Category: Book News

BOOK NEWS: January 10, 2017

Posted on by Jaymie

How’s your reading going so far in 2017? Mine is slow going. I have several non-fiction books going now, and it always takes me longer to read those than fiction. Of course, with more books releasing every week, I’ll never be “caught up” anyway, so no guilt!

Here are some of the books coming out this week:

Books for Kids

I Am Jim Henson – I love this biography series for kids! The focus is on each person’s character rather than personal accomplishments. I can’t wait to read this one.
I Don’t Know What to Call My Cat – This story about choosing a pet name looks cute
One Proud Penny – The history of the penny
The Dragonsitter’s Party – Book 5 in this cute early chapter book series
The Goat Who Chewed too Much – Book 3 in this new series from the author of the Origami Yoda series.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

  

New Leash on Life & Bone to Pick – Books 5 & 6 in the Roxbury Park Dog Club series
Rolf – Book 10 in the Dog Diaries series, this one focusing on a therapy dog
Crushing It – A Cyrano DeBergerac- like story about a girl who helps her cousin get the attention of the boy she likes.
The Jolly Regina – Two girls are kidnapped by a band of female pirates
Matchstick Castle – A summer adventure for two kids who stumble on an amazing castle
The Runaway – Book 2 in the Valkyrie series by the author of the Pegasus mythology series
Hideout – A kid in a fishing boat discovers a boy living alone in a swamp
Spy on History: Mary Bowswer and the Civil War Spy Ring – A non-fiction book about an African-American spy who infiltrates the Confederate side of the Civil War.
Basher Engineering – The latest in this cool non-fiction series for kids
Mission to Pluto – Images of Pluto and its 5 moons from the robotic spacecraft, New Horizons
List of Cages – A teen working for the school psychologist tries to track down his missing former foster brother.
You Don’t Know My Name – A girl trained to be a spy falls in love and has to decide which of her two lives she wants to keep.

Books for Adults

Dead Cold Brew – Book 16 in the Coffeehouse mystery series
She Stopped for Death – Book 2 in the Little Library mystery series
You Carried Me – A memoir about a woman who lived after an abortion attempt
Craving Connection – 30 challenges for “real-life engagement” with real-life stories and Scriptural application.

BOOK NEWS: January 3, 2017

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy New Year!! I hope your holiday season was delightful! Personally, I enjoyed time with family and friends, and did lots of reading. There are a LOT of new books coming in the new year, and January is chock full of reading goodness. Here are some of the books coming out this week:

