Any book is a beach read if you bring it to the beach. This summer, authors with New England ties are releasing books that are light and fun, moody and haunting, searing and powerful. From supernatural murder mysteries to evocative poetry disguised as Wikipedia entries, we’re excited for these upcoming summer releases.
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‘The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club‘
By Gloria Chao
June 24
A chemist, a lawyer and a writer walk into a bar and hash out a plan for revenge. After discovering they’re all dating the same man, Kathryn, Olivia and Elle have reasonable cause to think, “I’m going to kill him” — but they’ll settle for some podcast-worthy pranks, instead. When the trio stumbles upon the dead body of their ex-boyfriend Tucker, they must find his killer if they hope to clear their own names. This charming Boston-based whodunnit has as many hijinks as it does motivated suspects. Author Gloria Chao grew up outside Boston and went to MIT and became a dentist before turning to writing.
Gloria Chao will discuss “The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club” at Porter Square Books (Cambridge Edition) on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.
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‘A Magic Deep & Drowning‘
June 24
In this moody reimagining of “The Little Mermaid” set in the 1650s Dutch Republic, a young woman is torn between futures with a wealthy merchant or an alluring young man containing murky hidden depths. Plagued by her parents’ abuse and memories of her childhood friend’s drowning, Clara thinks marriage will bring her the peace she yearns for. But as her wedding draws closer, Clara’s bubbling intrigue toward the lower-class Maurits crests into a wave of passion that’s anything but peaceful. To be with Maurits opens an ocean of otherworldly possibilities for Clara — but it also brings her closer to the brewing storm between humans and the mythical people of the sea. Author Hester Fox lives in Massachusetts.
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‘Roll for Romance‘
By Lenora Woods
July 15
Is this real life or is it just fantasy? “Roll for Romance” is a novel with a little bit of both. When a Dungeons & Dragons game brings Sadie and Noah together, sparks fly between them and their characters. Texas is a summer escape for Sadie after she loses her job in New York and crashes with her best friend to lick her wounds. By contrast, Noah embraces the nomadic lifestyle, having only recently landed a bartending gig in town. Will Sadie and Noah heed their relationship’s clear expiration date? Or will they decide to take the road less traveled? Immersing the reader in both Sadie and Noah’s romance and the adventures of their D&D characters, “Roll for Romance” is two swoony stories for the price of one. Author Lenora Woods lives in Connecticut.
Lenora Woods will discuss “Roll for Romance” at Elicit Brewing in Manchester, Connecticut on July 15. Tickets for the event are $12.22 or $33.43 including a copy of the book.
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‘Lonely Crowds‘
By Stephanie Wambugu
July 29
In this stunning literary debut novel, “Lonely Crowds” chronicles the decades-long relationship between two Catholic schoolgirls turned artistic rivals. When Ruth first spots Maria and her mother being publicly humiliated by a shopkeeper, it’s obsession at first sight. “I felt doomed,” Ruth thinks. As daughters of immigrants and two of the only girls of color in their class, Ruth can’t help but compare their lives with morbid fascination: “I was struck by two things: her dirtiness and her tremendous confidence.” While Ruth’s mother drills the values of quiet obedience, heavily manicured appearance, and “mind your business,” Maria shows Ruth a path of uninhibited freedom in personal and artistic life. From Pawtucket to college to New York City, author Stephanie Wambugu perfectly captures the intensity between two women as they navigate the tumultuous waves of friendship, sexuality and ambition. Wambugu grew up in Rhode Island.
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‘A Body of Want and Other Trinkets‘
By Briana Crockett
July 29
Jazz and hair braiding. Lovers and kin. Revolution and rematriation. Briana Crockett’s poetry sings with grief and tenderness. “Grief will always have leftovers and save you a seat.” The Boston poet reckons with the violation of something sacred and she blossoms when she reclaims the soil of her ancestors. This collection is a testament to the powers of community and healing. “Some things you don’t need to touch to admire/ It’s mine, this work, this labor of pride, is mine to flaunt./ It had healed me. Seeing myself come apart and together at my own hands/ I part my hair like the answers to life are found at the root.” Crockett is a staff member of the Boston Poetry Slam Organization and has performed on WGBH’s Outspoken Saturdays. Her previously published work includes “The Growing Place” and “When the World Stopped//We Were Still Beautiful.”
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‘Murder at the Wham Bam Club‘
By Carolyn Marie Wilkins
July 29
Set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age, a missing person’s case turns into a murder mystery tangled up in small town secrets. Nola thought she left the Phyllis Wheatley Institute for Colored Girls firmly in the past when she moved to Harlem. Now, newly widowed and back in Illinois, the school asks for Nola’s help to locate a student who disappeared. Lilly was last seen at the Wham Bam Club with the notorious Eddie Smooth, so when the speakeasy goes up in flames and Eddie is gunned down, the authorities think Lilly’s the one responsible. But Nola knows that a man like Eddie has more powerful enemies than a schoolgirl. Can Nola unravel the political conspiracy behind these crimes to prove Lilly’s innocence? Author Carolyn Marie Wilkins is a jazz pianist and a professor at Berklee College of Music.
