Books Added to My Shelves in Aug/Sept 2025

This is my monthly roundup of books that I added to my shelves in August and September 2025. Some of the books came directly from authors or publishers, others were purchased, or were given to me as gifts. You’ll find books from all kinds of genres, including adult and children’s books. I’ll even share a few updates from our family’s life in the last few months as well.

Family and Life Update

This post includes updates from August and September since I took a blogging break mid-August. I unexpectedly started the school year subbing for the first three weeks, which took away most of my free time that I use for reading and preparing my blog posts. Full evenings and weekends during that time kept me busy, and I feel like I have so much to share with you now.

I started August with a weekend trip to St. Cloud, Minnesota, with my mom and other family members to see the Munsinger and Clemens Gardens. They were in full bloom and so beautiful.

We had our annual summer day with our friends, touring our state. This time, we walked across the old Sutliff Bridge near Solon and Lisbon. Then we had lunch at the Great Revivalist Brewery, a brewery inside an old church in Clinton. We did a little antiquing in Clinton, stopped by Eagle Point Park, and climbed up the stone tower.

We went to the Iowa State Fair twice. Once with friends and then again with our kids. Both days were HOT, but we still had a ton of fun! We tried a lot of the new foods and had some of our favorites.

I love our new tradition of going to the Iowa State Fair!

Pat and I went to St. Charles, Illinois, to see one of our favorite musicians, Eric Martin, former lead singer of Mr. Big. We stayed at the Hotel Baker and had a wonderful evening with a delicious dinner at Za’Za’ Trattoria. St. Charles is a lovely town on the river, and I wish we had been able to spend more time there.

Reagan started her junior year of college, we attended a couple of weddings, and my mom and I visited her sister and my cousin in Northern Minnesota. It’s been a full couple of months, and I love that I can do all these fun things with my family.

Now, on to the books! 

August and September were full of lots of fun things and work things, but not a whole lot of reading. This fall includes some fun things as well, with hopefully more reading time.

I finished 6 books in August and September. One way to ensure you finish a book is to always have one with you, no matter what. Lately, most of my reading has happened in the morning while I was getting reading for the day by listening to an audiobook. In the evening, I would try to read, but I was so exhausted, I would only get a couple of pages read before falling asleep. Even though I didn’t read a lot, I hope this encourages you to read in the small and big pockets of your day. Even 10 minutes at a time can make a big difference. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, HERE, to see snippets of what I’m reading or what’s going on in my daily life.

This month’s list includes some upcoming 2026 fiction, a mix of recent and past fiction, historical fiction, and non-fiction, and numerous upcoming children’s books. My current reads include HOW TO READ A BOOK for book club, A REAL EMERGENCY for review, and I’m listening to THE CORRESPONDENT.

If you have missed any of my recent book reviews, you can see all of them by clicking HERE.  Or you can stay up to date with my monthly Quick Lit Roundup.

Clicking the photos of each book will take you to a link to purchase. If you choose to purchase through any of the links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.

ADULT FICTION AND NON-FICTION

THE PATCHWORK PLAYERS
An Elm Creek Quilts Novel #24
By: Jennifer Chiaverini
Published: April 14, 2026
Publisher: William Morrow
Historical Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

This is the follow-up to THE WORLD’S FAIR QUILT that I shared in May. It appears to pick up right where the previous novel left off, with a TV show hoping to help keep the Elm Creek Quilt Camp financially solvent.

The cast of a smash TV show arrives at a quilter’s retreat for week of camaraderie and creativity that takes some surprising twists in this heartwarming new installment of Jennifer Chiaverini’s much-beloved Elm Creek Quilts series.

Acclaimed TV actress Julia Merchaud almost can’t believe her good fortune. Her beloved historical drama, A Patchwork Life, revived her career and made stars of several younger actors. But Julia’s happiness turns to dismay when she learns that the hit show will have only one more season. Can she convince everyone to stay just a little longer?

Inspiration comes after a conversation with Summer Sullivan, one of the expert quilters who helped Julia prepare for her role. When Summer confides that Elm Creek Quilt Camp is in financial trouble, Julia concocts a brilliant plan that will help the Elm Creek Quilters and herself.

