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USA Today
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Need a book? 15 new releases to read right now, from romance to memoir
What's in your tote bag this summer? Got your sunscreen? Sunglasses? Water bottle? Those may be warm-weather essentials, but what we really care about is what books you're packing. If you're looking for a new title from your local bookstore or library, you're in luck – we've got recommendations for every type of reader. Check out our guides to the best new thrillers and celebrity memoirs to binge, or pick a romance from our recent roundup. There are also plenty of new LGBTQ+ books to continue Pride Month celebrations all year long. For parents, check out some of the best books to keep kids engaged this summer. What to read next: 15 new releases to check out now From found family stories to 'Love Island'-esque dystopian novels, juicy memoirs to snail-hunting adventures, here are 15 new books from June we recommend checking out. 'The Girls Who Grew Big' by Leila Mottley A group of outcast teen mothers in the Florida panhandle fiercely protect each other and their children, despite judgmental eyes, in this brilliant novel. 'Girls' follows three young women straddling girlhood and motherhood: 16-year-old swim prodigy Adela, who has been banished from Indiana to live out her pregnancy at her grandmother's home; Emory, determined to graduate by bringing her newborn to high school; and Simone, the group's leader. 'A Language of Limbs' by Dylin Hardcastle A wholly original novel akin to Sylvia Plath's 'fig tree' analogy, 'A Language of Limbs' alternates narratives based on two different outcomes of one summer night in 1972. In one, a teenage girl caught kissing her neighbor is brutally shunned by her family. She finds solace in a queer community home. In the other, a teenage girl suppresses her feelings for her best friend and studies literature at a university. In the end, the two timelines collide. 'A Language of Limbs' is heartbreaking and poignant, not to be forgotten. 'Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil' by V.E. Schwab 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue' author Schwab declares it 'toxic lesbian vampire summer' in this new novel. Blending fantasy, historical fiction and romance, 'Bones' follows three vampires, one in 16th-century Spain, one in London in the 1800s and another in Boston, circa 2019. It's a toxic love triangle, a cautionary tale of vengeful exes and a thrilling, genre-defying ode to queerness. 'How to Lose Your Mother' by Molly Jong-Fast 'How to Lose Your Mother' is Jong-Fast's intimate and honest memoir of her life as the only child of the famous feminist writer Erica Jong. In it, Jong-Fast brings readers into a transformative year grappling with her husband's rare cancer diagnosis and mother's spiraling dementia. Especially in audiobook form, 'How to Lose Your Mother' feels like a confessional from a friend, a masterful meditation on narcissistic parents, fame, sobriety, legacy and aging. 'Don't Let Him In' by Lisa Jewell Several women collide over one shady man in 'Don't Let Him In,' a quintessentially Jewell thriller through and through. It starts after restaurateur Paddy is murdered, leaving behind a grieving wife (Nina) and daughter (Ash). Soon after, Nina is swept off her feet by an enchanting friend of her late husband's. But Ash is convinced something sinister is at play. Meanwhile, in a neighboring town, florist and mother Martha tries to solve the mystery of her disappearing husband, whose "work" absences stretch longer and longer each week. 'Atmosphere' by Taylor Jenkins Reid A love story set against the backdrop of NASA's space shuttle program in the 1980s, 'Atmosphere' follows the fictional Joan Goodwin, one of the first women admitted to the competitive trainee class. Reid's latest is brimming with a community of characters you grow to love and miss once you've turned the last page. Come for an action-packed space odyssey, stay for Reid's meditations on love, curiosity and humankind. 'Skipshock' by Caroline O'Donoghue This YA fantasy romance from the author of 'The Rachel Incident' follows two fates inextricably linked on a train. Troubled Margo is on her way to a new boarding school after her father's death, and Moon is a traveling salesman. The pair collide on a mystical train that speeds and slows time – stopping at a "slow world' means living in lavish privilege, but the risk of death by 'skipshock' looms. 'Endling' by Maria Reva Absurd and charming, 'Endling' follows a snail-breeding scientist in Ukraine who funds her rare species expeditions by guiding Western men looking for a docile bride on 'romance tours.' When she comes across a pair of sisters posing in the marriage industry to find their missing mother, the three set out on a cross-country journey with a last-of-its-kind snail amid the 2022 Russian invasion. 