I’ve heard raves about Graff’s 9/11 oral history since it was published in 2019, but the truth is, I’ve been scared of it. I was flying from Europe to New York on 9/11, and knew these pages contained both the details of what I already knew and plenty I didn’t yet know. But this book reemerged on my radar this summer and for reasons I cannot articulate, I felt like it was time. This is an oral history of 9/11, beginning with observations about the “severe clear” of the September blue sky and ending in the weeks following the attacks. Graff and his team conducted more than 500 interviews for this project, and they’ve been assembled to narrate the events of that day across the United States and especially at the attack sites as it was experienced in real time. This was not an easy read, but I’m so glad I finally read it. Breathtaking, important, sobering, profound—all the superlatives apply. More info →

I read this debut romance, coming soon on September 30, when I was vetting titles for this year’s Fall Book Preview (coming this Thursday, September 18!) The cover reeled me right in with its darling brownstone and gorgeous autumn leaves. In this second chance romance, two estranged friends-turned-maybe-more reunite when, to their great surprise, they jointly inherit a stunning West Village brownstone they once rented together, five years ago. Expect major fall-in-New-York vibes, lots of real (and some imaginary) NYC locations, a slow burn, a dual timeline, endearing and supportive friends, and interesting jobs (he’s a chef, she’s bound for Broadway). This was uneven and suffered from a few plot holes (like, who’s gonna pay those property taxes??), but I enjoyed my time with it. Open door. More info →

This truth-is-stranger-than-fiction true story came out in the U.S. in July but wasn’t on my radar when I was assembling this year’s Summer Reading Guide, but last weekend it made the perfect accompaniment to fall yard work. It’s the tale of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, an eccentric couple who set sail from their native England for New Zealand in 1972, but whose voyage took a near-fatal turn when they were shipwrecked after a year at sea. It turned out a sperm whale had tried to surface beneath their vessel, and the impact cracked their ship clean in two. Their flares turned out to be duds, they were poorly prepared to survive on their life raft, they feared rescue would never come—but four months later they were spotted and saved by a Korean fishing vessel. The maritime episodes read like an adventure yarn, but Elmhirst’s story begins prior to their voyage and ends well after, making this truly a story of a challenging marriage and not just one of their ill-fated sailing escapades and aftermath. I listened to the audio version, narrated by Marisa Calin. More info →