Years ago I had to be talked into reading this one, as fantasy is not my go-to genre. I'm so glad I didn't miss it; perhaps spring is the perfect time for YOU to pick it up? Hobbits are cozy creatures: they love their burrows and their well-cooked meals and their close-knit community. In Tolkien’s world, these homebodies are compelled to embark on life-changing quests and fight earth-saving battles. In this prequel to Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins sets off to steal treasure from the dragon Smaug; humorous and dangerous adventures ensue. More info →

After forwarding an inappropriate email to the whole company, Katherine gets fired, moves back to her hometown in disgrace, and starts her life over. This short and easy read has a familiar arc: girl in a mess, girl sees the light, girl finds happiness, yet its themes of sisterhood, forgiveness, and redemption make it worth your while. More info →

Stephen Fry's whole Greek Myths Reimagined series is on sale. From the publisher: "Odysseus’s journey from the battlefields of Troy to his home in Ithaca is one of the greatest stories ever told. From the lotus-eaters to the sirens, from Circe to the Cyclops, this is a tale of thrilling adventures, cunning escapes, and enduring devotion. Stephen Fry breathes new life into the ancient poem with humor and pathos. Illustrated throughout with classical art inspired by the myths, this gorgeous volume invites you to explore a captivating world with a brilliant storyteller as your guide." More info →

The reviews on this graphic novel rendering of the 1972 classic about a brave band of rabbits in the English countryside and their quest for survival against the threat of humans are fantastic. This British classic powerfully probes love, courage, loyalty, and human nature. More info →

I read this back in April out of pure voyeuristic curiosity and it was a really good book. This is a big personal story, but more literary in nature. From the publisher: "In Awake, Jen shares for the first time what happened when she found herself completely lost at sea-and how she made it to shore. In candid, sur­prisingly funny vignettes spanning forty years of girlhood, marriage, and parenting, Jen lays bare the disorienting upheaval of midlife-the implosion of a marriage, the unraveling of religious and cultural systems, and the grief that accompanies change you didn't ask for. And, drawing on all resources-from without and within-Jen dares to question the systems beneath the whole house of cards, and to reckon with the myths, half-truths, and lies that brought her to this point. More than one woman's story, Awake is a critical analysis of the story given to all of us: the story of gender limitations, religious subservience, body shame, self-erasure. With refreshing candor, Jen explores a midlife renaissance-grieving what's lost, cherishing possibility, and entering the second half of life wide awake." More info →

This has been on summer reading lists everywhere, for good reason. It's the summer of 1968, and Delphine and her younger sisters are on a journey in more ways than one as they leave home in Brooklyn and set out to visit their estranged mother in California. When the girls arrive, they find a mother who is radically different from how they imagined she would now be like. Unenthusiastic about seeing them and seemingly annoyed by their presence, she sends them off to a Black Panthers summer camp to get them out of her hair. This is the story of a young girl trying to make sense of the world (and family) around her, forced to grow up too fast to cope with the difficult circumstances she finds herself in, set against the backdrop of the civil and political unrest of 1968 Oakland. More info →

From the publisher: "Dorothea Benton Frank novels are smart and witty fiction that readers want on their bookshelf: soulful, edgy stories about realistic characters familiar to us all that explore the most deeply felt moments of life with wry humor and heart." More info →

I spoke with Kate DiCamillo about her love for this book on episode 213 of WSIRN. In this modern classic, 10-year-old Kenny and his family head south from their home in Flint, Michigan to visit Grandma in Birmingham—right as the church bombings are about to happen. This award-winning middle grade novel has both humor and depth, and LeVar Burton excels at highlighting the funny and the tragic with his excellent narration in the audio version. Whispersync narration available. More info →

Reviewers compare Mr. Lemoncello to Willy Wonka. From the publisher: "When Kyle learns that the world's most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town's new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, he's determined to be there! But the tricky part isn't getting into the library—it's getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route!" More info →

Alan Brennert tells this story through the eyes of Rachel, a young girl when she’s diagnosed with leprosy and taken from her family home to the leper settlement on Moloka’i. All the hallmarks of a coming-of-age story, set against the well-researched backdrop of exile. More info →

An apeirogon is a polygon with an infinite number of sides, an apt metaphor for this non-linear tale of the real life friendship between Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian, and Rami Elhanan, an Israeli. They form a bond through their shared grief and empathy after their daughters are killed in separate incidents. More than that, they want their grief to lead toward peace and lasting change. A timely heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful read. More info →

