BOOK NEWS: May 27, 2025

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults


Murdle Jr.: Sleuths on the Loose – First in a new mystery series for kids based on the Murdle word/logic puzzle series. A young detective, her sidekick, and the school bully team up to find out what happened to the missing school librarian.
Murdle Jr. Puzzle Mysteries – Book 2 of Murdle puzzles for kids and teens.
Come As You Are – Everette “Evie” Riley is mistakenly assigned to a guys dorm at her new school with no option but to live there.

Books for Adults


Bodies and Battlements (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 1 in the new Ravensea Castle mystery series. When a guest at the new B&B in the Ravensea Castle is murdered, the owner is the primary suspect. She’ll need help from her sister and the Castle ghost to find the real killer.
Busybody Book Club (Trade Paperback) – The new bookclub at the Community Center is shaping up to be a disaster when the five members can’t agree on anything and money is stolen during one of their meetings, putting the Center’s future at risk. When a club member disappears and a body is discovered, the club members are determined to solve the case. This sounds like a blast!
A Cyclist’s Guide to Villains & Vines (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Cyclist’s Guide Mystery series. The Silver Spinners bike tour of France crosses paths with a murderer.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Dark Lord Davi series. Davi is now the Dark Lord, but now she needs to focus on breaking the time loop that’s trapped her. I have GOT to catch up on book 1 so I can get to this!!
Grimoire Grammar School PTA (Trade Paperback) – When their kindergartener is bitten by a werewolf, a family has to negotiate magical schools and prophecies they are not prepared for. YES, PLEASE!
It’s a Love Story (Trade Paperback) – A teen star turned Hollywood studio exec has to deliver on a rash promise based on her first kiss in order to keep her credibility. Yes, this one too!
Much Ado About Hating You (Trade Paperback) – All I had to read was “Shakespeare fan fic” and I was sold!
Murder Mystery & Mothers (ebook, May 29) – A mystery author discovers a real life mystery to solve.
Problematic Summer Romance (Trade Paperback) – Something new from Ali Hazelwood! A grad student (23) pursues a problematic fling with her long-time crush (38).

BOOK NEWS: May 20, 2025

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults


Gus and Glory – A girl who loves mysteries encounters her biggest one – why did her mom leave?
Let Them Stare (LGBTQ+) – A gender non-conforming fashion student loses their internship but finds a vintage bag they might be able to sell to fund their trip to the big city. They also find a ghost of a drag performer looking for answers as to how he died.  The fact that this was written by JVN and Julie Murphy made this a huge “Yes, please!” for me.

Books for Adults


Behooved (Trade Paperback)- A noblewoman’s betrothed is, at first aloof and uninterested and then he’s magically turned into a horse. And the noblewoman is framed for his “murder.”
The Love Haters (Hardcover) – A video producer tells a couple of lies as she dives head first into a career-making gig in the newest book from Katherine Center.

BOOK NEWS: May 13, 2025

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids


The Rainbow Sheep – In a herd that prizes conformity above everything, a new sheep in the pen shakes things up.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults


Creature Clinic – A doctor in training at the Creature Clinic tries to hide the fact that she helped a human in need – something that is strictly forbidden.
The Shadow of the World-Famous Nine – Book 2 in the World-Famous Nine series about a 19-story skyscraper and a couple of kids who have to fight the forces of evil trying to destroy it.
Home Has No Borders – A collection of South-Asian stories.
The Romance Rivalry – A young book reviewer tries to use romance tropes to help her find love during her freshman year of college, but the trope that might take her down is fake dating a rival reviewer. Yes, please!
The Singular Life of Aria Patel – A practical young scientist finds herself tumbling from one parallel universe to another as she fights to find her way home.
When Love Gives You Lemons (LGBTQ+) – A year after their break up, a young man prepares to see his first love at a wedding where he hopes they can rekindle their relationship.

Books for Adults


Anji Kills a King (Trade Paperback) – First in the Rising Tide series. A woman is hounded by bounty hunters after she murders the king.
Crossing Paths (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Beneath the Wild Sky series. The tech-minded sister in a family of bounty hunters looks for help building up her hand-to-hand combat skills because she’s tired of their targets always thinking she’s the weak link.
Don’t Swipe Right (Trade Paperback) A lonely woman looking for love on a dating app discovers that a series of recent deaths are tied to her – they’re all guys she has dated. And the police think SHE is the serial killer. Wow! (Looks like this might have previously been released as Swiped.)
Dream On, Ramona Riley (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – First in a new Clover Lake series. A woman with dreams of being a Hollywood costume designer encounters an old flame when a big budget movie films in her small town – but the woman who was her first kiss doesn’t seem to remember her.
Maine Characters (Trade Paperback) – Half-sisters show up at their father’s cabin after his death and try to work through their surprise and other complicated feelings while living there, together, for the summer.
No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Vacation Mysteries series about a mystery author who keeps encountering murder in real life.
Riding the High (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Silver Pines Ranch series. A drunken marriage becomes their biggest secret as both members of the “couple” try to wait out some major events before they can quietly divorce.

