Year halfway over, TBR fully stacked
Six WVBC member life updates and a whole lot of book recommendations!
Hello dear readers,
It’s been a minute since we checked in, so it only seems fitting that our July 1st letter is a mix of life updates and reads we’ve been loving. The six of us have been ~booked and busy~ this spring and early summer! The kind of season that deserves its own chapter to fully sink in: a career change, an engagement, a cross-country move, promotions, and more than a few of us escaping the city to work under the sun.
But we’ve missed checking in with you! So today’s letter is about getting back on the same page as we share the reads that have stood out to us and recommend books that have risen to the top of our respective TBR piles. And while we’ll be sure to do a comprehensive end-of-year update (we are corporate girlies at the end of the day…we love an EOY report!), since we’re at the mid-year mark, here’s a recap of our official WVBC monthly picks so far this year.
January: The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe
February: The Bombshell by Darrow Farr
March: Half His Age by Jeanette McCurdy
April: Once and Again by Rebecca Serle
May: Yesteryear by Caro Burke
June: Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About by Isabel Klee
July: Crash Into Me by Robbine Lee (out next week!)
Xan’s Corner
Spring and early summer have been wonderfully full! In April, I had the pleasure of hosting our WVBC meeting in the city. The ladies of WVBC are such fabulous hosts that it’s always fun to have the opportunity to set a beautiful table and make a few of my favorite recipes for them.
April was also a big month professionally, as I joined a private wealth management team, marking an exciting new chapter in my career. I’m fortunate to be working alongside two long-time advisors who have been mentors to me for many years, and I’m excited to translate the skills I’ve developed in real estate into helping clients build and preserve long-term wealth. A great deal of my time this spring was spent preparing for my licensing exams, which I’m happy to report all went smoothly.
As for summer, I’ve been soaking up life at the ranch in Montana, spending quality time with family and friends and enjoying everything that makes this season in the mountains so special. I’m looking forward to hosting book club here at the end of the month for Camp WVBC!
Titles Xan’s Excited About This Summer
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe: Wow, I could not put this book down and have since bought copies for several friends as gifts. It follows a 19-year-old boy who gets swept into the world of London’s expatriate Russian oligarchs, crime, and the consequences of pretending to be someone he’s not among some of the city’s most dangerous people. It felt like a modern-day The Talented Mr. Ripley. The story is gripping, tragic, and offers a fascinating look at a unique moment in London’s history, where global politics, organized crime, family life, and the rise of social media all collide.
The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin: My dad actually recommended this classic, originally published in the 1970s. When I heard that Peter Morgan, the creator of one of my all-time favorite series, The Crown, was developing it as a miniseries, I couldn’t wait to read it. The novel follows a Nazi doctor who escaped to South America and has set an outrageous plan in motion: to clone and create another Hitler. We follow the protagonist, a Holocaust survivor who hunts Nazis, as he races against time to stop the conspiracy before it comes to fruition. I’m now going to try to get my dogs to respond to “mustard, ketchup, and pickles” thanks to this book. (IYKYK.) What struck me most was how eerily relevant it felt today, one of those stories where fiction can feel unsettlingly close to reality.
Kutchinsky’s Egg: A Family’s Story of Obsession, Love and Loss by Serena Kutchinsky: I’ve long been obsessed with Fabergé eggs, so I immediately connected with the central figure in this true story. It follows the famed, family-run London jewelry house Kutchinsky, where the son poised to inherit the business becomes consumed with creating his own modern-day Fabergé egg. I loved the blend of historical context, behind-the-scenes insight into the jewelry industry, and multigenerational family saga. Serena Kutchinsky does a beautiful job bringing her family’s story to life, making it as much about ambition, creativity, and legacy as it is about the extraordinary object at its center.
Connect with Xan on Goodreads, Instagram and subscribe to her Substack!
Laura’s Corner
The last few months have been a whirlwind in the very best way. Between work trips, long flights, and an unforgettable vacation, I’ve spent more time reading on planes, beaches, and café terraces than anywhere else. One of my favorite rituals is choosing books that match wherever I’m headed, and this season’s reading list took me through London, Geneva, Chamonix, Ischia, and Capri.
