Summer beach-reading season begins this weekend, so here is our book critic’s recommendations for what to look forward to on bookshelves and e-readers now ’til Labor Day.
Out in May. Get ready for your Memorial Day with new novels by Scott Turow, Dorothea Benton Frank, Lincoln Child, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler and Graham Brown, Lee Child and Nora Roberts.
History buffs will want Dan Hampton’s new book on the Lindbergh flight; a new book on Apollo 8; a book about the creation of the U.S. Army; and the new book about Winston Churchill and George Orwell.
There’s also a new look at the last half-decade of Rolling Stone magazine, a book about how we buy food, there are new books being released on being healthy, losing weight, and cooking right. Also look for Al Franken’s new biography, and a new book about horses by William Shatner.
Out in June. Start out your official summer with new novels by Brad Thor, Lisa Wingate, Dean Koontz, Jane Green, Linda Greenlaw, Gena Showalter, Eric Van Lustbader, Karen Robards, Joseph Finder, Adriana Trigiani, Edward Kelsey Moore, Sharyn McCrumb, Janet Evanovich, Diana Palmer, Danielle Steel and Diana Gabaldon.
There’s a book due out for coffee lovers who want to lose weight; one on cheese; and a cookbook for salad lovers. There’s a bio about two female test pilots who worked for the Third Reich; a book about stock market crashes in history; and a one about Robert Smalls, who escaped from slavery and became a Union hero.
Look for Sea Power, about the history and politics of the ocean; one about JFK and MLK; one for weird people who want a career that fits them specifically; music biographies about Joni Mitchell and Van Halen; a look at the LGBT community and the Catholic Church; Sherman Alexie’s new memoir; a book about the science of change; a “secret history” of the iPhone; and one about how fake news affects you.
Out in July. Halfway through the summer and there’s still more…. Your vacation will be happier with novels by Julie Garwood, Daniel Silva, Susan Mallory, Joshilyn Jackson, Suzanne Brockmann, Kathy Reichs, Linda Castillo, Alexander McCall Smith, M.J. Rose, Ace Atkins, Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen and C.J. Box.
Ben Mezrich looks at how science is trying to “de-extinct” the wooly mammoth. There’s a biography due on Sarah Vaughn. This month, you can read about the air we breathe, learn about Jews who escaped Nazi Germany and returned to fight against Hitler; and you can find out how to best become an “angel investor.” You’ll find several new books for your summer cook-out, books to make you beach-ready, and a new book for fans of the Archie comics.
Out in August. Hey, there’s still a lot of summer left, and a lot of books to read! Enjoy the season with new novels by J.R. Ward, Fiona Davis, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Sgt. Jack Coughlin, Susan Wiggs, Debbie Macomber, Stuart Woods and Parnell Hall, Sandra Brown, Karin Slaughter, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Gross, Robin Cook, T. Jefferson Parker, Erica Spindler, Sue Grafton’s Y is for…, Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman, Danielle Steele and Louise Penny.
Look for Heather Harphum’s book on happiness. There’s a book due out about a college athlete and her tragic suicide, and one about a female code-breaker in World War II. Learn how to use your Liberal Arts degree. You’ll find a book about Buddhism this month; also, one about Alzheimer’s; one about how a father saved his son from ISIS; and a business book on succeeding, by an American counterintelligence expert. Also look for a book on scandals at America’s elite colleges and how wonderful it is to be an adult who reads children’s literature.
— Terri Schlichenmeyer