Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Can’t Wait Wednesday: June 2020 Book Releases



Can’t Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings. I get to spotlight a few upcoming book releases that sound interesting to me. Here’s what was supposed to be coming out in the next few weeks. Due to Coronavirus, some of the release dates may have changed.

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June 2020 Book Releases







Burn by Patrick Ness



Young Adult Fantasy
June 2, 2020


Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to.

The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn’t have a soul, but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe.

Because the dragon knows something she doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit—and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.


What interests me? I’ve heard that Burn involves parallel universes. So, the universe in the book is similar to ours, but there are dragons? Cool. Also, I want to know about the assassins, cults, and FBI agents. Everything about this book sounds spectacularly weird.













The Invisible Boy by Alyssa Hollingsworth



Middlegrade Contemporary
June 9, 2020
September 8, 2020


Nadia finds adventure in the pages of her Superman comic books, until a mysterious boy saves her dog from drowning during a storm and then disappears. Now she finds herself in the role of Lois Lane, hunting down the scoop of the Invisible Boy, and suddenly she’s in a real-life adventure that’s far more dangerous than anything in her comic books.

The Invisible Boy is a mystery and an adventure story, as well as a story about child labor trafficking.


What interests me? I’ve never read a book about child labor trafficking. It seems like a tough topic for middlegrade. Goodreads says “Like Katherine Applegate, author of Crenshaw and Wishtree, Alyssa Hollingsworth takes difficult subject matter and makes it accessible for middle-grade readers.” I wonder how depressing it’s going to be? The Katherine Applegate books I’ve read tend to have hopeful endings.












You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat



Adult Literary Fiction
June 9, 2020


On a hot day in Bethlehem, a 12-year-old Palestinian-American girl is yelled at by a group of men outside the Church of the Nativity. She has exposed her legs in a biblical city, an act they deem forbidden, and their judgement will echo on through her adolescence. When our narrator finally admits to her mother that she is queer, her mother’s response only intensifies a sense of shame: “You exist too much,” she tells her daughter.

Told in vignettes that flash between the U.S. and the Middle East―from New York to Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine―Zaina Arafat’s debut novel traces her protagonist’s progress from blushing teen to sought-after DJ and aspiring writer.


What interests me? It sounds like a story about clashing cultures. What’s acceptable in one culture is forbidden in another. I want to see how the character navigates those issues. Also, I like all the blue and gold on the cover. (Yes, I judge books by their covers.)











Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano



Young Adult Fantasy
June 23, 2020


One cold, crisp night, Jack Sommers was faced with a choice—live forever according to the ancient, magical rules of Gaia, or die.

Jack chose to live, and in exchange, he became a Winter—an immortal physical embodiment of the season on Earth. Every year, he must hunt the Season who comes before him. Summer kills Spring. Autumn kills Summer. Winter kills Autumn. And Spring kills Winter.

Jack and Fleur, a Winter and a Spring, fall for each other against all odds. To be together, they’ll have to escape the cycle that’s been forcing them apart. But their creator won’t let them go without a fight.


What interests me? It’s hard to get me interested in a fantasy book, but this one managed to get my attention. The seasons are humans who have to kill each other? I don’t think I’ve seen that premise before, but I’m getting vibes of The Game Of Love And Death by Martha Brockenbrough. I loved that book.











What’s Left Of Me Is Yours by Stephanie Scott



Adult Mystery / Thriller
June 23, 2020


In Japan, a covert industry has grown up around the "wakaresaseya" (literally "breaker-upper"), a person hired by one spouse to seduce the other in order to gain the advantage in divorce proceedings. When SatĹŤ hires KaitarĹŤ, a wakaresaseya agent, to have an affair with his wife, Rina, he assumes it will be an easy case. But SatĹŤ has never truly understood Rina or her desires and KaitarĹŤ's job is to do exactly that—until he does it too well. While Rina remains ignorant of the circumstances that brought them together, she and KaitarĹŤ fall in a desperate, singular love, setting in motion a series of violent acts that will forever haunt her daughter's life.


What interests me? I didn’t know that “breaker-uppers” existed and could be hired. That’s fascinatingly awful. From the synopsis, this book sounds like a dark romance, but reviewers say it’s a murder mystery that was inspired by real events. I’m game.












Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia


Adult Historical Fiction
June 30, 2020


After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, NoemĂ­ Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and NoemĂ­ knows little about the region.

NoemĂ­ is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by NoemĂ­; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade NoemĂ­’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help NoemĂ­, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as NoemĂ­ digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And NoemĂ­, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.



What interests me? It’s been compared to Rebecca and Jane Eyre. If it lives up to those comparison titles, I’ll be a very happy bookworm.


















Are you looking forward to any June book releases?









14 comments:

  1. Yeah the last 2 books particularly interest me: Mexican Gothic (great title & cover too) and What's Left of Me Is Yours ... which sounds different and something I didn't know about Japan. Both seem like good reads!

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  2. This month has so many amazing sounding books coming out. I’m especially excited Mexican Gothic!

    My CWW

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  3. Oh my goodness... I'm also very much looking forward to Mexican Gothic - it's going to be a bumper month:)). And What's Left of Me Is Yours sounds good in a dreadful way...

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  4. A middle grades book about child trafficking. Wow! I would definitely read that book.

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  5. I'll read anything by Patrick Ness, but it helps that Burn sounds like a lot of fun too. The Invisible Boy is high on my TBR pile. I am looking forward to that one as well. I am reading Mexican Gothic right now. So far so good, but it's still early on. I am really curious about Seasons of the Storm. What's Left of Me is Yours is new to me--I will have to look into that one. It sounds like something I would really like.

    I hope you have a great day, AJ!

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  6. Wow, they're some great books on here. I hadn't heard of You Exist Too Much and that sounds v interesting

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  7. I'm thinking of buying a Kindle copy of Burn. I'm really interested in it even though I've only read one other book from that author.

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  8. Yes to Mexican Gothic! So excited for that one - I love both Rebecca and Jane Eyre! Seasons of the Storm sounds very cool!

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  9. I'm also looking forward to Burn! Let's hope we both enjoy it!

    Here’s my WoW!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  10. Burn is THE BEST. I love it so much! You are right about the thing you heard and it is awesome. Mexican Gothic sounds fabulous, and I may have to check out Seasons of the Storm, too. Also, a breaker-upper!? That is WILD, I love it!

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  11. Great post as always AJ! I don't really have any books on my radar as the good ones are not being released in paperback for me to grab!

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  12. You've got some great picks on this list! I wanted to read the Patrick Ness one, but it is related to his other ones that I'd need to read them first?
    Check out my Wednesday post

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  13. Seasons of The Storm has an interesting premise! I hadn't heard of that one before but I'm very curious about it now! (The cover is also awesome.)

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