Writer, actor, and humorist Stephen Fry has a knack for making Greek mythology compulsively readable; the whole Greek Myths series is on sale. These reimagined myths feel like bedtime stories for grownups; it's easy to get lost in the tales of valiant heroes and dastardly villains, which feel by turns fresh and familiar. More info →

I've been on a roll with the Maine reads! When comments on this post featuring 12 recommended reads for those traveling to Maine (or who want to) mentioned that this Meg Mitchell Moore release was set in the tiny (and real) town of Owls Head, I dropped it into my bag. This family novel unfolds over the course of one summer and focuses on three generations of the McLean family. Every generation has its troubles at the moment—the progressing Alzheimer's of the family patriarch, the midlife crisis and struggling marriage of the adult daughter, the adolescent woes of the kids—but the Maine house has always been a respite. The family's precariously maintained balance is tipped when a surprise visitor shows up to the island—a love child of the family's respected patriarch, whose existence has been kept secret for twenty-three years. All is well by summer's end in this easy-reading tale of family secrets, forgiveness, privilege, reconciliation, and happiness. More info →

Barbara Kingsolver is back with a retelling of David Copperfield; no familiarity with the original required but if you have read it, you’ll appreciate her updates. Damon Fields, known as Demon Copperhead for his red hair, grows up impoverished in the southern Appalachian mountains in Virginia. We first meet him at age 11 and then follow along as his mother becomes addicted to opioids, he goes through the foster care system, and later wrestles with substance abuse himself. Just as David Copperfield was an impassioned work of social activism, this examines the ravages in southwestern Virginia and how the people Demon loves and identifies with are oppressed by those who have power. It’s a big book and it’s worth every page. More info →

I had so much fun talking about all things books and reading with Andrew and Craig of the Overdue podcast on What Should I Read Next. When Andrew mentioned his appreciation for time travel novels and cited this as a favorite, I took note. Harry August has nearly died eleven times. With his last breaths, Harry always returns to the beginning of his life story, destined to relive his life again and again and again. Harry isn’t the only person who lives this way, but he is one of the only people who remembers every life he re-lives. Now, at the end of his eleventh life just before he goes back in time, a young girl appears at his bedside with a message. The book follows Harry as his next steps threaten to alter the course of history. More info →

Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club members read this as a flight pick with Unlikely Animals. From the publisher: "Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It's called The Dellawisp and it's named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother's apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn't yet written. When one of her new neighbors dies under odd circumstances the night Zoey arrives, she's thrust into the mystery of The Dellawisp, which involves missing pages from a legendary writer whose work might be hidden there. She soon discovers that many unfinished stories permeate the place, and the people around her are in as much need of healing from wrongs of the past as she is. To find their way they have to learn how to trust each other, confront their deepest fears, and let go of what haunts them." More info →

When Hollywood legend Kitty Karr Tate dies at age 81 in 2017, there’s one question the whole world wants answered: why did the iconic white actress leave her billion-dollar fortune to the Black daughters of her co-star in a sitcom that first aired nearly fifty years ago? To find out, debut novelist Paul takes us back to 1930s Winston-Salem where we meet a young Black girl whose mother is determined to give her a better life than the one she herself had. Traversing the Jim Crow south and 1950s Hollywood, Smith introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, portraying the emerging ties between two show business families and the unlikely road that brought them together, while examining questions of gender, race, privilege, and family. More info →

Brigid says: An innovative interactive tale with a killer premise and laugh-out-loud moments. Ernest Cunningham is a quick-witted expert on murder mysteries; he even writes books about the genre. All that knowledge soon comes in handy as he finds himself snowed in during a family reunion and learns that everyone has killed someone and there is a killer on the loose. There are lots of meta references like the “10 Commandments of Detective Fiction” and I absolutely adored all the times Ernest breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the readers. Important to note — the plot, deaths, and backstories might be grittier than one expects from the cover and title. In fact, after a particularly upsetting scene, I almost DNF’d the print book around the halfway mark. Luckily, a friend mentioned she tore through the audiobook narrated by Barton Welch, inspiring me to pick it back up in audio to find out whodunnit. I am so glad I did! Whispersync narration available. More info →