Category: Book News

BOOK NEWS: October 8, 2024

BOOK NEWS: October 8, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

Zoey and Sassafras: Gnomes and Sneezes – Book 10 in the adorable Zoey and Sassafras series. Zoey encounters an illness she might not be able to cure for some new friends.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

The Bletchley Riddle (Older Middle Grade) – Siblings living at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII’s British Codebreakers, try to help the war effort while also looking into the disappearance of their mother.

Books for Adults

 

Bloodguard (Hardcover) – A gladiator plotting revenge meets a princess who says she can give him everything he wants.
Court of Talons (ebook) – (First in a new Fang & Fire series) – The family blacksheep bonds with her beloved younger brother’s monster when her brother is killed before the Tournament of Gold. Since they don’t let women fight, she assumes her brother’s identity and enters the Tournament. Yes, please!
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch (Trade Paperback) – Best friends who even look alike decide to trade holiday plans – Ivy goes on Holly’s ruined nonrefundable honeymoon while Holly goes to Ivy’s rented cabin. Yes, please!
My Kind of Trouble (Hardcover) – A gender-swapped The Music Man. A California con-woman launches her plan to take down the man who ruined her father and her family with a music festival con, but her plans didn’t account for the autistic librarian she has to use for part of the con. Yes, please! So many great stories coming out this week!
The Night Woods (Hardcover) – Book 6 in the fantastic Mercy Carr series. A very pregnant Mercy and her dog Elvis have to prove that a friend is innocent of murder.
The Nightmare Before Kissmas (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – First in a new Royals and Romance series starring Holiday royalty. The heir of Christmas is supposed to be marrying the princess of Easter – his best friend, Iris (his brothers secret crush) – not making out with mysterious men behind seedy bars. But the mysterious man turns out to be the prince of Halloween – and he’s shown up to challenge for Iris’s hand. Yes, please – again!
The Wedding Witch (Trade Paperback) – Graves Glen, book 3. Bowen and Tamsyn are transported 50 years into the past to a holiday party and must find their way back to the present.
I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t: Moving Forward When You’re Skeptical of Others, Afraid of What God Will Allow, and Doubtful of Your Own Discernment (Hardcover) – From Lysa TerKeurst. What to do with the lingering distrust that comes after a betrayal.
Not Sure Who Needs to Hear This, But… (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – A beautiful collection from We the Urban.

 

BOOK NEWS: October 1, 2024

BOOK NEWS: October 1, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the books releasing this week to kick off October!

Books for Kids

The Bakery Dragon – A small dragon who fears he may never be fearsome enough to have a good horde of gold discovers a new way of thinking – at the bakery.
Bear in a Bathrobe – Bear’s friends want him to go ice skating with them but he’s far more comfortable at home in his bathrobe. This looks darling!

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

The Evers: Never Thirteen – Book 2 in the Evers series by Stacy McAnulty. The Evers, kids who never age, are trying to help Ivy avoid their fate. I have got to get caught up on this series!
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy (Limited Edition) – A new – and gorgeous – cover for the book that started the Wings of Fire series.
The Hunger Games (Illustrated) – An illustrated edition of the book that launched the phenomenon.
Nothing Like the Movies – The sequel to Better Than the Movies. Wes is determined to win Liz back.
Some Like It Cold – Jasper is back in Lake Pristine to say goodbye but a young filmmaker could make her want to stay.

Books for Adults

Death at the Dinner Party (ebook) – Book 3 in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. A murder mystery dinner turns deadly in real life.
A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer (Trade Paperback) – First in a quirky new mystery series. A woman working for SCYTHE in the Department of Natural Causes runs into trouble with her latest client who insists he was murdered. Yes, please!
Make the Season Bright (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – A pair of exes encounter each other unexpectedly while traveling for Christmas.
Star Trek: Open a Channel – A Woman’s Trek (Hardcover) – Nana Visitor, actor on Star Trek Deep Space Nine, explores how the long-running franchise has included, portrayed, and inspired women.

