CT authors to cap your summer reading list

Sure we love to shop local, but have you ever considered reading local? Connecticut is home to a number of authors writing about everything from politics and puppies to thrillers and sci-fi. Here are 16 local authors who have or will be releasing a book this summer.

New Haven’s Emily Adrian tackles sexism in sports and motherhood in her novel, “The Second Season” which was published in July. Adrian’s story follows a female sideline sports reporter who is hoping to finally earn herself a spot in the commentator booth as she tries to juggle the duties of motherhood.

Weddings tend to attract more chaos than anyone can plan for. Greenwich native Liz Parker leans into the wedding drama in her debut novel “All Are Welcome,” which follows two Greenwich families as they travel to an island to celebrate a same-sex wedding. Parker’s book was published earlier this month, and Entertainment Tonight included it in its list of most-anticipated LGBTQ reads.

Veterinarian Melissa Shapiro shares the story of her internet-famous disabled dog Piglet in her book, “Piglet, The Unexpected Story of a Deaf Blind Pink Puppy and His Family.”

The Westport resident published her book earlier this month when she shared the story of how her family came to adopt Piglet and how he went on to inspire an education program.

For those looking for a tear-jerker, Durham author Kristan Higgins penned “Pack Up the Moon” in June. Her tragic love story is the tale of newlyweds who are stunned to learn the “til death do us part” portion of their vows is creeping up on them faster than they ever anticipated.

West Hartford’s Susan Schoenberg released her

new book, “The Liability of Love,” this month. It takes place in Hartford and tells the story of a woman who is forced to come to terms with being raped after her attacker goes on to become a famous actor. Her book was published on Aug. 7.

Sci-fi fans can fall into Chandra Prasad’s latest YA novel, “Mercury Boys.” The New Haven author published her book about time traveling teens earlier this month. The novel follows a biracial teen who learns how to travel in time and forms a secret society with a few others as they travel back to meet their “forever boyfriends.” Prasad will have a book event at RJ Julia’s in Madison on Aug. 23.

Greenwich author and legal expert Kenneth F. McCallion published two political books about former president Donald J. Trump in June. McCallion shares his take on those who fought to protect democracy in “Profiles in Courage in the Trump Era,” while “Profiles in Cowardice in the Trump Era” looks at those who he feels put their agendas before the Constitution.

Earlier this month Stephen Kurczy published his debut nonfiction account of the “quietest town in America” in his book “The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence.”

The Woodstock Valley journalist depicts the community of Green Bank, W. Va., where there’s a ban on all devices emanating radio frequencies that could interfere with the telescopes at the local observatory.

Joan Wolf has published 53 books over her literary career and her “Dark Ages of Britain” trilogy will be back in circulation on Aug. 17. The Milford author’s trilogy tells the origin story of Anglo Saxon Britain as she looks at the history of King Arthur, the rise of the Saxons and Alfred the Great.

Norwalk’s Janet Luongo penned an anti-racism memoir called “Rebellion, 1967” in late July. The book shares her coming-of-age experience during the civil rights movement.

Westport’s Galia Gichon published her historical fiction novel “The Accidental Suffragist” in June. The tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire inspires the protagonist to become an activist to fight for others, but she quickly finds herself at odds with those around her.

New Haven’s Joyce Maynard published her 10th novel, “Count the Ways,” in July. Her latest book follows a family that is torn apart by an accident that leaves each member feeling the echoes of loss for decades.

Lucy Antek Johnson shares an account of what it was like meeting the famous Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini and her father’s experience working with him in “This Was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father, and Me.” The Westport author co-wrote the memoir with her father, violinist Samuel Antek, and it was published Aug. 17.

Thrill seeker and spy novelist David Ricciardi released the latest installment of his Jake Keller series in June with “Shadow Target.” In the Cos Cob author’s latest novel, his hero discovers someone is trying to kill him and it could be one of his own colleagues who’s put a target on his back.

Yale alum and creative writing professor Elyssa Friedland published her Book of the Month and Good Morning America Buzz Pick “Last Summer at the Golden Hotel” in late May. The novel tells the story of a familyowned hotel in the Catskills that has outlived its glory days as the owning families debate whether to keep or sell the business.

Manchester’s resident and thriller author Megan Collins published her latest novel, “The Family Plot,” on Aug. 17. The book follows what happens when a family gathers to bury their patriarch and discovers his burial plot contains someone else’s body.