May 26

May 26 Books Publishing This Week

The end of May carries a particular kind of beauty—the kind that makes you pause without fully understanding why. The days feel wide open now, stretching long into the evening, filled with golden light and the quiet hum of a world fully awake. Spring has softened into something richer, fuller. The air is warm when you step outside, not just promising summer but leaning toward it.

You notice it immediately that morning—the way sunlight spills across the floor before you’re fully awake, the way birds seem louder now, more certain. Even the breeze through the open window feels different. It carries the scent of cut grass, blooming flowers, and something faintly sweet drifting in from somewhere nearby.

The season no longer feels like it’s becoming. It has become.

You move slowly through the day, not because you’re tired, but because there’s something about late May that asks you to linger. To notice. To let things unfold instead of pushing them forward. You make yourself something cold to drink—iced coffee, perhaps, or sparkling water with lemon—and carry it with you as you look for a place to settle.

The book you’ve been meaning to start rests nearby, waiting patiently.

You choose a spot where the light feels softest. Maybe it’s outside beneath a tree, where shadows move lazily across the page. Maybe it’s on a porch with the sound of distant lawnmowers and birdsong weaving together in the background. Maybe it’s simply by an open window where the breeze can find you.

You sit down and let yourself become still.

The book feels cool in your hands, its cover smooth beneath your fingertips. There’s something especially satisfying about beginning a new story at the end of May. It doesn’t carry the sharp hopefulness of January or the tentative awakening of March. Instead, it feels grounded. Assured. Like stepping into something already alive.

You open it slowly.

The spine gives gently, the pages crisp and untouched. The first line meets you softly, without demanding anything from you. You begin to read.

The story unfolds with the same ease as the season itself. No urgency. No rush. Just steady movement forward. You feel yourself relaxing almost immediately, your shoulders softening as the world around you quiets—not disappearing, but settling into the background.

Because you still notice everything.

The warmth of the sun against your skin. The breeze lifting the edge of the page. The sound of leaves moving overhead, full and green now. Somewhere nearby, someone is laughing. A screen door closes. A dog barks once in the distance.

You turn another page.

The characters begin to sharpen, their voices clearer now, their world taking shape around you. You lean deeper into the story, not because you need escape, but because the experience of entering something new feels aligned with the season itself.

Late May has a way of making life feel expansive. The days stretch longer. The evenings arrive slowly. Everything feels slightly more possible than it did before.

You notice it in the way you read.

You’re not hurrying through the pages. You’re allowing them to open gradually, letting the story settle into you the same way the warmth of the day has settled into the earth around you.

You pause occasionally—not from distraction, but from contentment. You look up at the sky, impossibly blue between the leaves. You take a sip of your drink, cold against the warmth of the afternoon. You breathe deeply.

Then you return to the page.

Time softens. The light shifts slowly toward evening, growing richer, more golden. Shadows stretch across the ground. The story deepens quietly, layering itself into the rhythm of the day.

When you finally close the book—marking your place carefully—you sit for a moment longer, holding it in your lap.

The end of May doesn’t feel like an ending at all.

It feels like standing on the edge of something luminous, something unfolding slowly and beautifully.

And this new book, just beginning to open in your hands, feels like part of that unfolding too.

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Books Publishing May 24 - 30

Home No Matter Where by Nancy Naigle

Three generations of women confront their pasts and discover it's never too late for new beginnings in this heartwarming novel of second chances and unconditional love—from the bestselling author of The Shell Collector.

Nina is at her wit's end with her teenage daughter, Kendra. Still dealing with her own wounds of divorce, Nina hopes a change of scenery will help. She and Kendra head to the serene coastal town of Whelk's Island to spend a restorative summer with Nina’s mother, Rosemary—bringing three generations under one roof for the first time in years. Amid the island's charm, old wounds begin to heal, and as new friendships bloom—especially with the steady and enigmatic Fisher—light begins to break through the cracks of Nina’s tightly controlled life.

Kendra's reckless behavior continues but Fisher’s intervention during a critical moment for Kendra sparks a sense of hope in Nina that she thought was lost. Still, change is never easy.

