The Books All Your Friends Are Reading Now | HuffPost Life

From beach reads (hey, it's still warm!) to gripping tales, here are the juicy books you're seeing all over right now.

By

Senior Editor, HuffPost Culture + Parenting

Amazon/HuffPost

These are the books you're seeing on your friends' Instagrams right now.

Ah, reading. There is nothing quite like curling up with a great book and getting engrossed in a story. Of course, 18 months into a pandemic, and you’d be forgiven for idly scrolling through Instagram instead.

But wait! What is that vivid book jacket on your friend’s Instagram? And what’s the name of that bright blue cover you keep seeing in friends’ Stories?

From summer beach reads to fall thrillers, here are the books you’re probably seeing all over, in one place. You’re welcome.

HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Prices and availability subject to change.

"Matrix" by Lauren Groff

The author of the fantastic "Fates and Furies," Lauren Groff, is back with a new must-read novel, "Matrix."

Buy it for $17.99.

"The Love Songs of W.E.B DuBois" by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers

This book has been on nearly every must-read list since it came out about a month ago. Get it while it's hot!

Buy it for $21.38.

"Beautiful Country" by Qian Julie Wang

This just-released memoir is all over your friends' Instagrams.

Buy it for $18.65.

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"Beautiful World, Where Are You" by Sally Rooney

The author of the un-put-down-able books "Normal People" and "Conversations with Friends" has just released "Beautiful World, Where Are You."

Buy it for $16.88.

"The Other Black Girl" by Zakiya Dalila Harris

This was a summer must-read, but it's still warm out, so it counts. This low-key thriller gets better and stranger with every page.

Buy it for $13.49.

"L.A. Weather" by Maria Amparo Escandon

If it's a Reese's Book Club pick, it's bound to be good.

Buy it for $17.76.

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"Harlem Shuffle" by Colson Whitehead

This is the latest book from two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead.

Buy it for $19.90.

"The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave

Pick up this summer hit while you can still join the conversations about it.

Buy it for $12.92.

"Unbound" by Tarana Burke

It's a memoir from the founder of the Me Too movement and so much more.

Buy it for $22.99.

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Before You Go

The Best Meal Prep Cookbooks

Vegan Meal Prep: A 5-Week Plan with 125 Ready-To-Go Recipes by Robin Asbell(01 of09)

Prolific cookbook author Robin Asbell makes a good point in her introduction to this book: If you’ve ever eaten in a restaurant, you’ve eaten food that’s been prepped — it’s all been sliced, peeled, precooked and parcooked in advance, just waiting for your order to come in. Her point is that you can start eating like you’re at a restaurant every day, except you’ll be the chef in charge now. This all-vegan lineup of more than 125 recipes will be a handy reference for everyone from hesitant flexitarians to hardcore plant-based eaters. Check out lots of make-ahead items like wraps, smoothies and bowls, as well as plant-only “mac and cheese” with nutty crunch topping, tempeh banh mi and sweet potato chickpea cakes.

Get “Vegan Meal Prep: A 5-Week Plan with 125 Ready-To-Go Recipes” for $17.99. (credit:Vegan Meal Prep)

The Ultimate Meal-Prep Cookbook: One Grocery List. A Week of Meals. No Waste. by America’s Test Kitchen(02 of09)

When the venerable American’s Test Kitchen decides that a trend has enough staying power to warrant a new cookbook, then you know meal prepping is the real deal. You’ll find 25 weekly plans that promise to minimize shopping and kitchen time. Consider making fast work of vegetables and grains during what they call a weekend “power hour” or prepping bulk pantry ingredients in a “pantry power hour.” Recipes include meatballs and lemon orzo with mint and dill, teriyaki stir-fried beef with green beans, herb-poached salmon with cucumber-dill salad and sun-dried tomato and white bean soup with parmesan crisps.

Get “The Ultimate Meal-Prep Cookbook: One Grocery List. A Week of Meals. No Waste” for $17.99. (credit:America's Test Kitchen)

Baby and Toddler Meal Prep Plan: Batch Cook a Week’s Nutritious Meals in Under 2 Hours by Keda Black(03 of09)

The most visually inviting cookbook of the bunch, this book clearly has been written for stressed-out, sleep-deprived parents. The photography evokes a long, soothing Tasty video, all shot from above and all taking mise en place to new levels of organization. This cookbook thinks it all through for you, including shopping lists that have photos of each item, in case all you can manage is to bring the book to the market along with you and point. Black, a French food writer, offers up much more sophisticated choices than the strained beets of typical baby fare. This is more like “bébé” food, with recipes including baba ganoush, ratatouille, sea bream, lamb tagine and tuna niçoise.

