| By Thorndike Press Staff |
Be it slow churned or soft serve, waffle cone or cup, it’s the season of screams for ice cream—just one of summer’s pleasures. It’s also the perfect time to binge on books because what’s better than a book-induced brain freeze? First up, a double dip of family drama: the dynamic lives of the three Chao brothers boil over when their demanding dad is found stone-cold dead; and an alternative Western featuring an orphaned Asian American boy raised amongst crimes and cons, now on a deadly journey to find his kidnapped wife. Next up, a definitive account of Black performance and its relationship to freedom expressed by an eclectic roster of artists. Finally, escapist fiction—an entertaining and intriguing journey to a human-free world where massive creatures reign.
The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang
9781432899936
One of Literary Hub’s and The Millions’ Most Anticipated Books
A Goodreads Readers’ Most Anticipated Mystery
The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao restaurant’s delicious Americanized Chinese food for 35 years. But when the Chao brothers reunite in Haven, the family’s secrets and simmering resentments erupt. Before long, tyrannical patriarch Leo is found dead, and his sons find they’ve drawn the exacting gaze of the entire town. The ensuing trial brings to light potential motives for all three brothers: Dagou, the restaurant’s head chef; Ming, financially successful but personally tortured; and the youngest, gentle but lost James. The brothers must reckon with the legacy of their father’s outsized appetites and their own future survival.
The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin
9798885780155
Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award
An Indie Next Pick
Orphaned young, Ming Tsu is raised by the notorious leader of a California crime syndicate, who trains him to be his deadly enforcer. But when Ming falls in love with Ada, the daughter of a powerful railroad magnate, and the two elope, he seizes the opportunity to escape to a different life. Soon after, the tycoon’s henchmen kidnap Ada and draft Ming into service for the Central Pacific Railroad. Battered, heartbroken, and yet defiant, Ming blazes his way across the West, settling old scores with a single-minded devotion that culminates in an explosive and unexpected finale.
A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
9798885780292
A New York Times Bestselling Author
National Book Award Finalist
On Four Best Book-of-the-Year Lists
Hanif Abdurraqib has written a profound reflection on how Black performance is woven into the fabric of American culture. Each moment he examines has layers of resonance in Black and white cultures; the politics of American empire; and Abdurraqib’s own history of love, grief, and performance. Touching on Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Billy Dee Williams, the Wu-Tang Clan, Dave Chappelle, and more, Abdurraqib writes prose brimming with jubilation and pain. With care and generosity, he explains the poignancy of performances big and small, each one feeling intensely familiar and vital, both timeless and desperately urgent.
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
9798885780407
A New York Times Bestselling Author
A LibraryReads Pick
An Indie Next Pick
Jamie Gray is stuck as a driver for food-delivery apps until he makes a delivery to Tom, who works at an animal rights organization. Tom’s team needs a grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie immediately signs on. What Tom doesn’t tell Jamie is that the animals are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a human-free world, and they’re in trouble. It’s not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that has found the alternate world. Others have too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark
9781432899431
A New York Times Bestselling Author
A USA Today Bestselling Author
A LibraryReads Selection
Meg Williams. Maggie Littleton. Melody Wilde. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. She’s a con artist who erases herself to become whoever you need her to be — a college student. A life coach. A real estate agent. She slides alongside you and tells you exactly what you need to hear, and by the time she’s done, you’ve likely lost everything. Kat Roberts has been waiting ten years for the woman who upended her life to return. And now that she has, Kat is determined to be the one to expose her. But as the two women grow closer, Kat’s long-held assumptions begin to crumble, leaving Kat to wonder who Meg’s true target is.
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