The Black Cat Detectives by Kit Gray

A charming cozy mystery with a delightful twist: The detectives are three kittens with magical powers, determined to solve a most purr-plexing case.

Precocious kittens Bippity, Boppity, and Boop are exceedingly loyal to their human, the twenty-eight-year-old mediocre magician Mila. She saved them from starving to death in a dingy Corvin’s Crossing alleyway and has been nothing but loving ever since, even though her own life is in shambles.

So when Mila’s sketchy boyfriend and business manager turns up dead at the end of her big magic show—she’s the prime suspect. With evidence mounting, there’s nothing stopping the sheriff from hauling away Mila to the human pound. Unless the kittens can solve the crime and clear her name.

The kittens will have to use their dubious control over the laws of physics and every whisker of know-how they’ve got to catch the real killer if they want to save their happy home with Mila. This is one meow-stery more tangled than any ball of yarn they’ve encountered yet.

For the Love of the Quest by Alexandra Ammon Parthun

The search for King Arthur’s Excalibur invites danger—and potentially love—in this sapphic historical romance, perfect for fans of Cat Sebastian and Freya Marske.

Lady Edith Darling is supposed to live a quiet life in her family’s manor. She is not supposed to go unchaperoned on a quest to find Excalibur. But Edith won’t let that stand in her way, especially not when she's on this mission to honor her beloved grandmother’s dying wish. Determined to prove her grandmother right, Edith packs her satchel with Arthurian legends, pastries, and her grandmother’s ashes and runs off to hire a mercenary.

Thomasin Shaw leads the most feared gang in London. For years, she had the constabulary safely in her pocket, until a scandal involving the chief inspector’s wife was brought to light. Now he’s demanding an enormous sum of money—without which Thomasin will lose the protection of the police along with her criminal empire. But when the rich Lady Edith waltzes into her life seeking an escort for a treasure hunt, Thomasin sees a willing kidnapping victim and a massive ransom.

As Edith’s clues lead them to underground chambers booby-trapped with arrows, doors locked with arcane puzzles, and even Arthur’s fabled round table, Thomasin finds herself swept up in the quest—and in Edith herself. Edith is also drawn to Thomasin, despite the ruthless mask she wears. But the chief inspector won’t let Thomasin forget her crimes, and Edith’s father is intent on bringing her home. Every legendary quest has an ending, but finding Excalibur might not be enough to make this a happy one.

The Memory Foundation by Amanda West

Wealthy clients looking for the cure to memory loss find themselves trapped in a remote mountainous facility in this ingenious thriller, perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and Alex Michaelides.

Struggling new single mom Natasha Walker is desperate to get back to her job as an investigative journalist. When she receives an anonymous tip about the Memory Foundation, a secretive research clinic that promises the cure to memory loss, she is instantly intrigued. Given her mother’s dementia diagnosis, the story hits close to home. Despite the perilous snowbound location, she’s determined to uncover the truth about the mysterious founders and their patients.

Meanwhile, Lydia Hunter has faithfully worked alongside her husband, Wade, the founder of the Memory Foundation, to revolutionize the way the world understands memory. But the research is expensive, and they’re hemorrhaging money. In order to gain more financial support, they open up the facility to an exclusive group of wealthy guests, promising that each one will experience a “memory flight” that will allow them to relive precious memories.

But when the wealthy clients arrive at the Memory Foundation, set high in the Alps in an area prone to avalanches, all is not what it seems. And when the weather takes a turn for the worse and power outages and a growing sense of paranoia begin affecting everybody, it becomes clear that no one at the Memory Foundation will ever be the same—and not everyone will survive the week.

Bone of My Bone by Johanna van Veen

A skull's grin is eternal…

The year is 1635.

Sister Ursula, a young nun fleeing the ruins of her convent, and Elsebeth, a sharp-witted peasant, escape a band of marauding soldiers and disappear into the Bavarian forest. War scorches the land, and no one survives it alone. Amid the devastation, they find something in the arms of a dying man: the gilded skull of a saint.

