CULTURED Editors Pick 14 Must-Read Summer 2026 Books
CULTURED magazine has released its summer 2026 reading list, featuring 14 highly anticipated books spanning memoir, fiction, essays, history, and criticism. Notable releases include Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw's memoir 'Backtalker' (May 5), Douglas Stuart's novel 'John of John' (May 5), Elizabeth Strout's 'The Things We Never Say' (May 5), Harriet Clark's debut 'The Hill' (May 5), Trevor Paglen's essay collection 'How to See Like a Machine: Images After AI' (May 19), Jesmyn Ward's 'On Witness and Respair' (May 19), Ann Patchett's 'Whistler' (June 2), Maggie O'Farrell's 'Land' (June 2), David Bockino's 'Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports Betting' (June 2), David Thomson's 'A Sudden Flicker of Light: A Revisionist History of Movies' (July 7), Colson Whitehead's 'Cool Machine' (July 21), Chang-rae Lee's 'A Tender Age' (August 11), Richard Russo's 'Under the Falls' (August 11), and Liane Moriarty's 'Big Little Truths' (August 25). The list includes Pulitzer Prize winners, Booker Prize winners, and MacArthur Fellows, covering topics from AI's impact on visual culture to family secrets, sports betting history, and the sequel to 'Big Little Lies'.
Key facts
- Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw's memoir 'Backtalker' releases May 5.
- Douglas Stuart's novel 'John of John' is set on the Isle of Harris.
- Elizabeth Strout's 'The Things We Never Say' is set in Massachusetts.
- Harriet Clark's debut 'The Hill' won the Plimpton Prize.
- Trevor Paglen's 'How to See Like a Machine' examines AI and visual culture.
- Jesmyn Ward's 'On Witness and Respair' is her first nonfiction collection.
- Ann Patchett's 'Whistler' involves a reunion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Maggie O'Farrell's 'Land' is a multigenerational epic set in 1865 Ireland.
- David Bockino's 'Over/Under' covers American sports betting history.
- David Thomson's 'A Sudden Flicker of Light' is a revisionist film history.
- Colson Whitehead's 'Cool Machine' closes his Harlem Trilogy.
- Chang-rae Lee's 'A Tender Age' follows a Korean-American boy.
- Richard Russo's 'Under the Falls' is set in upstate New York.
- Liane Moriarty's 'Big Little Truths' is the sequel to 'Big Little Lies'.
Entities
Artists
- Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
- Douglas Stuart
- Elizabeth Strout
- Harriet Clark
- Trevor Paglen
- Jesmyn Ward
- Ann Patchett
- Maggie O'Farrell
- David Bockino
- David Thomson
- Colson Whitehead
- Chang-rae Lee
- Richard Russo
- Liane Moriarty
Institutions
- CULTURED
- The Paris Review
- MacArthur Foundation
- PEN/Faulkner Foundation
- Women's Prize for Fiction
- Elon University
- ESPN
- HBO
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Ordnance Survey
Locations
- Canton
- Ohio
- Isle of Harris
- Outer Hebrides
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Ireland
- New York
- Chicago
- Las Vegas
- Caribbean
- East Village
- Stone Mountain
- upstate New York