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Hints #1 & 2
For the second hint this month, Aardvark asked a series of questions in a quiz. Each answer correlated with one of the selected books. Below I have included the question and the answer.
Hints #3 & 4
Book #1
Hint 1.1: 1) , 2) , 3) , 4) , 5) , 6) , 7) , 8) , 9)
Hint 2.2: Which dog breed has historically been associated with the ruling class?
A: Greyhound
– What word comes from the Old English for “flat-bottomed boat” and shares an origin with “pontoon”? A: Punt
– What substance, now known primarily as an alcoholic beverage, was an important source of nutrition in the Medieval world? A: Ale
– What was the last name of Wendy from the classic 1950s Disney film Peter Pan?
A: Darling
Hint 3.4: Dream Girl Evil by Florence + the Machine, I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski, Dog Days Are Over by Florence + the Machine, Biting Down by Lorde, Howl by Alexandra Savior, Bark Like a God by Sloppy Joe, In the Woods Somewhere by Hozier, Tongues & Teeth by The Crane Wives, Bur man laimi by Tautumeitas, and Sisters of the Moon by Fleetwood Mac
Hint 3.5: “Hysterical”, Parched, Slandered, Like howling at the moon
The Hounding
Xenobe Purvis
The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides in this haunting debut about five sisters in a small village in eighteenth-century England whose neighbors are convinced they’re turning into dogs.
Even before the rumors about the Mansfield girls begin, Little Nettlebed is a village steeped in the uncanny, from strange creatures that wash up on the riverbank to portentous ravens gathering on the roofs of people about to die. But when the villagers start to hear barking, and one claims to see the Mansfield sisters transform before his very eyes, the allegations spark fascination and fear like nothing has before.
The truth is that though the inhabitants of Little Nettlebed have never much liked the Mansfield girls―a little odd, think some; a little high on themselves, perhaps―they’ve always had plenty to say about them. As the rotating perspectives of five villagers quickly make clear, now is no exception. Even if local belief in witchcraft is waning, an aversion to difference is as widespread as ever, and these conflicting narratives all point to the same ultimate conclusion: Something isn’t right in Little Nettlebed, and the sisters will be the ones to pay for it.
A richly atmospheric parable of the pleasures and perils of female defiance, The Hounding considers whether in any age it might be safer to be a dog than an unusual young girl.
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Book #2
Hint 1.2: 1) , 2) , 3) , 4) , 5) , 6) , 7) , 8)
Hint 2.3: What major scientific advancement propelled forward the forensic identification process in the 1970s? A: DNA Profiling
– What popular game, often played at churches and senior centers, is named after a children’s song about a farmer and his dog? A: Bingo
– What plans bearing small white daisy-like flowers is used to make an herbal tea with alleged medicinal properties? A: Chamomile
– What word comes from Middle English for “free from burden”? A: Exonerate
Hint 3.6: Goodbye Earl by The Chicks; Getting Older by Billie Eilish; Psycho Killer by Talking Heads; Better Dig Two by The Band Perry; Epiphany by Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford, & Stephen Sondheim; Devil in Disguise by Marino; Gunpowder & Lead by Miranda Lambert; Bad Bad Things by AJJ; I Never Told You What I Do for a Living by My Chemical Romance; and Forever Young by Bob Dylan
Hint 4.4: Inconvenienced, Ready for retirement, Like you just want a nap, Achey
Too Old for This
Samantha Downing
A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.
Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.
Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends.
When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.
But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…
Genre: Fantasy; Mystery/Thriller
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Book #3
Hint 1.3: 1) , 2) , 3) , 4) , 5) , 6) , 7) , 8) , 9) , 10)
Hint 2.6: Who hosts the show “Chicken Shop Date,” in which she interviews celebrities over awkward conversation and fried chicken? A: Amelia Dimoldenberg
– What word, now used to describe a common sexual identity, was once used to denote organisms with both male and female reproductive organs? A: Bisexual
– What kind of sentient food is the main character of the 2016 animated adult comedy film starring Seth Rogan? A: Sausage
– Where does Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest take place each year since its inception in 1972? A: Coney Island
Hint 3.3: Welcome to New York (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift, Blonde by Maisie Peters, Couldn’t Make It Any Harder by Sabrina Carpenter, Naked in Manhattan by Chappell Roan, 12 to 12 by sombr, Talk Too Much by Renee Rapp, get him back! by Olivia Rodrigo, Somebody I F****d Once by Zolita, Did It to Myself by Orla Gartland, and Sunset Blvd by Selena Gomez & benny blanco
Hint 4.6: The Hot Girl mindset, A hankering for spice, Overexposed, Cynical
Well, Actually
Mazey Eddings
An utterly delightful and sexy second-chance romance between a black cat and golden retriever with Mazey Edding’s signature sparkling voice!
Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.
Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.
Genre: Romance
Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Book #4
Hint 1.4: 1) , 2) , 3) , 4) , 5) , 6) , 7) , 8)
Hint 2.1: What term was used in the 1970s and 1980s to describe a romance novel with explicit sexual content? A: Bodice rippers
– Which impressionist painter famously cut off his own ear? A: Vincent Van Gogh
– What’s the first name of the writer/director/star of the so-bad-it’s-good movie The Room? A: Tommy
– What’s the name for a Vietnamese snack food, often served on skewers, that’s made from grilled pork sausage or meatballs? A: Nem nướng
– What word comes from French meaning “cute fillet”? A: Filet Mignon
Hint 3.5: brutal by Olivia Rodrigo, Just a Girl by No Doubt, Angry Woman by Ashe, Get Gone by Fiona Apple, Take A Bite by beabadoobee, Family Line by Conan Gray, Are You Scared of Me Yet? by Daisy Grenade, Asking for It by Hole, GIRLS JUST WANNA by MAIASAURA, and HORROR SHOW by Hot Milk
Hint 4.1: Iron-deficient, Alienated, An Intense Craving, Angsty
What Hunger
Catherine Dang
A haunting coming-of-age tale following the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ronny Nguyen, as she grapples with the weight of generational trauma while navigating the violent power of teenage girlhood, for fans of Jennifer’s Body and Little Fires Everywhere.
