First, I'll start off with two books that are coming out next month, but which I was lucky enough to get advanced copies of so I have already read.
The Last Book Party - Karen Dukess (7/9/19) - I loved this book! The protagonist is a young woman named Eve who works in publishing and then becomes the assistant to a semi-famous writer, and it's set during one summer in 1987 in Manhattan and Cape Cod. The characters all felt like such real people, and there is a strong sense of time and place while at the same time the book feels very timeless, like the story could happen today too. There's also a lot of discussion of writing, reading, and books, which gives the book a pleasantly intellectual feel without being pretentious or heavy. So it's light enough to be a perfect summer book, while still just so smart. If you're a fan of smart insightful authors like Curtis Sittenfeld and Meg Wolitzer, I think you would like this too. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars.
You've Been Volunteered - Laurie Gelman (7/23/19) - I just recommend Laurie Gelman's first book, "Class Mom," on my recent post on light fiction/vacation reads. This book is the sequel, and if you liked that one, you'll enjoy this one too. In this book, snarky mom Jen Dixon is back, now the class parent for her son's 3rd grade class, not to mention being basically volun-told to be the coordinator for a parent-student crossing guard initiative. Like the first book, it's just hilarious and relatable, with lots of laugh out loud moments and great lines. And not just a satire of PTA moms and crazy moms in general, but lots of stuff both relatable and funny about everything from parenthood to marriage to friendship to spin class. 4 stars. Highly recommend both books (definitely start with the first one) to anyone looking for a quick, light, super funny read. They're not top 10 list type material, but they sure are fun.
Next, a bunch of books coming out over the next two months that I haven't read yet!
Girls Like Us - Christina Alger (7/2/19) - I really enjoyed Christina Alger's "The Banker's Wife," an intelligent mystery/thriller, so I'm looking forward to reading this one as well. Based on the publisher's description, sounds like this book will be more of the same, though grittier - "worlds collide when an FBI agent investigates a string of grisly murders on Long Island that raises the impossible question: What happens when the primary suspect is your father?"
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abbi Waxman (7/9/19) - Abbi Waxman's first book, "The Garden of Small Beginings," was on my 2017 top 10 list, and her second book, "Other People's Houses," I was on my 2018 top 10 list. So needless to say I'm pretty excited for her third book. The publisher calls this "a quirky and charming novel chronicling the life of confirmed introvert Nina Hill as she does her best to fly under everyone's radar."
The Golden Hour - Beatriz Williams (7/9/19) Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors of dual time period historical fiction, with books that are light and sometimes soapy but still interestingly bring history to life. I'm still working on catching up on her books, but first I'm going to read her new book! The publisher's description only describes one story line, calling it "a dazzling epic of World War II-era Nassau—a hotbed of spies, traitors, and the most infamous couple of the age, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor," but early reviews suggest it also has a second POV character/plot set in the early 1900s.
The Philosopher's War - Tom Miller (7/16/19) - I read Tom Miller's first book, "The Philosopher's Flight," last year and really enjoyed it. It's an alternate history/fantasy book set in the World War I era in a world like our own but where there is a kind of magic called Empirical Philosophy which is practiced almost exclusively by women. The main character is a rare young man gifted at Empirical Philosophy. It was a very unique and enjoyable novel so I'm excited to read the sequel, in which the main character joins a special magical medical squad on the frontlines of World War I.
The Wedding Party - Jasmine Guillory (7/16/19) - In the last few months, I've read Jasmine Guillory's first two novels, "The Wedding Date" and "The Proposal," which are both super-cute chick lit/romance novels. Both of those books were light and fun, and I also enjoyed that instead of keeping her characters apart through contrived means until the very end as many authors do, she instead lets you watch the beginning of their relationship. Her books are not exactly a series as you can read them as standalones, but characters reappear throughout the books. This one is about Maddie and Theo, who are both side characters in "The Wedding Date."
The Lager Queen of Minnesota - J. Ryan Stradal (7/23/19) I absolutely adored J. Ryan Stradal's first book, "Kitchens of the Great Midwest," a linked short story collection which made my 2016 Top 10 favorites list. The publisher calls this "A novel of family, Midwestern values, hard work, fate and the secrets of making a world-class beer... We meet a cast of lovable, funny, quintessentially American characters eager to make their mark in a world that's often stacked against them. In this deeply affecting family saga, resolution can take generations, but when it finally comes, we're surprised, moved, and delighted."
The Two Lila Bennetts - Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke (7/23/19) - I really enjoyed Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke's "Girls' Night Out," a fun thriller about three old friends on vacation in Mexico. Their new book sounds intriguing - kind of a "Sliding Doors" take on a thriller. According to the publisher, "Lila Bennett’s bad choices have finally caught up with her. And one of those decisions has split her life in two. Literally. In one life, she’s taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much. As she’s trapped in a concrete cell, her kidnapper forces her to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing one secret at a time."
The Chelsea Girls - Fiona Davis (7/30/19) - Over the past few years, Fiona Davis has become another one of my favorite authors of dual-time period historical fiction, with her first book, "The Address," making it onto my 2017 top 10 list. All her books are set in famous New York buildings which is kind of a fun twist, with her newest set at the Chelsea Hotel in the 1950s, about an actress and playwright living there.
The Turn of the Key - Ruth Ware (8/6/19) - Ruth Ware is one of my favorite writers of mystery/thrillers, her books are just so interesting and a little more clever than your run of the mill thriller. Her latest is about a woman who takes a job as a live in nanny, but "what she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder."
Things You Save In a Fire - Katherine Center (8/13/19) - Katherine Center has written a bunch of chick lit/contemporary women's fiction books, but I only discovered her last year when I read "How to Walk Away," which just missed the cut for my 2018 top 10 list - it probably was book 11 or 12 or so. I still want to read her back catalog, but will start with reading her next novel, about a female firefighter, which comes out in August.
All the Flowers in Paris - Sarah Jio (8/13/19) - Sarah Jio is another of my favorite writers of dual time period historical fiction, which if you can't tell is one of my favorite genres! Her last book was actually a contemporary novel, but sounds like she is back to dual time period historical fiction again with her new book, where "Two women are connected across time by the city of Paris, a mysterious journal, and shocking secrets, sweeping from World War II to the present."
The Swallows - Lisa Lutz (8/13/19) - I first discovered Lisa Lutz through her light comedic mystery series about the Spellman Family, but her last book, "The Passenger," was a turn to a darker thriller. Her new book sounds intriguing, about a prep school where a new English teacher's writing prompt launches "a boys-versus-girls skirmish [which] turns into an all-out war, with deeply personal--and potentially fatal--consequences for everyone involved. Lisa Lutz's blistering, timely tale shows us what can happen when silence wins out over decency for too long--and why the scariest threat of all might be the idea that sooner or later, girls will be girls."
Happy reading!
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