I love putting together my reading stack each month. It always gets me excited for what's ahead in the coming weeks!. I get to look over my review calendar, think about upcoming release dates, sprinkle in a few non-work-related books that caught my attention, and build a stack that feels like a good mix of work and entertainment!

Of course, you know these monthly plans aren't written in stone. at all! Sometimes a new book pops up mid-month to add to the list--or life gets busy and a few books carry over to next month. Still, I love having a plan, and this is the stack I'm hoping to work through during July.

My favorite thing about my book work is that I never limit myself to one genre. You'll find me reading fiction one day, a parenting resource the next, followed by a self-help workbook, a children's picture book, or even a craft how-to guide. I love finding books that meet my readers where they are in different seasons of life, and I think this month's lineup reflects that pretty well.

What's in my to-be-read-pile this month?

Cycle Breakers by Harriet Shearsmith

I'm looking forward reading Cycle Breakers and exploring its themes. Books that encourage readers to think differently or challenge familiar patterns always catch my attention, and I'm excited to see where this one leads. Available on Amazon

A Soul on Trial by Robin R. Cutler

I love stories that promise emotional depth and thought-provoking themes, and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts once I've finished reading. Available on Amazon

Everyday Nervous System Regulation by Melissa Romano

Mental wellness touches all of us, and I always enjoy discovering practical resources that readers can actually use and apply in everyday life. I'm curious to learn more about the strategies this book offers and whether they'll be useful for readers looking to reduce stress and find more balance. PreOrder on Amazon

Dyslexia and Your Newly Diagnosed Child by Rebecca Bush

This book stood out as a parenting resource because it offers guidance for families navigating a new diagnosis for a child. Books like this provide reassurance alongside practical information, and I'm looking forward to reviewing it for parents who may be searching for support. Available on Amazon

Investing for Tweens by Jamie Bosse

I love seeing financial literacy books written specifically for younger readers. Learning about money early can make a huge difference, and I'm interested to see how this book presents investing in an approachable, engaging way for teens. Available on Amazon

Reconnect: A Marriage Counseling Workbook by Zach Brittle & Laura Heck

Relationship books and guided workbooks can be valuable tools for couples seeking to strengthen communication and connection. I'm interested in exploring the exercises and practical advice this workbook offers. Available on Amazon

The Ultimate Origami Challenge by Brian Yoon

Sometimes it's fun to mix creative books into my reading schedule, and this one definitely fits the bill. I always enjoy activity books that encourage hands-on learning, and I can't wait to see some of the projects inside. Available on Amazon

Mrs. Rabbit's Friendsgiving Dinner by Carole P. Roman

It's never too early to discover a wonderful children's picture book. I'm excited to read this one and see how it celebrates friendship, kindness, and gratitude. Books like this are always fun to share with families and young readers. Available on Amazon

Where You'll Find These Reviews

If you're wondering where these books will be featured, they'll actually be split between my two blogs.

Most of these reviews—including the fiction, nonfiction, self-help, parenting, and workbook titles—will appear here on Book Corner News & Reviews.

My children's and young adult selections, including Investing for Tweens, The Ultimate Origami Challenge, and Mrs. Rabbit's Friendsgiving Dinner, will be featured over on A Mama's Corner of the World, where I share books and resources for families, parents, and younger readers.

I enjoy having both spaces because it allows me to connect readers with books that fit their interests while keeping each blog focused on its own audience.

Looking Ahead

I'm excited to spend July exploring these books and sharing honest reviews, favorite takeaways, and recommendations along the way. Whether you're looking for your next novel, practical life advice, parenting resources, or something fun to enjoy with the kids, I hope you'll find something here that catches your eye.

Now I'd love to hear from you! What's on your reading list this month? Have you read any of these books already? Let me know in the comments—I always enjoy hearing what everyone else is reading!

Today, I have a second chance romance novel to share in our book release spotlight! Learn about Lift Off to Love and author Gina Giambalvo-Glockler! 

A NASA Second Chance Romance

Date Published: June 29, 2026

When her Dallas skincare company is hired to develop a cream for the Diana IV moon mission, Bella Genovese finds herself in a world of astronauts, launch countdowns, and one very unexpected attraction to the mission's quietly devastating commander.

He's a widower with two daughters and a Corgi named Daisy. She's a widow with two daughters and a Corgi named Primrose. He drinks Laphroaig neat and drives a Porsche. She wears Louboutin’s to baseball games and names her suitcase Spotty Dotty.

