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Get Lit at the Beach: A Gathering for Readers, April 17 - 19, 2026
Shelf Awareness for Readers
In this issue:
Featured Titles
Book Reviews
The Writer's Life
Book Candy
Rediscover
March 27, 2026
WHAT TO READ NEXT: REVIEWS OF GREAT BOOKS

In his stirring new memoir, actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy embarks on a transcontinental road trip to reconnect with old pals. One of my favorite elements in Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America is the array of local personalities McCarthy engages along the way. Bobby and Lew in Ohio, for instance, whose 60-year friendship keeps them both grounded. And Cody, a true-blue Wyoming cowboy struggling to balance open vulnerability and the stoic grit required for his work with the local Search and Rescue team.

Scott Broker has a similar knack for bringing out local color, in the Oregon coastal setting of his debut, The Disappointment. A change of scenery illuminates a whole host of problems for the vacationing couple at the novel's center--and their solutions begin to emerge through banter with chatty characters including Abigail, a wise-beyond-her-years young conservationist, and Clarence, an erratic method actor. Both books showcase endearing and unforgettable ensemble casts.

--Dave Wheeler, senior editor, Shelf Awareness
FEATURED TITLES
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A Suit or a Suitcase: Poems
Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith's luminous fifth poetry collection considers the mind-body connection, the slippery layers of identity, and the mystery of being both a corporeal and intangible self.

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Heiress of Nowhere
Stacey Lee
Heiress of Nowhere is a sprawling YA historical mystery anchored by thoughtful research and skillful construction.

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The Disappointment
Scott Broker
Scott Broker strikes an impressive balance between hope deferred and deadpan levity in a tender debut novel about the challenges of longstanding devotion.

» Read the full review
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All the World Can Hold
Jung Yun
Jung Yun's subdued third novel, set on a cruise to Bermuda, brings together several troubled protagonists looking to change their lives for the better following 9/11.

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BOOK REVIEWS
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Louise Erdrich's second story collection presents 13 intriguing narratives, many of which poignantly, memorably explore the complicated relationship between parents and children.

» Full review
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A resurrected Anne Boleyn seeks revenge for her execution in novelist Rebecca Lehmann's dazzling and sumptuous feminist reimagining of history.

» Full review
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An epidemic drives women to abandon their homes in a literary science fiction examination of human connection and ambition.

» Full review
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Kim Fu delivers an expertly crafted, horror-inflected work of literary fiction about real estate and the shoddy foundations of the American dream.

» Full review
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A would-be knight falls for an enemy necromancer in Jenn Lyons's botanically themed, action-driven dark fantasy.

» Full review
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Toe to Toe is a sensual romance immersed in the professional dance industry with a narrative full of heart and personal growth.

» Full review
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Second Chance Duet is a sweet, charming romance that perfectly captures the warm and fuzzy feeling of learning that a crush is, in fact, requited.

» Full review
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Restaurateur Molly Irani reflects on the journey and practices that helped to make Chai Pani not only a runaway business success, but a key part of the local community.

» Full review
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Historian Richard Vinen's sharply observed study examines Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle to contrast the differences between Britain and France in peace and war.

» Full review
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A teenage girl living in a dystopian world caused by the extinction of bees uses her art to ignite resistance in this stark yet uplifting YA novel.

» Full review
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In a charming French import picture book about pushing limits in relationships, a child pursues his adored cat too ardently, leading to heroic feats of devotion and, eventually, a sharp rebuke.

» Full review
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This picture book biography passionately recounts the impressive rookie season of Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela and how his success excited the Latino community.

» Full review
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THE WRITER'S LIFE

Jung Yun is the author of the novels O Beautiful and Shelter, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Her third novel, All the World Can Hold, draws on her experience of identity crisis during a cruise shortly after 9/11 to explore the destabilized lives of three passengers. Here she discusses the nuances of nostalgia and optimism, the power of care in the midst of crisis, and the reason she will (probably) never write a memoir. (continued)

BOOK CANDY

Coach's new bag charms are literal books.... Here's how Coach and Penguin designed their coveted, teeny-tiny books." (via Fast Company)

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"How to rescue a wet, damaged book: a handy visual primer," courtesy of Open Culture.

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The Guardian's cartoonist Tom Gauld "on the espionage book club."

REDISCOVER

British author Len Deighton, a prolific writer "whose tough, stylish spy thrillers featured on bestseller lists for decades," died March 15 at age 97, the Associated Press reported. His first novel, The Ipcress File (1962), "helped set the tone of cool and gritty 1960s thrillers and was made into a film starring Michael Caine that helped launch both author and actor to long and stellar careers."... (continued)

Comments on a review? Please contact Dave Wheeler for adult books and Siân Gaetano for children's and YA titles.

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