General Fiction on My June Reading List

June is one of the big publishing months of the year. What follows are general fiction titles that caught my attention. Some of these books are perfect for light reading on a hot day by the pool; some are heavier and will make you think.

The blurbs are taken from the publishers' summaries. I've also provided the names of the audiobook narrators.

The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter (Harper): A stunning [short story] collection about those moments when everything changes—for the better, for the worse, for the outrageous—as a diverse cast of characters . . . [question] their roles in life and [find] inspiration in the unlikeliest places. First line:

Mother was a stunner.

Audiobook: Read by Edoardo Ballerini and Julia Whelan

The Beach Trap by Ali Brady (Berkley): Two best friends torn apart by a life-altering secret. One Summer to set the record straight. First line:

There’s something unique about friendships forged between girls at summer camp.

Audiobook: Read by Brittany Pressley and Imani Jade Powers

The Catch by Alison Fairbrother (Random House): A story of the gifts we’re given over the course of a lifetime—the ones we want and the ones we don’t yet understand that we need. First line:

My father, a minor poet, celebrated holidays out of season.

Audiobook: Read by Julia Knippen

Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro (Knopf): The story of three once-inseparable college friends in Nigeria who reunite in Lagos for the first time in thirty years . . . about mothers and daughters, culture and class, sex and love, and the extraordinary resilience of female friendship. First line:

In the photo they are eating something out of frame, pounded yam, perhaps, or maybe eba.

Audiobook: Read by Tarlye Peterside

Gilt by Jamie Brenner (Putnam): A luxurious and richly compelling . . . novel . . . about a famous family jewelry dynasty and the hidden past that could topple it all. First line:

She reached for her mother's hand, excited and just a little bit afraid.

Audiobook: Read by January LaVoy

Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer (Farrar, Straus & Giroux): A thrumming, searching novel about the friendships that shape us more than any love affair. First line:

Rose and I moved to New York to be motherless.

Audiobook: Read by Cady Zuckerman

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown): An immensely satisfying page-turner . . . about a summer of scandal at a storied Nantucket hotel. First line:

Nantucket Island is known for its cobblestone streets and redbrick sidewalks, cedar-shingled cottages and rose-covered arches, long stretches of golden beach and refreshing Atlantic breezes—and it's also known for residents who adore a juicy piece of gossip (which hot landscaper has been romancing which local real estate mogul's wife—that kind of thing.

Audiobook: Read by Erin Bennett

The Measure by Nikki Erlick (William Morrow): Both heartbreaking and profoundly uplifting, [this] is a sweeping, ambitious meditation on life, family, and society that challenges us to consider the best way to live life to the fullest. First line:

It was difficult to imagine a time before them, a world in which they hadn't come.

Audiobook: Read by Julia Whelan

Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan (Putnam): Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, [this] is the best kind of love story—the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. First line:

Hollywood is coming today.

Audiobook: Read by Hillary Huber

Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins (Berkley): A funny and surprising new novel about losing it all—and getting back more than you ever expected. First line:

Six months ago, if you had asked me what I thought I’d be doing today, the answer would not have been transporting a drugged skunk to the house where my soon-to-be ex-husband lived with his much-younger fiancée.

Audiobook: Read by Xe Sands and CJ Bloom

These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany (Grand Central): A paean to youth and female friendship—and to all the joy and messiness love holds. First line:

"Do you think Eid sex is a thing? Like birthday sex, but just the Muslim equivalent?"

Audiobook: Read by Shazia Nicholls

Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta (Scribner): A pitch-perfect new satirical novel about ambition, coming-of-age in adulthood, and never really leaving high school politics behind. First line:

There was another front-page story in the paper.

Audiobook: Read by a full cast

Truth about Ben and June by Alex Kiester (Park Row): This . . . novel explores the complexity of a modern-day marriage and motherhood, when a new mother vanishes one morning, and her husband must retrace events of their recent past to bring her home. First line:

On the day everything fell apart, Ben awoke to the sound of the baby crying.

Audiobook: Read by Brittany Pressley and Pete Cross

Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore (William Morrow): A delicious summer read set in midcoast Maine, tackling family secrets, marriage, motherhood, and privilege. First line:

The Greyhound from Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Rockland, Maine, takes twelve hours and thirty-three minutes with three stops, all of them in the places where you don't necessarily want to use the bathroom but may find you have no choice.

Audiobook: Read by Stacey Glemboski

Who You Might Be by Leigh N. Gallagher (Henry Holt): A fiercely original debut that takes readers from 1990s Southern California to a UFOlogist holdout in Nevada, the graffiti playground of Detroit, and a self-important New York art scene in an unflinching examination of how life’s most unexpected turns—and the people we meet along the way—shape who we become. First line:

Two fourteen-year-old girls, one beautiful and one just okay, are running away from home on a northbound Amtrak.

Audiobook: Read by Aven Shore

Click for more

What I Read in October: Part 2

Happy Monday -- long time, no linking up. I know. In any case, here's part 2 of what I read in October. If you're interested, I posted part 1 on Friday (click through to see my thoughts).

As on Friday, the books here are presented in no particular order. Note that my brief thoughts are also available on Goodreads. Thanks to the publishers and to Libro.fm for the print, digital, and/or audiobook review copies.

