Independence Day is only a handful of hours away. If you aren’t already on vacation, you’re probably headed there now. Or maybe you’ve decided to opt out this year and keep it low key, just dreaming about being beachside, sipping that frozen cocktail and blissfully turning the pages of your latest read. Fairly, with the holiday falling midweek this year, celebration plans can get kind of clunky --- I’m still working out mine. Impromptu BBQ on a rooftop somewhere in this concrete jungle or finally visit the Heavenly Bodies exhibit at the MET (which IS open and, I suspect, will not be entirely overtaken by tourists)? Only time will tell.
Whatever your plans or non-plans entail, one thing is probably for sure: it will be hot as h3!!. I can remember months back when it seemed like winter would never end in the Northeast, and now here we are. You can probably fry an egg on the sidewalk (maybe that would make for a good Fourth of July plan), and you need to eat your ice cream in seconds or it will end up all over you (this happened to me on Saturday). This heat wave plaguing most of the US (look at a current map of the temperatures across the country --- wowzers!) is no joke, and there’s no real respite in site. Those dreams of living in sunny California seem more and more enticing where it’s generally a consistent and delightful 72. In any case, be sure to hydrate, hydrate and then hydrate some more. Beachside, poolside, couchside or wherever, you can never be too careful.
With the holiday coming up, I’ve been getting a lot more texts from friends asking what they should read. Even though this newsletter (read as: book suggestions) comes biweekly, everyone likes a personal recommendation. As a result of working in the business, I get questions like, “I’ve heard this is good…is it really?” “Would I like this or that?” “So and so thinks I would like this, but tell me what you think?” I know you’re asking yourself and your friends the same. Chances are you’ve got some time this week on your vacation or non-vacation, and you’re finally ready to pick up something new to read. Let me help you.
Based on a poll for NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Summer Reads program, you should read the young adult novel CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi! This book tells the story of Zélie Adebola, who remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy. You can read our review of the book here, and you can enter the Teenreads.com Beach Bag of Books contest by this coming Monday, July 9th at noon ET for your chance to win a copy.
Sayaka Murata’s CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN is a hot commodity these days. Her first book translated into English, this quirky story is the perfect summer read. Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world. So when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. However, 18 years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only a few friends. She feels comfortable in her life, but is aware that she is not living up to society’s expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko’s contented stasis. But will it be for the better? Besides our review, check out the New Yorker’s review of the book, which calls it “tranquil --- dreamy, even.”
Or, check out THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand, which debuted on the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list at number two this week. The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate. But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony --- and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, the groom, the groom's famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield --- and no couple is perfect.
Pick up a copy of Camille Perri’s WHEN KATIE MET CASSIDY. Katie Daniels, a 28-year-old Kentucky transplant with a strong set of traditional values, has just been dumped by her fiancé when she finds herself seated across a negotiating table from native New Yorker Cassidy Price, a sexy, self-assured woman wearing a man's suit. At first, neither of them knows what to make of the other, but soon their undeniable connection will bring into question everything each of them thought they knew about sex and love. Our very own Rebecca Munro, Editorial Manager of Teenreads.com and Kidreads.com, reviewed the book, and Jenny Mollen, author and actress, is also a fan.
If you need some more recs, scroll down to the “Reviews” section of the newsletter for the latest and greatest. And be sure to see the titles included in the 20SomethingReads.com Beach Bag of Books contest. You could even win a copy of each of the featured books by entering now through next Monday, July 9th at noon ET. Scroll down for more info, or click here to enter now.
If you’re already thinking beyond summer, here are two things I’m really looking forward to: BOURDAIN: The Oral Biography and Busy Philipps’ THIS WILL ONLY HURT A LITTLE. First up, the official biography of Bourdain won’t hit stores until fall 2019, but it’s worth getting hyped up for. Word on the street is that Laurie Woolever, Bourdain’s assistant and collaborator, will edit the book and include stories from his friends. If you were a fan and didn’t catch the CNN tribute to the beloved chef, it’s worth a watch. It was well done and includes short interviews with those who knew him best, talking about how much of a caring and inspiring person he was.