 

BOOK NEWS: September 24, 2024

BOOK NEWS: September 24, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

The Most Boring Book Ever – From Brandon Sanderson. A boy experiences an “ordinary,” boring day.
The Woofmore Is NOT Haunted – Rufus and his friends need to keep a famous author away from anything spooky at the Woofmore.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess – Book 7 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (book 2 in the new additions to the original 5). Percy is trying to earn recommendation letters from the gods to get into college, but it’s never easy with the gods.
What Do We Know About the Yeti?
The Thirteenth Child – In a world where the 13th child in a family belongs to the gods, Hazel’s future is to become a great healer and see just what cure is needed for any illness. But she is also expected to dole out death to those who are at the end of their lives. What happens if she goes against the wishes of Death?

Books for Adults

 

The Armageddon Protocol (Trade Paperback) – The fourth, and final, book in the Galactic Cold War series – or book 5 if you count the prequel, The Caledonian Gambit, which I absolutely do. (The series didn’t make sense to me until I went back and read that.) Kovalic and the General are arrested for treason and the rest of the team goes on the run to root out a traitor.
The Christmas Inn (Hardcover) – After an unexpected job loss, a woman returns home to the family inn to help her mother who has been injured.
The Christmas You Found Me (Trade Paperback) – First in a new series by Sarah Morgenthaler. A single father committed to do anything to keep his young daughter alive marries a lonely stranger living on an Idaho ranch.
A Killer Clue (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Hunter and Clewe series by Victoria Gilbert. Jane and Cam are asked to help resolve a cold case after a woman dies in prison for a crime her daughter insists she didn’t commit.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year (Hardcover) – An amazing Christmas mystery from the fantastic Ally Carter. Rival mystery writers find themselves stranded in a snowstorm with a locked-room mystery on their hands. I can’t wait to review this one for you – it’s one of my favorites so far in 2024.
The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco (Trade Paperback) – The granddaughter of a serial killer decides to investigate his case when a copycat starts killing and she starts looking like a suspect. Looking forward to reading this!
Star Trek Picard: No Man’s Land (Trade Paperback) – The script of the audio drama that takes place after the first season of Star Trek Picard. Seven and Raffi team up to rescue a professor who is being hunted by a Romulan warlord.
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society (Trade Paperback) – A mystery solving librarian starts to get worried about all of the murders around her small village and what might be causing them.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition (Academic Hardcover)

 

BOOK NEWS: September 17, 2024

BOOK NEWS: September 17, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

This week I am celebrating the 8th anniversary of the launch of this website! It’s hard to believe. Thank you for being here and enjoying a lot of book love with me! Here are some of the books releasing this week:

Books for Kids

The Owlympic Games – Book 20 in the sweet Owl Diaries series from Scholastic Branches. The pressure of the Owlympic Games starts to get to Eva when she worries about letting her team down.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences – A “good girl” teams up with a  new girl who likes to push boundaries to make a banned book club.
May the Best Player Win – A chess player faces a lot of pressure when some media attention makes her “friends” question if she’s really as good as everyone says.
Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better – Quagmire ends up having to live with an uncle he doesn’t know when his mom’s mental health struggles leave him without a place to land. While sad, I love stories like this where kids find the support they need when they thought they were all alone to carry grown up troubles.
The Lies We Conjure – A standalone story from the author of The Princess Will Save You. Two sisters agree to pretend to be an elderly woman’s long-lost grandchildren but find themselves locked in a mansion with a group of witches, trying to solve a murder while keeping their ruse a secret.

Books for Adults

All Signs Point to Malibu (Trade Paperback) – A woman who gets glimpses of the future sees that her ex and his fiancée are headed toward an unhappy ending. But her efforts to help catch the attention of her nemesis, the best man. This sounds fun!
Can’t Help Falling in Love (Trade Paperback) – A fake engagement could lead to love. Yes, please!
Karaoke Queen (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – Rex tries to help his ex save his karaoke bar by showing up as his drag alter ego – but he feels like he can never let anyone know it’s him.
My Vampire Plus-One (Trade Paperback) – A sequel to My Roommate Is a Vampire. A young woman needs a fake boyfriend to get her family off her case about her dating life, but she has no idea Reggie is a vampire.
Rewitched (Trade Paperback) – A stressed and burned out witch may lose her powers on her 30th birthday if she can’t prove her “worthiness.”
We Solve Murders (Hardcover) – First in a new series. A woman working private security for a famous author reaches out to her retired father-in-law for help when she gets in over her head. This could be fun!
An American Story (Hardcover) – An autobiography from actor Wilmer Valderrama.

