Tag: January New Releases

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

Very Bad at Math (Graphic Novel) – A capable and super involved teen struggling in math discovers she has dyscalculia.
Love on Paper – Two teen writers with parents in the publishing business – who happen to be long-term rivals – attend a writing retreat.
The Rival – A new romance from Emma Lord. High school rivals become college rivals when Seb gets pulled off the waitlist and he and Sadie start vying for a spot writing for the school zine. Lord’s books are must reads for me.
The Wilde Trials – Exes participating in a set of dangerous pre-graduation trials at their school team up to help her find her blackmailer and find out why his brother died in the last Trials.

Books for Adults

Earl Crush (Trade Paperback) – An heiress corresponding with a single earl in financial trouble travels to him to offer up a marriage of convenience. Except the earl has no idea who she is, because his brother has been impersonating him to the woman.
Loose Lips (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Ghostwriter Mystery series after The Busy Body. The ghostwriter attends a writing conference aboard a cruise ship. When one of the guests dies under mysterious circumstances, it’s investigation time again. Book 1 was excellent, so this is a must read for me!
Onyx Storm (Hardcover) – Book three in the Empyrean series after Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. I haven’t gotten to Fourth Wing yet – I need to catch up!
She Doesn’t Have a Clue (Trade Paperback) – A murder at a destination wedding draws a mystery writer into investigating. I can’t wait to read this one!

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

Make Your Mark: The Empowering True Story of the First Known Black Female Tattoo Artists – Picture book biography of Jacci Gresham.
Bad Kitty: Party Animal – It’s Puppy’s birthday, but Kitty keeps causing trouble.
Lila Greer and the Shrieking Shadow – Book 7 in the Questioneers series of chapter books based on the picture book series.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

The Forgotten Magic of Zoey Turner (Older Middle Grade) – A grieving girl receives a pencil she uses to write stories that then come true.
Old School – A kid homeschooled at a retirement community is forced to go to a regular middle school. I adore Korman’s books and can’t wait to read this one!
PAWS: Hazel Has Her Hands Full (Graphic Novel) – Book 4 in the PAWS series. Hazel takes on a new summer pet sitting job – and the home is even wheelchair acceptable! But when her friends’ busy schedules mean she would be doing the job alone, she’s afraid her overprotective mom will balk.
Same Page (Older Middle Grade) – Something new from Elly Swartz. Two girls launch a project to get a book vending machine for their school, but one of their mom’s objects to some of the books that are supposed to be in the machine. I’m looking forward to this one!
Liar’s Kingdom – Tired of life with her step-family, Ell takes her shot at a different life by lying to a prince, saying she danced with him at a ball she never attended. What a fun twist on a familiar story!
The Queen’s Spade – Queen Victoria’s goddaughter, kidnapped from her African home and family, plots revenge. Inspired by a true story.

