My American friends are incredibly lucky because they can choose one "Book of the Month" from a monthly subscription service. This will book cost $9.99. You can also add more books to the cart for $14.99.
Unfortunately, this service is only applicable for US residents. That doesn't stop me from perusing the five monthly selections and picking the one I like best.
Let me share my thought process with you. I'm hoping this post inspires you in terms of new book releases, so you have an idea which new books you'd like to pick up.
I haven't read any of the books in this month's selection, but one has been on my list for a long time as it's a repeat author whose writing I absolutely love.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Average Goodreads rating: 4.42 stars based on 1,027 ratings
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
Description:
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern Black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her Black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?
My thoughts:This is the second book by Brit Bennett which is gathering incredibly positive reviews. As with The Mothers, her latest book is supposed to be a real page turner about families and relationships which is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.
I haven't read either of her novels, but many of the people I follow have. I think this is a pretty solid pick if the subject matter speaks to you.
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Average Goodreads rating: 4.34 stars based on 922 ratings
Publication Date: June 30, 2020
Description:
What was it like? Living in that house.
Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.
Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.
My thoughts:I've read all three of Riley Sager's books so far and I've loved all of them. Every year I'm looking forward to his new release. Each of the books he has written so far have a different concept and therefore present us all with something new to look forward to every time. Final Girls was about the final girl left after a killer has been on a rampage, The Last Time I Lied is about a camping trip and a sudden disappearance on one of the girls and Lock Every Door takes place in an old house where a nanny has to house sit.
This latest one will be about a haunted house. I'm getting real gothic vibes from the description.
Genre: Romance
Average Goodreads rating: 4.26 stars based on 584 ratings
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Description:
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers—and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?
Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition—under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it.
But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She's in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. In this joyful, razor-sharp debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men—and herself—for a chance to live happily ever after.
My thoughts: Kate Stayman-London has a pretty impressive CV. She served as lead digital writer for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and has written for notable figures ranging from President Obama and Malala Yousafzai to Anna Wintour and Cher. One to Watch is her debut novel.
Unfortunately, this service is only applicable for US residents. That doesn't stop me from perusing the five monthly selections and picking the one I like best.
Let me share my thought process with you. I'm hoping this post inspires you in terms of new book releases, so you have an idea which new books you'd like to pick up.
I haven't read any of the books in this month's selection, but one has been on my list for a long time as it's a repeat author whose writing I absolutely love.
Option 1: Megha Majumdar - A Burning
Genre: Literary Fiction
Average Goodreads rating: 4.03 stars based on 418 ratings
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
Description:
Jivan is a Muslim girl from the slums, determined to move up in life, who is accused of executing a terrorist attack on a train because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir is an opportunistic gym teacher who hitches his aspirations to a right-wing political party, and finds that his own ascent becomes linked to Jivan's fall. Lovely—an irresistible outcast whose exuberant voice and dreams of glory fill the novel with warmth and hope and humor—has the alibi that can set Jivan free, but it will cost her everything she holds dear.
My thoughts:
This is a debut novel by Majumdar. According to the description, it tackles complex themes such as: class, fate, corruption, justice, and what it feels like to face profound obstacles and yet nurture big dreams in a country spinning toward extremism.
Majumdar was born and raised in Kolkata and she moved to the US to attend Harvard University not to mention the fact that she also did a graduate degree in social antrophology at John Hopkins University. Therefore, I assume she will be well-versed to tackle the subject matters of the book properly.
It's supposedly a heartbreaking story, so it's not an easy read. Even though it is said that the pace of the book is lightning fast and it could easily be read within a weekend.
Option 2: Brit Bennett - The Vanishing Half
Average Goodreads rating: 4.42 stars based on 1,027 ratings
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
Description:
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern Black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her Black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?
My thoughts:This is the second book by Brit Bennett which is gathering incredibly positive reviews. As with The Mothers, her latest book is supposed to be a real page turner about families and relationships which is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.
I haven't read either of her novels, but many of the people I follow have. I think this is a pretty solid pick if the subject matter speaks to you.
Option 3: Riley Sager - Home Before Dark
Average Goodreads rating: 4.34 stars based on 922 ratings
Publication Date: June 30, 2020
Description:
What was it like? Living in that house.
Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.
Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.
This latest one will be about a haunted house. I'm getting real gothic vibes from the description.
Option 4: Kate Stayman-London - One to Watch
Average Goodreads rating: 4.26 stars based on 584 ratings
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Description:
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers—and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?
Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition—under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it.
But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She's in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. In this joyful, razor-sharp debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men—and herself—for a chance to live happily ever after.
The Main Squeeze sounds like a take on The Bachelorette. I like that the author has apparently created a realistic yet funny take on this program. I don't think you have to be a fan to actually like this book.
It is a rom-com novel though, so that really has to be your thing.
Genre: Thriller
Average Goodreads rating: 4.30 stars based on 565 ratings
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
Description:
Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he's not above using his staff to track Claire's every move, making sure she's living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn't know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.
A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets—Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.
It is a rom-com novel though, so that really has to be your thing.
Option 5: Julie Clark - The Last Flight
Average Goodreads rating: 4.30 stars based on 565 ratings
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
Description:
Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he's not above using his staff to track Claire's every move, making sure she's living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn't know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.
A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets—Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.
My thoughts:
This book seems to cover the question: "What would happen if I would just walk out of my life?" which is a question I think many people are asking themselves at the moment now that we're stuck at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The story features strong female protagonists which I think is important in a thriller. One of my tropes are women who complain or who have phobias and then decide to uncover a mystery they invent themselves. I'm looking at you Woman in the Window & Girl on the Train.
Anyways, that doesn't seem to be the case here. According to Goodreads reviews, it's suspenseful, addictive and it has a tantalising plot and fast-pacing.
Which book would I pick?
I'm happy to report that this month I would pick up a book that was unknown to me before the Book of the Month selection came out. Riley Sager's book has been on my wish list since before he even thought about writing it. I have added Julie Clark's Last Flight on my list as well since the plot and reviews sound interesting enough to dive into.
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