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‘This Happened to Me: A Reckoning‘
By Kate Price
Aug. 5
In this searing, emotionally fraught memoir, Kate Price chronicles her journey overcoming a childhood trauma so horrific her brain refused to remember. Trauma psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk helped Price both recall and heal the memories of being sexually assaulted and trafficked by her father. Her notable resilience is one case study in van der Kolk’s seminal work on treating PTSD, “The Body Keeps the Score.” Now, Price is telling her own story. After Boston Globe journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Janelle Nanos helped her corroborate key details, “This Happened to Me” is Price’s reckoning with not only what happened, but how she could move forward with a meaningful life not singularly defined by tragedy. Price is an associate research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women and advisor to several organizations dedicated to protecting children from sex trafficking. Her Ph.D. dissertation for the University of Massachusetts Boston addresses the alarming prevalence of state laws that criminalize and prosecute children who are sexually exploited instead of treating them as victims.
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‘Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State‘
By Caleb Gayle
Aug. 12
Decades after the Civil War ended and Reconstruction-era promises crumbled, a man named Edward McCabe led the charge for an all-Black U.S. state. He dreamed of a future where Black Americans claimed land, opportunities and political representation. Modern day Oklahoma (formerly Indian Territory) seemed like the perfect locale. Here, Indigenous tribes granted formerly enslaved people citizenship, autonomy and respect unseen anywhere else. When McCabe lobbied before President Benjamin Harrison, the newspapers labeled McCabe as “the one who would be the Moses.” In parallel, many Black people who sought new lives out west were called “Exodusters,” taking inspiration from the Hebrews’ escape from enslavement in Egypt to create a new promised land. Journalist Caleb Gayle illuminates a propulsive biography of McCabe, a rising political star and fierce advocate of Black Americans building “lives of abundance for themselves, lives on their terms.” Gayle’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and elsewhere. Currently, he’s a fellow at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and a professor at Northeastern University.
Caleb Gayle will discuss “Black Moses” in conversation with Ben Lisle at Barnswallow Books in Rockport, Maine on Aug. 7. The event is free and registration is not required.
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‘Hey Siri, What Time is it in Vietnam?‘
By Blue Nguyen
Aug. 12
Have you ever been devastated by a Wikipedia entry? Blue Nguyen’s exquisite debut poetry collection transforms field notes into self-portraits, voicemails into gardens and dream logs into altars. “Hey Siri, What Time is it in Vietnam?” meditates on grief, fragmented identities and the enormity of love. The devotion Nguyen extends to others is a funhouse mirror reflection of the poet themself. “When my father was alive, it was difficult to translate our grief to each other — our languages had holes. My father then, ‘Con di ăn trái cam ba cắt cho con.’ Come eat the oranges I sliced for you. Con, in Vietnamese, daughter, son, child. I was trans in Vietnamese before I was ever trans in English.” But as Nguyen notes, “To translate the self is to leave something behind.” Navigating between imperfect translations and imperfect people, these poems will move you on the profound importance of oranges. Nguyen is based in Boston.
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‘Katabasis‘
By R. F. Kuang
Aug. 26
Alice has to go to Hell. It’s maybe sort of her fault that Professor Grimes is dead. If she wants to get her dream job in magick, she needs to beg the Ruler of the Underworld to bring her dissertation advisor back to life. Never mind the price of admission is sacrificing half her remaining lifespan. What’s worse is her infuriating ex-boyfriend Peter — naturally gifted at magick and “unfailingly nice” — insists on joining her. But even in a world that treats Dante’s “Inferno” and mythic odysseys like travel guides, Hell will force Alice and Peter to confront dark truths about themselves, Professor Grimes and academia at large. When “success in this field demanded such a forceful, single-minded capacity for self-destruction” with faculty and cutthroat graduate students stooping to cruelty at every turn, no wonder Hell looks suspiciously like a university campus. After R. F. Kuang’s 2023 novel “Babel” turned the dark academia genre on its heels, “Katabasis” is poised to do the very same. The author is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Yale.
R. F. Kuang will discuss “Katabasis” at The Wilbur on Aug. 26. Tickets for the event are $58, which includes a copy of the book and ticketing fees.
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‘Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories‘
Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith; with stories by Karina Iceberg, Brian Young, et. al.
Aug. 26
Whether Indigenous teens are waiting out a tornado or a delayed plane, the neon sign for Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In welcomes them when they need it most. This collection of interconnected short stories written by 17 Indigenous authors deals with a number of emotional topics, from unrequited crushes to coping with the death of a beloved grandparent. No matter where they are or which tribe they belong to, Sandy June’s will magically appear with good food, a listening ear and the wisdom of Elders. Cynthia Leitich Smith, who served on Vermont College of Fine Arts’ faculty for 20 years, wrote two stories and edited the entire collection. Contributor Karina Iceberg earned her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and contributor Brian Young graduated from Yale University.
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‘A Spell to Wake the Dead‘
By Nicole Lesperance
Aug. 26
For the readers who are counting down the days to Halloween, get your fix of witchy magic and occult horrors with “A Spell to Wake the Dead.” Mazzy and Nora just wanted to test their fledgling spellwork at their local Cape Cod beach. They didn’t expect to find a corpse missing its hands and teeth. If this hadn’t unlocked Mazzy and Nora’s strongest conjuring to date, they might have left the investigation to the police, but their newfound powers reveal this dead body is the latest in a string of other disappearances. With a supernatural connection to the dead that’s bringing them closer to the truth, are Mazzy and Nora bringing themselves closer to danger? Boston-based author Nicole Lesperance grew up on the Cape and went to Wesleyan University.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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