Staff Picks
LibraryReads for July 2023
- Sarah C.
- Monday, June 26, 2023
Collection
Each month, LibraryReads lists the top upcoming titles recommended by librarians across the country. All these books will be published in July 2023, so stay ahead of the curve and get on the holds list now!
Light Bringer
Published in 2023
The legendary Reaper, Darrow, to defend Mars from a bloodthirsty would-be conqueror, begins his long voyage home, an interplanetary adventure where old friends will reunite, new alliances will be forged, and rivals will clash on the battlefield.
Hello Stranger
Published in 2023
"Sadie Montogmery has had good breaks and bad breaks in her life, but as a struggling artist, all she needs is one lucky break. Things seem to be going her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. It happens to coincide with a surgery she needs to have. Minor, they say. Less than a week in the hospital they say. Nothing about you will change, they say. Upon recovery, it begins to dawn on Sadie that she can see everything around her, but she can no longer see faces. Temporary, they say. Lots of people deal with this, they say. As she struggles to cope--and hang onto her artistic dreams--she finds solace in her fourteen-year-old dog, Peanut. Thankfully, she can still see animal faces. When Peanut gets sick, she rushes him to the emergency vet nearby. That's when she meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. And she's pleasantly surprised when he asks her on a date. But she doesn't want anyone to know about her face blindness. Least of all Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who always wears a bowling jacket and seems to know everyone in the building. He's always there at the most embarrassing but convenient times, and soon, they develop a sort of friendship. But could it be something more? As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys she realizes that happiness can be found in the places--and people--you least expect"-- Provided by publisher.
Dead of Winter
Published in 2023
"From bestselling author Darcy Coates comes Dead of Winter, a remote cabin in the snowy wilderness thriller that will teach you to trust no one. There are eight strangers. One killer. Nowhere left to run. When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she's hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they'll be safe as they wait out the storm. She couldn't be more wrong. Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing ... only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport ... and they're far from finished. As the storm grows more dangerous and the number of survivors dwindles one by one, Christa must decide who she can trust before this frozen mountain becomes her tomb. Don't have enough scary books on your shelves?"-- Provided by publisher.
The Block Party
A Novel
Published in 2023
"This summer, meet your neighbors. The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other. On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder. But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold--discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing--and no one--is ever as it seems"-- Provided by publisher.
The Librarianist
A Novel
Published in 2023
"Bob Comet is a retired librarian, isolated but not lonely, living out his quiet days in a mint-colored house in Oregon...One morning, out on his daily walk, he performs an act of kindness that brings him into contact with a nearby senior center, where he soon begins volunteering. Here, as a community of peers and friends gathers around Bob,... the events of his life and the details of his character are revealed. Behind Bob Comet's plain facade is the story of an unhappy child's runaway adventure, of true love found and stolen away, of the purpose and pride found in vocation, and the ultimate acceptance of a life lived to the side of the masses"-- Provided by publisher.
A Twisted Love Story
Published in 2023
"From the bestselling author of My Lovely Wife comes a reckless, delicious thriller about a young couple that gives a whole new meaning to the dangers of modern dating. Ivy and Wes know they are meant to be. There's no other way to describe the feelings they have for each other except to blame it on fate and being soul mates. What starts with a first date, then a first kiss, turns into an intensely passionate love affair that neither of them will ever be able to walk away from-no matter how hard they try and, believe me, they've tried. But they're back together again and swear this time will be different. No more games, no more drama, and certainly no more crimes. Orange jumpsuits aren't a good look for either of them. They know their friends, family, and the police aren't rooting for their happily-ever-after. But they'll prove them all wrong. If you're meant to be, nothing will stand in your way"-- Provided by publisher.
A Rulebook for Restless Rogues
Published in 2023
Two best friends follow their dreams in 1885 London, one as a promising tailor while the other runs and underground queer club.
