Summer Reads: What Our Team Is Loving Right Now

Discover the diverse books that are captivating our writing instructors and shaping their craft.

As summer unfolds, we thought you’d enjoy a peek into what’s currently gracing our team’s nightstands, beach bags, and coffee shop tables. From literary fiction that challenges narrative conventions to memoirs that illuminate the human experience, these recommendations offer a window into the diverse tastes and curiosities that fuel our instructors’ teaching.

Michele Cantos

“This summer, I’m diving into Grady Hendrix’s bibliography. I just finished The Final Girl Support Group, and up next will be reading his bestseller The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. Horror isn’t my usual genre, but I’ve gotten feedback that the novel-in-progress has some horror elements, so I thought I’d explore. Plus, I went through a horror reading phase one summer as a teenager, so this has been a fun way to mix things up while sticking to my reading goals.”

In addition to teaching PWN’s in-person Memoir class in Red Bank starting July 16, Michele will be leading book inc’s Book Writers Forum, beginning July 31.

Lizzie Finn

“I’m currently reading Lost: Back to the Island (The Complete Critical Companion to the Classic TV Series) by Emily St. James and Noel Murray while binge-watching the TV show Lost this summer.

Watching the series for the fourth time alongside this critical companion isn’t just a nostalgic trip; it’s an immersive masterclass in serialized storytelling. As a story coach, dissecting each episode with expert commentary sharpens my understanding of structure, character arcs, pacing, and thematic development across long-form narratives.

I remain a true-blue Lost fan, and I’m enjoying the book and show first and foremost as entertainment. But my brain also can’t help analyzing the craft. I’ve been tracking where my attention wanes—usually when the story drags or loses focus. When I’m fully immersed, it’s clear the structure is clicking and the emotional stakes are high. That’s when I get ‘lost’ in the story in the best possible way.”

Lizzie Finn is book inc’s Story Consultant for Book Revision Lab.

Paula Fitzgibbons

“I am reading both Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I could have chosen lighter summer fare, but these were gifts from people who know me well. They are equally tragic—perhaps too much so, but also equally compelling and well-written. When one gets too heavy, I pick up the other for a change of scenery and era.”

Paula Fitzgibbons is the co-PAL along with Jaime Vander Velde for the upcoming Book Revision Lab (July – December 2025).

Jennifer Gaites

“I just finished rereading Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer and was happy to find that 20 years after publication, it is still amazing. It’s a great mix of romance and character development with some environmental biology mixed in (I was there for the romance).

I’m now reading Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, and it’s been a really fun and well-done story with a lot of will-they-won’t-they tension. The work on the backstory and the development of the ‘shard of glass’ is amazing. I’m loving every second of it!”

In addition to being book inc’s Novel Incubator PAL, Jennifer is teaching Extraordinary Ordinary Stories this summer.

Amy Impellizzeri

“This summer, I’m in a long-distance book club with several family members, and we are all reading Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes for the first time. Since it’s considered by many to be the first great modern novel, I was embarrassed to admit I’d never read it before!

I’m also reading an Advance Copy of RL Maizes’ new novel – A COMPLETE FICTION—a humorous and also thought-provoking story of two writers navigating the modern world of publishing and the pitfalls of social media. It’s SO GOOD!”

This summer, Amy is teaching the three-week virtual class Novel Writing: From Outline to Draft.

Liz Jannuzzi

“I’m currently reading the memoir Off Izaak Walton Road: The Grace That Comes Through Loss by Laura Julier in preparation for our upcoming Author Reading & Q&A. Also, my oldest son said to me, ‘If you love me, you will read Stephen King’s Pet Cemetery.’ I do love him so that’s on the list! :-)”

In addition to hosting PWN’s weekday morning writing group, Morning Pages, Liz is currently a PAL in book inc’s Memoir Incubator.

Mark McDevitt

“I just read My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, and as someone with two small children who appreciates shorter novels that can be read in brief evening sessions, this slim book delivered remarkable emotional depth. The deceptively simple story unfolds over a few hospital nights where Lucy recovers from illness while her estranged mother unexpectedly visits, leading to elliptical conversations that circle around their painful shared past rather than confronting it directly.

At its heart, it’s about the complex bonds between mothers and daughters—the wounds, ambivalent love, and lack of understanding that can coexist, while also exploring the journey to becoming a writer forged through suffering and loneliness. What makes this novel so powerful is Strout’s understated prose and her mastery of what’s left unsaid; there are no flashy sentences or melodramatic reveals, just searing honesty that builds emotional weight gradually. This quiet novel lingers long after reading, leaving me thinking about the fragile connections to the people and places we come from and how we try to make sense of it all through love or art—I absolutely LOVED it!”

This summer, Mark is teaching the six-week virtual class Personal Essay.

Michele Prestininzi

“On the adult side, I’m reading The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This NY Times bestseller chronicles the life of J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle Da Costa Greene, a black woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy on the country. Multiple people in my neighborhood have given this novel rave reviews. I’m only a short way in, but I’m hooked.

On the KidLit side, I recently read Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart. This action adventure is a middle-grade story about a group of troubled boys who are left unsupervised at a crumbling reformatory school on a remote island. Think Alcatraz meets Lord of the Flies. It’s filled with creative characters and carries a theme of redemption, which seems rare in this age group. I highly recommend it.”

For the first half of 2025, Michele was a PAL for book inc’s Book Revision Lab.

Jaime Vander Velde

“For summer fun, I’m reading Sarah Adler’s Mrs. Nash’s Ashes which is mixing the themes of love and grief well. I’m also reading Mother Doll by Katya Apekina, which features ghosts, mediums, and Russian Revolutionaries—oh my!”

Jaime is leading Book Revision Lab (July – December 2025) with co-PAL Paula Fitzgibbons.

There’s something magical about summer reading, right? Whether it’s getting lost in a gripping thriller, revisiting beloved classics, or discovering new voices that challenge how we see the world.

As our team’s recommendations show, great readers often become great writers, drawing inspiration from the diverse stories that cross their paths. The curiosity that drives them to explore everything from Don Quixote to Stephen King is the same spirit they bring to helping others find their own voices on the page.

If you’ve been inspired to move from reading great stories to writing them, we’d love to have you join us this summer in classes covering memoir, personal essay, novel writing, and more—all designed to help you develop the same craft insights that make their own reading so rich and purposeful.