Every year, for a handful of summers now, Memorial Day weekend signals the arrival of our "blue" table. Read on for a virtual tour and swing by this weekend to see it in all it's glory!

The Other Black Girl promises to be *the* book of Summer 2021. Due out on Tuesday, I read an advance copy when the weather was still a mixture of dreadful sleet/rain/snow, COVID vaccines remained out of reach, and we'd been stuck in our homes for close to a year. I needed an engaging, fast-paced read. I also wanted something that didn't breeze in and out of my brain without leaving some sort of an impression. Not only did The Other Black Girl not disappoint, it surprised, it thrilled, and kept me up well into the night. This is a must-read book.

I could have sworn that I'd already written about our next pick The Cactus League in this space but according to my trusty log (which I keep to account for my not-so-trusty brain) it has thus far escaped a Friday Five mention. Not a bad thing because it's the perfect book to celebrate the unofficial start of summer. The author is former Paris Review Editor Emily Nemens and the story follows baseball spring training in the Arizona desert. Protagonist Jason Goodyear is a star outfielder who, despite proudly wearing the outward appearance of having it all, is imploding at an alarming pace. This character-driven novel offers a gritty look at the underbelly of America's favorite pastime.

Taylor Jenkins Reid of Daisy Jones and the Six fame is back, this time with a book made for summer escape. Malibu Rising is a page-turner, revealing secrets about a revered Malibu family during an annual end-of-summer bash. This book has all the ingredients for a perfect summer read: beach + bad behavior + long simmering secrets + decadent summer party scenes. Reserve your copy now because this book will fly.

In search of a mystery to take along on your late Spring/early Summer adventures? Who Is Vera Kelly? is a new kind of spy novel whose protagonist is a still-in-the-closet lesbian working at a radio station in 1962 Greenwich Village. A recruiter from the CIA takes note of her quick thinking and valuable technical skills and soon Vera finds herself in Argentina, launched on an adventure she never considered in her wildest dreams. The good news if you like this book? There's a equally compelling sequel, arguably even better than the first.

Finally, while the weather forecast may put a slight damper on an inaugural swim this weekend, perhaps picking up a copy of journalist Bonnie Tsui's Why We Swim will help assuage any frustration with the forecast. Tsui's parents met at a swimming pool in Hong Kong and encouraged their daughter in a decade-long competitive swimming career. The book explores our deep love for the water and moving one's body through it. Tsui dives in deep to the pleasurable aspects of our love affair with water, peppering the exploration with compelling profiles while trotting around the globe.

We are *thrilled* to welcome Ruthie Miller, a sophomore at Darien High School and passionate reader who kindly agreed to share some thoughts about what she's currently reading and loving. Like her picks? Let us know!