Books Publishing This Week
Books Publishing This Week: May 19 - 25
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Imagine this:
As you settle into the cozy corner of your favorite armchair, the morning sunlight filtering through the curtains, you feel the familiar anticipation bubbling within you. It's a May weekend, a perfect time to immerse yourself in the pages of a new book. With a steaming cup of your favorite brew cradled in your hands, you eagerly crack open the cover and delve into a world waiting to be discovered.
The crisp pages rustle beneath your fingertips, each turn unveiling a new chapter of adventure and possibility. As you read, you feel the weight of the week's worries begin to lift, replaced by a sense of wonder and curiosity. The characters leap off the page, their voices echoing in your mind as you lose yourself in their stories.
Outside, the world is alive with the vibrant colors of spring. But in the cocoon of your reading nook, time seems to stand still. Hours slip away unnoticed as you journey deeper into the narrative, each sentence pulling you further into its spell. It's a welcome escape, a chance to leave behind the hustle and bustle of everyday life and enter a realm of imagination and wonder.
With each page turned, you find yourself becoming more invested in the fate of the characters, their struggles and triumphs mirroring your own. You laugh with them, you cry with them, and you cheer them on as they navigate the twists and turns of their journey. In their stories, you find echoes of your own experiences, reminders of the universal truths that bind us all together.
As the day wears on and the sun begins to dip below the horizon, you reluctantly tear yourself away from the book, promising to return to its pages soon. But even as you set it aside, its words linger in your mind, weaving themselves into the fabric of your thoughts and dreams.
The following morning, you eagerly pick up where you left off, eager to see what adventures await. The world outside may be bustling with activity, but within the pages of your book, there is a quiet serenity, a sanctuary from the chaos of the outside world.
With each passing chapter, you feel yourself being changed, transformed by the words on the page. You see the world through new eyes, your perspective broadened by the experiences of the characters you've come to know and love. It's a reminder of the power of storytelling, of the ways in which words can shape our understanding of the world around us.
As the weekend draws to a close and you reluctantly reach the final pages of the book, you find yourself filled with a bittersweet sense of satisfaction. It's always difficult to say goodbye to characters who have become like old friends, to leave behind a world that has become so familiar.
But as you close the book for the final time and set it back on the shelf, you know that its story will stay with you, a cherished memory to be revisited whenever you need a reminder of the magic that lies within the pages of a good book. And as you step back out into the world, refreshed and renewed by your weekend of literary immersion, you carry with you the knowledge that no matter where life may take you, there will always be another adventure waiting to be discovered between the covers of a new book.
Scroll down to find out what book you might be reading…
Still Waters by Matt Goldman
If you’re reading this email, I am dead. I know this will sound strange, but someone has been trying to kill me.
Liv and Gabe Ahlstrom are estranged siblings who haven’t seen each other in years, but that’s about to change when they receive a rare call from their older brother’s wife. “Mack is dead,” she says. “He died of a seizure.” Five minutes after they hang up, Liv and Gabe each receive a scheduled email from their dead brother, claiming that he was murdered.
The siblings return to their family run resort in the Northwoods of Minnesota to investigate Mack's claims, but Leech Lake has more in store for them than either could imagine. Drawn into a tangled web of lies and betrayal that spans decades, they put their lives on the line to unravel the truth about their brother, their parents, themselves, and the small town in which they grew up. After all, no one can keep a secret in a small town, but someone in Leech Lake is willing to kill for the truth to stay buried.
New York Times bestselling and Emmy award-winning author Matt Goldman returns with a gripping, emotional thrill ride in this compelling story on grief and uncovering the past before it’s too late.
The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis
A bestselling thriller author arranges a luxury train trip that is not what it appears to be in this electrifying modern homage to Agatha Christie from the author of the “tense and twisty” (Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author) The Chateau.
The Incorrigibles by Meredith Jaeger
From USA Today bestselling author Meredith Jaeger comes an emotionally resonant novel about two women whose lives intersect as one resists the gentrification of her San Francisco neighborhood, and the other, eighty years earlier, fights for her freedom in nineteenth-century America. . . .
1890, San Francisco. Seduced by her employer’s nephew, Annie Gilmurray, an Irish maid, is accused of stealing the ring he promised her. Sentenced to one year in San Quentin, Annie is heartbroken and frightened among the inmates of the women’s ward: prostitutes, murderers, and pickpockets. But Annie finds beauty and friendship in a brutal place, where the women look out for one another, dreaming of a better life after release. But their world inside San Quentin's walls is a dangerous one, and when the unthinkable happens, Annie makes a choice that will alter the course of her future forever.
