Welcome to June!

Last month, I asked what was the most recent book that you would blindly recommend to people.

I should have seen the most common answer coming a mile away – it was of course, The Women by Kristin Hannah. When I asked back in January what the “Best Book You Read in 2024” was, that one ran away with the votes.

However, that worked out perfectly – because over at Book Notification, we were just starting the monthly book club. So it was the obvious first book choice!

You can check out episode 1 here.

The follow-up will be within the next two weeks I expect, and we will discuss the book. I’ve read it, so I’ll save my thoughts for then. If you want to send in your thoughts on The Women or have anything you want us to discuss, you can e-mail care@booknotification.com.

If you’re interested in sending your own video thoughts – we’d love to see that too! Get in contact with me first for that so we can determine the best way for you to send them.

Book Notification is now at over 77,000 audited authors, which is an incredible achievement. Until you start auditing authors, you have no idea how incredibly challenging this is. And I’m not just talking about organizing an author’s lists into series, checking for chronological orders and alternate titles, etc.

I’m talking about the random occurrences that pop up on a day-to-day basis which make you say “Wow – I really hate authors”. And I’m not joking; whenever we hire someone new for the database team, someone who is passionate about books; I have to give them a warning – you’re going to start to “hate” authors as a whole, and start cursing them.

Here’s just one random rabbit hole I went down Friday night. This is a long one, but I think it can be fun to share insights into some of the work involved.

I had just finished up work and was about to relax when a member of the database team asked me to look at one book which was confusing them. It looked simple enough – but ended up being over 45 minutes of work just to figure this situation out.

There was a book in a series- let’s call it “Book A”. Websites such as Goodreads listed it as an alternate title for “Book B”. The author’s website listed “Book B” as the first book in the series, with no reference to “Book A”.

A fairly common occurrence; the author has changed the title of the book “Book A”, and is going forward with the new title of “Book B”. What was confusing the staff member, was that there were reviews for “Book A” referencing “Book B”, and there was an entry for “Book B” referencing “Book A”. As in – they were two separate books.

I spent some time researching, and this was not discussed or answered anywhere. Not on any websites. The author has never discussed it. There were a few unanswered questions about it on the author’s social media page.

So I purchased a copy of “Book B”, assuming the author would explain this. They didn’t. I then obtained a later book in the series to see if this is referenced. Again, it was not.

So I really needed a copy of this “Book A” to look at both books side by side. As it has essentially been wiped off the internet, I had to use a WhatsApp group I have with various librarians who have access to a lot of books. One of them was able to get me a copy of “Book A”.

I opened up both books side by side and started looking. It looked like “Book B” was an alternate title for “Book A”, just with more polished editing. Case solved.

Or was it? As I was looking through, one thing I noticed was the read percentage was off. While I was at 50% in “Book A”, I was only at 25% in “Book B”.

That’s when I was able to figure it out. Here’s the exact list of events:

– Author wrote “Book A”.

– Author wrote “Book B”.

– Author wrote a few other books in the series.

– Author went back, combined “Book A” and “Book B” together, under the title of “Book B”.

– Author went to great lengths to NEVER explain this to anyone, causing said confusion.

It was an incredibly frustrating situation, and this is why it’s easy to “hate” authors: all of this could have been cleared up by the author simply acknowledging it. On the website. In the newly revised “Book B’. Anywhere. Instead, they are causing mass confusion for potential readers.

Just such a frustrating situation, and I hope that the author’s ears were burning badly on Friday night, as I ranted about them to my wife! Thankfully, I was able to figure it out and explain it on that author’s page.

Just one of the MANY unique situations we encounter on a day to day basis. And of course I don’t actually hate authors. But sometimes, it’s hard not to! And that’s why I am so proud of the hard work at Book Notification. (And why it upsets me that various other sites rely on volunteers for this sort of work).

My month got off to a bad start quality-wise when it came to reading.

First up was You Are Not Alone by Leah Cupps. I generally stay away from being negative about books if it’s purely based on my own opinion – but if the author does something that ticks me off, you can bet I am going to share that with you guys, to save you the time in reading this book.

This one really angered me because the prologue was a lie. I don’t mean it was part of the story or narrative anything like that. I mean the author outright lied in the prologue. It was one of those things where I was confused at the end and went back to see if I misremembered it but nope – the author made up complete lies.

Unreliable narrators are a pet peeve of mine but this one was beyond that. There were a lot of other issues I had with the book – but the author lying has put me off ever reading one of their books again. Very disappointing.

I listened to Middle of the Night by Riley Sager. This was the fourth book I’ve read by him. I’ve enjoyed three of them, but unfortunately this one I did not enjoy. It was the story of a young boy who disappeared from a tent 30 years ago.

