Looking for great reads this summer? Pick up one of these books. AdobeStock/seamind panadda/EyeEm
Need a page-turner while you lounge under an umbrella? Local bookstore owners and Hudson Valley staff share their top literary picks.
– Bookstore Staff Recs –
People We Meet on Vacation
By Emily Henry, Berkley
Henry tangles her lovable, self-deprecating characters into a modern-day When Harry Met Sally situation — all in Palm Springs, CA. This romance is the perfect escapist addition to anyone’s summer reading list. — Sarah Gemmell, Oblong Books, Rhinebeck
Off The Record
By Camryn Garrett, Knopf Books for Young Readers
A powerful young adult #MeToo story that’s both relatable and complex, part thriller, part romantic comedy, and completely absorbing. — Jenifer Flynn, The Barking Goose Bookstore Bar and Café, Newburgh
The Committed
By Viet Thanh Nguyen, Grove Press
This sequel follows The Sympathizer’s titular character as he arrives in Paris in the ‘80s. Underlying it all is a story of struggle — of refugees, of the poor, of the colonized — that’s also a blast to read. — Amanda and Anthony Stromoski, Rough Draft Bar & Books, Kingston
– Hudson Valley Staff Recs –
Hudson Valley History & Mystery
By Michael Adamovic, Schiffer Publishing
Sites of folklore and supernatural occurrences are detailed (along with directions) by this New Windsor-based author. Learn about Raven Rock (in Rockefeller State Park) and the ghostly figure of the woman in white, both referenced in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, plus many more mysterious tales.
The Great Mistake
By Jonathan Lee, Knopf
Centered around the life and murder of Andrew Haswell Green, this historical fiction dives into how and why the architect behind several NYC landmarks was killed on Friday the 13th in broad daylight. This is the latest book by Stone Ridge resident Jonathan Lee.
All the Broken People
By Leah Kronen, Putnam’s Sons
This debut thriller by Saugerties-based Leah Kronen follows a Brooklyn woman who escapes an abusive relationship. She finds solace in Woodstock, but becomes embroiled in something much bigger than her past.
