Can’t Wait Wednesday – SUMMER BIRD BLUE by Akemi Dawn Bowman

 

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.  It is a meme that I have  loved participating in for over a year now, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll just be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.

* * * * *

My selection for this week is SUMMER BIRD BLUE by Akemi Dawn Bowman.  Bowman’s Starfish was one of the loveliest books I read last year so I’m very excited to see that she has a new book coming out in September and that it sounds just as moving as Starfish, if not more so.  I’m always drawn to books that deal with grief, and there’s just something about these “boys” (especially the 80 year old boy, lol) who are helping the main character work through her grief that really intrigues me.  I’m envisioning this book as equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming and can’t wait to see if I’m correct.

 

SUMMER BIRD BLUE by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Publication Date:  September 11, 2018

 

From Goodreads:

Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.

Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.

 

 

 * * * * *

 

I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂

46 replies
  1. JennRenee
    JennRenee says:

    this one is new to me. sounds really good. I always have a soft spot for grief books. I am not sure why, they make me feel way to much, but I do love them.

  2. ShootingStarsMag
    ShootingStarsMag says:

    Oh boy, I can definitely see this one being heartbreaking – but heartwarming too, like you said. I hope it’s another good read for you from this author!

    -Lauren

  3. Karla Strand
    Karla Strand says:

    I haven’t participated in this meme specifically but each month I post about books coming out the following month by women, non-binary writers, and other writers of historically marginalized populations; there are so many books on these lists that I want to read! Bowman’s books sound interesting. While it’s not coming for a few months yet, I can’t wait for Becoming by Michelle Obama!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      OMG, yes. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of Becoming. She’s so eloquent that I just know it’s going to be a wonderful read.

  4. Kristin
    Kristin says:

    My pile of books is so big that I can’t afford to add new ones…but I do! My whole family is looking forward to the 3rd Nameless City book — The Divided Earth. It comes out sooooooon!

  5. Angie
    Angie says:

    Do I have to pick just one? LOL- I have never heard of this book before, I will definitely have to check it out. Well known wise, I am looking forward to Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas coming out in October. November holds the next screenplay of Fantastic Beasts, and in December, one of my favorite indie authors is finishing up her second trilogy (The Ashen Touch Trilogy) with a GORGEOUS cover “The Obsidian Shard”.

  6. sjhigbee
    sjhigbee says:

    What a fabulous cover… and you’re right – this one sounds like it’s going to be a heartbreaker… But there does also seem to be the possiblity of some uplifting light at the end of the tunnel, too:)). I hope you really love this one, Suzanne.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yes, I see myself crying tears of sadness followed by tears of happiness when I read this one. We’ll see if I’m right, lol.

  7. Tanya @ Girl Plus Books
    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books says:

    I’m not up for books that deal with grief anytime soon, but this one does sound like such a moving read.
    How sad that the mother is so immersed in her own grief that she can’t be there when her daughter needs her most. 🙁

  8. Suz @ Bookish Revelations
    Suz @ Bookish Revelations says:

    This book looks like it’s going to absolutely rip your heart out of your chest and then stitch it back together and I’m all for it. Another great one to add to my TBR list that’s already over-flowing with “wishful reads”. lol. Beautiful blog, I’m definitely following.

  9. Greg
    Greg says:

    This does sound good, and I like the sound of the Hawaii setting as well. And I remember seeing Starfish around- it did look good.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      It’s a good one. I’m the same way so I try to save them for when I’m home alone so I can ugly cry in peace, lol.

  10. Cam
    Cam says:

    I have Starfish on my kindle & I already know I’m going to love it! Summer Bird Blue is one of my highly anticipated releases <3

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I hope you enjoy both books. I thought Starfish was beautiful and it’s actually still one of my favorite books covers.

  11. Literary Feline
    Literary Feline says:

    There is just something about books dealing with grief that draw us to them, isn’t there? This sounds really good. I haven’t read the author before, but I will definitely be checking this out. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Suzanne.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      There really is. I guess it’s just one of those universal experiences. We’ve all lost someone or think about the day when we will lose someone.

Comments are closed.