What’s better than reading a good book? Reading a good book while sipping a cocktail!
Whether you’re in the mood for something light and bubbly, Dark and Stormy, or just a pint of beer, this list takes the guesswork out of what drinks pair best with some of the hottest summer reads.
Cheers for these books and cocktails!


If You’re in the Mood for Something Light and Bubbly:

Squeeze MeSQUEEZE ME_books and cocktails by Carl Hiaasen

Pair with a Snakebite.

From the bestselling author of Skinny Dip and Razor Girl, a hilarious new novel of social and political intrigue, set against the glittering backdrop of Florida’s gold coast.

It’s the height of the Palm Beach charity ball season: for every disease or cause, there’s a reason for the local luminaries to eat (minimally), drink (maximally), and be seen. But when a prominent high-society dowager suddenly vanishes during a swank gala, and is later found dead in a concrete grave, panic and chaos erupt. Kiki Pew was notable not just for her wealth and her jewels–she was an ardent fan of the Winter White House resident just down the road, and a founding member of the POTUSSIES, a group of women dedicated to supporting their President. Never one to miss an opportunity to play to his base, the President immediately declares that Kiki was the victim of rampaging immigrant hordes. This, it turns out, is far from the truth.

The truth might just lie in the middle of the highway, where a bizarre discovery brings the First Lady’s motorcade to a grinding halt (followed by some grinding between the First Lady and a love-struck Secret Service agent). Enter Angie Armstrong, wildlife wrangler extraordinaire, who arrives at her own conclusions after she is summoned to the posh island to deal with a mysterious and impolite influx of huge, hungry pythons . . .

Available in Hardcover, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.

Click to Watch Carl Hiaasen Speak to Librarians.


LAST TANG STANDING_books and cocktailsLast Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

Pair with Homemade Mulled Wine.

Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones’s Diary in this funny and irresistible debut novel about the pursuit of happiness, surviving one’s thirties intact, and opening oneself up to love.

At thirty-three, Andrea Tang is living the dream: She has a successful career as a lawyer, a posh condo, and a clutch of fun-loving friends who are always in the know about Singapore’s hottest clubs. All she has to do is make law partner, and her life will be perfect. And if she’s about to become the lone unmarried member of her generation in the Tang clan—a disappointment her meddling Chinese-Malaysian family won’t let her forget—well, she doesn’t need a man to complete her.

Yet when a chance encounter with charming, wealthy entrepreneur Eric Deng offers her a glimpse of an exciting, limitless future, Andrea decides to give Mr. Right-for-her-family a chance. Too bad Suresh Aditparan, her office rival and the last man her family would approve of, keeps throwing a wrench in her plans. Now Andrea can’t help but wonder: In the endless tug-of-war between pleasing others and pleasing herself, is there room for everyone to win?

Available in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Click for a Book Club Kit.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.


EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER_books and cocktailsEvvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Pair with a Maine Blueberry Fizz.

A heartfelt novel about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game.

In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.

When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.

Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Click for a Book Club Kit.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.


ACT LIKE A LADY_books and cocktailsAct Like a Lady: Questionable Advice, Ridiculous Opinions, and Humiliating Takes from Three Undignified Women by Keltie Knight, Becca Tobin, and Jac Vanek

Pair with Frosé.

The hosts of the popular podcast and E! show LadyGang offer a relatable, empowering, and hilarious take on being unapologetically yourself (even if that’s not always your best self) in a manifesto that redefines womanhood for the twenty-first-century lady.

If you’re tired of being bombarded with the curated perfection on social media and you’re starving for something raw, honest, and a little bit messy, welcome to the LadyGang. Keltie, Becca, and Jac are here to clear away the bullshit and give you the confidence to live your best lady life.

Unabashedly sincere, clever, and full of questionable advice, Act Like a Lady explores the complexities surrounding topics like body image, breakups, navigating a career, and adult friendships through their own embarrassing experiences. The LadyGang has your back with essays like “Maybe She’s Born with It, Maybe It’s Photoshop” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It, Thank Your Ex.” You’ll learn there’s a million different ways to be a lady—and that includes accidentally farting during sex or having the guts to tell your friend she’s being a selfish assh*le. No matter what you’re going through, you’ll find a space to bond over the sloppy, heartbreaking, joyous, and often ridiculous realities of womanhood. Nothing is TMI here.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.

Visit the LadyGang Website.


If You’re in the Mood for Something Dark and Stormy:

HE STARTED IT_books and cocktailsHe Started It by Samantha Downing

Paired with a Bloody Mary.

