12 Summer Books We're Looking Forward To

Summer arrives just over a month from now, and along with your last-minute scramble for a house share or a part-time job scooping ice cream, you’re probably also wondering what to read. On this week’s episode, Gilbert Cruz talks with Joumana Khatib about some of the books they're most looking forward to, from a James Baldwin biography to the true-life story of a young couple shipwrecked in the Pacific and a political thriller co-written by James Patterson and Bill Clinton. Books discussed: “The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers’ Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda,” by Nathalia Holt “Atmosphere: A Love Story,” by Taylor Jenkins Reid “The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild,” by Bryan Burrough “Next to Heaven," by James Frey “A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck,” by Sophie Elmhirst “The Sisters,” by Jonas Hassen Khemiri “The First Gentleman,” by Bill Clinton and James Patterson “King of Ashes,” by S.A. Cosby “Bonding," by Mariel Franklin “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil,” by V.E. Schwab “Katabasis,” by R.F. Kuang “Baldwin: A Love Story,” by Nicholas Boggs Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.