It is said that if you reunite the saint's skull with her body, a wish will be granted. Desperate for salvation, and each with secret desires of their own, Ursula and Elsebeth follow a ragged map across the blighted countryside. But darkness follows them. A necromancer, drawn to the relic's power. The saint herself, whispering at night. And as the lines between blessing and curse blur, the women must face a harrowing truth: the magic they seek comes at a cost.

At the journey's end, they'll face an impossible choice—one that could tear apart everything they know… or bind them to each other forever.

Missed Connections by Aimie K. Runyan

What if you had the chance to revisit every choice that mattered?

Sabrina Sorensen is 37, single, and recently let go as general manager of a posh Parisian restaurant. She heads home to California for her younger sister’s engagement party, and it's an open door for her mother and siblings to prod Sabrina for her itinerate lifestyle and her inability to commit to any of her previous jobs and relationships. What they don't know is that Sabrina, for fifteen long years, has been building her résumé in hopes of becoming an inspector for the famed MICHELIN guides—a path that has required anonymity and keeping her ambitions hidden. And now, with her career on the downturn, even that is in jeopardy. After her mother's final clumsy attempt to fix her up with the charming "boy next door," Sabrina bolts for the Burbank Airport.

The problem? She has nowhere to go.

She arrives at the airport, resolved to put the family conflict behind her and focus on her work, but now her mother's critical voice fills her with doubts. Has she been wasting her life? Faced with the enormity of her next decision, and feeling utterly alone, Sabrina breaks down at the ticket counter. The kindly ticket agent ushers her to a private lounge and offers her something far more important than tea and sympathy: the opportunity to revisit some of her key choices, personal and professional, in her past. Sabrina suddenly is given the rare chance to answer the burning question: has she been foolish to sacrifice so much for her dream of becoming a Michelin inspector? Spanning fifteen years and thousands of miles, Sabrina will have the rare opportunity to know for certain if all her choices had led her down the right path.

Curses, Keys, and Secret Societies by Breanne Randall

A witch hiding a dangerous secret is thrust into an elite magical academy, where survival means risking her life and her heart—in the standalone follow-up to Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things.

Dark secrets. Deadly choices. A destiny that can’t be outrun. Welcome to Shadowcraft Academy.

Eléa Deniz dreads going home to the French countryside after leaving four years ago. Upon her return, she finds the estate has become host to the Shadowcraft Academy, an elite graduate school where a world of mysteries and power plays await. What’s worse, her father is the enigmatic and ruthless headmaster with an agenda of his own. And then she discovers a prophecy about her magic that could change everything.

As her power is tested, Eléa becomes torn between Alex, her stoic first love whose loyalties are as murky as his past, and the brash, irreverent Logan, who challenges her to see herself in new ways. Faced with family secrets, a secret society, and the weight of her own magic, Eléa must reclaim her power and forge her own path. Destiny is calling . . . and it demands a price.

The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay

Free-spirited travel influencer Hannah Spencer has spent five years touring the country in her vintage van, alone save for her hulking Great Dane, Dude. Until an unexpected inheritance from her pops has Hannah thinking about putting down roots in Cape Split, North Carolina, where she’s the new owner of a worse-for-wear seaside beach house. Or, rather, fifty percent of one. Turns out Simon O’Malley inherited the other half from his gramps.

As Simon and Hannah spend the summer tag-teaming repairs on the crumbling cottage, they discover it was once home to a timeless love story. As their own relationship shifts from enemies to friends to lovers, they begin to wonder if the house’s romantic past might be a good omen for their future together. But there’s one problem—Simon is set on selling the property at the end of the summer.

For Hannah, the Split isn’t like anyplace she’s ever been, and Simon isn’t like any man she’s ever known—she doesn’t want to let this new life go. She just needs Simon to see their budding relationship and this newfound community in the same way, or their first summer share might also be their last.

The Imaginary Life of a Laurel Tree by Mario Fortunato

An Italian teacher’s relationship with his male student sparks legal and personal turmoil in this compelling novel of truth, desire, and power.