BOOK NEWS: May 6, 2025

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

Books for Kids


Bear Feels Sad – Bear feels lonely and sad when his friends are busy doing other things without him.
The Bigfoot Field Guide to Campers – A guide for Bigfoots to know what to do to avoid troublesome campers.
Bye Bye, Butterfly – A new picture book from the fantastic Ashley Spires – first in the Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe series – starring Binky the Space Cat from the delightful graphic novel series (Binky the Space Cat – ♥♥♥♥♥).
The Most Magnificent Team – Another Ashley Spires title out this week! Book 4 in the Most Magnificent series. Two girls try to build something together, discovering that they have very different approaches to their project.
We Are the Beatles – The latest in the Ordinary People Change the World series.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults


Entirely Emmie (Graphic Novel) – Book 9 in the Emmie & Friends series. Emmie’s class goes on a year-end camping trip where she’s paired with the last person she would have chosen.
A Field Guide to Broken Promises – Evie’s trying to redeem herself in her father’s eyes after ruining his big moment in cryptozoology, but that’s hard to do as the new kid at school who is failing math and dodging a bully. The cover to this is GORGEOUS, and I am intrigued to find out more about Evie’s story!
J vs. KKwame Alexander and Jerry Craft (New Kid – ♥♥♥♥) team up to bring readers a story about two rival storytellers and a big contest.
The Unlikely Intrusion of Adams Klein (Older Middle Grade) – Book 1 in the TimeFall Trilogy. Adams has been stashed in 2015 to protect him in the past from a killer in the future. And his one guiding rule is to not change history. But when he discovers something he can’t ignore, he and his friends will have to figure out how to protect the timeline.
Beyond They/Them: Twenty Influential Nonbinary and Gender-Diverse People You Should Know – A biography collection of nonbinary and gender-nonconforming folks.
Catching Cryptids – A STEM-based cryptozoology book.
Audre & Bash Are Just Friends – A high schooler stuck at home for the summer asks the new kid for help completing her “experience” bucket list so she can use the stories in the book she’s writing to help her get into Stanford.
The Rebel’s Guide to Pride  (LGBTQ+) – When the mayor cancels their Pride celebration, a newly out teen and his friends plan underground “Pride Speakeasies.”
The Thrashers – A school’s “elite” friend group gets some unwanted attention when a wannabe “Thrasher” is found dead.

Books for Adults


Big Bad Wool (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Sheep Detective series. The sheep of Glenkill are on another case when a series of unnatural animal deaths escalates to a human death.
Drop Dead (Trade Paperback) – Rival journalists have three weeks at a sprawling estate to find out the recently-deceased owner’s big secret.
Dying to Read (Trade Paperback) – Book 5 in the Survivors’ Book Club mystery series. Rarity tries to help another book club member when her husband is accused of murder.
Friends with Benefits (Trade Paperback) – Best friends enter into a marriage of convenience when she needs insurance to purse a dream fellowship and he needs a second income to stay in his apartment.
Hounding a Killer (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Bailey the Bloodhound mystery series. A children’s book author and her bloodhound get drawn into another mystery when a newcomer to their community first makes himself a nuisance and then disappears. This sounds like a great series!
Jilted (Trade Paperback) – A heartbroken, jilted bride who works at a bridal magazine thinks things can’t get more complicated but they do when she has an encounter with a man at a wedding who turns out to be her boss’s son.
Romantic Friction (Trade Paperback) – A bestselling romantasy author’s life and work is upended by an upstart author who confesses she writes her stories with AI and instead of being ostracized, she’s lauded for her “ingenuity.”
A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run (Hardcover) – When her neighbor is found dead after an altercation – over pigeon poop of all things – Alice becomes a murder suspect.
Time Loops & Meet Cutes (Trade Paperback) – A workaholic is caught in a time loop where she meets a guy who could be the key to breaking the loop.
Turbulent Magic (ebook) – A former mage stuck as a dragon flight attendant uses his last magical gift – talking with dragons – and discovers the dragons are planning a rebellion against the airline. Quirky!