Julia sets about persuading the cast and crew to join her for what she promises will be a marvelous week at a luxurious nineteenth-century mansion amid the autumnal splendor of central Pennsylvania, a creative and dynamic working vacation they’ll never forget. Secretly, she hopes the bonding experience will convince them to abandon their other plans and sign on for another few seasons. But after several joyful days of quilting and camaraderie, Julia’s scheme takes an unexpected turn. Soon she’ll have to make hard choices about which matters more—career or friendship.

WOMEN OF A PROMISCUOUS NATURE
By: Donna Everhart
Published: January 27, 2026
Publisher: Kensington Books
Historical Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

Donna Everhart is the author of THE SAINTS OF SWALLOW HILL, which I read with my book club gals in 2023.

The day Ruth Foster’s life changes begins the same way as many others—with a walk through her North Carolina hometown toward the diner where she works. But on this day, Ruth is stopped by the local sheriff, who insists that she accompany him to a health clinic. Women like Ruth—young, unmarried, living alone—must undergo testing in order to preserve decency and prevent the spread of sexual disease.

Though Ruth has never shared more than a chaste kiss with a man, by day’s end she is one of dozens of women held at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. Some, like 15-year-old Stella Temple, are brought in at their family’s request. For Stella, even the Colony’s hardships seem like a respite from her nightmarish home life.

Superintendent Dorothy Baker, convinced that she’s transforming degenerate souls into upstanding members of society, oversees the women’s medical treatment and “training” until they’re deemed ready for parole. Sooner or later, everyone at the Colony learns to abide by Mrs. Baker’s rule book or face the consequences—solitary confinement, grueling work assignments, and worse.

But some refuse to be cowed. Against Mrs. Baker’s dogged efforts and the punishing weight of authority, Ruth and other inmates find ways to fight back, resolved to regain their freedom at any cost.

THE STORY KEEPER
By: Kelly Rimmer
Narrated by: Siho Ellsmore
Published: July 21, 2026
Publisher: MIRA
Fiction
Format: Audiobook for Review

I believe this is the former THE MIDNIGHT ESTATE that I shared in a previous new books post. I’m thinking the publisher or author decided on a title/cover change since the book descriptions are the same. I also loved THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY by Kelly Rimmer.

In the aftermath of a tumultuous year, Fiona Winslow finds solace in the decaying grandeur of Wurimbirra, the rambling family estate she once called home. Intent on restoring it, she discovers the keys to more than just the dilapidated mansion—beneath the crumbling plaster and dust are secrets that have been buried for a generation.

When a curious book, The Midnight Estate, catches her attention in her late uncle’s library, Fiona is plunged into a tale that mirrors her own—a story of love, loss and betrayal. But as the lines between fiction and reality blur, Fiona must ask herself: Is the true mystery the one hidden within the walls of her ancestral home, or is it within the pages of a book that chose her as much as she chose it?

Told in a dual narrative and set against the Gothic backdrop of Wurimbirra, Kelly Rimmer, bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say, weaves an intricate and compelling tale, inviting readers into the heart of a family’s deepest secrets with an absorbing book-within-a-book mystery.

THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM
By: Laura Dave
Published: January 6, 2026
Publisher: Scribner
Thriller
Format: eBook for Review

The much-anticipated sequel to THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME! I cheered when I received this in my email!

Five years after her husband, Owen, disappeared, Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have settled into a new life in Southern California. Together, they’ve forged a relationship with Bailey’s grandfather Nicholas and are putting the past behind them.

But when Owen shows up at Hannah’s new exhibition, she knows that she and Bailey are in danger again.

Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up with them. As a thrilling drama unfolds, Hannah risks everything to get Bailey to safety—and finds there just might be a way back to Owen and their long-awaited second chance.

HOW TO READ A BOOK
By: Monica Wood
Published: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Mariner Books
Fiction
Format: eBook purchase

I chose this one for our book club this month. I’ve been seeing readers raving about it, and it sounds like the kind of book I love. Monica Wood is the author of THE ONE IN A MILLION BOY, which I loved.

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

How to Read a Book  is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.

THE ROAD TO TENDER HEARTS
By: Anne Hartnett
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
Published: April 29, 2025
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Fiction
Format: Audiobook on Audible

I purchased some Audible credits as part of a sale and bought some books that are on my reading list. I will likely be able to read them sooner if they are on audio. Everything I have seen and heard about this book tells me I’ll love it. Mark Bramhall narrated THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS and is part of the full cast of narrators for THE CORRESPONDENT.

