“The deep sea is a haunted house: a place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness.” Julia Armfield’s Our Wives Under the Sea is a strange, tender novel about love, isolation, and the mysteries that can exist between two people. Blending literary fiction, romance, and quiet horror, the book offers an ideal summer read for anyone who wants something immersive and unsettling rather than light and predictable. Its ocean setting creates a cool, shadowy

“The realm will never accept a queen who asks permission.” Premiering on HBO on June 21, 2026, the third season of House of the Dragon continues the fiery, tragic history of Westeros. The eight-episode season airs weekly on HBO and HBO Max, with the finale scheduled for August 9. Adapted from George R. R. Martin’s fictional history Fire & Blood and produced by HBO with showrunner Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon takes viewers back into the violent, dragon-filled past of Wes

Published in 2000, Anthony Bourdain’s breakout memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly upended the world of fine dining. The memoir revealed the furtive trade secrets that keep the industry running, from the unseen labor of primarily Hispanic line cooks that execute the famed top-chef recipes, to the prolific substance abuse of those working behind the swinging kitchen doors. Through these first lazy weeks of summer, I found myself immersed in the w