The Taking of Jemima Boone: The True Story of the Kidnap and Rescue That Shaped America by Matthew Pearl (Harper; Sept.): This is an interesting examination of the far-reaching effects of the capture of Daniel Boone's daughter and her friends by Native Americans. The book starts with the kidnapping of the girls by a group of Shawnee and Cherokee men. Boone and other men from the Boonesboro settlement tracked the girls (who tried to leave clues) and eventually rescued them, but not before one of the White men killed the son of a Shawnee chief. The remainder of the book ties this event into the general settlement of Kentucky, the Revolutionary War, and indigenous-settler conflicts. Though I knew of Jemima's capture and rescue, I didn't know the many later events surrounding Boonesboro, the Boone family, and other prominent settlers. This is a very readable account, though it is less about Jemima's capture than it is about the aftermath.

Audiobook: I partially read and partially listened to this book (as I often do with nonfiction). The audiobook comes with a PDF of the footnotes and a chart showing the major players. Jeremy Arthur performed the text in an engaging style.

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Orbit; Aug.): This is a complex and very well-received space opera. Unfortunately, this is my only DNF of the month. I need to point out that I do not think it was the fault of the book or the narrator. I think I had trouble getting into the story because I started the audiobook on vacation and then had to put it down for a almost a week. By the time I picked it back up, I needed to start from the beginning again. By then, I realized I should have waited because my mind wandered during the re-listen. SO this was totally a me issue and not a reflection on the story or on narrator Sophie Aldred's performance. I do plan on listening again sometime this coming winter.

Nanny Needed by Georgina Cross (Bantam; Oct.): This thriller is set in New York. A deeply in debt young woman accepts a job with an uber-rich, uber-private family to be the nanny for their toddler. The penthouse apartment is everything Sarah has ever imagined, and at first she's in awe of how the one-percenters live. All, however, is not normal in her employer's household, but once Sarah starts to get really uncomfortable, it's way too late. She has signed a contract, a NDA, and other papers that lock her into her job for at least three months. And if that weren't enough, she's been not-so-subtly threatened with lawsuits (or worse) if she tries to leave early. There are some twists and turns, but the novel fell short in building the tension and making me root for Sarah. I found a few plot points beyond my ability to suspend disbelief.

Audiobook: The audiobook was read by Emma Ashton, who did an okay job, though her delivery was a little too earnest during tense moments.

The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield (Random House; Oct.): I'm not quite sure why this biography is tagged for a young adult audience. The biography is well documented and solidly written. In any case, this is the story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman who spent decades in the cypher business. As a young woman in the early 1900s, she worked for a man who wanted to know if it was true that Shakespeare's original folios included cyphers. Later she broke codes for the government during both World Wars, helped break a ring of rum runners during Prohibition, and figured out how to read encrypted messages from enemy countries and spies. She was called as an expert witness in court and was a formidable force when it came to deciphering codes.

Greenfield also talks about Friedman's struggles with being a working woman, especially after she got married and then after she had children. Her husband was also a well-respected code breaker, and the public often gave him credit for her work, even when the couple worked for completely different government agencies and were under strict nondisclosure and security orders (which they both obeyed).

The book is amply illustrated with examples of codes, photographs, and even a page from Friedman's diary. A bibliography and footnotes round out the biography. Don't let the YA rating put you off. This account of Elizebeth Smith Friedman's life is readable, serious, and in no way simplified for a teen audience.

Audiobook:The unabridged audiobook is read by Samantha Desz, who did a great job keeping my attention and subtly distinguishing between quoted material and running text. Note that I both listened to and read this book. The audiobook comes with a PDF, though I haven't seen it.

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (Tordotcom; Oct.): I really enjoyed this short retelling of the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty," especially with its feminist and LGBTQ+ aspects. The good news is that this is the first in Harrow's new Fractured Fables series.

Ohioan Zin Gray celebrates her 21st birthday a little differently from most because she was born with a rare disease that, statistically speaking, should kill her before the year is out. Still, her BFF Charm hosts a small Disney-inspired Sleeping Beauty party. When Zin pricks her finger on the spinning wheel meant for decoration, she is transported to an alternate world where she meets Prim, another Sleeping Beauty, also cursed at birth. The story is full of pop culture references and tongue-in-cheek fairy tale dialogue and shows how Zin, Prim, Charm, and other surprise feminist heroes find a way to give everyone their happy ending. Fun!

The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book: Revised and Expanded by Gord Hill (Arsenal Pulp; Oct.): Just in time for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims' original Thanksgiving feast (I'll leave it you to research Indigenous peoples' view on that day and the contemporary federal holiday). This revised and expanded graphic look at Indigenous history after contact with Europeans focuses on resistance and activism and provides a perspective that most of us throughout the Western Hemisphere aren't taught in school or in popular culture. From Columbus's several voyages and settlements through to very current protests against development of Native lands and the destruction of the environment, the stories are heartbreaking and introduce readers to Indigenous groups throughout the Americas.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning a different view of history and perfect for homeschooling or the classroom.

Click for more

17 Books to Read This Week

Welcome back to my "new releases in June" series. While more complete lists can be found via a Google search and some buzz books won’t be found here, my lists are curated to my own tastes. Here are the books released this week that interested me most.

Note that release dates have been changing owing to current events. Please double-check availability before ordering or searching your local library.

