Michele's Monday Picks #74

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my little series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

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A Killer Getaway

By Sienna Sharpe

Expected Publication: August 12, 2025

From Goodreads:

Falling in love can be murder...

No one in Lily Lennox's life can understand why, for each of the past five summers, she has shut her successful business and chosen instead to be paid minimum wage lifeguarding at the exclusive Riovan Wellness Resort on a sun-soaked Caribbean island. Fortunately for her, they also aren't aware of the mysterious deaths that have occurred on the island every time she's there.

Lily always does her best not to attract attention. She is determined to make toxic people pay for the damage they do - and when your mission is murder, it's best not to draw suspicious eyes. But this year a very attractive journalist, Daniel Black, is asking a few too many inconvenient questions. Is he there to hunt her down? And if so, how will she manage her growing attraction towards him - at the same time as getting away with murder?

I thought this one sounded unique and fun! Do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Recent Reads: The Oz Edition

Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor (2025)

In Before Dorothy, Hazel Gaynor imagines a new story for Emily Gale (Auntie Em to Dorothy), exploring how she and Henry came to Kansas and ending up raising their niece.  The Wizard of Oz is such a beloved story and movie, so it is a little nerve-wracking to enter that territory in a new way, but Gaynor does a beautiful job making Emily a truly well-rounded character.  We see her strained relationship with her sister, fall in love with Henry, and struggle through difficult years on the farm.  I loved all the nods to the original story, all those little Easter eggs that make this story even more special.  It's nostalgic, it's heartbreaking at times, but watching Emily become Auntie Em is really incredible.  4 stars

After Oz by Gordon McAlpine (2024)

After being missing for four days, Dorothy returns to the Gale farm with a fantastical tale of spending time in Oz, including accidentally killing a witch.  When a local spinster is then found murdered, the townspeople begin to wonder if something more sinister happened.  I thought this was a very interesting take on The Wizard of Oz - what happened after Dorothy returned?  Did people believe her story?  In this case, no, and she is committed to an asylum, but one doctor, after hearing of the case, is determined to prove Dorothy's innocence.  Themes of religion, persecution, and prejudice are woven through the novel, which is a short but satisfying read.  Although the ending went a bit off the rails for me, I enjoyed the journey.  4 stars

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Can't-Wait Wednesday: Under the Stars

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Under the Stars

Beatriz Williams

Expected publication date: July 29, 2025

When a daughter and her famous mother return to Winthrop Island to confront their complicated past, they discover a secret trove of paintings that connect them to a mysterious woman who vanished on a luxury steamship two centuries earlier.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Husbands & Lovers comes an epic tale of family legacy, love, and truths that echo down generations.

Audrey Fisher has struggled all her life to emerge from the shadow of her famous mother by forging a career as a world-class chef. Meredith Fisher’s glamorous screen persona disguises the trauma of the tragic accident that haunts her dreams. Neither woman wants to return to the New England island they left behind and its complicated emotional ties, but Meredith has one last chance to sober up and salvage her big comeback, and where else but discreet, moneyed Winthrop Island can a famous actress spend the summer without the intrusion of other people? Until Audrey discovers an old wooden chest among the belongings of her estranged bartender father, Mike Kennedy, and the astonishing contents draw the women deep into Winthrop’s past and its many secrets…attracting the interest of their handsome neighbor, Sedge Peabody. How did a trove of paintings from one of America’s greatest artists wind up in the cellar of the Mohegan Inn? And who is the mysterious woman portrayed on every canvas?

On a stormy November night in 1846, Providence Dare flees Boston and boards the luxury steamship Atlantic one step ahead of the law….or so she believes. But when a catastrophic accident leaves the ship at the mercy of a mighty gale, Providence finds herself trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the one man who knows her real identity—the detective investigating the suspicious death of her employer, the painter Henry Irving. As the Atlantic fights for her life and the rocky shore of Winthrop Island edges closer, a desperate Providence searches for her chance to escape…before the sea swallows her without a trace.

In Under the Stars, the destinies of three women converge across centuries, as a harrowing true disaster at the dawn of the steamship era evokes a complex legacy of family secrets in modern-day New England. Williams has written a timeless epic of mothers and daughters, of love lost and found, and of the truths that echo down generations. - from Goodreads

Recent Reads

Class Mom by Laurie Gelman (2018)

After having two daughters in her early twenties, 40-something Jen is now married with a son in kindergarten.  While acting as his class mom, Jen navigates classroom politics and issues with other parents, all with a sense of humor.  I thought this was a fun book (and audiobook, narrated by the author herself!).  I relate to being somewhat of an older parent, so it was interesting to see the issues that Jen was facing.  While I found her humor to be a bit over the top or trying too hard at times, I appreciated the light tone of the book; while there were some unbelievable moments, it did feel quite realistic, like Jen really could be just another mom at the pick-up line.  4 stars

Southern by Design by Grace Helena Walz (2025)

Mack is navigating a divorce while also trying out for a reality tv show with her design firm, when her college boyfriend moves in next door.  There were a few things that appealed to me about this book - I love a story set in the south and Mack works in renovating historic homes.  But unfortunately, there was too much going on here to really make an impact, too many storylines and characters, so that everything just felt kind of glossed over.  I didn't really get Mack's desire to make the reality show - the opportunity was presented and she didn't even hesitate, but I never got the impression that it was a dream of hers.  Her mother was a total enigma - she comes across as an elegant Southern lady, but she had a baby out of wedlock and despite working on the board of the historical preservation society, seems to have no regard for historic homes.  There was also this overarching theme of parents trying to control their children's lives, in often disastrous ways.  I think there were some good ideas here and it could have been helped by editing and digging deeper into some areas.  3 stars

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Love To Reread

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is all about rereading.  I love to reread and although I got out of it for awhile, this year I have done several rereads.  Here are some of my favorite books that I could read over and over again!

