Now that we’re on the other side of winter, it’s time to focus on more important things, like summer reading lists and beach plans.Too soon? Not really, because before all of that is BookExpo, and the latest scoop we got this week is about the authors who will be in attendance who are sure to fuel your fire.
In very exciting news, it was recently announced that Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally will host the BookExpo adult book and breakfast. Maybe you know them as Ron Swanson and Tammy 2 in the beloved TV show “Parks and Recreation.” Maybe you know Megan as Karen Walker from another beloved show, “Will & Grace.” Maybe you didn’t know that they were IRL #couplegoals and one of Hollywood’s most celebrated hilarious duos. Point is, you do now, and they’ve written all about their own love story entitled THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD. Even though the book won’t be released until October 2nd, I have zero qualms that their story is, in fact, the greatest love story ever told, so we have a lot to look forward to.
Speaking of love stories, another expert on the subject, Nicholas Sparks, will also be joining. Even though his latest love story is yet to be announced, I have confidence it will scratch your romance itch. Others in attendance include Trevor Noah, the star of “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and the man behind his 2016 memoir, BORN A CRIME: Stories From a South African Childhood, Barbara Kingsolver and Jill Lepore. They will all talk about their upcoming releases, which means there's even more to look forward to. The event will be held at 8am on Thursday, May 31st, and while BookExpo is limited to those in the industry, there will be definitely be some news updates that will come out of it.
Note that we are not overlooking spring; it's just that winter has been way, way too long. Hearing another storm may be headed our way for the first day of spring. Lost count of how many that is!
In other book news, Random House Open House is back on Friday, April 20th. If you happen to be visiting the city, live in the tri-state area or even be a local, the day-long event will include lots of books and lots of author talk and lots of other avid readers. We’ve attended and written about these events in the past, and they’ve always been such a joy (albeit a learning experience!), so we can’t recommend it enough. This year’s spring edition includes a nonfiction panel with Ariel Levy, Allison Pataki and Julia Pierpont, and a fiction panel with Judy Blundell, Sally Franson, Elizabeth Church and Jasmin Darznik. In addition to discovering some new reads, you’ll learn cooking techniques from White House Chef and food entrepreneur Sam Kass (EAT A LITTLE BETTER) and New York Times food reporter Melissa Clark, who will both be in attendance. Light food and beverages will be offered and the opportunity to purchase Random House books at a discount. Space is limited, so purchase your tickets now.
There's one more event to have on your radar if you're a NYC local or nearby. Tara Westover will be speaking about her book, EDUCATED, with New York Times bestselling author Amy Chua on March 27th at Random House. The event runs from 6 to 8pm, and tickets are $35. You can learn more about it and purchase tickets here.
If you’re looking for some spring titles now, then look no further. The Bookreporter.com Spring Preview feature is now live, and with the opportunity to win one of five titles for each 24-hour contest, there’s no reason not to enter. You can see the full list of the featured titles here. Note that the contest book for that day will be announced at noon ET, so be sure to check the site daily or sign up to receive the newsletter here. Good luck!
Need even more reading inspo? We got you covered on that, too. Here are three titles to check out this week:
AGATHA CHRISTIE: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson is the Christie story we’ve all been waiting for. It has been 100 years since Agatha Christie wrote her first novel and created the formidable Hercule Poirot. Arguably the greatest crime writer in the world, Christie's books still sell over four million copies each year --- more than 30 years after her death --- and it shows no signs of slowing. But who was the woman behind these mystifying, yet eternally pleasing, puzzlers? Biographer Laura Thompson reveals the Edwardian world in which Christie grew up, explores her relationships, including those with her two husbands and daughter, and investigates the many mysteries still surrounding Christie's life, most notably her 11-day disappearance in 1926.
