July has arrived, and, for American readers, this means that the Fourth of July is just around the corner. Amidst the fireworks and grilled delights (and at-times-questionable displays of patriotism), the holiday can be an unexpectedly good opportunity to catch up on some reading, and what better bookish companion for a holiday than something new? If you’re on the lookout for some new reading material, well, you’re in some luck, as I have twenty-five new books to recommend checking out below in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. You’ll see Christian Gullette’s poetry collection (technically out yesterday), which won the 2023 Trio Award.
There are exciting debut novels and fiction from established writers, including Fernanda Trías’ dystopian , Samuel Kọláwọlé’s transnational novel , Joy Williams’ experimental collection Donyae Coles’ -esque , and much more. In nonfiction, you’ll find the celebrated essayist Phillip Lopate’s thoughts on cinema; an anthology of writing from the Rust Belt; Marin Kosut’s exploration of what it takes to make art in New York a roving history by Nile Green of the extraordinary Orientalist tales and fabrications told by Ikbal and Idries Shah, which (for better or worse) influenced Western views of the East; a madcap memoir of making maple syrup and (yes) bromance; and more. There’s a lot to choose from, and, as ever, I recommend indulgence (in books and hot dogs alike, though the latter may negatively affect you much so.
