Blogs

There’s a fresh bag of apples in the fridge, a new backpack lies waiting in the closet, and the smell of freshly-sharpened pencils is in the air. How is it already back-to-school season again? Of course, for some of our younger readers, the whole affair isn’t quite so routine. We had them in mind when we created the list of books below—you’ll find books to assuage fears, soothe doubts, and maybe even get your kiddos excited about the start of a new school year. Read on!

Here’s our two cents’ worth: It’s time for you to get a new book. As a matter of fact, get two. We’ll make it easy for you—this week, we have two recommendations from Alice, two from Cathy, two from our Teen Advisory Board, and two from Valerie. Together, they span a wide range of ages and interests, running the gamut from a middle grade story collection to a gripping historical mystery. Read our list of recommendations below, or come by and see us sometime soon. Shall we say... two o’clock?

The summer heat is showing no signs of letting up. Fortunately, neither is the barrage of great new books coming into the shop each week. We suggest that you grab a stack and settle in for some air-conditioned (or poolside!) reading. Below, we have a list of recent recommendations for all ages—from a picture book biography of a Tejano icon to gentle middle grade, teen thrillers, literary fiction, and laugh-out-loud essays. Read on!

If you know Kwame Mbalia’s bestselling Tristan Strong series, you know the author as a gifted storyteller who weaves heart, humor, and wonder into his work. So it’s no surprise that you’ll find all of those elements at play in the new anthology he edited, Black Boy Joy. The collection is a vibrant celebration of Black boyhood featuring stories from seventeen acclaimed Black male and non-binary authors (including one from Kwame himself). Simply put, the book is stunning—it’s a marvelous testament to family, friends, and much-deserved joy, and it absolutely deserves pride of place on a bookshelf near you. 

Read our Q&A with Kwame below, then get ready for our virtual August 4 event to celebrate the book’s publication. Kwame will appear in conversation with his collaborators Jerry Craft, DaVaun Sanders, Varian Johnson, and Julian Winters—we can’t wait!

It’s okay to admit it: Everyone judges books by their covers. Why else would they have such fabulous designs? We’re as partial to a striking jacket as the next person, and we always look forward to seeing the covers for upcoming releases by our favorite authors. Jasmine Guillory is one such author, and her effervescent rom-coms are always perfectly paired with beautiful, tone-setting illustrated covers.

To celebrate the release of her sixth novel, While We Were Dating, we spoke with Jasmine, plus Berkley Books Vice President, Editorial Director Cindy Hwang, Senior Marketing Manager Fareeda Bullert, and Art Director Rita Frangie about the process of cover creation. Read our conversation below, then make plans to visit us this week for your copy of While We Were Dating. It’s warm, witty, and full of thoughtful social commentary—in other words, it’s everything you’d expect from a Jasmine Guillory book.

Summer reading is in full swing, and we have great new releases rolling onto our shelves every week to prove it. This week, we’re focusing mostly on novels, from cutting literary fiction to an effervescent new rom-com from the one and only Jasmine Guillory. (But for good measure, we’ve thrown in a great new series that straddles the line between early reading and middle grade, too.) So clear off some space on your bookshelf or nightstand and get ready to read—there are a few books below you won’t want to miss!

It’s summer in Houston, and the days are long, hot, and humid. In other words, conditions are perfect for diving into a good book. Luckily, we have just what you need in order to practice a little shelf care. Here, dig into staff reviews of six new novels we think you’ll love. If you’re feeling factual, we’ve thrown in a nonfiction title, too—inspired by a classic novel written by the author’s father. Read on!

Did you know that June is audiobook month? How about that audiobook purchases can support local, independent bookstores like yours truly? That’s right—our audiobook partner, Libro.fm, partners with and supports over 500 independent bookstores around the country. Which means that you can enjoy à la carte listening or a monthly audiobook subscription all while supporting your community and keeping more of your money in the local economy—instead of funding a certain someone’s self-indulgent ten-minute trip to not-quite-space.

If you think all of this sounds like cause for celebration, well, you’re not wrong. So we’ve created a list of staff recommendations featuring great recently-released audiobooks to help kickstart your summer of listening. Enjoy!

We’re getting to that time of year when we pretty much want to do one thing: Settle in with a nice pile of books, directly underneath the strongest A/C vent we can find. (Maybe with an occasional trip to the poolside thrown in for variety’s sake.) Happily, there have been some great June releases hitting our shelves that will make building the perfect stack a breeze. Settle in for our latest recommendations, from middle grade to YA rom-com to summery novels to nonfiction. We’ve even thrown in a cookbook, in case you get peckish. Read on!

June is a month of celebrations, friends, and we’re here to remind you that books make the best gifts. So we’ve compiled a list of recommendations to help you celebrate the grad or dad in your life. Whether you’re seeking inspiration, words of wisdom, or just a bunch of cute animals to lift the spirits, you’ll find it in our grad section below. Scroll a little further, and you’ll come across a collection of dad-tested, dad-approved titles in fiction and non. Did we mention that we gift wrap? Oh, the places you’ll go… now that you have your gift-giving sorted out.