Twelve more anticipated romance releases

I have a variety of bookish miscellany for you this week, including a plethora of books coming out in the next three months, the reading projects I’m planning, and a call for help about reading on my Kindle, which I’m still struggling to fit into my reading life. But first let's chat about the bounty of good books coming our way!

1. The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren (July 14th): Lauren’s books were my introduction to contemporary romance and after no new CLo last year (sniff), they are back with a marriage in trouble/amnesia romance that I preordered the moment I could. For me, their books are peak summer and I’m ready to race through this one on a lazy summer weekend.

2. Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon (July 14th): Solomon is another of my favorite authors and one of the few I trust to pull off a professor student romance and an age gap, tropes that I don’t usually reach for. I can't wait to see what kind of a fresh spin she puts on it.

3. Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar (July 21st): A road trip through the Scottish Highlands and a bagpiper hero?! I really like Kumar’s writing and after hearing her talk a little about this book at a Dell event last year, I’ve been increasingly excited about it.

4. Fossil Feud by Maggie North (July 28th): I am vehemently in favor of more unusual jobs in romance and this is a paleontologist romance! The hero and heroine have to work together to stop a fake dinosaur discovery and this sounds like the perfect summer adventure.

5. Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler (July 28th): A grumpy antique store owner and his new colleague have to track down an illicit taxidermy goose. Just reading the premise of Adler’s latest makes me grin and I continue to shout about her funny, smart, surprisingly moving books from the rooftops.

6. See You at the Sunset by Susan Lee (August 11th): An enemies to lovers romance between a free spirit and a buttoned up lawyer temporarily staying with their respective grandparents at a Palm Springs retirement community for the summer. This promises to be a wonderfully summery contemporary romance from an author whose adult debut I really enjoyed.

7. In What World by Bridget Morrissey (August 11th): Two high school rivals investigating the disappearance of their high school teacher find themselves traveling through alternate realities in this sapphic speculative romance. I used to be obsessed with parallel universes as a child and I'm very curious to see where Morrissey takes this.

8. See You Next Tuesday by Kate Stayman-London (September 8th): A romance that follows two political staffers through a decade’s worth of campaigns. Early reviews suggest that this features rich character development and a When Harry Met Sally-esque will-they-won’t-they. I’m not 100% sure I’m ready for a politics-set romance but I’d like to give this one a try.

9. Doomsdate by Laura Piper Lee (September 15th): She’s a doomsday prepper. He’s a nerdy film professor. (With a cat!) Their first date goes terribly wrong when the zombie apocalypse starts and I think this sounds like the perfect early fall read. (I also really want to prioritize Piper Lee’s spring release, Potshot, which I’ve heard many good things about.)

10. A Study in Sparkling by Jodi McAlister (September 15th): The follow up to one of my absolute favorites of last year! This centers on Jonah's sister Fiona, a single mom, and the younger owner of her favorite wine bar who's been capital-P Pining for her.

11. From Beijing, With Love by Bei Lin (September 29th): An opposites attract gay romance that starts with a whirlwind visit to Beijing and a tour of the Great Wall. I’ve been looking for more contemporary romance set outside of the US and this one sounds great.

12. The Thief and the Traitor Bride by V.L. Bovalino (September 29th): I'm not a huge romantasy reader but I deeply enjoyed Bovalino’s The Second Death of Locke and this standalone set in the same world features an estranged couple who have to pose as happily married to pull off a dangerous mission. The most delicious premise.

And four non-romance releases that I’m extra excited for:

• A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett, the third in his Ana and Din fantasy mystery series.

• Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour, a decades-spanning family saga from an author whose evocative prose is one of my favorites.

• Exit Party by Emily St John Mandel, which I’ve been anticipating since it was first announced last year! I love her speculative literary fiction.

• Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske, a murder mystery set at a magical academy.

Let me know in the comments what titles you’re most excited about in the next few months!

I talked a little bit about this in at the beginning of the month but I'm aiming to read three sci-fi romances or sci-fi novels with strong romantic subplots in July. I love a sci-fi romance and continue to be baffled by the fact that the romantasy boom hasn't pulled sci-fi romance along in its wake, just a little. Give me more ramshackle spaceships, space empires, and mysterious alien planets!

In August, I plan to seriously tackle my stack of Aardvark titles before they start teetering and collapse onto the floor. I want about half of the books I read in August to be Aardvark picks, especially since the titles I have from them include everything from romance to fantasy to literary fiction to thriller. A book for every reading mood, in short.

And in September, I want to continue reading my shelves by diving into the many Persephone and Virago titles I own. Lesser known mid-century British female authors feel like the perfect early fall reading mood for me and I’ve built up an impressive collection from my last few trips to London. (As I write this, I can see my shelf full of the distinctive Virago green spines!) This fall is going to be stuffed with big literary releases and I’d love to balance that out with some backlist titles.

Finally, I must make a bookish confession: I am terrible at reading on a Kindle. I got one to read both older romance novels that are only available digitally from the library and ARCs of upcoming titles, with the hope of doing more author interviews, and those are both worthy aims for my reading life that I’d very much like to achieve. And yet I never find myself reaching for my Kindle. If there’s the possibility of reading a paper book, I opt for the physical book every time. I mostly end up reading books on my Kindle either when I need to travel light and can’t bring a book with me or when I’m invested enough in a title (usually around the 40% mark) that I begrudgingly continue reading digitally.

I’d love to hear tips from anyone who reads a lot on a Kindle or other ereader! Is the answer that I should be investing in a different kind of ereader? Experimenting with the settings? Only reading certain types of books on it? I’m open to any and all advice.

Currently reading: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 4 by Beth Brower, as our story plunges into the fall and Emma confronts dance halls, house parties, and (as always) Cousin Archibald.

Recommendations, miscellany, and little bits of joy:

• The Invite, the new movie from Olivia Wilde. We went to see it last weekend and it was excellent: perfectly paced, extremely well shot and well acted, and a great movie to watch in a full theater.

• Finding a new spot to write in NYC that also happens to have very good breakfast sandwiches.

• An absolutely ideal Prospect Heights afternoon with a friend that featured foccacia sandwiches from Radio Bakery, flaky double chocolate croissants, and book browsing at Love and Legends, which manages to up their charm quotient every single time I go.