Books for Kids

A Greyhound, A Groundhog – Fun wordplay in this picture book! I imagine this would be fun – and tricky – to read out loud.
Pen Pals – An octopus and an ant exchange letters
XO, Ox – Another letter-based story. Both of these would be great for classrooms that work on letter writing skills
Egg – The latest picture book from prolific author, Kevin Henkes in a graphic novel format about four eggs.
Cold Caper – Story and sticker book about DC superheroes like Wonder Woman and Batgirl
Wolf in the Snow – A girl and a wolf cub are lost in the snow.
No More Bows – How cute is that cover!? Hugo the dog loves his owner Milly, but he hates the bows she puts on him.
Adrift – Two very different polar bears star in this new picture book.
Surprise Teacher – Pete the Cat gets a surprise at school.
Fly Guy, Castles – I love these non-fiction books staring Fly Guy. Check out this one about castles!
Tricky Trouble – An early reader starring Marvel heroes your kids already know and love!
Bad Kitty Takes the Test – I am so looking forward to reading this new book from Nick Bruel starring Bad Kitty! I heard him give an interview about this book and his take on the standardized testing  push in our country. This should be a great addition to the series!
Anna Takes Charge – Book 9 in this series of chapter books staring Anna and Elsa from Frozen in original stories. When I was teaching, my students couldn’t read these fast enough!
Secret Spell – Book 4 in a similar series starting Merida from Brave.
Belle’s Discovery – Disney is calling these books a “new chapter book series” with Disney Princesses as young girls.
Cinderella Takes the Stage – Belle and Cinderella get the first books in this series.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Batgirl at Super Hero High – Book 3 in this series about your favorite DC super heroes as high school students. I am really eager to read this one!
The Impossible Clue – A new mystery starring a young math whiz
Flying Lessons – A short story collection from award-winning children’s authors
Midnight without a Moon – This story, set in the south in 1955, addresses life for African Americans in America by combining the story of a fictional family with facts about real-life events.
One Last Word – A poetry collection from the author of Garvey’s Choice
Riverboat Roulette – Book 14 in the Nancy Drew Diaries series
Scar Island – The boys at a reform school find themselves without adult supervision
Star Wars Adventures in Wild Space: The Snare – First in a six-book series that takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
The Sweetest Sound – A shy girl with a musical gift looks for a way to muster the courage to share her gift with others.
Jax vs Saxophone of Doom – A sixth grade hockey player takes on a new challenge – the saxophone
The Warden’s Daughter – A prison warden’s daughter comes of age in this story set in 1959.
Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls – Biographies of 16 African Americans from the 18th to 20th centuries and their impact on our history. Could be a great resource for preparing to celebrating MLK Jr’s birthday and Black History Month.
Book Jumper – A girl can jump into the story in any book she reads.
Freeks – A girl in a traveling circus falls in love with a local boy and has to use powers she didn’t know she had to fight an unknown evil.
The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett – Hawthorn has her own theory about what happened to Lizzie Lovett. This sounds like a terrific mystery!
Life in a Fishbowl – Jackie’s dying father puts his life up for auction on Ebay
Whenever I’m with You – Gabi and Hunter head into the Alaskan wild in search of Hunter’s missing twin brother

Books for Adults

Agent of Chaos – Seventeen-year-old Fox Mulder gets pulled into a missing persons case that might give him some information on his sister’s disappearance.
Devil’s Advocate – Fifteen-year-old Dana Scully is haunted by dark visions pushing her to investigate suspicious deaths in her new community
Assault and Beret – Book 5 in the Hat Shop cozy mystery series
Fudge and Jury – Book 5 in the Bakeshop cozy mystery series
Pop Goes the Murder – Book 2 in the Popcorn Shop cozy mystery series
Telling Tales – Book 4 in the Second Chance Cat cozy mystery series
Third Time’s a Crime – Book 3 in the Love or Money cozy mystery series
Love Unending: Rediscovering Your Marriage in the Midst of Motherhood – A 21 day challenge for wives and mothers looking to reconnect in their marriages.

BOOK NEWS: December 27, 2016

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy Holidays! Hoping my readers are enjoying the holiday season. There are a LOT of exciting new books coming out this week, so let’s dive in and see what they are!

Books for Kids

 

Bedtime for Yeti – A sweet bedtime story
Pig the Pug – Pig learns to share. How cute is that face?!
Lesser Spotted Animals – Cool creatures you’ve never heard of. This would be a great book for the animal lover at your house!
What If You Had an Animal Nose? – Kids love reading these books! A terrific series for teachers to use in the classroom to get kids thinking about animals.
Alicia the Snow Queen Fairy – A new addition to this series of fairy books.
Sneeze of the Octo-Schnozz – Book 11 in the Notebook of Doom series from Branches/Scholastic. These are outstanding books for new readers. In this series, a boy battles various monsters around his school.
Lego Batman Junior Novel – Our whole family is looking forward to the new Lego Batman movie. The books relating to the movie release this month including the Junior Novel which tells part of the story for the movie
Lego Batman Batman’s Guide to Being Cool – Let Lego Batman teach you how to be cool
Lego Batman The Essential Guide – Focuses on Lego sets and minifigures that will be part of the movie promotion
Bollywood Burglary – Book 65 in the Geronimo Stilton series
Dogman Unleashed – Book 2. I have heard rave reviews about this series by the creator of Captain Underpants
The Bad Guys – These bad guys  – Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, and Mr. Wolf – want to do good things and change their reputation. Book 1 in a new series. Book 2  – Mission Unpluckable – releases February 28, 2017.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