'King of Ashes' by S.A. Cosby A Southern crime drama to the tune of 'The Godfather,' 'King of Ashes' follows three siblings in the aftermath of an accident that leaves their father in a coma – except it might not be an accident. Youngest brother Dante is reckless and indebted to dangerous criminals. Eldest son Roman, a finance whiz, is determined to save him. And their sister, Neveah, tries to uncover the mystery of their mother's disappearance while also holding the family business together. 'The Great Mann' by Kyra Davis Lurie Calling all classics lovers – 'The Great Mann' is the latest retelling to add to your shelf. This historical fiction novel reimagines 'The Great Gatsby' within an extravagant Los Angeles community of wealthy Black elite. Here, Charlie Trammell is swept into his cousin's opulent lifestyle away from the rest of the Jim Crow-era country he knows, including the dazzling James 'Reaper' Mann. 'Florenzer' by Phil Melanson History buffs will relish in 'Florenzer,' which is set in Renaissance-era Florence and reimagines the life of Leonardo da Vinci. Tapping into the historical speculation that da Vinci was gay, 'Florenzer' follows the young painter as he intersects with two men – one being the powerful patriarch of the world's wealthiest bank – amid an era of cultural and technological innovation. 'A Murder for Miss Hortense' by Mel Pennant In line with recent octogenarian cozy mystery trends, 'A Murder for Miss Hortense' follows retired nurse Miss Hortense as she solves a murder that pushes her to revisit the haunting memories. Once the founder and leader of a local group of Black investors, now ousted from her community, Miss Hortense will dig into her buried past to uncover the murder of an unidentified man found at the home of one of the network's members. 'Plus Size Player' by Danielle Allen Filled with banter and tension, 'Plus Size Player' follows a successful fashion influencer with a heavily maintained roster of jobs, hobbies and men. Nina is never convinced just one of anything will keep her satisfied. But when she finds herself falling for her 'fun guy' situationship Russell amid a big brand contract, she'll have to reexamine everything she thought she knew about herself. 'Of Monsters and Mainframes' by Barbara Truelove Fans of 'Muderbot' will love this quirky sci-fi romp around the universe with paranormal creatures. 'Of Monsters and Mainframes' is narrated by spaceship Demeter, whose job is to shuttle humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. When her humans turn up dead and Demeter suspects murder, she joins a cast of monsters on a revenge mission. 'The Compound' by Aisling Rawle Like 'Love Island' set in a deranged dystopian desert, 'The Compound' follows a group of contestants competing to outlast each other on a popular reality TV show. These beautiful housemates must sleep around, vote each other out and win challenges for luxury rewards as well as communal necessities (see: a front door). Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
New York Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
This Bighearted Novel Is an Ode to Teenage Mothers
THE GIRLS WHO GREW BIG, by Leila Mottley One Sunday years ago, while out to brunch with my wife, friends and infant daughter, I spent the better part of the meal struggling to breastfeed. My baby fussed while I tried to hide my body and our difficulty, afraid of drawing the attention of the diners at the long table next to us. When we rose to leave, though, I discovered that at the head of that table was another mother, bare-chested, casually nursing her child in full view. I was transported right back to that time in my life while reading Leila Mottley's sophomore novel, 'The Girls Who Grew Big,' which delves into the intricacies of new parenthood. The story takes place in Padua Beach, a Florida Panhandle town so small that it isn't on the map. This is a town where alligators cause lockdowns at the only high school, where baby orcas wash up on the shore — and where a 22-year-old man can impregnate a 16-year-old girl without fear of consequence. That 16-year-old is one of the protagonists of Mottley's novel. Her name is Simone, and when 'The Girls Who Grew Big' opens, she's giving birth to twins in the back of her older boyfriend's red pickup truck. The boyfriend, Tooth, is 'repulsed' by the fluid-filled spectacle. Simone delivers the babies herself, and when all that's left to do is cut the umbilical cords, Tooth procures a pocketknife 'all crusted in dried brown blood, shed fur from some long-dead animal, and Lord knows