Here are some of the new books releasing this week!
Books for Kids
Girl Versus Squirrel – When a squirrel chases off the birds and eats the nuts she put out for them, a girl gets creative in her efforts to discourage the squirrel. This looks adorable!
Share Your Rainbow: 18 Artists Draw their Hope for the Future – 18 scenes of hope with hidden rainbows. All of the net proceeds from this book go to help World Central Kitchen.
H is for Honey Bee (August 15) – The latest from my favorite line of alphabet books. Readers can learn about all the ways we need honey bees in our world, and what they can do to help bees.
Splat the Cat and the Cat in the Moon – In this new leveled reader starring Splat the Cat, Splat and his friend Plank use a telescope to find out what the moon is made out of.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
A Place at the Table (Older Middle Grade) – Two sixth graders taking a South Asian cooking class develop a tentative friendship – and plans to create a dish to earn them a spot on a TV show – despite their different backgrounds (Pakistani-American and Jewish). I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Fighting Words (Older Middle Grade) – When the older of two sisters who have been through a considerable amount of trauma tries to commit suicide, the younger sister thinks it might be time to make some noise about what they are going through.
Lois Lane and the Friendship Challenge (Graphic Novel) – Lois is hoping to take her video channel viral this summer and create an amazing #FriendshipChallenge with her best friend. But nothing this summer is going like she planned. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Science Comics: Rocks & Minerals (Graphic Novel) – The latest Science Comics.
What Is the Story of Dracula? – The history of the character Dracula.
All Our Worst Ideas – The story of two very different teens who find each other through their jobs at a local record store.
Chasing Starlight – A society teen moves to Hollywood in 1938 and finds herself caught up in a murder at her grandfather’s mansion.
Cut Off – Four teens sign up for a virtual reality survival show, but find themselves stranded when all the safety measures fail and contact with the outside world goes down.
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything – Three years after ICE raids led to her mom’s deportation/disappearance, a space ship crashes in front of Sia’s car – and her mom is inside. That was NOT where I thought this story was going to go!
Star Daughter – When her starfire flares, Sheetal, the daughter of a star and a mortal, must go to the celestial court to find her mother, or another full star, to help heal her father. But her trip to the court places her in a competition she will have to win if she ever wants to return to Earth.
Books for Adults
Behind the Frame (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Shepherd Sisters Mystery series after the terrific Out of the Picture (♥♥♥♥½). This time, Savanna is planning an Art in the Park event when someone from her planning committee is murdered. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Booked for Death (Hardcover) – The first book in a new Booklover’s B&B Mystery series from the author of the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. Charlotte has spent the last year learning to run the B&B she inherited from her great-aunt, but none of her preparations have prepared her for a murder on the property – or for being the prime suspect. This sounds terrific!
Cold to the Bone (Hardcover) – Book 1 in the Nicole Cobain Mystery series. Montana sheriff Nicole Cobain has her hands full with the murder of a young girl in her county. She certainly does not need her ex – with criminal connections – in town, much less as a suspect in the death.
Eighty Days to Elsewhere (Trade Paperback) – Book 1 in the Ex Libris Adventure series. ExLibris Expeditions plans trips to recreate literary adventures, and Romy applies for a job there to earn some money to help her uncles protect their bookshop. She’s given an internship assignment – plan a trip to mimic Around the World in 80 Days for a client. And her competition for the task – and the job – is the nephew of the man making trouble for the bookshop.
Key Lime Crime (Hardcover) – Book 10 in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series. Hayley is on the scene to report on a pie contest in Key West during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. With her abrasive mother-in-law in town, she doesn’t need to stumble over a dead body while they are out sight-seeing.
Kiss My Cupcake (Trade Paperback) – When neighboring businesses, a cupcake-and-cocktails shop and a sports bar, open on the same day, hi-jinks ensue as the two business owners try to one up one another to gain customers. This sounds so fun!
Mums and Mayhem (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the Magic Garden Mystery series from Amanda Flower. This time Fiona is regretting her agreement to help with a concert when the star is found dead, and his murder seems linked to her father.
No Offense (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Little Bridge Island series by Meg Cabot. The children’s librarian in Little Bridge and the sheriff have a difference of opinion when it comes to whether the person who left a newborn in the library bathroom is a criminal.
Paw and Order (Trade Paperback) – Book 4 in the Dog Club Mystery series. When a billionaire is killed, Lilly ends up fostering his poodle, but when someone tries to steal the dog, Lilly thinks it might have something to do with the murder. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Peachy Scream (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Georgia B&B Mystery series. When Nina hosts a Shakespearean troupe at her B&B she is surprised to find their leader is her nemesis, the man who thinks her home should have been his. But when one of the troupe is murdered, she’ll need the help of her old rival to find the truth. (At the time of this writing, you can get the e-book of the first book, Peach Clobbered, for $2.99.)
Plotted for Murder (e-book) – Book 4 in the St. Marin’s Cozy Mystery series. Harvey is pulled into a new mystery when her old running coach is murdered.
Shadow Commission (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Dark Arts alternate history series. This time, it’s 1963 and the mages are hunting down the ones who orchestrated the Kennedy assassination as well as investigating a series of murders of magicians. I have this series on my wish list.
Star Trek: More Beautiful Than Death (Trade Paperback) – A new novel set in the Kelvin timeline. The Enterprise is hosting Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan on a mission to a planet that appears under attack from demons. And someone in the ambassador’s entourage seems inclined to kill Spock.
To Love a Prince (e-book) – First in the new True Blue Royal series from Rachel Hauck. Daffy grew up around the royal family, but everything changed when she stumbled on a royal secret. Eighteen years later she comes across her former best friend, Prince Augustus. Gus has been dumped by two fiancées, so he’s hiding away from royal life. When he runs into Daffy, she convinces him his country needs him. This is at the top of my list for this week.
Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (Hardcover) – The authors assert there are four major threats to American democracy: political polarization, racism and nativism, economic inequality, and excessive executive power. These are the factors – alone or in some combination – that have threatened the country in the past. And in the present, we have all four at play at once. This sounds fascinating for both history lovers and those watching the current political landscape.