Secondly, if you’re a fan of Busy Philipps and you’ve been following her Instagram stories, you know she’s been hard at work on her memoir. Now we get the title and the cover reveal, which is everything I could of hoped for and more. THIS WILL ONLY HURT A LITTLE will hit stores on October 23rd. And, while we don’t know exactly when E! will premiere her announced late-night talk show, at least there’s one confirmed date to look forward to. If you’re looking for a little more Philipps in your life right now (and you're a hypochondriac like me), be sure to check out her podcast “We’re No Doctors” with comedian and actor Steve Agee. The podcast is hilarious and, at times, slightly cringeworthy. If you don’t know who Philipps is, read this NYMag profile on her that came out in April (editorial note: her makeup and skin in this piece is #goals.)
Until next time, have a safe and exciting fourth!
5 Things To Obsess About This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. Happy Birthday, Larry David!
2. New albums: Beyoncé + Jay-Z (ahem, The Carters), Drake
3. Watching the World Cup...at home, at the bar, at the nail salon
4. Jessica Knoll's THE FAVORITE SISTER becoming a TV series
5. Carmen Maria Machado's HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES is also in the works for a TV adaptation
Happy reading,
Nicole Sherman
Beach Bag of Books 2018 Feature + Contest
It's the final days of the seventh annual Beach Bag of Books 2018 contest. Enter now through this coming Monday, July 9th at noon ET for your chance to be one of five lucky readers who will win a copy of each of the books listed below.
This year's featured titles include:
ALL THAT IS LEFT IS ALL THAT MATTERS: Stories by Mark Slouka (Fiction/Short Stories)
In these 15 stories --- ranging from occupied Czechoslovakia to California’s Central Valley to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest --- Mark Slouka explores moments in life when our back is to the wall. Here he captures the depth and emotional range of an array of characters --- from a young boy attempting to shield his father from painful memories in "The Hare’s Mask" to a lonely man whose beloved dog inexplicably begins to sprout razor blades from her skin in "Dog." Whether battling the end of desire, the fact of injustice, or death itself, the men and women in these stories are doing everything possible to tighten their grip on life. Reviewed by Sonia Chopra.
ALL WE EVER WANTED by Emily Giffin (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Dorothy Dillingham Blue, Milton Bagby and Catherine Taber
Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she has strayed from the person she once was. Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school. Then one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina and Lyla are forced together --- all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
BEFORE AND AGAIN by Barbara Delinsky (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Mary Stuart Masterson
Mackenzie Cooper took her eyes off the road for just a moment, but the resulting collision was enough to rob her not only of her beloved daughter but ultimately of her marriage, family and friends. Now she lives in Vermont under the name Maggie Reid. She’s thankful for the new friends she’s made, though she can’t risk telling them too much. But she isn’t the only one in this peaceful town with secrets. When a friend’s teenage son is thrust into the national spotlight, accused of hacking a powerful man’s Twitter account, Maggie is torn between pulling away and protecting herself --- or stepping into the glare to be at their side. As the stunning truth behind their case is slowly revealed, Maggie’s own carefully constructed story begins to unravel as well. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS by Amy Meyerson (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Ann Marie Gideon
Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s 12th birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear about him again until 16 years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy, and one final scavenger hunt. Miranda soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden --- and the terrible secret that tore her family apart. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.
BRING ME BACK by B.A. Paris (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Kevin Hely and Cathleen McCarron
Finn and Layla are driving along the highway when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. When he returns, Layla is gone. That is the story Finn told to the police. But it is not the whole story. Ten years later, Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close. Still, there’s something about Ellen that Finn has never fully understood. His heart wants to believe that she is the one for him, even though a sixth sense tells him not to trust her. Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla --- hiding in plain sight. If Layla is alive --- and on Finn’s trail --- what does she want? And how much does she know? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
BROKEN ICE by Matt Goldman (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by MacLeod Andrews
Nils Shapiro has been hired to find missing Linnea Engstrom, a teenager from the small northern hockey town of Warroad, MN. Most of Warroad is in Minneapolis for the state high school hockey tournament, and Linnea never returned from last night’s game. Linnea’s friend, Haley Housch, is also missing --- and soon found dead. Shot through the arm with an arrow at the Haley Housch crime scene, only the quick work of medical examiner Char Northagen saves Nil’s life. Nils should be in the hospital recovering from his near-fatal injury, but he knows that the clock is ticking. Linnea could be anywhere, and someone doesn’t want her found. Is Linnea a victim, or is she playing a dangerous game? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN written by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Nancy Wu
Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world. So when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. However, 18 years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only a few friends. She feels comfortable in her life, but is aware that she is not living up to society’s expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko’s contented stasis. But will it be for the better? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE GREAT BELIEVERS by Rebecca Makkai (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Michael Crouch
It is 1985, and Yale Tishman is the development director for an art gallery in Chicago. As his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDS epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying, and after his friend Nico's funeral, the virus circles closer and closer to Yale himself. Soon the only person he has left is Fiona, Nico's little sister. Thirty years later, Fiona is in Paris tracking down her estranged daughter who disappeared into a cult. While staying with an old friend, a famous photographer who documented the Chicago crisis, she finds herself finally grappling with the devastating ways AIDS affected her life and her relationship with her daughter. In these intertwining stories, Yale and Fiona struggle to find goodness in the midst of disaster. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
KEEP THE MIDNIGHT OUT: A DCI Lorimer Novel by Alex Gray (Mystery)
When the body of a red-haired young man is washed up on the shore of the beautiful Isle of Mull, Detective Superintendent Lorimer’s tranquil holiday away from the gritty streets of Glasgow is rudely interrupted. The body has been bound with twine in a ghoulishly unnatural position that strongly reminds Lorimer of another murder: a 20-year-old Glasgow case that he failed to solve as a fledgling detective constable. As a local cop takes charge of the island murder investigation, Lorimer tries to avoid stepping on her toes. But as the similarities between the young man’s death and the cold case grow more obvious, Lorimer realizes that there could be a serial killer on the loose after all these years. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE KILLING HABIT: A Tom Thorne Novel by Mark Billingham (Mystery/Thriller)
While DI Nicola Tanner investigates the deadly spread of a dangerous new drug, Tom Thorne is handed a case that he doesn’t take too seriously, until a spate of animal killings points to the work of a serial killer. When the two cases come together in a way that neither could have foreseen, both Thorne and Tanner must risk everything to catch two very different killers. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
MURDER ON THE LEFT BANK: An Aimée Leduc Investigation Set in Paris by Cara Black (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Carine Montbertrand
A dying man enters the office of Éric Besson, a lawyer in Paris’s 13th arrondissement. He is carrying a dilapidated notebook full of meticulous investment records. For decades, he has been helping a cadre of dirty cops launder stolen money. The notebook contains his full confession. He is adamant that Besson get the notebook into the hands of La Proc, Paris’s chief prosecuting attorney, so the corruption can finally be brought to light. But en route to La Proc, Besson’s courier --- his assistant and nephew --- is murdered, and the notebook disappears. Private investigator Aimée Leduc is reluctant to get involved, as her father was a cop and was murdered by the same dirty syndicate the notebook implicates. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
NUMBER ONE CHINESE RESTAURANT by Lillian Li (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Nancy Wu
When disaster strikes at the Beijing Duck House, each character is forced to confront the conflicts that fast-paced restaurant life has kept at bay. Owner Jimmy Han hopes to leave his late father’s homespun establishment for a fancier one. Jimmy’s older brother, Johnny, and Johnny’s daughter, Annie, ache to return to a time before a father’s absence and a teenager’s silence pushed them apart. Nan and Ah-Jack, longtime Duck House employees, are tempted to turn their 30-year friendship into something else. And when Nan’s son, Pat, and Annie find themselves in a dangerous game that implicates them in the Duck House tragedy, their families must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to help their children. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Bennett
The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate. But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony --- and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, the groom, the groom's famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield --- and no couple is perfect. Reviewed by Vivian Payton.
SALT LANE by William Shaw (Mystery/Thriller)
Sergeant Alexandra Cupidi, a recent transfer from the London metro police to the rugged Kentish countryside, faces a bizarre case: a woman found floating in local marsh land, dead of no apparent cause. The case gets even stranger when detectives contact the victim's next of kin, her son, a high-powered graphic designer living in London. Adopted at the age of two, he'd never known his mother until a homeless woman knocked on his door, claiming to be his mother, just the night before --- at the same time her body was being dredged from the water. Detective Cupidi must discover who the woman really was, who killed her, and how she managed to reconnect with her long lost son, apparently from beyond the grave. Reviewed by Katherine B. Weissman.
