Sarter Villain by John Scalzi (Tor Books, Macmillan USA): A passel of gangsters, numerous explosions,a pod of foul-mouthed dolphins looking to unionize, one substitute teacher, and a bunch of really smart cats! Can’t even count the times I laughed out loud. LOVED this one!
The Wedding Party by Alison Espach (Henry Holt Books, Macmillan USA): What to do when you’re struggling to conceive, your husband leaves you, and your beloved cat dies? Get dressed up, book a room at the fanciest hotel, order one last, special meal, and . . . inadvertently join a wedding party full of strangers. Thoughtful, uplifting, hopeful, and hilarious all at the same time!
Weyward, Emilia Hart (Griffin Publishers, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan USA): Three women living in very different worlds at very different times (1619,1942, and 2019), experience eerily similar circumstances, intimately connected by a history of family, trauma, resilience, and the magic (dare we say witchcraft?) of nature. This novel is as beautiful as its cover promises.
God of the Woods, Liz Moore (Riverhead Books, Penguin Random House): The very normal experience of summer camp in the Adirondacks connects several very unusual, dysfunctional, sinister, and dangerous stories that come together at the end in unexpected (to say the least!) ways. I stayed up way too late reading this one!
