Graeme Simsion (The Rosie Project) grants Professor Don Tillman the perfect send-off in the closing chapter of this hilarious and heartwarming series.

When readers last saw the brilliant and socially clueless geneticist, he and wife Rosie had just become parents. Now they've relocated back to Melbourne, Australia, from New York, but the move brings disaster. Rosie lands her dream job but faces sex discrimination in the workplace. Eleven-year-old Hudson acts out at his new school, leading teachers to suggest an autism screening. In a parent-child parallel, Don's superiors urge him to pursue his own diagnosis as protection from accusations of racism following the so-called Genetics Lecture Outrage. Ever the pragmatist, Don sets out to rescue his family's plummeting life-contentment graph trajectory. All he has to do is teach Hudson everything he knows about life, open a sensory-friendly cocktail bar and not start trouble. What could possibly go wrong?

Simsion returns to comic form seamlessly, pitting Don against his greatest challenge: parenting. Hudson is Don in miniature with a double helping of Rosie's sass, and whether the two are butting heads or joining forces, hilarity ensues. However, Simsion also works in a plethora of social commentary as seen through the lens of Don's distinctive logic. While familiarity with the previous books will yield best results, newcomers should have no trouble following the action. A meditation on parenting in our times, an indictment of discrimination and a fond farewell to a one-of-a-kind character, The Rosie Result will make readers fall in love with the series all over again. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads

On her wedding day, Lena Donohue found her fiancé kissing her sister, Hallie, in the hallway of the church. She fled her small South Carolina hometown, started going by Colleen (her full name) and has built a career in New York as a travel writer. But when her dad, Gavin, starts losing his memory to Alzheimer's disease, Colleen's brother, Shane, calls and asks her to come home. As Gavin struggles to adjust, Colleen, Shane and Hallie begin making plans for his care and gathering stories from his life for a memory book. What they uncover will have far-reaching implications for Colleen--and it may help her edge toward forgiving Hallie.

Patti Callahan Henry (The Bookshop at Water's End) returns to the setting of Watersend, S.C., for her 14th novel, The Favorite Daughter. She brings the town to life, especially the Lark, the family pub that has long served as a community gathering place. Colleen clings to her resentment and hurt, but Henry treats her and the other characters with compassion. Shane's deep love for his sisters and his frustration with their feud are entirely understandable, and Hallie--struggling to parent two young daughters and confront the truth about her marriage--becomes more than just the sister who shattered Colleen's dreams. Henry skillfully depicts layered sibling dynamics and family secrets, exploring the different versions of a person that emerge through the memories of their loved ones. The Favorite Daughter is a warmhearted narrative that honors the complexity and centrality of family bonds. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Half-sisters Lark and Robin are left to their own devices at a young age: their respective fathers are gone and their shared mother, Marianne, leaves them to fend for themselves for days. Despite their differences--introverted Lark (nicknamed "Looks Down at the Ground" in college) craves routine, while Robin is "never entirely tame"--the girls forge an incredible bond. 

Over four parts (Before, Childhood, Motherhood, After), Alix Ohlin's Dual Citizens traces the sisters' crisscrossing paths of self-discovery. Irreparably impacted by their childhood in Montreal, they struggle to find their places in the world, together and through agonizing fractures in their relationship.

Brilliant Lark scores a scholarship to study film in Boston, leaving Robin with Marianne and her many boyfriends. Robin, a piano prodigy, eventually escapes to join Lark and is accepted into Juilliard. The dynamic fluctuates when Lark takes on a motherly role as Robin's legal guardian, and Robin rebels against the rigors and structure of Juilliard. 

Ohlin's prose and insight are luminous, particularly within Childhood, focused on the girls' early years and the exposed roots they trip over as they try to find their footing--as sisters, daughters, parental figures and individuals. Motherhood is equally compelling yet oddly discordant, as Robin and Lark spend much of it apart. As with her prior novel, Inside, Ohlin is adroit at articulating her characters' internal dialogues, and it becomes apparent to the reader as it does to both women that they are at their most harmonious when connected to each other. --Lauren O'Brien of Malcolm Avenue Review

Richard "Dodge" Forthrast made his fortune by founding a successful gaming company. Now middle-aged, he enjoys the billionaire life in Seattle, spending time with his niece Zula; her daughter, Sophia; and his best friend/former employee, Corvallis. But when a medical procedure goes wrong and leaves Dodge brain dead, his surviving family and friends are confronted by a confusing will. In his younger days, Dodge had requested his body be given to a cryonics company now owned by shady tech titan Elmo Shepherd. Despite their misgivings, Zula and Corvallis cooperate with El in keeping Dodge's brain intact for future scanning and possible resurrection.

