Want by Lynn Steger Strong Picador (July 6) PicadorElizabeth's life is not as she expected. She uses her PhD and love for books to teach English at a New York City charter high school. Her husband and she live in an inadequate apartment and sleep in a closet in their bedroom. Their daughters will benefit from a well-funded school zone. They are broke and have declared bankruptcy. And lately, Elizabeth finds herself obsessed with Sasha, her best friend. Flashbacks to Elizabeth's high school friendship and her early-twenties friendship with Sashas, which involved Elizabeths total enchantment with her magnetic and beautiful best friend, who shared both the blessings as well as the perils of being universally desired, break up the current timeline. Through Elizabeth's reunion with Sasha in this time of crisis, Strong shrewdly examines the complexities and limitations of wanting within biased system as a woman, whose wants are so often quashed but also as an educated white woman who has been taught that anyone can achieve anything. Arianna Rebolini (from 29 summer books you won't be able to put down)Brandy Colbert's Voting Booth (Disney Hyperion July 6th, Disney-HyperionMarva is counting down the minutes to her first chance to vote. But, Marva's excitement has been stifled by the fact that a man her age was turned away from the polls because he was not in the right place. Duke is that guy. They run around the town together trying to get Duke the chance to fulfill his civic duty. Dahlia Adler (from17YA Romances that'll make you melt this summer)The Party Upstairs, by Lee Conell (Penguin Books; Jul 6) Penguin BooksConell's unconventional debut is set over the course of a day in Martin's life. He is a humble, but bitter, superintendent at an Upper West Side cooperative with his daughter Ruby. Ruby moved back home many years ago after receiving an art degree that has only brought her a lot of debt. Martin attempts to meditate but fails in his attempt. Ruby spirals anxiously about an interview for her dream job. The day ends at a penthouse party where they will both be forever changed. Martin is haunted throughout by the strong-love anticapitalist voice his favorite tenant. His recent death has allowed one of the apartments that was rent-controlled to be demolished and made into an investment property for a certain-thing asshole. Ruby struggles to accept the unspoken differences between her and Caroline, her childhood friend. Conell presents a microcosm, filled with hilarious, infuriating and endearing characters of New York City's wealth gap. He also humorously mocks privilege that doesn't recognize it. A.R. A.R.Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden, July 6 EccoWeiden's debut novel is a gritty, complex and dynamic thriller about Virgil Wounded horse, a vigilante who carries out punishment on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota, when the American judicial or tribal council fails to do so. He is a quiet character who is ambivalent about his Native identity and life. He also hesitates to be involved in a case involving drug dealers. His nephew Nathan, the son of his late sister, ODs on heroin laced fentanyl. He sets out to find the man responsible with the help of his ex-girlfriend. They are caught up in a complex web of drug cartels and discover a dangerous world full of violence, money, and power with wide-reaching consequences. This page-turner is riveting, captivating not only for its mystery but also for its sharp criticism of the US's (mistreatment) of Native Americans. A.R. A.R.Between 1910 and 1970, 6,000,000 black people moved from the South to the Midwest, West Coast and Northeast in search of better opportunities. Morgan Jerkins, a writer, was one of the people who made this Great Migration. Jerkins was the only child of her mother and father who divorced before she was born. She grew up in New Jersey and sets out to discover her family roots. Why was she told not to get near water as a child? Her father is French. Is it true that her family tree includes Cherokee? Jerkins explores her family's history and spends time in New Orleans, Oklahoma, Georgia, Los Angeles, and Oklahoma. This book was a great read. It contains sobering information about the Gullah Geechee's struggle to preserve their land, the differences between hoodoo voodoo and voodoo as well as the complex history of Black freedmen whose ancestors were enslaved in Native American tribes. Tomi Obaro, (29 Summer books you won't be able to put down)Jo Walton, Or What You Will (Tor; July 6th) TorOr What You