10 New Books by Philly Authors to Read This Summer
Add these new novels by local authors to your summer reading list.
Our favorite new books by Philly authors / Book cover images courtesy of the publishers
With half already on the shelves and the rest on their way, these 10 new novels by local authors give you plenty of pages to turn this summer.
New Books We’re Currently Reading
Beautyland
by Marie-Helene Bertino
Where most coming-of-age stories focus on oddball kids finding their place in the world, this funny, touching novel by the author of 2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas puts us in the head of an ’80s Philly girl whose case is a bit more extreme. Through a series of faxes with a faraway planet, quirky little Adina learns she’s actually an alien sent to Earth to study humankind as it makes its first forays into outer space. With a Spielbergian sense of wonder, the Northeast Philly-born Bertino explores the weird planet we think we know best. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Acts of Forgiveness
by Maura Cheeks
In her debut novel, Maura Cheeks — the Chestnut Hill journalist and daughter of Sixers star Mo Cheeks — imagines an America on the verge of passing a reparations bill. But Acts of Forgiveness isn’t merely a political what-if; it’s an intimate story about a Black Philadelphia family digging into its own complicated past to see if they qualify for that long-overdue payout. Ballantine.
Women of Good Fortune
by Sophie Wan
Getting engaged to an ultra-rich bachelor could have been Lulu’s ticket to Shanghai’s high society. But this debut novel from Bay Area-born and now University City-based Wan isn’t a romance; it’s a heist thriller, so Lulu and her friends start plotting to rob her own wedding. Graydon House.
The Truth About the Devlins
by Lisa Scottoline
Chester County’s reigning queen of suspense returns with another breakneck crime thriller, about a family of fancy Philly lawyers hiding some dirty secrets. G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
All We Were Promised
by Ashton Lattimore
In her debut novel, Lattimore — a Bryn Mawr resident and editor in chief at nonprofit POC news source Prism — unspools a moving, harrowing story about an escaped slave seeking refuge in the racial powder keg of 1830s Philadelphia. Ballantine.
Books We’re Plotting to Read
Early Sobrieties
by Michael Deagler
A recovering alcoholic/dirtbag spends his first sober summer slumming on South Philly couches and seeing the world with fresh eyes in this grimly funny debut novel that’s being aptly marketed as a “millennial Jesus’ Son.” Deagler, a Bucks County native, will read from Early Sobrieties at East Passyunk bookshop A Novel Idea on May 8th. Astra House; May 7th.
Reunion
by Elise Juska
A college reunion becomes the scene of remembrances, reckonings and revelations for a group of friends struggling with the stress and sameness of adult life. The Havertown author, a master of the whip-smart character-driven drama, will be at the Center City Barnes & Noble on May 7th and Main Point Books in Wayne on May 9th. Harper; May 7th.
Housemates
by Emma Copley Eisenberg
Here’s a thoughtful and cinematic road-trip novel about fast friends looking for America in a wandering, pondering Simon & Garfunkel kind of way. West Philly’s Eisenberg, who has also written for Philly Mag, will be at the Free Library on May 28th. Hogarth; May 28th.
God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer
by Joseph Earl Thomas
After turning heads last year with his “remixed memoir” Sink, Northeast Philly author Thomas returns with a novel about a Black war vet turned grad student/EMT who’s navigating the everyday struggles of his hometown. He’ll be at the Free Library on June 19th. Grand Central Publishing; June 18th.
The God of the Woods
by Liz Moore
Given the runaway success of 2020’s Long Bright River — currently being turned into a gritty crime series starring Amanda Seyfried — it’s no wonder Bella Vista-based Moore’s new thriller, The God of the Woods, has made everybody’s “most anticipated books” lists — in this city and beyond. She’ll be at the Free Library on July 19th. Riverhead; July 2nd.
Published as “Philly Fiction” in the May 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
