Welcome to another week of new books! It’s stunning to think of the sheer volume of books releasing each month, on top of the ones already out in the world. Sometimes it can get overwhelming, but I just can’t squelch the excitement of new stories being discovered week after week. Here are some of the books releasing this week:
Books for Kids
Don’t Eat That – A bear is trying to find just the right snack to quiet his rumbling tummy. This looks adorable.
Fruit Bowl – Tomato wants to join the rest of the fruits in the fruit bowl. This is the picture book I am most excited about this week – and there are a lot of fantastic picture books on the list!
Play – Little Bobo is supposed to be getting ready for bed, but he would rather play with the other animals. We read Hug to my son when he was little along with the Teddy and Freddy books, and they became family favorites. I’m looking forward to seeing this latest book in person.
Pretty Kitty – A counting book about a man who finds a kitty on his doorstep. Then there are two kitties. So excited about this one.
Stegothesaurus – From the author of Mustache Baby and Mustache Baby Meets His Match comes a new book about a dinosaur who loves words. Yes, please!
Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain – A picture book biography of an 18th century mathematician who overcame many obstacles to do the work that she loved. Sounds fantastic! I adore picture book biographies, especially of people I’ve not heard of before.
Silverlake Art Show – Book 13 in the Adventures of Sophie Mouse series for kids ready for chapter books. I loved this series so much, I put the books into the school library, and my students loved them too. This time Sophie decides to host an art show. If I was still teaching, this would already be in my Amazon cart for school books.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
The Legend of Greg: An Epic Series of Failures – A boy who loves being ordinary discovers he is anything but when he finds out he is a Dwarf. He is whisked away to the underground land of Dwarves (under Chicago) and discovers a history of his kind filled with failures. But all of that may be about to change. This looks like just the sort of fantasy book I adore. I’ll be looking for this one!
The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair – A girl and her family move to Iowa hoping the familiar surroundings will aid her mother in getting her memories back. This was lovely and heartbreaking. I’ll be reviewing this one later this summer.
The Wizard’s Dog Fetches the Grail – Book 2 in the Wizard’s Dog series which has been compared to the delightful Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. In this book, Nosewise the dog, his pack, his Wizard, Merlin, and others are on the hunt for the Holy Grail. I have book one in this series on my library list because this looks fantastic!
Science Comics – Rockets: Defying Gravity – The latest science-based graphic novel in this series focuses on Rockets
All That I Can Fix – A young man from the family that everyone in town talks about shares his story of family, friends and the exotic zoo animals that have been set loose in his town. I’m curious to see how this one plays out.
Books for Adults
The Body in the Ballroom – Book 2 in the Alice Roosevelt Mysteries. Alice Roosevelt was the wild child offspring of Teddy Roosevelt. I have loved reading about her in historical references, but I haven’t yet tried this mystery series starring Alice. Book one is on my list. (Hardcover*)
Death and a Pot of Chowder – A woman discovers a sister she never knew before and the two team up to look into a murder. I love this idea of these two strangers getting to know one another while trying to find justice for someone’s murder. This is on my library list. (Hardcover*)
The Love Letter – From the author of the fantastic The Writing Desk comes another story told from two perspectives in different time periods. In this book, one perspective is from an actress in a contemporary movie based on an old love letter. The other perspective is from the Revolutionary War. I’ll be reviewing this one in a couple weeks. (Trade paperback*)
The Spook in the Stacks – Book 4 in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. This book is about a Halloween homicide and a set of rare historical documents. I haven’t tried this series yet, but I have book one on my TBR shelves. (Hardcover*)
A Study in Treason – Book 2 in the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series. I enjoyed book one, so book 2 is definitely on my wish list! The focus this time is on a missing treaty between England and France. (Hardcover*)
Switch and Bait – A woman running an online dating service for the most eligible bachelorettes in Washington DC swears off love for herself. In fact, she is so confident in her singleness, she’ll match a client with one of her own exes. This sounds like a fun romantic comedy. Sometimes I like to set the mysteries aside for a fun love story.
Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again – I have been following Rachel Held Evans on social media for awhile, and I really like her style. I might not agree with her on everything, but she is someone I am willing to listen to and consider her perspective. I am especially looking forward to her new book on the Bible. This is already in my Amazon cart!
*I’ve noticed that publishers have shifted some of their new mystery series to Trade paperback (full size paperback with a sale price around $15 or $16) or hardcover (with a sale price around $25) instead of Mass Market paperback which runs around $8. When I think of it, I’ll try to note the format so readers can plan their book budgets – and trips to the library – accordingly.