 

Journey of Ash and Smoke – Book 5 in this terrific historical fiction series that I think is like Magic Tree House with a dog. Ranger has been trained as a search and rescue dog, but he still gets too distracted by squirrels to do the work. But thanks to an old first aid kit he found, he sometimes gets to travel to other times to help kids. This time he travels to Iceland right before a volcano erupts. (Looks like this is releasing for EBOOKS only today and then releasing in paperback on January 31, 2017)
Fort Solitude – Book 2 in the DC Comics Secret Hero Society series. I am eager to see this one in person. I read the first one and liked the story but didn’t connect with the art like I have with other stories that use this sort of format like the Jedi Academy series. In the first book, the art made it feel like I was reading an early version where the art wasn’t finished yet. I’ll definitely be checking this one out.
Showing Off – Book 3 in the Upside Down Magic series about Nory whose magic is just a little wonky which makes her stand out at her school and in her family. I really enjoy this series. The magic makes for a fun story, but the real “story” is about identity and fitting in or standing out. Fantastic!
Talons of Power – Book 9 in the Wings of Fire series. I adore this series and have already pre-ordered this book because I don’t want to wait to see what happens next. If you have never read one of these, they are best read in order. Book one is The Dragonet Prophecy. I think these books get better and better every time she releases a new one!
Ever the Hunted – First in a new series about a girl fighting to  avenge her father’s death and find his killer
Take the Key and Lock Her Up – Book 3 in the Embassy Row series. I have this pre-ordered! I know I will need to go back and re-read the first two to get all of the details and cliffhangers firm in mind before I dive into this book. I love Ally Carter’s work and I am really enjoying this series.
Rules of the Game – Book 3 in the Endgame series wraps up this trilogy about a game with high stakes. I still haven’t read book one to this series, but it is on my TBR pile!
The Selection Coloring Book – Fans of The Selection series (me!) can now color pictures of their favorite scenes from the books.

Books for Adults

Iced Under – Book 5 in the Maine Clambake Mystery series about a mysterious black diamond necklace. Sounds like a great mystery to dig into  on cold, snowy days.
Custom Baked Murder – Book 5 in the Pawsitively Organic Mystery series (organic pet treats).  This looks like such a fun series.
The Case Against Sugar – A nonfiction book about the dangers of sugar to our health

BOOK NEWS: December 20, 2016

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s Monday; tomorrow is release day! There are only a few books out this week that caught my eye. Check these out and come back next week when there will be MANY more!

Red Queen Coloring Book – Fans of this YA book series can now color some of their favorite scenes while they wait for the release of book 3, King’s Cage, on February 7, 2017 (release dates subject to change).
Star Trek: The Next Generation Coloring Book – Take your love of Star Trek TNG to the next level with this adult coloring book!
The Cat Sitter and the Canary – Book 11 in the Dixie Hemingway mystery series (hardcover release) about a pet sitting sleuth
Shaken Bible Study – A Bible Study from Tim Tebow about finding your identity in God.

 

BOOK NEWS: December 13, 2016

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy Monday!! Tomorrow is release day! I’m really looking forward to many of the books arriving this December! Here are just a few of the books releasing this week that you might be interested in:

Books for Kids

The Story of Rosa Parks – a board book highlighting the life of Rosa Parks
Chicken Story Time – a chicken crosses the road to get to story time at the library
Hedgehugs and the Hattiepillar – a sequel to last year’s Hedgehugs. This time, the hedgehogs enjoy springtime.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Word of Mouse – A new series from the prolific James Patterson and the awesome Chris Grabenstein (author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library) kicks off today! This stars a mouse who can read and write and who is on a quest to find his family.
Five Days of Famous – A holiday story about a middle school student who makes a wish that he could be part of the popular crowd. Will he choose to keep his new life? This is on the top of my list of books to read this week.
Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring – the first book in a new interactive non-fiction series. Use the tools included in the book to solve the mystery while learning about Civil War spy, Mary Bowser. This sounds very cool!

