After a month of back-and-forth weather that included snow storms and days off school, it’s time to enjoy some balmy spring temps, and wrap up the lengthening days curled up with a great read. Luckily there are some great books coming to the Arlington Public Library this month. Check out some of the newest additions to the county collection below.
Fiction
Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett
Pax Nomen has a pretty easy job—managing the Number Five Wayside Inn and World Travel Hub. This magical hotel travels the universe, housing all sorts of paranormal guests, but when it lands on Earth, our lack of magic means it’s stuck. When Josie, a single mother down on her luck, moves in, she and her son find themselves at home among the vegan zombies, faeries, and gargoyles. The Wayside Inn might be what Josie needs to restart her life, and she might be what the Inn needs to restart its magic. A delightful romance with a great cast of characters. Library catalog link here.
Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo
Ariadne lost her arms and legs in a brutal attack by the Guls, flesh eating monsters who help direct political control in Brazil. She was saved by Erik Yurkov who not only healed her, but took her in, training her to provide health care to the Guls. But now Erik has gone missing, and Quaint, a charming Gul claiming to be his best friend, is convinced of foul play. As they search for Erik, Ariadne and Quaint discover a conspiracy that proves humans can be just as monstrous as the Guls in this neo-noir horror novella. Library catalog link here.
My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi, translated by Louise Heal Kawai
Kaede loves classic crime stories but needs her grandfather’s help to solve real-world mysteries. During her visits, she brings him clues, maps and diagrams, and they work to solve the puzzle. His Lewy Body Dementia gives him realistic hallucinations that can help him find the solutions despite the heartbreaking reality of his ailing health. Tender and bittersweet, these six mysteries are full of references to classic crime novels and are the first in a bestselling series in Japan. Library catalog link here.
The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann
The day after her execution, Anne Boleyn crawls out of the grave, sews her head back on, and sets off to rescue her daughter and avenge her death. Hiding among the lower classes in South London and the countryside, she’s shocked to learn that she was not well-liked by her former subjects and sees how little she knew of the life most of England leads. Full of immersive, historical detail and examinations of class and female power in Tudor England, it’s a wild and fun premise and a very satisfying read. Library catalog link here.
Nonfiction
World Cup Fever: A Soccer Journey in Nine Tournaments by Simon Kuper
Starting with Italy in 1990, sportswriter Kuper has attended almost every world cup since then. Mixing cultural history with memoir, he reflects on three decades worth of tournaments and how they have grown and changed. Weaving game recaps and interviews with sharp observations about politics, globalization, and identity, Kuper is always looking for the heart of soccer in the more recent tournaments that have been full of wealth and scandal. Delightful and engaging, it’s essential reading in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup. Library catalog link here.
Dangerous Shore: How a Motley Crew of Scientists, Mobsters, Double Agents, Retirees, Volunteer Pilots (and a Boy Scout) Stopped the Invasion of America by Sara Vladic
This entertaining read details the work of defending the East Coast during WWII. From the civilian pilots patrolling the waters to detect U-boats, to the mob bosses keeping spies off the docks, to scientists developing new technology to capture German spies, Vladic reveals a little-explored side of the American homefront. Full of vivid detail, it introduces a wide cast of characters showing how involved and complex the effort was up and down the coast. Library catalog link here.
How Flowers Made Our World: The Story of Nature’s Revolutionaries by David George Haskell
Flowering plants first appeared 200 million years ago, much later than complex animals and plants such as ferns and conifers. Despite this “latecomer” status, they quickly evolved to be the foundation of most land habitats. From magnolias to seagrasses, orchids to wheat, flowers do everything from maintaining our food supply to filling Valentine’s bouquets. Haskell shows how they’re greatly underappreciated despite running most of the planet’s ecology. Library catalog link here.
How to be Okay When Nothing is Okay: Tips and Tricks that Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself by Jenny Lawson
Mixing self-help advice with painfully honest personal anecdotes and her trademark humor, Lawson offers different strategies that have helped her cope with her own depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Short, easy-to-read chapters can be read linearly or in the order you most need them. Told from a solidly personal point-of-view and the acknowledgement that what works for her might not work for you, she comes through with a powerful and enjoyable message for everyone. Engaging, uplifting, and comforting. Library catalog link here.
Middle Grade
Magnitude by Jennifer A Nielsen
On April 18, 1906, Cora makes her way down to the docks, only for the earth to split open and trap her underground with Chi, a girl she just met. After they free themselves and make their way back to the surface, they reunite with Cora’s friend Oliver, but the trio must dodge fires, crumbling buildings, looters, and more as they desperately try to reunite with their families. A gripping and thrilling adventure about surviving the Great San Francisco Earthquake. Library catalog link here.
Teen
Most Likely to Murder Lish McBride
When the yearbooks arrive at Meadowvale High, someone has changed the superlatives for the senior class with forecasts of student deaths. Initially written off as a tasteless prank, students become worried when a guidance counselor labeled “Most Likely to Sleep with the Fishes” ends up dead in a local lake. Rick and his best friend Martina (labeled “Homecoming’s Cutest Corpses”) team up with other threatened students to try and find the killer before it’s too late. But just because the body count is mounting doesn’t mean you don’t still have homework in this darkly humorous and page-turning thriller. Library catalog link here.
Jennie Rothschild is a collection engagement librarian for Arlington Public Library.