1972, San Francisco. Aspiring photographer Judy Morelli is grappling with the searing betrayal of her husband’s infidelity, subletting a San Francisco apartment while she pieces her life back together. When Judy discovers Annie's mugshot, she becomes fascinated and invested not just in Annie's fate but also in the history of her gentrifying South of Market Street neighborhood, joining the fight against redevelopment to maintain its rich community.
Exploring the different ways in which we are imprisoned and how we can break free, The Incorrigibles is a story of women reaching across the barriers of time, the unbreakable bonds of female friendship, and the forgotten histories of those pushed to society’s margins.
A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund
A woman leaves her coastal Greenland village to translate the works of a renowned Provençal poet and finds her life irrevocably changed, in this tender and romantic novel set in a French village.
Ilse Erlund is a translator who lives in a house on stilts along the west coast of Greenland. Isolated and restless in her world by the sea, she convinces her publisher to pay for a trip to the country she has never visited but whose language she speaks fluently: France. Her mission is to translate the verses of Geoffrey “Po” Labaye, a charismatic poet known as “the last living troubadour of Provence.”
Upon arrival in the medieval hilltop village of Belle Rivière, Ilse falls under the spell of the Provençal way of life, captivated by the air, the sun, the vibrant spring colors, and the dulcet sounds of the dialect. Soon enough, Ilse is captivated by the poet, too, and she and Po develop a daily rhythm and warm camaraderie—which is disrupted by the arrival of the poet’s son, Frey. Though he has a fiancée back in Paris, Frey turns his attentions to Ilse, and suddenly she is forced to learn another language, one her translation skills have not prepared her to decode. Where—and with whom—does her future lie?
With an eye and ear attuned to the sensibilities of French life, Elizabeth Birkelund has created a love story about a woman forced to choose between the security of her quiet northern home and the possibility of the life of her dreams.
Real Life and Other Fictions by Susan Coll
Cassie Klein has always used stories to help her fly, but now her plot points aren’t lining up.
In her 50s, Cassie has already weathered more than most. She was orphaned at the age of two and has never fully understood why her DC-based parents were on a bridge in West Virginia that just so happened to collapse as they drove across it. Her search for answers prompted a failed career in journalism, and now she’s an aspiring novelist teaching at a local community college waiting for her literary dreams to finally come true. She stood by her once-doting husband when his meteorology career took a nosedive, and now she has learned that the man who became an internet meme has been cheating on her.
She’s had enough. She scoops up a teething puppy and embarks on a road trip that’s heavy on impulse and light on planning. She’s not sure where she’s going, but she knows she might as well start at the beginning. What really happened to her parents all those years ago?
In this comically surreal, warmhearted journey, she encounters people she never knew existed—chief among them, an enigmatic cryptozoologist, who helps her in the quest to discover her past. And along the way, she looks for answers regarding curious sightings of a creature known as the Mothman in the months before her parents died. As the line between real life and fiction blurs, Cassie finds herself grappling with the nature of stories, myths, and who gets to write the endings.
A Comedy of Nobodies: A Collection of Stories by Baron Ryan
Seinfeld meets Fleabag in A Comedy of Nobodies, the debut story collection from popular internet filmmaker Baron Ryan.
Charlie knows he’s not the main character in his own story. He’s just one more schmuck trying to navigate life in the Ivy League. He plays in a terrible jazz band, falls in love far too easily, and generally struggles with the business of being human.
With understated hilarity this collection chronicles Charlie and his friends as they explore the meaning of life through the stories they grew up with, the stories they tell each other, and the stories they tell themselves.
As Charlie tries to find love using the scientific method, babysits a toddler in exchange for a chance to loosen those financial aid purse-strings, jumps out a window to escape a jealous football player’s wrath, and enrages a packed hockey stadium by replacing the national anthem with a jazz-trio rendition of “American Pie,” he discovers that the answers to life’s most pressing questions are almost always just more questions.
Written in a wry, comedic style that favors sagacity over gags and perceptiveness over punchlines, A Comedy of Nobodies: A Collection of Stories traces one fall semester in the lives of four nobodies trying to be somebodies, trying to understand to feel more understood. Now if only Charlie could break in those new shoes …
Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis
Two years ago, thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler had her heart spectacularly broken in public. Ever since, she has been a closed book, vowing to keep everything to herself—her feelings, her truths, even her dreams—in an effort to protect herself from getting hurt again.
But Millie does write emails—sarcastic replies to her rude boss, hard truths to her friends, and of course, that one-thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is now engaged to someone else. The emails live safely in her drafts, but after a server outage at work, Millie wakes up to discover that all her emails have been sent. Every. Single. One.
As every truth, lie, and secret she’s worked so hard to keep only to herself are catapulted out into the open, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she’s ever swept under the carpet.
