The Wishing Game
By Meg Shaffer
In this charming love letter to books and reading, Lucy, a struggling teacher's aide, longs to adopt Christopher, an orphaned boy in her class. But circumstances — no money, no car, too many roommates — stand in her way. Then her favorite children's writer announces he's publishing a new book, and she's invited to compete in a contest on his remote Maine island. Lovers of wordplay and puzzles will delight in the contest trickery, and Shaffer invests us deeply in Lucy and Christopher's happiness, ensuring that readers will revel in the book's satisfying conclusion. (Ballantine. 286 pages.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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Everything's Fine
By Cecilia Rabess
Can two ideologically opposed people fall — and stay — in love? That's the question Rabess takes on in her bold debut novel. Jess and Josh, once university rivals, are new hires at Goldman Sachs, but being the only Black woman sets Jess apart. As she battles casual racism and a network of privilege, she finds her old nemesis taking her side. Romance blossoms, but Jess must make hard decisions about compromise. Rabess displays a sharp sense of humor, and her examination of entitlement and staying true to yourself in the modern political world rings painfully real. (Simon & Schuster. 336 pages.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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Lucky Red
By Claudia Cravens
This subversive twist on the American western has all the bells and whistles: sex, love, deadly snakebites, renegades, a hanging gone wrong, secret hideouts and shootouts on the high plains. The difference is its protagonist is someone usually relegated to the sidelines: the hooker with a heart of gold. Bridget, aka "Red," with nothing but a broke-down mule to her name, enters bordello work in Dodge City, finding it more appealing than starving to death. Then she falls in love with a swaggering female gunslinger. Bridget's journey is a powerful feminist battle cry, but it's also rollicking good fun. (Dial Press. 304 pages. Out June 20.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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The Glass Chateau
By Stephen P. Kiernan
The characters in this bittersweet story of beauty in the aftermath of unspeakable tragedy have suffered but not surrendered. Set after the end of World War II, the story follows Asher, a Jewish shoemaker who lost his family and became an assassin for the French Resistance. Roaming the countryside, starving and alone, he comes upon a chateau where artisans make stained glass for a bombed cathedral. He discovers a talent for design, but the past threatens to derail his new life. Kiernan has written a lovely, moving elegy for those who were lost and resilient survivors who long for redemption. (William Morrow. 384 pages. Out June 20.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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The Glow
By Jessie Gaynor
Struggling publicist Jane Dorner believes she has found the perfect client in Cass, gorgeous, charismatic leader of an offbeat wellness retreat in New Jersey (not the best tagline, Jane knows). She's determined to make Cass a star, no matter how dizzy some of her beliefs may be. But she'll have to win over Cass' husband, Tom (who might not be straight), and adapt to eating a diet of zucchini (and not much else). Gaynor has a blast satirizing the wellness industry, social media influencers and our obsession with beauty. They're easy targets, but begrudging such well-placed, funny and knowing shots is impossible. (Random House, 302 pages. Out June 20.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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Holding Pattern
By Jenny Xie
Kathleen Cheng moves back to Oakland to live with her mother, Marissa. They're not close, but Kathleen discovers her mother has changed. She doesn't want to return to China anymore, and she wants Kathleen to help plan her wedding to a tech entrepreneur. Kathleen, meanwhile, accepts a disconcerting job to make ends meet: physically holding clients who pay for human contact. She can cuddle with them, but can she rekindle a close relationship with Marissa? The push and pull of the mother-daughter relationship feels real, and Xie brings humor, hope and cultural depth to a familiar story. (Riverhead, 288 pages. Out June 20.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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Save What's Left
By Elizabeth Castellano
If you have ever dreamed of buying a beach house, Kathleen Deane has some advice: Don't. When her husband, Tom, announces he's unhappy and takes off on a cruise, leaving her with 37 antique clock radios and a houseful of regrets, Kathleen buys a rickety East Coast beach house, hoping to ease into retirement to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. Instead, she's drawn into clashes over permits, construction and every other small-town municipal nightmare imaginable. The novel walks the line between funny and outright wacky, and Kathleen's battles will resonate with any homeowner. (Anchor, 304 pages. Out June 27.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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The Imposters
By Tom Rachman
Dora Frenhofer, the aging writer at the center of Rachman's intricately constructed novel, understands that dementia is setting in. But before the inevitable darkness descends, she is determined to finish her final book. Trapped in her London apartment during the pandemic, she weaves a tapestry of riveting fictional stories that tie into her past. Rachman deals with dark subjects — death, the fear of irrelevance, terror of the unknown — but this beautifully written work is not depressing. With precision and dexterity, Rachman unfurls Dora's potent legacy and builds a convincing argument for the power of art and storytelling. (Little, Brown, 352 pages. Out June 27.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
By Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa
This slim, entertaining Japanese novel reminds us how books can change our lives by assuring us we're not alone. Takako, 25, thinks her future is on track until her boyfriend informs her he's marrying another woman. Miserable, Takako quits her job and takes refuge in the crowded upstairs room at her uncle's book shop. She begins to read the books there, which offer a wider view of the world, distract her from depression and reawaken her interest in the real-life stories flowing around her, including drama between her uncle and his estranged wife and the possibility of new romance. (Harper Perennial, 160 pages. Out July 4.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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Small Worlds
By Caleb Azumah Nelson
In his moving followup to "Open Water," Nelson returns with another compelling story about generational, racial and cultural pressures on young Black Londoners. The son of Ghanaian immigrants, Stephen struggles under parental pressure to earn a university degree, while he longs to pursue his passion for music. When he refuses to follow the path set for him, he and his father grow estranged. "Small Worlds" also thoughtfully explores Stephen's first romance and heartbreak, his loving relationship with his brother and how easily tragedy can derail dreams. Nelson's prose can be an intense symphony or a delicate melody. Either way, this composition is masterful. (Grove Press, 272 pages. Out July 18.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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Family Lore
By Elizabeth Acevedo
Long before they left their home in the Dominican Republic for New York, the Marte sisters displayed uncanny talents. But Flor's ability to predict death is the most unsettling gift of them all. When Flor decides to throw herself a wake, her family members wonder if she has foreseen her own end, but Flor refuses to explain her decision. Unfolding over three tumultuous days before the big event, "Family Lore" is a warm, big-hearted novel — Acevedo's first for adult readers. She infuses it with humor, compassion and a firm understanding of how family history can threaten, yet strengthen, sibling bonds. (Ecco, 384 pages. Out Aug. 1)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
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The English Experience
By Julie Schumacher
St. Paul's Schumacher ends the hilarious trilogy that began with "Dear Committee Members," following the troubles of Jay Fitger, Department of English chair at undistinguished Payne University. In this final chapter, he's charged with leading the annual trip abroad. In London, Fitger and a group of misfit undergrads are beset by challenges, while Fitger tries to figure out how to prevent his ex-wife from leaving Payne (and himself) behind. Schumacher skewers everything about the scholarly world with a cynical insider's eye — professors, students, academia itself — but, surprisingly, ends this engaging farce with a bit of hope for the ever-beleaguered Fitger. (Doubleday, 240 pages. Out Aug. 15.)
Reviewed by Connie Ogle, special to the Star Tribune