Books for Adults

Death in the Downline (Trade Paperback) – First in the new Multi-level Marketing Murder Mystery series. A reporter starting her life over and living at home gets pulled into the LuminUS MLM. When a LuminUS distributer is found dead, she starts investigating.
Extreme Romancing in Idaho (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Clear Springs Romance series. A woman hoping to connect with a new guy lies and tells him she’s into extreme sports.
The In-Between Bookstore (Hardcover) – Darby finds himself in the bookstore he worked in as a teen when he moves back to his hometown. But he doesn’t expect to walk in and find himself back in 2009, face to face with his teenaged self.
Let’s Call a Truce (Trade Paperback) – Two work rivals are forced to work on a project together and find potential for a different kind of relationship.
Murder in the Dressing Room (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – First in the Misty Divine Mystery series. When a drag queen is poisoned by a box of chocolates, the other drag performers are the top suspects. Crushed by the death of their “drag mother” and frustrated by police bias, Misty decides to solve the mystery.
Once Smitten Twice Shy (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Wilmot Sisters series. Based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Two people who feel like they will never find love decide to help each other “practice” romance.
Playing Flirty (Trade Paperback) – A woman and her gaming rival work together to launch her new board game design.
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage (Hardcover) – Two married killers walked away from the life when they had a baby. But Hazel is finding the mom life dull – so she kills someone and doesn’t tell her husband. Then the police show up at their door. Quirky!
The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds (Trade Paperback) – A new widow buys her family home to fix up. When she finds and replaces the original door, she is transported  100 years into the past. Her experiences there put her at risk of slipping out of existance.
Work in Progress (Trade Paperback) – A woman who lost both her career and her fiancé impulsively signs on for a UK literary bus tour that doesn’t go at all like she imagined.
Write Your Own Cake (e-book – essay) – “Book” 2 in this writing series by Jennifer Estep. This one is focused on writing a long series.
Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman (Hardcover) – A memoir from actress and model Brooke Shields about women enjoying the prime of their lives.
In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some (Hardcover) – A memoir from actor Josh Gad.
This Changes Everything: A Surprisingly Funny Story About Race, Cancer, Faith and Other Things We Don’t Talk About (Hardcover) – A new memoir from the author of I Take My Coffee Black (♥♥♥♥).

Happy 2025! Here’s to another great year of reading. Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

Unstoppable John: How John Lewis Got His Library Card and Helped Change History – The story of Congressman John Lewis in his quest for racial equality, starting with access to the library.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

Mack Moon and the P.E.T.S. (Graphic Novel) – Mack discovers his pets are from space and here on Earth to stop a ferret named Barbara from trying to take over the world.
The Princess Swap: Cinderella and the Beast – Ella and Belle find themselves in each other’s stories!
Stories of the Spirit of Justice – By Jamar Tisby. Short biographies of Civil Rights leaders.
Where Is Tornado Alley?
After Life – Seven years after her death, Amber appears to her family, alive once again but unchanged from the day she died. Now her family and friends have to figure out what her return means for each of them.
The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting (LGBTQ+) – An orphan raised to be an assassin, Tru has hidden her abilities and her training from everyone. But on what is supposed to be a normal babysitting gig she finds herself hunted and on the run – with her one-year-old charge in tow. I cannot WAIT to read this!!
Bemused – From author Farrah Rochon. The Muses from the Disney movie about Hercules get to tell their own story. This sounds fun!
A Language of Dragons – Alternate history where a girl puts the tenuous peace between humans and dragons at risk.
The Last Bookstore on Earth (LGBTQ+) – Two girls taking shelter in a bookstore after an apocalyptic Storm start to fall for one another – and then they find out another Storm is on the way.
Mystery Royale – Mullory takes a chance at a game of Mystery Royale for an inheritance despite her mother’s last words warning her away from “the strange.”
Royal Heirs Academy – Four teens compete for the chance to inherit a kingdom.

Books for Adults

Beg, Borrow, or Steal (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the When in Rome series. Two feuding colleagues – and side-hustling writers – have to team up when Emily accidentally sends her latest manuscript to their principal and she needs help getting it back.
Four Ruined Realms (Hardcover) – The sequel to Five Broken Blades.
Holmes Is Missing (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Homes, Margaret & Poe series. by James Patterson. The PIs are working on a series of child abductions, but Holmes goes missing.
Into the Woods (Trade Paperback) – Two camp counselors consider taking a chance on love.
The Lodge (Trade Paperback) – A writer gets the chance to work on a story about the band True North and their mysterious break up while enjoying time at a resort.
The Starlight Heir (Trade Paperback) – A bladesmith with magic finds herself on the run with a prince when rebels attack the palace.
Temple of Swoon (Trade Paperback) – An archaeologist trying to prove herself and a journalist trying to keep her from her goal find themselves in a spot of trouble when they realize they aren’t the only people trying to find the lost city.

