IT'S ME THEY FOLLOW is an allegorical love story set in a not so distant past. It follows The Shopkeeper, a bookseller and reluctant matchmaker. Helping others find love through books comes easily for The Shopkeeper, until it is time for her to find love for herself. She secretly yearns for her first customer, ME, who took both her most prized book and a piece of her heart when he left. But just when she begins to lose hope, she discovers that she may hold the key to her own happily ever after as well.
The multi-million-dollar casino heist is impossible. That’s what makes it irresistible to a legendary robber facing life in prison for his “Final Score.” A college-bound teenager has a side job delivering illegal booze to “The Sunday List” until a crooked cop, a seductive customer, and a fake guru threaten to end his dreams. Two wise guys tell each other a “True Story” over breakfast at a diner. It's all fun until someone else has to pick up the check. An honest patrolman has to choose between his loyalty to the job and his love for a cousin in “The North Wing.” The substance-addicted movie star that Boone Daniels and his crew are hired to babysit in “The Lunch Break”has a problem --- someone wants her dead. Finally, a terrible mistake that a devoted family man makes sends him to prison and on a “Collision” course between the man he wants to be and the killer he’s forced to become.
Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique and Nakia are in their early 20s, and together, they are finding their way through the wilderness, that period of life when the reality of contemporary adulthood swoops in. Desiree and Danielle, sisters whose shared history has done little to prevent their estrangement, nurse bitter family wounds in different ways. January has a relationship with a “good” man she feels ambivalent about, even after her surprise pregnancy. Monique, a librarian and aspiring blogger, finds unexpected online fame after calling out the university where she works for its plans to whitewash history. And Nakia is trying to get her restaurant off the ground, without relying on her upper-middle-class family. These friends must also figure out what they mean to one another --- amid political upheaval, economic and environmental instability, and the increasing volatility of modern American life.
After more than a decade as a journalist and television producer, Robin Allison Davis decided to shake up her life and move to France. But it wasn’t quite the life she expected. When she was just 34, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. SURVIVING PARIS recounts her journey from diagnosis through multiple surgeries to surviving the strictest COVID-19 lockdowns, only to be told her cancer had come back --- and how she got to finding herself healthy again, including all the detours in between. While this book is about cancer, it’s not just about survival. It's a love story about cancer. It's a story about Robin's love of adventure, her love of love, and her love for herself.
For Buddy and Lillian, the criminal underworld is the only life they’ve ever known. When they’re forced to flee Las Vegas, they end up opening a club in Oklahoma City. Along for the ride are their five children, all of them raised into the family business of crime --- until the day comes when they each have a chance to make their own way in the world.Jeremy, the family’s Golden Boy, will throw himself into the drug-fueled Hollywood in the roaring 1980s.Tallulah, the daredevil, will find herself in the deadly Wild West of post-communist Moscow. Ray wants nothing more than to put down his gun, but following orders is all he’s ever known.Alice, the genius who renounced her life of crime long ago, now sees her law firm being blackmailed and must tap into old skills to save both the company and her own life. And Piggy, a civilian always on the outside looking in on his crime family, desperate to be part of the gang.
Art has always been an escape for Lewis Dixon. But no one has ever praised his work, so he is shocked when the British Museum shows an unusual interest in his art. Lewis soon learns he has not been invited to participate in a curated show, but rather a test: to see if the exhilaration he experiences when painting is actually magic, a power that allows him to enter nine very special paintings made by his great-grandfather. Spread across the globe, these paintings have unbelievable eldritch abilities, and there are those out there who would do anything to possess just one. And Lewis, upon passing the test, has been asked to destroy them all. Partnered with the alluring agent, Noah Rao, Lewis must travel to Japan, Australia, Nigeria --- and the past --- to save those unlucky enough to call any of the paintings their own --- or to free the world from those who would misuse the power of the paintings.
Anne Bishop seems like a typical Vassar sophomore --- one of a popular group of privileged WASP friends. None of the girls in her circle has any idea that she’s Jewish, or that her real name is Miriam. Pretending to be a Gentile has made life easier --- as Anne, she no longer suffers the snubs, snide remarks, and daily restrictions Jews face --- after all, it's no longer directed at her. But her secret life is threatened when she becomes fascinated by Delia Goldhush. Delia is sophisticated, stylish, brilliant and unashamedly Jewish --- and seems not to care that she’s an outcast among the other students. Knowing that her growing closeness with Delia would be social suicide if it were discovered, Anne keeps their friendship quiet. Delia seems to understand --- until a cruelty on Anne’s part drives them apart and sends them scattering to other corners of the world, alone and together.
Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow “orgasm donor” is his roomie --- and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet, until he meets Skylar Paige, division one softball pitcher, and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him. When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?
Kiki Banjo hosts the popular podcast "The HeartBeat," solving romantic conundrums and dishing out life advice, but behind the scenes, career setbacks and a devastating breakup have left her hanging on by a thread. As she’s preparing to be the Maid of Honor in her best friend’s wedding, Kiki finds herself face-to-face with the Best Man, her ex-boyfriend, Malakai --- the smooth-talking, absurdly handsome, annoyingly perceptive man who stole her heart and then shattered it. While Kiki’s approaching rock bottom, Malakai’s been on the rise as a filmmaker, and now they have no choice but to play nice until the wedding is over. Both are hell-bent on ignoring the smoldering chemistry between them, but as they navigate the chaos of wedding plans, career ambitions, and Kiki’s growing fears about the future, they can’t ignore the spark that’s only getting hotter.
Two Black writers are trying to find peace and belonging in a world that is riven with gun violence. One is on a global book tour after a big prize win; the other is set to give a speech at a school that has suffered a shooting. As their two storylines merge, truths and antics abound in equal measure: characters drink booze out of an award trophy; menaces lurk in the shadows; tiny French cars putter around the countryside; handguns seem to hover in the air; and dreams endure against all odds.
We have listed 12 of Carol’s Bookreporter.com Bets On picks that are now or soon to be in paperback. Which of these books have you read or do you plan to read? Please check all that apply.
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from July 25th to August 8th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of FULL BLOOM by Francesca Serritella and YOU BELONG HERE by Megan Miranda.
Our major goal for 2025 is to redesign Bookreporter and the rest of the sites in The Book Report Network. How can you help? We have launched a GoFundMe campaign and are asking for donations. Any level of donation that you would be comfortable with is sincerely appreciated. If you would prefer donating via check, please send to:
The Book Report, Inc.
16 Mt. Bethel Road, Suite 365
Warren, NJ 07059
Click here to read more about our plans and to donate.
Coming Soon
Curious about what books will be released in the months ahead so you can pre-order or reserve them? Then click on the months below.
August's Books on Screen roundup includes the films The Thursday Murder Club, My Oxford Year and Night Always Comes on Netflix, the Providence Falls trilogy on Hallmark, The Map That Leads to You on Prime Video, and She Rides Shotgun in theaters; the conclusion of "And Just Like That..." on HBO Max and "The Institute" on MGM+; the series premieres of "Outlander: Blood of My Blood" on STARZ and "The Terminal List: Dark Wolf" on Prime Video; the season premieres of "The Marlow Murder Club" on PBS "Masterpiece" and "My Life with the Walter Boys" on Netflix; and the DVD/Blu-ray releases of The King of Kings and How to Train Your Dragon.