BOOK NEWS: May 28, 2024

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


Braided – Book 4 in the Sisters Ever After series. Cinna is so happy to have her sister Rapunzel home after she was kidnapped, but Rapunzel is not what Cinna expected – and danger still lurks. This sounds great! You can read my review of book one in the series here. I can’t believe I missed the rest of this series. The set up is super clever, and I love “fractured fairy tales.”
Flawless Girls
– Two sisters are sent to a finishing school. One comes home after a day, but the other stays and comes home acting like a completely different person. And then she disappears.
Twelfth Knight – Vi starts to fall for the jock who makes her crazy when they become friends in an online game. The only problem is that she’s pretending to be someone else in the game. This sounds fantastic!

Books for Adults


Dreadful (Trade Paperback) – An evil dark lord loses his memory and has to play along with the role while he waits to get his memory back.
The Fireborne Blade (Hardcover) – A female knight goes on a quest to take the Fireborne Blade from its dragon keeper. Look at that cover!!
Summer Fridays (Trade Paperback) – Two people build an online and offline relationship as they spend time together while trying to determine if their significant others are cheating on them.

BOOK NEWS: May 21, 2024

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Kids


Welcome to the Woofmore – First in a new chapter book series about a pet hotel.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


Liar’s Test – A young woman is in a contest for the next ruler, but she has no idea how much she’s been lied to.

Books for Adults


Better Left Unsent (Trade Paperback) – A reserved young woman manages her anger and frustration by drafting emails with her real feelings, never planning to send them. But when a server issue at work results in all of her emails getting sent, she’ll have to a huge mess to sort out.
The Bump (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – Two fathers-to-be head out on a road trip to pick up the baby as a “babymoon” to reconnect before their family changes significantly.
The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle (Trade Paperback) – A charm bracelet ties together three high school friends who lost touch after a prom night tragedy.
Escape Velocity (Hardcover) – A luxury hotel in space plays host to a 25th reunion of the best and brightest from the elite Rochford Institute.
The Guncle Abroad – Sequel to The Guncle. When Patrick’s brother announces his remarriage, Patrick takes his niece and nephew on a tour of Europe leading up to the wedding to help them adjust.
Heavenbreaker (Hardcover) – With that cover, do you even care what the story is? (Revenge in space, something – I’m not quite sure, but I am intrigued.)
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (Trade Paperback) – A women trapped in a time loop decides to ditch the hero track that always seems to get her killed. This time, she’s going to be the villain. Yes, please!
The Last to Pie (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the amazing Pies Before Guys Mystery series. When Daisy’s latest special pie request feels like it could be a trap, she hesitates to respond. Then when the woman who requested help goes missing, she’s determined to find her. I adore this series! Can’t wait to read this new book.
Love Overboard (Trade Paperback) – A group of retirees living on a cruise ship try to play matchmaker with folks on the ship.
Road Trip Rewind (Trade Paperback) – A jilted young woman and the man who has somehow forgotten he jilted her find themselves back in time, at the moment of their initial meeting, charged with fixing their past.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Pliable Truths (Trade Paperback) – Captain Jean-Luc Picard, still dealing with his time as a Cardassian prisoner, is sent to Terok Nor to help with the transition of power from the Cardassians to the Bajorans when Ro Laren is contacted by an old friend who was presumed dead who exposes old secrets that puts everyone in danger.

BOOK NEWS: May 14, 2024

This is the last week of my review break, but we can still talk about new releases! Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


Keep It Like a Secret – A week after his older sister ran away after a huge fight with their mom, she reaches out to Morgan so they can spend the day together. I’m eager to read this new story from John David Anderson.
Puzzleheart – Perigee convinces their father to go home where Perigee can experience the family Puzzle House. But the house – and Perigee’s grandmother – aren’t giving up their secrets willingly.
Summer Vamp (Graphic Novel) – While Maya is supposed to be going to culinary summer camp, instead she finds herself at a camp for vampires.
The Dangerous Ones – An alternate history/fantasy novel about fighting vampires during the Civil War.