A group of old friends are unexpectedly reunited in Calabria for a dinner party. When the conversation turns from reminiscing about their teen years to recent allegations against a local teacher, Marco Ferro, it unsettles the narrator. Days later, still reeling from the news, he sets out to learn more, grappling with the murky facts. His search rekindles a relationship with his former high school friend—Federica, beautiful and spoiled, married to Lino, and the mother of three boys—which in turn unspools in complicated and unanticipated ways.

The action then moves to Tunisia, London, and Rome, in an incessant pursuit of who tells and who is told. In the end, it is the story of Marco Ferro and his young student Yussef, played out in both courtrooms and newspaper columns, that restores truth to the complicated sentimental geometries of the narrator and Federica.

Exploring secrets and entangled power dynamics, Mario Fortunato’s timely new novel raises questions that rarely have simple or unequivocal answers.

Wings of Life by Meghan Le Fay

Fans of enemies-to-lovers romance and epic dragon-filled fantasy will be swept into Le Fay's Wings of Life, where duty, danger, and forbidden desire collide.

They cast me off to Rihtlond as a bride.

They don’t care if I come back alive.

Too sharp-tongued and too curious, I am my mother’s greatest lament and my father’s constant frustration. Unwilling to bow to their will, I’ve become expendable, worth sending on a mission doomed to fail.

Armed with nothing but a coded journal, a quill, and my wits, I’m thrust into the kingdom of our oldest enemy—a land of storms and warriors—to wed their high dane’s son. Trapped on their ruthless continent, I am no blushing bride. I’m a spy sent to unlock Rihtlond’s weaknesses… a cuckoo in the robin’s nest.

But my heart still bleeds red when the weaponmaster of these strange people steals it away. Through him, I learn to unlock their secrets. What I uncover is more dangerous than I ever imagined: magic thrumming in the roots of Rihtlond, a dragon hidden in plain sight, and a love I was never meant to feel. Holding this knowledge, I am meant to return home and bind myself to a future I was given long ago.

Now, as war rises and alliances crumble, I must choose between duty and desire, between the family who cast me aside and the bond that awakens who I truly am. To protect what I’ve found—and who I become—I must risk everything. Even if it brands me a traitor. Even if it costs me my life.

Evening the Score by Lexi LaFleur Brown

From TikTok influencer and NHL insider Lexi La Fleur Brown comes another trope-packed, spicy, hockey-accurate sports rom com, featuring a one-sided fake dating scheme between a star hockey player and the team mascot.

A grudge hates to see Olivia Hinckley coming. Years ago, a dirty hit ended her late father’s NHL career with the Minnesota Freeze. It was never fair that Erik Parker walked away with little more than a penalty, but it’s worse that her father's rival is now up for Hall of Fame induction. On top of that, Erik's son—hockey’s golden boy, Brody—just signed on to play for the Freeze. Determined to dismantle the Parker legacy, Olivia enacts a revenge plot that has her donning the Freeze’s mascot costume to gain intel on the Parkers. And she can’t help but mess with Brody’s gameplay—and his heart for good measure. After all, what’s a little fake dating between enemies?

Brody Parker only ever wanted to play hockey for fun, but the pressure of being part of hockey’s “First Family” has him dodging nepotism allegations along with high sticks. Erik might act like Father of the Year when the cameras are on, but behind closed doors, Brody struggles with his father’s impossible expectations. Preserving Erik’s image is a full-time job, but lucky for Brody, his new connection with Olivia is a welcome (spicy) distraction.

When Brody finally opens up to Olivia, she never expected she’d pity a Parker for anything. Suddenly, she wants to protect her once-enemy. The romantic feelings she faked are now unexpectedly real, but after leading Brody on for so long, can she keep the lies and the truth straight before she accidentally blows up his whole life?

Murder Most Delicious by Danielle Postel-Vinay

Writer Danielle Trussoni has written several bestselling and award-winning books but her newest novel Murder Most Delicious is something completely different. Written under her married name Postel-Vinay, this enchanting novel, about an American sommelier applying for a job at a storied Paris restaurant whose potential boss is poisoned, is filled with the most wonderful sensory details about French life: exquisite pastries, cheese, wine, friendship, romance, and of course, murder.

The Final Target by Nora Roberts

A young author becomes the object of a fan’s desire—and rage—in the gripping thriller by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Nature.