Named one of the “40 women who changed the media business in the last 40 years” by Columbia Journalism Review, Peggy Orenstein is one of the most prominent, unflinching feminist voices of our time. In DON’T CALL ME PRINCESS: Essays on Girls, Women, Sex, and Life, Orenstein’s most resonant and important essays are available for the first time in collected form, updated with both an original introduction and personal reflections on each piece. Her takes on reproductive justice, the infertility industry, tensions between working and stay-at-home moms, pink ribbon fear-mongering and the complications of girl culture are not merely timeless --- they have become more urgent in our contemporary political climate.
THE SANDMAN by Lars Kepler is a mystery/thriller that should not be missed. Late one night, Mikael Kohler-Frost is found wandering. Thirteen years earlier, he went missing along with his younger sister. They were long thought to have been victims of Sweden's most notorious serial killer, Jurek Walter. Now Mikael tells the police that his sister is still alive and being held by someone he knows only as the Sandman. Years ago, Detective Inspector Joona Linna made an excruciating personal sacrifice to ensure Jurek's capture. He is keenly aware of what this killer is capable of, and now he is certain that Jurek has an accomplice. He knows that any chance of rescuing Mikael's sister depends on getting Jurek to talk, and that the only agent capable of this is Inspector Saga Bauer, a 27-year-old prodigy.
Happy reading!
5 Things To Obsess About This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. AMERICANAH is getting the TV treatment, and Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira are behind it
2. Jeff Daniels and Aaron Sorkin are behind TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD on Broadway
3. The first pics from Elena Ferrante's MY BRILLIANT FRIEND adaptation on HBO are here
4. Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington are adapting Celeste Ng's LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE for Hulu
5. The trailer for "Sweetbitter"
--- Nicole Sherman
AGATHA CHRISTIE: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson (Biography)
It has been 100 years since Agatha Christie wrote her first novel and created the formidable Hercule Poirot. Arguably the greatest crime writer in the world, Christie's books still sell over four million copies each year --- more than 30 years after her death --- and it shows no signs of slowing. But who was the woman behind these mystifying, yet eternally pleasing, puzzlers? Biographer Laura Thompson reveals the Edwardian world in which Christie grew up, explores her relationships, including those with her two husbands and daughter, and investigates the many mysteries still surrounding Christie's life, most notably her 11-day disappearance in 1926. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
AWAYLAND: Stories by Ramona Ausubel (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by a full cast
Ramona Ausubel’s stories span the globe and beyond, from small-town America and sunny Caribbean islands to the Arctic Ocean and the very gates of Heaven itself. And though some of the stories are steeped in mythology, they remain grounded in universal experiences. Crisscrossing the pages of AWAYLAND are travelers and expats, shadows and ghosts. A girl watches as her homesick mother slowly dissolves into literal mist. The mayor of a small Midwestern town offers a strange prize, for stranger reasons, to the parents of any baby born on Lenin's birthday. A chef bound for Mars begins an even more treacherous journey much closer to home. And a lonely heart searches for love online --- never mind that he's a Cyclops. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
BEAUTIFUL DAYS: Stories by Joyce Carol Oates (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; read by Tavia Gilbert, Stephen Graybill and Caitlin Kelly
In BEAUTIFUL DAYS, Joyce Carol Oates explores the most secret, intimate and unacknowledged interior lives of characters not unlike ourselves, who assert their independence in acts of bold and often irrevocable defiance. In “Big Burnt,” a cunningly manipulative university professor exploits a too-trusting woman in a way she never could have anticipated. “The Nice Girl” depicts a young woman who has been infuriatingly “nice,” until she is forced to come to terms with the raw desperation of her deepest self. And the tragic “Undocumented Alien” depicts a young African student enrolled in an American university who is suddenly stripped of his student visa and forced to undergo a terrifying test of courage. Reviewed by Gabriella Mayer.