 

BOOK NEWS: September 10, 2024

BOOK NEWS: September 10, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

Library Girl – A girl found as a baby in the library and raised in secret by the four librarians who found her ventures out from her mothers’ love and her home of books where she meets a boy who looks enough like her to maybe be an actual relative. This. Sounds. Amazing!
Not Another Banned Book (Older Middle Grade) – A girl in danger of losing her beloved Book Club and her favorite teacher tries to find a way to fight for the things at school that have meant so much to her and her friends. This is on my list, too!

 

Books for Adults

Casket Case (Trade Paperback) – A casket sales person discovers the new, interesting guy in her life is a logistics manager – for Death.
The Royals Upstairs (Trade Paperback) – A prince’s bodyguard has to work with the woman whose heart he broke as she is the nanny to the prince’s children. This plot reminds me a bit of Codename Charming which is another bodyguard/royal staffer romance which I adored.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Hardcover, LGBTQ+) – Sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. Arthur is hoping to become the adoptive father to the magical orphans on the island, but his dream is in danger from a new addition to the island – and from his own past. I have book one on my TBR and can’t wait to dive into both of these.
Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – A memoir from Carlos Whittaker.
The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – Father and son, both biblical scholars, take a look at sexuality in the Bible.

BOOK NEWS: September 3, 2024

BOOK NEWS: September 3, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy Labor Day! Here are some of the new books out this week.

Books for Kids

The 13 Days of Swiftness: A Christmas Celebration for Fans – A Taylor Swift-focused count down to Christmas.
Is This a Tiger? – Follow up to the delightful Have You Seen an Elephant?  I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Life in the Wild – A collection of stories including Big Bear Hug which I reviewed last week. I’ll have a review of this soon, too.
The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe – Every time Princess Magnolia goes on a mission, her new kitten destroys something.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

The Festival of Lights (September 5) – This collection of Hanukkah stories includes something from my friend Gini Koch, so you know I want to check this one out!
Out of My Dreams – Melody gets to go to an international symposium in England as a spokesperson for kids with different abilities.
Fairy Godmother – Something new from Jen Calonita. A young governess has the chance to become a fairy godmother.

Books for Adults

The Games Gods Play (Hardcover) – For the first time, Hades enters the gods’ contest for a chance to take the throne, but they use mortals to fight their battles. I am so interested in this one!
Hot Hex Boyfriend (Trade Paperback) – Delia breaks a hex that has bound her family’s magic for years. Now her neighbor, Max, has to keep them from outing witches everywhere.
No One Does It Like You (Trade Paperback) – Thinking he’s about to die, an actor reaches out to his ex to say he still loves her and he wishes he could make things right. When he survives his dramatic rescue, his ex challenges him to make good on his promise to make things right by helping her fix up her family B&B.
Prime Time Romance (Trade Paperback) – Brynn and her post-divorce roommate, Josh, find themselves in her favorite teen soap opera after Brynn makes a birthday wish for a happily-ever-after.
Lovely One (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – A memoir from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

 

BOOK NEWS: August 27, 2024

BOOK NEWS: August 27, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Kids

Two Birds and a Moose – A moose wants to join two birds at the top of a tree.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

 

The Frindle Files – The final book from beloved author Andrew Clements is a sequel to one of his best stories, Frindle.
Not Nothing (Older Middle Grade) – A boy sentenced to community service at a retirement home connects with a 107 year old resident with a story to tell.
What Is the Story of My Little Pony?
Who Is Travis Kelce?
The Champions – Sequel to The Cheerleaders. Eleven years later, Paula is assigned to cover the football team for the school paper when members of the team start dying. Could these new crimes have something to do with what happened before?
Jupiter Rising – A sequel to Orbiting Jupiter. Jack is grieving the loss of his foster brother and adjusting to being something of a “big brother” to Joseph’s daughter, Jupiter. But when Jupiter’s grandparents show sudden interest in adopting her, Jack’s life feels like it’s on even shakier ground.
The Sticky Note Manifesto of Aisha Agarwal – A valedictorian struggles to answer an admissions essay about leaving her comfort zone, and an unexpected new friend offers to help her with a series of dares to get her out of that comfort zone.

