Read. Rest. Reconnect.

Summer has arrived, and with it, an exciting new set of our favorite recent reads! Every month we let you know what we’ve been reading and our monthly recommendations, and July of 2026 is fast approaching. Check out new titles with fabulous reviews from the Bay Books team–we’re sure you’ll love these fantastic reads just as much as we do. We recommend a wide range of genres and themes, so get ready to explore more books!

Tina’s Picks

Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett

As a wonderful children’s author, Mac Barnett has entertained countless children but in this lovely book, he explains to adults why writing children’s books is truly and really the act of writing a ‘real book’. His respect for the intellect of children and their openness to the world shines through with every word and we could all take a lesson from this to overcome the world’s complexities. I loved this book—–the author reminded me of why I love reading stories to children—and you will love it too.

Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix (trans. Helen Stevenson)

The narrator of Vincent Delecroix’s fictional account of a boat capsizing and sending 27 migrants to their deaths is the woman who took the calls for help. Traveling from France to England, the boat carrying the migrants encountered trouble and called for assistance and were told they were in “British” waters and to call them for help. In the aftermath, the French operator who took the initial call for help is accused of failing her duty. This accusation raises the moral question of who was really to blame? Should she be blamed alone? Shines a light on losing sight of human value and focusing instead on the blame game.

Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This is the third in the cozy Assistant to the Villain romantasy series, and while this genre is outside my typical bailiwick, it was perfect to binge on one weekend when I needed a mental escape. This series delivered and delivered well! I laughed, relaxed and enjoyed the shocking twists and humor in this series. Maehrer takes the villain trope and turns it on its ear at the same time the perspective of a ‘helpless maiden in distress’ is also heavily disabused. You’ll root for both the Villain and his Accomplice. Number 1 on the bestselling list when it came out in August 2025, it will make for a great summer read. The fourth book in this series comes out this August and my name is already on the list for a copy. Start with the first one, Assistant to the Villain.

The Gods of New York by Jonathan Mahler

What a fascinating account of the pivotal years of 1986-1990 in New York when finance was the driving force behind it becoming a modern day metropolis. This all during the midst of racial tension, the AIDS crisis and financial ‘warlords’ who began to shape and control so much of what makes New York what it is today. It’s interesting to see how the major players then, Al Sharpton, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, Ed Koch and more, took their places as powerbrokers, for good or bad, and transformed the city from a manufacturing-based economy to one that dominated Wall Street. The author reveals so many pieces of information that I was not aware of and reminded me of many that were happening at that. An incredible read—I seriously couldn’t put it down.

Wendy’s Pick

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

If you read The Help, you may recognize the rich, character-driven writing style of Stockett, including her trademark melding of heartbreak and humor along with the deep-south setting – but the premise and plot of this novel are entirely unique and just as compelling. During the Great Depression in Mississippi, we follow a VERY diverse group of interconnected women as they each face impossible choices. From the mansions of the old money elites to the moldy rooms of a local orphanage, you will be sucked into the narrative and will find yourself invested in characters to both root for – and loathe! This is one of the great reads of 2026.

Becky’s Pick

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst

A true story of a young couple shipwrecked at sea, this is a tale of survival, obsession and a partnership stretched to its limits. 

Maurice and Maralyn set sail from England in 1972 to escape their lives. After six months at sea, they find themselves alone for months on a tiny raft in the middle of the ocean, starving and exhausted. They must find ways to get along and to stay alive. As their inner demons emerge, their marriage is put to great tests. 

Who do we become under extreme conditions? 

This is a wonderful look at codependence and the power of love.

Karin’s Pick

How to Live: A Life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell

Credited with inventing the essay form, the 16^th century French nobleman Michel de Montaigne wrote as a way of discovering what he thought and how he felt about pretty much whatever came into his head. “Of Friendship,” “Of Experience,” and “Of Cannibals,” are a few of his 107 eclectic essay titles. Sarah Bakewell unpacks Montaigne’s milieu and the context of a life that was filled with both action and contemplation. Read about his life and then pick up the essays – you’ll be intrigued and subsequently doing a bit of your own musing!

