01 The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to--someone who is light years away?
This young adult science fiction story has been on my list for a while because of its irresistible premise: Romy is the sole survivor on her spaceship, which was en route to establishing an outpost on a new planet. She's on her own out there, and as lonely as any human could imagine being--that is, until she hears that another ship has launched from earth, with a single passenger: a boy called J.
Romy and J make contact, and they begin to forge a bond she never would have anticipated. But the odd messages she begins receiving from Earth begin to throw everything she knows about J--who has for so long been her only link to humanity--into doubt.
02 Beneath the Keep by Erika Johansen
Beneath the Keep, which is set for publication next week, is a prequel to Erika Johansen's Queen of the Tearling series (there are three other books in the series, the fantastic Queen of the Tearling as well as The Invasion of the Tearling and The Fate of the Tearling).
The book traces The Tearling's attempted ascent from a kingdom crushed by famine, feudalism, and unrest to a land with desperate new hope: the fabled True Queen is said to be poised to save them all.
I'm curious to see if the characters I loved from the rest of the series (I'm looking at you, Mace) are star players within this dystopian period of Johansen's Tearling world.
I received a prepublication copy of this book courtesy of Dutton Books and NetGalley.
03 The Unwilling by John Hart
The Unwilling is John Hart's newest book, slated for publication next week.
Hart reliably offers deftly crafted, often stark landscapes, character-driven stories, heartbreaking situations and compromises, and enough protagonists' strength and grit to stick with you.
The Unwilling promises all of those elements and more, unraveling the workings of a family in the South during the Vietnam War; brothers at odds; complex issues surrounding prison, war, and violence; and a brother's unfailing loyalty in the face of terrible conflict and dangerous outlaws.
I received a prepublication copy of The Unwilling courtesy of St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.
I mentioned my love for Hart's book The Last Child in the Greedy Reading List The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year. He has written many other books, including The Hush, the second in the Johnny Merrimon series, and the wonderfully written and often tough-to-read Redemption Road.
What are you reading these days?
I'm liking this mix: young adult space science fiction story, dystopian fantasy series prequel, and character-driven mystery with some darkness and depth.
Which books are you reading and enjoying these days?