The universe, it seems, has a plan.

But with a moon landing on the horizon, the miles between Dallas and Houston, and two hearts still carrying the weight of loss — can two people brave enough to reach for the stars find the courage to reach for each other?

Warm, funny and deeply romantic, Lift Off to Love is the story of two people who thought their greatest adventures were behind them — and the love that proved them beautifully, completely wrong.

"Roger that. Always."

The countdown has begun. Get your copy today and join Bella and Jack on a journey where dreams take flight and love reaches for the stars. 

about the author

 Gina Giambalvo-Glockler is a debut novelist with a love of romance, hockey, Taylor Swift, and shoes that are probably impractical but absolutely worth it. A proud Italian American, she writes warm, funny stories about second chances, blended families, and the kind of love that proves it's never too late for a great adventure. When she's not writing she can be found researching Italian designers, developing skincare products, watching the Philadelphia Flyers, and spending time with her rock star husband, drummer Nigel Glockler of the British heavy metal band, Saxon. Lift Off to Love is her first novel.

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This morning, I have a historical fiction novel to share! Learn about Between These Walls by Michael Newman! 

A Gripping Journey Through History's Darkest Corridors

Date Published: March 26, 2020

In the summer of 1988, New York art curator Daniel Singer receives a mysterious package from West Berlin, sealed with security tape that will shatter everything he thought he knew about himself and his family. What begins as a simple delivery transforms into an extraordinary odyssey that spans continents and decades, pulling Daniel into a labyrinth of secrets that have been carefully guarded for over forty years. 

Newman masterfully constructs a dual timeline that oscillates between May 1945 and July 1988, creating a narrative bridge across generations. In the dying days of World War II, on the American occupied side of Germany's Elbe River, US Army Medical Corps Colonel Samuel Singer stumbles upon the shot-up wreck of a smoldering SS staff car. Inside: a badly injured driver, a dead German Army officer carrying the ID of a Nazi war criminal, and a young blonde woman, also dead in the back seat. This haunting discovery sets in motion a chain of events that will echo across four decades. 

The story sweeps across the battlefields of World War I, through the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust, into the founding of Israel, and through three Middle East wars. Each historical moment is rendered with meticulous attention to detail and emotional authenticity. 

The involvement of the Mossad, Israel's legendary intelligence agency, adds layers of intrigue and suspense to Daniel's quest. As he uncovers shocking truths about his heritage, Daniel must navigate a treacherous landscape where the past and present collide, where old wounds remain fresh, and where the consequences of long-buried secrets threaten to destroy everything he holds dear. Following one American family and two German families, Newman crafts a narrative that explores not just acts of evil and callous indifference but also acts of heroism, generosity, and love in the time of Adolf Hitler's rise and eventual defeat.

Newman's research was exhaustive and deeply personal. He traveled throughout Europe, visiting the actual locations that appear prominently in the book. He walked the streets of Berlin, discovering the stolpersteine, the engraved brass plaques embedded in the cobblestone streets marking where Jewish families lived before the Nazis deported them to their deaths in Auschwitz. He ventured to the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden near Munich, Hitler's wartime summer home perched high in the Bavarian Alps. Most significantly, he visited Mauthausen concentration camp itself, where his own father had been imprisoned by the Nazis in 1944-45. 

"My visits to Mauthausen, Berlin and Hitler's summer home at Eagle's Nest were the motivators for me to write Between These Walls," Newman explains.

"These places provided me with the inspiration and ideas for the plot and premise of the book. With the global rise in antisemitism, the words 'Never again' couldn't ring truer."

Between These Walls is available for purchase through multiple platforms, making it accessible to readers worldwide. The novel is available in both paperback and Kindle editions. 

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about the author

 Michael Newman brings an unparalleled authenticity to Between These Walls because he writes not as a distant observer of history, but as someone whose life has been indelibly shaped by it. The son of Holocaust survivors, Newman has always had a deep interest in the Second World War, not as an academic pursuit, but as a personal mission to understand and honor the experiences that defined his family's existence. He received first-hand accounts of what happened during WWII in the concentration camps, particularly Mauthausen, where his father was imprisoned. 

Newman's mother, aunt, and grandmother were hidden by Righteous Gentiles in Budapest during World War II. His father fought in the Hungarian Army, dug trenches in a forced labor battalion near Stalingrad, and later endured eight terrible months at Mauthausen in Austria. In 1956, at age twelve, Newman himself became a refugee, slogging through mud and snow, dodging guard huts to escape into Austria after the crushed Hungarian uprising against the Soviets. 