At sixty-three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren’t for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn’t have much time left—he’s had three heart attacks already.

But when PJ reads an obituary of his old romantic rival, he realizes his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he’s going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win Michelle back.

Before PJ can hit the road, tragedy strikes Pondville, leaving PJ the sudden guardian of his estranged brother’s grandchildren. Anyone else would be deterred from the planned trip, but PJ figures the orphaned kids might benefit from getting out of town. PJ also figures he can ask Sophie, his adult daughter, adrift in her 20s, to come along to babysit. And there’s one more surprise addition to the roster: Pancakes, a former nursing home therapy cat with a knack of predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ’s home.

This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for—a second shot at love and parenting—but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It’s very possible his heart can’t take it.

THE CORRESPONDENT
By: Virginia Evans
Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Roberr Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Peter Ganim, and Jade Wheeler
Published: April 29, 2025
Publisher: Crown
Fiction
Format: Audiobook on Audible

I purchased some Audible credits as part of a sale and bought some books that are on my reading list. I will likely be able to read them sooner if they are on audio. This one is sure to be a 5-star read for me as well, and I’ve already started listening to it. Chris Ciulla is the narrator of THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY. Kimberly Farr narrates Elizabeth Strout’s books, such as OLIVE, AGAIN. Peter Ganim narrates EAT TO BEAT DISEASE.

Throughout her life Sybil Van Antwerp has used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings around half past ten Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has. A mother, grandmother, wife, divorcée, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

THE NAMES
By: Florence Knapp
Narrated by: Dervla Kirwan
Published: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Fiction
Format: Audiobook on Audible

I purchased some Audible credits as part of a sale and bought some books that are on my reading list. I will likely be able to read them sooner if they are on audio. I’m on the fence about this one. I feel like I would like it, but I’m concerned about the domestic violence part of the story. I hope listening to it will be easier for me.

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son’s birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she’d like to call the child, Cora hesitates…

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora’s and her young son’s lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the “one . . . precious life” we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.

HEARTWOOD
By: Amity Gaige
Narrated by: Justine Lupe, Alma Cuervo, Rebecca Lowman, Ali Andre Ali, Cary Hite, and Helen Laser
Published: April 1, 2025
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Fiction
Format: Audiobook on Audible

I purchased some Audible credits as part of a sale and bought some books that are on my reading list. I will likely be able to read them sooner if they are on audio. I wasn’t sure I would be interested in this one, but the more I’ve heard, the more I think I’ll love it. Alma Cuervo narrates THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO.

Heartwood takes you on a journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.

In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.

At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Roving between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental.

OZ: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
By: L. Frank Baum
Narrated by: Charles Hubbell
Published: This edition July 18, 2014
Publisher: Maplewood Books
Fantasy
Format: Audiobook through Audible

I purchased some Audible credits as part of a sale and bought some books that are on my reading list. I will likely be able to read them sooner if they are on audio. This is a chunk of a book, and I breezed through the first story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. But after starting The Marvelous Land of Oz, I lost some interest. It was a bit too fantastical for me. So, I put it aside for now. I mainly purchased it to read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz after reading BEFORE DOROTHY and to prepare me for the upcoming Wicked movie this fall.

This delightful compilation includes all fifteen books written by L. Frank Baum:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
The Road to Oz
The Emerald City of Oz
The Patchwork Girl Of Oz
Little Wizard Stories of Oz
Tik-Tok of Oz
The Scarecrow Of Oz
Rinkitink In Oz
The Lost Princess Of Oz
The Tin Woodman Of Oz
The Magic of Oz
Glinda Of Oz

Perhaps there is no better, or fitting, introduction one could give to this compilation than the author’s note that Baum himself writes in his very first book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Here he reveals the true intention of his work. Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations. Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as “historical” in the children’s library; for the time has come for a series of newer “wonder tales” in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.

THE SUMMER BOOK
By: Tove Jansson
Translated by: Thomas Teal
Published: Originally in 1972 – This Edition 2008
Publisher: New York Review Books
Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Audible

I purchased some Audible credits as part of a sale and bought some books that are on my reading list. I will likely be able to read them sooner if they are on audio. This was originally published in Finland. I’m not sure where I heard about this book, but I knew I needed to read it. There is also a movie with Glenn Close that was released in 2024.

In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland. The grandmother is unsentimental and wise, if a little cranky; Sophia is impetuous and volatile, but she tends to her grandmother with the care of a new parent. Together they amble over coastline and forest in easy companionship, build boats from bark, create a miniature Venice, write a fanciful study of local bugs. They discuss things that matter to young and old alike: life, death, the nature of God and of love. “On an island,” thinks the grandmother, “everything is complete.” In The Summer Book, Jansson creates her own complete world, full of the varied joys and sorrows of life.

Tove Jansson, whose Moomintroll comic strip and books brought her international acclaim, lived for much of her life on an island like the one described in The Summer Book, and the work can be enjoyed as her closely observed journal of the sounds, sights, and feel of a summer spent in intimate contact with the natural world. 

The Summer Book is translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal.

WILDLIFE THROUGH THE LENS
Animal Stories from Montana and the Rocky Mountains
Photography by: Lea Frye
Stories by Lea Frye and Scot Bealer
Published: September 1, 2025
Publisher: Sweetgrass Books
Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback for Review

I love nature photography and animal stories. Even though this is targeted for adults, I’m sure families could read and enjoy it together.

Dive into the captivating world of wildlife photography with Lea Frye and Scot Bealer as they share their adventures in pursuit of stunning animal portraits.

Behind-the-Scenes Adventures: Join Lea and Scot on their journeys through the Rocky Mountains, from heartwarming encounters to unexpected laughs in the field.
Photography Insights: Learn Lea’s approach to capturing wildlife personalities and behaviors, blending artistry with natural history.
Fun Facts and Natural Wonders: Explore fascinating tidbits about Montana’s diverse wildlife, sprinkled throughout their captivating stories.
Immerse yourself in the wild world of Montana’s creatures through Lea Frye’s lens. Perfect for animal lovers and aspiring photographers alike, this book celebrates the beauty and resilience of nature.

FULL BLOOM
By: Francesca Serritella
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Thriller
Format: Hardcover gifted copy

This was a win from BookReporter.com.

Reeling from a breakup and overlooked at her job as a lighting designer, Iris Sunnegren finds herself stuck, disconnected, and lonely in crowded New York City. Her wealthy friends are married and having babies, while she’s trying to pay for freezing her eggs. And the future she longs for feels out of reach.

Then, a mysterious neighbor, an older Frenchwoman, makes her a bespoke perfume.

One spritz, a dab behind the ears, and Iris is a different woman. Suddenly, she is the object of every man’s desire, and she can satisfy her own hungers for sex, love, and ambition. She can cast off her inhibitions and use her newfound allure to dazzle the high-profile client, attract a man who excites her like no other, and access all the rarified spaces that once excluded her. Under the perfume’s heady spell, Iris embodies her maximum power—a flower fully bloomed.

But there is danger in connecting to our primal emotions. Scent awakens buried memories, and nightmares of the childhood house fire she barely survived return to haunt her. As Iris ventures deeper into the glamorous and male-dominated worlds of New York real estate, dimly-lit steakhouses, and beachfront mansions in the Hamptons, she finds herself getting closer to unspeakable truths—about the people she trusted, about the people she loved, and about the new circle of power-players that invited her in.

A sensual and seductive novel set among the upper echelons of New York City, Full Bloom is at once a poignant story of becoming and a riveting mystery that Who are you without your inhibitions? Does being wanted get what you want, or will you be devoured by desire?

THE FRENCH KITCHEN
By: Kristy Cambron
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback gift

My best friend went to this author’s reading at Parnassus Books and gifted me a signed copy! Right now, there is a Julia Child exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul that I plan to go to in April. I’ll be sure to read this book before going to the exhibit. This book is exactly the kind of book I like.

Paris, 1952 — An ex-pat wife living in Paris signs up for a cookery class taught by an American chef with an indomitable wit and decidedly French airs–an instructor by name of Julia Child. Amongst classes of the L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes, with pots and pans and prim Paris wives learning to sauté in the French way, Kat Fontaine learns much more than she bargained for.