Books for Adults


Honey Witch (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – A young woman takes on the role of Honey Witch even though it means she will never find love.
I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons (Hardcover) – A man inherits his father’s role as a dragon catcher, but he doesn’t want the job because he actually likes dragons.
Love at First Book (Trade Paperback) – A librarian moves to Ireland to help a writer finish her series, but she quickly develops feelings for the author’s prickly son. I think Jenn McKinlay’s romance novels are even better than her mysteries. I’m looking forward to this one!
The Paradise Problem (Hardcover) – Something new from Christina Lauren.  College students who wed for housing benefits are still married after their divorce should have been finalized. It’s working out for West, who needs to have been married for 5 years before he can inherit his family fortune, but he has to introduce Anna to his family to keep up the ruse.

BOOK NEWS: May 7, 2024

Happy May! Please remember I am taking a bit of a review break for the next couple of weeks, but I’ll be posting again soon. Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Kids


Have You Seen an Elephant? – First in the Alex’s Field Guides series. A girl is on the hunt for her favorite animal – an elephant. I’ll be reviewing this one when I wrap up my review break, so watch for this one!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


Always Anthony (Graphic Novel) – Book 8 in the Emmie & Friends series focuses on a popular athlete and a shy nerd.
Fortune Tellers – Three girls who lost their friendship over a fight start finding the fortune tellers they made in strange places where they offer sound advice.
The Minor Miracle – When a middle schooler discovers he has super powers his life gets super complicated.
The Secret Library – The map her late grandfather left her leads Dally to a secret library.
The Things We Miss – A middle schooler who feels out of step discovers a way to avoid all the bad and unpleasant things in life by skipping ahead 3 days into the future.
Unicorn Crush – Book 19 in this delightful series.
Beastly Beauty – A Beauty and the Beast retelling.
Blood at the Root – A teen who discovers he has magical powers attends a magical HBCU to discover things about his family and their history.
Burning Crowns – Book 3 in the Twin Crowns series.
This Book Won’t Burn – A girl in a new town for the last quarter of her senior year of high school debates if she should get involved when she discovers the school board has a new policy where books by BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors are being removed from the library for being “obscene.”

Books for Adults


The Best Life Book Club (Trade Paperback) – Four women in difficult stages in life connect through a book club.
Bigtime Series, Volume 1 (ebook) – Check out the first two books plus a holiday novella from Jennifer Estep’s Bigtime series about superheroes and villains.
Chloe Baker’s Lost Date (Trade Paperback) – After an amazing blind date, Chloe’s date has disappeared. This sounds so fun!
Five Broken Blades (Hardcover) – Five liars are on the hunt to take down a cruel god king.
An Intrigue of Witches (Hardcover) – New from Esme Anderson. A history teacher on the hunt for a missing treasure finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy.
Lavash at First Sight (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – Daughters of rival business owners meet at a convention, but the chemistry between them might not be enough to overcome the family drama.
Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie (Trade Paperback) – When her parents start pushing her toward the son of their friends. the two young adults decide to fake date to get their parents to leave them along.
Mistakes We Never Made (Hardcover) – A couple who were never really a couple after a string of near misses team up to find a missing bride and save their friends’ happily ever after.
Murder at Tanton Towers (Hardcover) – First in a new series. A café owner becomes an amateur sleuth when a friend and neighbor asks for help when she finds someone dead. This looks like a fun series!
Red Side Story (Hardcover) – A sequel to Fforde’s Shades of Grey.
The Silverblood Promise (Trade Paperback) – First in a new fantasy series about a gambler searching for who killed his estranged father.

BOOK NEWS: May 30, 2023

Happy Memorial Day – Here are some of the books releasing this week!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


Falling Out of Time – Sequel to 1997’s Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix. A girl in 2193 finds clues that her utopian world may not be all she thinks it is and that she might have a connection to Jessie Keyser (Main character in Running Out of Time).
The First Magnificent Summer (Older Middle Grade) – After a two year absence, Victoria is looking forward to some time with her father, hoping to impress him with her wit and maturity. But he shows up with his new family, the Replacements, and he treats Victoria in a way that makes her think he doesn’t like her because she’s a girl. This is on my list for this week!
The Night in Question – Sequel to one of my favorite books of 2022. You can read my full review here.
Time Out – When the local basketball star comes out to his community, he faces backlash he wasn’t expecting

 

