Last week, I brought back Recently Added, where I feature books I recently added to my TBR. I have two books this week, neither of them have been released yet.

Solo by Kwame Alexander (Release Date: August 1, 2017).

What it’s about (from Amazon):

From award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander, with Mary Rand Hess, comes Solo, a YA novel written in poetic verse. Solo tells the story of seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, who knows the life of a rock star isn’t really about the glitz and glamour. All the new cars and money in the world can’t make up for the scathing tabloid covers or the fact that his father is struggling with just about every addiction under the sun—including a desperate desire to make a comeback and regain his former fame. Haunted by memories of his mother—who died when Blade was nine—and the ruin his father’s washed-up legacy and life have brought to the family, Blade is left to figure out life on his own. But, he’s not all alone: He’s got the friendship of a jazz-musician mentor, Robert; the secret love of a girlfriend, Chapel; and his music. All may not be well in the Morrison home, but things are looking up for Blade, until he discovers a deeply protected family secret—one that further threatens his relationship with his family and has him questioning his own identity. Thrown into a tailspin, Blade decides the only way he will understand his past and begin his future is to find out the truth behind the music and himself. He soon sets out on a journey that will change everything he thought to be true. His quest lands him in Ghana, stuck in a village just shy of where answers to the secret can be found. There, Blade discovers a friendship he couldn’t have imagined, a people founded in family and community, and a reconciliation he never expected.

With his signature intricacy, intimacy, and poetic style, Kwame Alexander explores what it means to finally come home.

Why I added it

First, it’s Kwame Alexander. Booked and The Crossover are staples in my book recommendation diet, especially for some of my reluctant readers. I love that his novels in verse appeal to a wide variety of readers, not just the athletes, and are less daunting because there are fewer words on the page. That doesn’t mean there isn’t as much meaning there, though.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (Release Date: October 10, 2017)

What it’s about (from Amazon):

It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward.

Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

Why I added it

Honestly, it’s because I’m curious. I’ve been away from Nerdfighteria for a while – it exploded after the TFiOS movie, and I didn’t feel like it was my place anymore. That doesn’t mean that I’m not still a fan.