What to Read Over Memorial Day Weekend

Fun fact: Skimm Reads started when theSkimm co-founders couldn’t decide what to read over Memorial Day weekend. Years later, it’s still a question on HQ’s mind. Here are our picks this year...

For when you just need to talk it out...

Lori Gottlieb can relate. Her book, “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone,” takes place inside a therapist's office. Gottlieb is a psychotherapist in LA, and after a personal crisis throws her own world into a twist, she becomes a patient herself. Turns out, she has just as much to learn from the people she’s supposed to be helping. Oh and it’s also being turned into a TV show with Eva Longoria.

For when you want a book to close out the weekend...

Memorial Day is all about honoring those who died serving in the US military. “Waiting for Eden” by Elliot Ackerman is a novel about an Iraq War veteran. And it presents a nuanced look at how the sacrifices made by military members affect their families.

For when you need the long weekend to think about a job search game plan...

Halle Butler’s "The New Me" is on the same page. Meet Millie. She’s 30 and just can’t get her life together. She hates her job and spends her nights all alone thinking about a better life. When she gets a job offer all the dreams she ever wanted feels tangible. But then the realization hits that maybe everything she wanted isn’t all that great after all.

For when you need the long weekend to reflect…

Pick up “Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls” by T Kira Madden. In it, Madden (niece of Steve) navigates the privilege of her upbringing while reckoning with her parents’ absence, alcohol addictions, and her own identity as a biracial queer teen.

For when you're downloading true crime podcasts for your trip...

Start looking into Julia Phillips’ “Disappearing Earth.” Set in northeastern Russia, the book follows one year of a police investigation into the disappearance of two sisters both under 11. Each chapter is one month into their vanishing and along the way you’ll meet witnesses, neighbors, and detectives. Plus the town of Kamchatka is a character all of its own.

For when you can't turn off news notifications over the weekend...

Jessica Yellin’s “Savage News,” will be your savior. Yellin, who’s an experienced journalist herself, knows a thing or two about this world. Her fictional take follows Natalie Savage, a budding White House reporter who’s forced to compete with a 20-something frat boy for her spot at the network. Natalie grapples with ratings pressure, sexual harassment, and political crises as she fights to keep her dream job.

For when you're doing a digital detox...

You might think twice after Jenny Odell’s “How To Do Nothing.” It’s a poignant critique on the way we spend our time and where we devote our attention. Odell questions how we view productivity and what we’re missing out on as we fail to see the world around us. Doing nothing is hard and she makes the case for why doing nothing can be the best form of resistance. It’s smart, challenging and timely AF.

For when you're looking to let loose this weekend...

Giddy up and say hi to Lara Prior-Palmer ’s “Rough Magic.” Think: “Educated,” meets “Wild.” At age 19, Lara discovered the Mongol Derby—one of the toughest, longest horse races in the world. Most competitors spend years preparing and many don’t even finish. She joins in without any experience. Plot twist: she wins.

For your friend who's dealing with a love triangle…

You win some, you learn some. "The Learning Curve" by Mandy Berman follows two roommates who develop relationships with a visiting professor with a questionable past. Spoiler: things get complicated.

For when you and your friend bring the same appetizer to the party...

Competition, on. In Anna Pitoniak's "Necessary People," Stella and Violet are polar opposites. And also best friends. Things take a turn when they get jobs at the same company and the roles they’ve always held in each other’s lives begin to flip. They get competitive and will do whatever it takes to succeed—even if means throwing each other under the bus along the way. Think: “Bride Wars,” meets “The Devil Wears Prada.”

PS: *These are editorially selected, but if you purchase, theSkimm may get something in return. Thanks.