All Of It Summer Reading Challenge

All Of It with Alison Stewart | Jul 1, 2024

This summer, from June 23rd to the end of Labor Day weekend, we are challenging YOU, our listeners, to complete our second summer reading challenge. Just like in school, but for fun!

Finished the Challenge? Click here to tell us what YOU read for the Summer Reading Challenge and we’ll send you a small gift as a reward for your completion!

Participants select and read at least one book in ALL FIVE of the following categories...

  1. A classic you’ve been meaning to get to
  2. A book about or set in New York City
  3. A memoir or biography 
  4. A recent debut novel 
  5. A book published in 2025

You can download and fill out or print this PDF form to keep track of your selections!

You can also share your selections with us, and keep us updated on your summer reading progress, by tagging us in posts on Instagram, and we’ll repost you! Tag us @allofitwnyc and use the hashtag #AOISummerReadingChallenge. 

Once you’ve completed the challenge, we’ll follow up about your selections to receive a prize! 

All summer long, our host Alison Stewart will be completing the challenge along with you, so tune in to the show for some great recommendations. Plus, some special guests will be sharing their selections as well. 

And if you’re looking for some inspiration to get you started, below are some suggestions from All Of It and Get Lit producer Jordan Lauf.

Jordan's Summer Reading Recommendations

Read a Classic You’ve Been Meaning to Get To 

  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (100th anniversary) 

  • Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (100th anniversary) 

  • Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin 

  • East of Eden by John Steinbeck

A Book About or Set in NYC 

  • The Hours by Michael Cunningham

  • Playworld by Adam Ros

  • Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith 

  • The Taking of Manhattan by Russell Shorto

A Biography or Memoir

 

  • Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser 
  • Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs
  • Charles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation by Zaakir Tameez 
  • The Color of Water by James McBride 
  • How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair 
  • A Real Emergency by Joana Sokol

 A Recent Debut Novel

  • The Names by Florence Knapp 

  • Big Chief by Jon Hickey 

  • Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin

  • Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su

 A Book Published in 2025

  • King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby 

  • Katabasis by R.F. Kuang 

  • The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater 

  • Flashlight by Susan Choi

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