Summer Reads Fiction Bargain Book Box

Summer Reads Fiction Bargain Book Box

Escape into a world of storytelling this summer with sixteen captivating novels that span the globe and the human experience. From the neon-lit streets of New Delhi in Age of Vice to the historical intrigue of the Cold War and the emotional depths of Korean literature, this collection offers a journey for every reader. Featuring celebrated authors like Sigrid Nunez, Walter Mosley, and Deepti Kapoor, these stories explore the complexities of love, memory, and survival across centuries and continents. 

1. Cheri by Jo Ann Beard Facing a terminal diagnosis, Cheri reflects on the moments that defined her life, from childhood antics to the complexities of adult relationships. Jo Ann Beard weaves a tapestry of memory and sensation, celebrating the ordinary beauty of existence even as it fades away. It is a heartbreaking yet life-affirming portrait of a woman who lived fully, surrounded by the people she loved.

2. A Good House for Children by Kate Collins In 1976, a family moves to a remote Dorset home that seems perfect, but the house has other ideas for the children who live there. Decades later, a woman moves in to escape her past, only to find the walls whispering secrets of the tragedy that occurred years before. Kate Collins crafts a chilling gothic mystery where the boundaries between the living and the dead are terrifyingly thin.

3. The Antarctica of Love by Sara Stridsberg Narrated from beyond the grave, Inni tells the story of her life and her brutal murder, watching over the family she left behind. She recounts the path of addiction and longing that led her to a snowy forest and a killer, finding beauty in the darkest corners of existence. Sara Stridsberg delivers a haunting literary noir that gives a voice to the voiceless victims of society.

4. Just A Boy by Elena Varvello In 1970s Italy, a teenage boy becomes increasingly suspicious of his father’s strange behavior and late-night disappearances. As a local tragedy unfolds, he is torn between family loyalty and the terrifying realization that his father may be a monster. Elena Varvello writes a tense psychological drama about the loss of innocence and the secrets that fester behind closed doors.

5. When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister Gigi is barely holding it together as a new mother in London when a chance encounter brings the trauma of her past in New York crashing back. Having fled the city after 9/11, she must confront the grief and loss she buried to save her marriage and herself. Ilona Bannister explores the lingering shadows of tragedy and the fierce, chaotic love of motherhood.

6. The Mess We're In by Annie Macmanus Orla leaves her home in Dublin for the bright lights of London, dreaming of making it in the music industry amidst the hedonism of the early 2000s. She finds a surrogate family in a cramped house share, navigating the highs of the nightlife and the lows of finding her identity. Annie Macmanus captures the raw energy of youth and the struggle to find a place to belong.

7. Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine Luz Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress in 1930s Denver, fights to protect her family’s legacy when her brother is driven out of town by a violent mob. Drawing on the visions of her Indigenous ancestors, she navigates love and prejudice in the changing American West. Kali Fajardo-Anstine weaves a lush, multi-generational saga about the resilience of Chicano women.

8. The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa In 1939, Hannah Rosenthal and her family board the St. Louis to escape Nazi Germany, only to be turned away by every country they approach. Decades later in New York, a young girl receives a package that unlocks the tragic history of her great-aunt and the ship of the damned. This historical novel illuminates a forgotten chapter of the Holocaust through a story of survival and memory.

9. The Story Smuggler by Georgi Gospodinov Georgi Gospodinov blends memoir and essay to recount his youth in communist Bulgaria and the liberating power of storytelling. He explores how stories were smuggled across borders like contraband, preserving the spirit of a people under a repressive regime. It is a lyrical meditation on the past, the nature of memory, and the desire to be heard in a silenced world.

10. I Went to See My Father by Kyung-Sook Shin After losing her own daughter, a writer returns to her rural hometown to care for her elderly, fragile father. Through their time together and the discovery of his secret letters, she uncovers the depth of his sacrifices and the history he kept hidden. Kyung-Sook Shin delivers a poignant and emotionally resonant tribute to the quiet strength of fatherhood.

11. The Awkward Black Man by Walter Mosley This collection of seventeen short stories focuses on Black men who are misfits, loners, and awkward introverts struggling to connect. Walter Mosley steps away from crime fiction to explore the vulnerability and quiet desperation of characters rarely seen in literature. Each story is a character study of the barriers we build and the unexpected moments that break them down.

12. Love Me, Love Me Not by Kirsty Capes Lucy is the "difficult" foster child who has never found a forever home, but her life changes when she discovers the identity of her birth father. As she navigates a complicated romance and the search for her roots, she must decide who she wants to be. Kirsty Capes writes with authentic grit and humor about the realities of the care system and the definition of family.

13. Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor A deadly car crash in New Delhi connects the lives of a wealthy playboy, his servant, and a journalist, exposing a web of corruption. The narrative spans continents and decades, tracing the rise of the Wadia crime family and the devastating cost of their ambition. Deepti Kapoor creates a sprawling, cinematic thriller about money, power, and the violence that sustains them.

14. The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez During the isolation of the lockdown, a solitary writer finds herself caring for a spirited macaw named Eureka and forming an unlikely bond with a wayward Gen Z stranger. Together in a cramped apartment, they navigate the anxieties of the pandemic and the comfort of connection. Sigrid Nunez offers a meditation on empathy, the role of art, and the strange intimacies of a crisis.

15. The London Bookshop Affair by Louise Fein In 1962 London, Celia works in a dusty bookshop and dreams of a bigger life, while the world holds its breath during the Cuban Missile Crisis. She falls for a mysterious American diplomat, unaware that her family is hiding secrets that could destroy them both. Louise Fein combines a tender romance with the high-stakes tension of espionage and nuclear paranoia.

16. The Water Child by Mathew West In 1754, a former ship’s surgeon works on the corrupt docks of London, where he encounters a mysterious woman claiming to have birthed a monster. As he investigates the superstitious fears of the river folk, he uncovers a scientific horror lurking in the Thames. Mathew West delivers a gothic historical mystery that blends period medicine with atmospheric dread.