Still haunted by the years she spent serving in the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII, Kat soon finds a simple cookery class unearths the tangle of gut-wrenching memories of war and questions about the high-ranking society husband whose past is as murky as her own. But when the puzzle pieces start to come together–and her carefully crafted Paris world begins to fall apart–Kat must confront her own secrets against the mounting suspicions of the husband she thought she knew . . .

Rue, 1943 — Deep in the heart of Nazi-controlled northern France, Manon Altier shifts between working for the enemy by day–as a French chef at the famous Château du Broutel, where names like Himmler, Rommel, and Goebbels frequent the guest list–and running with underground networks against the Vichy regime at night. Working undercover to filter information to agents within the burgeoning OSS, Manon digs deep into the glitz and glamour of a Nazi stronghold that has her teetering on the edge of being discovered at any turn. But when an intriguing stranger appears at the chateau claiming to work with the French Resistance, Manon must lean on her instincts to judge whether to run and hide or stand firm–even as a terrifying discovery tests her resolve to continue the fight.

From the heights of culinary cuisine in 1950s Paris society to the underbelly of a WWII spy network embedded deep within Nazi-controlled Vichy France–and the spy backstory of the world’s most famous would-be French chef, Julia Child–The French Kitchen turns up the heat on the pasts of women whose worlds collide, and forces each to question what she thought she’d planned for a perfect future.

THE VERY LONG, VERY STRANGE LIFE OF ISAAC DAHL
By: Bart Yates
Published: July 23, 2024
Publisher: A John Scognamiglio Book
Fiction
Format: Paperback purchase

This was a totally spontaneous purchase while browsing the shelves at Target. It has Forrest Gump vibes in the sense that Forrest seemed to be in all the epic history moments, and so did Isaac Dahl.

At the age of ninety-six, Isaac Dahl sits down to write his memoir. For Isaac, an accomplished journalist and historian, finding the right words is never a problem. But this book will be different from anything he has written before. Focusing on twelve different days, each encapsulated in a chapter, Isaac hopes to distill the very essence of his life.

There are days that begin like any other, only to morph through twists of fate. An avalanche strikes Bingham, Utah, and 8-year-old Isaac and his twin sister, Agnes, survive when they are trapped in an upside-down bathtub. Other days stand apart—including a day in 1942, when Isaac, stationed on the USS Houston in the Java Sea as a rookie correspondent, confronts the full horror of war. And there are days spent simply, with his lifelong friend, Bo, or with Danny, the younger man whose love transforms Isaac’s later years—precious days with significance that grows clear only in hindsight.

From the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to a Mississippi school at the apex of the civil rights movement, Isaac tells his story with insight, wisdom, and an emotional depth that reminds us there is no such thing as an ordinary life—and the greatest accomplishment of all is to live and love fully.

BECOMING CAITLIN CLARK
By: Howard Megdal
Published: June 17, 2025
Publisher: Triumph Books
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Purchase

I purchased this one because we are huge Caitlin Clark fans, but also because the author interviewed our neighbor about his season coaching girls’ high school basketball in Iowa when they won the state girls’ basketball tournament back in 1962. Our tiny town of just 700+ people is part of a whole chapter in this book, and I think that is pretty awesome.

Caitlin Clark has established herself as one of the global faces of the WNBA and has ignited popular interest in women’s sports. Her ascent to dominance and international celebrity represents the continuation of a surprisingly deep lineage for women’s basketball in the state of Iowa where Clark was born and raised, and where she wrote her name throughout the NCAA history books as a Hawkeye.

Spanning 100 years and several generations, Becoming Caitlin Clark traces the arc between the revered women who played the wildly popular game of 6-on-6 basketball in the 1920s and Clark in the 2020s, examining her fame and style of play in the context of her predecessors, while telling the story of the basketball-loving community that rallied behind her in college and beyond.

Howard Megdal’s storytelling incorporates in-depth conversations with Clark; her coach Lisa Bluder; her Iowa teammates, including WNBA star Kate Martin; the top assistant coach at Iowa, Jan Jensen; the Caitlin Clark of the 1970s, Molly Bolin; vital figures in the growth of Iowa basketball like C. Vivian Stringer and Jolette Law; and even Jensen’s grandmother Dorcas Andersen, who scored 89 points in the Iowa state tournament in 1921 and kept journals as she did so, brought to light here for the first time.

