My Ex-Best Friends by Rebel Bloom, 274 pages

 Running from the altar in a wedding dress? Not exactly how I pictured my big day.

But crashing back into the lives of my ex-best friends? That’s where the real trouble begins.

Colt, Noah, and Logan weren’t just my best friends—they were my whole damn world. Oh, and the ones who got my V-card in one unforgettable night. Then I ran, leaving them behind with nothing but questions and broken trust. When the guys find out I ditched my cheating ex at the altar, they make an they’ll coach me on how to date someone who deserves me.

Logan, with that panty-dropping smirk, gives me lessons on how to use my hips on the dance floor—lessons that end with us tangled in the back of his truck.

Noah, the golden boy single dad with muscles for days, reminds me exactly how his touch can undo me when we’re “building my profile.”

And Colt? Dark, broody, and built like a tank, sets me up on a blind date only to scare the guy so bad he leaves skid marks in the parking lot.

Somewhere between steamy “practice” sessions and the lines we swore we wouldn’t cross, I realize these three men might be the best thing I ever ran from. But when buried truths surface and betrayals cut deep, the question isn’t just whether I’ll stop running—it’s whether my heart can survive staying.

The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog and Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science by Carly Anne York, 274 pages

 Why would anyone research how elephants pee? Or study worms who tie themselves into a communal knot? Or quantify the squishability of a cockroach? It all sounds pointless, silly, or even disgusting.

Maybe it is. But in The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog, Carly Anne York shows how unappreciated, overlooked, and simply curiosity-driven science has led to breakthroughs big and small. Got wind power? You might have humpback whales to thank. Know anything about particle physics? Turns out there is a ferret close to the heart of it all. And if you want to keep salmon around, be thankful for that cannon! The research itself can seem bizarre. But it drives our economy. And what's more, this stuff is simply cool.

York invites readers to appreciate the often unpredictable journey of scientific exploration, highlighting that the heart of science lies in the relentless pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Emphasizing the hard work of the people behind the discoveries, this is an accessible, story-driven book that shows how important and exciting it is to simply let curiosity run wild.

The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer, 274 pages

 An earl's son turned highwayman...

A spirited young society beauty who is kidnapped...
A sinister duke, known as 'The Black Moth'...

Set in the eighteenth century at Georgian England. Disgraced Jack Carstares, now rightful Earl of Wyncham, left England seven long years ago, sacrificing his honour for that of his eldest brother when he was accused of cheating at cards. But he is determined not to claim his title and instead turns highwayman. Now he is back, roaming his beloved South Country in the disguise of a highwayman. Not long after his return, he encounters the Black Moth, his old adversary, the notorious Lord Tracy Belmanoir, Duke of Andover, just in time to dispute at the point of his sword the attempted abduction of dark-haired lovely Diana Beauleigh. Once more Jack's noble impulse to save the day landed him in trouble, but not before sending the villainous duke scurrying. Diana took her gallant rescuer in and nursed his wounds, and soon truer emotions grew between them. But Jack couldn't stay, for a lady and an outlaw would make a scandalous pair. And the libertine Duke was foiled once, but the society beauty was under siege. The Duke of Andover meant to have her--if not with her assent, then by force. But Diana was not about to surrender her virtue. She had already lost her heart to the handsome mysterious highwayman who rescued her from the Duke. Torn between his tarnished past and the hope for Diana's hand, Jack had one dangerous chance to reclaim his honor -- by defeating the Black Moth for good!

