Summer Reading List

We love a glimpse into our favorite creatives' minds, and there's no better place to start than their nightstand stack. So we asked a few friends of Fenimore Lane — designers, founders, creators — what they're reading this summer.

The Complete Reading List

The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence by Sebastian Mallaby
In a World of Sunrises by Cleo Wade
The Renoir Girls by Catherine Ostler
Famesick by Lena Dunham
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Rivals by Jilly Cooper
Pandora by Jilly Cooper
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Ariel Okin / @arielokin

"I have book ADD and switch between a few at the same time," Ariel Okin admits.

At the moment, she's making her way through The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence, calling it "a fascinating deep dive into the origins of AI." Before bed, she reaches for something a bit gentler: Cleo Wade's In a World of Sunrises, which she describes as "really cozy and relaxing…365 pages of individual wisdom and short meditations and mantras."

Next on her list is The Renoir Girls by Catherine Ostler, ordered on the recommendation of Plum Sykes. "I love history and non-fiction in general," she says. She also recently finished Lena Dunham's Famesick. "Of course it was excellent! (We love Lena <3)."

Alexander Widener / @alexander_widener

For Decorator and Collector Alexander Widener, Ina Garten's Be Ready When the Luck Happens arrived at exactly the right time.

"I read this book when I was preparing to take a leap of faith, quit my job, and move to Maine to open my shop (coincidently at age thirty, the same age Ina was when she made a similar leap). Ina's story of entrepreneurship and finding herself really resonated with me and gave me a little bit of courage when I needed it most."

Proof that Ina's wisdom extends well beyond roast chicken.

Nan Philip / @nan.philip

Creator and Podcaster Nan Philip's pick is Ann Patchett's Tom Lake, the bestselling novel that's become a modern classic for good reason. Set against the backdrop of a Michigan cherry orchard, it's an elegant meditation on love, family, memory, and the stories we tell about our lives.

Louise Roe / @louiseroe

If your summer reading mood leans more escapism than self-improvement, Louise Roe, Founder of Sharland England, has two excellent recommendations.

"Are you watching Rivals? Such a fantastic adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel, set in the mid-'80s in the English countryside. It's a romp—full of polo, affairs, scotch and amazing '80s fashion!"

She's also planning to revisit another Cooper favorite.

"Pandora is one I'm going to re-read this summer. It's easy, entertaining and pure nostalgic escapism set in the '80s art world."

We're adding both to our beach bag.

Annie Meyers-Shyer / @thisoakhouse

Another vote for Lena Dunham's Famesick. Annie Meyers-Shyer, design mastermind behind our favorite IG account This Oak House, names the much-talked-about novel as her current must-read, cementing its place as one of the books of the summer.

Elizabeth Lawrence / @elizabeth_m_lawrence

Elizabeth Lawrence, Partner at Interior Design firm Williams Lawrence, recommends Theo of Golden, Allen Levi's thoughtful novel about community, craftsmanship, and the unexpected relationships that shape a life.

Rebecca Gardner / @housesandparties

Rebecca Gardner, Founder and Creative Director of Houses & Parties, is currently rereading Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown.