I meant to post this earlier but you know how it goes sometime. So better late than never but here are some of the new releases this month that I’m excited about. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the review copies.

The War for Gloria by Atticus Lish. A story of a young man, straddling childhood and adulthood, whose yearning to protect his mother requires him to risk destroying his father. Sounds like this is going to be very sad but hopefully a rewarding read.

The Spectacular by Zoe Whittall. A novel about three very different women who each struggle to build an authentic life. Definitions of family, romance, gender, and love will radically change as they seek out lives that are nothing less than spectacular. I like that this will have three different generations of women and the struggles they go through.

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes. A couple call it quits after nearly five years, and while holding a box of her ex-boyfriend’s belongings, the young woman wonders: How could they have spent so long together? The story moves backwards as the characters determine what happened to their love.

Kissing the Wind by A.E. Hotchner. The story of a man struggling to overcome a rare syndrome that causes terrifying hallucinations, who eventually, despite the odds, finds love. There’s going to be a quest to find healing and love so sounds like a good combination to me.

Island by Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen, translated by Caroline Waight. A young Danish woman explores her family’s past and Faroe Islands ancestry across three generations. In the process she uncovers details of the passions and challenges her grandparents and their siblings. I would love to go to the Faroe Islands so that’s part of the reason I want to read this book.

The Missing Hours by Julia Dahl. From a distance, Claudia Castro has it all: a famous family, a trust fund, thousands of Instagram followers, and a spot in NYU’s freshman class. But look closer, and things are messier and finally everything changes. This sounds like a great thriller.

Have you heard of these books? Maybe you’ve already added one to your current reads. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these.

“But the sea would always be calling them that evening; and when Mr. Stevens took his after-supper stroll in the garden he could almost taste the saltness in the air. It was a habit of Mr. Stevens to linger in the garden longer than usual on the night before they went away; the Office was behind him: he had slammed the lid of this desk for fifteen splendid days, and he liked to feel the holiday had begun that evening.”

The Fortnight in September
By R. C. Sherriff
Source: Advance review copy

Mr. Stevens is looking forward to sitting with his family that evening to go over their plans for their annual trip to Bognor Regis, a small seaside town. Since he and Mrs. Stevens went there for their honeymoon they’ve continued to stay at the same guesthouse run by Mrs. Huggett.

They realize that as the years have gone by their children are growing up and perhaps their time together as a family for a holiday may come to an end soon. Their young son Ernie will no doubt enjoy the holiday but Mary is a young woman testing her independence and Dick has embarked on his first job. So everything has to be perfect for this family holiday.

The train tickets have been purchased, the arrangements for who will take care of any mail or other home business while they are away have been sorted. Suitcases have been packed with care and now they can look forward to carefree days by the sea.

As the family settle into the guesthouse they once again wonder if maybe they should have gone to a new place. Mrs. Huggett’s guesthouse is showing signs of wear but they more they think about it, they know they wouldn’t go anywhere else. Mrs. Huggett seems frail and they can’t imagine having to tell her that they wouldn’t be back. No they can’t do that.

And so the family settles in to have a holiday filled with friendships new and old, a taste of romance, and days filled with the simple and enjoyable things in life.

As someone who loves to travel, I love the anticipation each family feels. Sometimes a bit of trepidation about all the things that need to happen but no matter we get to see what the holiday means for each one of the family members and you can’t help but find yourself thinking about vacations to come. A delightful read.