In time, technology advances to the point where Dodge's neural connections can be mapped in detail and digitally simulated. Thus, Dodge becomes conscious in a formless afterlife of chaos. Through long trial and error, he crafts this simulation into an island continent soon inhabited by other scanned souls. But when El dies, he has no intention of being ruled by the deity that Dodge has become. Eons pass in their struggle over this fantasy world, while decades go by on Earth, with millions of people soon uploaded into a far from utopian eternal life.

Fall is a stunning combination of science fiction and Tolkienesque epic fantasy. Neal Stephenson (Seveneves, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.) moves deftly between real and simulated worlds, following characters in both settings and the long-term consequences of their actions. Fall is biblical in theme and scope. At nearly 900 pages, Stephenson's bifurcated world is easy to get lost in. --Tobias Mutter, freelance reviewer

The lure of forbidden romance, the divide between wealth and poverty and the struggle for women's rights in 1890s America drives The Rogue of Fifth Avenue, the first entry in author Joanna Shupe's Uptown Girls series. Daughter of a powerful New York City financier, Mamie Green wants more from life than the arranged society marriage her father has decreed. Her search for a fulfilling way to occupy her days leads her to become benefactor to several poor families living in a tenement. At night she dons designer gowns and frequents gambling houses, where she fleeces men to finance her good deeds.

Lawyer Jack Tripp solves problems for his wealthy clientele--and when he discovers the daughter of an important client recklessly frequenting gambling clubs, he sets out to nip the incipient scandal in the bud. What he doesn't anticipate, however, is that exposure to beautiful Mamie will threaten his carefully structured life. Jack has secrets, and pursuing the attraction that smolders between them threatens everything he's fought to attain.

When Mamie asks for Jack's legal help on behalf of an abused tenement wife, he can't refuse. A romantic relationship is absolutely forbidden by all aspects of Mamie and Jack's social stations. Nonetheless, they can't stay away from each other and every clandestine meeting threatens exposure and subsequent scandal. Will they manage to resolve what appears to be an impossible situation?

Shupe creates a fascinating picture of life in early 1890s New York, well-seasoned with a liberal helping of sexual tension, fascinating characters and an intriguing, well-drawn plot. This excellent start of a new series is certain to delight fans of historical romance. --Lois Faye Dyer, writer and reviewer 

Following a false start in 1890, Manhattan's Plaza Hotel opened in 1907 and has had more lives than a cat. The Plaza: The Secret Life of America's Most Famous Hotel explains how it survived union battles, Prohibition, the Great Depression, wartime abstemiousness, recession, 9/11 and perhaps its greatest existential threat: ownership by the man who would become the 45th president of the United States.

New York Times reporter Julie Satow tells the absorbing story of the building, a National Historic Landmark since 1986, through accounts of its owners, employees and visitors, among them F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Beatles and Kay Thompson, author of the beloved Eloise picture books. (Both Thompson and her fictional heroine made the hotel their home.) Satow, who interviewed key players in Plaza history for her book, is attuned to how the hotel's ebbing and flowing fortunes reflected the times. When Donald Trump bought the building in 1988 for more than $400 million in borrowed funds, the sale "epitomized the hubris of the go-go '80s, when greed was good." The hotel went bankrupt four years later.

In her introduction, Satow distills her book's central question: "How did we get from the glory of what the Plaza once represented to its current state?" She's referring to the fact that in 2005, many of the hotel's units were turned into condominiums, which went on to be purchased by people of extravagant wealth, some of them probably using ill-gotten gains. To crib a Times op-ed title: "What Would Eloise Say?" --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer

Adrian Tinniswood (Behind the Throne; The Long Weekend) provides an engaging history in The Royal Society and the Invention of Modern Science. In the 17th century, the Royal Society of London was founded by a dozen like-minded men, all interested in the nascent field of scientific research. They congregated less than 30 years after Galileo Galilei was hauled before the Inquisition for his belief that the world revolved around the sun. Its preceptors wanted to further their own scientific knowledge and disseminate these ideas as widely as possible. Although they were hidebound in some ways (the first woman was not admitted as a fellow until 1945), the Royal Society has been at the forefront of scientific investigation since 1660.

The Royal Society saw lows in the early years, such as poisoning animals for the sake of observation and a forced relocation after the Great Fire of London in 1666. But their highs included the chairmanship of Sir Isaac Newton and the commissioning of expeditions--three each to the Arctic, the Antarctic and Africa between 1819 and 1891. Nevertheless, its members always held true to the group's motto: Nullius in verba (Take no one's word for it). Their constant curiosity about the world around them has indisputably broadened the scope of scientific investigation for many years. Lovers of science and history alike will enjoy The Royal Society--this slim volume packs a wealth of entertaining information about these enterprising men and their research. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Tucson, Ariz.