Contemporary Stories

• They Say Sarah by Pauline Delabroy-Allard (Other Press). Genre: literary fiction; LGBTQ+; translated. Learned from reviews: The writing promises to be as poetic and passionate as the relationship between a teacher and musician. Fast-paced and captivating story of an all-consuming love. First line: “In the half-light of three a.m., I wake.” Audiobook: no information.
• 500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan (William Morrow) Genre: women’s fiction; rom-com Learned from reviews: Lissie, a London nurse, is asked to temporarily swap places with Cormack, who provides medical care to a small town in the Scottish Highlands. Though they’ve never met, they end up emailing and texting to discuss patients and more. What happens when they meet in person? First line: “It should have started with ominous dark crows, great murmurations and flutterings, bad omens taking to the sky; with thick storm clouds rolling in, clocks striking thirteen.” Audiobook: Read by Eilidh Beaton (11 hr, 3 min)
• Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins (Berkley) Genre: general fiction Learned from reviews: A family’s cheery veneer is cracked after John has a stroke; as his wife and daughters take on care-giving responsibilities, their flaws and vulnerabilities are exposed. Humor eases the sharp edges of the more serious issues of family dynamics and living up to others’ expectations. First line: “ ‘You’re engaged? Oh! Uh … huzzah!’ ” Audiobook: Read by Laural Merlington, Amy Rubinate, Xe Sands, & Graham Winton (12 hr, 58 min)
• The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore (William Morrow) Genre: general fiction; beach read Learned from reviews: A summer of transformation for three people who meet on Block Island. Two women and one man, all in different seasons of their lives, meet, become friends, and try to hold their secrets close. By August’s end, no one is the same. First line: “ ‘It was disconcerting, to see a man cry like that,’ said Bridget Fletcher.” Audiobook: Read by Courtney Patterson (12 hr, 15 min)

Stories for Food Lovers

• Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier (Doubleday) Genre: literary fiction; quirky. Learned from reviews: A pregnant, conflicted, grieving pizza-delivery girl becomes obsessed with a stay-at-home mother who orders a weekly pizza for her son. Pregnancy hormones raging, pizza girl struggles to find her future. First line: “Her name was Jenny Hauser and every Wednesday I put pickles on her pizza.” Audiobook: Read by Jeena Yi (5 hr, 33 min)
• Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman (Sourcebooks Landmark) Genre: contemporary woman’s fiction Learned from reviews: Kate’s life seems to fall apart on the eve of her 40th birthday. Reluctantly, she volunteers at an assisted living home, where she meets the feisty 90-something Miss Cecily. Through their friendship and the older woman’s cookbook, Kate finds a brighter future. First line: “Kate Parker is ravenous.” Audiobook: no information

True Stories

• The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams (Simon & Schuster) Genre: nonfiction; nature. Learned from reviews: Written by a science journalist, this introduces us to the hidden life of the “world’s favorite insect.” We learn about their behavior, life cycle, preservation, and relationship to the ecosystem and to us. First line: “Long ago, when I was twenty, penniless, and hanging in London, looking for something free to do, I drifted into the city’s Tate Gallery—filled with some of the world’s best-known art—and walked straight into a staggering J. M. W. Turner masterpiece.” Audiobook: Read by Angela Brazil (8 hr, 38 min)
• Honey and Venom by Andrew Coté (Ballantine) Genre: nonfiction; memoir Learned from reviews: Written by a leading urban beekeeper, this memoir takes us through a year of what it’s like to be a honey producer in New York City. With hives on the rooftops of iconic buildings and even on the grounds of the United Nations, Coté shares not only the ins and outs of his family’s business but also a unique look at the city. First line: “I bleed honey.” Audiobook: Read by Andrew Coté (9 hr, 22 min)
• Rebel Chef by Dominique Crenn with Emma Brockes (Penguin Press) Genre: autobiography; culinary Learned from reviews: I first heard of Crenn through the show Chef’s Table; I was interested in knowing more about her. Here Crenn shares her journey from her native France as the adopted daughter of a politician to her earning three Michelin stars for her San Francisco restaurant. Not an easy trip for anyone, especially a woman. First line: “When I was six months old, I was left in the care of an orphanage near Paris and it was from here, a few months later, that my parents adopted me.” Audiobook: Read by Hope Newhouse (5 hr, 14 min)
• Cult of Glory by Doug J. Swanson (Viking) Genre: history Learned from reviews: I’ve always been fascinated with the fabled Texas Rangers, especially as they are portrayed in film and fiction. In this examination, investigative reporter Swanson sets the record straight, revealing the sometimes ugly truth of the 200-year-old law-enforcement agency that learned to put a positive spin on their deeds, even before Texas was officially part of the union. First line: “There is not, nor has there ever been, a group quite like the Texas Rangers.” Audiobook: Read by Kaleo Griffith (17 hr, 56 min)

