The July 2013 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine features a cover story on “The Best Books of Summer.” The 10-page spread, entitled “Summer is for Book Lovers,” includes Karen Russell’s recommendations of novels, Kristy Davis’s suggestions for short story collections, Jeanette Winterson’s favorite new memoirs, Gillian Flynn on suspense fiction, and Abbe Wright’s recommendations for books that have that certain “summer feeling that takes you back to the exhilaration of vacation.” As a nod to gender equality, the last two pages offer “stunning new reads from a few gentlemen with a flair for intrigue.”

The online version supplements the cover story with short pieces on books you can devour in one long weekend, books that have been turned into summer movies, three “crazily compelling page -turners,” and books that will lift your mood. You will also find essays by David Sedaris, Meg Wolitzer, Jodi Picoult, Karen Thompson Walker, Sharon Olds, and Ben Schrank.

I’m pleased to see Karen Shepard’s The Celestials, Joan Silber’s Fools, and Alafair Burke’s If You Were Here.

http://www.oprah.com/packages/reading-room.html