Get “Baby and Toddler Meal Prep Plan” for $22.99. (credit:Baby and Toddler Meal Prep Plan)

The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook: No-Fuss Recipes for Nutritious, Ready-to-Go Meals by Carrie Forrest(04 of09)

If you’ve already gone ahead and bought yourself that kitchen darling known by fans just as “the IP,” then you may have quickly run out of things to do with it after that first batch of chili. This book offers a number of recipe ideas that will allow you to batch prep in advance. There are tips for getting the most from the appliance, but there are no weekly plans, shopping lists or step-by-step instructions. That makes this book a good choice for someone who is experienced at prepping but new to the world of IP, as they’re sure to appreciate the super-speedy recipes for things like cooking a whole chicken, grains and beans in record time.

Get “The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook” for $14.99. (credit:The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook)

Damn Delicious Meal Prep: 115 Easy Recipes for Low-Calorie, High-Energy Living by Chungah Rhee(05 of09)

The woman behind the Damn Delicious blog found that meal prepping helped her get healthier, save time and lose weight — all while enjoying foods like pumpkin doughnuts, burrito bowls, breakfast croissant sandwiches and Mason jar lasagna. She offers up shopping lists and brief meal plans around the themes of kale, rainbow veggies, Mexican and Asian, and she swears by the way the built-in portion control of prepped meals can make it easier to eat more nutritiously. She also suggests getting friends in on your new meal planning commitment by setting up regular Sunday prep sessions as a group activity (she mentions mimosas).

Get “Damn Delicious Meal Prep” for $23.70. (credit:Damn Delicious Meal Prep)

The Visual Guide to Easy Meal Prep: Save Time and Eat Healthy with over 75 Recipes by Erin Romeo(06 of09)

Sharp may be the Meal Prep Queen, but Erin Romeo is known as @foodprepprincess on Instagram, so let the royal prep-jousting commence. This book offers up four different menu plans to follow: low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian and dairy-free. Recipes include chicken and bacon club wraps, falafel bowls and fish tacos. She touts meal planning as a way to regain hours in your day, eliminate the need to multitask as you prepare meals and to be more present with the people around you.

Get “The Visual Guide to Easy Meal Prep” for $7.26. (credit:The Visual Guide To Easy Meal Prep)

The Everything Plant-Based Meal Prep Cookbook by Diane K. Smith(07 of09)

This book promises to help you create a plant-based diet that fills all your nutritional needs, with ways to mix and match ingredients so that food waste is reduced. There’s a two-week meal plan that includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snack and desserts, and recipes include black bean meatloaf, sheet pan ratatouille with creamy polenta, jackfruit enchiladas with green sauce and avocado brownies.

Get “The Everything Plant-Based Meal Prep Cookbook” for $18.79. (credit:The Everything Plant-Based Meal Prep Cookbook)

Meal Prep In An Instant by Becca Ludlum(08 of09)

Beautifully designed and loaded with tons of helpful photos, this book would be a great first-step choice for someone with an Instant Pot, a desire to prep meals and the need for some gentle hand-holding. Written by the creator of the My Crazy Good Life blog, this informative book includes seven weekly meal plans, each with four primary recipes, three alternate recipes and one dessert. There are quick swaps for dairy-free and vegetarian options, too. Recipes include IP takes on carne asada street taco bowls, easy lava cake bites, southwest egg roll in a bowl and spicy white chicken chili.

Get Meal Prep In An Instant” for $9.79. (credit:Meal Prep In An Instant)

Plant-Based Meal Prep: Simple, Make-ahead Recipes for Vegan, Gluten-free, Comfort Food by Stephanie Tornatore and Adam Bannon(09 of09)

The wife-and-husband duo behind this book have a YouTube channel devoted to plant-based eating and meal prep, and they bring that experience to bear in this colorful, well-designed book. Not only are all the recipes vegan, they’re also gluten-free. There are options for soy-free, grain-free and nut-free variations throughout. Recipes include loaded baked potatoes, yellow fried rice, creamy pasta with broccoli, fettuccine alfredo and raw healing pesto.

Get “Plant-Based Meal Prep” for $16.84. (credit:Plant-Based Meal Prep)

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