Books for Adults

Ill Met by Murder – Book 2 in the Shakespeare in the Catskills mystery series staring a costume designer for a theater company
Curried Away – Book 4 in the Spice Shop Mystery series.  This one also has a theatrical thread as the director of a local production is murdered.
Star Wars Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide – includes character profiles and vehicle descriptions for the new Star Wars movie releasing later this week.
The Art of Rogue One – another coffee table book about the new Star Wars movie. This book focuses on concept art and how it evolved into the movie we’ll see this December.
What Falls from the Sky – A nonfiction book about a woman who steps away from the connected world for a year, leaving the internet behind and focusing instead on the God who made the universe.

BOOK NEWS: December 6, 2016

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s Monday; tomorrow is release day! I’m really looking forward to many of the books arriving this December! Here are just a few of the books releasing this week that you might be interested in:

Books for Kids

groundhogs-runaway-shadowthe-spell-thief

Groundhog’s Runaway Shadow– Sounds like a cute picture book about a groundhog and his shadow
The Spell Thief (Little Legends) – The first book in a series for new readers starring fairy tale legends

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

who-was-charlie-chaplinwho-was-jacqueline-kennedy  league-of-archers end-of-olympus whatever-is-lovely

everyday-magic-2nd spindle lunar-chronicles-coloring-book

Who Was Charlie Chaplin? – Love this biography series for kids!
Who Was Jacqueline Kennedy? – I’d like to read this one and learn more about Jackie Kennedy.
League of Archers – A young girl is accused of killing Robin Hood. Can she find out what really happened?
The End of Olympus (Pegasus) – Final book in this popular mythology series
Whatever is Lovely: A 90-Day Devotional Journal (Faithgirlz) – This would make a lovely Christmas gift for a young lady on your Christmas shopping list
Everyday Magic – This book for teens is from the author of The Heir and the Spare (Characters from that book make an appearance) about a girl who is blackmailed by her own father into pretending  to date a famous actor.
Spindle – A new spin on Sleeping Beauty from the author of Ahsoka and A Thousand Nights
The Lunar Chronicles Coloring Book – Fans of this re-imagined fairy tale series can now color pictures from the stories.

Books for Adults

frosty-the-dead-man crime-and-catnip prose-and-cons dead-bath-beyond better-off-thread above-the-paw trigger-yappyegg-drop-dead alien-nation love-alicebarna-trends-2017george-lucas-a-life

Frosty the Dead Man (A Snow Globe Shop Mystery) – Book 3 in this mystery series about a snow globe shop
Crime and Catnip (A Nick and Nora Mystery) – Book 3 in this mystery starring the cat of a deceased private investigator
Prose and Cons (A Magical Bookshop Mystery) – I pre-ordered this one months ago after enjoying book one so much!
Dead, Bath, and Beyond (Victoria Square Mystery) – Book 4 in the Victoria Square series
Better Off Thread (Embroidery Mystery) – Book 10 in the Embroidery shop series
Above the Paw: A Paw Enforcement Novel – Book 5 in a police dog mystery series
Trigger Yappy: A Mystery (Roundup Crew Series) – Book 2 (hardcover) in this series centered on a bar and a group of dog-lovers
Egg Drop Dead (A Cackleberry Club Mystery) – Book 7 in this Cafe-based series
Alien Nation (Alien Novels) – I pre-ordered this book the minute I finished the last book in May. This is my favorite series of all time. If you like smart, sassy heroines in action-filled science fiction/romance/mystery stories, check out this series. These definitely are better enjoyed in order.
Love, Alice – A grieving woman digs into an old mystery she discovers through a letter left at the cemetery. I really want to read this one!
Barna Trends 2017: What’s New and What’s Next at the Intersection of Faith and Culture – Check out the latest data from the Barna group
George Lucas: A Life – A new biography of the man behind Star Wars and Indiana Jones

 

 

BOOK NEWS: November 29, 2016

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s Monday; tomorrow is release day! Another small list of new releases as we see November wrap up.  I’m not even going to break things into sections again this week. We’ll keep things simple!

