The end of May means the beginning of summer (which officially starts on June 21, but who's counting), so that means it’s time to break out the bug spray, grill, and sunscreen.

It’s also time to figure out what your next pool or beach read is, so we’ve compiled six recently released + upcoming summer reads by authors with ties to San Antonio to get you started.

“Valleyesque: Stories” by Fernando A. Flores | The South Texas author of “Tears of the Trufflepig” weaves surreal border stories in one of The Millions’ “Most Anticipated Books of 2022.”
“More Than You’ll Ever Know: A Novel” by Katie Gutierrez | True crime author Cassie Bowman unravels the affairs + murders in the life of Lore Rivera.
“Nobody's Pilgrims” by Sergio Troncoso | Three teenagers escape hitmen and their own troubled pasts in this road trip thriller with heart.
“The Leopard is Loose” by Stephen Harrigan | An escaped leopard at the Oklahoma City Zoo paints a picture of post-WW2 America in this coming-of-age story. Pro tip: you may also want to check out “Big Wonderful Thing,” Stephen’s history of Texas.
“The Peculiarities” by David Liss | Unravel supernatural mysteries in Victorian London, complete with secret societies + cloak-and-dagger conspiracies.
“The Turtle of Michigan” by Naomi Shihab Nye | This standalone sequel to “The Turtle of Oman” focuses on Aref, a boy from Muscat moving to Michigan — perfect for readers 8-12.

Need more recommendations? Stop by The Twig, Nowhere Bookshop, and Nine Lives Bookstore to get expert advice from San Antonio’s local booksellers. 📚