Grace’s Picks

Mexico City Blues by Jack Kerouac

Maybe it’s the sunshine, maybe it’s my limited attention span (or, most likely, a combination of the two), but I’ve been on a major poetry kick as of late. One of my favorite collections, circa the Beat era, comes from Mr. On the Road himself: Jack Kerouac. Mexico City Blues is a significant work of his poetry in verse, and in a very Beat fashion, showcases Kerouac’s tendencies toward spontaneous composition, surrealistic free association, and explores everything from his relationship with Buddhism to his dreams. Perhaps my favorite element of this one is its loose and out-of-the-box written structure—the book’s title is a nod to Kerouac’s jazz- and blues-based inspiration. Each poem is a numbered “Chorus,” and all 242 of them come together in a rhythmic, alliterative symphony.  Awesome.

Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart “Brittlestar” Reynolds

Seeking out a voice of reason in the face of authoritarian nonsense? Unfortunately, as all cat owners and appreciators will understand, there isn’t one when it comes to felines. However, we must admit that what cats may lack in rhyme or reason, they make up for in their unrestrained, unapologetic defiance, seemingly impenetrable confidence, and their unparalleled skills in resisting authority. This little guide teaches readers how to approach life nowadays in the very same fashion, breaking down eleven practical strategies (“Stay Nimble and Unpredictable,” “Keep Your Claws Sharp”, and so on) for reclaiming power—cat-style. Insightfully funny and encouraging: a glimmer of hope in a dog-eat-dog world.

Happy June! Every month we let you know what we’ve been reading and our monthly recommendations, and June of 2026 is no exception. Read on to see new titles with fabulous reviews from the Bay Books team–we’re sure you’ll love these fantastic books just as much as we do. We recommend a wide range of genres and themes, so get ready to explore more books!

Tina’s Picks

The World As We Knew It: Dispatches from a Changing Climate, Edited by Amy Brady and Tajja Isen

This collection of essays shares the less told stories in climate change literature of the stories of individuals and how they’re coping (or not) with the changes occurring in their own lives. Through the literary skills of familiar authors, these essays attempt to answer the question “At a time when our planet is experiencing terrifying and unprecedented levels of change, what corresponding transformations have you witnessed in your lives, yards, neighborhoods, jobs, relationships, or mental health?”. Individual perspectives are shared which will surely provoke some of your own. Highly recommend this!

How To Baby: A No-Advice-Given Guide to Motherhood, with Drawings by Liana Finck

Every parent-to-be needs to have this humorous and informative take on having a baby and how your life will truly change. Perfect for a baby gift, perfect for all genders (‘mothering’ is a skill, not gender based after all), and perfect for those raising children. With a healthy dose of satiric humor, Finck reminds of what it is like when we are preparing for that first baby, how those around us act, how we respond, what comes after, and after, and after…….while baby is oblivious to anything not focused on them and the rest of us scramble to make sure that everything is, well, perfect. Maybe. I’m a grandmother and I loved every minute of it. The illustrations are very well done and to the point. 

Wendy’s Picks

The Pink by Marshall Thornton

Thornton is a Lambda award-winning author (the “Lammys” recognize the best in LGBTQ literature). His newly released mystery takes us to 1913 Chicago – from the mean back alleys to the Stockyards, to high society. We follow protagonist Lewis Wait as he leaves his comfortable life in academia and navigates his newfound (dangerous!) career as a Pinkerton detective, his sticky relationship with his mother, as well as his complicated love life. Painstakingly researched and cleverly relayed, you’ll enjoy this charming read and will gain some knowledge of little-known cultural history along the way.

Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.

The author shares his life story as a closeted gay kid growing up in a holler of Appalachia, who went on to be named 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, as an openly gay, married man. Then shortly after this recognition and on the wave of the hateful, anti-LGBTQ movement sweeping the country, he was forced to leave his beloved profession due to on-going harassment from a small but vocal group lead by a woman who regularly attended school board meetings to sling baseless and despicable accusations at Carver and his students. Carver simply no longer felt safe working in the public school system – nor living in the Kentucky mountains that he so loves. The poetry is powerful; the message is crucial.

Becky’s Pick

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

A psychological thriller with social commentary on the performance of womanhood. Natalie is a “tradwife” influencer who sells her perfect pioneer life with farm fresh milk and eggs, a handsome cowboy husband, and six perfect children. The producers and nannies are out of sight and unknown to her millions of social media followers. One day she wakes up on a farm in the 1800s where she has to live the life she has been promoting on her social media feed. 

