Ali Larter Is Reading This Just-Released Comfort Book & It's The Perfect Summer Pick
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Ali Larter has apparently been following the summer book news. On June 25, the "Landman" star posted to her Instagram stories a snapshot of herself lounging on the beach, a copy of Ann Patchett's "Whistler" lying open against her chest. "Whistler" was only released a few weeks ago on June 2, so Larter must have snapped up her hardback nearly the moment that it went on sale.
The actor's got good taste, too. Patchett's story of a woman reconnecting with her former stepfather more than 40 years after the fateful car accident that bonded them together is the perfect nostalgia read for summer. With an average Goodreads review score of 4.5, as well as a spot on the app's list of its readers' most anticipated books of the summer, and rave reviews from critics, the book's credentials are unassailable. It's an especially good book club pick, having been selected by Katie Couric's and Good Housekeeping's clubs and even by Women on our list of June 2026 new releases you'll want to pick up for your book club.
Ann Patchett is a summer read sensation
Ann Patchett is surely accustomed to the sight of her novels in the hands of swimsuited celebrities at this point. Starting with 2007's "Run," about a white politician's relationship with his adopted Black children, she's reliably dropped a new release every few years between May and September. In 2011, "State of Wonder" told the story of a pharmacologist sent into the Amazon in search of a miracle drug, which was followed by 2016's "Commonwealth," a lifetime-spanning account of the destruction and rebuilding of two families and the book written about their story that threatens to tear them apart all over again. In 2019, "The Dutch House," about the bond between a brother and sister cut off by their wealthy parents, littered September coffee tables and Kindle libraries.
It was 2023's "Tom Lake," however, that made the biggest splash. After earning a starred review from Kirkus, it debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 38,000 copies in its first week alone. Its success wasn't short-lived, either; it went on to become one of the most-borrowed books of 2024, according to data from America's public libraries. "Whistler" promises to be just as iconic a book of the summer, which Patchett seems poised to keep producing as long as she likes.