Highlights: May 2020

We think that we’re finally in the clear up here in Minnesota when it comes to snow, which is always nice. And with nicer weather means more opportunities to go outside and enjoy the scenery (responsibly, of course). This means backyard patio time to be sure, and what better way to enhance that kind of relaxation than with a book or two? Here are the new titles we’re looking forward to this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Age of Empyre” by Michael J. Sullivan

Publication Date: May 5, 2020

Why I’m Interested: It’s finally here! The last book in the “Legends of the First Empire” series! It’s gone by all too quickly (though this is, of course, nothing against the amazingly fast publication schedule the author has set for himself, love that!). The last book ended on a pretty massive cliff-hanger with several of our heroes seeming to fall to their doom and the most powerful of them is still caught in enemy territory. I also have to say that I love this cover and am really interested to see who the person with the sword is. And is that Suri’s dragon? Or…did the enemies manage to create one themselves? The grand finale will be something else! I’m so nervous.

Book: “House of Dragons” by Jessica Cluess

Publication Date: May 12, 2020

Why I’m Interested: While I was kind of burned by the end of the last trilogy I read by Cluess, she did create a pretty fascinating new fantasy world. And, of course, I’m a sucker for anything and all dragons. This book seems to be a combination of the *sigh* oh so prevalent ensemble POV YA stories and some type of “Throne of Glass”/”Hunger Games” competition. Five different royal houses are meant to compete for the dragon throne. But this time things are different and a group of outcasts end up competing instead. I’m definitely interested in checking it out, but if I get many whiffs of love triangles, love squares, etc., I’m probably out.

Book: “Girl, Serpent, Thorn” by Melissa Bashardoust

Publication Date: (now) July 7, 2020

Why I’m Interested: You may have noticed that this book is set to be published in July, not May. Well, a bunch of books on my May list have pushed back publication dates due to the pandemic. So…I’m cheating. I’ll include some of the others when they do come out, but I thought I’d throw this one in here anyways (let’s be honest, most of them were switched and I was running out). In this original fairytale, a young princess is cursed with a fatal touch, dooming her to a life of distance and lack of physical contact. But as her brother’s marriage approaches, Soraya begins to question the direction her life is headed. Is she a monster or is she gifted with a power beyond reckoning? This book sounds super interesting and you know I’m all about original fairytales! I have an advanced copy due to NetGalley, so I’m sure I’ll be taking advantage of having that and not needing to wait until the delayed publication date!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Something Is Killing the Children (Vol. 1)” by James Tynion IV

Publication Date: May 26, 2020

Why I’m Interested: I am always on the lookout for a solid horror graphic, and the title alone of “Something Is Killing the Children” gives me the serious creeps. When children start to go missing in a small town, everyone is scared that their kid will be next. It’s when a mysterious woman shows up and tells the children that are left that it’s monsters that are behind it, and that she is going to take care of it, that a little bit of hope can be seen. Monster hunting, a scary premise, and a badass heroine with some baggage and a will to kick ass? I’m into it! I’ve read some of James Tynion IV’s work in the past, so I am very interested in seeing what he does with this concept.

Book: “The Silence” by Susan Allott

Publication Date: May 19, 2020

Why I’m Interested: This has had some comparison’s to Jane Harper’s books, and given that I’ve become a fan of hers over the years, I am absolutely interested in giving any read-alikes a whirl. And this one involves family secrets, the darkness of small towns, and a disappearance, all things I LOVE. In 1967, a woman named Mandy disappeared from her Sydney neighborhood, and people assumed that she had left her family to start life anew. But years later, no one can find her, and people start to suspect that her neighbor at the time, Joe, had something to do with her disappearance, as he was the last person to see her alive. Now his daughter Isla is having to confront that past, when Joe and Mandy and their spouses were neighbors, and things weren’t always as they seemed. Definitely sounds twisty and mysterious, so I’m very interested in getting my hands on this one.

Book: “If It Bleeds” by Stephen King

Publication Date: April 21, 2020

Why I’m Interested: This is a bit of a cheat, I concede that. But in my defense, I thought that Stephen King’s new novella collection was coming out in May until it’s release date in late April. So I’m just going to highlight it here because IT’S STEPHEN KING! This time he takes four novellas and puts them into a collection. One involves a phone that can perhaps exact revenge beyond the grave. Another involves an author who is desperate to write another hit, and makes a deal with an unusual, and perhaps dangerous, animal to do so. And another involves my girl Holly Gibney, trying to solve a mass murder where someone planted a bomb at a middle school. I’m so very happy to be able to read more King! I like feeling like some things have consistency in times like these, and King brings that to me.