15 Books We’re Reading, Re-reading, and Anticipating Right Now
One of my favorite book quotes goes, “Confidence comes from consistently sticking to the commitments you make with yourself.” I’ve read these words by Jen Gottlieb, which she wove into her bestseller Be Seen, two dozen times. Heck, maybe three. It’s highlighted on its dog-eared page, tucked on my “favorites” shelf in my office. I reach for this wisdom when I need a boost, just as I do Marion Roach Smith’s The Memoir Project when I seek writing insight or Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch when I crave beauty.
Rereading a book is often as thrilling as reading one anew.
So, I asked my colleagues at The Sunday Paper what they’ve been rereading. They deliver some really good ones, as you’ll see, along with their noteworthy new(ish) discoveries and the soon-to-be-published titles they’re eagerly awaiting.
Just in time for the last few weeks of summer, here’s your guide to the best re-reads, new discoveries, and upcoming titles.
But before you dig in, we want to know: What’s currently on your favorites shelf?
What Dawn Fallik is…
Rereading: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
“I love this book so much, and it's great to read before the school year because it kind of puts me in that Maurice Sendak/Calvin and Hobbes mindset, but through a graphic novel about an adult woman struggling with mental health. I love her point of view. I love her drawings. I genuinely feel so connected to her struggle. Her second book is also fantastic, but this is the OG.”
Discovering: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
“She is one of my favorite authors but I feel "enjoying" would be the wrong word. It's a historical horror novel set in Florida, following a 12-year-old who is sent to a brutal reform school. Although it's not a non-fiction book, on her substack, the author writes that it's based on a family member who was sent to the infamous Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. He never came home.”
Anticipating: Take My Word for It by LeVar Burton (out November 10)
“This man has been in some of the most milestone cultural moments of my Gen X life from Reading Rainbow to Roots to Star Trek: The Next Generation. From reliving past horrors to creating a future world, I can't wait to hear about his experiences.”
What Stacy Paulsen is…
Rereading: Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
“I first read Parable of the Sower decades ago, and rereading it now—when the book’s imagined future has become our present—was a trip. Butler’s world feels almost unnervingly prescient, but what captivated me most this time around was watching a new religion take shape in the middle of it all.”
Also Rereading: Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say by Kelly Corrigan
“Kelly Corrigan drills down to the core of what it means to really love and deeply experience life, writing with startling honesty about loss, regret, inadequacy, parenthood, and the people we can’t imagine living without. She’s funny, wise, beautifully human, and she’ll knock your socks off.”
Discovering: New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement by Juan Williams
“I’m halfway through Juan Williams’s New Prize for These Eyes, which looks at how a new generation of activists is shaping what he calls America’s second civil rights movement. I’m especially interested in his larger question: What role can each of us play in building a more just America?”
What Mara Freedman is…
Rereading: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
“I first read this book in 2021 when it came out and loved it, but recently did a reread in anticipation of the upcoming movie on Amazon Prime starring Lili Reinhart (out September 23, 2026). It made me refall in love with the characters, but also the way author Ali Hazelwood not only uses romance as a catalyst, but science and STEM. We often see romance books and movies take place in the same worlds, but I love that Hazelwood uses her background in neuroscience to introduce romance lovers to the sciences. This book will have you rooting for love and science breakthroughs (real and fictional).”
Discovering: In a World of Sunrises: 365 Days of Heart, Soul, and Hope by Cleo Wade
“In a world that can feel really dark, poet and author Cleo Wade's latest book is exactly what we all need to remind us that there is light. Every page you turn to feels like it was written for what you need in the moment, like it was written just for you, and like it speaks to your soul. Cleo's words are a hug, but also the hope that we can get through this time and the reminder that tomorrow there will be another sunrise.”
Anticipating: Rabbit Rabbit by Jennifer E. Smith (out December 15)
“I was lucky enough to read this book early (it comes out December 15, 2026). What caught my attention was the book was about a 39-year-old-woman deciding on New Year's Eve to have a baby. The book could not have been more timely or meaningful to read this summer, as I am a 39-year-old-woman who turns 40 this December (before the book releases). It very much felt like this book was speaking to me, speaking to all women who are looking for a sign or some luck, or who are waiting for permission to start a family until they have everything "figured out." This book mixes reality with hope, romance with practicalities, and I truly am glad I read this lucky book at the moment I did.”