Stories Set in the Past

• Belladonna by Anbara Salam (Berkley) Genre literary fiction; coming of age. Learned from reviews: After high school, two American friends move to Italy to enroll in an art history program. In the late 1950s, Bridget nurtures a secret love for Isabella, but over the course of their freshman year, she learns Isabella has secrets of her own. First line: “It was Isabella who invented the game Dead Nun.” Audiobook: Read by Jill Winternitz (10 hr, 34 min)
• The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz (Random House) Genre: literary fiction; family Learned from reviews: When Ellie discovers she’s pregnant in the early 1950s, Brick marries her—each giving up dreams of college and leaving their small Ohio town—to raise their daughter together. This novel covers deep themes of family, sacrifice, the women’s movement, secrets, marriage, and lost and found hopes. First line: “Samantha McGinty pressed her cheek against the cold window and exhaled slowly to cloud the glass.” Audiobook: Read by Cassandra Campbell (14 hr, 12 min)
• Red Sky over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman (Mira) Genre: historical fiction; WWII Learned from reviews: I’m reading this one now. Set on the Big Island of Hawaii and starting on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we meet Lana, who not only must cope with the aftermath of the bombing, but is also grieving her father’s recent death, discovering his secrets, and helping his neighbors. Once I started reading, I was hooked. First line: “When I close my eyes, I still see the fiery glow of lava in Halema‘uma‘u crater.” Audiobook: Read by Jennifer Robideau (10 hr, 1 min)

Stories Set in Other Worlds

• The Shadow Wand by Laurie Forest (Inkyard Press) Genre: epic fantasy; YA Learned from reviews: This third in the well-love Black Witch Chronicles series is told through multiple points of view. Things I like about this series: flawed but likeable characters and a focus on a grass-roots civil rights–like movement. Note that some readers found the first book to be homophobic, but my take was that the characters grew, learned, and changed. First line: “Edwin Gardner sits on the silk-cushioned chair in a haze of grief.” Audiobook: Read by Julia Whelan (19 hr, 50 min)
• Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Inkyard Press) Genre: contemporary fantasy; YA Learned from reviews: This is the second in the Harbinger series, continuing the story of Trinity (half human, half angel) and her gargoyle protector, Zayne. They fight demons and try to save the world from their home base in Washington, D.C. Super character development and world building. First line: “I blinked open achy, swollen eyes and stared straight at the pale, translucent face of a ghost.” Audiobook: Read by Lauren Fortgang (16 hr, 38 min)

Stories with a Twist

• Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle (Park Row) Genre: domestic thriller Learned from reviews: A young woman marries a rich older man; despite gossip and doubters, her life seems blessed. All that begins to unravel when a woman’s body is found floating in the lake by their house. Her husband asks her to lie, an investigative journalist is reviving cold cases, and Charlotte is beginning to question everything. First line: “I untie the dock cleats and shove the boat into water as gray as the sky.” Audiobook: Read by Xe Sands (9 hr, 39 min)
• Safe by S. K. Barnett (Dutton) Genre: thriller Learned from reviews: Twelve years after her kidnapping, Jenny returns home, welcomed by her grateful family. She knows she is supposed to feel safe now, but is she really? What happened to Jenny during the missing years? Promises to be twisty, captivating (ha!), creepy, and unputdownable. First Line: “The first poster was put up within a day of the disappearance.” Audiobook: Read by Brittany Pressley (9 hr, 4 min)

Click for more

5 Books about Ourselves and Our World: June Nonfiction

A few days ago I was involved with an email conversation with a blogger friend of mine about the path our reading lives have taken in the last couple of a years. We were in agreement: we find ourselves turning more and more to escape reading (with some nonfiction thrown into the mix) and less and less to heavy, deep books. Coincidentally, I saw a similar conversation between two other blogger friends on Twitter just yesterday.

Perhaps it's the political climate or perhaps it's 11 years of blogging. I don't have the answer, but I'm happy to know that I'm not alone. Today's post is all about June's nonfiction that I still plan to read. I've made some headway on some of these, and hope to have fuller thoughts soon.

Childfree by Choice by Amy Blackstone (Dutton, June 11): This look at "redefining family" is written by a research sociologist and professor who is herself, child free by choice. Blackstone's book (and her research) explores why choosing not to be a parent is still controversial, how that choice affects a couple's relationship to their extended families and friends, and what it all might mean for our world at large. Spoiler: she sees many positives. Granted, you might dismiss her as defending her own lifestyle choice, but Blackstone backs up her conclusions. You can get a sense of her work and her humor on her popular blog, We're {Not} Having a Baby. Why I want to read this: I'm drawn to Childfree by Choice for a couple of reasons. First, I too am child free, mostly by choice and somewhat by failing to choose. Second, I'm interested in the author's academic viewpoint, which I suspect will differ from some of the more popular (trade) reporting on what it means to opt out of parenthood.

Giants of the Monsoon Forest by Jacob Shell (Norton, June 11): This is a kind of ethnography written by a geology professor about the relationship between humans and elephants in Burma and India. Most of us have two visions of elephants: wild and roaming the African savanna or serving the tourist industry in southeast Asia or perhaps doing tricks in a circus. In fact, elephants of the southern Asian rain forests have had a long relationship with humans, similar to the Western idea of humans and horses. They work with and for people, and develop lifelong attachments to their riders. In this book Shell introduces to the forests, the elephants, and the people who bond with them and we learn how even though the Asian elephant is not bred to be domesticated, these intelligent animals nonetheless help humans and at the same time may save an ecosystem. Why I want to read this: I jumped at the chance to read Giants of the Monsoon Forest first and foremost because I have a lifelong interest in animal behavior. In fact, my undergraduate thesis was on nonhuman primate behavior. I also have a love of elephants that I inherited from one of my grandfathers, who liked all things elephant.