Here are some books from the last release week of January 2024!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief Deluxe Edition – A special edition of the book that started it all!
Once a Queen – An American teen finds herself at an English manor with a grandmother she’s never met before – a woman who is possibly a queen from another realm.
These Deadly Prophecies – When a sorcerer is murdered, his apprentice and his youngest son team up to solve the murder. Yes, please!

Books for Adults

Canadian Boyfriend (Trade Paperback) – As a teen, Aurora used the hockey player she met once as her fake boyfriend, trusting he would never know. But when he shows up back in her life as an adult, she’s afraid the truth will come out and ruin things between them.
The City of Stardust (Hardcover) – Violet is the last of her family line, and she has been given 10 years to find her missing mother or she takes her place as the penance for a crime no one remembers – one that has taken members of her family for years. This sounds amazing!
Clover Hendry’s Day Off (Trade Paperback) – An overly accommodating woman takes the day off from everything, including her self-sacrificing ways. Yes, please!
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Hardcover) – Sequel to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Ernie is on a crime-writing festival aboard a train when someone is murdered, and the rest of the authors turn into amateur sleuths. YES!!
The Mayor of Maxwell Street (Trade Paperback) – A Black debutante and a speakeasy owner in 1921 Chicago team up to take down  the Mayor of Maxwell Street.
Not Bad for a Girl (Trade Paperback) – An IT specialist who is demoted to remote work finds a chance to remake her image, but her new boss assumes she’s a man. The longer she waits to clear up the mistake, the messier it’s going to get. This sounds great!
A Quantum Love Story (Trade Paperback) – A grieving woman discovers she is living in a time loop when the one person who recognizes the loop brings her into that same awareness. But when his awareness starts to wain, they realize they need to break out of the loop if they hope to keep what they have found together in the looping.
The Royal Game (Trade Paperback) – An American engaged to the future king of England becomes the target of threats that feel a lot like what the prince’s mother went through – before she was killed. Yes, please!

Here are some of the new books out this week.

Books for Kids

The Racc Pack: Live Fast, Eat Trash – First in a new chapter book series about a family of raccoons and their quest for trash. This looks fun!

Books for Teens/Young Adults

The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee – A teen artist finds herself trapped in a fictional world she created, taking on evil corporations and maybe falling in love.

Books for Adults

The Breakup Tour (Trade Paperback) – A singer reconnects with the muse for her hit single and he goes out with her band on tour.
The Busy Body (Hardcover) – An independent candidate for President splits the vote and angers folks on both sides with the unfortunate outcome. So the candidate retreats home, inviting her ghostwriter to join her. But when a neighbor is killed, the former candidate – and the ghostwriter – team up to solve the mystery. Yes, please!!
The (Fake) Dating Game (LGBTQ+ – Trade Paperback) – A game show contestant teams up with his hotel concierge to see if they can fake date their way to a spot on the show. Yep, need this one too.
Wild Life (Trade Paperback) – A woman looking for a cancer cure crosses paths with a man who wants to hide away from the world, and together they have the most unexpected week of their lives. This sounds quirky and different – sign me up!
Have a Beautiful Terrible Day (Hardcover) – From the author of The Lives We Actually Have comes this new devotional for the ups and downs of life.

Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day – It’s a great day to read some of Dr. King’s writings or books about his life!

Here are some new books releasing this week:

Books for Kids

Bear Finds Eggs – Bear and his friends help Mama Meadowlark find her missing eggs, and then they paint them so they don’t lose track of them again.

Books for Teens/Young Adults

A Drop of Venom – A new novel for teens from Rick Riordan Presents. A young priestess and a monster hunter begin to form an attachment, but she is later assaulted and tossed from her mountain home. Instead of dying, she becomes a monster herself with the power to turn people to stone. As her monster hunter comes for her, he doesn’t know that the woman he wants to marry has become the thing he hunts. This is a bit dark, and I don’t know how triggering the sexual assault might be for readers. But the story is mesmerizing. I’m torn – part of me wants to read it and see how it all comes together while the other part of me knows this is a lot darker than the things I usually read.
So Let Them Burn – First in the Divine Traitors series. The village hero  faces a new challenge when her sister forms a bond with an enemy dragon that can only be severed by her death.

