Summer holidays are in a few weeks (or days if you’re lucky). Here’s a list of books to keep you busy, regardless of your destination. Don’t forget to bring a bookmark!
Cover photo: Julia Cheperis
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
Can you zone out for a few pages without affecting your reading? (Kind of) hate the protagonists? Get lost in metaphysical reflections about life and the passing time? Then, Perfection is a short book that’s right up your alley. The pitch: “They have a beautiful, impeccably decorated flat. Stimulating jobs. Interesting friends. A stable love life. In short, they have everything they need to be happy – and they are. But are they?”
Photo: @readingbythebay
The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy
In this autobiographical novel, Deborah Levy talks about a specific period of her life: the time right after her divorce. A tale full of honesty and questions – that are often left unanswered. A call to take life as it comes, with all its ups and downs.
Photo: @doris.barbier
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Recently translated into French, The God of the Woods is a new kind of thriller. In it, we discover Camp Emerson during two periods, both marked by horrific events – the death of a young boy and the disappearance of a teenage girl. Between past and present, family stories come together and apart with thrilling tension.
Photo: @thewell.read.collective
All Fours by Miranda July
Funny and touching, this novel is a real treat. We follow a protagonist whose decisions seem naive, impulsive and outrageous. Making us question the role of a forty-something mother, her happiness, and her relationship to her age and the passing time.
Photo: @kat_omeara
The Last One by Fatima Daas
In this autofiction (the movie adaptation was presented at Cannes this year), Fatima Daas talks about her personal conflict between her religious faith and her (homo)sexuality. A sort of private journal overflowing with memorable quotes.
Photo: @laurencedecabarrus
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
If you also shed a tear when watching the video of Ocean Vuong talking to Oprah about his last novel, then it’s time for you to delve into his first book. In this letter from a son to his mother, the author notably explores themes of identity, collective traumas and intrafamilial violence. All exalted by sublime and poetic language.
Photo: @lefeminotheque
De grandes dents by Lucile Novat
In this essay, which could be translated as “Big Teeth,” the author proposes a contemporary analysis of the famous children’s tale: Little Red Riding Hood. She mixes it up with preconceived notions, power relationships, and the patriarchy, and even asks the question: what if the grandmother was not gobbled up by the wolf?
Photo: @caroleboinet
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Our description is short and sweet on purpose, because our advice is to just dive into this book without knowing too much about it. All we’ll say is that you follow Klara, a sort of AI hired as a babysitter for a sickly teenager.
Photo: @lequatriemelivre
Ask Dr. Mueller by Cookie Mueller
If her name rings a bell, it’s because in addition to being an actress, she was also very close to photographer Nan Goldin. Terribly funny, she was also hired by the East Village Eye magazine to answer readers’ health questions. You can dip into these letters all throughout your holiday — and read them out loud to your friends.
Photo: All rights reserved
Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez
In this collection of twelve short stories, the queen of horror paints the portrait of a violent, erratic and perverse Argentina. To read in any order for a guaranteed shiver. If you like her style, follow up with The Dangers of Smoking in Bed.
Photo: All rights reserved
AMV Journal is a space dedicated to encounters, discovery and travel. Every week, explore the musts, portraits and inspirations of American Vintage and its creation studio.