Blue Willow Digital Marketing Team's blog

In case the upper-90s heat we’re staring down hasn’t tipped you off, we have it on good authority that summer is just around the corner. Just take a look at our shelves, which are packed with new releases that perfectly fit the “summer reading” mold. Just in time, too — we’ve dusted off our annual summer reading challenge, which kicks off on June 1. So peruse the list of stories below, including tales of sleepaway camp, cats in space, time travel, historical fiction, and more, and make some room on your TBR pile. We’ve even included a cookbook to help you plan your summer get-togethers. Dig in!

Calling all book lovers: Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 30!

This annual national holiday celebrates independent bookstores and the awesome folks who support them. We'll be in the shop all day, ready to talk books with you, share recommendations, and — yes — hand flail over stories we love.

This year marks the twelfth annual TeenBookCon. Can you believe it? To celebrate a dozen years — and the fact that we're gathering together in-person again this year — we're sharing a short history of Houston's YA literature festival, some favorite memories, and the experiences of some of our author alums.
 

Valentine's Day is drawing near, and love is in the air. One of the very best ways to celebrate, in our opinion, is with a fresh stack of literary rom-coms for your side table or nightstand. And one of the best of those that you can read this month is I'm So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson. It's funny and fresh, sassy and steamy, and was on *everyone's* "most-anticipated rom-coms" list heading into the year.

We're uttery delighted to be hosting Kosoko for a fun virtual event on February 24. (He's appearing in conversation with the incredible Leah Johnson, which makes the whole thing even better.) The book doesn't come out until the 22nd, so you'll have to wait until just after the holiday to fall in love Hudson and Kian... but you can tide yourselves over by checking out our Q&A with Kosoko below!

February is Black History Month, and we always love to celebrate by sharing some reading recommendations with you all. Here, we’ve collected a list of recently-released and forthcoming books by just a few of our favorite Black creators—from longtime friends of the shop to new voices we're eager to hear more of. The recommendations below span all ages and interests, so whether you're looking for a gentle picture book to share with the young readers in your life, a breathtaking piece of YA fantasy, a romcom, or a thought-provoking piece of nonfiction, you're sure to find something you'll love. Read on!

Every so often, we come across a picture book that we just know is going to be an instant classic. One recent example is the beautiful Nigel and the Moon, written by debut author Antwan Eady and illustrated by Gracey Zhang. It's a timeless and lovely depiction of a child's courage to dream, with poetic text and evocative ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations. With its themes of self-acceptance and dreaming big, we know it will inspire young readers for many years to come.

We're so excited to welcome Antwan and Gracey to our virtual Bookworm Festival next Thursday, where they'll appear alongside Meg Wolitzer in a conversation moderated by Jarrett Pumphrey (The Old Truck). You can register for their session and peruse the rest of our Bookworm Festival programming from this page. In the meantime, check out our conversation with Antwan, Gracey, and editor Mabel Hsu below!

It’s been cold and wet here in Houston, and all we want to do about it is curl up with a good book and a fire. We guess that makes us creatures of comfort… so it makes sense that we’re featuring books this week with a whole cast of critters — foxes and bears, chickens and hares — including a gang of woodland characters that kick off a kooky new mystery series. Plus, we have new books from heavy hitters including the late, great Gary Paulsen, Jason Reynolds, and Isabel Allende, and other novels to fit whatever literary mood may strike you. Cozy up and read on!