Today is Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, where secrets are as deep-rooted as the sprawling live oaks. Sophie’s dad has spared no expense, and his renovated cliffside mansion―once thought haunted and shuttered for years from outsiders―is now hosting the event of the season. Then, just before the candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake are blown out, a body falls from the balcony onto the starlit dance floor below.
It’s a killer guest list . . .
DANI: Sophie’s new stepmother who’s been plagued by self-doubt ever since the birth of her own baby girl
ÓRLAITH: the superstitious Irish nanny who senses a looming danger in this cavernous house
MIKAYLA: the birthday girl’s best friend who is not nearly as meek as the popular kids assume
KIM: the cunning ex-wife who has a grudge she can’t let go of . . .
Everyone is invited in. Not everyone will get out alive.
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Book #5
Hint 1.5: 1) , 2) , 3) , 4) , 5) , 6) , 7)
Hint 2.5: What city is known for allowing impromptu (and often regrettable) weddings? A: Las Vegas
– What historic event died the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair celebrate the centennial of? A: The Louisiana Purchase
– What author, after yeas of mounting public pressure, wrote the popular detective novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, serialized in The Strand magazine from 1901 to 1902? A: Arthur Conan Doyle
– What is the name of the popular Filipino appetizer similar to a spring roll?
A: Lumpia
Hint 3.2: In My Head (Intro) by Tennyson, Escapism. by RAYE & 070 Shake, Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead, Amnesia by M83, I Think I Met You In a Dream by COIN, Apple by Charlie xcx, Vegas by Doja Cat, Enlightenment (Main Title Theme) by Christobal Tapia De Veer, Sad Machine by Porter Robinson, and Matilda by Harry Styles
Hint 4.5: Emotionally unavailable, Censored, Chronically online, Like hitting the gym
Moderation
Elaine Castillo
.
Girlie, a thirty-something Filipinx-American, works a day job at a social-media moderation centre, flagging and removing the very worst that makes it on to the internet. She”s good at it, too – dispassionate, unflinching, maybe because she learned by necessity to cauterise all her emotions when she was still a kid – so it”s no surprise to anyone when the social-media company for which she works offers her a big pay rise and an office to start moderating its new venture: virtual-reality theme parks, stunning simulations of civilizations long-since dead.
Girlie takes the job, and it almost seems too good to be true. Almost. Sure, she signed up for having to deal with the ambient racism and misogyny of pretty much any virtual space, but as she begins to explore the intricate worlds that she moderates, she notices two deeply troubling things: that there might be something much darker built into the very code of the company, and that William, technically her new boss, a man whose barriers are as mighty as her own, might just be that long-forgotten thing… Girlie”s type.
Genre: Gothic Fiction; Thriller
Publication Date: July 3, 2025
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Book #6:
Hint 1.6: 1) , 2) , 3) , 4) , 5) , 6) , 7) , 8)
Hint 2.4: What unlikely dessert product was used to make salads in the 1950s?
A: Jell-o
– What is the name of Dortothy’s “little dog” in L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? A: Toto
– What word comes from Greek, meaning “against time”? A: Anachronistic
– What program was developed by the CIA in the 19050s to force confessions through brainwashing and torture? A: MK Ultra
Hint 3.1: The Doll People by Sofia Isella, Til the End of the World by Bing Crosby, Die with a Smile by The Swingin’ Covers, Brootherhood of Steel by Ramin Djwadi, Little Dark Age by MGMT, Madness by Muse, Hysteria by Muse, bury a friend by Billie Ellish, Gods & Monsters by Lana Del Rey, and Twisted Nerve by Bernarnd Hermann
Hint 4.3: Disoriented, Like you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, Hostile to authority, Paranoid
The Once and Future Me
Melissa Pace
Dark Matter meets Girl, Interrupted in this gripping psychological thriller about a young woman teetering on the edge of reality.
Virginia, 1954. When a woman wakes on a patient transport bus arriving at Hanover State Psychiatric Hospital, she remembers nothing of her life before that moment, none of the dark things she must’ve seen and done that forged her into the skillful and cunning fighter she is. Doctors tell her she’s Dorothy Frasier, a paranoid schizophrenic, committed for her violent delusions. She’s certain they’re wrong―until disturbing visions of a dystopian future in which frantic scientists urge her to complete “the mission” and save mankind begin to invade her reality.
Believing it’s Hanover causing the hallucinations, she tells no one and focuses only on escaping―until there’s a visitor. A man whose loving face―and touch―she remembers, a man who knows all about her visions, because he’s spent years helping her cope with them: her husband, Paul Frasier.
Now she’s sure of nothing, caught between two realities. Believe in the future, and she might save the world. Believe in her husband and doctors’ plans for her treatment, and she might save herself. She needs answers, but to get them she’ll have to harness the darkness inside her as she risks her freedom, her mind, and ultimately her life in a heart-stopping quest for the truth.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Date: August 19, 2025
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