Just a lot of issues with it. A protagonist with no personality. An obvious couple of twists. Just silly things like the police choosing not to investigate a nearby facility. Ghosts and spirits. Characters that do things that make zero sense. A timeline that doesn’t hold up. One of those books that you don’t like, and the more you think about it, the more you find stuff to pick at. It is what it is.

I next read The Tenant by Freida McFadden. While I’m a big fan of Frieda, her most recent three novels prior to this book I have found very disappointing. It was getting to the point where I was debating giving up on her, despite being a fan of the majority of her books.

Thankfully this one was a winner. It’s the story of a couple who need to take in a tenant due to financial struggles. Then it’s your usual psychological thriller fare – keeps you hooked, full of twists, “just one more chapter”. I ended up reading the entire book in two quick sittings. Hats off to Freida for a great book. She wrote in the afterword that this was her first time writing from a male POV – and I thought she did an excellent job with it.

I also read the novella Death Row by Freida, thanks to Amazon’s First Reads. I was really impressed with it as there was a lot of depth to the story, and would like to see more novellas by Freida.

I started to listen to Look Both Ways by Linwood Barclay next. This was a bit of a sci-fi thriller where an entire island is taken over by self-driving cars for a month, as part of an experiment. The premise sounded good, but it was one of those books that started very, very slow. At 2 hours in, it felt like it was still in the character-building stage and honestly, I got bored with it and added it to the DNF pile.

I next listened to Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. Like many, I was a big fan of Friends growing up. I’ve rewatched it countless times and a large portion of my brain is reserved for Friends knowledge. When my family and I go out to dinner, we usually take trivia cards with us to play and Friends is completely banned as it’s not even fun for anyone. Heck, one of my best friends and I even share the same Friends logo tattoo.

I was very curious about this book, in large part due to the internet’s reactions to it. When it first came out, there was a very negative reaction to the book and Matthew as a whole. Then he passed away, and as you can imagine, the reaction to the book following that became very positive.

First, I was surprised at how much I resonated with Matthew growing up. Parents breaking up and one moving to another country at a young age, being the “unaccompanied minor” on flights, etc – I did all that, as my parents broke up when I was 8 and my dad moved from Scotland to Canada. Then deciding at age 15 to leave and move with his dad? The exact same thing I did. It all came across as very eerie seeing the similarities.

I could see why people disliked the book. I’ll be completely honest here: Matthew comes off as unlikeable and narcissistic. Despite saying he doesn’t, he clearly blames a lot of his problems on his parents. He’s constantly bragging in a very off-putting way. He has lines that – perhaps they are just dripping in sarcasm – come off very bitter.

I can see why people reacted that way. And initially, I did too. However, I came to appreciate that we were getting the raw and honest Matthew Perry. The problem with many celebrity bios is they have gone through 30 PR agents first. There’s usually an ulterior motive for releasing one. That was not the case with this.

So while it can be hard to listen to more due to the person than his passing – even little things like having to reference his “duplex hotel room” – I’m glad he released it as is, as it’s a very honest book, and it feels like the “bragging” is just part of his troubles. He was clearly a very troubled person, and it was a fascinating insight into his psyche.

I next listened to Pageboy by Elliot Page. The style of the book comes off almost like a poetry reading. It was incredible reading everything that he went through growing up, and how young he was when he was clearly aware of his true gender identity. The experiences that he went through not just in childhood, but in the disgusting world of Hollywood, were brutal, and it’s impressive he has been able to come through all that.

My only complaints were the chronology was a bit all over the place, and I could have done without the graphic sex scene descriptions. But this was a very good listen, and similar to Matthew Perry’s; one I would recommend listening to over reading.

I listened to to Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay. A standalone thriller about Parents Weekend at a private school, and five families gathering over dinner only to discover that all their children have gone missing.

It’s a tough one to start with because it introduces all the sets of parents and the kids, and it’s very hard to keep track of. Finlay did a good job at differentiating the parents at least, but I kept finding myself lost when it came to the kids, and I didn’t really get any emotional attachment to the characters.

The mystery aspect of it was quite paint by the numbers, and in the epilogue I was waiting for that final twist which was telegraphed but….never happened. One of those where you hit the rewind button to make sure you didn’t accidently skip a chapter. Not Alex’s best outing.

It’s a tough one to start with because it introduces all the sets of parents and the kids, and it’s very hard to keep track of. Finlay did a good job at differentiating the parents at least, but I kept finding myself lost when it came to the kids. I’m about 60% of the way through this one so we’ll see how things go with it.

I read The Last Word by Taylor Adams. I really enjoyed Eyeshot by the same author and I believe added it to the recommendation section here. I think as I gave that worthy praise (and still highly recommend it), I can be honest about this one – I absolutely hated it.