Books for Adults

Given Our History (Trade Paperback) – A college professor up for tenure runs into the love she let get away in order to pursue her future.
Long Live Evil (Trade Paperback) – First in the Time of Iron series. A dying woman makes a deal to to live in her favorite book series instead of dying – and when she gets there she discovers she’s playing the villainess. I cannot wait to read this!
Magical Meet Cute (Trade Paperback) – Is the perfect new guy in town there because Faye drunkenly created a “golem?”
Two Spinsters and a Corpse (ebook) – A daughter of the new rector, grieving the loss of her mother, and a daughter of a rich family determined to keep her from her suitor, team up to solve  a murder.
What If Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? (Hardcover) – Wanda and Peter grow up with Aunt May and Uncle Ben, each developing powers and learning to use them together under the guidance of Doctor Strange. But when Wanda meets a speedster named Pietro, everything she thought she knew shatters.
You’re the Problem, It’s You (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – Book 2 in the Mischief & Matchmaking series. Born an heir and a spare, two men who push each other’s buttons must team up when both of their families are targeted by a blackmailer.
Feeding Little Lunches – No stress lunches – perfect for the start of the school year.

 

BOOK NEWS: August 20, 2024

BOOK NEWS: August 20, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Kids

Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly – Scaredy Squirrel might be too scared to enjoy Halloween.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Glass – A Cinderella-esque story about a family of glassblowers and a girl with magical gifts.
The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues – Book 2 in the Swifts series. Shenanigan chases down art thieves who have taken something from Swift House.

Books for Adults

Bridesmaid Undercover (Trade Paperback) – Sequel to Bridesmaid for Hire. Everly is asked to help a client get his ex back.
De-Witched (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Toil and Trouble series. A warlock has to live among humans for three months without his powers. When he walks into Leah’s bar, she knows exactly who he is.
Holding Out for a Gyro (ebook, August 19) – A woman reveals all of her fears and bad decisions in love, but instead of scaring off the gorgeous chef, she intrigues him.
Love and Other Conspiracies (Trade Paperback) – A streaming producer teams up with a gorgeous podcaster to produce a new show and get back at her ex. But he’s terrible on camera – unless she does the shows with him.
Rules for Ghosting (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – A man who can see ghosts ends up running the family funeral home he tried to flee.
Vampires Never Say Die (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Slaying It series after When Life Gives You Vampires. An actress turns vampire slayer overnight when her hot co-worker is turned.
What She’s Having (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Big Love from Galway series after Curves for Days. Old flames have a second chance at love.

 

BOOK NEWS: August 13, 2024

BOOK NEWS: August 13, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

The Codebreakers Club: Solve the Mystery of the Missing Puzzle Professor – A collection of 150 logic puzzles for readers to solve to help the book characters find the missing professor.
Secret Society of Rebel Girls: Nina and the Mysterious Mailbox – When she gets punished for spying on another student, Nina has to write a letter to a famous woman from history, and she chooses Cleopatra. In fact, she and her friend Maya find an old mailbox in the woods and the drop the letter inside. Just for fun. And then Cleopatra writes her back!
History Smashers: Salem Witch Trials – Kate Messner’s History Smashers look at the Salem Witch Trials.
Sports Superheroes: Stephen Curry (Graphic Novel) – First in a new nonfiction series.

 

Books for Adults

Big Witch Energy (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Starfall Point series after Witches Get Stuff Done. Caroline’s family curse keeps her on Starfall which cost her the love of her life. Now he’s back on the island. But she’s not sure he’s ready to accept the work she and her friends do with ghosts. I checked out the first book recently, and loved it. Looking forward to reading this one!
The Break-Up Pact (Trade Paperback) – Two ex friends are both humiliated in breakups that go viral. When folks see the two of them together and think they are a copule, they decide to lean into the rumor and fake date in order to help each of them out. Yes, please!
Can’t Buy Me Love (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – A journalist travels to St Kitts with a media mogul for a story. The mogul’s ex notices the journalist, but she thinks the two are traveling together because they are a couple.
Companion to the Count (ebook, August 16) – Book one in the Seductive Sleuths series. When she sees her presumed-dead brother in a piece of artwork, a young woman who has lost everything is determined to find the artist – and the truth.
Haunted Ever After (Trade Paperback) – First in a new Boneyard Key series from Jen DeLuca. Cassie buys a cottage in Boneyard Key that seems to be haunted. I’m curious to check out this new series.
Miranda in Retrograde (Trade Paperback) – A young physics professor who is denied tenure decides to let her horoscope lead her life and decisions for the next year. Sounds fascinating!
Phoenix Keeper (Trade Paperback) – A new “cozy fantasy” about a phoenix keeper at a zoo for magical creatures who has to brave her archrival, the griffin keeper, to ask for help to save a phoenix breeding program.
What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to  the West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service (Hardcover) – A look back at the hit TV show, West Wing.