The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told edited by Tom McCarthy, 274 pages

 Guilty as charged. If reading true crime is a guilty pleasure, this collection of stunning heists and unspeakable murders from the front pages of history will leave no doubt about the verdict. Three unsuspecting men's lives cut short at the hands of their lovers in Gangland Chicago, a mysterious and murderous trapper chased across unforgiving Arctic mountains in sub-zero temperatures, a notorious band of outlaws' ill-fated bank robbery, a little-known but starkly detailed look at Lizzie Borden's handiwork with her famous ax, a body in a trunk and a suspect halfway across the world thinking he's pulled it off are among the enticing and unsettling tales in this arresting collection. Here are stories sure to intrigue and shock readers and put them on the edges of their seats. That's the point after all, and The Greatest Crime Stories Ever Told will not disappoint. From a first-person account of the infamous Lufthansa robbery that netted millions, to the beguiling society bank robber so confident he broke into the same New York City bank twice to pull off the biggest haul in history, to the mysterious and brutal murders of a quiet farm family in a close-knit but suspicious community that offered an unusual number of suspects, The Greatest Crime Stories Ever Told is a fascinating and darkly enticing contribution to the wildly popular true crime genre. Here are not only the suspects, obvious or not, but the detectives who wanted them in prison and were willing to put their own lives at risk to do so. Did the perpetrators get away with their perfidies? Did the rule of law prevail in the end? Were the right people caught and prosecuted? Readers will have to decide for themselves.

Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin by Megan Rosenbloom, 274 pages

 On bookshelves around the world, surrounded by ordinary books bound in paper and leather, rest other volumes of a distinctly strange and grisly sort: those bound in human skin. Would you know one if you held it in your hand?

In Dark Archives, Megan Rosenbloom seeks out the historic and scientific truths behind anthropodermic bibliopegy--the practice of binding books in this most intimate covering. Dozens of such books live on in the world's most famous libraries and museums. Dark Archives exhumes their origins and brings to life the doctors, murderers, innocents, and indigents whose lives are sewn together in this disquieting collection. Along the way, Rosenbloom tells the story of how her team of scientists, curators, and librarians test rumored anthropodermic books, untangling the myths around their creation and reckoning with the ethics of their custodianship.

A librarian and journalist, Rosenbloom is a member of The Order of the Good Death and a cofounder of their Death Salon, a community that encourages conversations, scholarship, and art about mortality and mourning. In Dark Archives--captivating and macabre in all the right ways--she has crafted a narrative that is equal parts detective work, academic intrigue, history, and medical curiosity: a book as rare and thrilling as its subject.

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare, 274 pages

 In the year 1754, the stillness of Charlestown, New Hampshire, is shattered by the terrifying cries of an Indian raid. Young Miriam Willard, on a day that had promised new happiness, finds herself instead a captive on a forest trail, caught up in the ebb and flow of the French and Indian War.

It is a harrowing march north. Miriam can only force herself to the next stopping place, the next small portion of food, the next icy stream to be crossed. At the end of the trail waits a life of hard work and, perhaps, even a life of slavery. Mingled with her thoughts of Phineas Whitney, her sweetheart on his way to Harvard, is the crying of her sister’s baby, Captive, born on the trail.
Miriam and her companions finally reach Montreal, a city of shifting loyalties filled with the intrigue of war, and here, by a sudden twist of fortune, Miriam meets the prominent Du Quesne family, who introduce her to a life she has never imagined. Based on an actual narrative diary published in 1807, Calico Captive skillfully reenacts an absorbing facet of history.

Agrippina: The Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World by Emma Southon, 274 pages

They said she was a tyrant. A murderer, and the most wicked woman in history.

She kicked her way into the male spaces of politics and demanded to be recognized as an equal and a leader. For her audacity, she was murdered by her son and reviled by history.

She was the sister, niece, wife, and mother of Emperors. She was an Empress in her own right, and she was a nuanced, fearless trail-blazer in the Roman world.

The story of Agrippina -- the first Empress of Rome is the story of an empire at its bloody, extravagant, chaotic, ruthless height.

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey, 274 pages

This was an outstanding and wonderful book. Reminded me how much I love rom-coms and I had to watch a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan one as soon as I finished the book
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Can a romcom-obssessed romantic finally experience the meet-cute she always dreamed of or will reality never compare to fiction, in this charming debut adult novel from Kerry Winfrey.

Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She spends her days writing screenplays, rewatching Sleepless in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet-cute. If she could just find her own Tom Hanks—a man who’s sweet, sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboat—her problems would disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is nowhere in sight.

When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who couldn’t be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-cute is more of a meet-fail, but soon Annie finds herself sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom Hanks can’t be an actor who’s leaving town in a matter of days...can he?

The English Breakfast Murder by Laura Childs, 274 pages

Trouble is brewing along with the tea in Laura Childs's fourth Tea Shop Mystery, The English Breakfast Murder. Fans of cozies will snuggle right up to this charming southern mystery. As with other books in the series, it's rich in diverting characters, mystifying happenings, and South Carolina atmosphere.and spiced with perilous pursuits, tea lore, worthy causes, and delectable recipes.

There Are No Grown-Ups by Pamela Druckerman, 274 pages

When Pamela Druckerman turns 40, waiters start calling her "Madame," and she detects a disturbing new message in mens' gazes: I would sleep with her, but only if doing so required no effort whatsoever.

Yet forty isn't even technically middle-aged anymore. And after a lifetime of being clueless, Druckerman can finally grasp the subtext of conversations, maintain (somewhat) healthy relationships and spot narcissists before they ruin her life.

What are the modern forties, and what do we know once we reach them? What makes someone a "grown-up" anyway? And why didn't anyone warn us that we'd get cellulite on our arms? Part frank memoir, part hilarious investigation of daily life, There Are No Grown-Ups diagnoses the in-between decade when...

- Everyone you meet looks a little bit familiar. 
- You're matter-of-fact about chin hair. 
- You can no longer wear anything ironically.
- There's at least one sport your doctor forbids you to play. 
- You become impatient while scrolling down to your year of birth. 
- Your parents have stopped trying to change you.
- You don't want to be with the cool people anymore; you want to be with your people. 
- You realize that everyone is winging it, some just do it more confidently. 
- You know that it's ok if you don't like jazz.

Internationally best-selling author and New York Timescontributor Pamela Druckerman leads us on a quest for wisdom, self-knowledge and the right pair of pants. A witty dispatch from the front lines of the forties, There Are No Grown-ups is a (midlife) coming-of-age story, and a book for anyone trying to find their place in the world.

Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, 274 pages

From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”
One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?
Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.
Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?
Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.
The first half of this book was really interesting but it started lagging and I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 274 pages

I'm so glad book club read this for May. I knew I'd read it before, but it had been a long time ago, and I had it in my mind that it was okay, but not my favorite. It was much better than I remember. It was a sweet read, reminding me very much of The Little Princess (also by the same author) and Little Women. So glad to have my opinion of this book changed.

Barry Trotter and the Shameless Parody, 274 pages

My oldest daughter had ordered this book and had it sent to the house, so of course I had to read it before bringing it up to her at college. This book was raunchy, irreverent, and a fabulously funny read. From the title page to the very end, I found myself alternating between giggling and laughing out loud. I also irritated people around me by forcing them to listen to excepts of the book that I found hilarious. I was highly upset though when I found out the other books listed as being written by the author didn't exist. I truly wanted to read "Are you there God? It's me, Hitler" and "Encyclopedia Brown gets punched, Hard".

Pyg by Russell Potter, 274 pages

I'd seen this in a review and thought it looked interesting. It presents itself as the true memoir of Toby, a pig who has learned to read and write in late 1790s England. Picture Charlotte's Web set in old days England. It was sweet and touching, filled with historical figures, and just a good read all around.

The Coffee Tea or Me Girls Lay It On the Line by Trudy Baker & Rachel Jones, 274 pages

I really like the Coffee Tea or Me books so I was excited to see that there was another one in the series. The only problem is that this wasn't a humor collection so much as it was a manual on how to deal with women's changing sexual roles during the 70s. It was interesting to read about the limits that women faced and the issues with homosexual identities in the 70s. I just kept thinking of the Virginia Slims ad "You've come a long way, baby!"