Tell Me Something Tuesday: Which Books Are You Looking Forward to Reading This Summer? (June-August)

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). After Heidi stopped blogging (apparently for good), five of us took over as hosts while providing new questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen at That's What I'm Talking About, Karen at For What It's Worth, Linda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...

WHICH BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THIS SUMMER? (JUNE-AUGUST)

I don't know if I'll ever get around to buying all these books or when, since 1) early reviews and excerpts might cause me to change my mind in the future, and 2) given my current situation (see: unemployment status), book money is scarce...(also, please note: as I'm posting this, I only have two of these novels in ARC form). Anyhow, I wanted to give a bit of exposure to all the summer books that caught my eye, so here's my list (complete with pub dates)...

JUNE

3rd. Megan Giddings: Meet Me at the Crossroads (Adult/YA)

On an ordinary summer morning, the world is changed by the appearance of seven mysterious doors that seemingly lead to another world. People are, of course, mesmerized and intrigued: A new dimension filled with beauty and resources beckons them to step into an adventure. But, perhaps inevitably, people soon learn that what looks like paradise may very well be filled with danger.

Ayanna and Olivia, two Black Midwestern teens—and twin sisters—have different ideas of what may lie in the world beyond. But will their personal bond endure such wanton exploration? And when one of them goes missing, will the other find solace of her own? And will she uncover the circumstances of what truly happened to her once constant companion and best friend?

Note: ARC request in limbo...

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10th. Edgmon, H.E.: We Can Never Leave (YA)

You can never go home…

Every day, all across the world, inhuman creatures are waking up with no memory of who they are or where they came from—and the Caravan exists to help them. The traveling community is made up of these very creatures and their families who’ve acclimated to this new existence by finding refuge in each other. That is, until the morning five teenage travelers wake to find their community has disappeared around them overnight.

Those left: a half-human who only just ran back to the Caravan with their tail between their legs, two brothers—one who can’t seem to stay out of trouble and the other who’s never been brave enough to get in it—a venomous girl with blood on her hands and a heart of gold, and the Caravan’s newest addition, a disquieting shadow in the shape of a boy. They’ll have to work together to figure out what happened the night of the disappearance, but each one of the forsaken five is white-knuckling their own secrets. And with each truth forced to light, it becomes clear this isn’t really about what happened to their people—it’s about what happened to them.

Note: ARC denied...but it sounds too awesome to pass up, so I'm planning on buying a copy eventually.

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17th. Peyton June: Bad Creek (YA)

Iris, Gum, and Aidan are vacationing in Bad Creek, just like every summer. Except Iris’s older sister, Glory, drowned in the lake last year, and Iris can’t seem to move on; Gum is hiding his sexuality from his family while being viciously haunted by Glory’s rotting ghost; and Aidan is distraught over a drunken argument with Glory that he fears may have led to her death. When Iris sleepwalks to the dilapidated house that Glory obsessively sketched in her final days, she and the boys begin to uncover a sinister history in the very bones of the town. The trio must reckon with the events of last summer and uncover what lurks within Bad Creek before it takes Iris’s life next.

Gripping and vengeful, Bad Creek confronts the intersection of religion, sexuality, and feminism, and forces readers to reckon with monsters in all their forms—human included.

Note: I got an ARC of this one and posted a mini review for it last week.

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17th. Marie Racquel: If We Survive This (YA)

Flora Braddock Paz is not the girl who survives. A colorful creative who spends as much time fearing death as she does trying to hide that fear from her loved ones, she’s always considered herself weak. But half a year into the global outbreak of a rabies mutation that transforms people into violent, zombielike "rabids," she and her older brother Cain are still alive. With their mom dead, their dad missing, and their LA suburb left desolate, they form a new plan to venture out to the secluded Northern California cabin they vacationed in growing up―their best chance at a safe haven and maybe even seeing their dad again.

The dangers of the world have changed, but so has Flora. Still, their journey up the state is complicated by encounters with familiar faces, new allies, hidden truths, and painful memories of the family’s final time making this trip last year. And for Flora, one thing inevitably remains: No matter how far you run, death is never far behind.

Note: Another ARC I didn't get...but I'm keeping this one on my radar - as a rule, I'm not a great fan of post-apocalypses and zombies, but the sibling dynamic and the OCD rep are calling to me...I heard there's a touch of romance as well, but I hope it's not too relevant.

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JULY

1st. Kelly Murashige: The Yomigaeri Tunnel (YA)

After the worst year of her life, new high-school graduate Monika isn’t exactly feeling up to living it up during her last summer before college like her other classmates. Instead, she is still grieving the loss of one classmate who didn’t make it to graduation, a boy named Shun with whom she had a complicated relationship.

Then Monika hears about the existence of a mythological passageway during a Japanese Club meeting. The Yomigaeri Tunnel is hidden somewhere in her small town. According to Japanese urban legends, those who venture into the Yomigaeri Tunnel are subjected to a harrowing journey through their worst fears and hidden secrets. The tunnel is said to reward anyone who makes it through with a prize—the ability to resurrect one soul from the dead.