He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden's purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?

Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

the next book in the multi-million-copy bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. Before I Knew I Loved You brings us four new café patrons. They come to heal, to remember, to understand:
• The girl who couldn’t call her mother, but yearns to reconnect with her
• The man who waited for a reply from his girlfriend, and never heard from her
• The woman anxious to travel ahead to know what her future holds
• The student whose father passed away many years before, who travels back to meet him again

The Maidenheads by Benny B. Peterson

A bighearted debut novel about queer yearning, indie musicians, and bushwacking a thorny path back to your first love

Jamie is bad at endings, which is why she's stuck at a dead-end Baltimore newspaper job, continuing to have break-up sex with her first-ever hetero partner, and haunted by the what-ifs of her ex-girlfriend Mari—a charismatic and brilliant musician—and their former band together, the Maidenheads. Since they (and their band) broke up a decade ago, Jamie hasn't been able to sing.

Then an unexpected opportunity to perform in DC with Mari's successful new band arises, and Jamie jumps at it. What begins as a return to music becomes a reckoning—with the weight of unfinished love, the voice she long buried, and her own complicated past. But as Jamie channels more of her energy into the band, other threads in her life begin to fray, and she must make some urgent choices about her future.

Electric, spine-tingling, and filled to the brim with tenderness and honesty, The Maidenheads is a novel about the tenacity of first love, the life-changing power of music, and the difficult, necessary work of becoming yourself.

The Case Study by Nicole Lundrigan

The shocking new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of A Man Downstairs and An Unthinkable Thing: a twisty, unsettling, and masterfully plotted game of magnetic push-and-pull between two women whose secrets threaten to collide.

When Mia was a young woman, she read a magazine article about a murderous teenage girl with a rare and disturbing psychiatric delusion. Fascinated by the details, she sought out the doctor who’d treated the girl, and eventually married him. Twenty years later, Mia’s curiosity is piqued once again when her husband announces that his famous case study will be republished—and that he will be reconnecting with his former patient.

Lainey has never felt that her feet are fully on the ground—not since she was released from a psychiatric institution at the age of twenty-one. When her former doctor reaches out, she decides to tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago. Perhaps she can finally lighten the darkness that has defined her entire existence.

With mirroring software, Mia pores over every recorded therapy session with Lainey, almost as though she’s watching a true crime drama unfold. On the opposite side, Lainey becomes intensely interested in her doctor’s family. How far will she go to insert herself into his seemingly perfect life?

The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson

A masterful new novel in the beloved New York Times bestselling Longmire series

When Pepper McKay, one of the most hated men in Absaroka County, is found murdered on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon, suspects aren’t in short supply. But Sheriff Walt Longmire’s attention is on those who had gathered for a family meeting that evening, McKay’s very different sons: a smooth-talking charmer, a cosmopolitan journalist, a reclusive monk, and a half-Native ranch hand who keeps the place running. Each had a motive. Each claims he’s innocent.

As Walt investigates what happened that night at the O-Kay Lodge, he’s pulled into a tangle of old grudges and long-buried secrets. Then the case takes a sharp turn: a second body surfaces, and a wildfire tears through the canyon, trapping Walt and forcing him into a fight for his life as both the killer and the elements close in.

The twenty-second novel in the Longmire series, The Brothers McKay is a murder mystery and a survival thriller that tests the sheriff’s hard-won sense of justice—all while paying sly homage to Dostoevsky’s classic.

Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts

The battle lines are drawn—between a romance-loving bookseller and the shock jock determined to tear happily-ever-afters apart.

Alice Willoughby and her mom run HEA Books, a cozy shop devoted to love stories and the people who crave them. Alice is great at matching customers with their perfect happily-ever-after…she just can’t seem to find her own.

Enter Parker Black, a disillusioned radio host who’s reinvented himself as a romance-bashing shock jock. Bitter from his breakup with a romance author who turned love into a four-letter word, Parker takes aim at the entire genre—and his on-air rants start stirring up trouble for Alice’s loyal customers and their partners. He’s arrogant, aggravating, and absolutely not book-boyfriend material.

