May is a big month for books! We’ve got the latest in the Sookie Stackhouse series, a new Pendergast novel, and the final book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy to look forward to. Check out the upcoming book releases I think you’ll be interested in reading.

Dead in the Family: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel by Charlaine Harris

Available May 4, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry…

The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

Available May 4, 2010 (Order on Amazon)
The latest book from the author of the Percy Jackson series will focus on Egyptian gods.

From the publisher:

Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a “research experiment” at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them–Set–has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe–a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk

Available May 4, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

The hyperactive love child of Page Six and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? caught in a tawdry love triangle with The Fan. Even Kitty Kelly will blush.

Soaked, nay, marinated in the world of vintage Hollywood, Tell-All is a Sunset Boulevard-inflected homage to Old Hollywood when Bette Davis and Joan Crawford ruled the roost; a veritable Tourette’s syndrome of rat-tat-tat name-dropping, from the A-list to the Z-list; and a merciless send-up of Lillian Hellman’s habit of butchering the truth that will have Mary McCarthy cheering from the beyond.

Our Thelma Ritter-ish narrator is Hazie Coogan, who for decades has tended to the outsized needs of Katherine “Miss Kathie” Kenton-veteran of multiple marriages, career comebacks, and cosmetic surgeries. But danger arrives with gentleman caller Webster Carlton Westward III, who worms his way into Miss Kathie’s heart (and boudoir). Hazie discovers that this bounder has already written a celebrity tell-all memoir foretelling Miss Kathie’s death in a forthcoming Lillian Hellman-penned musical extravaganza; as the body count mounts, Hazie must execute a plan to save Katherine Kenton for her fans-and for posterity.

Tell-All is funny, subversive, and fascinatingly clever. It’s wild, it’s wicked, it’s bold-faced-it’s vintage Chuck.

Innocent by Scott Turow

Available May 4, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

The sequel to the genre-defining, landmark bestseller Presumed Innocent, INNOCENT continues the story of Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto who are, once again, twenty years later, pitted against each other in a riveting psychological match after the mysterious death of Rusty’s wife.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman

Available May 4, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is the remarkable new piece of fiction from best-selling and famously atheistic author Philip Pullman. By challenging the events of the gospels, Pullman puts forward his own compelling and plausible version of the life of Jesus, and in so doing, does what all great books do: makes the reader ask questions.
In Pullman’s own words, “The story I tell comes out of the tension within the dual nature of Jesus Christ, but what I do with it is my responsibility alone. Parts of it read like a novel, parts like history, and parts like a fairy tale; I wanted it to be like that because it is, among other things, a story about how stories become stories.”
Written with unstinting authority, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is a pithy, erudite, subtle, and powerful book by a controversial and beloved author. It is a text to be read and reread, studied and unpacked, much like the Good Book itself.

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

Available May 11, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her own mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie–a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance–and even to some degree, friendships–believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.

In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.

Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Available May 11, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

Yesterday, Special Agent Pendergast still mourned the loss of his beloved wife, Helen, who died in a tragic accident in Africa twelve years ago.

Today, he discovers she was murdered.

Tomorrow, he will learn her most guarded secrets, leaving him to wonder: Who was the woman I married? Why was she murdered? And, above all . . . Who murdered her?

FEVER DREAM

Revenge is not sweet: It is essential.

61 Hours by Lee Child

Available May 18, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

Jack Reacher is back.

The countdown has begun. Get ready for the most exciting 61 hours of your life. #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child’s latest thriller is a ticking time bomb of suspense that builds electric tension on every page.

Sixty-one hours. Not a minute to spare.

A tour bus crashes in a savage snowstorm and lands Jack Reacher in the middle of a deadly confrontation. In nearby Bolton, South Dakota, one brave woman is standing up for justice in a small town threatened by sinister forces. If she’s going to live long enough to testify, she’ll need help. Because a killer is coming to Bolton, a coldly proficient assassin who never misses.

Reacher’s original plan was to keep on moving. But the next 61 hours will change everything. The secrets are deadlier and his enemies are stronger than he could have guessed-but so is the woman whose life he’ll risk his own to save.

