Summer Reading
by Koren Phillips, Phi Chi (U of Chicago), International Vice President
I’m a voracious reader – I always have been. Nothing gives me more joy and happiness than cracking open a new book and learning about a new topic, escaping into a new world, or laughing out loud. Summertime is a great opportunity to enjoy a little bit of old-fashioned escapism and enrichment.
Don’t forget that your local public library is an outstanding resource for all your reading needs. It’s a civically-minded and environmentally-friendly way to scratch that bookworm itch. If the old-fashioned hardcover isn’t your cup of tea, check out Libby, a terrific little e-reader app (working in partnership with most local libraries) for digital content, both e-books and audiobooks.
I’m sharing some female-forward suggestions to jump-start your summer reading list. Maybe you want to create an informal poolside book club. Maybe you want to suggest a summer reading assignment for your Leader’s Council or alumnae chapter officers. However you decide to use these recommendations, I wish you all happy reading and happy summer!
If you want to read more about sisterhood in the workplace…
Work Wife by Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur
Erica and Claire, co-founders of the fashion and design website Of A Kind, met back in 2002 at the University of Chicago. Can working with your best girlfriend be the recipe for professional success? Full of interviews with “work wives” in many industries, this slim volume explores that very topic. Bonus: Erica is a fellow Phi Chi alumnae!
If you’re craving historical fiction with spine-tingling twists and turns and fierce female leads…
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
A bold, all-female World War II Russian night bomber regimen called the Night Witches. A British war correspondent seeking a lethal Nazi assassin known as the Huntress. A seventeen-year-old girl in Boston trying to seek the real history of the soft-spoken German widow who becomes her new stepmother. These three storylines converge on a spellbinding tale in fearless pursuit of the truth.
If you’re looking to explore what it means to be a modern young woman searching for meaning in today’s world…
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
“What are you doing? Why are you doing it? What do you want to be?”
Follow along as this novel’s protagonist, Queenie Jenkins, a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, explores these very questions.
If you’re looking for a murder mystery set in 1920s Bombay…
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
Perveen Mistry is Bombay’s only female lawyer. As she becomes embroiled in the investigation of the will of a wealthy Muslim mill owner, she becomes an advocate for his three widows living in strict seclusion, never leaving the women’s quarters of their home nor speaking to men. A terrific mystery with plenty of intrigue and tension.
If your favorite party snack is pigs in a blanket…
Tiny Hot Dogs: A Memoir in Small Bites by Mary Giuliani
Celebrity caterer Mary Giuliani explores her personal journey from her childhood on Long Island to caterer to the stars. This tiny book is full of humor, heart, and great little recipes.