It had a great concept. A woman, isolated in a cottage, leaves a one-star review for an author of a horror novel. The author threatens her, then shows up with the intent to kill her, while writing this murder into his own novel. It was a really neat idea as you had two different narratives; what was really happening, and what the author’s perspective was as he wrote the book in his head.

The quality of the writing just seemed so amateurish, and there was a laundry list of things I didn’t like about this book. It then got bogged down by twist after twist, and I had to stop to check that it wasn’t intended as satire.

It does primarily get positive reviews so don’t take my word for it. Despite my feelings, I liked Eyeshot enough that I’ll still read more by Taylor.

I finished the third season of Reacher. Absolutely loved it. I thought they did a fantastic job at adapting my favourite book in that series, and the changes made were well done. The big fight scene at the end was fantastic and just the right mix of action and humour. I also liked how they presented the Neagley character; after that season, I’m really looking forward to the spinoff.

That’s about it for me – except for a new feature in the newsletter! I was in a local bookstore the other day when I saw a joke book titled “Book Lover’s Joke Book”. I skimmed it and some are absolutely terrible. “Perfect to print in the OOB Newsletter”, was my first thought! Enjoy that below. I’ve temporarily removed “Quotes of the Month” but I’ll bring that back soon.

And as always, be sure to head on over to Book Notification to get notified of new books by your favourite authors. If you’re someone who prints book lists, you will LOVE our new customizable printing where you can print select series, hide chronological authors and books by other authors.

In May we also added the ability to add new book releases to your own Google and Apple calendars, which is really neat. Visit now.

Each month we give away 5 $25 Amazon gift certificates to random subscribers. 

To win all you have to do is be a subscriber. Nothing more! When we go to hit “Publish” we take a list of all of our subscribers, throw them into a random draw and those are the winners.

Our winners this month are:

Sheila H. from New Britain, CT
Kay F. from Sparks, NV
Therese V. from Tucson, AZ
Joanne S. from Florence, KY
Geri G. from Summerfield, FL

All of you have been e-mailed. If you don’t see anything, check your junk folder or contact me.

Graeme
OrderOfBooks.com

Jokes of the Month

Which monarch wrote the most books?

King Author.

I’m not liking this novel about a church cemetery much.

There’s no plot.

Why do authors write so many novels about double agents?

Because variety is the life of spies.

His new novel is called Nagb. It’s pretty controversial. In fact, it’s bang out of order!

A writer goes into a pub with a laptop under his arm. “Get out”, shouts the bartender. “We don’t want your typing here.”

(Jokes from The Book of Book Jokes by Alex Johnson)

Book Recommendations

In this section, I give 3-5 random book recommendations from readers of the newsletter. They can be old books, they can be new. Feel free to e-mail suggestions to me. Just hit reply. If you wish to add a description for the book around the same size as the ones below that’d be great too! 

The Boomerang by Robert Bailey: Robert Bailey is an excellent legal thriller author, and if you are a fan of legal thrillers, be sure to read his McMurtrie and Drake series.

The Boomerang is a standalone novel and political thriller, recommended by Norm who said that it is “a drama filled story about a government coverup that could easily be believed as the real thing”.

A loyal Chief of Staff uncovers a billion-dollar cover-up and goes on the run with his cancer-stricken daughter, leading to a deadly showdown in the desert. Billed as John Grisham meets Yellowstone.

Cyber Dreams Series by Plum Parrot: There are currently six books in this cyberpunk series about a scrapyard worker who gains a powerful AI implant and becomes a mercenary, navigating a high-tech world of corporate corruption and danger.

Carol wrote in to recommend it, writing:

“I just finished listening to the most recent book in the series “Cyber Dreams” by Plum Parrot. The series begins with “Electric Angel: A Dystopian Sci-Fi Adventure” and it has been one wild ride. The narration is perfect (Suzy Jackson) and the action just doesn’t stop. The world building is fabulous, the characters are believable. The science is so much fun! I have had the best time listening to them. If one is into sci-fi, cyber-augmentation, good guys (gals) versus bad guys (gals) you won’t be disappointed.”

Alexandra Martel Series by Steve Urszenyl: Keith wrote in to recommend this special agent series. There are currently two books in it with another one coming in November. Here is what Keith wrote:

“My favorite audiobook(s) of the month this time is a “two-fer” – “Perfect Shot” and “Out in the Cold”, both written by Steve Urszenyl and read by Cynthia Farrell. Both books feature FBI Special Agent Alexandra Martel, a former Army sniper and medic, who is now seconded to Interpol as a criminal investigator. One day, Alex learns that an old friend, an MI5 officer, has been killed under mysterious circumstances. Alex is then drawn into a maelstrom confluence of spooks, terrorists, and criminal conspiracies where it seems that everyone wants her dead. Both books have well-developed characters, interesting plots and relentless pace. Kudos to the author. ”

Whiteout by R.S. Burnett: Keith also wrote in to recommend this one, which is a debut author. While he didn’t rate it as highly as the above series, it was one of those plots that had me instantly reaching for my phone, to add the book to my TBR.