Parker’s crusade leads to spirited debates and bookstore protests, but when unexpected sparks fly between the two of them Alice begins to wonder if her favorite trope—enemies to lovers—might actually be playing out in real life. Parker may claim romance is a lie…but is he protesting a little too much?

With sharp wit and plenty of charm, USA Today bestselling author Sheila Roberts delivers a modern battle of the sexes where the biggest question is simple:

Are romance novels ruining love—or rewriting it?

When the Forest Dreams by Andrea Ezerins

For fans of L. M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, a contemporary retelling of the beloved romance that follows a sheltered young woman’s quest for love in New York City—and her search for a rare and elusive bird in the deep Arkansas forest.

What if the life you were meant to live was waiting just outside your door?

New York City, 2013. Emma Jablonski’s life is as dry as the day-old bread at her family’s bakery. Living with her parents and grandmother, she clings to the only escape she knows: a recurring dream that feels more real than her waking world. But when Emma’s eyes are open, she’s reminded of what’s out of reach—Jake, the enigmatic boy-next-door.

After a life-changing diagnosis forces her to face her fears, Emma decides it’s time to truly live—before it’s too late. With Jake and his vibrant friend Vee, she dives into a whirlwind of experiences: a fake engagement, dazzling parties, and an obsession with the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that may not even exist.

But as her daring adventure is coming to an end, Emma begins to embrace a future she never thought possible. Dreams and reality aren’t supposed to mix . . . are they?

A modern retelling of L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, this gentle story of love, resilience, and the beauty of the unknown reminds us to seek joy in the most unexpected places.

A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys

The daughter of an automotive magnate escapes to an artistic retreat that holds more secrets—and more intrigue—than she could have ever imagined, in this Prohibition-era novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea.

Detroit, 1927. A city of smoke and ambition, where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets.

Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful automotive dynasty, a family known for money, not manners. Artistic, impulsive, and always slightly out of step, Marjorie has long been dismissed by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. But when she secretly applies to an exclusive arts program funded by an elusive benefactor, she sees a chance to redefine herself on her own terms.

The building is grand. The participants are gifted. But something…is off.

The program is uncomfortably restrictive. Doors lock at odd hours. Strange sounds echo through the halls amid whispers that women are disappearing. And the handsome benefactor—mostly absent, yet somehow everywhere—begins to unnerve her. As Marjorie’s sense of self begins to slip, so does her grip on the truth. What happens to women who don’t fit neatly into a gilded frame?

Set against the crumbling grandeur of 1920s Detroit and inspired by actual, long-buried historical events, A Fortune of Sand is a haunting mosaic of glamour and grift—a novel about those who vanish, and those who demand to be seen.

Waves of Light and Darkness: Stories by John K Danenbarger

Waves of Light and Darkness challenges and delights a reader's perception with surreal and surprising world-building.

Whether they are set in the past or the future, in a Kansas farmhouse or a potentially supernatural cave, these short stories share one commonality: a search for something beyond what one knows is needed. Through a multitude of unexpected perspectives (a cat, a coma patient, a ventriloquist), this utterly novel collection of stories examines and reconfigures universal themes of life, death, and human connection.

And They Were Roommates by Page Powars

You can't resist this hilarious, unputdownable second-chance-romance about the most unlikely, gay roommate mishap.

Romance is the last thing on Charlie’s mind. On his first day at Valentine Academy for Boys, Charlie’s carefully crafted plan to hide his identity as the school’s only trans student is set in motion. Only to be immediately destroyed. Charlie has been assigned the worst roommate in the world (possibly the universe): Jasper Grimes, the boy who broke Charlie’s heart the year before he transitioned.

Except, Jasper doesn’t recognize Charlie.

Who knows how long until Jasper realizes the truth? Charlie has one shot at freedom and a dorm room all to himself, but only if he helps Jasper write love letters on behalf of their fellow students first. No problem. Charlie can help Jasper with some silly letters. Long nights spent discussing deep romantic feelings with Jasper? Surely, no unintended consequences will arise…

The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hairston

In the Heart of Mystery Lies Redemption...