Thinking of Shun, Monika jumps at the chance to revive her classmate. But she quickly finds she isn’t the only one to have heard of the passageway. Another girl her age, sharp-tongued and plucky Shiori, is hellbent on reviving her mother and has no plans of letting anyone stop her.

Together, Monika and Shiori have to figure out whether they are partners or rivals on this harrowing journey—all while they are forced to relive their worst moments and face their most painful secrets in the hopes of bringing their loved one back to life.

Note: I requested an ARC and got it on the same day! Mini review posted last week.

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15th. Wendy N. Wagner: Girl in the Creek (Adult)

The Clackamas National Forest has always been a sanctuary for evil—human and alien. The shadows of looming trees and long-abandoned mines shelter poachers and serial killers alike. Then there’s the ruined hotel on the outskirts of picturesque small town Faraday, Oregon, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Hood. The one drowning in mushrooms and fungus not even the local expert can identify. Not to mention the stacks of missing persons cases. Freelance writer Erin Harper arrives in Faraday to find out what happened to her brother, whose disappearance in the forest has haunted her for years. But someone else has gone missing. And when Erin finds her in the creek, the girl vanishes again—this time from the morgue, and days later her fingerprints show up at a murder scene. Maybe it’s a serial killer, or maybe it’s the spores infecting the forest and those lost inside. Erin must find answers quickly, before anyone else goes missing. But she might be next…

Note: Another ARC I didn't get...

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AUGUST

5th. Lio Min: The L.O.V.E. Club (YA)

Three years ago, Elle (the “e” in the self-proclaimed L.O.V.E. Club) disappeared from Calendula, an affluent Chinese American suburb in inland California. Soon afterward, Liberty and Vera (“l” and “v”) moved away, leaving O alone with her grief, abandonment, and confusion...until Liberty and Vera return for their senior year of high school.

Though the L.O.V.E. Club’s three remaining members once bonded as outcasts and gamers, they can’t pick up the pieces of their friendship. But the girls are drawn back to their old clubhouse, where they discover, loaded for them to play, a new game created by none other than the missing Elle.

One click, and Liberty, Vera, and O are ported into Morning Glory, an ever-evolving botanical fantasy coded with their lived experiences, complicated history, and repressed insecurities. Unbeknownst to the others, O can’t remember the events surrounding Elle’s disappearance―but within the game, Elle has sent O a cryptic hint about Morning Glory’s real nature.

While Liberty and Vera defeat increasingly sinister bosses, O grapples with the secret knowledge that her deepest wish, to reunite with Elle, might just come true. But as the girls progress through Morning Glory, O begins to wonder how well she actually knew any of her former best friends and if she’s ready to confront the hard truths―and dangerous revelations―about Elle in her returning memories.

Note: Another denied request. This sounds like an intriguing Jumanji 2.0 variation, so I'm keeping it on my radar...

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12th. Daphne Fama: House of Monstrous Women (Adult)

Orphaned after her father’s political campaign ended in tragedy, Josephine is alone taking care of the family home while her older brother is off in Manila, where revolution brews. But an unexpected invitation from her childhood friend Hiraya to her house offers an escape....

Why don’t you come visit, and we can play games like we used to?

If Josephine wins, she’ll get whatever her heart desires. Her brother is invited, too, and it’s time they had a talk. Josephine’s heard the dark whispers: Hiraya is a witch and her family spits curses. But still, she’s just desperate enough to seize this chance to change her destiny.

Except Ranoco house is strange—labyrinthine and dangerously close to a treacherous sea. A sickly-sweet smell clings to the dimly lit walls, and veiled eyes follow Josephine through endless connecting rooms. The air is tense with secrets and as the game continues it’s clear Josephine doesn’t have the whole truth.

To save herself, she will have to play to win. But in this house, victory is earned with blood.

A lush new voice in horror arises in this riveting gothic set against the upheaval of 1986 Philippines and the People Power Revolution.

Note: Thanks to Barb for putting this one on my radar! ARC request still in limbo...

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Well, that's it for now. Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). And if you're interested in participating in a more casual manner, or only in commenting, here is the TMST prompt list for the month of June (please note: the meme will go on hiatus in July and August, so look for the September prompts in the late summer!):

• June 3th: Paper, electronic, audio...How do you read? Has it changed in recent years?
• June 10th: New-to-me authors: who have you discovered in the past 12 months?
• June 17th: How do you choose what to read next?
• June 24th: Do you have any travel or staycation plans for the summer?

I'll be only be back for the meme in September, since 1) I decided to take another hiatus (more in my next Offbeat Offline installment), and 2) as stated above, Tell Me Something Tuesday will be on summer break in July and August! But don't worry - Jen is already working on the last-quarter-of-the-year schedule...🙂 The first question of September (which used to be the last of August) is already available:

• September 2nd: Which books are you looking forward to reading this fall? (September-November).

Now tell me something...which summer books are on your TBR list?