“An interesting variation on the post-apocalyptic thriller, with a big twist at the end. This time there is Rachael, a British wife/mother/eco-researcher alone on the far side of Antarctica, in mid-winter. Her only connection to the world is a periodic radio broadcast from the BBC, stating that there has been a nuclear war and that everyone should shelter in place until help arrives. Of course, the same message has been repeating every 2 hours for the last 3 months. Rachael is running out of food, fuel and luck, and she can’t get any response to radio or sat-phone calls. Meanwhile, a raging blizzard has been going on for weeks, and Rachael is gradually going insane.”

Quakers Series by Jan de Hartog: I was chatting with long-time subscriber Phoenix last month, and we happened to be talking about our favourite books. She mentioned the first book in this series as her all-time favourite book, and I immediately thought, “That has to make the recommendation list!”

It’s a historical fiction series portraying the lives of Quakers from 17th-century England to 19th-century America, focusing on their spiritual journeys, challenges, and commitment to peace.

June Book Of The Month

Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson: I’m a big fan of Peter Swanson, who became very popular due to his book Eight Perfect Murders, published in 2020. Since then I’ve read everything he has written, and gave top marks to almost all of them.

This one really intrigues me though – as Kill Your Darlings is a murder mystery, but told backward.

It’s about a couple who have been married for over 25 years. Things seem great except – the wife wants to murder the husband.

And what happens next, is based on everything that has happened before. So their entire story leading up to this point is told in reverse. All leading to a secret which has kept them bound together all these years.

10 More Notable Books Releasing in June

Brought to you by BookNotification.com where you can get updated on all the upcoming books by your favourite authors with your own personalized calendar!

Check out June’s 50 most popular book releases.

June Charities

While I appreciate all offers of donations to show your appreciation for the site and newsletter, I’d much rather you do that by supporting some great causes.  Each month I pick a few select charities broken down by our most popular countries or topics that you can support instead.   Thanks! Feel free to donate to a similar charity but in your own area.

I rotate this list each month.  Feel free to suggest a favourite charity – hit reply.

Pictures of the Month

Thanks Carla!

In Albuquerque, NM. Thanks Carla!

Submitted by Carla

And thanks again Carla! Making my life easy.

Jenny submitted that one. Her daughter spotted that at Atlanta airport. How awesome is that?

Send in your own to site@orderofbooks.com or by replying!

Images, jokes, etc. We’ll take it all!

Your Thoughts!

Last month I asked what was the last book that you blindly recommended to everyone?. The answers are later in the newsletter.

This month’s question is:

Do you binge a series from start to finish?

With streaming services, how we consume media has changed over the last 10-15 years. Now, many seasons of a TV show are released all at once, and viewers will spend the next 8 hours watching every episode.

What about books? If you start any series, be it a short series or a long series, do you binge it from start to finish? Does the quantity of books matter? Or do you take breaks in between?

I’m primarily a binger, but it depends on the quality of the books, and also what other books are releasing during that period.

I binged the entire John Wells series by Alex Berenson many years ago. Each book was incredible I thought, and I couldn’t get enough and read all 12 back to back. Even typing this makes me want to re-read them right now.

A few years ago, I binged all 41 (at the time) books in the Bosch Universe by Michael Connelly. However, with so many, I occasionally took breaks to read new books by other favourite authors. I think I got through them all in the space of about five months.

A large part of it depends on whether I am chomping at the bit to see the next adventures of these characters or not. Book Notification has a “What’s Next” page where you can see what book to read next in the series, and there are so many listed there where, while I was enjoying the series, I’d finish a book and just be like “Eh – I feel like something else”.

Just over the past year, there have been series The Survivalist (A. American), The Inheritance Games (Jennifer Lynn Barnes), Dewey Andreas (Ben Coes), Peter Ash (Nick Petrie), Victor the Assassin (Tom Wood) where I have enjoyed the books – but just not enough to immediately dive into the next one.

Now I feel motivated to start working on those and clear that entire section up. Ah if only I could stop time. If I had that superpower I’d use it to read.

What about you? Do you binge a series from start to finish?

E-mail us your feedback to site@OrderOfBooks.com or just reply to this e-mail, and we’ll pick the best comments and feature it in next month’s newsletter. Five people will also randomly win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.

Reader Mailbag

Click here to read.

Book Notification
Order of Books » Newsletter » OrderOfBooks June 2025 Newsletter

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