 

BOOK NEWS: August 6, 2024

BOOK NEWS: August 6, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy August! It’s a great week for book lovers with TONS of new books releasing. Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Kids

 

Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence – A picture book of Black history from before the beginning of the slave trade.
Memoirs of a Dog – Book 6 in this fun picture book series.
Mothman’s Happy Cryptid Halloween – Book 2 in the Cryptid Holiday Classics series after Mothman’s Merry Cryptid Christmas. Mothman and his friends help out when Halloween gets rained out. I enjoyed the first book so much – looking forward to reading this one!
Stay Angry, Little Girl – An encouragement to little girls to be brave and share their ideas, even if they might meet resistance.
We Are Definitely Human – Three aliens crash land on Earth and ask for help from the neighbors to get back home, insisting they are “definitely human.”
Cat on the Run in Cucumber Madness – Book 2 in the Cat on the Run series. Princess Beautiful is still on the run, but finds unexpected assistance.
Disaster Squad: Wildfire Rescue – First in a new series from Branches and Scholastic about a family that travels the country helping with disaster relief.
The Epic Guide to Dragon Masters – A resource guide for the Dragon Masters series.
The Puppy Place: Trixie – Book 69 in this long-running chapter book series.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

The Legend of the Last Library – In a future where trees have been wiped out and paper is rare, three kids stumble onto a secret – there’s a hidden library still in existence. The last of its kind.
Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair (Graphic Novel) – Molly’s new best friend is a huge bear who is afraid of everything.
We Are Big Time (Graphic Novel) – Aliya is new to Wisconsin and new to her school. And the basketball team is pretty dreadful – something she hopes to help change.
Who Is Lin-Manuel Miranda?
Silent Sister – Two sisters go missing on a class trip, and only one is found. While she has no memory of what happened, she’s determined to use her sister’s journal to help her figure it out.
Witty in Pink – A girl is stuck with her nemesis all summer.

Books for Adults

Apprentice to the Villain (Trade Paperback) – The sequel to the delightful Assistant to the Villain. (My favorite book of 2023.) The Villain’s sunshine assistant needs to step up her game if she’s going to help protect her boss and the entire kingdom. This will be a drop-everything-and-read book when my preorder from 2023 finally arrives!!
Behind Every Good Man (Trade Paperback) – The wife of a Maryland senatorial campaign manager goes toe to toe with him when she starts working for his boss’s opponent after catching her husband in a compromising position.
Between a Flock and a Hard Place (Hardcover) – A home improvement reality show runs into trouble, first when a flock of wild turkeys are lured to the property, and second when someone is murdered.
Errands & Espionage (Trade Paperback) – A newly-single mother is recruited to pose as a recently-killed spy to finish her mission.
Full Speed to a Crash Landing (Hardcover, novella) – First in the new Chaotic Orbits series. A space looter is picked up by a government ship on a secret mission – where the agent in charge starts to think there might be more to their unexpected guest than meets the eye. Yes, please!
The Great Dating Fake Off (Trade Paperback) – There’s some complicated crushing going on when a couple spends time together during a large Italian wedding – where both of them have shown up in fake relationships. Yes, this too!
Hot Earl Summer (Trade Paperback) – Book 5 in the Wild Wynchesters series. A spinster and an inventor posing as an earl get stuck in a captivating castle while it is under siege.  Yes, please!
Plot Twist (Trade Paperback) – A first time romance novelist and a long-time crime novelist dig into an online feud that challenges them to write something together. Yes, please!
Zero Stars Do Not Recommend (Trade Paperback) – When the sun explodes while he’s on an island vacation, Dan will have to decide if he’s going to stay on the island to help the other vacationers or if he’s going to try to get one of the last seats off the island.
I Surrender All (Trade Paperback) – Something new from Priscilla Shirer.
New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary (Hardcover) – Looking forward to this New Testament commentary!