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Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gerwirtz

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Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gerwirtz
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I Am a Candlewick Frequent Blurber! On the shortest day of the year, Max, Susan, Nell, Jean, and Kate tumbled through Mrs Grady’s cobalt blue window. On the other side, things were the same (there were animals, people, and chicken for dinner) but at the same time very very very different. In this mesmerizing new portal fantasy from the author of Zebra Forest, five children learn who they are, discern how they fit into an ancient prophecy, and learn just what they can do when they set their minds to it.

Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gerwirtz, (List Price: $18.99, Candlewick, 9780763660369, April 2018)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves

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The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves
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The Book of Elsewhere is pulp sci-fi wrapped in literary fiction. Or literary fiction masquerading as pulp sci-fi. Or both. Or neither. It is a duality. It is gorgeous, arcane, and prosaic. It is eggs and pigs and blood and frenzy. It is the loss of the self, and the return. The prose is sulfurous, oceanic, tight, and expectant. It compels you to read it. It drags you under and drowns you in mystery and cruelty and absence, then leaves you gasping for air in moments of introspection and reflection. It is at turns explosive and sedate, complex and streamlined, isolating and hypnotizing. In short, The Book of Elsewhere rips. It puts your brain in a fugue state, stomps on it, caresses it, confuses it, and spits you out with a headache and blood in your mouth and a sense of completion.

The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves, (List Price: $30, Del Rey, 9780593446591, July 2024)

Reviewed by Charlie Marks, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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All This and More by Peng Shepherd

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All This and More by Peng Shepherd
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If you’re looking for a unique book then All This and More by Peng Shepherd is just the one for you! Marsh is looking to get a redo in life and the reader gets to control the storyline by making choices for her. It was great fun to play a part in creating her new destiny. Will you be able to lead her to an ending that will make her happier than she was originally? Don’t miss the opportunity to find out!

All This and More by Peng Shepherd, (List Price: $30, William Morrow, 9780063278974, July 2024)

Reviewed by Barb Rascon, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

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Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
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Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House is all about what it means to be the outcast in the particularly cut-throat world of the Ivy League, but does so through magic, ghosts, and monsters. Alex “Galaxy” Stern has had a rough few years, but that all changes when she gets admitted to Yale unexpectedly (right???). This is full of secret societies, New England ghosts, and the occult with a tinge of horror. Alex is a tenacious and gripping character thrust into a world in which she doesn’t feel at home by circumstance rather than by choice. Once I started this, I couldn’t put it down!

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, (List Price: $10.99, Flatiron Books, 9781250798008, June 2021)

Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
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A cute and heartfelt friends-to-enemies-to-lovers who must come together to try and rebuild their community’s Islamic Center after it burns down. A serious topic interspersed with funny banter and sweet realizations – a very classic YA romcom that teens will love!

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, (List Price: $19.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250890139, June 2024)

Reviewed by Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia

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Dark Restraint by Katee Robert

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Dark Restraint by Katee Robert
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It’s a given you’re going to get grade-A smut when you read a Katee Robert novel. Ariadne and Asterion are candy for anyone who loves the forbidden romance trope. Seeing how he is soft for only her made me melt. I loved seeing them find a way to leave behind what was holding them captive and bound, and trust each other. I’ve loved every story in this series, but there’s something about Dark Restraint that I feel brings the plot to bring down Olympus into super clear focus. I feel like I can see the end, but knowing Robert I’m expecting some serious twists. Case and point, Hera really surprised in this installment of Dark Olympus.

Dark Restraint by Katee Robert, (List Price: $16.99, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 9781728262826, August 2024)

Reviewed by Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia

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However Far Away by Rajinderpal S. Pal

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However Far Away by Rajinderpal S. Pal
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Pal’s novel around a large Sikh wedding in Canada is full of secrets, family, and promises. It’s the day of Devinder’s nephew’s big wedding and he hopes the two halves of his life will continue to stay apart. Dev’s wife and two children will obviously be there. However, Emily, his first love with whom he’s been having an affair, will also be there as she’s the nephew’s art teacher. But there’s a plan in place and Dev is determined to stick to it. But can he?

However Far Away by Rajinderpal S. Pal, (List Price: $19.99, House of Anansi Press, 9781487012540, August 2024)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti

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Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti
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If Alexandra Vasti writes it, I am going to read it, and I am going to love it. If Alex has a million fans (she will soon), I am one. If Alex has one fan, it is me. If Alex has no fans, I have perished, probably in a bathtub somewhere. If you’re looking for historical romance that is kind, charming, and hot with top-tier banter – Alexandra is your girl. And also if you aren’t. Y’all read this book.