The author presents interesting ways of sharing some contradictions of more traditional ideals including the irony of advocating for a return to a simpler and more pure past, while taking advantage of present freedoms. Religion, misinformation and influencer culture circle around a deeper thread of power throughout this book.

Karin’s Pick

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

Olga Tokarczuk won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015. This contemporary Polish writer’s interests are far-ranging and her novels delight a reader and stretch their credulity at the same time. She’s an acute observer, a wonderer, and a lover of the natural world, and her characters are imbued with these qualities. A great way to get started is with her novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead; the title is a quote from the 18th century poet William Blake whose works figure into this story. If you love to jump into a fictional world that is both quite like and probably very unlike your own, this is a novel for you.

Grace’s Picks

Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays by Joan Didion

If you are a fan of imagining that you’re living in 1960s California (think: Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood meets Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City ), or are simply just looking for a gorgeously written, transportive read, this is the next book for you! Joan Didion’s debut essay collection, Slouching Towards Bethlehem came about in 1968 and is made up of a variety of columns she had originally written for the American magazine The Saturday Evening Post. Examining everything, everywhere, and everyone circa this era, from legendary Western star John Wayne, to a real-deal, old-fashioned San Bernardino murder mystery, to the talented Joan Baez, to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury in all of its countercultural glory, this book (in my opinion) cements Joan Didion in history as a true master of prose and of storytelling that is vividly–sometimes painfully—human. Love!

Making a Way: Lesbians Out Front, Photographs by Jeb (Joan E. Biren)

Published in 1987, this collection of over 100 striking photographs powerfully captures the spirit of lesbian life in the U.S. during the eight years between the First and Second National Marches on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The individuals and couples featured are represented in varying states and personal settings, from scenes of fierce activism to everyday moments at work or at home, and the images are accompanied by a glossary of names, remarks, and impactful stories from each of those depicted. 

Photographer Jeb (Joan E. Biren) does a beautiful job of capturing these women in their truest elements—being authentically and fearlessly themselves—and documents queer love and joy in a truly unparalleled, moving way. In Biren’s words, “To love each other and ourselves, to allow our love to overcome our fears—I believe that this is the way we begin to change the world.”

March is National Reading Month, a nationwide celebration designed to foster a love of reading in people of all ages. Perfect timing, because every month we let you know what we’ve been reading and our monthly recommendations. You’ll get to see new titles with fabulous reviews from the Bay Books team, and we’re sure you’ll love these fantastic books just as much as we do. We recommend a wide range of genres and themes. So get ready to explore more books!

Tina’s Picks

The Rare Bird by Elisha Cooper

What do cats dream of? So many of us wonder. What if cats dream of being birds? What if what we see them doing is playing with the dog’s tail but really it’s them catching a worm? Or jumping from a curtain to a paper-lantern light shade as if they are tree branches and then leaping upon the gurgling pond (toilet)? In this beautifully illustrated book, the cat’s morning meowing might really be the cat singing his morning song to the delight of everyone in the ‘forest’? Charming and quirky, kids will love this picture book. (Ages 3 – 6)

That’s What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse (Release Date: March 3, 2026)

More of this in your voice, sir!

A humorous but also a gravely serious reminder of wherever we are in life, and whoever we are in life, there were those before us that made it possible for us to stand on their shoulders to maintain our stride. Nothing should be taken for granted, whether it be dancing with the one you love, sipping coffee together, shopping together holding hands, or giving the rough side of your mouth to a very dear friend who needs to see the truth—-because you love them. After all, that’s what friends are for.

Playing upon the great chemistry of The Golden Girls, Wade Rouse brings to our hearts another group of ‘aging’ adults who are unique, funny, supportive and very, very snarky. All living together in Palm Springs, these four men will have you wishing they were your neighbors.

