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Free Falling by Lyla Sage

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Free Falling by Lyla Sage
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Free Falling truly has it all: small-town romance, childhood frenemies, oh and ghosts! Clarke Cartwright has lived in Sweetwater Peak her entire life, and when her childhood crush, Leith Wilkes, catches her off guard, so does his dead father. Leith’s dad is trying to warn Clarke that there is a secret clause in his will that might disrupt Leith’s plan to inherit the family farm. These two are forced to work together to make sure Leith gets to keep his farm, and Clarke needs help repairing her family’s antique shop. Will the proximity force these two to finally admit their feelings for one another or only drive them apart…

Free Falling by Lyla Sage, (List Price: $20, Dial Press Trade Paperback, 9780593977798, September 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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How Can My Manager Be So Stupid? by Kazumasa Hayami

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How Can My Manager Be So Stupid? by Kazumasa Hayami
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As I was reading, I kept falling in love more with the story. Kyoko is a relatable main character who highlights how it feels to work and feel stuck in something you originally loved. I love Hayami’s storytelling; it feels like you’re talking to a friend that you connect deeply with. This book feels perfect and personal.

How Can My Manager Be So Stupid? by Kazumasa Hayami, (List Price: $30, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9798217182299, September 2026)

Reviewed by Victoria, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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That You Are Here Is No Small Thing by Traci N. Todd

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That You Are Here Is No Small Thing by Traci N. Todd
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This is the reminder every Black person in America needs. Beautifully illustrated and written with the soul of a poem, this book is more than a picture book; it’s a love letter. Read it and be inspired.

That You Are Here Is No Small Thing by Traci N. Todd, (List Price: $18.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9780593353028, September 2026)

Reviewed by Jess, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Left on Read by Marissa Eller

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Left on Read by Marissa Eller
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Marissa Eller delivers a sophomore novel with everything I loved about her debut, but even better. Nova is a high-achieving, neurodivergent student on the edge of burnout, surrounded by classmates facing similar problems. This novel highlights a much-needed conversation around student mental health and disillusionment, but it also manages to preserve some of the starry-eyed English Major nerd magic. Left on Read is for teens who read classics for fun, for former gifted kids with adult ADHD diagnoses, and for anyone who has strong opinions on the correct Pride & Prejudice adaptation.

Left on Read by Marissa Eller, (List Price: $19.99, Holiday House, 9780823460564, August 2026)

Reviewed by Becca, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Sakura by Kanako Nishi

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Sakura by Kanako Nishi
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A unique take on a coming-of-age narrative, Sakura weaves through complex family dynamics and the ways only time can change perspective, while using the childhood family pet as an anchor of innocence. Kauro returns to his childhood home and is flooded with memories of growing up with his siblings, of all the good times and the bad times- all the memories of becoming an adult, and being forced to grow up too soon, and of realizing how limited a young perspective can be. But through it all, the whole family benefits from the simple joy of having a loving pet that keeps them grounded. It’s a really lovely and relatable take on perspective, family, aging, and the pure innocent love of a pet.

Sakura by Kanako Nishi, (List Price: $26.99, HarperVia, 9780063389946, March 2026)

Reviewed by Jenny, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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The Half Life by Rachel Beanland

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The Half Life by Rachel Beanland
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Rachel Beanland transports readers to a remote Italian island, where a young Navy wife is forced to face both the reality of her whirlwind romance and her country’s role in the nuclear submarine program endangering the locals. Beanland weaves a layered story of romance, love, purpose, and trying desperately to fit in — while not knowing exactly where you fit. I felt transported by the beauty of the island and completely drawn into this setting. This story — of a government failing its own people and others — feels very current and relevant, too. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy learning through historical fiction.

The Half Life by Rachel Beanland, (List Price: $30, Simon & Schuster, 9781668069134, July 2026)

Reviewed by Beth, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Our Knives Will Save Us by Nephi Craig

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Our Knives Will Save Us by Nephi Craig
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Nephi Craig’s memoir takes the reader deep into his life, exploring substance abuse, the passion for cooking, and the power of food. Craig’s dedication to sharing the history of Indigenous food with restaurants around the world and his choice to return home to serve the community on his reservation make this such a compelling read. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy food memoirs but also stories of decolonization and healing.