Australian crime journalist Rachael Brown's grandparents taught her "questions are a precious way to show care." When Brown discovered seeming contradictions in a cold case that left two brothers without answers for more than three decades, she started asking questions. Brown's inquiry into the brutal murder of Maria James is recounted in Trace, the gripping account of her search for a killer. It's also the name of her acclaimed true-crime podcast, which aired during her investigation, allowing the public to contribute.

Mark and Adam James were boys when their mother was murdered in the home attached to her Melbourne bookshop in June 1980, stabbed 68 times. As Brown pours through old files and the minds of those who worked or had connections to the case, she digs up long-buried horrors. Startling key evidence comes from painful secrets held by those closest to Maria, suggesting either a "huge cock-up" or widespread conspiracy.

Trace is a brilliant and compelling look into a horrific crime that affected countless lives. Brown struggles with the knowledge that reopening such a case takes "haunted people on a rollercoaster ride." It is, indeed, such a ride, emotionally, procedurally and forensically. As the Trace podcast ended without definitive answers, Brown responded to disappointed listeners: "This is not a show, folks. This is someone's death. And I can't invent an ending--it's real-life nonfiction. I want to scream, 'Imagine how the James boys feel?' " Regardless of the ultimate outcome, Brown's work enthralls while never forgetting the burden of care. --Lauren O'Brien of Malcolm Avenue Review

Beginning with Crash! Boom! A Math Tale, Robie H. Harris and illustrator Chris Chatterton have collaborated on picture books that make basic geometry adorably accessible to readers ages 2-5. They continue in Now What? A Math Tale.

A sweet-faced orange, white and black-spotted puppy with dark, floppy beagle ears finds a bag of wooden blocks and sets about building the perfect puppy-sized bed. Alone, the rectangle and square blocks leave Puppy hanging off their sides. But, with a little ingenuity, a few triangle blocks and the comforting presence of a favorite teddy bear, Puppy finds the exact configuration of blocks to approximate a human's bed.

Puppy's expressive pencil-stroke eyebrows and wagging tail catapult this bouncy protagonist to a huggability quotient rarely witnessed in math-oriented texts. Chatterton sets the digitally colored action against plain white, canary yellow and cornflower blue backgrounds, and gives Puppy a shadow that matches those of the photographed and scanned blocks, plush bear and Puppy's blanket, creating a very effective illusion of three dimensions. Puppy's egg-shaped face, whether set in determination or smiling hopefully, telegraphs understandable emotions. In the titular moment, Puppy wails "NOW WHAT?" after running out of rectangular blocks, a moment of frustration young children will certainly recognize. Harris succeeds in describing block shapes ("1. 2. 3. 4 corners. 1. 2. 3. 4 straight lines--all the same size. Hey! This is a square!") and Puppy's trial-and error-process in kid-friendly terms, providing support for young builders who might not see the design flaws right away. Readers should pair this book with real blocks for a tail-waggingly fun building session once Puppy settles in for a well-earned victory nap. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services division manager at Main Branch, Dayton Metro Library

The women in Rosa Santos's family are cursed: while escaping Cuba, Rosa's grandmother lost her husband at sea; Rosa's father also died at sea, leaving her pregnant mother to raise Rosa alone. The irony of living in a harbor town is not lost on Rosa, who has never set foot on a boat nor dipped a toe in the ocean: "The lullaby of my life is that to know the sea is to know love, but to love us is to lose everything."

The 18-year-old has a lot on her mind: college is on the horizon, the future of her hometown of Port Coral, Fla., is in jeopardy, and she is determined to explore her Cuban roots. "I was a collection of hyphens and bilingual words," Rosa thinks, "Always caught in between. Two schools, two languages, two countries. Never quite right or enough for either." But her abuela is unwilling to talk about her painful past, and her mother is always on the road. Then, Rosa meets Alex, "a boy with a man beard who baked the most dreamy desserts." Alex, though, is a sailor "bound for the sea" and Santos women don't get involved with seafarers. Rosa delves into her family history and diligently works to preserve the future of Port Coral, yet it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore her feelings for Alex and her desire for what she assumes would be an ill-fated relationship.

In her debut novel, Nina Moreno flawlessly melds spiritual belief, economic hardship and an exploration of personal identity with a swoon-worthy romance set in a richly painted community populated with colorful characters. Don't Date Rosa Santos is likely to delight readers of contemporary YA. --Jennifer Oleinik, freelance writer and editor