What Maizie Foth is…
Rereading: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
“The Viscount Who Loved Me follows the eldest of the Bridgerton siblings, Anthony, as he sets out on a mission to get married. The only thing in his way? The eldest Sheffield sister. Kate is protecting her younger sister from Anthony’s roguish ways with women but finds herself complicating her feelings in the process. Their constant back and forth mixed with overpowering romantic tension makes them question everything they had planned in their lives, and whether they can ignore their growing feelings.
I always return to this book not only because its enemies-to-lovers is my favorite romance trope, but the characters both have faced traumas that they force each other to confront and overcome to allow the love they deserve in their lives. It’s rare you read a book where you can fall in love with the story over and over again.”
Discovering: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
“If Schitt's Creek were a romcom, it would be It Happened One Summer. When Piper Bellinger, a spoiled wild-child gets into trouble in a very publicly embarrassing way, her stepfather sends her away to learn some real responsibility—by running her late-father’s dive bar in a small fishing town outside of the posh Beverly Hills lifestyle she’s used to. As Piper tries to ignore the gruff, big-bearded, but still undeniably attractive sea captain Brendan, she starts to learn about a world that feels like “home” in a way she never knew before.
Although this book is not newly published, readers are picking it up (myself included) with a new excitement as filming for the movie adaptation has begun! You won’t want to miss reading this romcom before the movie, which will star Nina Dobrev as Piper and Tyler Hoechlin as Brendan, hits the big screen.”
Anticipating: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (a longtime cult favorite!):
“A Court of Thorns and Roses has been a hit series since the first book released in 2015, with more and more people becoming obsessed with the world as the series continued. It has been five years since the fifth book in the series was released, and fans had been waiting (mostly) patiently for any news on the next book. Maas finally announced that book six will be released on October 27, and then sent fans into a frenzy—all with the surprise that book seven will quickly follow on January 12! Like many, I am starting to read the series now. These books, which take you through a journey of real human pain and healing, in a beautiful and mysterious fantasy world, will keep you sucked in to finish just in time for the new release!”
What Stacey Lindsay is…
Rereading: The First, The Few, The Only by Deepa Purushothaman
Countless women seek the insights of author and thought leader Deepa Purushothaman for an incredible reason: She blasts the stale stories fed to women and casts a Technicolor light on the truth and freedom that come from honoring your voice and power. She’s lived this truth. Purushothaman did all the “right” and laudable things, from climbing the corporate ladder to claiming titles that were all too rare for women of color. Then at the peak, she walked away and chose herself. Since then, she’s built a career helping women move through the delusions and find their true power, beyond the stories, titles, and expectations. I’ve learned so much from Purushothaman—and her book serves as a starting point to the well of wisdom she contains.
Discovering: One in Five by Elizabeth J. Letourneau, PhD and Luke Malone
“I opened this book with trepidation, my chest rising and falling as I read the introduction. Yet, as I near its final pages, I am finding myself gratefully edified, educated, and determined. One in Five reveals the reality of childhood sexual abuse (CSA): its prevalence, which is that 20 percent of kids in the US will experience it before they turn 18 (hence the title); the modern-day responses and their histories; the vast nuances of those who inflict this trauma; the gut-wrenching consequences to those who fall victim to it; and the policies and programs proven to prevent the crimes in the first place. This book outlines one of the gravest, most pressing issues facing humanity today in a digestible, meticulous, and genuinely hopeful way. I take the qualifier “must-read” seriously. One in Five is a must-read.”
Anticipating: Big Feelings, Big Joy By April Snow, LMFT (out October 6)
Too many Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) have moved through this world feeling like they truly don’t belong—myself included. We’ve received messages that we’re too quiet, too sensitive, too ____. Thankfully, Snow, a licensed psychotherapist (and also an HSP), offers a reframe, showing those of us who are HSPs, as well as those close to us, that we do belong—we simply orient in unique and beautiful ways. High sensitivity is not a flaw. It is a gift, so much so that I’ve come to use it as my powerful lens through which I see the world and connect more deeply. I thank Snow and her work for this. Her forthcoming book offers a compass to so many, helping people accept themselves, deeply experience their rich and full lives, and tap into their beautiful sensitive capabilities. This is one I’ll be giving to loved ones.
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