Ken Jennings' guide to the afterlife, Elin Hilderbrand's 'Five-Star Weekend': 5 new books
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In search of something good to read? USA TODAY's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week's hottest new book releases. All books are on sale Tuesday.
For more must-read book recommendations, check out the 20 books we are most excited about this summer, including Elliot Page's memoir "Pageboy" and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead's new novel "Crook Manifesto"; our favorite books of 2022 that received perfect four-star reviews; and the juiciest recent celebrity memoirs from Matthew Perry, Tom Felton, William Shatner, Jennette McCurdy and more.
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‘The closet was grueling’: Elliot Page details abuse, dysphoria, coming out in memoir ‘Pageboy’
'The Five-Star Weekend'
By Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown, fiction)
What it's about: The bestselling author of "The Hotel Nantucket" returns with another winning summer novel. When Hollis Shaw's husband dies suddenly in a car accident, she needs something to pull her back together. So she organizes a "Five-Star Weekend," inviting her best friends from each phase of life for a weekend on Nantucket.
The buzz: "This should become a beach bag staple," says a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
"The Five-Star Weekend" at Amazon for $19
"The Five-Star Weekend" at Bookshop for $30
'Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World'
By Christian Cooper (Random House, nonfiction)
What it's about: You may recognize the self-described "Blerd" (Black nerd) and expert bird-watcher from his 2020 viral video, when a routine encounter with a white woman and her dog turned dangerous for Cooper. Here, he tells his own story and how the practice of bird watching has shaped him.
The buzz: "This rewarding memoir adds heft and heart to the headlines," says a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
"Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World" at Amazon for $24
"Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World" at Bookshop for $26
'100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife'
By Ken Jennings (Scribner, nonfiction)
What it’s about: The "Jeopardy!" champion and host offers an entertaining travel guide to the afterlife full of must-see destinations from mythology, literature and pop culture, from Dante’s "Inferno" and Valhalla to NBC's "The Good Place."
The buzz: Kirkus Reviews calls it "an entertaining, amusing collection of a wide variety of visions of the afterlife."
"100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife" at Amazon for $25
"100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife" at Bookshop for $26
'Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me'
By Aisha Harris (HarperOne, nonfiction)
What it's about: The co-host of NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" reflects on the pop culture that has shaped her with astute observations on film, music and TV that prove her an important modern cultural critic.
The buzz: A starred review from Publishers Weekly says, "As incisive as they are entertaining, these essays are a treat."
"Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me" at Amazon for $14
"Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me" at Bookshop for $28
Her mother and brother died: This is how baseball got her through grief.
'Nightbloom'
By Peace Adzo Medie (Algonquin, fiction), out June 13
What it's about: Cousins Selasi and Akorfa were inseparable growing up in Ghana, until Selasi begins to change and Akorfa goes to study to become a doctor in the U.S. But a crisis ends their estrangement, and Selasi’s secret is revealed.
The buzz: Publishers Weekly calls it a "poignant outing," adding, "This is worth a look."
"Nightbloom" at Amazon for $14
"Nightbloom" at Bookshop for $26
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ken Jennings, Elin Hilderbrand make summer reading fun: 5 new books