CENSUS by Jesse Ball (Dystopian Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Chris Andrew Ciulla
When a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn’t have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son, who has Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son. Traveling into the country, through towns named only by ascending letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. As they approach “Z,” the man must confront a series of questions: What is the purpose of the census? Is he complicit in its mission? And just how will he learn to say goodbye to his son? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
A DEATH IN LIVE OAK: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando (Legal Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jonathan Davis
When the body of Jamal Cousin, president of the preeminent black fraternity at Florida's flagship university, is discovered hogtied in the Stygian water swamps of the Suwanee River Valley, the death sets off a firestorm that threatens to rage out of control when a fellow student, Mark Towson, the president of a prominent white fraternity, is accused of the crime. Contending with rising political tensions, racial unrest and a sensational media, Townson’s defense attorney, Jack Swyteck, knows that the stakes could not be higher. The evidence against his client, which includes a threatening text message referencing "strange fruit" on the river, seems overwhelming. Then Jack gets a break that could turn the case. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
THE DEVIL AND THE RIVER by R.J. Ellory (Historical Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, narrated by Laurence Bouvard and Eric Meyers
One evening in 1954, 16-year-old Nancy Denton walked into the woods of her hometown of Whytesburg, Mississippi, and was never seen again. Two decades later, Sheriff John Gaines witnesses a harrowing discovery: A young woman has been unearthed from the riverbank, her body perfectly preserved, yet she bears evidence of a brutal ritualistic killing. Nancy has come home at last, but her return does not bring closure to her family, or to the citizens of Whytesburg. What really happened to the beautiful and vivacious Nancy? And why do her friends refuse to talk? As Gaines closes in on the truth, he is forced not only to confront his own demons, but to unearth secrets that have long remained hidden. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
DON’T CALL ME PRINCESS: Essays on Girls, Women, Sex, and Life by Peggy Orenstein (Social Science/Essays)
Audiobook available, read by Peggy Orenstein
Named one of the “40 women who changed the media business in the last 40 years” by Columbia Journalism Review, Peggy Orenstein is one of the most prominent, unflinching feminist voices of our time. In DON’T CALL ME PRINCESS, Orenstein’s most resonant and important essays are available for the first time in collected form, updated with both an original introduction and personal reflections on each piece. Her takes on reproductive justice, the infertility industry, tensions between working and stay-at-home moms, pink ribbon fear-mongering and the complications of girl culture are not merely timeless --- they have become more urgent in our contemporary political climate. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
THE ESCAPE ARTIST by Brad Meltzer (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Scott Brick
Her body was found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. Her commanding officer verifies she's dead. The US government confirms it. But Jim "Zig" Zigarowski has just found out the truth: Nola is still alive. And on the run. Zig works at Dover Air Force Base, helping put to rest the bodies of those who die on top-secret missions. Nola was a childhood friend of Zig's daughter and someone who once saved his daughter's life. So when Zig realizes Nola is still alive, he's determined to find her. Yet as Zig digs into Nola's past, he learns that trouble follows Nola everywhere she goes. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
FIFTY FIFTY by James Patterson and Candice Fox (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Federay Holmes
Sam Blue stands accused of the brutal murders of three young students. Only one person believes he is innocent: his sister, Detective Harriet Blue. And she's determined to prove it. But Harry's outburst at her brother's trial earns her a reassignment --- to the outback. With no choice but to leave Sam's case alone, she relocates to Last Chance Valley, where a diary found on the roadside outlines a shocking plan: the massacre of the entire town. And the first killing, shortly after Harry's arrival, suggests the clock is already ticking. Meanwhile, back in Sydney, a young woman holds the key to crack Sam's case wide open. If only she could escape the madman holding her hostage. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin.
