Three Books I'm Reading Now, 7/27/26 Edition

The Books I'm Reading Now

I'm reading Chris Bohjalian's upcoming novel about an accident and a messy path out of grief, The Amateur; I'm reading Annabel Monaghan's excellent seaside rom-com with fake dating in which seeming opposites attract, Dolly All the Time; and I'm listening to the second in Shannon Chakraborty's seafaring adventure-fantasy novel featuring the fantastically spirited Amina al-Sirafi, The Tapestry of Fate.

What are you reading, bookworms?

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01 The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian

Mira Winston is 18 years old in 1978, hitting golf balls at the country club on a summer day when she drives a ball into a practice net--but the net breaks, and a nearby caddy is struck in the temple, a deadly blow.

After the accident, the golf prodigy turns to all the wrong places while trying to cope with her grief, and her affluent community passes judgment on her messy attempts to find solace.

Chris Bohjalian is also the author of books such as The Jackal's Mistress, Hour of the Witch, Skeletons at the Feast, and others.

I'm reading a prepublication edition of this novel, which is scheduled for publication August 4, courtesy of NetGalley and Doubleday Books.

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02 Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Single mom Dolly Brick (her mother was a country music fan) returns to her seaside Rhode Island hometown of Whitfield for the summer to help her hardworking dad with his fish shop, support her brother, who has schizophrenia following a traumatic brain injury, and repair the family home following a fire.

When she runs into handsome Stewart, the son of the local millionaire Whitfield family, who has a flat tire and no clue how to change it, capable Dolly helps him out. One thing leads to another, and Stewart proposes a fake-dating scenario that should allow him to save face after a humiliating and public breakup--and more importantly, prove to his family that he can lead a balanced lifestyle outside of work.

What could go wrong?

I received a prepublication version of this title courtesy of NetGalley and Putnam.

Annabel Monaghan is also the author of books including Nora Goes Off Script, Same Time Next Summer, Summer Romance, and It's a Love Story.

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03 The Tapestry of Fate: An Amina al-Sirafi Adventure, Part Two by Shannon Chakraborty

I loved every bit of Chakraborty's first story of willful, sometimes grumpy pirate Amina al-Sirafi, her quest, strategic swearing, strength, fierce loyalty, and messy, grand, swashbuckling adventures.

In the second book in the series, Amina seeks a magical artifact, but she finds herself on an island ruled by a sorceress whose powers prevent Amina's escape. Add in complications like her solemn promise to her daughter to return home soon, her best friend's lies about Amina's visions and health, and the appearance of Amina's demon of an ex husband, and it's more imperative than ever that Amina find a way out of this deadly, cursed land.

Shannon Chakraborty wrote the first book in this series, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, and also writes books such as the Daevabad Trilogy: The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold under the name S. A. Chakraborty.

I'm listening to this novel as an audiobook through my library and Libby.