From the twisted mind behind mega hit My Lovely Wife comes the story of a family—not unlike your own—just with a few more violent tendencies thrown in . . .

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven’t all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we’ll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and—more importantly—secure their inheritance.

But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.

It’s even harder when you’re all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory, a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won’t stop following your car—and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there’s a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.

But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.

Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Click for a Discussion Guide.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.


GOLDEN CAGE_books and cocktailsThe Golden Cage by Camilla Läckberg

Pair with Sweet Revenge’s Strawberry Cure Cocktail.

An exhilarating new novel from a global superstar—a sexy, over-the-top psychological thriller that tells the story of the scorned wife of a billionaire and her delicious plot to get her revenge and bring him to his knees.

Faye has loved Jack since they were students at business school. Jack, the perpetual golden boy, grew up wealthy, unlike Faye, who has worked hard to bury a dark past. When Jack needs help launching a new company, Faye leaves school to support him, waitressing by day and working as his strategist by night. With the business soaring, Faye and Jack have a baby, and Faye finds herself at home, caring for their daughter, wealthier than she ever imagined, but more and more removed from the excitement of the business world. And none of the perks of wealth make up for the fact that Jack has begun to treat her coldly, undermining her intelligence and forgetting all she sacrificed for his success. When Faye discovers that he’s having an affair, the polished façade of their life cracks wide open. Faye is alone, emotionally shattered, and financially devastated–but hell hath no fury like a woman with a violent past bent on vengeance. Jack is about to get exactly what he deserves–and so much more. An exhilarating new novel from a global superstar–a sexy, over-the-top psychological thriller that tells the story of the scorned wife of a billionaire and her delicious plot to get her revenge and bring him to his knees.

Available in Hardcover, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.


We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin

Pair with a Texas Tornado.

The discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of the road threatens to unearth the long-buried secrets of a Texas town’s legendary cold case in this superb, atmospheric novel from the internationally bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans.

It’s been a decade since Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Her pretty face still hangs like a watchful queen on the posters on the walls of the town’s Baptist church, the police station, and in the high school. They all promise the same thing: We will find you. Meanwhile, her brother, Wyatt, lives as a pariah in the desolation of the old family house, cleared of wrongdoing by the police but tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion and in a new documentary about the crime.

When Wyatt finds a lost girl dumped in a field of dandelions, making silent wishes, he believes she is a sign. The town’s youngest cop, Odette Tucker, believes she is a catalyst that will ignite a seething town still waiting for its own missing girl to come home. But Odette can’t look away. She shares a wound that won’t close with the mute, one-eyed mystery girl. And she is haunted by her own history with the missing Tru.

Desperate to solve both cases, Odette fights to save the lost girl in the present and to dig up the shocking truth about a fateful night in the past—the night her friend disappeared, the night that inspired her to become a cop, the night that wrote them all a role in the town’s dark, violent mythology.

Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Click for a Discussion Guide.


KILLING WITH CONFETTI_books and cocktailsKilling with Confetti by Peter Lovesey

Pair with a Gin and Tonic.

Peter Lovesey, MWA Grand Master and titan of the English detective novel, returns readers to Bath with the eighteenth mystery in his critically acclaimed Peter Diamond series.

As a New Year begins in Bath, Ben Brace proposes to his long-term girlfriend, Caroline, the daughter of notorious crime baron Joe Irving, who is coming to the end of a prison sentence. The problem is that Ben’s father, George, is the Deputy Chief Constable. A more uncomfortable set of in-laws would be hard to imagine. But mothers and sons are a formidable force: a wedding in the Abbey and reception in the Roman Baths are arranged before the career-obsessed DCC can step in.

Peter Diamond, Bath’s head of CID, is appalled to be put in charge of security on the day. Ordered to be discreet, he packs a gun and a guest list in his best suit and must somehow cope with potential killers, gang rivals, warring parents, bossy photographers and straying bridesmaids. The laid-back Joe Irving seems oblivious to the danger he is in from rival gang leaders, while Brace can’t wait for the day to end. Will the photo session be a literal shoot? Will Joe Irving’s speech as father of the bride be his last words? Can Diamond pull off a miracle, avert a tragedy and send the happy couple on their honeymoon?

Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and eBook Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.


I’ll Have a Beer:

LOVE_books and cocktailsLove by Roddy Doyle

Pair with a Guinness.

Two old friends reconnect in Dublin for a dramatic, revealing evening of drinking and storytelling in this winning new novel from the author of the Booker Prize winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

One summer’s evening, two men meet up in a Dublin restaurant.

