This Week: June 14th

News and Updates

Today marks 27 years since I lost my best friend to cancer as a teenager. In her honor, I’ll be dropping off young adult and children’s books to Free Little Libraries around our town. She loved to read and introduced me to some of my favorite books when we first met in 5th grade.

I invite you to join me in honoring her memory today—whether by contributing to a local Free Little Library, supporting a library children’s program, or donating to other meaningful literacy initiatives. Your local children’s hospital may accept new or gently used books, as well as donations that support children’s literacy. You might also consider one of these wonderful national programs:

This Week

The phrase Underground Railroad immediately evokes movement, secrecy, danger, and hope. In literary terms, it sits at the intersection of historical fiction, resistance narratives, survival stories, and journeys toward freedom. What makes this theme so powerful is its specificity—it is not simply “about slavery” in a broad sense, but about coded routes, hidden allies, impossible choices, and the constant tension between terror and courage. Stories within this space feel urgent and immediate, driven by pursuit, trust, sacrifice, and the enduring question of what freedom truly costs.

Monthly Reading Challenge: Adventure

Weekly Reading Challenge: Underground Railroad

I’ve always been fascinated by the hidden meanings in quilt blocks—the shapes, patterns, and colors can all carry significance. Considering how quickly enslaved people hand-sewed these quilts, while still incorporating such intricate detail, is astonishing. When I began hand quilting myself, I was struck by how time-consuming the process is. To imagine that they may have created multiple quilts in short periods of time—using them to convey directions and signal safety—is truly remarkable.

Hidden in Plain View explores the history of various quilt patterns and their possible use as signals along the Underground Railroad, drawing on research and interviews. The authors examine this history through the lens of one of America’s distinct cultural communities: the Gullah Geechee people of the Eastern seaboard.

If you’re looking for other great books for this prompt, try one of these reads recommended by our StoryGraph community:

Beloved, Toni Morrison
Harriet Tubman: The road to freedom, Catherine Clinton
The Railroad to Freedom, James Daugherty & Hildegarde Hoyt Swift
The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead

New This week

There are no upcoming anticipated releases this week, but I do have one special book on preorder!

A secret garden, a magical shifting doorway, and a man trapped inside—hardly the makings of a typical love story. But for Sophie Drear, it’s exactly what her new job delivers… and then some.

As the estate’s new head gardener, Sophie’s only goal is to restore the grounds and help everything living thrive. But as she begins to uncover the garden’s mysteries, one question looms: can she unravel its secrets in time, or will the man trapped within remain there forever?

If you loved Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics, this enchanting, slightly offbeat romance might be the perfect addition to your TBR stack.

In Case You Missed It

Last Week’s Prompt

Lucas Davenport knows he is hunting a killer more dangerous—and more unstable—than most. What he does not know is how to stop him before another woman dies. Though long regarded as a corrupt cop, a womanizer, and a convenient source for leaks to the media, Davenport has built a reputation for solving some of the department’s most difficult cases. But when his pursuit of this serial killer puts the women in his life at risk, he must decide whether to play by the rules or gamble everything to bring the murderer down.

I give John Sandford’s Rules of Prey 4.3 out of 5 stars. As the opening novel in the Lucas Davenport Prey series, it establishes a cast of characters readers may find both compelling and frustrating, from Davenport himself to the women around him and the larger police department. This is not my favorite installment in the series, but that is largely because I prefer the more mature version of Lucas who emerges in later books rather than the philandering playboy introduced here.

I chose this book for our reading challenge prompt, “Action-Adventure.” Rules of Prey fits that category well: it is tense, fast-moving, and high-stakes, with a relentless sense of pursuit that makes it an absorbing and difficult-to-put-down read. If you enjoy gritty crime thrillers and want to meet Lucas Davenport at the very beginning of his long-running series, this is a strong place to start.

Last Week’s Articles

Action-adventure has been a male-dominated corner of fiction for so long, which honestly makes it even more satisfying when a book puts a bold, capable woman at the center of the danger.

Last week’s article rounds up 10 action-adventure and thriller-leaning reads with strong female leads — the kind of books filled with survival, suspense, momentum, and women who absolutely refuse to stay on the sidelines.

If you’re looking for fast-paced books with unforgettable heroines, this list is such a fun one to browse.

Last Week’s Preview

Marc Cameron’s Backtrack delivers a tense, fast-moving return to U.S. Marshal Arliss Cutter’s world, blending a present-day manhunt with a historical fugitive chase that deepens the Cutter family legacy. As the eighth book in the series, it offers both the high-stakes suspense longtime readers expect and enough family history to make the story engaging for those meeting Arliss Cutter for the first time. Cameron’s law enforcement background and familiarity with Alaska come through in the realistic fieldwork, sharp dialogue, rugged atmosphere, and steady sense of danger.

I give Backtrack 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for readers who enjoy action-packed mysteries, police procedurals, and authors such as Michael Connelly, Brad Thor, and John Sandford. The dual timelines add depth to the investigation while revealing more about the people and choices that shaped Cutter’s life. Content includes on-page violence, death, gun violence, physical assault, and violence against women, making this best suited for older teen and adult readers.

You can read the full review here.

Reading Challenge Prompts

Adventures await us in June! Starting with a great prompt that bridges the gap between fantasy and adventure, we will be going on reading quests over the next few weeks that will see us exploring some great subgenres.

June also brings Juneteenth, a day we have honored at Read With Lindsey for several years through intentional reading and reflection. In the past, we’ve explored works covering the last known slave ship to arrive on American soil, the earliest accounts of enslaved people brought to the New World, and the story of Solomon Northrup, who was unjustly kidnapped and sold into slavery. This year, our focus turns to the Underground Railroad, highlighting the courage of those who escaped enslavement and the individuals who risked their lives to guide them to freedom.

What reading adventures are you most excited for this month?

This Week: June 14th

News and Updates