Happy Memorial Day! As you rest with your family and remember those who fought for our freedom, take a look at some of the books releasing this week. ‘Tis the season for kicking off some summer reading!
Books for Kids
Spy Dad (June 1) – A girl longs for her spy dad to take a real vacation. This looks like a fun read!
Z Goes First – Fed up with being at the end of the alphabet, Z and Y try to move to the front. I love alphabet books that flip the usual narrative on its head. Sign me up for this one!
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Annie’s Life in Lists – A girl who loves making lists tries to find her way in a new town and new school. This is my favorite sort of middle grade story. This is on my list for this week.
Confusion Is Nothing New – From the author of I Kill the Mockingbird (an all time favorite for me), Paul Acampora, comes this story of a girl who learns the mother she never knew has died. This is top of my list just because of who wrote it, but I am eager to dig into the story, too.
Float – From the author of Edge of Extinction (an area author for my local readers) comes a new book about a group of boys at a summer camp for kids with special abilities. I am so excited about this one. I am hoping my local bookstore will have her in for a signing this summer!
From You to Me – A teen find’s her dead sister’s bucket list and hopes that completing the list might help her with her grief. Yep, I will totally be reading this one.
Front Desk – A girl holding a lot of secrets, including the dream of being a writer, hopes to make it through the year keeping the biggest secrets from the owner of the motel where her family lives and works. There’s an immigration angle to this story that intrigues me. Early reviews have been very positive.
Grump: The (Fairly) True Story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves – The fourth book in the Fairly True series. I adored book one, Rump. Fractured Fairy Tale loves like me should check this one out.
Most Valuable Players – Book 4 in the Rip and Red series. I reviewed book 2 in the series here. I love this series about friendship and basketball. The teacher in the book is extraordinary, and I love the autism angle in the stories as well. This is a must read for me since I have enjoyed the rest of the series.
Postcards from Venice – The latest book from the Mix line tells the story of a girl who gets to spend the summer in Italy and blog about the city of Venice. I love the whole idea of this book – the setting, the writing, all of it.
The Sphinx’s Secret – Book 2 in the Supernormal Sleuthing Service by the spectacular Gwenda Bond. This is about a kid living in a hotel for supernatural creatures. Look at that cover! This book just begs to be pulled from the shelf and read! I have to get book one asap.
Two Dogs in a Trench Coat – When two dogs notice their owner coming home from school smelling of anxiety, they have to find a way to sneak into school and check on their boy. Oh my goodness, I am so excited to read this book!
All the Little Lights – Two kids, separated by circumstances, reconnect as teens, but there is too much history between them to go back to the way they were. When one of them is suspected of causing a local tragedy, can their fragile relationship survive? Interesting premise. I’m curious to see what pulled these two apart and what threatens to pull them apart again.
Cross Fire – Book 2 in the Exo series about a future Earth that is a colony for an alien race. I have wanted to read book one since it first released.
The Disappearance of Sloan Sullivan – A thriller based around the Witness Protection Program. Sounds fascinating and mysterious.
Holly Jolly Summer – Daughter of the mayor of Christmas, Kentucky is having a summer that makes her Scroogey until she finds herself in the middle of a project to repackage the town’s failing amusement park. This sounds like the perfect Christmas in July read for summer. This is on my list!
Legendary – Book 2 in the Caraval series about a mysterious game with high stakes. I would have to read the first book to ever have a hope of understanding this second one, but for fans of book one, this will be big.
Listen to Your Heart – A reluctant girl finds herself hosting an advice podcast, but her personal feelings for one of her callers starts to impact her advice. This sounds like another perfect read for summer.
Books for Adults
Bear Witness to Murder – Book 2 in the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery series. Yes, that’s really its name. A murder at the “Oktobear” Fest could ruin both the annual event and the woman who manages the Silver Bear Shop and Factory. If for no other reason than the title of this series, I must check out book one. (Trade paperback*)
Confessions of a Red Herring – First in a new series (Mass Market paperback*). As the new employee at the PR firm, a former journalist is the top suspect when the CEO is killed. She’ll have to use her journalism skills to find the real killer. I’m very excited to read this one. I’ll be reviewing it later this summer.
Crime & Punctuation – First in a new Deadly Edits mystery series (Hardcover*) about a freelance editor whose latest author turns up dead after writing a gripping “ripped from the headlines” mystery from the little town where she lives. I am so excited about this one, too! This is another book I’ll be reviewing later this summer.
The Diva Cooks Up a Storm – First in a new Domestic Diva series (Hardcover*). An event planner finally gets the chance to join her fellow foodies at an event where she isn’t in charge, but a murder ruins the event. I can’t pass up the first book in a new series, but since this is releasing in hardcover, it’s going on my library list.
Ella – Second in this series of classic fairy tales retold as Amish romances. I adored the first book in the series, Belle, and I’ll be reviewing that one and this one later this week.
Grounds for Remorse – Book 2 in the Tallie Graver Mystery series (Mass Market*). A woman who tried everything to leave the family funeral business behind her stumbles across a body in her new line of work in book one. In this book, her best friend is the top suspect in a murder. I read another funeral home family business mystery earlier this year, but I haven’t tried this one. I am adding book one to my list.
Murder with Cinnamon Scones – Book 2 in the Daisy’s Tea Garden mystery series (Mass Market*) centered around a tea shop/catering business. This series looks cute. I’ve read some of the author’s other books and enjoyed them.
Star Trek Prometheus: The Root of All Rage – The Federation flagship races to stop a war brewing between a group of fanatics and the Klingon Empire. I love a good Klingon story, so this has to go on my list.
Shelter in Place – A thriller centered around a mass shooting at a local mall. I don’t read a lot of Nora Roberts, but the description of this one – the impact of the event on different folks who were part of it, the mysterious co-conspirator – makes it a must read for me. (Hardcover*)
Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot – First in a new series (Trade Paperback) about a pediatrician, which is unusual for cozy mysteries. In this book, the doctor agrees to watch the kids of an old friend for the weekend, but the woman is murdered. Sounds like a fascinating mystery.
Living with the Monks: What Turning Off My Phone Taught Me About Happiness, Gratitude and Focus – An entrepreneur, entertainer and best-selling author who only moves at full speed takes a self-imposed time out at a monastery. I enjoy memoirs like this where the author tries something out of their comfort zone and tells readers about the experience. I have this one on my list along with his first book, Living with a SEAL.
*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.