Tag: We could be heroes

The Title is a Song (Lyric)

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Does your mind wonder when you’re looking for a new book to read? If so, check out this latest book list! While browsing the new shelves, I noticed books with song or lyrics as the titles. Thinking that there must be more, I compiled a more in-depth list of books that fit the theme of ‘the title is a song (lyric)’. Below you’ll find books published in both 2024 and 2025 that had me humming away while shelving!

All of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library at the time of this writing. Descriptions are provided by the publisher.

Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli

Her life. Her rules. Finally.

Anuri Chinasa has had enough. And really, who can blame her? She was the unwilling star of her stepmother’s social media empire before “momfluencers” were even a thing. For years, Ophelia documented every birthday, every skinned knee, every milestone and meltdown for millions of strangers to fawn over and pick apart.

Now, at twenty-five, Anuri is desperate to put her way-too-public past behind her and start living on her own terms. But it’s not going so great. She can barely walk down the street without someone recognizing her, and the fraught relationship with her father has fallen apart. Then there’s her PhD application (still unfinished) and her drinking problem (still going strong). When every detail of her childhood was so intensely scrutinized, how can she tell what she really wants?

Still, Ophelia is never far away and has made it clear she won’t go down without a fight. With Noelle, Anuri’s five-year-old half sister now being forced down the same path, Anuri discovers she has a new mission in life…

To take back control of the family narrative.

Through biting wit and heartfelt introspection, this darkly humorous story dives deep into the deceptive allure of a picture-perfect existence, the overexposure of children in social media and the excitement of self-discovery. – Graydon House

Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning

Willow’s worst nightmare was being canceled. But the shadows in the woods of Camp Castaway might destroy more than her reputation.

After sitcom star Willow tweets herself into infamy and stumbles blind-drunk into a swimming pool, her agent ships her off to Camp Castaway. Nestled deep in upstate New York, Castaway is a summer camp for adults who are desperate to leave their mistakes behind. No real names, no phones . . . no way to call for help.

Willow’s fellow campers seem okay. Her own favorite actress is even here, making a s’more. And did that jaded writer, Dani, just wink at her? But the peaceful vibe is shattered when one of the campers vanishes and Willow finds a mutilated doll in her room with a threatening message rolled up inside its mouth. Terror grips the group, campers begin to lose their heads—literally—and disturbing past deeds come to light.

Is Willow about to get cancelled all over again, this time for good? – G.P. Putnam’s Sons

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War

When freelance journalist Khin Haymar is assigned by Vogue to get a scoop on Tyler Tun, Hollywood’s hottest movie, she’s determined to succeed. Tyler has returned home to Myanmar to shoot his latest film, and if Khin’s able to get an exclusive, there may well be a permanent position waiting for her at Vogue Singapore.

Tyler has a very private life and doesn’t show any sign of letting down his walls for Khin. But then one night on set, a man follows Khin into the park. When he threatens her, Tyler steps in and things escalate fast. Khin knows they can’t go to the police, even if this was self defense, and even if this stranger seems to have targeted her specifically.

As Khin and Tyler work together to hide their secret and find out more about her attacker, they grow closer and Tyler finally starts opening up. But now the idea of writing the article gives Khin an uncomfortable morality-related guilt. Before long, everything hangs in the balance. Will they get away with murder? Can Khin get the exposé she needs for her dream job? And is she willing to risk Tyler’s trust in the process? – St. Martin’s Griffin

Love Story by Lindsey Kelk

She’s a small-town schoolteacher, he’s a hotshot creative director. Together, it’s hate at first sight.

Sophie Taylor has a secret and Joe Walsh is the last person she’d tell. He’s devilishly handsome, incredibly hot – and far too sure of himself.

But Sophie desperately needs his help.

Because she’s not just hiding something small. She is Este Cox, the mysterious romance author the entire world is desperate to unmask.

When a trip to the countryside means sharing a cottage with only one bed, it’s a short step to sharing a whole lot more besides… Can Sophie trust Joe with the truth – and be herself? – HarperCollins

This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood

In my life, I had always been a good woman; controlling what it was that I wanted. But recently, I had started to notice my bad energy, and I began to follow it, wondering where it would take me . . .

A woman has an unexpected outburst at a corporate therapy session for working mothers. A couple find some long-overdue time to rekindle their relationship and make an ill-advised home movie. A pregnant film director plots revenge on the actress who betrayed her. An ex-wife deliberately causes conflict at her ex-husband’s wedding.

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things illuminates the lives of malicious, subversive, and untamed women. Exploring failed sisterhood, dubious parenting, and the dark side of modern love, this powerful and funny collection exposes how society wants women to behave, and shows what happens when they refuse. – Mariner Books

We Could Be Heroes by Philip Ellis

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear high heels and a wig.

Patrick’s acting career is on the rise, and the superhero movie he’s filming might put him on the map . . . if the endless reshoots ever stop. Meanwhile, Will, a secondhand bookseller and part-time drag queen, is just trying to live his best life. After a chance encounter on a particularly chaotic night, a curious friendship sparks between the two men.

At least, that’s what they tell each other. Sure, Patrick finds Will captivatingly hilarious, and Will can’t help but keep thinking about who is really behind the perfect mask Patrick shows the rest of the world, but nothing could ever really happen, right? Superheroes don’t date drag queens, after all.

When reality crashes into the fantasy world they’ve built together, Will has to make a choice between the man of his dreams and being true to himself. Can Patrick be the hero Will’s been waiting for, or will Will be the one to save Patrick after all? Uproarious and touching, We Could Be Heroes is an ode to queer joy and a romance that just might save the world. – G.P. Putnam’s Sons

What is Love? by Jen Comfort

Answer: From the Latin word for crossroads, this is knowledge so common as to be obscure, the pursuit of which engages millions daily. Question: What is trivia?

Trivia is the magic in the mundane, the connection in the commonplace, and Maxine Hart’s second-favorite pastime. A self-proclaimed Brooklyn street rat and a high school dropout, Maxine has never been a fan of formal education, but thanks to her ADHD “superpowers,” she’s a glutton for knowledge―and a good fight. And when Maxine enters the trivia game show Answers!, her brilliance, coupled with her penchant for big bets, devastates her competition. Even record-holding, 76-time-winner Teddy Ferguson.

Or was it their kiss the night before they faced off that threw the buttoned-up professor off his game?

Now, Maxine and Teddy cross paths again in a high-stakes tournament against all-time Answers! winners, including undefeated champion Hercules McKnight. With nothing in common but an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a desire to win, Maxine offers Teddy a deal: combine their strengths to shore up their weaknesses. She’ll push his tolerance for risk and improve his buzzer speed, if he’ll find creative ways to fill in the gaps in her education.

Except neither one of them foresaw just how scintillating learning could be… – Montlake

You Better Watch Out by James S Murray and Darren Wearmouth

Forty-eight hours until Christmas, Jessica Kane wakes up with blurred vision, ears ringing, and in excruciating pain. A gash in her head and blood running down her face, the last thing she remembers is going for a run and something or someone hitting her in the head.

It doesn’t take her long to realize she is trapped in an unknown, deserted town with five other strangers who share similar stories of being attacked and stranded there. Unsure why and how they got there, she knows one thing for certain, she has to find a way out.

That becomes nearly impossible when someone is meticulously orchestrating their deaths, one by one, and the only thing Jessica can do is watch the life leave their eyes.

The fenced-in town is the killer’s very own playground and there’s nowhere left to hide… she better watch out because she could be next. – St. Martin’s Press

2025 releases!