Every Sunday, Oona the St. Berdoodle and her current owner, Zsuzsu, make their way through the winding paths of the State Park to the enigmatic Redemption Center—a place often mistaken for a haunted mansion.

When a local celebrity is found murdered, the unexpected brings Oona together with a rag-tag group of local misfits. Together they venture into the depths of the Center's mystery to untangle the threads of murder and deception.

But Oona holds two secrets: she’s a citizen of the multiverse, able to travel between dimensions at will, and more importantly, she knows the killer's identity. Unfortunately, the killer knows she knows, and he’s determined to find her and silence her for good.

An extra-dimensional murder mystery with conundrums, alien tricksters, and a dog detective who just doesn’t know the meaning of “stay”.

Lake Life by Tanya Boteju

This is definitely not how Maya wanted to spend the summer—depressed at her once-beloved cabin in Spruce Lake, and unable to avoid seeing her lifelong best friend, Rashida, after confessing her woefully unrequited love to her last year. Maya can’t decide if she wants to escape, or convince Rashida they’re still meant to be.

Gabe is sent to Spruce Lake by her mom in hopes she stays out of trouble. Gabe is NOT excited to be here. She does NOT like nature. She does NOT want to spend her summer in a tiny town with outdoorsy environmentalist types.

Gabe is pretty sure she’ll be spending this entire summer bored and alone…until she meets Maya. Together, they hatch a fake-dating scheme to make Rashida jealous and convince Gabe’s mom that Gabe has turned a wholesome new leaf.

But as the plan plays out, and Gabe and Maya contend with protests, a relentlessly concerned community, and romantic twists, they start to realize that their assumptions about friendship and love might have led them completely astray. Can they find their way through this mess without hurting each other in the process?

Calypso's Odyssey by Anna Ellison

Callie Quinn has never left Catalina Island. Her world is a crumbling cliffside inn, a father who’s more prison guard than parent, and a curse she believes she’s doomed to repeat: every summer brings a boy, a spark—and then a goodbye. Until one summer everything changes.

A storm. A shipwreck. A boy washed ashore.

Odie is secretive, wounded, and desperate to disappear. Callie offers him shelter, a place to heal, and slowly, something more. But Odie is no ordinary castaway. He carries secrets that could destroy them both. On Catalina, Callie shows him another way to live. A life of freedom and belonging. An everlasting life where he could be anyone—even himself.

But when Odie’s world crashes back into their paradise, both Odysseus and Calypso must make impossible choices: one between legacy and love. The other, between holding on and setting herself free.

Inspired by the tale of Odysseus and Calypso from Homer’s The Odyssey, this fresh retelling gives star-crossed lovers a chance to defy fate. Full of longing, first love, and impossible choices, it’s a story where, at last, they find their happily ever after.

The Blackthorn Women by Jess Lourey

A terrible family curse threatens four generations of women in a spellbinding novel of haunting secrets, magic, and healing by the Edgar Award–nominated author of The Taken Ones.

After her husband’s infidelity, devastated Katrine Blackthorn reluctantly returns to Faith Falls, Minnesota, to her family’s Queen Anne mansion on the hill and the magic that binds them all.

Her grandmother Velda charms everyone she meets. Her mother, Ursula, is a brewer of potions who sees a threat around every corner. And there’s her estranged sister, Jasmine, broken by something no one will name. With Katrine’s return, all that the Blackthorns have feared seems to be manifesting. The snakes amassing with the spring thaw and the stranger who’s rolled into town are just the first omens threatening the fragile peace the family is rebuilding.

Now Katrine must face the darkest secret of her lineage and rediscover her own magic if the Blackthorn women are to survive.

The Cherry Blossom Boathouse by Laura Bloom

A bookshop, a boathouse, and a budding new romance…

When Sophie Bennet gets fired from her high-profile marketing job and dumped by her boyfriend for being "too boring," she decides to take a risk–fueled by wine–and launches a crowdfunding campaign called "Help a Boring Girl Buy a Bookshop." To her shock, what started as a joke goes viral, raising enough money for her to leave London and buy a rundown boathouse in the sleepy small town of Solace Springs, Washington, marking the start of her new chapter.