From rural auditoriums to the Indiana Fever’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse, this intimate yet kaleidoscopic perspective on the modern game and its newest icon makes this an essential listen for WNBA and college basketball fans.

CHILDREN’S FICTION AND NON-FICTION

AT THE RAGTAG HOTEL
By: Freya Novak
Illustrated by: Anastasiya Halionka
Published: June 12, 2025
Publisher:
Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

This is only available as an eBook, currently for $3.99 (subject to change).

Introducing Dallas Dingo, the quintessential “jack of all trades” at the Ragtag Hotel.

On a sweltering, sticky afternoon, Dallas cheerfully navigates the hotel’s elevator, zipping residents up and down with a bright smile.

In this lively community, you’ll meet a diverse array of captivating a cheerful capybara flashing a toothy grin, a poised ostrich strutting with grace, a faint-prone quokka, a diminutive tarsier with large, soulful eyes, a whimsical armadillo rolling around playfully, and a worried okapi anxious about fitting into the elevator.

The atmosphere brims with anticipation as more animals squeeze in. Will they all manage to fit into the crowded, bustling elevator, or will someone be left behind? And what adventures await on the mysterious fourteenth floor?

LET’S FIND YAYA & BOO ON THE GO!
A Hide-and-Seek Adventure
Find Momo series
By: Andrew Knapp
Published: September 16, 2025
Publisher: Quirk Books
Fiction
Format: Board Book for Review

There appear to be 8 books in this Find Momo series. This is the first one that I’m familiar with.

Is that Yaya taking a ride on a fire truck, or Boo hiding in a boat? Can you spot the dogs taking a bus ride to school, or checking out a construction site? Learn new words by finding twelve exciting vehicles and fun objects in each scene as you play hide-and-seek with Yaya and Boo all over town!

The next installment of the beloved Find Momo series features Andrew Knapp’s signature colorful and inviting photography while highlighting things that go, such as cars, trucks, airplanes, bikes, and more!

DOG LOVES BABY
Dog and Cat’s First Series
By: Natalie Nelson
Published: December 2, 2025
Publisher: Quirk Books
Fiction
Format: Board Book for review

Part of the same series as DOG’S FIRST CHRISTMAS, but perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Is love something to sniff?
Is it something to bounce or pounce?

Love is in the air! As Valentine’s Day approaches, Dog sniffs out the meaning of love and tries to figure out why there are so many paper hearts to chew. Of course, Baby is on the case, too—and they just might discover that love is all around them.

For more in this beloved series, delight in new experiences all year lon

CAT’S FIRST HALLOWEEN
Dog and Cat’s First Series
By: Natalie Nelson
Published: August 12, 2025
Publisher: Quirk Books
Fiction
Format: Board Book for Review

Part of the same series as DOG’S FIRST CHRISTMAS.

We sneak. We peek.
We prowl . . . and we yowl!

It’s spooky season, and Cat is ready to show Baby everything he knows about it. Pumpkins are smiling, treats are everywhere . . . and curiously, a ladybug and a dinosaur show up at the door. Celebrate Halloween with Cat, tricks, and treats as Baby discovers what makes the season so special!

THE TREE THAT WAS A WORLD
By: Yorick Goldewijk
Illustrated by: Jeska Verstegen
Translated by: Laura Watkinson
Published: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Middle-Grade Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book for Review

Laura Watkinson also translated A TIGER LIKE ME.

The tree is as old as the world, covered in cracks and crevices—and full of life. A sloth hangs on a branch all day but longs to somersault through the woods. The moon moth caterpillar watches her friends shed their skins and decides to do things differently. The barn swallow feels like she’s lost something—but can’t remember what. The common toad disagrees with his name—and the duck-billed platypus might have something to say about that. The red squirrel has the strangest sense that he might be a human—for one, that looks like a watch on his wrist! Wherever you look in this tree, another creature has a thought, a dream, a decision, a question…

With spectacular art by New York Times/NYPL Best Illustrated awardee Jeska Verstegen, this middle-grade novel will charm readers with its imaginative storytelling and extraordinary cast of animal characters. Hilarious, surreal, and thought-provoking, The Tree that Was a World is an utterly unforgettable book.

