May 25, 2026
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoice
'Second Sight,' which explores the impact of Black media members, was written by University of Pennsylvania media scholar Sarah J. Jackson and is out in June. 'To Kill a Cook,' a mystery novel by W.M. Akers, is available.
It's time to start planning which books will be slipped into beach bags, suitcases and backpacks for upcoming trips.
Need help deciding on your summer reading list? Philadelphia-area authors have a number of new or upcoming releases. For a gripping thriller, W.M. Akers has a mystery novel centered around a severed head found in a mold of meat gelatin. Emma Copley Eisenberg's latest offers a collection of short stories about how people connect with their bodies. And former Eagles center Jason Kelce immortalized some of his goofiest podcast segments into a coffee table book.
Here are seven books from local authors that are either already out or will be available in June.
Emma Copley Eisenberg's third book is a short story collection set in the Philadelphia area and the Jersey Shore. Each story centers on people's relationships with their bodies. Tales include a preteen who learns about her changing figure from women at a West Philly pool, a polyamorous bartender at a fictionalized version of Ray's "Happy Birthday" Bar and a camp where people can go to "fix" how they feel about their bodies.
In her fourth book, a memoir, deaf activist Sara Nović explores her own personal journey alongside the history of deaf culture and the figures who tried to destroy it. It's Nović’s first book since "True Biz," which in 2024 was selected for the One Book, One Philadelphia program, the city's annual reading initiative that encourages residents to check out the same title from their local library and attend events to discuss it.
In this whodunnit novel by W.M. Akers, restaurant critic Bernice Black investigates the death of her friend Laurent Tirel, a celebrity chef who's fading into obscurity. Set in 1970s New York City, Black looks in to the case after discovering her friend's severed head floating inside meat jelly.
In the midst of her grief, widow and food blogger Hollis Shaw gathers her four best friends for a weekend in Nantucket. She befriended each one at a different stage of her life, and all of her besties attempt to navigate their own personal struggles throughout the trip. The novel was released in 2023, but it's being made into a TV series premiering July 9 on Peacock.
University of Pennsylvania media scholar Sarah J. Jackson delves into the work of Black journalists, photographers, filmmakers and radio hosts who shared uncomfortable truths impacting marginalized communities. Jackson's text, out June 19, shows how that "second sight" advanced democracy.
Football stars and podcasters Jason and Travis Kelce are releasing a printed version of their segment, "No Dumb Questions," on their "New Heights" podcast. Each week, fans submit questions about football and life and the brothers offer their thoughts, and the book, out June 2, will feature some of the best and silliest answers.
The sequel to Jadzia Axelrod's young adult coming out-themed graphic novel, "Galaxy: The Prettiest Star," follows purple alien space princess Taylor Barzelay as she ponders life after high school. When an evil alien race comes to Earth in search of her, Taylor, who is also a superhero named Galaxy, must find a way to save her friends, her girlfriend and maybe the whole world.
