Editors' Picks: What We're Reading This Summer

• "It's a bit like modern-day Downton Abbey with a splash of Dynasty mixed in. Set mostly in Hong Kong and Singapore, the story follows one family's dramas around class, marriage and loyalties. But the real fun is getting a peek into an elusive world filled with jaw-dropping excess and over-the-top eccentrics.
• Angela Matusik, Editor, InStyle.com
• $26; amazon.com.

"If you're feeling adventurous, take a ride with NOS4A2, the new novel by Stephen King's son Joe Hill. It is one wild and weird mash-up: elements of the supernatural, time travel, an unforgettable serial killer, and a chopper-riding heroine who's 100% kick-ass. Hill's twisted visions-including the horrible Christmasland, where the killer deposits his victims-deliver welcome chills in the heat of July."

- Erik Jackson, Features Editor, InStyle

$29; amazon.com.

• "This is a historical novel about Texas in the mid-19th century and the clash of westward-moving white pioneer culture with Mexicans and Native Americans. The subject is one I wouldn't normally be drawn to, but the writing is so vivid that you feel as if you were there."
• Cindy Weber-Cleary, Fashion Director, InStyle
• $28; amazon.com.

"While I'm thankful for my e-reader so I wouldn't have to be seen publicly reading this, it was actually really well done and a perfect beach read. If you're as fascinated as I am by the elusive Richards sisters of Bravo fame, this book gets to the heart of it with stories about their mother and growing up as childhood stars in Beverly Hills. It's also peppered with really solid advice on dating, motherhood, and marriage while dishing some hilarious one-liners."

- Selene Milano, Senior Beauty Editor, InStyle.com

$26;

amazon.com.

• "This story focuses on a group of friends who met at a camp for arty kids and how their lives intertwined forever after. It touches on topics you think about daily, like friendship, love, and success, and not just the pretty parts. I felt myself tearing up at certain lines and heard myself laughing out loud at others, and I mostly thought, 'I could know these people.' I couldn’t put it down."
• Sharon Clott, Fashion News Editor, InStyle.com
• $28; amazon.com.

• "As a working mom with two young kids, I found the book's central message—don't be afraid to be more ambitious—very inspiring. She backs up her points with fascinating stats about women in the workplace and interesting anecdotes from her own life. Contrary to the backlash, I found her funny, likable and refreshingly honest."
• Amy Synnott-D’Annibale, Beauty Director
• $25; amazon.com.

"A fascinating read about his remarkable journey from being orphaned in Ethiopia to becoming one of America's top culinary masters. He opens up about his life in his adopted homeland of Sweden and presents an inspiring portrait of what hard work can get you. His reflections on Sunday dinners with his Swedish grandmother are beyond heartwarming."

- Isabel Gonzalez-Whitaker, Fashion Features Editor, InStyle

$16;

amazon.com.

"Edna O'Brien's memoir, called Country Girl, is a fascinating story of her provincial childhood in Ireland and her ascent as a sometimes scandalous author in the early days of feminism and the swinging 60s and 70s--including details of her many love affairs."

- Cindy Weber-Cleary, Fashion Director, InStyle

$28;

amazon.com