Summer Reading List

People read books, of course, as a form of education and entertainment, but what truly keeps us reaching for the shelves are stories. Stories help us imagine possibilities and cultivate compassion for their characters real or imagined. They bring concepts to life in tangible, human ways. And with this power of stories and books in mind, Minnie Muse brings you an eclectic and inspired summer reading list for the dynamic months ahead. These Minnie Muse ‘Must Reads’ feature a variety of works from literary classics like Hemingway’s timelessly intriguing memoir A Movable Feast to this year’s Broken Glass: Mies van der Rohe, Edfith Farnsworth, and the Fight Over a Modernist Masterpiece by Alex Beam and other more contemporary stand-outs. No matter when they’re written, these works continue to engulf their readers and leave them with knowledge, inspiration, and beautiful stories.

This curated list is, of course, complete with books highlighting classic Minnie Muse topics like art and design. Some works storying legendary greats in fashion include Dana Thomas’s Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano as well as The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris written by Alicia Drake which focuses on the lives and work of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent. Then, brush up on high-brow culture with John Fairchild’s Chic Savages, followed by indulging in the revolutionary powers of art in Mary Gabriel’s Ninth Street Women, or for that matter, Adam Bradley’s Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop.

But the MM summer reading list is prepared to take you through this summer beyond igniting creativity. Whether you want to escape into story or be challenged in deep thought, these books also dive into themes of society, friendship, travel, race, and more. Start with, for example, the beautiful and important words of James Baldwin whose Another Country is bound to touch both minds and hearts. While you’re at it- that is… learning about history, people, and society- pick up the famed Walter Isaacson Biography, Steve Jobs, or get Iris Smyles’ take on contemporary adulthood and dating in her witty work, Dating Tips for the Unemployed. And finally, the MM summer reading list offers the kind of summer reading book you might imagine yourself reading on a beach or a train in a foriegn place. Pick up, perhaps, the epic surf memoir, Barbarian Days by William Finnegan or the Naples based My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante for engaging tales of people, friendship, and life adventures.

So, here they are: Minnie Muse’s 12 books that will keep you thinking, imagining, creating, and learning in an unprecedented kind of summer season. Happy Reading!