Category: Book News

Happy almost-Halloween! Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

I Am Mister Rogers – The latest in the Ordinary People Change the World series.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Hidden Truths (Older Middle Grade) – Something new from Elly Swartz.  A best friendship is in jeopardy when Eric can’t be sure Dani’s accident isn’t his fault.
The Lotus Flower Champion – Instead of being able to focus on her mother’s final days, a young woman is stranded on an island with strangers as Thai mythology comes to life around them. This one is on my list!
People to Follow – A group of social media influencers are invited to an island for a 3-week reality show “off the grid.” But when none of the crew arrives, and one of the influencers is killed, it becomes obvious that something more menacing is going on. Yes, please!!
The Rosewood Hunt – Four teens are on an unexpected treasure hunt when Lily’s grandmother dies and her fortune goes missing. Fascinating!

Books for Adults

A Dish Best Served Hot (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Vega Family Love Stories series. High school sweethearts reconnect years later when she discovers his family is what has put the LGBTQ+ youth shelter at risk. This series is new to me, but I have both books in my cart right now!
Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond (Hardcover) – A memoir.

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Older Kids/Teens

Final Word – A charity spelling bee turns into a hunt for clues through a family chalet for a set of twins. This sounds fun!
Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity – Book 5 in the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series. Myrtle and her governess are stranded on an island with a thief if not a killer. I really enjoyed the first book in this series! Can’t wait to get caught up to this one.
Britannica’s Encyclopedia Infographica (Older Middle Grade) – I love infographics!!

Books for Adults

Emergency Contact (Trade Paperback) – Something new from Lauren Layne.  A woman with a concussion ends up stuck on an out-of-town trip with her ex as her “emergency contact” to monitor her. Yes, please!
Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date (Trade Paperback – LGBTQ+) – Book 3 in the Bright Falls series. A romance writer on deadline with no ideas agrees to fake date her last (disastrous) one night stand. I’m intrigued by this one.
It’s a Date (Again) (Trade Paperback) – A woman with amnesia finds three men at her bedside, each claiming to be her boyfriend. She just can’t remember which of them she was going to say yes to marrying. So her friends suggest she date them all again. I pre-ordered this weeks ago!
Murder in Drury Lane (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Lady Worthing Mystery series. Lady Worthing is drawn into a murder at the Drury Lane Theatre
The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline (Hardcover) – Movie stills and plot descriptions lay out the MCU in timeline order. This looks gorgeous, but it’s on the pricey side, along the lines of the Art of books for various Marvel movies.

I’m not quite sure how we have gotten halfway through October already, but here we are. Let’s see some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash – Detective Duck works with her friends on environmental problems that crop up at their pond.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Lost Legends: The Fixer Upper – Book 3 in Disney’s Lost Legends series (after books about Flynn Rider and Aladdin). In an effort to get Kristoff to relate to other children, his adoptive troll family sends him to school. But it’s not a great fit for Kristoff, especially with his childhood bully there. He hopes he can win the ice harvester competition and that will help him to fit in.
The Queen’s Crown (e-book, October 19) – Book 1 in the League of Rulers series from the author of the Knights of the Realm series. Sabine seeks to avenge her sister’s murder by trying to take her place in the kingdom where she was about to wed, but the king is distractingly appealing even while she tries to dodge a killer in the court. I cannot wait to read this!!!
Thin Air – A teen invited to compete in a contest that could pull her and her family out of poverty forever boards a plane to Europe with the other contestants who then start to die on the plane. A locked-room mystery on an airplane? Stunning!

Books for Adults

10 Things That Never Happened (Trade Paperback) – Jonathan has determined it’s time to let Sam go from his job, but when Sam bumps his head and accidentally implies he has amnesia, Jonathan feels like he can’t fire him. But as the two spend time together, Sam still faking amnesia, the feelings between them become more and more complicated. Yeah, this one is on the list!
Dragged to the Wedding (Trade Paperback) – A closeted gay man needs a date to a family wedding, so a drag queen agrees to help him out. Yes, please!
Friends Don’t Fall in Love (Trade Paperback) – The latest from Erin Hahn. A former country star reaches out to her ex’s  best friend to help her reclaim her lost career. This is a book for *adults* so readers should remember this will be spicier than her YA stories.
Home at Night (Hardcover) – Book 5 in the awesome Mercy Carr Mystery series. A supposedly haunted manor becomes a site for a murder. I love this series and can’t wait to read this new book.
Let’s Get Quizzical (Trade Paperback) – High school exes have a second chance at love when they are paired up on a televised quiz show. This sounds fun!
One Christmas Morning (Trade Paperback) – A woman hiding from past heartbreak during Christmas inhabits the lives of several of her friends in a Christmas miracle designed to help her face her past. Yes!!
Stalking Around the Christmas Tree (Hardcover) – Book 4 in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. Holly is sleuthing again when a visiting dancer is killed right before Christmas.

Let’s take a look at some of the books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

Frankie and Friends: Breaking News – When Frankie’s mom leaves on an assignment to cover a news event, Frankie and her friends decide to host their own news show. This new chapter book series looks fantastic!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Curlfriends: New in Town (Graphic Novel) – Charlie is used to being the new kid thanks to her military family’s frequent moves, but this looks like a place they could stay awhile, so she’s determined to make a good impression. But nothing goes like she planned. This sounds amazing!
Diana and the Hero’s Journey – The girl who will some day become Wonder Woman discovers the story of the first Greek hero, Hero.
Trouble Finds Plum! – Book 3 in a series about a young peacock named Plum. When the Athensville Zoo is overrun by raccoons, Plum has a plan to save the day.
Huda F Cares? (Graphic Novel) – Book 2 in this YA graphic novel series about Huda. This time Huda and her family are going to Disney World, but the forced togetherness with her sisters and the ways her family stands out in Florida are challenging.