HOW TO STOP TIME by Matt Haig (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Mark Meadows
Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. He has lived history but now just wants an ordinary life. So Tom moves back to London, his old home, to become a high school history teacher --- the perfect job for someone who has witnessed the city's history firsthand. Better yet, a captivating French teacher at his school seems fascinated by him. But the Albatross Society, the secretive group that protects people like Tom, has one rule: Never fall in love. As painful memories of his past and the erratic behavior of the Society's watchful leader threaten to derail his new life and romance, the one thing he can't have just happens to be the one thing that might save him. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE HUSH by John Hart (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jeremy Bobb
It’s been 10 years since the events that changed Johnny Merrimon’s life and rocked his hometown to the core. Since then, Johnny has fought to maintain his privacy, but books have been written of his exploits. Living alone on 6,000 acres of once-sacred land, Johnny’s only connection to normal life is his old friend, Jack. But Jack sees danger in the wild places Johnny calls home; he senses darkness and hunger, an intractable intent. Johnny will discuss none of it, but there are the things he knows, the things he can do. A lesser friend might accept such abilities as a gift, but Jack has felt what moves in the swamp: the cold of it, the unspeakable fear. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
I AM, I AM, I AM: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Daisy Donovan
I AM, I AM, I AM is Maggie O'Farrell's astonishing memoir of the near-death experiences that have punctuated and defined her life. The childhood illness that left her bedridden for a year, which she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. An encounter with a disturbed man on a remote path. And, most terrifying of all, an ongoing, daily struggle to protect her from a condition that leaves her unimaginably vulnerable to life's myriad dangers. Seventeen discrete encounters with Maggie at different ages, in different locations, reveal a whole life in a series of tense, visceral snapshots. Reviewed by Jane Krebs.
I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (True Crime/Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Gabra Zackman; with an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by Patton Oswalt
For more than 10 years, a mysterious and violent predator committed 50 sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated 10 sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area. Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was. Reviewed by Alex Bowditch.
MY NAME IS VENUS BLACK by Heather Lloyd (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Alex McKenna and Cassandra Campbell
Venus Black is a straitlaced A-student fascinated by the study of astronomy --- until the night she commits a shocking crime that tears her family apart. Venus refuses to talk about what happened or why, except to blame her mother. Adding to the mystery, Venus’ developmentally challenged younger brother, Leo, goes missing. More than five years later, Venus is released from prison and determined to escape her painful past. Estranged from her mother, and with Leo still missing, she sets out to make a fresh start in Seattle. But as new people enter her orbit, old wounds resurface, and Venus realizes that she can’t find a future while she’s running from her past. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
ONE GOAL: A Coach, a Team, and the Game That Brought a Divided Town Together by Amy Bass (Sports/Sociology)
When thousands of Somali refugees resettled in Lewiston, Maine, a struggling, overwhelmingly white town, longtime residents grew uneasy. Then the mayor wrote a letter asking Somalis to stop coming, which became a national story. While scandal threatened to subsume the town, its high school's soccer coach integrated Somali kids onto his team, and their passion began to heal old wounds. Taking readers behind the tumult of this controversial team --- and onto the pitch where the teammates vied to become state champions and achieved a vital sense of understanding --- ONE GOAL is a timely story about overcoming the prejudices that divide us. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
THE SANDMAN by Lars Kepler (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Saul Reichlin
Late one night, Mikael Kohler-Frost is found wandering. Thirteen years earlier, he went missing along with his younger sister. They were long thought to have been victims of Sweden's most notorious serial killer, Jurek Walter. Now Mikael tells the police that his sister is still alive and being held by someone he knows only as the Sandman. Years ago, Detective Inspector Joona Linna made an excruciating personal sacrifice to ensure Jurek's capture. He is keenly aware of what this killer is capable of, and now he is certain that Jurek has an accomplice. He knows that any chance of rescuing Mikael's sister depends on getting Jurek to talk, and that the only agent capable of this is Inspector Saga Bauer, a 27-year-old prodigy. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE SONS: Made in Sweden, Part II written by Anton Svensson, translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Gunnar Cauthery
After six years in prison, Leo Duvnjac is free. Prosecuted for numerous crimes, he was convicted of just two robberies in the end. Unreformed, Leo has spent his imprisonment plotting one final heist. The plan is to steal more than 100 million Swedish crowns from Sweden's largest police station --- and then disappear forever. It is a decision that will threaten what remains of his relationships with his father and brothers, who also went to prison for the earlier robberies, and set him on a collision course with the aggressive cop who sent them to jail. Detective John Broncks quickly figures out that the newly released Leo is up to something and vows to stop him, no matter what rules have to be broken. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THINGS TO DO WHEN IT’S RAINING by Marissa Stapley (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Caroline Slaughter
Mae Summers has it all: a loving fiancé, Peter, a job at the flourishing company he owns, and a beautiful New York City apartment. But Mae’s life shatters when she wakes up one morning to discover Peter gone and the company in shambles. There’s only one place for Mae to go: home to Alexandria Bay, where she was raised by her grandparents. And not all is right in Alex Bay, either: Mae finds her grandmother struggling with dementia, separated from Mae’s grandfather thanks to a terrible secret she never meant to reveal. She also finds Gabe, her childhood best friend who became the love of her young life --- now a handsome if brooding adult, working through a private trauma that still haunts him. Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderović.