Drinking pals back in their youth, now married and with grown up children, their lives have taken seemingly similar paths. But Joe has a secret he needs to tell Davy, and Davy has a sorrow he wants to keep from Joe. Both are not the men they used to be.

Joe has left his wife and family for another woman, Jessica. Davy knows her too, or should—she was the girl of their dreams four decades earlier, the girl with the cello in George’s pub. As Joe’s story unfolds across Dublin—pint after pint, pub after pub—so too do the memories of what eventually drove Davy from Ireland: his first encounter with Faye, the lively woman who would become his wife; his father’s somber disapproval; the pained spaces left behind when a parent dies.

As the two friends try to reconcile their versions of the past over the course of one night, Love offers a delightfully comic yet moving portrait of the many forms love can take throughout our lives.

Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.


I’m Just Here for the Cocktails:

HOW TO COCKTAIL_books and cocktailsHow to Cocktail: Recipes and Techniques for Building the Best Drinks Edited by America’s Test Kitchen

All the kitchen secrets, techniques, recipes, and inspiration you need to craft transcendent cocktails, from essential, canonical classics to imaginative all-new creations from America’s Test Kitchen.

Cocktail making is part art and part science—just like cooking. The first-ever cocktail book from America’s Test Kitchen brings their objective, kitchen-tested and perfected approach to the craft of making cocktails. You always want your cocktail to be something special—whether you’re in the mood for a simple Negroni, a properly muddled Caipirinha, or a big batch of Margaritas or Bloody Marys with friends.

How to Cocktail offers 150 recipes that range from classic cocktails to new America’s Test Kitchen originals. Their two DIY chapters offer streamlined recipes for making superior versions of cocktail cherries, cocktail onions, flavored syrups, rim salts and sugars, bitters, vermouths, liqueurs, and more. And the final chapter includes a dozen of their test cooks’ favorite cocktail-hour snacks. All along the way, they solve practical challenges for the home cook, including how to make an array of cocktails without having to buy lots of expensive bottles, how to use a Boston shaker, what kinds of ice are best and how to make them, and much more.

Available in Hardcover and eBook Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.


EASY TIKI_books and cocktailsEasy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette

60 recipes inspired by the history of tiki as well as the modern revival that’s putting a fresh spin on tropical tiki drinks—all simplified for the home bartender from cocktail authority PUNCH.

Tiki is the dream of escape, a tropical vacation complete with warm ocean water, island music, and beachside dinners. Kicking back with a tiki cocktail may be the epitome of easy living, but ironically, tiki drinks are among the hardest to make, often requiring eight or more ingredients. Now Easy Tiki is here to solve that problem!

Easy Tiki examines the modern tiki revival offering sixty transporting recipes that re-jigger the classics with minimal ingredients while still maintaining the delicious balance, spices, and stunning garnishes that define tiki cocktails. Drinks include classics such as the Beachcomber’s Gold and Fog Cutter and modern cocktails such as Elusive Dreams and Paradise Lost. Easy Tiki also includes an overview of the origins of the tiki genre, from Don the Beachcomber and the mid-century tiki craze to Trader Vic’s and beyond.

Available in Hardcover and eBook Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Click for a Recipe for Baldwin’s (Easy) Sherry Colada.


DRINK WHAT YOU WANTDrink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails by John deBary

A nonjudgmental, back-to-basics approach to making custom cocktails that’s as fun as it is definitive—from a renowned New York City bartender who’s worked everywhere from PDT to Momofuku.

John deBary is a veritable cocktail expert with a 100-proof personality, a dash of fun, and garnished with flair—there’s nothing muddled about him. In Drink What You Want, John breaks down the science of mixology (yes, it’s a science) and explains the rules of drink-making. Most important, you’ll learn how to tweak any drink, both classic and creative, to your preferences and moods. Are you adventurous or traditional? Sweet or bitter? Brown liquor or clear?

While giving newbies a rundown of cocktail culture, lingo, and etiquette, John turns the “cocktail book” concept on its ear by infusing a traditionally formal topic with his fresh, conversational voice. Mixology geeks and bottomless brunchers alike will revel in the craft of the cocktail, from classic to modern to funky. Cocktails are about creativity and setting the mood, and Drink What You Want overflows with both.

Available in Hardcover and eBook Editions.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Click for a Recipe for an El Diablo.


Looking for more books and drinks to pair them with? Check out our Summer Reading 2020 Sampler, featuring the hottest reads of the season and recipes to go along with them.

SUMMER SAMPLER 2020

Click for More Books and Cocktails.

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