A work trip to Geneva gave me the chance to attend Watches & Wonders with Cartier—an incredible experience—and, naturally, I carved out time to seek out the city’s best bookstores. On the way there, I stopped in London and finally made it to the iconic Daunt Books, where I couldn’t resist bringing home the much cooler UK hardcover edition of Yesteryear by caro claire burke.
Most recently, I returned from what might be my most magical trip yet: celebrating a best friend’s wedding in Chamonix before ending the journey in Ischia and Capri.
Some of my favorite reads from the past few months include The Mystery Guest by Grégoire Bouillier, Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin, Writers & Lovers by Lily King, Clutch by Emily Nemens, and Lost Lambs by Madeline Cline. They couldn’t be more different from one another, but each one lingered with me long after I turned the final page. Whether they kept me company on a flight, in a quiet hotel room, or over a leisurely breakfast abroad, these are the books that made this season of travel all the more memorable. Now, onto everything I can’t wait to read...
Titles Laura’s Excited About This Summer
Whistler by Ann Patchett: I love the way Ann creates deeply human characters and explores the complicated relationships between them with so much warmth and insight. I’m also intrigued that part of the novel is set in New York City, and I have to admit that the horse on the cover immediately caught my attention.
Fruit Fly by Jost Silver: This came as a recommendation for anyone who loved Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. “A washed-up author will stop at nothing to claw her way back to relevancy—even if it means appropriating a young gay man’s tragic story.” I’m sold.
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang: Speaking of Yellowface, I’m especially excited to read Taipei Story because R.F. Kuang has become one of my favorite writers. The combination of grief, language, and culture shock sounds like it will make for a thoughtful, emotionally resonant story, and I always appreciate books that explore questions of identity and belonging. The setting of a summer in Taipei also feels incredibly immersive, and I’m looking forward to getting lost in both the city and the characters.
Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller: I have seen this cover everywhere, and I’m intrigued by the gothic, horror elements, centered on the desperate need to belong. It’s said to be a character-driven literary fiction with morally complicated relationships and an eerie, haunting atmosphere.
Body Language by Meg Howrey: I’m so excited for Body Language because They’re Going to Love You was one of my favorite books I read last year, and its characters have stayed with me ever since. Meg Howrey has such a gift for writing emotionally complex relationships, so a novel centered on three adult sisters immediately caught my attention. As one of three sisters myself, I’m especially curious to see how she captures the dynamics of sibling relationships, family expectations, and the choices that shape our lives.
Connect with Laura on Goodreads and Instagram
Chelsea’s Corner
The last few months have been quite special! I got engaged in March on my favorite little block in our new neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. We headed to the UK shortly after and enjoyed a trip full of post-proposal bliss, and have since been happily in the throes of wedding planning. We are getting married next June right here in NYC and could not be more thrilled.
Otherwise, I have been loving spending so much time in NYC over the past few months. As the weather has warmed up, we have been making the most of our backyard, and it’s been such a joy to host friends in the space (including WVBC in June!). The energy in the city lately has felt electric! From the Knicks championship win to the World Cup and Pride celebrations, I continue to feel incredibly grateful to call this place home.
Today my fiancé and I head to Sag Harbor, where we have rented a home for the month of July. I am looking forward to a month of reading on the beach (which I now have no shortage of recommendations for thanks to these ladies!), slow mornings, evening walks into town for dinner, and soaking up a quintessential East Coast summer before returning to the city.
I recently enjoyed reading Yesteryear, Girls Our Age, The Dutch House, and Careless People. This summer I am looking forward to reading The Shampoo Effect, June Baby, Whistler, and Great Black Hope!
Connect with Chelsea on Goodreads, Instagram, and subscribe to her Substack!
Caylee’s Corner
Adventure awaits! I’m writing this from the Newark airport with a glass of pinot grigio and a boarding pass to Mallorca, Spain. The weeks leading up to this moment were bittersweet! I moved out of my most magical village apartment because it’s going back on the market. And rather than jumping into a new lease, I decided to lean into a nomadic summer.
