currently reading: I’m still listening to 54 Pigs, which is still lovely. And I’m also listening to a voice galley of Dear Friends, a middle grade book about a girl who keeps finding that her best friend has moved on to other friends. It happened when Eleni went to camp at the beginning of the summer, and it happened again when she got back home at the end of summer. As she’s starting middle school without her best friend by her side, she wonders why and goes back to her previous friends to try to find out what happened to their relationships. I was an awkward kid who lost a lot of friends over those early school years (living in a military town didn’t help either), so I can relate to this character so much! I can’t wait to find out what happens to her, and I think that there are a lot of young readers who could also use this deep dive into friendship and how to make it last.
I’ve also started reading Starry-Eyed Love, out this week. It’s set in the same world as When Sparks Fly, only this time it’s younger sister London who gets to fall in love. I love these characters, and I’m so happy to get to spend time with them again! Also out this Tuesday is D.J. Palmer’s My Wife Is Missing, where a trip to New York City finds a man searching desperately for his wife and two kids who disappeared from the hotel when he was out picking up a pizza for dinner. He wrote The Perfect Daughter, The New Husband, and Saving Meghan, so you know he knows how to write good books. But Tuesday I will be talking about Smile Beach Murders. It’s the first in a new series, about a reporter turned bookshop clerk who gets pulled into a local investigation when a tragic fall brings back memories of something that happened in her past. The writing is especially lovely, so this is definitely one to watch for!
up next: well, this one isn’t out until mid-July, but I am excited. Paul Hollywood has a new cookbook coming out, Bake, and I got galleys. The subtitle is “My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics,” so this one will definitely be a keeper! I can’t wait to dig in and get all his secrets!
