Get your Summer Reading engine started with new releases hitting the shelves at the Livingston Library. Many of these titles are great picks if you want to switch up and read new genres. My beach read recommendation is going to be Meredith Lavender’s and Kendall Shores’ new release, Perfect Life. I just finished listening to Happy Wife and it certainly kept me guessing. I’ve been recommending it to fans of Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena.
If you’re trying to experiment with new genres this Summer, have a look at the newly translated and released We Were Forbidden by Jacqueline Harpman. I Who Have Never Known Men is still getting requested ever since its publishing rebirth last Summer. There’s also Silvia Morena’s Intrigue if you’re like me and like a spooky evening story.
Titles listed below that have a link are available to request via the BCCLS catalog so be an early bird on those waiting lists. Titles without a link are typically added to the BCCLS catalog a week before the publication date. If you have any troubles requesting any of the titles below please contact the Livingston Library, 973-992-4600.
Week of July 7th:
Country People by Daniel Mason: Daniel Mason’s North Woods was my top pick in 2023. And if you haven’t read it yet, it fits in nicely with this year’s 250th Anniversary of America as it reads like an American folk tale starting from Puritan times to a more current time. Country People goes back to New England with Miles Krzelewski, a Russian folklore professor that decides to live life large after his wife accepts a visiting professorship. Author Mason continues with an almost contemporary folk tale following Miles as he encounters eccentric characters, local legends, and enchanted woods similar to the tales he’s supposed to be writing about. This gives me Big Fish vibes and I am all for it.
Helpless by Jessica Knoll – Faye Heron started a whole new life after the break up with her college boyfriend Henry, but when she encounters him at her professor’s funeral, a reunion seems harmless until Henry drugs and kidnaps her. Jessica Knoll, author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women, brings a satisfying and sexy thriller perfect for Summer vacation.
Perfect Life by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores: Writing team Lavender and Shores come back with another novel set in Winter Park, Florida with Nora, Este, and Beau. Following a shocking murder, Este must face the husband she thought she knew in this twisty, sizzling novel from the bestselling authors of Happy Wife. I just finished the audiobook version of the Jenna Read’s pick Happy Wife last month and the book had me on the hook. Read Happy Wife first before you dive into Perfect Life.
We Were Forbidden by Jacqueline Harpman: The Summer of 2025 resurrected I Who Have Never Known Men, a long forgotten Belgian novel by Jacqueline Harpman who passed away in 2012. I remember this sudden boom because it was hard to get copies to fill requests. This summer brings us another release and new translation of three psychological novellas featuring stories of women stuck inside the boundaries of feminine expectations. You can place a request for this title now by visiting bccls.org.
Week of July 14th:
Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – The Mexican Gothic author’s new book Intrigue brings readers a romance, con-artist, and Morena-Garcia’s staple darkness. It’s 1940’s Mexico and romantic con-artist Ulises is desperate to come by real money and fortune. When Ulises chooses his next victim, he meets her observant niece who wants in on the plan. But dark secrets surround his chosen victim and this con for riches may not be an easy plan after all.
Ransom by Daniel Silva – Livingston reader’s can’t wait for Silva’s next book which hits shelves on the 14th. Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon searches for the missing wife of a British billionaire in the electrifying new tale of greed, corruption, and betrayal from #1 New York Times–bestselling novelist Daniel Silva.
Week of July 21st:
Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead: Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy concludes with the release of Cool Machine and dives into 1980’s New York. The 1980’s became a changing landscape both in buildings and finances for Ray Carney. When his wife can’t get a loan because of Reagan-era capitalism, Ray decides he has one more crime left in him. What continues is more crime, violence, and risk-taking for Ray to protect his family. If you haven’t ready the first two books in the series you should start with Harlem Shuffle, followed by Crook Manifesto.
The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion by Alexander McCall Smith In this latest installment of the beloved Isabel Dalhousie series, everyone’s favorite moral philosopher and amateur sleuth takes on a new set of delicate disputes
Week of July 28th:
Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel These intertwining stories—plus several others—unfold over a few breathtaking spring days, as an unforgettable group of Americans in Paris must find their way to their own versions of happily ever after in the City of Light. The author’s Publisher, Simon and Schuster describe it as “Love Actually meets The Notebook.”
–Kerri, Adult Services & Acquisitions