Nothing beats the summer heat better than reading a good book in the shade. 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

There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood by Rasheed Newson (B’01)

Set in the 1950s, this historical fiction novel follows one fixer’s investigation into a closeted Black actor’s suspicious death in the city of stars.

Don’t Eat the Trash by Cubby Hollins (L’01)

Step into a hilarious world of wild imagination where food and fantasy collide in Hollins’ beautifully illustrated children’s book.

Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews (C’06)

When a low-level publishing employee with dreams of being an author becomes assistant to a famous novelist, her life changes forever in this twisty psychological thriller.

The River Runs South by Audrey Ingram (L’07)

Ingram explores timely commentary on Alabama’s fragile ecosystem, exploring themes of grief, love, and community.

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (SFS’18)

Inspired by Dante’s Inferno, Katabasis follows two rival grad students’ journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul.

Non-Fiction

Claim Your Worth Now: Weekly Inspiration to Conquer Your Dreams by Toddchelle Young (C’12)

Fifty-two inspirational weekly entries help readers accomplish their goals with intention. Young shares personal anecdotes, research, and stories from notable figures.

Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food―and Our Future by Bruce Friedrich (L’15)

Meat argues that as humanity eats more meat, we will need to change production to meet the growing demand.

Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling by Danny Funt (C’14)

Funt offers a journalistic investigation into the problems with America’s newly legal sports gambling industry.

The Absent Stone: Mexican Patrimony and the Aftershocks of State Theft by Sandra Rozental (SFS’01, G’01)

Rozental follows the story of the Piedra de los Tecomates, the largest stone monument in the Americas, stolen from its Indigenous owners by a national museum.

Listen, World! How The Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman by Allison Gilbert (C’92) and Julia Scheeres

Gilbert has written the first biography of Elsie Robinson, the most influential newspaper columnist you’ve never heard of.

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