Title:Hoya beach reads round-up: Summer 2025

Books are the best companion for a day in the summer sun. If you, your friends, and your family are looking to support a Hoya author, here are the 10 beach reads to pick up right away:

Fiction

Edendale by Jacquelyn Stolos (C’13)

As Los Angeles wildfires roar, four friends must confront a culture of harsh truths in this eco-horror debut.

I Leave It Up to You By Jinwoo Chong (C’17)

Jack Jr. awakes from a coma to an unrecognizable world; his apartment, job, and love are gone, and in their absence, he must return home in a story of self-discovery, second chances, and love.

Penitence by Kristin Koval (C’92, Parent’21, ’24)

A family deals with a mysterious act of fratricide, exposing how to find forgiveness through experiences of grief, guilt, and love.

The Last Verse by Caroline Frost (C’03)

In the 1970s Nashville country music scene a struggling musician writes a hit song that promises fame and trouble by implicating her in a horrible crime.

Combat Monsters: Untold Tales of World War II by Henry Herz (G’86)

This speculative fiction anthology explores World War II alternate histories where mythical beings changed history.

 Nonfiction

Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality by Maurice Jackson (G’95, ’01, Parent’07), E. Ethelbert Miller (foreword)

Jackson details the stories of the Black men and women who combated racial prejudice in Washington, DC, with sports and music.

The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World by Tiffany Yu (B’10)

A must-read for humanity offering tools on supporting the disability community and creating a more accessible and equitable society for all

Bending Toward Justice: Sr. Kate Kuenstler and the Struggle for Parish Rights by Christine Schenk (N’68)

Bending Toward Justice details Sr. Kate Kuenstler’s efforts to charter a new course in canon law in light of the closings of Catholic parishes across the United States.

The Unstuck Playbook: Five Simple Steps to Live the Life You Want Now by Blossom Birch (G’14)

Learn how to silence the inner critic and replace self-doubt with confidence, in doing so, you will gain clarity on your values, passions, and goals.

The Pirate’s Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd by Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos (G’07, ’14)

A swashbuckling account of Sarah Kidd’s life going from New York socialite to international outlaw as the wife of the famous pirate Captain Kidd during the Golden Age of Piracy.

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