TURBULENCE: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods (Thriller/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Tony Roberts
Stone Barrington and several friends are vacationing in Florida when an extreme weather event puts a damper on their trip. Even worse, the hurricane-force winds blow a powerful, noxious politician straight onto Stone's doorstep. Though they part ways before long, Stone soon learns that he hasn't seen the last of his new acquaintance. It turns out that this official has some shady associates who may have destructive plans afoot, and Stone needs an entrée to the inside to figure out their scheme. With the fate of nations at stake, Stone must summon all of his fearless daring to put an end to the audacious plot…but this time he may be in over his head. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
WHEN KATIE MET CASSIDY by Camille Perri (Romantic Comedy)
Audiobook available, read by Allyson Ryan
Katie Daniels, a 28-year-old Kentucky transplant with a strong set of traditional values, has just been dumped by her fiancé when she finds herself seated across a negotiating table from native New Yorker Cassidy Price, a sexy, self-assured woman wearing a man's suit. At first neither of them knows what to make of the other, but soon their undeniable connection will bring into question everything each of them thought they knew about sex and love. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
WHY TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MATTERS: What Harper Lee's Book and the Iconic American Film Mean to Us Today by Tom Santopietro (Literary Criticism/Performing Arts)
Tom Santopietro traces the writing of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, the impact of the Pulitzer Prize, and investigates the claims that Lee’s book is actually racist. Here for the first time is the full behind-the-scenes story regarding the creation of the 1962 film, one that entered the American consciousness in a way that few other movies ever have. From the earliest casting sessions to the Oscars and the 50th anniversary screening at the White House, Santopietro examines exactly what makes the movie and Gregory Peck’s unforgettable performance as Atticus Finch so captivating. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
THE HANDSOME GIRL & HER BEAUTIFUL BOY by B. T. Gottfred (Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Dating, Fiction, Gay & Lesbian, Love & Romance, Romance, Young Adult 17+)
Audiobook available, narrated by B. T. Gottfred, Alex McKenna and Maxwell Glick
Everyone assumes that Zee is a lesbian. Her classmates, her gym buddies, even her so-called best friend. Everyone assumes that Art is gay. They take one look at his nice clothes and his pretty face and think: well, obviously. But there’s more to Zee and Art than anyone realizes. What develops is a powerful connection between two people who are beautiful in all the ways they've been told are strange. As they explore their own complex relationships to gender, sexuality and identity, they fall for the complexities they find in each other. Reviewed by Olivia W., Teen Board Member.
INVISIBLE GHOSTS by Robyn Schneider (Family, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult 14+)
Audiobook available, narrated by Caitlin Kelly
Rose believes in ghosts. Her best friend is Logan, her annoying, Netflix-addicted brother, who is forever stuck at 15. Jamie Aldridge is charming, and a painful reminder of the life Rose has been missing out on. She watches as Jamie easily rejoins their former friends while avoiding her so intensely that it must be deliberate. Yet when the two unexpectedly cross paths, Rose learns that Jamie has a secret of his own, one that changes everything. But she quickly starts to suspect that he isn’t telling her the whole truth. It’s becoming harder to choose between the boy who makes her feel alive and the brother she isn’t ready to lose. Reviewed by Gabby B., Teen Board Member.
LITTLE DO WE KNOW by Tamara Ireland Stone (Christian, Fiction, Friendship, Romance, Young Adult 14+)
Audiobook available, narrated by Eevin Hartsough and Lori Gardner
Neighbors and ex-best friends Hannah and Emory haven't spoken since the fight where they said things they couldn't take back. Now Emory is fine-tuning her UCLA application and trying to make the most of the months she has left with her boyfriend, Luke, before college. Meanwhile, Hannah's faith is shaken when her family's financial problems come to light, and she finds herself turning to unexpected places for answers. Hannah and Emory's paths cross when Hannah finds Luke doubled over in his car outside her house. When a devastating secret about Hannah and Emory's argument ultimately comes to light, they must all reexamine the things they hold true. Reviewed by Danielle F., Teen Board Member.
MONDAY’S NOT COMING by Tiffany D. Jackson (Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Friendship)
Audiobook available, narrated by Imani Parks
Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable, so when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help. As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone? Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
THE OPPOSITE OF HERE by Tara Altebrando (Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller)
Natalie's parents are taking her and her three best friends on a cruise for her 17th birthday. But it's only been a few short months since Natalie's boyfriend died in a tragic accident, and she wants to be anywhere but here. Then she meets a guy on the first night and sparks fly. After a moonlit conversation, Natalie pops down to her cabin to get her swimsuit. But when she returns, he's gone. Why do her friends think she's crazy for wanting to make sure he's okay? Also, why do they seem to be hiding something from her? And how can she find him when she doesn't even know his name? Most importantly, why is the captain on the intercom announcing the urgent need for a headcount? Reviewed by Emily F., Teen Board Member.
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