By Erica and Karen

It is a long holiday weekend. Maybe you are sitting by a pool, or on a deck, or in a park, soaking up the last rays of summer? The perfect time to read. Here are a few books we think would grab your interest:

1. Trust, by Hernan Diaz. A fascinating portrait, from several perspectives, of a financier and his family. Fiction, drawing from many learned, and real, sources. Beautifully written.

2. The Right Mistake: The Further Philosophical Investigations of Socrates Fortlow, by Walter Mosley. Socrates is a cool fellow with many questions about life, love and the pursuit of everything. Walter Mosley’s books, including this, are favorites.

3. The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont. Agatha Christie really did disappear for several days, and never said where she went. This novel investigates one possibility. A beguiling story.

4. Einstein’s War, by Matthew Stanley. Einstein was developing his relativity theory as WWI was brewing. The intertwined stories of the scientific front lines, nationalism in Germany, and Einstein’s remarkable love life are told in lively prose, and as a bonus you will come away understanding relativity.

5. Red Roulette: An Insider’s Story of Wealth, Power Corruption and Vengeance In Today’s China, by Desmond Shum. A riveting memoir describing the rise and fall of two elite Chinese insiders.

6. The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life, by David Quammen. We all know genes can be transferred vertically, to offspring. But it turns out they can be transferred horizontally, too. What does that mean, fundamentally, for who and what we are—or could be? This well-written book will surely intrigue you.

7. Fearless: Harriet Quimby A Life Without Limit, by Don Dahler. Who is Harriet Quimby? She is the holder of American pilot license number 37. And so much more. A captivating read.

Do tell us what you are reading.