The Night Circus // Something Borrowed // A Hundred Summers

Outlander // A Game of Thrones // The Other Boleyn Girl

The Devil Wears Prada // Dark Matter

The Nightingale // The Distant Hours

Do we share any favorites?

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Mid-Year Goals Check-In

We are officially halfway through 2025, so it's time to look back at the goals we set at the beginning of the year!

• Read my 2025 preorders in 2025.  So far I have preordered 6 books and read 3 of them - to be fair, those last 3 came out within the last month, so I think it's justified that I haven't gotten to them quite yet!
• Use my library more.  My goal is to try to get 40% of my reads from the library and I am currently at 37%.
• Read 75 books.  I am currently at 57 books read, so I'm well ahead of this goal!
• Attend two bookish events.  We've been lucky enough to attend one bookish event so far this year (Hazel Gaynor release event)!
• Complete 30 states in the Literary Escapes Challenge.  Currently, I have read books set in 19 different states for the Literary Escapes Challenge hosted by Dollycas, so I am well on my way!  I'll definitely be checking out Sam's Sloth Goes Places series at We Live and Breathe Books for inspiration for some of those harder to find states!

Here is a check-in for Michele's goals:

• Read 225 books – I just dropped this to 200 as I had a slow start to the year (in my real life I am a CPA who works a crazy tax season and the reading was slow in February and March).  I’m a little over halfway to this goal so I feel good about it.  
• Read books from a wide variety of genres – Doing good on this!  I have really upped my numbers of nonfiction and historical fiction, with my overall romance genre coming down a bit.
• Don’t be afraid to DNF books or take a break from certain authors – I have definitely DNFed some books this year and had a few series I decided to not finish.  It still makes me a little itchy to leave a series unfinished but if I’m not truly excited about something, I just can’t justify devoting the time to it. 
• Utilize my library more – So far my percentage of books read from the library is up this year!  My daughter has also been using the library a ton.
• Buddy read with my daughter and husband – James has already read a couple books I picked out for us and now I need to catch up so we can discuss!  Luna is working through her remaining chapter books and will probably be totally into middle grade books this fall – we already have plans about which ones we want to read together.

How are you doing on your 2025 goals?

Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Thunder Road Books

Last week I posted about a release event we attended with Hazel Gaynor at Thunder Road Books, located in Spring Lake, New Jersey, so I thought it would be good to give you a little tour of the store today!  They recently moved from a smaller location down the street into this new corner store, which allows them to offer more books, a seating area for reading, and a larger children's area!

When you enter the store, you're greeted by a table of new releases and that fabulous rolling ladder/bookshelf combo!

I loved how bright, open, and airy the store was, with tall ceilings.  There are a couple different couches and cozy chairs to curl up with a good book in.  The store was set up for an event, so a few things had been moved around.

The children's area is huge, with playful seating options and these adorable hot air balloon light fixtures (shh, don't tell Henry!).  There are lots of books at eye level and reachable for little hands!

As I said before, we were there for an event, so I didn't get to browse as much as I would have wanted to - that just means we'll have to come back!  They host tons of bookish events, so there's something for everyone.  Definitely check this store out if you're near the Jersey shore!

Month in Review: June 2025

 

June had some really fun events, as well as some quiet time at home (escaping the crazy heat we experienced for a bit!).  My company is currently moving locations, so early in June, I went down to the office for one last time before the move, to work for the day and also attend a painting event after hours.  It was really fun for the ladies of the office to get together - we always have a good time!  My sister and I attended a book event with Hazel Gaynor, which was awesome!  We ended the month with a belated birthday party for our niece and nephew, and we all had fun playing in the pool.

The highlight of Henry's month was going to a hot air balloon festival!  It wasn't a big event, but there were several balloons, including two tethered ballons that were going up and down for a couple hours.  He got to see them being blown up, which was a blast.  In the evening, many balloons were blown up and flew off from a big field.  We set up our blanket and watched them all - Henry was so excited!  For our hot air balloon-loving boy, seeing them in person was an absolute thrill!  I also (finally) made the decision to transition Henry from a crib to a toddler bed, and while it is a little nerve-wracking for me, he is enjoying it, especially that he can get in and out by himself and we can read together in bed instead of on the floor!

The Books

The Ship Beneath the Ice // Say You'll Remember Me // Dream Girl Drama // The Seventh Veil of Salome

Dark Matter (reread) // A Gentleman and a Thief // Unchain Me // Class Mom

Southern By Design // The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (reread)

The Posts and Reviews

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Before Dorothy

Recent Reads

Little Free Library Sighting: The Jersey Shore Edition, Part 4

Recent Reads

Top Ten Tuesday: My Summer TBR

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Overruled

Michele's Monday Picks #72

Release Event with Hazel Gaynor

Recent Reads

Michele's Monday Picks #73

How are you doing?

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.