Wendy’s Pick

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

A sweeping tale of two young people – Sonia is an aspiring novelist who left India to study at a small liberal arts college in Vermont where near the end of her matriculation she became embroiled in a bizarre, dysfunctional relationship with a much older man. Sunny, a struggling journalist living in New York City with his very American (Kansas born and raised) girlfriend, has moved from India to the U.S. primarily to escape the grip of his over-bearing mother. They meet on a train and are initially embarrassed to acknowledge their meddlesome parents’ long-distance (failed) attempt to push them into an arranged relationship. Their story unfolds as they become attracted and set out to find happiness as a couple. The novel engages themes of race, class, culture, and complicated familial relationships. Short-listed for the 2025 Booker Prize, this is a terrific, smart read.

Becky’s Picks

Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy by Joyce Vance

Part history lesson, part call to action, Vance offers a blueprint for avoiding burnout and despair and for strengthening our democratic muscle. 

She puts our current crisis in historical context and suggests a path forward, explaining why the rule of law still matters. Vance empowers the reader to do something, as individuals and in the community. 

It is a rallying cry for citizen engagement to combat the Trump administration in order to save our democracy.

The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel

Set in the champagne vineyards of northern France during World War II, this is a tale of courage, love and betrayal.

In 2019, Liv, a young divorcee looking for her next chapter, travels to Paris with her 99 year old grandmother. She learns stories of her ancestors who were running the Maison Chauveau vineyard, producing fine champagne when the Germans invaded. She learned that her family risked everything as they worked for the Resistance. 

At last, past and present intertwine and Liv finds her way back to the caves of the Maison Chauveau, uncovering many secrets.

Grace’s Pick

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

If you’ve been keeping up with our monthly Staff Picks, you may have gleaned that I tend to prefer books published many years before I was born. BUT, I had to make an exception for this one. Widely known for his poetry, Martyr! is Kaveh Akbar’s 2024 debut novel, and I genuinely think he knocked it out of the park here. The book centers around Cyrus Shams, a 20-something, recently sober, Iranian-American poet who has been dealt just about every bad hand there is. With a past colored by addiction, familial loss, and general apathy, he develops an obsession with the concept of martyrdom (and writing about it) that leads him to a terminally ill artist residing at the Brooklyn Museum. 

Martyr! beautifully explores any and everything from grief and mortality, to the function and dysfunction of family, to discovering one’s social and cultural identity. It’s strikingly unique, poignant, funny, and not shy in the slightest. In a nutshell, it’s a novel about some of the biggest questions we face in our distinctly human journey to find meaning in our lives and the world around us–and it affirms that sometimes, it’s okay not to know the answer. In fact, that’s one of the most human possibilities there is.

Karin’s Pick

The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects by Bee Wilson

 Bee Wilson began to ponder the nature of her own relationships to the things she owned  when her husband abruptly and unexpectedly left her. Her beloved, heart-shaped cake pan, the one in which she baked their wedding cake many years ago, became an object of regret, not an emblem of love, a symbol of a time in her life now irrevocably over. Her changing perspective on her cake pan, no longer a redolent memento, but a painful souvenir, initiated considering how keeping objects close to us imbues them with meaning and emotional resonance. Objects might be treasures or tools, junk or symbols, embodied connections to loved ones or to an important time or event in one’s life. This delightful book explores the changing nature of how we relate to things throughout our lives by looking at a number ordinary objects. Sometimes the things we end up regarding as important reside in our kitchen drawer!

Every month we let you know what we’ve been reading and our monthly recommendations. You’ll get to see new titles with fabulous reviews from the Bay Books team. We’re sure you’ll love these fantastic books just as much as we do. We recommend a wide range of genres and themes. So get ready to explore more books!

Tina’s Picks

Queen Esther by John Irving

Initially I thought this book was a cross between A Prayer for Owen Meaney and Cider House Rules but then I began to see the strands of The Chairlift and the World According to Garp. What was the connection here, I wondered. Ah! John Irving doesn’t just write about the human condition; he goes one step further and talks about human gender and the laws that we have made based upon that. In Queen Esther, he equates the brutalities and atrocities of World War II and other things to decisions his family makes in regard to what they see is common sense, unbiased gender decisions and being punished/judged for it. For example, so many of his aunts are asexual, lesbians, hetero (cis), pan or focused on their Jewishness or intellect, but do not make their gender the most important thing when determining what is the right thing for their family. This is a theme that runs through many of Irving’s books: the ownership of birth, who and what parents are, what gender is not, and how the common good “…is not always the good for the common.” All the characters are individuals to the max and supportive of each other.
There are some muddy areas in Queen Esther that don’t quite hang together, or at least they didn’t hang together for me, but they are few. His use of Charles Dickens’ writing as a teaching point for the many occurrences in the characters’ lives is brilliant.
I can’t wait to read Great Expectations again and ponder over this book as I do so.
John Irving is just an amazing author.