Books for Adults

Better Hate Than Never (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Wilmot Sisters series after Two Wrongs Make a Right. Childhood enemies discover an unexpected spark in this modern take on Taming of the Shrew. I have book 1, based on Much Ado About Nothing, on my TBR, and now I think I need to bump it up the list because those two Shakespeare plays are my favorites!
The Holiday Mix-Up (Trade Paperback) – Basically While You Were Sleeping with fake dating – and I am HERE FOR IT!
Let It Crow Let It Crow Let It Crow (Hardcover) – Book 34 in the Meg Langslow series. To help out a friend, Meg gets pulled into a televised blacksmithing competition at Christmas time. Yes, please!
Love Interest (Trade Paperback) – After Casey is passed over for a job, she has to work with the person who got it instead of her – the son of the board chairman.
The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed (Trade Paperback) – Sana’s mother won’t let her be named guardian of her autistic younger brother unless she is married, so she agrees to an arranged marriage, despite her feelings for an old friend (and family enemy) who has resurfaced in her life.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Illyrian Enigma (Graphic Novel) – A graphic novel bridging season one and two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Sword Catcher (Hardcover) – The prince’s body double and a magic-wielding physician get drawn into the criminal underworld of their kingdom where each is offered what they truly want most. But they uncover a conspiracy that leads them to question everything. This sounds amazing!
‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas (Hardcover) – Book 28 in the delightful  Andy Carpenter series. Andy defends a man who adopted his dogs from the Tara Foundation when he’s accused of murder. I’ll be reviewing this one soon!

Happy October! Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln – A picture book biography of Tad Lincoln including the origins of the tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey.
Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive (Graphic Novel) – Scaredy and his friends get ready for the holidays.
The Big Adventures of Babymouse: Besties – Book 2 in the Big Adventures of Babymouse series.  Babymouse feels jealous when Wilson starts hanging out with a new kid at school

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

The Evers: Forever Twelve – From Stacy McAnulty. Ivy shows up at a boarding school for exceptional kids and encounters the Evers – individuals who look 12, but who are centuries old. And they think Ivy could help them with their curse. I will read anything Stacy McAnulty writes, so I am all in on this one!
Murder at the Old Willow Boarding School – The Choose Your Own Adventure series takes on a mystery in this book where the reader realizes they are dead and they try to solve their own murder. That’s a pretty dark plot for a kids book, but I am intrigued by it, nonetheless.
Unicorn for a Day – Book 18 in this delightful comics series starring Phoebe and her unicorn friend, Marigold. This time, Phoebe and Marigold switch places so Phoebe can see what it is really like to be a unicorn.
Is There Anybody Out There?: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life, from Amoebas to Aliens – Book 2 in the Wild Thing series by Laura Krantz, after The Search for Sasquatch. This time, Krantz explores extraterrestrials.
Eight Dates and Nights – A Jewish teen stuck at her grandmother’s house finds the only other Jewish teen in town to be an unexpected friend – and maybe something more.
Bishop Takes King – Kate accidentally trades bags with a kid named Milo. But Milo’s bag contains something Kingpin would kill to possess, so Kate has to find Milo and save the day. A Kate Bishop story, written by Ashley Poston? Yes, please!

Books for Adults

The Hurricane Wars (Hardcover) – First in a new series. Talasyn hides the secret of her light magic, but when Prince Alaric tries to destroy her to protect his kingdom of shadow magic, their conflict creates a magical force never seen before. This sounds fascinating!
Last Word to the Wise (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Christie Bookshop Mystery series following Dead and Gondola.  When Meg’s blind date is later murdered, she becomes the prime suspect since she was the last person to see him alive.
A Little Magic (Trade Paperback) – First in a new series. A professional hockey player has a second chance at love. I am intrigued by the description of this that says it takes place over 9 Christmas Eves and 8 nights of Hannukah.
Maybe Once Maybe Twice (Trade Paperback) – At two very different times in her life, Maggie told someone “If we’re still single at 35, we should get married.” And now both of those men have showed up.
One Puzzling Afternoon (Trade Paperback) – In 1951, a girl named Lucy befriends Edie and then disappears. In 2018, Edie, who has started experiencing dementia, believes she has seen Lucy. Her family doesn’t believe her, but Edie is certain she is the key to the truth about Lucy. Fascinating.
The Other Princess (Trade Paperback) – A kidnapped African princess is rescued from slavery and “presented” to Queen Victoria as a “gift” and raised in Victorian society. Based on the true story of Queen Victoria’s goddaughter Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
Snowed in for Christmas (Trade Paperback) – A major snowstorm leads Becca’s grouchy-but-sexy neighbor to offer her shelter to wait out the storm.
The Takedown (Trade Paperback) – The FBI asks an undercover CIA agent to infiltrate a crime family when her little sister gets engaged to a member of the family.
The Trouble with Tinsel (Trade Paperback) – A couple who were also a screenwriting team haven’t seen each other since their breakup. When one of their scripts is optioned, they have to work together once again. And when the movie’s star thinks they are still engaged and wants them on set for their romantic advice, they have to fake the old chemistry as well.
Wreck the Halls (Trade Paperback) – The children of former rock stars are asked to help get the band back together for one final show right before Christmas.
Holy Runaways: Rediscovering Faith After Being Burned by Religion (Hardcover) – As church attendance continues to decline, the author – a psychotherapist – examines the stories of “holy runaways” and looks for ways for them to come back to faith
Making It So (Hardcover) – An autobiography from Sir Patrick Stewart
The Enneagram in Marriage (Trade Paperback) – Use the Enneagram to help in your most central relationship, your marriage.