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti, (List Price: $18, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250910943, July 2024)

Reviewed by Jodi Laidlaw, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Beartown by Fredrik Bachman

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Beartown by Fredrik Bachman
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If you want to discover your new favorite book, read Beartown. Dozens of character POVs, phenomenal writing, a heartbreaking storyline, and a thrilling murder mystery. You will be hooked from the very first line. Seriously, open it and read the first line.

Beartown by Fredrik Bachman, (List Price: $18.99, Atria Books, 9781501160776, February 2018)

Reviewed by Rachel Randolph, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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Snowball Earth, Vol. 2 by Yuhiro Tsujitsugu

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Snowball Earth, Vol. 2 by Yuhiro Tsujitsugu
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The first volume in this series was such a fun spin on the mecha vs. kaiju genre, and this next installment did not disappoint. All of the new worldbuilding adds to the mystery of what happened to the earth while Tetsuo was asleep, I can’t wait to see what happens next!!

Snowball Earth, Vol. 2 by Yuhiro Tsujitsugu, (List Price: $14.99, VIZ Media LLC, 9781974746156, July 2024)

Reviewed by Sam Conners, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson

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Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson
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Goddess Divine, this book was amazing! A new take on one of my favorite X-Men, Ororo, aka Storm. Giving her story new life with some of the core qualities we know and love about Storm, Tiffany Jackson did a fantastic job. With characters we also know and love sprinkled throughout the book, this will be an automatic pickup for any X-Men fans!

Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson, (List Price: $20.99, Random House Books for Young Readers, 9780593308851, June 2024)

Reviewed by Mekhala Villegas-Rogers, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida

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Die Hot with a Vengeance by Sable Yong

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Die Hot with a Vengeance by Sable Yong
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I loved this funny, insightful exploration of beauty culture from a former beauty editor with complicated feelings on the subject. Yong is optimistic about aesthetics as creative expression but critical of the pitfalls of vanity and oppressive beauty standards. In a series of personal essays spanning her late bloomer origins, the capitalist ideas fueling the concept of a “revenge bod”, and the power of blue hair, Yong unravels her messy beauty history with analysis that is accessible without being shallow. As products and procedures become more obtainable to the masses than ever, Yong asks the question: what is beauty for?

Die Hot with a Vengeance by Sable Yong, (List Price: $29.99, Dey Street Books, 9780063236486, July 2024)

Reviewed by Julia Lewis, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Hunger and the Dusk, Vol. 1 by G. Willow Wilson

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The Hunger and the Dusk, Vol. 1 by G. Willow Wilson
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I am truly obsessed! This story takes place in a world where humans and orcs are enemies, but when a long-forgotten entity known as the Vangol returns from across the seas, humankind and orc-kind must form alliances if they hope to survive what’s ahead. Can humans and orcs see past their painful histories and prejudices? I CANNOT WAIT TO FIND OUT!

The Hunger and the Dusk, Vol. 1 by G. Willow Wilson, (List Price: $21.99, IDW Publishing, 9798887240824, June 2024)

Reviewed by Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi

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Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi
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This swoony romance about friendship and love on a backdrop of online content creators hits just the right note. Jo is a doctor, but has decided to only share her skills on a social media platform. She’s also been crushing on her best friend for ten years. But when she meets up-and-coming author Mal at a party at her best friend’s house, her head is turned. But it turns out they know each other: they’ve been talking online for two years. But is Jo willing to give up the crush on her best friend for the unknown with Mal?

Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi, (List Price: $30, Avon, 9780063307308, July 2024)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya

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The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya
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A perfect book. So original, with an astounding use of multiple narratives that keeps you on your toes until the very last page. The writing is gorgeous and ethereal; the power of tone makes the reading experience feel like you are sitting in a dark theater one minute, climbing a volcano the next, it’s all-encompassing. Hamya makes constructing a revelatory novel look easy; this is what contemporary literature should be in every sense, a gift I would be hard-pressed to forget and will be so excited to put in the hands of all my favorite friends and readers.

The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya, (List Price: $26, Pantheon, 9780593701034, August 2024)

Reviewed by Emily Tarr, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama

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