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Though school and the ever-dreaded reading assignments have taken a pause, the importance of reading and celebrating stories has not. And despite the varied impact the pandemic has had on people, authors have managed to continue releasing page-turners for the world to enjoy – many of them very highly anticipated. Here is a collection of books that are releasing (or already have) this summer, featuring picks from lists made by LitHub, Flyleaf Books, and NPR.
The first of these books is “Stealing Infinity,” written by Alyson Noël. Noël’s website states that this novel is where “The Da Vinci Code” meets “Riverdale.” You can find the summary below:
“When a young girl with an unusual gift is whisked away to an academy for time-traveling teens, she becomes the target for a sinister organization hell-bent on rewriting history in this clever and fast paced YA that is guaranteed to become your next fantasy romance obsession.”
The next book to look out for is “Rainbow Rainbow” by Lydia Conklin. This book is described as:
“A fearless collection of stories that celebrate the humor, darkness, and depth of emotion of the queer and trans experience that’s not typically represented: liminal or uncertain identities, queer conception, and queer joy. In this delightful debut collection of prize-winning stories, queer, gender-nonconforming, and trans characters struggle to find love and forgiveness, despite their sometimes comic, sometimes tragic mistakes.”
“Calling for a Blanket Dance”, a book by Oscar Hokeah, is another book on the list. Here is more information about this exciting new read:
“Told in a series of voices, “Calling for a Blanket Dance” takes us into the life of Ever Geimausaddle through the multigenerational perspectives of his family as they face myriad obstacles. His father’s injury at the hands of corrupt police, his mother’s struggle to hold on to her job and care for her husband, the constant resettlement of the family, and the legacy of centuries of injustice all intensify Ever’s bottled-up rage. Meanwhile, all of Ever’s relatives have ideas about who he is and who he should be. His Cherokee grandmother urges the family to move across Oklahoma to find security; his grandfather hopes to reunite him with his heritage through traditional gourd dances; his Kiowa cousin reminds him that he’s connected to an ancestral past. And once an adult, Ever must take the strength given to him by his relatives to save not only himself but also the next generation of family.”
Finally, the book “Black Cake” by Charmaine Wilkerson, is being regarded as major book release this summer. The summary of this book can be read below:
“Byron and Benny haven’t seen each other in years. Now these estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s hidden past. When their mother Eleanor dies in California, they are left with a puzzling inheritance: a traditional Caribbean black cake and a voice recording whose contents will change Byron and Benny’s lives. Will hearing their story help them to repair their broken family bonds and resolve their own struggles with identity? Or will they end up feeling more lost than ever? Theirs is a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to the UK and back to California. This is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history.”
Libraries, independent bookstores, and secondhand sites such as PangoBooks are wonderful places to pick up copies of these reads! Have a great summer!
Carly Webster
Staff Writer