With her signature “tender and heartwarming” (Anstey Harris, author of When I First Held You) prose, Lia Louis presents another unforgettable and moving novel that is perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle and Emily Henry.
A House Like an Accordion by Audrey Burges
A woman searches for her missing father in order to reconcile the many strange and fantastical secrets of her past before she loses herself completely in this deeply profound and magical novel by Audrey Burges.
Keryth Miller is disappearing.
Between the growing distance between herself and her husband, the demands of two teenage daughters, and an all-encompassing burnout, she sometimes feels herself fading away. Actual translucence, though—that’s new. When Keryth wakes up one morning with her hand completely gone, she is frantic. But she quickly realizes two things: If she is disappearing, it’s because her father, an artist with the otherworldly ability to literally capture life in his art, is drawing her. And if he’s drawing her, that means he’s still alive.
But where has he been for the past twenty-five years, and why is he doing the one thing he always warned her not to? Never draw from life, Keryth. Every line exacts a cost. As Keryth continues to slowly fade away, she retraces what she believes to be her father's last steps through the many homes of her past, determined to find him before it’s too late and she disappears entirely.
Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello
HBO’s Hacks meets Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After in this hilarious and sweeping love story about a comedian forced to return to her Jersey Shore hometown and confront everything she left behind ten summers before—including the man who broke her heart.
"A wonderfully witty love letter to stand-up comedy, true love, and there being no place like home.” —Georgia Clark, author of It Had to Be You
Then. Delfina Silva-Miller wants one thing: to leave behind Evergreen, New Jersey and never look back. Despite her adoring grandmother’s best efforts, Del can’t bear to live another moment at the whims of her deadbeat dad (so cliché) and her ever-temperamental crush, Eddie Rodriguez (humiliating).
Now. If there’s one thing Del knows how to do, it’s spin her bad luck into a killer joke. After years of hard work, she’s finally landed a coveted spot at a huge comedy festival, molding the often tragic raw material of her life into comedic gold. But when Del loses her job, boyfriend, and apartment in the span of a few hours, she’s forced to pack her bags and return to the home she swore off at eighteen.
Del is determined not to let her history with Evergreen distract her. She has 45 days to perfect a new comedy set and march into her new life. Instead, she marches right into Eddie Rodriguez. But he’s nothing like the boy she left behind ten years ago.
As the festival draws closer, Del is faced with the terrifying possibility that everything she’s ever wanted isn’t as far away as it once seemed.
Vividly evoking the boardwalks and beaches of the Jersey Shore, Summertime Punchline is a hilarious, vulnerable, and sweeping love story celebrating the complicated relationships—romantic and not—that impact our lives, for better or worse.
“I laughed, I swooned, I dabbed my eyes. Corrello is a voice to watch.” – Rachel Runya Katz, author of Thank You for Sharing
“Vivid, fresh, and wholly singular. Please welcome to the stage… Betty Corrello!” – Julia Whelan, author of Thank You For Listening
Under the Palms by Kaira Rouda
During a weekend retreat, a powerful family plays a dangerous game of dark secrets and cold-blooded ambition in a novel by Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of Beneath the Surface.
Under the direction of the Kingsleys’ new president, Paige, the family has gathered for a weekend retreat at a luxurious Laguna Beach resort.
Still clinging to the hope of succession are the sons of Richard Kingsley, the family patriarch and CEO: John, the oldest, who’s clawed his way back from a dark tragedy, and Paige’s estranged husband, Ted, the golden boy. When Richard’s ex and his wayward daughter join the fray, Paige finds herself with two fast allies. They know a secret that could shatter the family legacy. Call it leverage, call it revenge, the Kingsley women believe they have the upper hand.
But as the power games begin, greater threats than the howling Santa Ana winds are coming. Because this weekend, amid so much greed and betrayal, no Kingsley is safe. It’s family. Watch your back.
The Bump by Sidney Karger
Two men expecting via surrogate go on the road trip of a lifetime in this hilarious and heartwarming novel by Sidney Karger, author of Best Men.
Mind Games by Nora Roberts
The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Identity presents a suspenseful new novel of tragedy and trauma, love and family, and the evil that awaits.
As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.
Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.
The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse—because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them—and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…
The Heiress's Daughter by Annie Gracie
He can have any woman in London—except the one he wants...
Heiress Clarissa Studley yearns to be loved for more than her fortune. Warmhearted, but plain and shy, she wishes to marry, but has two firm rules: no rakes and no fortune-hunters — her father was both, and she’ll never forget the misery he caused.