ZERO DAY by Ezekiel Boone (Apocalyptic Thriller/Horror)
Audiobook available, read by George Newbern
The only thing more terrifying than millions of spiders is the realization that those spiders work as one. But among the government, there is dissent: Do we try to kill all of the spiders, or do we gamble on Professor Guyer’s theory that we need to kill only the queens? For President Stephanie Pilgrim, it’s an easy answer. She’s gone as far as she can --- more than two dozen American cities hit with tactical nukes --- and the only answer is to believe in Professor Guyer. Unfortunately, Ben Broussard and the military men who follow him don’t agree, and Pilgrim, Guyer and the loyal members of the government have to flee, leaving the question: What’s more dangerous, the spiders or ourselves? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi (Fantasy)
Audiobook available, narrated by Bahni Turpin
Zélie Adebola 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. Reviewed by Rachel R., Teen Board Member.
DAUGHTER OF THE SIREN QUEEN by Tricia Levenseller (Historical Fantasy)
Audiobook available, narrated by Marisa Calin
Not only has Alosa recovered all three pieces of the map to a hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now her prisoners. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father's justice. When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first....after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen. Reviewed by Sabina Z., Teen Board Member.
FLIGHT SEASON by Marie Marquardt (Contemporary Fiction)
Back when they were still strangers, TJ Carvalho witnessed the only moment in Vivi Flannigan’s life when she lost control entirely. When Vivi returns home from her first year away at college, her big plans and TJ’s ambition to become a nurse land them both on the heart ward of a university hospital, facing them with a long and painful summer together --- three months of glorified babysitting for Ángel, the problem patient on the hall. As it turns out, though, Ángel Solís has a thing or two to teach them about all those big plans, and the incredible moments when love gets in their way. Reviewed by Grace P., Teen Board Member.
A GIRL LIKE THAT by Tanaz Bhathena (Contemporary Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Neil Shah, Soneela Nankani, Lameece Issaq and Firdous Bamji
Sixteen-year-old Zarin is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip. So how is it that 18-year-old Porus has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that. Reviewed by Jessi H., Teen Board Member.
HAMILTON AND PEGGY!: A Revolutionary Friendship by L. M. Elliott (Historical Fiction)
Peggy Schuyler has always felt like she’s existed in the shadows of her sisters. But it’s in the throes of war that Peggy finds herself a central figure amid Loyalists and Patriots, spies and traitors, friends and family. When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes to Peggy asking for her help in wooing Eliza, Peggy agrees. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, and the danger to all their lives is real. Everything is a battlefield --- from the frontlines to their carefully coded letters --- but will Peggy’s bravery’s and intelligence be enough to keep them all safe? Reviewed by Gabby B., Teen Board Member.
HEART OF IRON by Ashley Poston (Science Fiction)
Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09 --- one of the last remaining illegal Metals --- has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him. Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers.Now their entire kingdom is after them --- and the coordinates --- and not everyone wants them captured alive. Reviewed by Taylor F., Teen Board Member.
HONOR AMONG THIEVES written by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre (Science Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Adenrele Ojo and Adam Lazarre-White
Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan --- a race of sentient alien ships --- to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight. Reviewed by Jeanna Michel.
