In the realm of deceptively simple wooden objects, the kiri-bako box, which has been produced in Japan for more than 300 years, has no equal. However, the box’s radical plainness and profoundly thoughtful construction are liable to go over the heads of Westerners, who rarely abide by the Less is more mantra. Perhaps sensing this, Ray Suzuki—son of Daiki Suzuki, who founded Engineered Garments—has re-invented the kiri-bako in the form of a lamp. The Terasu was designed in New York by Suzuki’s company, Chowa, and is made in Fukuyama, Japan, of washi paper and paulownia wood—paulownia is one of the fastest-growing hardwood trees and heals the damaged topsoil in which it grows. The metropolitan answer to a good fire, the lamp emanates a marvelously soft light you’ll find yourself gazing into for hours at a time. ($559, chowa.nyc) —Nathan King

Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling’s new novel takes the idiom “missed the memo” quite literally. Ahead of her college reunion, Jenny Green, a 35-year-old who once had endless promise, watches her career falter and her boyfriend cheat on her, again. Back on campus, she wonders where it all went so wrong. Via text, a secret college organization informs her it’s time to collect the memo: a blueprint for young women’s success in the world. Turns out concessions need to be made. Dodes, a freelance writer and journalist, and Mechling, an editor at The Guardian, deliver the perfect summer read: a novel both quick and funny. ($17.99, harpercollins.com) —Jensen Davis

Weekend Max Mara’s Pasticcino Bag has become one of the house’s mainstays, and for good reason: it comes in all sorts of colors and sizes. (Don’t sleep on the silver lamé!) It also works for daytime and evening hours alike, thanks to its removable chain shoulder strap. What’s more, the bag receives a seasonal makeover on its annual World Tour, where Max Mara releases a special collection inspired by international traditional garments. This summer, the Pasticcino heads to Kyoto after jaunts in Venice and Paris. The limited-edition pieces, which have a number engraved on their frame, are made of satin silk that has been dressed up with Jacquard-knit florals—an homage to kimonos—and have a kiss lock clasp covered with contrasting silk rope. ($865, maxmara.com) —Ashley Baker

It was around four A.M. on November 13, 2022, when University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in their off-campus residence by a mysterious perpetrator. Over the course of a nationally publicized investigation, police used civilian tips, surveillance recordings, cell-tower data, and DNA evidence to catch 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger, a Washington State University Ph.D. candidate, on December 30, 2022. (Kohberger has pleaded not guilty to the murders, and his trial is yet to take place.) New York Times journalist and AIR MAIL contributor Howard Blum has dutifully reported this story from its inception, and his new book, When the Night Comes Falling: A Requiem for the Idaho Student Murders, is the authoritative text on a saga that’s more chilling than fiction. ($30, harpercollins.com) —Jack Sullivan

High-carbon stainless-steel burrs; aerospace-grade aluminum; a double-bearing-supported drive shaft—I’m not describing the latest SpaceX innovation or an industrial power tool but the Männkitchen Pepper Cannon. The self-professed “Ferrari of pepper grinders” is matte black with a sleek, streamlined design, and it grinds pepper at a rate 10 times greater than standard pepper mills do. In addition to speed, an adjuster at the base of the cannon allows users to select the precise grind size, from cracked pepper to fine powder. Manufactured from the highest quality materials, the Pepper Cannon is perfect for professional chefs and grill dads alike. ($199.99, mannkitchen.com) —Paulina Prosnitz

The English artist Nancy Cadogan has a long and fruitful relationship with Italy. Her Lake Como family home has been her art studio of choice, where she paints evocative, figurative scenes, many of which explore concepts such as dreams, poetry, contemplation, and landscape. This summer, approximately 20 of her paintings will be exhibited in a show called “Stanza” at the historic Torre Delle Arti Bellagio, a medieval monument overlooking the lake recently relaunched as a public art space. Cadogan will be showing her new works, which not only reflect the lake’s features and colors but also respond to the writings of Mary Shelley, who spent a memorable summer in the area with her husband, the poet Percy Shelley. (bellagiolakecomo.com) —Ashley Baker