In 61 Hours, Lee Child has written a showdown thriller with an explosive ending that readers will talk about for a long time to come.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

Available May 25, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy

Lisbeth Salander-the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels-lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge-against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Available May 25, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:

A perfect murder
A faceless witness
A lone courtroom champion knows the whole truth . . . and he’s only thirteen years old
Meet Theodore Boone

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk-and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom.

But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much-maybe too much-he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth.

The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.

Brimming with the intrigue and suspense that made John Grisham a #1 international bestseller and the undisputed master of the legal thriller, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer will keep readers guessing and pages turning.

The film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hit theaters last week and it made me nostalgic for the days of reading the books for the first time. If you are like me and want to read another great series, here is a list of books that might help fill the void left by Harry Potter. Both children and adults can enjoy most of these books. Many have themes similar to Harry Potter, such as a child who doesn’t fit in finding out that he or she is somehow special or different from most kids.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl, a twelve-year-old boy genius and criminal mastermind, has uncovered the secret world of fairies and plots to steal their gold. These are not traditional fairies, however, as they are heavily armed and equipped with advanced technology. The Artemis Fowl series is often compared to Harry Potter because the books feature a variety of magical creatures and an independent young boy, but that’s where the similarities end. The Artemis Fowl books are very witty and funny and they have a unique cast of characters.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Eragon is probably more like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars than Harry Potter, but they do share many of the same fans. It tells the story of a young boy who bonds with a dragon and discovers his special role as the last of the Dragon Riders. Eragon and his world of magic, elves, dwarves, and dragons will appeal to fans of fantasy of all ages.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson is an average eleven-year-old boy with ADHD until he discovers that his father is Greek god Poseidon, making Percy a demigod. Percy travels to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp that protects the children of gods from forces who want to harm them. There are blatant similarities to Harry Potter, but Percy and his friends are more modern, hip, and sometimes just plain hilarious.

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) by Philip Pullman
The first book in an amazing trilogy, The Golden Compass tells the story of spunky Lyra Belacqua and her daemon Pantalaimon (read our full review here). In Lyra’s world, each individual’s soul physically manifests itself into animal form, called a daemon. She is an orphan who embarks on a quest to save her friend. This is much more than just a children’s book and will appeal to adults who can appreciate the mature themes.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Meggie is a 12 year-old girl whose father, Mo, has a strange ability. When she was younger, he read aloud from the book Inkheart and the evil characters came alive into their world and Meggie’s mother went into the book. Now evil forces want to use Mo’s ability for their own purposes. The magical and fairy tale aspects of Inkheart should appeal to Harry Potter fans.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
If you like the love connections and teenage angst in the Harry Potter books, you might like the Twilight saga. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably already know that it’s about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire who can read everyone’s mind but hers. Sure it’s cheesy at times, but I bet you’ll be hooked by the character-driven story.

The Golden Compass is the first book in an outstanding trilogy by Philip Pullman. For those of you that saw the movie don’t be fooled into thinking this is a children’s book. The books are actually much darker than the movie. The story takes place in a world much like our own but with just a few differences. For starters, each person’s soul is a living animal called a ‘daemon’ that never strays further than a few meters from their body. A person’s daemon can tell you a lot about their personality. For example, if your daemon is a snake, you’re probably not the type of person I’d want to do trust falls with.

The focus of the story is a young girl named Lyra Belacqua. Lyra doesn’t know her parents and has spent her whole life being raised on the college campus of Jordan college. Her uncle, Lord Asriel, checks in on her from time to time, but is mostly busy with his own research. Her world quickly changes when a series of events lead up to Lyra leaving home and going on an adventure to rescue her friend. She makes new friends along the way and gets help from some unexpected sources. Lyra realizes that the key to unlocking her past and her present all have to do with a secretive thing called “dust,” which seems to play a part in everything and everyone.

Something about Lyra reminds me of Scout from “To Kill a Mockingbird” and I think that’s part of what endeared me to the character from the start. She’s smart, spunky, and will do just about anything for her friends. I also really enjoyed how dark the story could get at times as well as its skepticism towards god and religion. This is a book that will surprise you, even if you’ve already seen the movie.

Buy The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman on Amazon by clicking here.