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Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton

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Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton
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A blistering manifesto of a book that crams so much into its pages; a kind of reverse American Psycho telling the story of one woman downtrodden by mid-2010’s rat race existence in New York. As wild, unexpected, and original as a hypnotic Instagram spiral, it’s hard to believe this is a debut novel.

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

Reviewed by Doron Klemer, Octavia Books in New Orleans, LA

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On the Other Side Is March by Sólrún Michelsen

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On the Other Side Is March by Sólrún Michelsen
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The first female Faroese writer to publish in English has written truth about women caretakers the world over. The main character is a woman in her 60’s who is caring for her grandchildren and mothering her own aging mother. She is waiting for a nursing home for her mother, but her name doesn’t come up. As she is caring for others, she remembers scenes of her youth and caring for her own children when they were small. Even though this story is told from the Faroe Islands, it is the same story played over and over. She honestly even thinks of feeling angry at her ancient mother for growing old and feeble. Love and caring are displayed with the work and worry of caretaking.

On the Other Side Is March by Sólrún Michelsen, (List Price: $18.95, Transit Books, 9798893380491, June 2026)

Reviewed by Nancy, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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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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The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
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This is an incredible “whodunit” murder mystery packed full of family drama. When a billionaire is found dead at the lavish ball he was hosting, all suspects are locked in the mansion as they are slowly worked out of the equation. Everyone who was at the ball is hiding something, and the web of lies is complex. I could not put this book down!

The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, (List Price: $20.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250326997, June 2026)

Reviewed by Jordan, A Novel Romance LLC in Louisville, Kentucky

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Take Me With You by Steven Rowley

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Take Me with You by Steven Rowley
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Take a deep, slow breath and prepare for Rowley’s unique combination of tenderness, longing, sorrow, and humor. The biggest mystery isn’t how a man disappears into a beam of light; it’s the human vulnerability of moving on, facing mistakes, and naming losses. Every character has hidden stories. Getting a ringside seat to their journeys is the best gift any reader could want.

Take Me with You by Steven Rowley, (List Price: $30, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593851494, May 2026)

Reviewed by Jan, Main Street Books in Davidson, NC

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Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

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Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
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Darcy tries to keep her head down and stay under the radar in her high school. No one can ever know that she’s the person behind Locker 89, the place her schoolmates write for anonymous relationship advice. Handsome and popular Alexander Brougham catches her collecting letters one afternoon and turns to blackmail – he will keep her secret if she helps him win back the girl that broke his heart. Desperate to keep her past less-than-great advice to her BFF (with whom she’s secretly in love) under wraps, she goes along with the scheme – with surprising results. This is a sweet, funny book about queer love and facing up to mistakes to try and be a better person. It’s the perfect snuggly read for cold winter months when you’re too stressed to read anything too heavy.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales, (List Price: $13, Wednesday Books, 9781250830081, December 2022)

Reviewed by Andrea, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Partita by Barbara Kingsolver

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Partita by Barbara Kingsolver
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Barbara Kingsolver has once again claimed the status of THE VERY BEST in my reading world with this beautiful novel. She deftly writes about class, isolation and abandonment, music, and so much more. Can we overcome the traumas we experience as children? Do we forget the first love? Is obsession really love? Do we outgrow our hometowns or does time and wisdom show us the very best of our places that root us to who we are? The writing is gorgeous. The musical connections are beautiful (even though many of the references were over my head). The characters are flawed and fascinating. I’m still wrestling a bit with the ending and how it all fell into place. But I will always read a Kingsolver work and praise it.

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver, (List Price: $32, Harper, 9780063577541, October 2026)

Reviewed by Christina, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, AL

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Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang

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Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang
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Kuang never misses, and this insanely bingeable story was quickly added to my favorites. Kuang expertly depicts the specific brand of grief that arises from an unexpected loss of a family member that you wish you were closer to. Read this book if you want to be inspired to pick up your language studies again.

Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang, (List Price: $32, William Morrow, 9780063583597, August 2026)

Reviewed by Em, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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Immortal Game by Allison Saft

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Immortal Game by Allison Saft
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Allison Saft somehow made a fantasy about a chess tournament completely addictive. Shea enters the Otherworld hoping to win a single wish and rescue her sister, but every match comes with new tricks, dangerous rivals, and very questionable fae deals. Even if you know nothing about chess, the tension makes it hard to stop reading. The rivalry with the fae princess Ciara adds charm and sparks along the way. This clever, twisty fantasy features a sweet sapphic romance and just the right amount of chaos to keep you on your toes.

Immortal Game by Allison Saft, (List Price: $22, Wednesday Books, 9781250404763, August 2026)

Reviewed by Sandra, Hills and Hamlets Bookshop in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

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Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw

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Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw
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Imagine if you had a choice of living your regular daily life or escaping on a magical floating island with a loving, mysterious man …. and did I mention you wouldn’t ever age? Shea Ernshaw has created such an island. Clay Lockhart was seen on his disappearing island burying his wife and babies, who all died in childbirth. This was one glimpse into the island, which mostly is never seen. Ellie Mills happens onto the island and meets Clay, and then spends much of the next twenty years asking herself if it really happened. When the island is spotted again, she decides to try to find if it is a reality or just a childhood dream. Ellie has a life with a career and just gets engaged to James as she sets off on the adventure to see if she can get back on the island. Is it real? She does reach the island, and she and Clay fall in love while caring for the crops and livestock on the island. Should she return to James and her old life or stay with Clay on this magical, hauntingly beautiful island? Written with such vivid sensory details, readers will feel immersed with Ellie as she makes her life-altering decision.

Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw, (List Price: $28, Atria Books, 9781668097731, 2026-07-07)

Reviewed by Nancy, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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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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American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee

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American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
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Min Jin Lee has done it again! One of my favorite Asian American authors, Lee writes family sagas in such a way that it keeps me captivated, and I also easily learn more about Korean history.

American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee, (List Price: $36, Cardinal, 9781538752036, September 2026)

Reviewed by Jackie, The Lynx in Gainesville, FL

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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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A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood

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A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood
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A coming-of-age tale of Homeric Odysseian proportions, A Real Animal is a typhonic stunner of a debut. If Lily King wrote the screenplay for an Ari Aster film, it would look ALMOST something like A Real Animal, but it is also totally original. Not one to miss.

A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood, (List Price: $29, Catapult, 9781646222964, July 2026)

Reviewed by Dominic, Book & Bottle in St. Petersburg, FL

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Land by Maggie O’Farrell

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Land by Maggie O'Farrell
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I loved this book. It is set in Ireland in 1865 after the Great Famine and is chock full of the rich history and mystery and tragedy and beauty that this country lends to many of its novels. It is the multigenerational story of a cartographer and his wife and children who live a rural existence near a mystical, magical copse. The book is beautifully written, and I highly recommend it.

Land by Maggie O’Farrell, (List Price: $32, Knopf, 9780593320648, June 2026)

Reviewed by Burch, Righton Books in St Simons Island, GA

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