If Oddball Families Make You Smile
The Summer We Read Gatsby, by Danielle Ganek ($7, amazon.com, out May 27).
Dip into this frothy comedy about estranged sisters who reunite at the Hamptons home of their recently deceased eccentric aunt.
If You’re Bummed That Stephen King Doesn’t Have a New Book Out
The Passage, by Justin Cronin ($8, amazon.com, out June 8).
Thriller lovers will be riveted by this novel about an unlikely duo—an orphan abandoned by her prostitute mother and a disillusioned FBI agent—called on to save the world.
If You’re All for a Literary Masterpiece You Can Read in One Sitting
Walks With Men, by Ann Beattie ($7, amazon.com, out June 8).
This transfixing 112-page novella by the acclaimed prose stylist explores a troubled May-December romance.
If You Want a Good Cry (Two Boxes of Tissues, Minimum)
Red Hook Road, by Ayelet Waldman ($10, amazon.com, out July 13).
A newlywed couple is killed, leaving their just merged families emotionally ravaged. You won’t be able to tear yourself away from Waldman’s powerful evocation of grief.
If You’re Looking to Learn Something
Remembering Smell, by Bonnie Blodgett ($8, amazon.com, out June 16).
A writer who lost and later regained her sense of smell, Blodgett explores all things olfactory. Packed with fascinating tidbits (who knew women had a sharper sense of smell than men?), this sciencey memoir is unexpectedly engrossing.
If You’re Happy With a Smart, Grown-Up Romance
Beautiful Maria of My Soul, by Oscar Hijuelos ($10, amazon.com, out June 1).
Twenty years after The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, the noted author revisits his head-turning heroine, Maria, now in her 60s.
If You Like a Bit of Good Old-Fashioned Schadenfreude
This Is Where We Live, by Janelle Brown ($24, amazon.com, out June 15).
In this withering satire, disaster strikes a devil-may-care couple, putting their marriage in jeopardy.
If You Wore Out Your Copy of Like Water for Chocolate
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, by Aimee Bender ($7, amazon.com, out June 1).
Fans of magic realism should dig into this tale of a young girl whose mother’s despair is a key ingredient in her desserts.
If You Just Want a Good Laugh While on the Plane
How Did You Get This Number, by Sloane Crosley ($6, amazon.com, out June 15).
In this hilarious collection of essays, Crosley comments drolly on her adventures traveling around the world.
Real Simple Editors Share Their All-Time Vacation Favorites
($8, amazon.com).
“A story about comic-book makers that stands up to the classics.”
Editors’ Pick: No Angel, by Penny Vincenzi
($9, amazon.com).
“First book in a spellbinding saga about London book publishers. OK, maybe that doesn’t sound spellbinding, but it is.”
Editors’ Pick: Out Stealing Horses, by Per Petterson
($10, barnesandnoble.com).
“The father-son relationship in this novel is full of surprises.”
Editors’ Pick: Villages, by John Updike
($14, barnesandnoble.com).
“Intriguing commentary on sexuality in 1970s suburbia.”
Editors’ Pick: Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan
($9, amazon.com).
“A searing fictional exploration of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s extramarital affair.”
Editors’ Pick: Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall
($10, barnesandnoble.com).
“An eye-opening true account of a relatively unknown tribe of superathletes.”
Editors’ Pick: The World Is Flat, by Thomas L. Friedman
($13, barnesandnoble.com).
“How globalization affects our jobs—and even the way we shop.”
Editors’ Pick: What Was She Thinking?, by Zoë Heller
($7, amazon.com).
“This portrait of a twisted relationship amounts to a master class in human emotion.”
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