It’s the last week of January – how did we get here so quickly?! Here are some of the books releasing this week:
Books for Kids
Hard Work, But It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter – Picture book biography of the 39th President.
Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became the Bookmobile Ballerina – The true story of Sylvia Townsend who fell in love with the ballet when she saw Swan Lake on TV. There weren’t dance schools that would take her in the 1950s, but a local librarian on the bookmobile helped her find books where she could teach herself the basics. This sounds amazing!
Saving the Countryside: The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit – The story of how Beatrix Potter used the money from her writing to protect the countryside that inspired her books.
Minnie Tales – Five Level 1 stories starring Minnie Mouse.
Sea Sheep – Pre-Level 1 reader about some silly swimming sheep.
The Amazing Adventures of Batman: The Terrible Twos! (February 1) – Batman and his cousin Batwoman team up against Two-Face.
DC Super Hero Adventures: Batman and the Ultimate Riddle, Justice League and the False Destiny, Superman and the Apokolips Attack, AND Wonder Woman and the Pandora Plot (February 1) – Various DC Comics hero stories in early chapter book format.
Zach & Zoe Mysteries: The Hall of Fame Heist – Book 7 in the Zach and Zoe Mystery series. Something goes missing from the Baseball Hall of Fame while the kids are there for a field trip.
You Can Do It Yasmin! – Four stories starring Yasmin.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Confessions of a Dork Lord – The son of the Dark Lord is stuck in remedial classes in Middle Ages School where the bullies call him “dork lord.”
Slamdown Town – The two sons of a wrestling legend long to follow in their mother’s footsteps. But the younger son is built more like his dad, and his dreams of winning wrestling glory for his mom’s sake seem out of reach. But when his big brother forces him to chew the gum of an old wrestler, Ollie discovers it will transform him into a brawny wrestler. This sound so fun!
Starfell: Willow Moss and the Lost Day – While Willow’s magic has always seemed small and insignificant in her family, she’s the one the most feared witch in Starfell seeks out. Willow finds lost things – and last Tuesday is missing. This sounds amazing!
The Story Seeker: A New York Public Library Book – Book 2 in the Story Collector series. A twelve-year-old girl who lives in the New York Public Library and dreams of being a reporter wants to enter a writing contest. But a case of writer’s block and several distracting issues at the library threaten to derail her.
That’s What Friends Do – A friend dynamic changes dramatically when a comfortable pair pick up a third. While the new kid’s behavior towards Samantha makes her uncomfortable, David only sees it as confident flirting which makes him want to make his own move since he has developed feelings for Sammie. Soon things go wrong, and the kids are left trying to figure out where to go from here. There’s an emphasis here on consent and boundaries that make me wonder if this is something along the lines of Maybe He Just Likes You. Important conversations for kids these days!
When You Trap a Tiger – When a Korean girl’s grandmother falls sick, a magical tiger approaches her with a deal – return what her grandmother took from the tiger in exchange for her grandmother’s health. But deals with tigers are rarely what they seem to be on the surface.
Blood Countess – YA horror story about a girl who starts out as a maid, but is elevated to a paid position for the Blood Countess. While she falls under the Countess’s influence, she doesn’t notice that she has become a prisoner. When people start to die, she has to wonder if she might be next.
A Castle in the Clouds – A hotel intern finds herself in the middle of a mystery when the aging hotel where she works plays host to a New Year’s Eve ball.
Don’t Read the Comments – Two teens meet through the game Reclaiming the Sun. Divya is a rising star who goes by the name D1V. She uses her sponsorships to pay for everyday living expenses for her and her mom. Aaron is already writing games for a local developer even though his mom would rather he become a doctor like her. When trolls start to invade Reclaiming the Sun, and then take their trouble to the real world, doxxing and threatening gamers, Divya decides she is not going down without a fight.
Hostile Territory – Four teen campers are stranded in the Alaskan wilderness when an earth quake destroys their base camp. As they take inventory of their supplies and options, there are signs that this natural disaster has maybe launched a political one. The America they are trying to return to may not be the same one they left.
How to Build a Heart – After years of frequent moves and losses, Izzy’s family has a real chance to find some permanence. They have qualified for a Habitat for Humanity home in their new community. While Izzy has kept her scholarship status a secret from the kids at school and her boyfriend, those secrets are about to come out and unravel everything that was finally coming together for her family.
Almost American Girl (Graphic Novel Memoir) – A Korean girl finds herself in a life she never expected when a vacation to Alabama becomes a permanent move as her mother gets married. Struggling in a foreign culture where she doesn’t know her new “family” or the language, a comics drawing class could be the one thing that redeems all the struggles she has been facing.
Books for Adults
Book of Candlelight (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society mystery series. When a local Cherokee artisan is found dead, Nora and the sheriff don’t think it was accidental. So the Secret, Book, and Scone Society start investigating.
Buried to the Brim (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 6 in Jenn McKinlay’s Hat Shop Mystery series. When murder strikes at the annual dog show, Scarlett and Vivian go “undercover” to investigate and protect a friend who is the prime suspect. I have been itching to start this series for awhile now!
Claw Enforcement (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 7 in the Second Chance Cat Mystery series. Sarah and her friends are investigating again when someone dies at an event to celebrate a redevelopment project at the harbor.
Death Comes to the Nursery (Hardcover) – Book 7 in the Kurland St Mary Mystery series. Lucy is looking to expand her nursery staff when she discovers she is pregnant again. She agrees to hire her current nurse’s cousin, Polly. But Polly’s presence provokes a slew of trouble, including her eventual death. Lucy and Robert suspect foul play.
