Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus

As Batter Gray grows up, he can't think of anything he'd rather do than be involved with poetry. He knows he has a special gift for understanding and interpreting poems, but everyone from his parents to his teachers to even his college roommate Paul tells Batter that it's not a real career, but should just be a hobby. Somehow, he manages to graduate from college, jumping from major to major, in the late 1970s. He finds himself in New York City in the 1980s working at Peck and Peck, the revered poetry journal. Peck & Peck recounts Batter's early twenties through his eyes--getting a job there, the people he meets and the eccentric and (at times) dehumanizing workplace. The novel has the same quirky feel as Garmus' first novel, Lessons in Chemistry, and it has a main character you can't help but cheer on while it immerses you in 1980s literary New York. It will be published next month.

How to Find a Romance in a Bookshop by Poppy Alexander

Petra, a literary agent who lives in London, flees to the small village of Portneath to run a bookstore for six months, following a social media post gone wrong. Petra has lost confidence in doing her job and figures lying low will help her decide what to do next. As the manager of Capelthorne's, Petra becomes immersed in village life--recommending books to customers, running the book club, and enjoying all the local food. She also becomes friends with Ross, whom Petra soon recognizes as a famous novelist who published his first book to great acclaim five years ago and then disappeared. Petra agrees to keep Ross' secret, but finds herself falling in love. Does Ross feel the same way--and what will happen when the bookstore's owners come back after their time away? How to Find a Romance in a Bookshop is a cozy, feel-good romance, similar to Jenny Bayliss, Alexandra Potter, and Jenny Colgan. As a bonus, it is set in the same town as some of Alexander's past books, and those characters make appearances in this book.

Brain Damage by Freida McFadden

Charlotte or "Charly" is a dermatologist in New York City when she's shot in the head, survives, and is admitted into a rehabilitation facility. Brain Damage moves between Charly's life before the crime, when she meets and marries Clark, and after the shooting--when the reader sees up close the difficulties of therapy and healing after a brain injury. There's also the question of who shot Charly? Is it someone she knows? The novel is a fast-paced journey to uncover the truth.

Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan

In this second mystery featuring private detective Annie Gore, Annie is hired by Katie May to look into the death of Katie's father, Ezra King. Ezra was a preacher at a snake-handling church in Mount Zion, Kentucky. He and Katie had been estranged for years. Ezra was bit by a snake and was quickly buried, which Katie finds a bit suspicious since she was Ezra's only relative. As Annie settles into Mount Zion and begins her interviews, staying under the radar in the small town becomes impossible. Working together with the local police force, however, is successful and might be enough help for Annie to solve this complex case. Brimstone Hollow is a worthy successor's to Sullivan's debut and is a great choice for readers who miss Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. Other read-alikes include Alice Henderson, Julia Keller, and Sharyn McCrumb.

The Tailor by Tim Sullivan

In the eighth book of the DS Cross series, George's team is investigating the death of tailor Billy Titcomb, who was brutally murdered in a train lavatory. What could Billy have been involved in that would cause someone to kill him so violently? As George looks into Billy's business and personal life, he wonders if Billy's wife Min, a chemist who was born in China, could be involved. Another satisfying entry in the series.

Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty

It's 1949 and Nora meets Leonard at their high school in St. Petersburg, Florida. Nora and her family are new to Florida. Her stepmother Mae was the driving force for their move from Missouri. Nora and Leonard fall in love, but Leonard's father disapproves of the relationship because Nora is not from a wealthy background. It is this criticism that has far reaching affects over Nora's and Leonard's lives and those around them for many years to come. Sunlight Finds You is an emotional and heartfelt love story similar to Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams and the novels of Kristin Hannah.

Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama

In this sequel to Hot Chocolate on Thursday with the Marble Cafe again as the place that ties the characters together, the reader meets the individuals who are loosely associated with the cafe when it's closed on Mondays. Taking place over a calendar year, we meet a young woman who falls for a guy named Kippei, who is opening up a branch in Tokyo of his family's tea business. There's also a singer who bonds with the owner of a lingerie shop and a duo of stories told from the points of view of both a granddaughter and grandmother who don't see eye to eye. For me, not as satisfying as the first book in the series.