THE AGATHA CASE FILES: WELCOME TO KITTYVILLE
8 Mysteries to Solve
By: Paul Martin
Illustrated by: Camille Roy
Published: September 9, 2025
Publisher: Twirl
Fiction
Format: Interactive Hardcover Picture Book for Review

Camille Roy also illustrated DO YOU KNOW? FARM, ANIMALS, WORK, AND LIFE.

Be a detective! Agatha is new to Kittyville, but that’s not stopping her from solving the mysteries that are taking place in town. Young readers are invited to join Agatha in her mission: look for clues, identify suspects, and come up with solutions! This illustrated interactive mystery with gatefold flaps is perfect for budding sleuths.

THE ELEVATOR ON 74TH STREET
By: Laura Gehl
Illustrated by: Yas Imamura
Published: September 30, 2025
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book for Review

Laura Gehl is a regular author featured here on the blog. I love all of her books.

Every day, Ellie the elevator works tirelessly to make the residents of her building happy. She loves everyone who lives in her building—even the dogs with muddy paws and the over-enthusiastic button-pushers. But Ellie has a soft spot for Thea, who bounces through Ellie’s doors with a cheerful grin every day. After Thea’s best friend moves away, Ellie rarely sees Thea smile anymore. Ellie wants to cheer Thea up…but what can an elevator do to help? Leave it to Ellie to make Thea’s world better.

ROCK STAR
How Ursula Marvin Mapped Moon Rocks and Meteorites
By: Sandra Neil Wallace
Illustrated by: Nancy Carpenter
Published: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Non-Fiction/Biography
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

I love these picture book biographies where kids can learn about a lesser-known person (usually a woman) in history who made a big impact on the future.

While attending college in the early 1940s, Ursula Marvin fell in love with geology, but when she asked her male professor about making the field her major, he tried to stop her, saying it would be a better use of her time to learn how to cook. Ursula studied geology anyway, eventually getting her master’s and PhD in the subject.

As a visionary and groundbreaking geologist, Ursula also had to be brave. She believed meteorites held the key to unlocking the origins of the solar system. To prove it, she travelled to Antarctica where she faced fierce winds, the coldest climate on Earth, and cracks in the ice that could have crushed her, but she knew the danger was worth the risk and scientific exploration wasn’t just for men. She proved her theory and that meteorites could be made up of pieces of planets or the moon.

Ursula Marvin charted new territory as a scientist and fought gender discrimination at every turn in her career. She broke barriers in science, helped create the field of planet geology, and discovered theories that are now foundational such as the evolution of and life on the moon—reshaping our understanding of the universe.

ALL ABOUT ANTARCTICA
A Fact Book About the Southernmost Continent
Everything and Everywhere series
By: Marc Martin
Published: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book for Review

Antarctica is a fragile and fascinating world that most of us will never see―and it’s disappearing. Learn all about it before it’s too late. All About Antarctica is an inviting and exciting reading experience with brilliant color illustrations paired with bite-sized facts on every page.

Put on your parka and snowshoes and step into this nonfiction picture book to embark on a journey to the way, way south. You could hitch a ride on a Sno-Cat, explore the majestic icefalls, hunt for meteorites, and marvel at migrating whales―or just stay in for a movie and pizza.

From colossal squids and active volcanoes to research vessels and cricket matches, there’s a lot more to the South Pole than just penguins and icebergs (though there are also a lot of penguins and icebergs). Learn how humans survive in the coldest, driest, windiest place on Earth and discover what surprises await in this endlessly fascinating Everything & Everywhere book.

THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF THE HUMAN BODY
Ultimate Book series
By: Anne-Sophie Baumann
Illustrated by: Vanessa Robidou
Published: September 30, 2025
Publisher: Twirl
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book for Review

Anne-Sophie and Vanessa also collaborated on THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF WATER. This series of Ultimate books is so fascinating, and this human body book would be great for classrooms and homeschool families!

A fascinating interactive overview of the human body and its systems. How do the lungs work together with the heart? Why is the brain such an important part of the body? How are babies made? Covering the stages of life from conception to adulthood, this oversize format includes many flaps, pull tabs, and other interactive elements to help older readers understand how their bodies work.
• Supersized spreads feature detailed illustrations
• More than 60 interactive elements to help older readers understand the inner workings of the body
• Educational content reviewed by experts

Which books are you adding to your reading list?

Click HERE to see all the posts featuring new books on my shelves.

So many books, so little time!