Will reminded of the metafictions in If on a Winters Night a Traveler, by Italo Calvino. The narrative invites readers to be active participants while Sylvia Harrison (73 years old) struggles with storytelling and myth-making. In some way or another, he has been in every one of the 30 Harrison novels. He has been a dragon, a thief, and a child. Harrison is currently working on her fantasy novel, set in a fictionalized version of Florence. She draws inspiration from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night as well as The Tempest. She discovers that the character she has rooted in all her stories comes to life as she writes. This book is both engaging and intellectual. It's for those who are familiar with the fantasy genre, as well as those who enjoy writing. Margaret Kingsbury (from 17 Summer Must-Reads For Fantasy Lovers).Morgan Parker's first poetry collection was published in 2015. Tin House reissues it with a fresh introduction by Danez Smith. She writes with wit and insight, no matter if she is writing from Jay Z's point of view or writing from her own perspective. She's going places, you can tell from the jump. T.O.Robin Wasserman, Mother Daughter Widow Wife (Scribner; Jul 13) ScribnerWasserman's second novel for adults is a labyrinthine tale about memory, truth and power, told in two different timelines. A woman arrives in Philadelphia, 1999 without any money, ID or memories of her identity. She is placed under the state's care and invited to participate in a memory study conducted by Dr. Benjamin Strauss. He sees her only as a tool for investigation. Lizzie, Strausss lover, assistant and future wife, spends her time getting to know Wendy Doe and dreaming of the freedom that a new beginning might bring. Twenty years later, Lizzie, now Elizabeth, and Strausss' widow, finds Wendys 18 year-old daughter Alice at the front door. She is looking for her mother who has disappeared again. How can these three women help one another? Arianna Rebolini (from 29 summer books you won't be able to put down)Heidi Pitlor impersonates (Algonquin; Jul 13) AlgonquinAllie Lang is a professional ghostwriter and single mother in her early 40s. She has the ability to channel the opinions of her clients, who are mostly a variety of minor celebrities, one millionaire oilman, relatives, and those of the famous. However, she finds her match when she is assigned to work with Lana Breban, an ambitious attorney, on a memoir about motherhood. She initially believes the assignment is a blessing. But as her life unravels, and her boyfriend leaves, and her plans for childcare are disrupted, Allie's relationship with Lana becomes more complicated. T.O.Catherine Lacey's Pew (Picador, July 20) PicadorLacey is known for writing bizarre stories. With Pew, she has created a new tale about prejudice and faith. The locals aren't sure what to do with the silent, androgynous, andracially ambiguous stranger they discover sleeping in a small-town chapel. Pew is passed from one household to another, becoming a source of evangelism, confession, and spiritual lore. What happens when the generosity of the town runs out? Arianna Rebolini (from These are Our Most Anticipated Books Of 2020).Van den Berg returns back to short fiction with a collection of 11 stories that focus on women and how they struggle and persevere. Karolina is about a woman who must admit a disturbing truth to her brother. Friends is a series in which Sarah continues to alienate potential friends by telling stories about her mother back home. Slumberland is a story about a woman who cannot sleep and spends her nights photographing strangers. Van den Berg often leaves out details of traumatic events, so these women are haunted by ghosts of their past. Instead, van den Berg lets the reader put them together and shows how they relate to each other. A.R. A.R.Here's a sample from Van den Bergs novel The Third Hotel.Life Events by Karolina Wacclawiak (Picador, July 27) PicadorWe learn that Evelyn is not a good at confrontations in this BuzzFeed News executive editor's third novel. Evelyn is 37 years old and has just left her job as an assistant. Her father is in grave danger. She joins a death doula organization to help people with terminal illnesses. This opens her up to a whole new world that seeks answers for the most tragic of life's inevitabilities. Although the topic matter is dark, the novel is a moving, reflective, and deeply personal reflection on the heartbreak of waiting for a loved ones death. Tomi Obaro (from 29 summer books you won't be able to put down)
