Loved it! Although I only enjoy a few books. I found it to be an interesting and engaging read. A great way to get a taste of upcoming reads. I particularly liked Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore.

Always the best way to find new ARC books that I am so greateful to receive, which I share on all my book review sites.

a favorite netgalley feature! i use this to figure out what i want to read and keep these books in mind/on a list. thank you for this.

This is only the second Buzz Books that I’ve read, the first being the 2019/2020 Romance Edition published last summer. This time around, I knew what to expect from a Buzz Books edition: basically, a list of books to be published in the time period covered by the book, and a few hundred pages of excerpts from select books on the list. The Spring/Summer 2020 edition was over six hundred pages long: approximately twenty pages listing the notable books to be published in the timeframe; over 570 pages of book excerpts and related material. The book excerpts were divided into four categories: fiction, debut, nonfiction, young adult.

In the lists of books, I found two to look up in Goodreads for further details. The first was a compilation called Pretty Bitches, which is about how language is used to undermine women. The editor assigned each essayist one word to explore its role in the power dynamic between men and women. This seemed like a fascinating nexus between my love of words and my ongoing search for the perfect empowering books to share with my girlfriends. The second book was a memoir structured around five Jane Austen novels, called Austen Year, a Memoir in Five Novels. The publisher’s blurb on Goodreads confirmed that the content matched the title. Because each of the books seemed right up my alley, I added both to my to be read list, so that I wouldn’t forget about them.

Over 570 pages of excerpts and related material seemed like a lot to handle.

I did choose a few books from among the excerpts to add to my to be read list. The first excerpt in the collection, Enter the Aardvark, was so light and quirky that I knew I had to read more of it. Weighing in at just under 130 pages, it was hard to resist interrupting the marathon Buzz Books tome in order to finish Enter the Aardvark before it got cold. Especially since the following excerpt was much heavier in tone, topic, and theme. A later excerpt for The Imperfects also seemed to be my type of book - quirky family intermixed with East European history - but I opted to request that later because I already had four NetGalleys approved to read. Besides, that one isn’t being published until May, so I still have time for it. I had been really looking forward to reading the excerpt for Veronica Roth’s first adult novel, but it read a lot like young adult to me. I probably won’t be pre-ordering it, or even putting it on hold at the library after it comes out in early May.

In the Debut section, I got sucked in by the breezy style of Exciting Times, and light reads aren’t normally my thing. There was just something about the set-up in the excerpt that enticed me. Aside from the final excerpt in the Debut section, Sharks in the Time of Saviors, I left that section feeling like the majority of it was somewhat interchangeable. The excerpts were either cotton candy light or super dark and weighty. Sharks in the Time of Saviors was funny, grounded, and culturally unique. I have a feeling that it will be an “It” book for someone this year once it hits the shelves.

The Nonfiction section encompassed a wide variety of styles and subjects. A comedian writing about his wife’s first pregnancy. A transgender woman recounting her life through the seven significant dogs that accompanied her on her journey thus far. A Central American mother separated from her children at the Arizona border. A memoir of brothers growing up poor. And then there was the book about eels, which was so beautifully written that it made me not only want to read the rest of it, but also recommend it to everyone I know. The second to last excerpt in this section was so unexpectedly pompous and self important that I completely skipped the last excerpt for fear of being duped again.

I completely skipped the four excerpts in the Young Adult section. Honestly, I did it because, after over 500 pages, the novelty of reading excerpts had worn off. So rather than soldier through the rest of the book, I decided to declare victory and move on to one of the new books that I had requested in the course of digesting the Buzz Books volume.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book for anyone with eclectic tastes or anyone who is capable of making a decision about whether a book suits them after only a few pages. If you need to know how everything works out, then you’re either going to hate the book or you’re going to end up with a massive TBR list.

What an exciting privilege to be able to get a sneak peek of what's coming this year! This is always an instant download for me. I've already pre-ordered a few, and am looking forward to reading more. Thank you, NetGalley!

As always, I'm looking forward to a bunch of new books, and Buzz Books is where I can easily find them. Many come with a link to the page on NetGalley which makes it easy to request but so hard to resist!

Wonderful to see what will be coming up on the lists of great new books. Concise and to the point. Thanks for keeping the readers updated in the current reading trends.

I am extremely excited to read the titles showcased in this book. Love the perfect bite size excerpts that draw you in.

I love reading Buzz Books! It's such a great way to get a preview of the books that are sure to be hits once published.

Some very tasty previews for titles soon to be released. Immediately going on my "want to read" list are Laura Bates' "The Burning," Jessica Anthony's "Enter the Aardvark," and Brit Bennett's "The Vanishing Half."

Ok I have to admit, I clicked on this book for the cover. Ding dong! I thought it was short stories hahaaa. Jokes on me. But this book gave me insight on new authors, New books coming out and so much more. I will be looking forward to the Fall/Winter edition! Great idea for the upcoming pizzazz books and debut authors.


A special thanks to NetGalley and Publishers Lunch Buzz Books for this ARC copy and also to NetGalley.

A wonderful and extensive glimpse into new books to be released over the next few months. The Buzz Books preview is extremely thorough and essential for anyone who takes their reviewing seriously. Apart from the extracts from books I've already heard of - I discovered some interesting new ones as well.

Thank you NetGalley for this handy giude!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this space to see the new and upcoming books. This tool is useful for bloggers and influencers looking forward to new releases and trying to determine which titles to request/add to reading lists. I enjoyed getting this preview. The links to make requests were also VERY helpful!

This is a fun, great way to preview upcoming books - a chapter or so of each anticipated book is shared - the range is lovely and diverse - something for everyone. Some genres I’m not into and while I didn’t end up going past a couple of paras of a few, I appreciated the opportunity to sample. There were some good ones and debut authors as well - always great to see new writers being published. A few in particular I’m eager to check out are The Death of Vivek Oji ( I recently listened to Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater, which was great), The Book of Longings, the Orphan Collector, and Sharks in the Time of Saviors. Thanks NetGalley and all the publishers for providing a much-anticipated window into Spring/Summer 2020.

A good mixture of excerpts...I wish that more anticipated titles had been included (such as an excerpt from The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin).

Thank you for the chance to read all these excerpts of books that will be coming out. My partner, on the other hand, does not send his thanks, and is not impressed that my "I have to read this book when it comes out" list has grown considerably.

As usual, Buzz Books provided helpful information about upcoming books in a way that allows prospective reviewers to get a real sense of a title in advance of publication. The synopsis provided for review copies on NetGalley are wonderful, but there are so many options to choose from; Buzz Books helps to focus our attention and the effort is really appreciated. Many thanks!

This handy guide has put some new books on my radar! I am thankful to get this peek at what I'll be reading and what to watch out for in coming months

I look forward to this collection at the beginning of each publishing season. It helps me plan my reading, get on the hold list early at the library, look for author events at local indies, etc.. I've found out one additional benefit of the Buzz Books collection: going back a year later to see how the forecast played out. What books were hits? What books lived up to my expectations? What books did I miss and now want to read? The look back is proving to be as enjoyable as the preview.

Another great season of books - I have added so many to my 'to-read' pile. Glad to see so many new authors!