Here are the books releasing on November 29, 2016 that you might be interested in:

big-bear-small-mouse whatever-after-sugar-and-spicecharming-life-of-izzy-malone princess-leia-royal-rebelodds-of-loving-grover-cleveland

first-degree-muddershades-of-wrathhaunting-of-barry-allen star-trek-prey-hall-of-heroes talking-as-fast-as-i-can getaway-with-god-27th

Big Bear, Small Mouse (The Bear Books) – The Bear series has moved to non-fiction books with common vocabulary for young children (colors, numbers, opposites, etc.). The illustrations for this series are gorgeous and I love them! This would be a great book for parents or grandparents of small children as well as for Kindergarten and Preschool classrooms.
Sugar and Spice (Whatever After 10) – Terrific fractured fairy tale series about a girl and her brother who travel through a magic mirror into common fairy tales where something goes wrong and they have to fix the story so the characters get their happily ever after. This story tackles the tale of Hansel and Gretel.
The Charming Life of Izzy Malone – I’ve already ordered this one because I can’t wait to read about Izzy, a girl who doesn’t fit in and has to complete an at-home charm school course because of all the trouble she gets in.
Princess Leia: Royal Rebel (Backstories) – I fell in love with this Scholastic series when I read the Batman and Wonder Woman backstories. There’s also Superman, Supergirl and Harley Quinn. They will be adding Batgirl and Darth Vader in  early 2017. Each book dives deep into the character’s backstory. I can’t wait to read this one!
The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland – This YA story about four teens at a camp for at-risk kids sounds fantastic. (Amazon is offering it on Kindle for only $4.99 which is amazing for a brand new book.) It releases this Thursday, December 1.
First Degree Mudder (A Pacific Northwest Mystery) – Book 4 in the Pacific Northwest mystery series starring a writer for an extreme sports magazine
Shades of Wrath (A Caprice De Luca Mystery) – Book 6 in the Caprice de Luca mystery series about a home stager. I just recently read the first book in this series, and I liked it. Caprice was a great character.
Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen – My family of super-hero lovers really enjoys the DC Comics TV series like Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and The Flash. This book is an original story about Barry Allen, the Flash, from the TV show. The story will continue with Arrow: A Generation of Vipers in spring 2017.
Prey: Book Three: The Hall of Heroes (Star Trek 3) – The final book in the Prey series from Star Trek about the Klingon Empire
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) – I never watched The Gilmore Girls, but I  know they are HUGELY popular, especially right now. Fans of the series might enjoy this memoir.
Getaway with God: The Everywoman’s Guide to Personal Retreat – This sounds like a terrific resource for women longing for time away with the Lord, whether it’s just for an afternoon or for a longer time of retreat and refreshing.

Happy Reading!

If you missed it, I posted a PDF of book suggestions for your holiday shopping needs. You can find the Neverending TBR 2016 Holiday Hint List here.

 

 

 

BOOK NEWS: November 22, 2016

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s Monday; tomorrow is release day! There aren’t many new books coming out this week that caught my attention.  I’m not even going to break things into sections again this week. We’ll keep things simple!

Here are the books releasing on November 22, 2016 that you might be interested in:

sophie-mouse-great-big-paw-printrush-revere-and-the-presidencytrouble-makes-a-comebackgap-lifefate-of-flames

The Great Big Paw Print (The Adventures of Sophie Mouse) – Book 9 in this sweet series for young readers ready for longer illustrated stories
Rush Revere and the Presidency – Book five in this historic fiction series for middle grade readers
Gap Life –  This YA story of a kid who knows the path his family wants him to take after high school but also knows he wants something more sounds fantastic!!
Trouble Makes a Comeback – I loved the first book (Trouble Is a Friend of Mine) and I can’t wait to read this sequel. Part romance, part mystery, all fun!
Fate of Flames (The Effigies) – The description of this new fantasy series is too involved to summarize in one sentence. If you like YA fantasy, click the link and read the full description. I have already requested this one from my local library!!