Books for Adults

Finding Mr. Purrfect (Trade Paperback) – Fake dating her best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend seems like a great way to get both sets of parents off their backs, but Charity can’t tell if Will is a terrible idea or too good of one. The cat café setting for this series could be a lot of fun!
Say You’ll Be Mine (Trade paperback) – A fake engagement can help her as she plans the wedding for “the one who got away” and help him stave off his mother’s matchmaking attempts.
The Secret Book Club (UK – January 18) – A bookseller stifled by a community that won’t let her sell anything written in this century starts an underground book club. Yes, please!
Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. (Hardcover) – From the author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. An introduction to spiritual formation. I have this one on my list!

Here are some more of the books kicking off 2024!

Books for Kids

I Am Ruth Bader Ginsburg – The latest in the Ordinary People Change the World biography series.
Birtle and the Purple Turtles – In a community of turtles, an unusual friendship begins. This was DARLING! I’ll be reviewing it soon.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Slugfest – A group of middle schoolers have to take PE in summer school in order to get the required credit. This sounds amazing – which is what I would expect from Gordon Korman. Can’t wait to pick this one up!
You Wish – Another artist I love has branched out into books with this first in a new graphic novel series about a kid hoping for a little magic for her life who discovers more than she bargained for.
The Atlas of Us – A teen working on a community service project to be close to her late father discovers a found family that she’s not sure she can move on from when the project is over.
Dungeons and Drama – A girl with dramatic asperations convinces a teen at her dad’s gaming shop to cover her shifts in exchange for some fake flirting to help him with his crush. But she finds his D&D campaigns more fun than she expected, and the flirting isn’t as much acting as she planned, either. This sounds adorable! I hope to review this one soon.

Books for Adults

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend (LGBTQ+ – Trade Paperback) – First in the Mischief and Matchmaking series. Two young women in “need” of husbands instead decide to try to get their widowed parents together. This sounds fantastic!
The Ladies Rewrite the Rules (Trade Paperback) – From the author of Mr. Malcolm’s List. A wealthy widow discovers she’s been named in a directory of such women for younger sons to persuade to marriage. So she gathers the other women named in the directory so they can turn the tables on the men. Yes, please!
Principles of (E)Motion (Trade Paperback) – When anxiety keeps a brilliant mathematician from sharing her discovery with the world, she shifts her focus instead to a quiet life of love, but when she decides to revisit her breakthrough, she discovers it has been stolen.  This – and the author’s first book, Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry – sounds amazing!
The Witch of Tophet County (Trade Paperback) – The premise here is just too weird to try to summarize. It involves a witch, county bureaucracy and government, and tentacled overlords. If that sounds quirky and interesting to you, be sure to check it out. I pre-ordered this one because I just have to see what it’s all about.

Happy 2024! Here are some of the books kicking off a new year of reading!

Books for Kids

Don’t Trust Cats – Part of the Life Lessons from Chip the Dog series. This time Chip tells readers why cats should not be trusted.
Spider-Man: Quantum Quest! – Mike Maihack is one of my favorite artists (He has a line of Batgirl pieces as well as comics where Batgirl and Supergirl team up which I adore!). I loved his Cleopatra in Space series, and now he has a Spider-Man series. This is book two where Spider-Man teams up with the Fantastic Four. I can’t wait to read this series!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum – First in a new series. A group of misfits at a school for crime fighters have to stop the heist of the century. I hope to review this one soon!
Nina Under Arrest: A Birmingham Children’s Crusade Survival Story – Readers can learn how children protested during the Civil Rights movement because the adults could be arrested and lose their jobs. Sounds like a fascinating history lesson!
Teen Titans Go! To the Library – Raven tries to hide out at the peaceful library, but instead her friends find her and a villain decides to cause trouble. This looks fun!