IN SIGHT OF STARS by Gae Polisner (Contemporary Fiction)
Seventeen-year-old Klee’s father was the center of his life. Until his death. Now, forced to live in the suburbs with his mom, Klee can’t help but feel he’s lost all the identifying parts of himself --- his beloved father, weekly trips to the MoMA and the energy of New York City. That is until he meets Sarah in art class. Suddenly it seems as if she’s the only thing that makes him happy. But when an act of betrayal sends him reeling, Klee lands in a psychiatric hospital for teens in Northhollow. While there, he undergoes intensive therapy and goes back over the pieces of his life to find out what was real, what wasn’t and whether he can stand on his own feet again. Reviewed by Olivia W., Teen Board Member.
OLIVIA TWIST by Lorie Langdon (Historical Fiction)
OLIVIA TWIST is an innovative reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic tale OLIVER TWIST, in which Olivia was forced to live as a boy for her own safety until she was rescued from the streets. Now 18, Olivia finds herself at a crossroads: revealed secrets threaten to destroy the “proper” life she has built for herself, while newfound feelings for an arrogant young man she shouldn’t like could derail her carefully laid plans for the future. Reviewed by Katie T., Teen Board Member.
PACIFICA by Kristen Simmons (Science Fiction/Dystopian)
Audiobook available, narrated by Soneela Nankani
For too long our people have suffered, plagued by overcrowding, disease and lack of work. Now we must take the next step and thrive. Pacifica. An island paradise like the ones that existed before the Melt. A lucky five hundred lottery winners will be the first to go, the first to leave their dilapidated homes behind and start a new life. The only problem? Marin spent her childhood on those seas and knows there’s no island paradise out there. She’s a pirate like her father and his father before him, and she knows a con when she sees one. So where are the First Five Hundred really going? Reviewed by Makayla H., Teen Board Member.
THE QUEEN'S RISING by Rebecca Ross (Fantasy)
Audiobook available, narrated by Suzanne Elise Freeman
Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions --- art, music, dramatics, wit and knowledge --- Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge. However, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true --- she is left without a patron. Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. But there is much more to his story. And now, with war brewing, Brienna must choose which side she will remain loyal to: passion or blood. Reviewed by Daniella R., Teen Board Member.
RESTORE ME by Tahereh Mafi (Fantasy)
Audiobook available, narrated by Kate Simses and James Fouhey
Juliette Ferrars thought she’d won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander of North America, and now has Warner by her side. But when tragedy strikes, she must confront the darkness that dwells both around and inside her. Who will she become in the face of adversity? Will she be able to control the power she wields, and use it for good? Reviewed by Abigail D., Teen Board Member.
THIS HEART OF MINE by C. C. Hunter (Romance/Suspense)
Audiobook available, narrated by Katie Schorr
An artificial heart is keeping 17-year-old Leah alive. However, this route only offers her a few years. But when a heart becomes available, she’s given a second chance. Except Leah discovers the donor was a boy who might have killed himself. Plagued with dreams since the transplant, she realizes she may hold the clues to what really happened. When Leah seeks out the boy's twin, he learns they are having similar dreams and he’s certain it means something. While unraveling the secrets of his brother’s final moments, Leah and Matt find each other and a love they are terrified to lose. Reviewed by Shannon Cody.
TWELVE STEPS TO NORMAL written by Farrah Penn with a forward by James Patterson (Contemporary Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Christie Moreau
When Kira's father enters rehab, she's forced to leave everything behind --- her home, her best friends, her boyfriend...everything she loves. Now her father's sober (again) and Kira is returning home, determined to get her life back to normal...exactly as it was before she was sent away. But is that what Kira really wants? Reviewed by Jessica Cozzi.
YOU WILL BE MINE by Natasha Preston (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, narrated by Anna Parker-Naples
Lylah and her friends can't wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes to hit the dance floor with her crush. The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It's an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off. Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives: YOUR TURN. Reviewed by Emma B., Teen Board Member.
|