Local boatbuilder and professional grump Luke Rhodes has had it with outsiders coming to Solace Springs and disturbing his carefully cultivated quiet life. So when Sophie, his annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor, moves in with her endless optimism, relentless determination, and distracting curves, he wants nothing to do with her renovation project. Too bad fate—and the town residents—have other plans. As Luke gets roped into working with Sophie, he starts to find that the cherry blossoms aren’t the only thing blooming in town.

In the midst of clashing over paint samples and arguing over structural integrity, things start to heat up between the town local and the new resident. But just as Luke’s carefully constructed walls begin to crack, Sophie’s sudden viral fame threatens the tranquility of Solace Springs. They’ll have to decide if their unexpected connection will wilt away or bloom into something more.

Ways of Listening by Rollie Pemberton

Ways of Listening is a love letter to music, a sharp analysis of our current cultural reality, and a joyful celebration of the artists who keep creating against all odds.

How has the internet changed the way we listen to, and love, the music that shapes our lives? Award-winning musician Rollie Pemberton (Cadence Weapon) interrogates our current musical landscape.

Music occupies a curious place in modern life, somehow omnipresent and disposable at the same time. Computers have democratized song creation. There is more music being produced now than at any point in human history and streaming platforms are the ultimate distribution model for this vast bounty.

But streaming relies on an algorithmic discovery system that guides the user’s choices and encourages them to listen passively to the company’s curation, while also dissuading the listener from searching for music and developing their own taste. Streamers offer meagre royalties to artists on their platforms, largely devaluing music in the public sphere. And social media companies have taught a whole generation of young listeners to perceive music as merely background noise for content.

This all adds up to a bleak landscape for the true fan, but there’s another way. Pemberton delves deep into his own music discovery process to present a gentle reminder of another path for the contemporary music lover. He explores the obsession with the “mysterious artist” archetype, studies Charli xcx’s groundbreaking Brat album rollout, assesses the magic of demo recordings, breaks down the Kendrick Lamar - Drake beef, and examines AI’s struggle to understand Italo disco’s strange balance of classic and cringe.

Murder on Vacation by Rosie A. Point & Charles Timmerman

Puzzle along—and solve the case!—with 50 word searches in this charming mash-up from USA TODAY bestselling cozy mystery author Rosie A. Point and puzzle master Charles Timmerman. Word Search Mysteries—the quintessential cozy activity!

Cozy mystery meets word search fun in the perfect killer combo! This interactive murder mystery puzzle book blends all the charm of a small-town mystery with fifty clever, engaging word searches to help you solve the case. So settle in with your favorite blanket, a warm drink, and maybe a cat (or two!) and discover the secrets hidden within a romantic getaway.

Abby Jones is ready to set her amateur sleuthing to the side and enjoy a romantic lakeside vacation with her boyfriend Nathan. But when the beloved owner of the local bed and breakfast is shockingly murdered—and Nathan was the last person to see her alive—Abby puts her detective skills to the test yet again. It’s up to Abby (and you!) to piece together the clues and catch the killer!

The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens

A fraudulent teen quester must team up with a brooding, royal rival on a perilous adventure to save her brother’s life in this cozy young adult romantasy full of mythical creatures by the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This is Ever After.

Seventeen-year-old Ellinore has the best questing record in the kingdom. Not even Aven—the infuriatingly charming royal who’s become her fiercest rival—can compete. But every one of Ellinore’s triumphs is a lie. The monsters she’s slain? Staged. The treasures she’s claimed? Planted. Tired of the charade, she shocks the realm by retiring during a royal feast.

Her hopes for a quiet life vanish when her reckless twin brother, Zig, bets his life on her ability to retrieve the horn of the mythical Elder Beast—a creature no one believes is real. To save him, Ellinore must return to the spotlight for one final quest. She’s joined by Zig, eager to prove himself; Aven, determined to finally outshine her; and a ragtag crew of unlikely questers with big dreams, questionable skills, and a knack for trouble.

As the stakes rise, Ellinore must decide who she really wants to be: the fraud the kingdom celebrates, the hero it needs, or someone entirely new.

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