GREAT SUMMER READS

THE RED HOUSE

by Mark Haddon

In this absorbing, Virginia Woolf-esque novel by the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, an extended family gathers for a week in the English countryside. Perfect (or not) for that holiday with the in-laws.

GILDED AGE

by Claire McMillan

Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth was the inspiration for McMillan's debut, but this Lily Bart (a.k. a. Ellie Hart) lives in modern-day, upper-crust Cleveland-and she's divorced and fresh out of rehab. Can she pull off a second act?

WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE

by Maria Semple

When her agoraphobic mom disappears, 15-year-old Bee takes matters into her own hands. An uproarious comedy of manners from a former writer for Arrested Development.

YES, CHEF

by Marcus Samuelsson

"I have never seen a picture of my mother." Thus begins the renowned Red Rooster chef's incredible life story, from losing his Ethiopian mom when he was 3 to his adoption by a food-loving Swedish family to Top Chef Masters and beyond.

BROKEN HARBOR

by Tana French

Investigating the murders of a father and his children, Dublin detective "Scorcher" Kennedy must face up to a disturbing incident from his own past. Part police procedural, part psychological thriller, all fun.

A CONSPIRACY OF FRIENDS

by Alexander McCall Smith

You don't need to have read the first two to enjoy the third book in McCall Smith's Corduroy Mansions series, about the quirky residents of one hip London block. Worth it for the cute cover alone.

GOLD

by Chris Cleave

Friends as well as fierce competitors, Kate and Zoe are going for Olympic gold in track cycling-even as Kate's 8-year-old daughter battles a recurrence of leukemia. A heartstring-tugger with an adrenaline-fueled plot from the bestselling author of Little Bee.

THE RECEPTIONIST

by Janet Groth

When Groth arrived at The New Yorker in 1957, her interviewer, one E.B. White, "seemed pained to be in the presence of anyone at all, much less a corn-fed girl from Iowa ... looking for a job." But the would-be writer was hired and spent 21 years in those storied halls, rubbing elbows with the likes of poet John Berryman (and never advancing beyond office factotum). Now a professor, she's written an evocative memoir.

GONE

by Cathi Hanauer

Not to be confused with Gone Girl, this novel begins with a husband who's disappeared, apparently splitting with the family babysitter. An involving drama about the challenges of marriage and middle age.

PICTURE THIS

by Jacqueline Sheehan

The sequel to Sheehan's bestselling Lost & Found finds widowed animal control warden Rocky Pelligrino facing unexpected new challenges on Peaks Island, the close-knit Maine community she calls home.

CREOLE BELLE

by James Lee Burke

Burke's gripping new Dave Robicheaux thriller has the New Orleans detective-still recovering from a bullet wound-investigating the disappearance of an intriguing young woman named Tee Jolie Melton.

WHEN IN DOUBT, ADD BUTTER

by Beth Harbison

At 37, private chef Gemma prefers the rules of recipes to the ever-shifting elements of the dating game. She's done with love ... so guess what happens next? Predictable but delicious, just like dessert.