I don’t receive books for review often because I’ve been too focused on work and family to request any, but these were such a nice surprise that I thought I’d share them with you. (All of the descriptions below are taken from the publishers’ blurbs.)
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
Released March 29, 2016
Three young men, and one unforgettable woman, come together in a journey from India to England, where they hope to begin something new—to support their families; to build their futures; to show their worth; to escape the past. They have almost no idea what awaits them.
In a dilapidated shared house in Sheffield, Tarlochan, a former rickshaw driver, will say nothing about his life in Bihar. Avtar and Randeep are middle-class boys whose families are slowly sinking into financial ruin, bound together by Avtar’s secret. Randeep, in turn, has a visa wife across town, whose cupboards are full of her husband’s clothes in case the immigration agents surprise her with a visit.
She is Narinder, and her story is the most surprising of them all.
_______________________
This Must be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell
Releases July 19, 2016
Meet Daniel Sullivan, a man with a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn, and a wife, Claudette, who is a reclusive ex–film star given to pulling a gun on anyone who ventures up their driveway. Claudette was once the most glamorous and infamous woman in cinema before she staged her own disappearance and retreated to blissful seclusion in an Irish farmhouse.
But the life Daniel and Claudette have so carefully constructed is about to be disrupted by an unexpected discovery about a woman Daniel lost touch with twenty years ago. This revelation will send him off-course, far away from wife, children, and home. Will his love for Claudette be enough to bring him back?
_______________________
Autumn’s Wish by Bella Thorne
Releases July 5, 2016
Senior year is here, and everyone has a plan—except Autumn Falls. So many crazy-important decisions lie ahead, and she’s scared to make the wrong one. So when she receives a magical locket that enables her to travel through time (!!!), Autumn hopes she can correct all her past mistakes—with her friends, with boys—and maybe even prevent her dad from dying. But the locket doesn’t work that way. Instead, Autumn discovers that she’s only able to visit the future—and she doesn’t like what she sees. Autumn can change her destiny . . . but what does she really want?
Read more Mailbox posts at the Mailbox Monday site.
, and season 4 isn’t available on Netflix yet. I’ve watched a few episodes of 
, but I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with the series yet. I find the classroom and courtroom scenes to be compelling, but am frustrated by the repetitive flash-forward/murder scenes. I stepped away from it yesterday to watch some of my favorite episodes of 
with Max and Lorelai instead.
by Ernest Cline
by Ernest Cline (I’ve read it before, but have yet to listen to the audio, which I hear is very good)
by Sarah Vowell
by Robin Hobb
by N.K. Jemisin – I’ve only just started this book, and it seems to have some unique elements, like people who have special powers pertaining to rocks.
by Libba Bray – I don’t know why I thought this would be like a cross between Harry Potter and 
by Deborah Harkness, wishful thinking I guess. Not that it’s a bad read, in fact it has captured my imagination, but it’s a lot scarier than I thought it would be, especially for a young adult book; filled with vicious supernatural powers in NYC during the roaring twenties. I’m not quite sure if I’m in the mood to finish it, despite the fact that it is fitting for the Halloween spirit.
by Rachel Hartman – This is the sequel to 
. I’ve been enjoying reading this book, but it has a slower-moving plot than the first book and has more background information for the reader about the various cultures as Seraphina travels to different areas of the land in search for other dragon-human hybrids. I have been surprised by how long it is taking me to make my way through this book. Normally I can read a few books in a week, but I’ve been reading it for eleven days and I’ve still got over a hundred pages left. Then again, I have been peeling and chopping apples for several hours each day this past week, so it’s not like I’ve had as much time available for leisure reading.
by Martin Short – Published November 4, 2014.
by Brian Selznick – Published September 15, 2015.
, and 
); mainly that element of a child running away from authority figures and making life-changing discoveries, usually involving getting to know someone with an artistic ability. Other than that though, this book covers new ground. I liked that parts of the story were based on real occurrences. It was a pleasure to read this story, both for the entertaining plot and the physical appeal of the book itself – the artwork and the gold-edged pages.
by Kim Stanley Robinson – Published July 7, 2015.
, I liked Aurora so much that I will continue to follow Kim Stanley Robinson’s work. This book is well worth the time it took to become invested in the story.
by Helen Phillips – Published August 11, 2015.
by Oliver Sacks
by Wesley Chu
by Edward Lucas
by Rachel Hartman
by Bryan Burrough
by Jacey Bedford
. In the past I listened to 
, but didn’t review it on my site, which leads me to believe that I listened to most of it but then got distracted by life and didn’t finish, because I generally don’t review a book if I haven’t read it in its entirety (with the exception of my “did not finish” posts, which are reserved for books that I have very strong opinions about regardless of how much I’ve read).
, releases on August 4th, and I decided to make it one of my few book purchases of the summer.
by Maria V. Snyder
by Rachel Caine – I love this book!
by William Finnegan – I don’t think I’ll have time to finish this one before it’s due.
by Oliver Sacks (Audiobook)
is the unusual fantasy story of a teenage girl named Aza Ray, who suffers from a unique disease that makes it so difficult for her to breathe that she is often at death’s door. At first Aza Ray’s story of sickness seems to be going along as if it were fiction set in our present day world. She and her best friend Jason, who are both oddballs in their own way, soldier on through all of the challenges that her ill health presents. It seems like the beginning to a normal YA fiction book, but then the oddest things start happening and it veers off into the realms of fantasy.
by Neal Stephenson and 
by Naomi Novick) and a couple of guilty pleasure reads (
by Meg Cabot and 
by Tamora Pierce
by Mitchell Zuckoff (Audiobook)
(
versions)
by Claire North. It was a fascinating and charming story about a man who discovers that after he dies, he starts his life over at the beginning, and he can remember his lives each time. It had some of my favorite themes in it, like the second chance to live life over again, and then a third and a fourth, etc.; and seeing what opportunities the character seizes, and how he deals with it all emotionally. Of course there is a mystery factored in – there is a secret society and a deadly villain who starts targeting Harry’s allies. In short, it was a perfect fit for me, and I savored it during many hours of my sons’ swimming practices last summer.
as “he.” The main character has the ability to switch bodies by touching someone. A blessing in some situations, a curse in others, he must learn how to navigate situations discreetly in order not to give himself away as an imposter. He thinks that he has been covering his tracks well, but then someone tries to kill him, and he can tell that they aren’t just targeting his host body, but actually targeting and following him even after his moves to new bodies.
