This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Virginia Tech chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Although it might be hard to picture during the height of the academic semester—summer is truly just around the corner! And as an English major who’s to-be-read list has been piling up the whole semester while I never have time for non-assigned readings, I’ve been keeping an eye on new releases coming in the next few months. (If I ever get through that TBR, that is.) Here’s what’s on my radar.
“The Calamity Club”
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Release date: May 5
Genre(s): Historical fiction, coming-of-age
Synopsis: “The Calamity Club” is Kathryn Stockett’s first novel since her wildly successful (and movie-adapted) “The Help.” It’s set in Oxford, Mississippi in 1933, and centers around the friendships between women: Meg Lefleur, an 11-year-old girl at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, Birdie Calhoun and Charlie. The novel explores the leadup to The Great Depression, and how the lives of these three vastly different women intersect in a united cause to find their place in the world.
“The Midnight Train”
Author: Matt Haig
Release date: May 5
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: “The Midnight Train” is a sort of sequel/parallel story to Matt Haig’s well-known novel, “The Midnight Library.” But rather than a library, this addition portrays the place in between life and death as a train, allowing you to visit different moments in your life and whether you could’ve lived them differently. As compared to its predecessor, this story also contains more romance and explores the regrets of “lost loves” and previous relationships. As someone who read “The Midnight Library,” I found the ending to be a bit flat and predictable, but the concept is very intriguing, so I’ll be curious to see if Haig takes the premise in a new direction with this story.
“Land: A Novel”
Author: Maggie O’Farrell
Release date: June 2
Genre: Historical fiction
Synopsis: Maggie O’Farrell, author of “Hamnet,” is now coming out with her new novel “Land,” set in 1865 and focused on Tomás and his son, Liam, who are trying to map the entirety of Ireland. The story explores how the Great Hunger impacted Ireland for many years to come and shows Tomás’s attempt to preserve the mark it left on the Irish. It also incorporates elements of Irish folklore and mythology, adding a fantastical element, and delves into the emotional conflict between father and son as they attempt to navigate this massive project.
“Country People”
Author: Daniel Mason
Release date: July 7
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: “Country People” follows the Krzelewski family as they move to Vermont for career reasons—mainly on Miles, the husband and father, who never finished his PhD on Russian folktales, and Kate, the wife and mother who just accepted a professor position at a prestigious Vermont college. In the deep forests of Vermont, Miles finds himself fascinated with a local mythological tale and the folklore as told by the locals. I’d honestly just come across this novel because the cover caught my eye, and I’m not familiar with Mason as an author, but I always love to read something new! New England and urban legends in the forests sound like just the right combination (and not just because Stephen King has done it a million times).
“Etna”
Author: Paul Yoon
Release: Aug. 4
Genre: Post-war fiction/Animal POV
Synopsis: “Etna” follows a war-dog who decides to sneak out in the middle of the night, away from the soldiers he’s been companion to for years, to try and find his original home. As Etna tries to make his way back home, he has to uncover the impact of this devastating war—not just on the people, but on the animals and broader natural environment. The novel shows how destruction requires us to start over, whilst Etna is trying to return to the past. I have two main thoughts on “Etna” from what I’ve read about it: First, I will be preordering it immediately, and second, if the dog dies at the end, we’re going to have a problem.