Good Things by Samin Nosrat


With all the generosity of spirit that has endeared her to millions of fans, Samin Nosrat offers more than 125 of her favorite recipes — simply put, the things she most loves to cook for herself and for friends — and infuses them with all the beauty and care you would expect from the person Alice Waters called “America’s next great cooking teacher.”  Good Things captures, with Samin’s trademark blend of warmth, creativity, and precision, what has made cooking such an important source of delight and comfort in her life.

Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children’s Literature edited by Daniel Hahn
My memories of reading when I was a kid were adventure and fantasy books that were from the perspective of talking animals. Yes, the anthropomorphic POV. I loved them and now these well loved fairy tales and stories are given a new life in this book. This guide to children’s classics offers a brief introduction, a capsule of the author’s biography, rich illustrations and shows a deep appreciation for the magic of storytelling. I love it. It’s like wearing a cozy, fuzzy blanket.

Becky’s Pick

Coq au Vin by Charlotte Carter

Just as her life is getting back to normal, Nanette gets a call from her mother – her aunt
Viv has gone missing, in Paris! A witty and jazz infused mystery featuring Nanette
Hayes, a saxophone playing amateur sleuth living in New York City. When Nanette
encounters the eccentric French expatriate Coq au Vin, she is quickly drawn into a swirl
of bohemian charm, art intrigue and danger. The story blends music, romance, and
suspense as Nanette unravels secrets.

Wendy’s Pick

The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller

This critically acclaimed novel is set in 1962, rural England. The story follows two
young couples with important parallels. Dr. Eric Parry and his wife Irene live in a lovely,
well-appointed cottage. Their neighbors, Bill and wife Rita, are coping with life on a
rundown farm. Both wives are pregnant and develop a friendship. Both men have been
shaped by childhood scars/trauma. During the extreme isolation of an epic snowstorm,
the couples are cut off from the world and are forced to confront marital problems,
secrets, deep disappointments. The bitter wintry landscape is the perfect metaphor for
the lonely, frustrated characters. The author is adept at creating tension and layered
storytelling, spun around the complex happenings of everyday life.

Grace’s Picks

The Greatest Short Stories of Leo Tolstoy, Fingerprint Publications

There are three things I’ve learned thus far about residing in Northern Michigan in the
Wintertime: 1) the potential for snow is, in fact, limitless, so reading about blizzards that
took place long ago in arguably colder regions makes for a cozy pastime, 2) neighbors,
without fail, look out for their fellow neighbors, and 3) it’s time to invest in a sled.
Coincidentally, these tenets go hand in hand with my pick for January –a wonderful
collection of both renowned and lesser-known short stories written by Leo Tolstoy.
This grouping of 35 works contains Russian folktales, stories for children, and stories for
the people, among adaptations and translations of numerous others. Tolstoy shines,
even in these smaller pieces, through his consistently profound approach to themes like
morality, love, inequality, and the human condition. My favorite of these tales, “Master
and Man,” details a frigid journey by sleigh shared between a landowner and his loyal
peasant. When conditions on the road take a turn for the worse, their expedition
becomes a question of life, death, and what one might be willing to sacrifice to keep his
neighbor warm. A great wintery read for classics- and short story-lovers alike. P.S.
Anyone have a sled (or sleigh) I can borrow?

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen

If you haven’t yet had the distinct pleasure of reading one of Jon Klassen’s books to
your kiddo (or, frankly, just reading one for yourself, because you can), this is your sign
to make it one of your New Year’s resolutions. The Rock from the Sky is in excellent
company alongside Klassen’s growing collection of impeccably illustrated children’s
stories, and stays true to his deadpan sense of humor while highlighting the subjects of
companionship and fate. Echoing Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” for a younger
audience, the story focuses on the day-to-day of a stubborn turtle, his armadillo and
snake friends, and…a rock (maybe two) coming down from up above. Whatever could
or might go wrong guarantees laughs all around.