The Ice at the End of the World by Jon Gertner (Random House, June 11): This book, written by a journalist, focuses on Greeland's melting ice sheet and its implications for our future. Did you know there were entire branches of science devoted to studying ice cores and that Greenland is one of the places to go if ice is your thing? Ice cores reveal not just Earth's history--climate, creatures, polutants--but they also hold keys to our future. Gertner talks about the island's transformation from hostile wilderness to major scientific  laboratory and then introduces us to contemporary scientists who are racing the climate-change clock to recover as much data as possible before Greeland's trillions and trillions of tons of ice melt into the sea. In addition, he gives us perspective on what it means now and what it will mean for younger generations when Greenland at last turns primarily green. Scary and fascinating stuff. Why I want to read this: If you follow my blog then you know I love nonfiction about the cold regions of our world, so The Ice at the End of the World seems a good fit for me. I'm of course interested in climate change and the fate of our planet, And, finally, I've met one of the leading ice core scientists (he's the husband of a woman I know through fiber arts), and I've been curious about his and his colleagues' work for years.

The Way Home by Mark Boyle (June 11, Oneworld): This modern-day Walden story, set in Ireland, is written by a former businessman. Most off-the-grid memoirs have an element of wacky about them, but Boyle's experience of living without electricity (and thus without the internet) in a house he build himself follows in the footsteps of Thoreau. He's no isolationist, either, and his story is as much about life in rural Ireland as it is about reconnecting with self and nature. It's my understanding that is also an account of living without money (or very little of it), which has both benefits and risks (though healthcare is less of a worry in Ireland than it is in the United States, though I digress). Why I want to read this: I realize it wouldn't be the life for everyone, but when I was younger, I was drawn to the homesteading idea The Way Home describes a similar experience. I also like the fact that Boyle is not a cultist; he's just a guy who found a way to live with less in a world that always seems to want more, whether that's money, things, or connectedness.

One Giant Leap by Charles Fishman (Simon & Schuster; June 11): This history of how we went from a president's speech to a moon landing in less than decade is written by a journalist. Perhaps in this day and age of technology, the idea that United States successfully landed two men on the moon isn't all that shocking, but at time when color television was definitely not in every household, it was a pretty amazing accomplishment. Fishman gives us the backdoor look at the people, technology, and politics behind the moon landing. We visit the research laboratories, learn about how space suits where made, and discover the engineering behind the Apollo program. It's a story of invention and bravery and everyday acts of devotion to the project. Why I want to read this: I grew up with the manned space program and still remember watching the moon landing on our family's (black-and-white) television. I'll never stop being fascinated with space. This is the 50th anniversary of the first human to have walked on the moon and this book is just of many that tell the story.

Click for more

7 New Thrillers Written by Women

Never mind that we’re on the other side of the winter solstice and that global warming is real, I still think of January as having long, cold evenings that were made for reading. Give me a good suspense or crime novel, a cozy afghan, and something warm to drink and I’ll be happy for hours. Here are seven thrillers that have caught my eye—all written by women and all out this month.

• An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (St. Martin’s Press, January 8): Set in New York City, this is the story of a young woman who worms her way into an ethics study, hoping to answer a quick survey and walk away with $500. As the female doctor’s probing questions become more and more disturbing, our protagonist finds it difficult to break free.
• The Au Pair by Emma Rous (Berkley, January 8): Set on the Norfolk coast, this is a thriller involving family secrets. When a young woman goes through her late-father’s belongings she finds a photograph that makes her question the circumstances of her mother’s suicide, just hours after giving birth, and the reasons for the au pair’s sudden departure on the very same day.
• Freefall by Jessica Barry (Harper, January 8): A woman survives a plane crash in the Colorado Rockies, knowing that conquering nature is the least of her concerns. Meanwhile in Maine, her estranged mother, desperate to learn her daughter's fate, discovers the younger woman's secret life and hopes to offer protection before it's too late.
• Her One Mistake by Heidi Perks (Gallery, January 8): Set in the English countryside, this is the story of what happens when a woman loses her best friend’s daughter at the local school fair. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Harriet, the grieving mother, withdraws from her husband and friends. When the police investigation fails to recover the girl, Harriet realizes she must face her darker self before she can have any hope of seeing her daughter again.

• She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge (Random House; January 8): Set in Hampshire, England, this start of a new series involves a cold-case murder and small-town secrets. Thirty years after a young teen disappeared after partying in the woods with friends, her body is found, and the local detective chief inspector is tasked with tracking down the witnesses and uncovering the truth of what happened the night the girl was killed.
• The Suspect by Fiona Barton (Berkley; January 22): Set mostly in Bangkok, this thriller asks, How far would a mother go to protect her child? When a British journalist is dispatched to Thailand to follow a story about two teens who went missing after a fire in a youth hostel, she is horrified to discover that her estranged son is a prime suspect.
• Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus (Delacorte Press, January 8): When teenage twins move to Vermont to live with their grandmother, one of them becomes obsessed with the small town’s infamous reputation for girls gone missing. A fairly recent murder, another disappearance, and personal threats can’t keep our hero from poking into the area's dark history.

Click for more

11 Nonfiction Titles to Read This Summer

I’ve been a nonfiction fan most of my life. As a child, biography and autobiography were among my favorite books. When I got older, I added science, history, and memoir to my nonfiction mix After I discovered audiobooks, the way I read most nonfiction changed: These days I like to tag team between audio and print: a great narrator can bring the book alive and the print copy allows me to see the footnotes, charts, photos, maps, and so on. It’s a great way to get the best of both worlds. Here are 11 books that are on my summer nonfiction reading list.

