The Greatest Luxury of All: Reading Fiction
7 recent(ish) books that lifted us out of our lives and into someone else’s.
In the age of endless scrolling, reading is a nearly radical choice. New research shows only 16 percent of Americans read for leisure every day—a damning stat that suggests our attention spans are in decline. But amid this struggle for focus, something incredible is happening: The sudden rise in reading retreats, celebrity book clubs, and literary-themed vacations has turned reading into a true communal act. While solo reading has long been revered for its psychological benefits—from stress reduction to improved sleep quality—there’s a new, powerful layer to be found. Whether you’re starting a book club with neighbors, swapping recommendations with a sibling or partner, or using a story as a launching pad for a deep conversation with a friend, the shared experience transforms introverted self-care into a collective ritual. It’s a low-effort, high-impact way to connect and build communal bonds.
“Reading fiction, and discussing and reflecting on it with others, has been linked to improved mental health and social capabilities.”
With so much focus on self-optimization these days, you may feel called to reach for self-help books, popularizers, and long-form non-fiction instead. But we believe there’s true luxury in pausing the optimization and self-improvement every once in a while, and instead escaping into someone else’s fictional life for a while. And the data tends to agree—reading fiction, and discussing and reflecting on it with others, has been linked to improved mental health and social capabilities. But of course, there’s nothing worse than making the time to invest in a piece of fiction, only to be disappointed by a plot that’s not quite propulsive enough of an ending that just can’t land the plane. Which is why we’ve curated a list of fictional gems from the past few years that are truly worth your time.
Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Set against the backdrop of NASA’s Space Shuttle program in the 1980s, Atmosphere follows fictional astronaut Joan Goodwin as she sets out to be among the first women in space. The historical fiction novel takes real-life inspiration from Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, which makes the high-stakes drama blast off the page, if you will. Read for the adrenaline rush and the climatic finale.
Wellness by Nathan Hill
This sweeping work centers married couple Jack and Elizabeth, opening in the lead-up to their meet-cute in ‘90s Chicago and later zooming ahead to their marital and parenting woes of present day. It’s full of nostalgia for our pre-internet, pre-housing bubble days, and packs in hundreds of pages of cultural commentary about generational wealth, cults, monogamy, our collective obsessions with health and longevity, social media, and more. It’ll leave you with endless conversation starters for the dinner table, that’s for certain.
The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore
A campfire mystery unfolds in the New York Adirondacks in Liz Moore’s brilliant 2024 novel. It’s August 1975 at an all-girls summer camp and a 13-year-old has gone missing. Moore seamlessly zips between perspectives and time jumps to uncover raw truths about family secrets, class clashes, and justice (or lack thereof) — ultimately revealing the fate of the vanished camper.
Dream State by Eric Puchner
Dream State is a truly cinematic family saga that unfolds over half a century, never once letting its foot off the gas. We meet bride-to-be Cece in the days before her perfect Montana wedding, with her future dream life seemingly set in stone. But after spending time with Garrett, her fiancé’s emotionally wounded best friend, an unlikely new future presents itself—and a choice that will splinter off into untold paths for the three friends. The echoes of each of their decisions ripple through the lives of their children, in a novel spanning 50 years, inviting readers to meditate on what we truly want in this one little life of ours.
Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar
The debut novel from poet Kaveh Akbar is as achingly beautiful in its prose as it is clever in its plot and world-building. At its core, the story follows Cyrus Shams, newly sober and desperate to untangle his Iranian family’s secret past. Humor and whimsy break through the darkest themes of death and addiction, leading to an unlikely and unforgettable friendship with a terminally ill performance artist in her final days at the Brooklyn Museum. You won’t read anything else like it this year.
Real Americans by Rachel Khong
What do we owe the generations that came before us? Real Americans is an ambitious novel that charts the ripple effects of choices made across generations in a Chinese-American family, exploring how a parent’s earnest effort to build a better life for their child can both succeed and fail in unexpected ways. This book will leave you with a profound sense of empathy for the flawed choices that shape a family’s legacy, and a story that champions forgiveness and the healing power of shared stories.
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Retreat into the sun-drenched, nostalgic world of Carley Fortune’s latest romantic read, One Golden Summer. Meant as a companion to her best-selling Every Summer After, this novel reunites readers with the much-loved Florek brothers. This time, they’re all grown up and summering in Barry’s Bay across from protagonist Alice. As Alice nurses her grandmother back to health in their family cottage, a charming love story emerges with Charlie Florek that is pure summertime magic. It’s a sweet, comforting read that will leave you thinking fondly of your own teenage summers and heady, youthful crushes.
