduction of 11-year-old Sally Horner makes the case that Horner was the real-life subject of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita.
To buy: $28; amazon.com.
Available September 11.
If You Just Finished Binge Watching and Reading The Handmaid’s Tale
Vox, by Christina Dalcher
Set in future America where women can only speak 100 words a day, Vox tells the story of Dr. Jean McClellan and her struggle to make herself—and all female voices—heard.
To buy: $19; amazon.com.
Available August 15.
If You Want to Fulfill Your Fantasies of Working on a Winery
The Shortest Way Home, by Miriam Parker
When Hannah finds herself with everything she’s ever wanted (at least she thinks so?), she can’t resist giving it all up for a dream she never knew she had.
To buy: $26; amazon.com.
If You’ve Been Looking for Another Book Like Where’d You Go Bernadette
What You Don’t Know About About Charlie Outlaw, by Leah Stewart
A quirky tale of two Hollywood stars who break up only to find themselves needing each other more than ever—especially after one of them is kidnapped on a desert island.
To buy: $11; amazon.com.
If You Are Searching for the Sex and the City of Books
When Life Gives You Lululemons, by Lauren Weisberger
Emily Charlton is back, and this time she’s facing something even scarier than Miranda Priestly: suburbia.
To buy: $17; amazon.com.
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