Summer Reads

This summer I have been reading a variety of genres. I am a mood reader, so unless I am reading for a book club, I pick up books as they strike my fancy. Here are some recent fiction releases that I have read and enjoyed. Maybe one of them will appeal to you.

These Days by Lucy Caldwell

Caldwell follows three women as they navigate living in Belfast while it is being bombed during WWII. There is Audrey, engaged to be married to a doctor, but not sure she’s making the right decision. Emma volunteers giving first aid and finds her world opening up when she starts a relationship with her coworker Sylvia. Their mother Florence has memories and trauma from the first world war that have never left her. We get each of these women’s perspectives and a sense of what it was like living through these days. I loved this fantastic, thought-provoking historical fiction novel. A quick read; under 300 pages.

Royal Gambit by Daniel O’Malley (publication July 15)

Alix’s life is controlled by the Checquy and has been since she was a child. She is assigned to stay close to the royal family’s Princess Louise, who is the same age as her. The Checquy are a secret Government organization that polices the supernatural, staffed by those with supernatural powers. Alix’s life increases in intensity when Princess Louise’s brother dies of suspicious circumstances, and Louise becomes heir to the throne. Alix must protect Louise while investigating if the prince’s death was supernatural. O’Malley’s writing is smart and witty and this is a fast-paced read. Those who enjoy supernatural elements should try The Checquy Files series; the books can be read out of order.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Set in the 1980s, Joan thrives when she leaves behind her job as a professor to become one of NASA’s first female astronauts. She’s never been in a serious romantic relationship but treasures her close role as aunt to her niece Frances, whose mother struggles to raise her as a single parent. At NASA Joan discovers love, but if she wants to go into space, she’ll have to hide her feelings for another woman. This is a love story with realistic characters and a space-fueled setting. It was wonderful reading a new Taylor Jenkins Reid novel.

Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum (publication July 29)

Rosenblum’s latest rich-people-behaving-badly novel is about the moms of Atherton, a New York City private school. Belle, Frost and Morgan make a tight-knit trio, but everything is not as it seems with many of the Atherton parents and things start to go very wrong for each of these women. This was a fun, over-the-top romp into the cliquey world of the uber rich, where the characters think nothing of gifting a teacher tickets to a Taylor Swift concert in Europe–private jet flight included.

Silver Elite by Dani Francis

Wren has been raised by her uncle. They’ve tried to stay off the government’s radar, living on a ranch in an outer ward, as Wren is a Mod–she has extra powers that are forbidden under General Redden’s regime. When something happens to her uncle, Wren gets thrown into the midst of her enemy and must figure out who she is and what she stands for. This is a propulsive story that I devoured in two days. Perfect for adult fans of “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent.” Fans of “Fourth Wing” will enjoy the steamy romance.

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

Take a fun, sometimes alarming journey through space with Demeter, a spaceship AI, and Steward, the ship’s medical AI. Demeter and Steward have been bolted together for decades, but they frequently fight and will go years without speaking to each other. When Demeter realizes that all of the humans on her most recent spaceflight have died, she fears she’ll be scrapped. When tragedy occurs on a second trip, Demeter is determined to save the remaining humans and salvage her reputation. An enjoyable space opera set in the future with some throwback monsters from the past.

Katelyn Boyer is the Adult Services Librarian at the Fergus Falls Public Library