One Summer in Savannah
A Novel
Published in 2023
"A compelling debut that glows with bittersweet heart and touching emotion, deeply interrogating questions of family, redemption, and unconditional love in the sweltering summer heat of Savannah, as two people discover what it means to truly forgive. It's been eight years since Sara Lancaster left her home in Savannah, Georgia. Eight years since her daughter, Alana, came into this world, following a terrifying sexual assault that left deep emotional wounds Sara would do anything to forget. But when Sara's father falls ill, she's forced to return home and face the ghosts of her past. While caring for her father and running his bookstore, Sara is desperate to protect her curious, outgoing, genius daughter from the Wylers, the family of the man who assaulted her. Sara thinks she can succeed--her attacker is in prison, his identical twin brother, Jacob, left town years ago, and their mother are all unaware Alana exists. But she soon learns that Jacob has also just returned to Savannah to piece together the fragments of his once-great family. And when their two worlds collide--with the type of force Sara explores in her poetry and Jacob in his astrophysics--they are drawn together in unexpected ways"-- Provided by publisher.
A Lady's Guide to Scandal
A Novel
Published in 2023
"When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season--no matter that he was not the husband Eliza wanted. Now, ten years later, Eliza is widowed. Suddenly, she is left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. She's always lived by society's conventions, but now, Eliza has resolved to do as she wants. And what she wants is to head to Bath with her cousin Margaret, pursue painting, learn to drive, and flirt with Bath's most alluring new resident, the infamous Lord Melville. But when the ripples of Eliza's behavior reach her late husband's nephew--who broke Eliza's heart, years ago--Eliza will learn that freedom does not come without consequences. The only way to ensure she can keep her fortune is to avoid all scandal--but where's the fun in that?"-- Provided by publisher.
The Woman in the Castello
Published in 2023
In 1965 Rome, aspiring actress Silvia Whitford seeks out the Italian aunt she’s never met who lives in a crumbling castello where Silvia gets cast in a new horror movie, but when her aunt disappears, the film’s make-believe terrors seep into reality, revealing a growing menace.
The Summer Girl
Published in 2023
"College student Cassie Soul hasn't spent an entire summer in Avalon Bay in years, not since her parents divorced and her mother spitefully whisked her away to Boston. Now that her grandmother is selling the boardwalk hotel that's been in their family for five decades, Cassie returns to the quaint beach town to spend time with family, ring in her twenty-first birthday...and maybe find herself a summer fling. On her first night in town, she finds the perfect candidate: Tate Bartlett, Avalon Bay's fun-loving golden boy. Tate, sailing instructor and lovable player, is no stranger to flings. In fact, he's always down for a good time. But the moment he meets Cassie, he knows she's not the girl you play games with. Cassie is gorgeous, hilarious, and, frankly, the coolest person he's ever met. The last thing he wants to do is risk breaking her heart, and so he reluctantly puts her in the friend-zone...only to realize he made a huge mistake. Soon, his attraction to Cassie becomes impossible to ignore. He wants that fling now. Big-time. And maybe even something more. As Cassie and Tate walk the line between friends and lovers, they're about to discover that their situation is the least complicated part of this equation. Because Avalon Bay is full of secrets--and their relationship might not survive when those secrets come to light"-- Provided by publisher.
Everyone Here is Lying
Published in 2023
"William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing. Who took Avery Wooler?"-- Provided by publisher.
Silver Nitrate
Published in 2023
"A meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film--and awakens one woman's hidden powers"-- Provided by publisher.
How Can I Help You
Published in 2023
"No one knows Margo's real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges. That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo's subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a patron's death in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo's mysterious past, Patricia can't resist digging deeper--even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming."-- Provided by publisher.
Business or Pleasure
Published in 2023
"A ghostwriter and a struggling actor help each other on the page and in the bedroom in this steamy romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk. Chandler Cohen has never felt more like the ghost in "ghostwriter" until she attends a signing for a book she wrote-and the author doesn't even recognize her. The evening turns more promising when she meets a charming man at the bar and immediately connects with him. But when all their sexual tension culminates in a spectacularly awkward hookup, she decides this is one night better off forgotten. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. But Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps. Chandler's determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn their night together wasn't as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he's distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they're not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. As they grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, they must figure out which is more important, business or pleasure-or if there's a way for them to have both"-- Provided by publisher.
Thief Liar Lady
A Novel
Published in 2023
"A Cinderellla fairytale reimagining"-- Provided by publisher.
Crook Manifesto
A Novel
Published in 2023
A furniture store owner and ex-grifter leaves the straight and narrow path when he needs Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter in 1971 Manhattan.