Our Knives Will Save Us by Nephi Craig, (List Price: $32, Penguin Press, 9780593831908, July 2026)

Reviewed by Beth, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Today We’ll Be Eaten by Alan Barillaro

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Today We'll Be Eaten by Alan Barillaro
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Today We’ll Be Eaten is NOT as scary as it sounds! Two best friends, Ladybug and Dragonfly, get into an unfortunate accident and decide this is the end of the road. However, they end up making unlikely friends and learn that the journey is wayyyy more important than the designation!!

Today We’ll Be Eaten by Alan Barillaro, (List Price: $19.99, Rocky Pond Books, 9798217004362, June 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead

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Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
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Cool Machine showcases Colson Whitehead’s razor-sharp but warm-hearted storytelling. The last book in The Harlem Trilogy brings NYC and protagonist Ray Carney into the 1980s. From the outside, The City is on the rise with shiny skyscrapers filled with the super rich enjoying the economic boom. In Harlem, Ray must go underground to secure money for his wife Elizabeth’s expanding travel agency. Pepper, Carney’s partner in crime, agrees to babysit a Midwestern businessman while chasing an African mask that is getting people killed. This book is a carnival thrill ride that barely lets you catch your breath, as old and new characters jump out from dark places. A must-read!

Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead, (List Price: $30, Doubleday, 9780385550505, July 2026)

Reviewed by Judy, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton

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Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton
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Chaotic and relentless in the best way possible, Agnes Lives! Follows the internal dialogue of Agnes for 24 hours as she seeks a candidate to kill her. This has the pacing of Uncut Gems (the 2019 Safdie Bros. film) combined with the psychological intrigue of an insatiable inner monologue, like in Elif Batuman’s The Idiot. Agnes Lives! explores themes of self-worth and self-indulgence in a pitiless world that demands women be everything to everyone at all times, highlighting the push and pull of embracing or rejecting those demands. Said demands push Agnes to the absolute extremes. This is a literary thriller that all strange book lovers are going to devour. I loved it!

Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton, (List Price: $26.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639738564, June 2026)

Reviewed by Jenny, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Landing in Place: A Graphic Novel by Sherine Hamdy

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Landing in Place: A Graphic Novel by Sherine Hamdy
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A longer graphic novel with an incredibly poignant story about discovering who you are & using your voice. With themes of identity, being “Muslim enough,” familial expectation, alongside the realities of colonialism, genocide, and Eurocentric ideals. A family story, a coming-of-age story. This book did so much so well.

Landing in Place: A Graphic Novel by Sherine Hamdy, (List Price: $25.99, Kokila, 9780735229440, May 2026)

Reviewed by Morgan, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward

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On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward
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As I was reading this, I felt like I needed to get the word “respair” tattooed on my body. That’s how deeply this collection affected me. The essays all felt different from one another, yet connected through themes of grief, resilience, survival, and healing. What stayed with me most was how each essay gave me something different to sit with — some left me heartbroken, some reflective, and some unexpectedly hopeful.

On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward, (List Price: $29, Scribner, 9781668064269, May 2026)

Reviewed by Jess, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Coyoteland by Vanessa Hua

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Coyoteland by Vanessa Hua
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If you love a character-driven suburban drama, Coyoteland delivers with a timely, pandemic-era story full of urgency and relevance. Each character is navigating something big — family conflict, economic pressure, systemic bias — creating a web of tension that feels very of-the-moment. Thoughtful, messy, and compelling, it’s a novel that tackles a lot and does it well.

Coyoteland by Vanessa Hua, (List Price: $28.99, Flatiron Books, 9781250395511, May 2026)

Reviewed by Jamie, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Make Believe by Mac Barnett

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Make Believe by Mac Barnett
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If any book should be required reading for booksellers, librarians, and educators, this is it. Abandon your preconceived notions of what children’s books should be, and let Mac Barnett remind you how magical they can be. This message comes at the perfect time and makes a lovely gift for people who want to spread the joy of reading to all ages.

Make Believe by Mac Barnett, (List Price: $20, Little, Brown and Company, 9780316601122, May 2026)

Reviewed by Becca, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow

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Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
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Names Have Been Changed unfolds through a first-person podcast confession during the 2020 shutdown, as a woman calling herself Ophir recounts a decade-old crime and her years on the run across the globe. Moving from Singapore to cities around the world, her story is as compelling as it is unsettling, drawing you into her choices and their consequences. She’s a fascinatingly messy protagonist — part anti-hero, part adversary, part spoiled and sympathetic — the kind you may not like but can’t stop listening to.

Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, (List Price: $30, Tiny Reparations Books, 9798217176595, June 2026)

Reviewed by Jamie, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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