Summer is here! Whether you’re poolside, beachside, at camp or simply dreaming of getting away, be sure to take one of these great new releases in your bag. Don’t forget to sign up for Summer Reading at Arlington Public Library!
Fiction
More Than You’ll Ever KnowBy Katie Gutierrez
International banker Lore has a husband in Mexico City and another one in Texas. Her double life of lies and love finally comes crashing down in 1985, when one of her husbands is arrested for murdering the other. More than 20 years later, troubled true-crime blogger Cassie imagines that cracking open Lore’s case could be her big break. But as she digs deeper into the case and closer to Lore, Cassie realizes that the facts of the case aren’t what they seem, and that some secrets should stay hidden. A captivating mystery and wrenching family drama. // Available June 7. Library catalog link here.
racy Flick Can’t Win By Tom Perotta
It’s been 20+ years since we first met Tracy Flick in Election. Now in her mid-40s, she’s a single mother and vice principal of a New Jersey high school, hoping to land the top job when the principal retires at the end of the year. But when Tracy agrees to a tech billionaire’s idea for the school to launch a Hall of Fame for its notable alumni, everything goes fatally off the rails. Incorporating multiple points of view, this darkly comic book will have those who are only familiar with the movie reaching for the original novel as well. // Available June 7. Library catalog link here.
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes
By Cat Sebastian
This delightful sequel to The Queer Principles of Kit Webb features Rob Brooks, whose attempts to blackmail the Duchess of Clare go awry when she leaves him tied up in a seedy inn. Rob is surprised when she returns, this time covered in her terrible husband’s blood and needing Rob’s help to escape London for her family’s Kentish estate. Their road trip is a rollicking adventure as they get to know each other better and attempt to outrun their pasts. A refreshing historical romance full of high hijinks and acerbic wit. // Available June 7. Library catalog link here.
The Final StrifeBy Saara El-Arifi
As a baby, upper-class Sylah was stolen by a lower-class rebellion movement—part of an effort to bring down the system from within—but now she’s the only one left and focused on survival. When someone she thought was dead turns up alive, Sylah starts to piece together the remaining pieces of the rebellion in this first installment of a fast-paced epic fantasy that blends elements of Ghanian and Arabian folklore. // Available June 21. Library catalog link here.
Nonfiction
We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys
By Erin Kimmerle
Children as young as 6 were sent to Florida’s Dozier School for Boys for “crimes” such as truancy or trespassing. First opened in 1900, the school wasn’t closed until 2011. In its century-long history, students were subjected to horrific abuse and forced labor, and official accounts indicate that 31 students died there. But when forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle tried to identify the bodies to reunite them with their families, she discovered at least twice that many deaths, and a community determined to keep its secrets. // Available June 14. Library catalog link here.
Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall
By Alexandra Lange
Design critic Alexandra Lange tracks the history of the American shopping mall, tracing its origins in the economic boom of post-war America through the current day. Following the pioneers who coined the concept and shopping trends through time, Lange offers an unflinching look at how malls were designed to keep out certain groups of people, especially ethnic minorities. Despite this troubled history, the author proposes new ways that malls might be reborn as communal spaces for the 21st century. // Available June 14. Library catalog link here.
The Divorce Colony: How Women Revolutionized Marriage and Found Freedom on the American Frontier
By April White
In the late 19th century, Sioux Falls was the place to get a divorce. With five rail lines, a luxury hotel and a residency requirement of only 90 days, South Dakota offered women of means a way to end their marriages. April White follows the stories of four women who traveled to the frontier to get unhitched, exploring the politics and societal reactions to the state’s relatively lax laws—and how they helped change attitudes about not just divorce, but marriage itself. // Available June 14. Library catalog link here.
Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America’s Woods
By Lyndsie Bourgon
Stolen timber accounts for nearly 30% of the global market. Lyndsie Bourgon interviews poachers, law enforcement, local residents, activists, Indigenous community members and scientists to try to make sense of timber poaching. Centering mostly on the Pacific Northwest, the book presents a fascinating look at a crime, what drives people to commit it, and its devastating economic and ecological consequences. // Available June 21. Library catalog link here.
Middle Grade
Alice Austen Lived HereBy Alex Gino
Sam does not like their history teacher’s take on history—including his tendency to focus exclusively on dead, straight, cis white men. When a contest to determine a new local history statue leads to a class project, Sam and their best friend TJ search for a historic figure their teacher wouldn’t talk about, landing on real-life turn-of-the-century lesbian photographer Alice Austen. By connecting more with local, queer history, they challenge their teacher’s assumptions about who is important in this feel-good, thoughtful read. // Available June 7. Library catalog link here.
Teen
The Silence That Binds UsBy Joanna Ho
Maybelline and her parents are left reeling after her brother, Danny, dies by suicide. Their pain is only compounded when a local tech mogul attributes Danny’s death to the pressures Asian parents put on their children. Appalled by the mogul’s comments and the hate her parents receive from others who share his assumptions, May channels her feelings into a poem, which she then publishes in the local paper. The poem sparks intense conversation, both inside and outside the local Chinese community, and the backlash threatens May’s mother’s job. An illuminating story of silence, mental illness, racism, classism and finding your voice. // Available June 14. Library catalog link here.