On the Water

Barons of the Sea: And Their Race to Build the World’s Fastest Clipper Ship by Steven Ujifusa (Simon & Schuster; July 17): What the subtitle doesn’t tell you about this look at sailing the open seas is that the motivation for building a fast ship in the late 1700s was to get rich via importing spices, tea, silks, and opium from the Far East. The baron in the title is no accident; this is also a story of the early robber barons who were America’s first one-percenters. (audiobook read by Arthur Morey)

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate and Innocent Man by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic (Simon & Schuster; July 10): You might remember the bare-bones story of the USS Indianapolis: it carried the atomic bomb across the Pacific and was later struck by Japanese torpedoes, leaving 900 men stranded in the ocean—only about 300 survive. Relying on firsthand accounts, interviews with survivors, the authors reveal the true story of what happened to the ship and crew, setting the record straight about who was and wasn’t to blame for the disaster. (audiobook read by John Bedford Lloyd)

Women’s Stories

Lush: A Memoir by Kerry Cohen (Sourcebooks; July 17): In an increasingly stressful world the number of women struggling with alcohol dependency is on the rise. Cohen wasn’t your stereotypical drunk: she kept the household running, she took care of the kids, she had a social life . . . but she also waited impatiently for 5pm when she could respectably pour herself a glass of wine or two or three. This is the story of how she realized she had a problem and how she found a way to embrace life again. (audiobook read by Allyson Ryan)

Open Mic Night in Moscow: And Other Stories from My Search for Black Markets, Soviet Architecture, and Emotionally Unavailable Russian Men by Audry Murray (William Morrow; July 24): I don’t do a lot of solo travel, but the former Soviet Union wouldn’t be on my list of places to visit all on my own. Twenty-eight-year-old standup comedian Murray, however, was not deterred. This is the story of her nine-month journey across what was once the USSR. Part travelog, part tale of self-discovery, the memoir is supposed to be as funny as is it as story of strength and independence. (audiobook read by Emily Woo Zeller)

Women of the Blue and Gray: True Civil War Stories of Mothers, Medics, Soldiers, and Spies by Marianne Monson (Shadow Mountain; August 7): Like many Americans, I have a fascination with the Civil War and I’ve always been interested in women’s roles during the war. Monson takes a diverse look at the parts played by women on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line and by women of different cultures and skin colors. We meet not only nurses and Underground Railroad workers but also spies, advisers, and soldiers. (audiobook read by Caroline Shaffer)

Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan by Ruby Lal (Norton; July 3): I had no idea that in the early 1600s a Muslim women sat on the throne of Persia. Although the 20th wife of her emperor husband, she ruled by his side and by herself, wielding power and respect both from the court and on the battlefield. Lal rescues Nur Jahan from the backwaters of history, introducing her to a new generation of strong, independent women. (I didn’t find an audiobook)

Men’s Stories

Room to Dream: A Life by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna (Random House; June 19): I’ve been a kind of David Lynch fan since Twin Peaks first aired in the 1990s. This book is as unusual and unique as much of Lynch’s work. The text alternates between McKenna’s biography (based on research and interviews) and Lynch’s thoughts and memories of the same events or projects. The font changes so we know at a glance whose words we’re reading, and the book is loaded with black and white photographs. (audiobook read by the authors)

City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai by Paul French (Picador; July 3): In the years between the wars, Shanghai was known as refuge for outlaws hoping to fade into the crowd of their peers. For Jack Riley and Joe Farren, the gambling dens and music halls of the city were their golden tickets to wealth—at least for a few years. French bases his true crime story on eyewitness accounts and contemporary documents, bringing to light the rise and fall of the mob culture of the East. (audiobook read by Paul Chan)

Through History

The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization by Vince Beiser (Riverhead; August 7): I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about how sand shapes my everyday life: paved roads, glass, and silicon are just some of things that owe their existence to sand. Despite the world’s deserts and beaches, quality (useful) sand is actually a limited resource, and its importance has political and social implications. Through Beiser’s research, we gain a new appreciation for the endangered resource. (audiobook read by Will Damron)

1968: Radical Protest and Its Enemies by Richard Vinen (Harper; July 3): You know the saying: If you can remember the sixties you didn’t live through the sixties. Yet few of us alive in 1968 can forget that year of assassinations, riots, and protests—and not just in the United States. Viven takes a global perspective, including French labor strikes and antiwar rallies in London, of a short period in history that had far-reaching affects on social and cultural norms, such as feminism and gay rights. (audiobook read by Tim Gerard Reynolds)

The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Andrew Lawler (Doubleday; June 5): One of bits of U.S. history that most of us remember from grammar school is the story of Roanoke and the mystery of what happened to those early colonizers. For 400 years, scholars and the public have debated and theorized on the British colony’s fate, and journalist Lawler introduces us to the archaeologists, historians, and others who are consumed with discovering the truth. A mystery and history rolled into one. (audiobook read by David H. Lawrence XVII)

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: A Mixed Reading Week

It was another slow reading week for me, but this time it was for a good reason. I took some time off work to visit my mother and to plan her 90th birthday celebration (coming up soon) with one of my brothers.

The long weekend was filled with fun and chores: getting my mother's patio ready for summer, running errands, doing minor house repairs, cooking, eating, and gabbing.