So, when Race, Lord Randall, starts to pay Clarissa attention, she knows she must keep him at a distance. Attractive and charming he might be, Race’s reputation precedes him and she’s observed first hand his flirtatious ways with London society beauties. But Race sees a beauty in Clarissa that others cannot, and for the first time in his life, he is truly in love. And when a rival for Clarissa's affections appears — a handsome, wounded war hero, heir to his great-aunt’s fortune — Race becomes desperate as Clarissa seems tempted to make a safer, tamer choice.
Can Race convince Clarissa that his love is true and that she can trust him with her heart? And can Clarissa put aside her unhappy past, and follow her heart, despite the risk of loving a rake?
When Skies Are Gray: A Grieving Mother’s Lullaby
Newlywed Lindsey joyously anticipates the arrival of her first child, only to be confronted by every parent’s worst nightmare: the devastating news of her baby's silent heartbeat. The pages of "When Skies Are Gray" navigate Lindsey's agonizing odyssey through loss, portraying the simultaneous dance of mourning and the anticipation of new life. This heartfelt memoir serves as a comforting companion for mothers worldwide who may be navigating their own path of grief.
Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann
Lucky Hart has a special affinity for the supernatural but almost no one takes parapsychology seriously. She’s estranged from her family, lost her friends, and has been rejected from graduate school. Twice. But her big break finally arrives when she gets insider info about a troubled production company. Every actor on their new show mysteriously quits after spending three nights inside Hennessee House, an old Victorian with a notorious reputation.
After scheming her way onto the show to investigate, Lucky meets Maverick Phillips and chemistry instantly crackles between them. He tempts her in ways no one ever has, challenging and supporting her, and making her finally feel seen. Their connection is so palpable everyone notices it–including Hennesee House.
Now Lucky and Maverick’s relationship has a challenger: the lonely, sentient house desperate for her undivided attention. As love begins to clash with career, Lucky refuses to choose one over the other because everyone deserves a happily ever after, even houses with haunted hearts. But when all her plans begin backfiring one-by-one, she realizes that if she wants to have it all? She'll have to risk everything.
The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick
Inspired by Beauty and the Beast and the myth of Hades and Persephone, this lush and enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Scarlett St. Clair.
Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. With her parents gone, it’s Wren’s responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter, but if the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for much longer.
For three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice as the Shade, a magical barrier that protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond, weakens. Only one thing can stop the Shade’s fall: the blood of a mortal woman bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules. And the time has come to choose his bride.
When the North Wind sets his eyes on Wren’s sister, Wren will do anything to save her—even if it means sacrificing herself in the process. But mortal or not, Wren won’t go down without a fight…
The North Wind is a stand-alone, enemies-to-lovers slow-burn fantasy romance, the first in a series sprinkled with Greek mythology.
Heavenbreaker by Sara Wolf
Bravery isn't what you do. It's what you endure.
The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die. With my dagger in his back.
He didn’t see it coming. Didn’t anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother―on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station’s starving, commoner rubbish.
Now there’s nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them.
Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker―one of the few enormous machines left over from the War―and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.
Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary―even if it’s someone I care about. Even if it’s someone I’m falling for.
Only I’m not alone. Not anymore.
Because there’s something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something…more.
And it won’t be stopped.
My Fairy Godfather by Robert Mailer Anderson
My Fairy Godfather follows Billie, a grieving teenager who leaves her home in Austin, Texas, for the town of Liberal, Kansas, to live with her godfather, Adam, after her parents' tragic deaths. As she adjusts to life in this new, small-town setting, she finds solace in Adam and his partner Steven's movie theater, the Starlite, which serves as a haven for their artistic and unconventional ways. Billie befriends Clara, a goth Dorothy impersonator, and Dylan, a teen torn between cliques, forming deep connections with them. Together, they navigate the complexities of adolescence, exploring themes of love, friendship, and self-discovery against the backdrop of small-town intolerance. As Billie learns to embrace her own unique identity, she discovers the true power of understanding, acceptance, and finding her path forward.
Affirmations for Queer People by Jess Vosseteig
Celebrate your resilience and bravery in the face of discrimination and empower yourself and your community with these 100+ affirmations for queer people that celebrate being LGBTQIA+.
Queer people are essential members of society—trailblazing for positive change and building up a stronger and more vibrant community every day. It’s time to affirm these truths and so many more with Affirmations for Queer People.
In this book, discover more than 100 affirmations to empower yourself, emphasize your self-worth, care for your mental health and emotional well-being, and so much more. You can use these affirmations and the accompanying texts to reflect on your own life and your future. You’ll find amazing, inclusive artwork throughout that speaks to the beauty, bravery, and diversity of this incredible community.
With Affirmations for Queer People, celebrate being a queer person, affirm your talent and worth, and bring your dreams to fruition.