I’ll be spending a week in Mallorca, then week-long stays in Sevilla, Paris and finally London. Replacing my WFH with WFE (work from Europe, bb!). It’s been awhile since I went for a proper solo adventure and I couldn’t be more excited to see what this season has in store.
I’ve been slacking on the reading front, but very much loved Lena Dunham’s Famesick and most recently picked up a copy of I Love Shopping by Lauren Cook. The text is all pink, so it had to come home with me.
I’m looking forward to reading The Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway (a rec by Laura that sounds spicy and Euro summer coded) and Writers & Lovers by Lily King plus whatever else tickles my fancy when popping into bookstores, abroad.
Connect with Caylee on Goodreads, Instagram and subscribe to her Substack!
Kayla’s Corner
It’s hard to believe just how much life has unfolded since we last wrote! My travel schedule has been borderline unhinged. Since our last letter, I hit Milan and the Dolomites for the Olympics with Xan, fell completely in love with Japan on my first visit, pillaged practically every Olive Young in Seoul for K-beauty, had a Singapore Sling at Raffles (as one does), made it all the way to the remote beaches of Western Australia, and just got back from a bestiemoon with Jenna in Riviera Nayarit.
Back home, June in New York has been its own kind of electric—the Knicks win, World Cup mania, the city feeling on fire in the best way. It’s truly been such an energizing time to be a New Yorker! I’m soaking up every moment of being here for the next six weeks until I head to Europe from early August until mid-September. I’ll be working remote in Mallorca and Greece before taking my annual birthday trip, which is going to be an epic combo of Madrid, Costa del Sol, Tangier, Marrakesh, the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, and Paris.
Admittedly, reading has taken a bit of a back seat at the top of the year, but alongside WVBC, some favorites of the year so far have been Whistler, Yesteryear, Famesick, Great Black Hope, Girls Our Age, and London Falling. Others I loved that haven’t been mentioned were The Names by Florence Knapp, Helpless by Jessica Knoll (out this week!), and Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild.
I’m planning to really fire up the Kindle while I’m away! This summer, I’m hoping to read as many books as possible that I carefully curated in this edition of The Sunday Series, plus Wifehouse by Sonya Walger, which I just started last night. I haven’t heard anyone talking about it, but stumbled upon the cover while perusing Three Lives & Co last week and was immediately intrigued by its premise, in which a woman starts to be pulled towards her French tutor—a man who just so happens to be twenty-six, closer to the age of her daughter than her and her husband. Juicy!
Connect with Kayla on Goodreads, Instagram, and subscribe to her Substack!
Jenna’s Corner
And for perhaps the biggest plot twist of all… I moved to San Francisco! The last few months have been quite the whirlwind. My husband got an opportunity to move into a new role, and we decided to take the leap. After 10 years in New York and six in West Village, I’d be lying if I said it’s been an easy transition. Nothing will ever compare to NYC, so I won’t even try— but I am embracing this new West Coast chapter and excited to explore my new home this summer.
“But what about book club?!” Funny enough, this was consistently one of the first questions I was asked when sharing my news. I’m the luckiest to have this supportive group of women in my corner. The girls FaceTimed me into my first missed meeting, and I have plans to return to NYC on a regular basis, aligning work with WVBC meeting dates. I’ll be back in town for our July meeting, then will be heading with the gals for our offsite in Montana!
Amidst the move, I read (and loved) Strangers by Belle Burden, Lena Dunham’s Famesick, Yesteryear (our May WVBC pick!), and Girls Our Age by Phoebe Thompson.
As for what I’m looking forward to reading— Blue Sisters by Coco Mellers has been in my TBR pile for a while, and I’m finally ready to dive in. I’m also eager to read our upcoming pick, The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson. I loved her first novel, Pineapple Street. Beyond that, it seems the girlies adored Whistler, so I will certainly be adding it to my list of summer reads!
Connect with Jenna on Goodreads and Instagram
Thanks so much for reading! We’d love to hear some of your favorite books so far this summer in the comments. See you at the bookstore! xxWVBC
I always look forward to the WVBC updates! Read London Falling & Famesick and absolutely devoured. Just bought Great Black Hope at McNally and am excited to dive in!