My brother and I organized a holiday lunch for Mother's Day, and it was wonderful to see my cousins and niece and nephew, and it's always great to catch up on everyone's life. I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon, and my mom and I are looking forward to a quiet evening and watching the first episode of the new Little Women series.

What I Read Last Week

Mars Room by Rachel Kushner (Scribner, May 1): I had mixed feelings about this much-buzzed novel about a twenty-something woman, Romy, who is sentenced to two life terms (plus six years) after being convicted of killing a stalker. The women inmates' stories and the descriptions of prison culture and the California justice system, especially for the poor and resourceless, are vivid and heartbreaking. There were no real surprises here (see: Orange Is the New Black), and Kusher pulls no punches when portraying life with no backup or safety net. I had two issues with the book. First, Kushner periodically turns away from Romy to concentrate on several men, including a prison teacher and a dirty cop. Not all of the tangents tied back to the main plot, and thus I found them distracting. Second, is the ending. I won’t spoil the novel, but the last few pages were unsatisfying and too inconclusive. I don’t know what I was expecting to happen, but it wasn’t what I was given. The Mars Room has been getting quite a bit of attention, so you may want to check it out for yourself. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Simon & Schuster Audio; 9 hr, 41 min), read by the author, for a freelance assignment. While there was nothing really wrong with Rachel Kushner's delivery, I didn't totally buy into her performance. Details will be available through AudioFile magazine.

The High Season by Judy Blundell (Random House, May 22): Based on the publisher's summary, I expected The High Season to be a light beach read with some thriller elements. I was partly wrong. Set on the North Fork (the un-Hampshires) of Long Island, the novel focuses on the transforming summer of Ruthie and Jemma, a mother–daughter pair who live in a beautiful beach house, which they can afford only by renting it out to vacationers from Memorial Day to Labor Day. After a wealthy young widow moves into the house, the threads of Ruthie and Jemma’s life begin to unravel. Coincidence? This is a surprisingly complex novel about changing culture, the infiltration of the Instagramable set into a small community, the dark undercurrent of the art world, coming of age (for Jemma), and forced and welcome new beginnings (for the adults and for the town). I found quite a lot to love here, such as a cast of fully realized, believable characters facing real-life situations and a diverse range of relationship and family issues. The High Season will bring depth and thought to your summer reading list; you won't want to miss it. I haven't read any of Blundell's YA fiction, but I now plan to explore her entire back list. (Print review copy provided by the publisher.)

Click for more

5 Books to Jump-Start Your Summer

All it takes is two warm days and I'm ready for summer. I'm not alone, right? And since I'm thinking summer, I'm also in the mood for beach reading. I know, I know--May has barely begun, and here I'm already dreaming of vacation. I bet you are too. So grab your sunscreen and flip flops and one of today's recommended books: it's time to jump-start your summer fun.

• August and Everything After by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski (Sourcebook Fire, May 1): Even three years after her best friend died in a car accident, Quinn is still having trouble feeling steady. Maybe a summer living with her aunt on the Jersey Shore will give her the space she needs figure out her future. Romance and music may offer a way to happiness . . . or has Quinn set her heart on the wrong guy? Summer love mixed with more serious themes will keep you turning the pages.
• Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe (Gallery, May 22): Take a trip to the Lowcountry and walk the beaches of historic South Carolina with three generations of the Rutledge family. Although officially part of Monroe's Beach House series, this book can easily be read as a standalone. Two women in different stages of life and facing different problems, set up house at their family beach house: Cara a late-in-life single mother and fairly recent widow is having trouble transitioning to her new reality, and her baby-sitter niece is feeling lost now that she's out of college. Strong themes of ecology, relationships, and family wind their way through Monroe's latest.
• The Endless Beach by Jenny Colgan (William Morrow, May 22): Set on an island off the coast of Scotland, this is a story of second chances and the strength of family as well as good friends and maybe even romance. Colgan is well-known for her believable characters, vivid settings, and good food (there's a cafe involved), and her stories are the perfect lazy Saturday escape. Pour a mug of tea and arrange a plate of biscuits (cookies); then settle in for an engrossing small-town tale.
• The High Season by Judy Blundell (Random House, May 22): Oh what joy to have the perfect Long Island beach house and oh what sorrow to have to rent it for the summer season. Ruthie and her teenage daughter, Jemm, are unprepared for all they may have to give up when their beautiful tenant seems take possession of not only their house but also of major chunks of their lives. This may be the summer of Jemm's coming of age and Ruthie's unraveling . . . or maybe it's a call to dig deep and find that inner strength.
• The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews (St. Martin's Press, May 8): A wealthy ninety-something woman seeks advice from a young, struggling lawyer: Can she will her private Georgia island to her three best friends? Seems simple enough, but the friends have been estranged for decades and the millionaire dies before signing the documents . . . and then there's the little problem of a long-ago murder. Good plotting and great characters are the hallmarks of Andrews's summer reads.

Click for more

9 Books to Read in August

August is promising to be an exciting month for book lovers, just in time for vacations, afternoons at the pool, or warm evenings on the porch swing. Whether you like fantasy or literary fiction, I bet at least one of the following books is the perfect match for you.