Books for Adults

First Lie Wins (Hardcover) – An adult thriller from YA novelist Ashley Elston. A young woman puts together her false identity like she has numerous times before, but this mark, this assignment, seems different than the others. This sounds amazing!

It’s the last release week of January – let’s see what new reading treasures we can find this week!

Books for Kids

This Book Is My Best Friend – Two kids consider the same book from the library their best friend.
Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends – A new leveled graphic novel. Worm assumes they are friends because they are so much alike, but Caterpillar thinks there are big changes coming.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Simon Sort of Says – The only boy in his class to have survived a school shooting moves to a community where the internet is banned – somewhere he might be able to be known for something else.
Where the Black Flowers Bloom – An orphan goes on a quest to find out what killed her caretaker.
The Davenports – The Davenports are a wealthy Black family in the early 1900s, and this story centers around four women in and around the family.
Going Dark – An influencer goes missing – just like another girl two years ago – and a hacker starts looking for the truth.
Promise Boys – When a prep school principal is murdered, three boys at the school become murder suspects.
Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling – Starting on New Year’s, Reggie and Delilah keep running into each other on holidays throughout a year – and they grow closer over time.

Books for Adults

Dear Henry, Love Edith (Trade Paperback) – A widow and a grump share a living space for a little while. He assumes she’s an old woman, and she assumes he’s a grumpy old man. The exchange notes in their shared space, but at the same time they keep running into each other around town – and they have no idea the other person is their house-mate. This is on my list for this week!
Dodged a Bullet (e-book, February 3) – Book 6 in the Samantha True series. Samantha is working with a woman dodging a stalker – and the stalker doesn’t care who gets in his way in his pursuit of his target. I can’t want to dig into this series!
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the fantastic Finlay Donovan series! Finlay finds herself in debt to the Russian mob, and they want Finlay to help them find a contract killer.
Sorry, Bro (Trade Paperback) – An Armenian woman’s mother is trying to set her up with men all over town, but it’s a woman who catches her eye.

There are some fun looking books out this week – let’s check them out!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

6 Times We Almost Kissed – Bickering friends try to stay on their best behavior for the sake of their moms who are recovering from major surgeries. Living across the hall from each other while their moms recover leads them to re-examine several almost-kisses from their past.
Begin Again – Andie’s plans to transfer from her community college to a hyper-competitive state school don’t quite go like she imagined. I don’t think you can ever go wrong with an Emma Lord book, so this is definitely on my list!
Spice Road – First in a new series. Imani must track down her missing brother – who seems to be sharing their land’s spice magic with outsiders – so she can protect her home.

Books for Adults

Breaking All the Rules (Mass Market Paperback) – Beatrice has had enough and moved to a new community to live life on her own terms – and a cute local LEO might be just the guy to help with the romantic side of her new life.
Georgie, All Along (Trade Paperback) – After years of putting others first, Georgie has the chance to get in touch with herself through an old diary and an unexpected friend.
Make a Wish (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Spark House series. Harley thinks she is over the mortification of trying to kiss the widowed man she worked for – it’s been years, and he moved away. But now he’s back – and he doesn’t seem to remember anything at all.
How to Human: Three Ways to Share Life Beyond What Distracts, Divides, and Disconnects Us (Trade Paperback, Nonfiction) – A look at how we can become the best versions of ourselves.
How We Relate: Understanding God, Yourself and Others Through the Enneagram (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – A new book on the Enneagram, so of course, I already ordered this one!
The Journey Home: A Biblical Guide to Using the Enneagram to Deepen Your Faith and Relationships (Trade Paperback, Nonfiction) – Another new Enneagram resource – I don’t have this one ordered yet, but it’s on my list