Summer Novels by various authors

c.2025, various publishers $18-$30 various page counts

So far, so good. You’ve had a great summer, at least ’til now, and you’re hoping what’s left will be likewise smooth. You’ve spent some time outdoors, caught some extra family time and now’s your chance to snag a good novel for yourself. So try one of these …When Corby Ledbetter is hit with several life-changing events, it causes problems in his marriage and ultimately leads to a prison sentence in the new novel, “The River is Waiting” by Wally Lamb (Marysue Rucci Books, $29.99). Prison’s no place for a guy like Corby, but he manages to survive with the help of small kindnesses and the care of someone important to him. This book about love and faith is a winner.

If you enjoy a good thriller, “Hidden Nature” by Nora Roberts (St. Martin’s Press, $30) is what you need. When Sloan Cooper is injured on the job, her world is turned upside down. While recuperating, she reads a story online about a series of kidnappings across several states and she thinks she can solve this mystery before the abductions get too personal …

More thrillers to find: “The Felon’s Ball” by Polly Stewart (Harper, $27.99), a book about best friends, a secret party, death and history gone wrong; “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books, $29.99), a tale of horror that spans nearly five centuries; and “Hunting in America” by Tehila Hakimi (Penguin Books, $18), a novel of a woman who learns to love deer hunting a little too much …

If you’re a big fan of cookbooks and you read them for pleasure, “Cheesecake” by Mark Kurlansky (Bloomsbury, $26.99) is a book to bite into. It’s the story of a Roman statesman and a 2,200-year-old cheesecake recipe that comes to New York, ending up in a small family owned restaurant. Soon, it’s the only thing New Yorkers can talk about. It’s all anyone wants to have

and it’s a big deal to the owner of the eatery. But when is cheesecake just cheesecake and when is it a treat that changes a Big Apple neighborhood – but not for the better? You’ll want to find out in this fun-to-read novel.

And finally, speaking of New York, when a trio of rich, beautiful, have-it-all mothers of rich, beautiful children at an exclusive private school are introduced to a new student’s mother, who is equally wealthy and beautiful, it leads to a truly awful school year. In “Mean Moms” by Emma Rosenblum (Flatiron Books, $28.99), Belle, Frost and Morgan meet their match in Sophia, a mysterious mom from Miami and their charmed lives start to fray. Is Sophia to blame, or do they have enemies at the school?

If these novels aren’t what you’re looking for, be sure to ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for ideas. They know exactly how to find the book you’re craving, whether it’s a mystery, history, romance, fantasy or a little bit of all of those. They can help you take your summer so far, so good.