Years later, as a successful self-made real estate magnate and founder of InterRent, a real estate investment trust on the Toronto Stock Exchange, Newman could have allowed his professional achievements to define him. Instead, he chose to honor his heritage by telling a story that needed to be told. He has since taken his wife, three children, and one granddaughter on trips to Mauthausen, ensuring that the next generation never forgets. 

During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, concerned over what he perceived as one-sided news coverage against Israel, he had the opportunity to travel, surreptitiously, to Israel. Using a connection with an Israeli intelligence colonel, Newman spent a week in the war zone, visiting bomb shelters, air raid command centers, and troops in the field. This experience became a model for a character in his book who helped Israel fight for independence in 1948. 

"I am not a religious person, but I do identify myself with what happened during the Holocaust and I am very much a Zionist and support the founding of Israel," Newman says. 

This conviction breathes through every page of Between These Walls, giving the novel an emotional authenticity that resonates with readers across all backgrounds. 

Today, Newman lives on Toronto's waterfront with his wife, Dixie, and their Morkie, Mia. Surrounded by five children and eleven grandchildren, he has transformed the pain of his family's past into a gift for future generations. Writing books, as Newman admits, is "a career change I wasn't expecting to make at this stage of life. It's been gratifying for the ego." He is currently working on a sequel with the working title A Daughter's Revenge, and has hired a screenwriter on spec to craft a six-part series based on his first book.

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Today,  I have a business leadership book to share in our book blitz spotlight! Learn about The Executive Code and author Andrea Nicholas! 

 

Business - Leadership

Date Published: May 29, 2026

The C-suite changes everything: the scale, the stakes, the scrutiny. What got you promoted — functional excellence, execution, personal drive — isn’t enough to sustain you when every decision is visible and every move is interpreted.

In The Executive Code, strategic advisor Andrea Nicholas reveals the unspoken rules of C-suite leadership, drawn from years advising senior executives in high-pressure, enterprise environments.

Inside, you’ll discover how to:

* Navigate the invisible transitions that come with C-suite responsibility

* Avoid the traps that cause capable executives to stall or be sidelined

* Expand your judgment, influence, and executive presence across the enterprise

* Handle politics, pressure, and power without losing your edge or integrity

* Lead with clarity when scrutiny is constant and the margin for error is thin

If you’re preparing for the C-suite or determined to endure once you’re there, The Executive Code is your strategic advantage at the top — a concise, practical guide for turning a hard‑won role into sustained authority and impact. 

Amazon

about the author

 ANDREA NICHOLAS is a trusted advisor to C-suite executives leading under sustained visibility and consequence. She brings more than three decades of experience across consulting, executive leadership, and entrepreneurship, and is the creator of the Coachsulting® method, helping leaders expand influence, sharpen judgment, and build legacies that endure.

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 This morning, we have a small town, sweet romance to share in our book spotlight! Learn about Flash Point and author Libby Kay and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post. 

Flash Point

Pinegrove FD Book 4

by Libby Kay

Genre: Small-Town Firefighter Sweet Romance

A flash of attraction, the potential for more.

Best-selling author Libby Kay’s sweet fireman romance Flash Point is a bad boy redemption story perfect for fans of B.K. Borison’s Lovelight series.

Javier “Javi” Ortiz never has trouble finding a date. The confident fireman enjoys the perks of no-strings hook-ups and his bachelor lifestyle. Yet when a certain blonde moves to Pinegrove, the idea of casual dating fizzles out. Javi is finally ready to settle down, but will he be able to charm his way into her life? Or will his reputation ruin his chance at real love?

Lola Peabody has given up on love. She doesn’t have time for men and their empty promises, especially with her hands full being a single mom and running her own photography business. Her plans do not include finding a man, even a charismatic fireman who treats her and her daughter like queens.

But Pinegrove is a small town, and the pair can’t stay away from each other. From photoshoots and romance book club to quiet walks in the woods, Lola and Javi spend more and more time together.

Could this be happily ever after? Or will their romance burn out faster than a five-alarm fire?

 

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Never before had Javi held a woman in such regard, kept a woman at arm’s length as they got to know each other. While the notion would have chafed before, now it made perfect sense. He’d do whatever it took to make Lola comfortable, happy. 