 

Later this week I will have a PDF for readers with some  recommendations of books you might want to put on your holiday shopping list. I hope you’ll stop by and check it out!

BOOK NEWS: November 15, 2016

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s Monday; tomorrow is release day! There aren’t many new books coming out this week that caught my attention.  I’m not even going to break things into sections again this week. We’ll keep things simple!

Here are the books releasing on November 15, 2016 that you might be interested in:

golden-girls-of-riolilys-deliciously-different-dayfantastic-beasts-screenplay-18th into-the-lions-dentales-from-a-not-so-friendly-frenemy this-is-our-storyno-mans-land sleeping-beauty-killerstar-wars-catalystscrappy-little-nobody when-in-romans

The Golden Girls of Rio – A cool picture book celebrating the women of the 2016 Summer Olympics
Lily’s Deliciously Different Day – Picture book celebrating the delight of being different
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay – Screenplay for the movie that releases later this week. Are you going to go see the movie? I know we are!
Into the Lion’s Den (Devlin Quick Mysteries, The) – I’m looking forward to checking out this new middle grade mystery series that kicks off with a case about a page stolen from a rare book in the New York Public Library.
Dork Diaries 11: Tales from a Not-So-Friendly Frenemy – Book 11 in this hugely popular series comes out tomorrow!!
This is Our Story – Five boys go hunting. Only four return. This mystery sounds amazing!
No Man’s Land (John Puller Series) – A new mystery from the prolific David Baldacci. Looks like this is book 4 in the John Puller series.
The Sleeping Beauty Killer (An Under Suspicion Novel) – A good week for mysteries! This is a new one by Mary Higgins Clark, the queen of suspense.
Catalyst (Star Wars): A Rogue One Novel – Read the book that will set the stage for the new Star Wars Rogue One movie that comes out at Christmas!
Scrappy Little Nobody – I love Anna Kendrick in the Pitch Perfect movies and in The Accountant. I’m curious to read what she has to say in this new autobiography.
When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel according to Paul (Theological Explorations for the Church Catholic) – Dig into the New Testament book of Romans!

BOOK NEWS: November 8, 2016

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s Monday; tomorrow is release day! There aren’t many new books coming out this week that caught my attention.  I’m not even going to break things into sections today. We’ll keep things simple!

Here are the books releasing on November 8, 2016 that you might be interested in:

princess-in-black-takes-a-vacationlost-property-officeboomerang-effect  dead-girls-society  heartless   the-chemistcat-got-your-diamondsdeadly-dog-days

The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation– Book 4 in this fantastic series for elementary school students about a princess who sometimes wears black and fights monsters. I love this series!!
The Lost Property Office (Section 13) – A new middle grade novel about a secret society of detectives. Doesn’t that sound awesome?!
The Boomerang Effect – This is billed as a “hilariously subversive YA.” It sounds fantastic. A trouble maker. An exchange student. Homecoming floats. And chickens. Really. I have to read this and find out how all of these things come together!
Dead Girls Society – A girl with Cystic Fibrosis receives a mysterious invitation to join a secret society. She was wanting some adventure in her life. But The Society might not be quite what she thought it was.
Heartless – from the author of The Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter). This time she takes on the story of Alice in Wonderland. I loved the Lunar Chronicles series. I am curious to see what she does with this new world as she puts her own twist on a classic.
The Chemist – A new thriller from the author of the Twilight series. Looks like this will appeal to older teens as well as adults who like suspense books!
Cat Got Your Diamonds: A Kitty Couture Mystery – First book in a new cozy mystery series about a pet boutique.
Deadly Dog Days (A Dog Days Mystery) – First in a new cozy mystery series set in Metamora, Indiana.

 

Happy Reading!!