Books for Adults


The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (Trade Paperback) – Twins of a certain age look for excitement and distraction by helping a friend out of a bad relationship. But they encounter unexpected trials – and one has a chance at love. This sounds so fun. I have a review copy of this waiting for me.
Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly (Trade Paperback) – In this new novel by Marie Bostwick, a newly unemployed and single woman returns to her childhood home and helps her estranged family try to save their lakeside retreat. While there, she discovers a chapter of her late-grandmother’s life she never knew before. This sounds lovely – and I thoroughly enjoyed The Restoration of Celia Fairchild. I’ll be checking this one out.
Even If the Sky Is Falling (Trade Paperback, collection) – When the world thinks an incoming meteor shower could mean the end of life as we know it, 6 couples decide to make the most of their “last” hours – except the world doesn’t actually end. This looks like it will be 6 interconnected short stories. What a clever set up! This is on my list.
The Gay Best Friend (Trade Paperback) – Dom feels torn trying to be the best friend to both the bride and the groom as they approach their big day – and he starts to realize how little attention he has paid to his own heart and what he wants for his own life. Yes, please!
Ink Blood Sister Scribe (Hardcover) – Half sisters charged with supervising and protecting a library of magical books discover centuries worth of secrets kept by their parents. Yep, sounds right up my alley!
Marrying Off Morgan McBride (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the McBrides of Montana series. A woman who always seems to be “too much” answers an ad for a mail order bride, but the husband-to-be isn’t the one who placed the ad – his younger sister placed it for him! I’m not much for westerns in general, but these two books sound fun!
Murder Off the Books (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 3 in the By the Book Mystery series. Right when Tess is trying to get back in the town’s good graces by having an extravagant book release/store opening event, her mother arrives in town with a notorious conman connected to the deaths of three elderly women. When the conman is found dead, and Tess’s mother becomes the prime murder suspect, Tess has to start sleuthing again. I adored book 1 in this series and cannot wait to dig into books 2 and now 3, hopefully this summer!
Once More with Feeling (Trade Paperback) – Once upon a time, she was a pop star with everything. Then a hook up with a member of a popular boyfriend – and not the one she was dating – destroyed everything. Now she’s content in a more quiet life – until the hook up shows up with a Broadway offer she can’t refuse. Yep, this one too! I told you there were a LOT of great books releasing this month!
Puzzled Pieces (ebook) – Book 5 in the PTO Murder Club Mystery series. Mustang and her friends investigate a string of murders of school bus drivers. This is the first I had heard of this series, but it sounds great! I’ve picked up the first book in the series to check it out.
Star Trek: Discovery: Somewhere to Belong (Trade Paperback) – The Discovery crew has gone 900 years into the future. After helping a world cut off from the Federation because of the Burn, the Discovery answers a distress call that seems to have connections to their old 23rd century lives.
The Wishing Game (Hardcover) – After a difficult childhood, Lucy is sensitive to the needs of one of her students who was recently orphaned. If only she had the resources to adopt Christopher and give him the love and home he deserves after such loss. Lucy gets her chance when she is chosen to participate in a contest where she can win the only copy of a new book written by her favorite author from her own childhood. This sounds like a not-to-be-missed story!

 

BOOK NEWS: May 23, 2023

Here are some of the books releasing this week:

Books for Kids


Cranky Chicken: Crankosaurus – I fell in love with the Cranky Chicken books when I discovered them last year. I can’t wait to read the third book in the series!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


The Labors of Hercules Beal – A boy named for a mythical hero thinks he is nothing like his namesake, but a teacher challenges him to duplicate Hercules’ feats and see what he discovers. I can’t wait to read this one!
Picture-Perfect Boyfriend – When a girl’s made-up boyfriend shows up at the airport for her family’s vacation, she can’t very well call him out as a fraud without exposing her own lies. Yes, please!

 

Books for Adults


The Blighted Stars (Trade Paperback) – First in a new series. A woman hiding in plain sight as a bodyguard for the Mercator heir finds herself trapped with him on a dead planet. The two band together to survive and along the way uncover a plot neither of them bargained for. Sounds awesome!
The Front Porch Club (Mass Market Paperback) – Three women whose lives have turned upside down find friendship and community together.
Gone Rogue (e-book) – Book 3 in the Mia Murphy Mystery series. When a local bad girl turns back up and is later murdered, Mia starts investigating to keep a friend from being wrongly accused of the crime.
Mrs. Nash’s Ashes (Trade Paperback) – Millie agreed to transport her elderly neighbor’s ashes to symbolically reunite her with her lost love. But when she said yes, she didn’t count on having to make her delivery via road trip with an obnoxious acquaintance. This looks fun!
Rogue Justice (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Avery Keene series by Stacey Abrams. Law clerk Avery Keene stumbles onto another conspiracy. This series sounds amazing. I have book 1 on my TBR.