Javi wasn’t certain, but the stars shone brighter as he looked up at the night sky. He liked to pretend his mamá was looking out for him, that the twinkling stars were her way of keeping in touch. 

“I love you, Mamá,” he said up into the ether as he leaned back against his deck railing. “And I think I’m falling for someone—you’d love her.”

Well, Javi really didn’t want to lie to his mamá. He wasn’t falling for Lola, he’d already fallen—hard. 

Check out the rest of the series for more smoldering sweet romance!

Find them on Amazon! 

Libby Kay lives in the city in the heart of the Midwest with her husband. When she’s not writing, Libby loves reading romance novels of any kind. Stories of people falling in love nourish her soul. Contemporary or Regency, sweet or hot, as long as there is a happily ever after—she’s in love!

When not surrounded by books, Libby can be found baking in her kitchen, binging true crime shows, or on the road with her husband, traveling as far as their bank account will allow.

Libby cohosts the Romance Roundup podcast with Liz Donatelli where they recommend romance books and interview authors, influencers, and publishers. Check it out for your weekly dose of romance!

 

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Enter the Flash Point Giveaway Here

This morning, we are sharing a quick teaser for motorcycle club romance novel Nitro! Learn about the book, the Reckless Kings MC series and author Harley Wylde--and be sure to pre order the book today! 

(Reckless Kings MC 9): A Dixie Reapers Bad Boys Romance

Date Published: June 26, 2026

Publisher: Changeling Press

Willa -- I tell myself I’m here for one reason -- to survive. Not for him. Not for what we had. One night shouldn’t have mattered. But it did. Now I’m back, pregnant, and desperate, standing in the last place I should be. And the worst part? He sees me. 

Nitro -- She thinks I won’t recognize her. Thinks I won’t put it together. She’s wrong. One look at her, at the curve of her stomach, and I know exactly what she tried to keep from me. 

I don’t hesitate. I don’t negotiate. I claim her in front of everyone. She can be angry. She can fight. Doesn’t change anything. She’s mine. The kid’s mine. And I don’t let what belongs to me walk away. 

Perfect for fans of dominant bikers, secret baby romance, and second chance love stories.

Harley Wylde is an accomplished author known for her captivating MC Romances. With an unwavering commitment to sensual storytelling, Wylde immerses her readers in an exciting world of fierce men and irresistible women. Her works exude passion, danger, and gritty realism, while still managing to end on a satisfying note each time. 

When not crafting her tales, Wylde spends her time brainstorming new plotlines, indulging in a hot cup of Starbucks, or delving into a good book. She has a particular affinity for supernatural horror literature and movies. Visit Wylde's website to learn more about her works and upcoming events, and don't forget to sign up for her newsletter to receive exclusive discounts and other exciting perks.

connect with the author & publisher

Author on Facebook, Instagram, & TikTok: @harleywylde

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

buy the book 

Pre-Order Today

Catch up on the Reckless Kings MC series!

Today, I have a murder mystery to share in our book release blitz spotlight! Learn about A Weaponized Mind and author Bruce M. Perrin! 

The Mind Sleuth Series

Murder Mystery

Date Published: June 23, 2026

It wasn’t. Jansen had never been a DeBeer client.

Four days later, Jansen was identified as the shooter. But before the police could locate and arrest him, he was found dead in an alley near downtown Denver. At that point, suspicion pivoted to DeBeer’s many disgruntled clients. One of them must have hired Jansen as their instrument of retaliation, then killed him to cover their involvement. 

This theory, too, led nowhere as the investigation stalled after three months. 

Frustrated by the apparent lack of progress on the case, Lauren Beckwith, Jansen’s cousin, hired Private Investigator Rebecca Marte to continue the hunt. And while Rebecca apparently retrod much of the same ground as the police detectives, she must have done something different, because before she knew it, she was fighting for her life in a diabolical trap set by Jansen’s killer.

about the author

 If you’re interested in what I’m like in something more detailed than what will fit in this space, I’d say, buy any of my books. That overly analytic guy (read geek) is me. OK, I’ve never saved the day like the heroes in my books, but we think alike. I’m interested in technology and psychology (my formal background) and enjoy writing about where they meet, now and in the future. In addition to pounding the keyboard, I like to tinker with home automation and I’m an avid hiker. When I’m not on the trails, you’ll find me at home with my wife and our dog in Aurora, CO. 

For a closer look at my writing life, book reviews, and progress on my upcoming novels, please join me at brucemperrin.com.

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