Get Lost in a Good Story

• One Summer Day in Rome by Mark Lamprell (Flatiron, August 1): Three couples (two from the United States, one from London) travel to Rome for different reasons. While exploring the Eternal City, their paths crisscross during one transforming day.
• The Ready-Made Thief by Augustus Rose (Viking, August 1): A homeless teenager finds shelter in a squatters' cooperative in Philadelphia, but when fellow residents begin to go missing, she and a friend attempt to lose themselves in the city while figuring out who's behind the disappearances.
• If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Sourcebooks Landmark, August 22): Pregnant and newly married to a violent man, a young woman starts to question her choices, though she sees no way out of her South Carolina mountain town. The story is told from a variety of perspectives.

Give a Family Saga a Try

• The Ice-Cream Makers by Ernest van der Kwast (Atria / 37 Ink, August 1): When the heir to an Italian ice cream dynasty is called home to help rescue his family's business, he must decide between his passion to be a poet and his love for his heritage.
• The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker (Harper, August 1): This is the initial installment of a Viking tale of revenge, love, and family set on sea and land and based on ancient tales of the rise of Harald the Fair-Haired, the first king of Norway.

Step Back into the Past

• The Dress in the Window by Sofia Grant (William Morrow, July 25): Two talented sisters team up to create beautiful dresses suitable for postwar American woman and all the promise of the country's bright future. Their own small-town lives, however, are anything but easy.
• The Hidden Northern Fires by Daren Wang (Thomas Dunne, August 29): Few people know there was a secessionist town in upstate New York during the American Civil War. This novel explores the fate of a fugitive slave and an abolitionist in the most dangerous place north of Maryland.

Escape with an Urban Fantasy

• Rituals by Kelley Armstrong (Random House Canada, August 15): This is the final installment in the Cainsville series, which is set in the greater Chicago area, in a town that is anything but normal. Expect action, mystery, twists, and a good creep factor.
• Urban Enemies edited by Joseph Nassise (Gallery Books, August 1): A super collection of short stories from a variety of urban fantasy authors, including Jim Butcher Carrie Vaughn, Kelley Armstrong, and Seanan McGuire. The heroes of these stories are the villains we love to hate.

Click for more

8 Nonfiction Books to Put on Your Reading List

One of the great pleasures of reading is stepping away from the stresses and strains of our everyday lives to be transported to a different place, a different time, or even a different galaxy. Other books are, of course, great reservoirs of knowledge and truth. I seek both experiences in my reading life. Here are eight nonfiction titles to put on your reading list.

Looking to the Past

A Brief Stop on the Road from Auschwitz by Goran Rosenberg (Other Press, Feb. 2017): In this prize-winning memoir, Rosenberg, who grew up with all the optimism of baby boomers everywhere, contrasts his life with that of his father, who settled in Sweden after surviving a Nazi concentration camp. Can this father and son truly ever understand each other's perspectives? The Pen and the Brush by Anka Muhlstein (Other Press, Jan. 2017): The subtitle of Muhlstein's newest book gives us a clue to what's inside: "How Passion for Art Shaped Nineteenth-Century French Novels." Zola, Maupaussant, Balzac, and others were strongly influenced not only by contemporary paintings but also by the artists themselves, including Manet and Renoir. A fascinating look at the mutual influences in subject matter and style.

Meeting Famous Women

Victoria: The Queen by Julia Baird (Random House, Nov. 2016): Thanks to the power of television, we are all getting to know the longest-reigning monarchs of English history, both of whom were/are queens. Baird's well-researched biography has won critical acclaim and many starred reviews. Here is the true story of the transformation of a sheltered girl into a powerful, global ruler. California Dreamin' by Penelope Bagieu (First Second, Mar. 2017): One of the queens of the American folk scene was Cass Elliot, aka Mama Cass from the Mamas and the Papas. Most people remember her music and that she died way too young. In black and white drawings, Bagieu introduces us to Cass before the fame--and her name change--and details her struggle to make a name for herself in world of music.

Contending with Genetics

The Family Gene by Joselin Linder (Ecco, Mar. 2017): When Linder started to have medical issues in her twenties, she and her doctors took a look at her family history and discovered a unique genetic mutation that explained the early death and range of physical aliments suffered by many of her relatives. What does it mean to live with a rare genetic condition? Where does one find hope and answers . . . and peace of mind? Linder's story will give you a lot to think about. Food Fight by McKay Jenkins (Avery, Jan. 2017): Once upon a time, people grew, bought, and ate food. Just food. Nowadays we are eating pesticides, preservatives, and additives and even our fresh food is not what is seems. Is that potato an old-fashioned spud or a Frankenstein's monster of a vegetable, otherwise known as a genetically modified organism (GMO). Are GMOs something to run from or are they answer to feeding the world as the environment deteriorates and population increases? Jenkins promises to show us both sides of the argument so we can make up our own minds.

Learning about Our World

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan (Norton, Mar. 2017): Did you know the Great Lakes make up one of the largest sources of fresh water on the planet? For that alone, they should be protected and treated with respect. Unfortunately, as journalist Egan  reminds us, the lakes are on the brink of environmental collapse. After careful research and investigation, Egan not only tells us the very bad news but offers ways to save this critical resource. The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far by Lawrence M. Krauss (Atria, Mar. 2017): In his newest book, theoretical physicist Krauss tackles some of humankind's most enduring questions: What is the nature of reality and what is our place in the world? The journey to understanding involves moving from the familiar world around us into the farthest reaches of the universe and then down to the smallest of particles. The difficult topics covered in this book are tempered by Krauss's accessible style, humor, and pop culture references.

Click for more