Field Guide to Homicide (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 6 in the Cat Latimer Mystery series. On a writer’s retreat hike, Cat’s retreat group stumbles across a body. Her boyfriend Seth recognizes the man, but he thought the man had already died.
A Girls’ Guide to the Outback (Trade Paperback) – A struggling youth pastor leaves ministry and returns home to Australia to help his sister with her dairy farm. When his ministry nemesis tries to coax him back, he makes her a deal – she comes out to Australia to apply her start-up expertise to the farm and he will reconsider his future with the church.
Headliners (Mass Market Paperback) – Two rival TV hosts are thrown together to lead a failing morning show. As if their interpersonal issues weren’t problematic enough, someone is trying to sabotage the show.
Highfire (Hardcover) – Vern, the last dragon alive, is hiding out in the swamps of Louisiana, drowning his sorrows in vodka. A kid called Squib sees a crooked cop kill his boss. He’s about to be eliminated himself when Vern rescues him. So the two strike a deal – Vern protects Squib from the guy who wants to kill him and Squib will be his runner and interface with the human world. But the cop is determined to silence Squib permanently. This sounds AMAZING!
Journaled to Death (Hardcover) – First in a new series. A woman and her teenage daughter who create journaling content on their social media channels hear a noise in the house and find their renter dead. Now they are the prime suspects for his murder.
Lipstick and Lies (e-book) – Book 2 in the Murder in Style series. When her neighbor – an attractive firefighter – is found standing over the dead body of his ex, Jenna can’t help but start investigating when it seems obvious he’s been set up. At the time of this writing, this is available to read for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
Marriage, Merlot & Murder (e-book) – Book 4 in the Wine and Dine Mysteries series. Emmy is thrilled to be hosting the first wedding at her family’s vineyard. But when the groom is killed moments before the ceremony, all of her perfect plans disappear as her business becomes a crime scene. This series sounds terrific!
Marriage on Madison Avenue (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the fantastic Central Park Pact series. Audrey and Clarke have been best friends since childhood. And best friends will generally do anything for one another – even agree to a fake engagement to keep Clarke’s matchmaking mother off his back. But their fake relationship starts to heat up in very real ways as the fake wedding date approaches. I have been waiting for this book for months! It’s the top book for my wish list this month.
Mortal Music (Trade Paperback) – Book 7 in the Silver Rush Mysteries series. Inez agrees to be an accompanist for opera diva Theia Drake as a way to help out her struggling music store, but it quickly becomes apparent that someone wants Theia dead.
Parable of the Sower Graphic Novel Adaptation (Hardcover) – Octavia Butler’s famous Parable of the Sower is now in graphic novel format.
Playing the Devil (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Bridge to Death Mystery series. Investigative reporter and bridge player Wendy Winchester is investigating a murder once again when the husband of one of her new bridge club members is found dead.
The Romeo Effect (e-book) – Cupids, book 3. (This sounds like the movie Hitch.) Seth Harding engineers meet-cutes for a living, helping people find love. But when a failed match brings out some sparks between Seth and the matchee, can they find true love when he specializes in fake starts?
Shall We Dance (Trade Paperback) – A cop loses a bet with his buddies and has to take dance lessons. Then he meets the beautiful studio owner who just discovered she has two sisters and invited them into her home and into her life. Could two people with plenty of life changes and obstacles to overcome find love?
Statue of Limitations (Mass Market Paperback) – First in a new series by Kate Collins – the Goddess of Greene St. Mystery series. A woman moves home after her divorce to raise her son and help her family out at their garden center. But there’s a dispute over a valuable statue her grandfather picked up at an estate sale – and a powerful family connected to the statue wants to bulldoze the whole area around the garden center to build condos. I love that Kate Collins has a new series launching, and that it is launching in mass market paperback format. This will be a definite purchase for me.
Then, Now, Always (Mass Market Paperback) – When her teenage daughter Samantha runs into legal trouble for something she didn’t do, Maya can’t think of anyone else to go to but her ex, Samantha’s father. Only, he doesn’t know he has a daughter. I will be picking this one up too! I love stories like this.
View to a Kilt (Hardcover) – Book 13 in the Liss MacCrimmon Mystery series. As the snow thaws, Liss’ husband finds a body on their property. Not only has the man been murdered, but he turns out to be Liss’ uncle – a man everyone thought died in Vietnam.
A Century of Votes for Women: American Elections Since Suffrage (Paperback – January 30) – A look at women voters in American politics over the last 100 years.
From Lost to Found: Giving Up What You Think You Want for What Will Set You Free (Trade Paperback) – The author shares her personal journey while also helping readers identify what they fear losing and how to find the freedom God wants to provide for them.
Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts (Hardcover) – The latest book from IF: Gathering founder Jennie Allen is an exploration and solution for toxic thinking. There will be a Bible study of Philippians to go with this which releases this spring. I am so excited to attend her tour for this book later this year. It’s going to be amazing.
Harry Potter Knitting Magic (Hardcover) – Includes official patterns for 25 items including house scarves and Mrs. Weasley’s Christmas sweaters.
Me and White Supremacy (Hardcover) – A 28-day workbook for self-examination to discover and root out white supremacy. I will be reviewing this later this week – I got to read an early copy – and I’ll be spending February (Black History month) doing the daily reading and writing work.
The Smoke Shop’s Backyard BBQ: Eat, Drink and Party like a Pitmaster (Hardcover) – January isn’t a great time to talk about grilling, at least not in the parts of the world experiencing winter, but the recipes in here sound amazing, and I’m sure there are suggestions and dishes you can enjoy year round.