how many fishes' yellowed intestines.' Simone balks. She has a better idea. She bites through the umbilical cords, further proof of the power of her body. This triumphant feat of unassisted birth is the prologue. Then the story flashes forward four years. In the interim Simone has been cast out of her family's trailer as punishment for her pregnancy. Now she's terrifyingly vulnerable: unsheltered, broke, estranged from all except her younger brother, Jay. She is also fierce and joyful and industrious and creative. She's a tender, attuned mother. Now 20 and no longer with Tooth, Simone has made the red truck and the Padua Beach shoreline both a home for herself and her twins and a haven for other girls like her — young, unsupported mothers — and their babies. They include: Adela, a competitive swimmer sent away to Padua Beach to wait out her pregnancy at her grandmother's house; and Emory, the sole white girl among them, a victim of her racist grandfather's sadistic rage over his biracial great-grandson. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
San Francisco Chronicle
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Summer 2025: Catch these rising stars in the Bay Area
Support emerging new artists this summer throughout the Bay Area. Whether it's music, literature or dance, there's something for everyone. Catch these fresh talents before they're part of the mainstream — because who doesn't love bragging about being an OG fan once the artists hit it big? Festival La Onda Filled with traditional, contemporary and futuristic groups and artists from across the Latin music diaspora, the inaugural Festival La Onda showed that a Spanish-language music festival can thrive in Napa. Organizers answered calls for an encore with a triumphant '¡ Vamos!' as 2025 headliners Marco Antonio Solís, Banda MS, Pepe Aguilar, Carín León and Grupo Firme will grace the Napa Valley Expo stages May 31-June 1. And since this is a BottleRock production, expect food and drink to match the elevated vibes. — Todd Inoue San Francisco Jazz Festival Since becoming only the second male artist to win the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2023, the 25-year-old Haitian American baritone Tyreek McDole has seized his moment. Performing widely in conjunction with the June 6 release of his debut album 'Open Up Your Senses,' he covers a century of jazz history, confidently delivering 90-year-old standards and spiritual anthems like 'The Creator Has a Master Plan.' Listed in the small print on the San Francisco Jazz Festival's program June 15 ($50-$150), he plays two afternoon sets in SFJazz Center's Joe Henderson Lab. Leila Mottley book launch Leila Mottley's writing commands attention. In 2022, ' Nightcrawling,' the former Oakland Youth Poet Laureate's debut novel, was an Oprah's Book Club selection. Her follow-up, 'The Girls Who Grew Big,' a thoughtful depiction of teen mothers, arrives June 24. That evening, Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore in Berkeley plans to host a book launch discussion featuring Mottley and Ingrid Rojas Contreras, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist ' The Man Who Could Move Clouds.' — Kevin Canfield Stanford Jazz Festival Houston native Paul Cornish, recently in the band of Berkeley tenor sax star Joshua Redman, is rapidly making a name for himself as one of jazz's most poised and exciting young pianists. On the cusp of releasing his debut album for Blue Note Records, Cornish, who now lives in Los Angeles, brings a stellar trio, featuring remarkable Oakland-reared drummer Savannah Harris, to the Stanford Jazz Festival on July 27 ($47). State of Play Festival Now entering its third year, ODC Theater's annual State of Play Festival feels like a big, friendly party where you can catch some of the dance world's most forward-thinking artists. Grouping choreographers under 'Experimenters' (works in progress), 'Curious Creators' (shorter performances) and 'Risk-Takers' (full-evening performances), the Mission District festival on July 31-Aug. 3 encourages audiences to mix and match their viewing adventure by purchasing a festival pass, which are $80-$300. Sure to be highlights this year are San Francisco dancemakers Gizeh Muñiz Vengel and Natalya Janay Shoaf. — Rachel Howard Taylor Tomlinson CBS made a major blunder canceling the delightfully quirky reboot of pop-culture game show 'After Midnight' after only two seasons. Thankfully, the show's host Taylor Tomlinson is taking her infectious brand of cheery barbs and queer observations, which she's showcased on three Netflix comedy specials on the road, with the 'Save Me' tour. Don't miss out on tickets, which start at $50, for one of her two shows on Sept. 12-13, at Oakland's Paramount Theatre.
