Eighties Babies

As Maya so enthusiastically pointed out earlier, the WHOLE MONTH OF JULY is for celebrating Debbie Harry/Blondie. Aren't we lucky! Whether this is your first introduction or you're a die-hard fan, songs like Heart of Glass or, oh my god, The Tide is High (my all time best karaoke song), are the PERFECT SOUNDTRACK to these new or upcoming books set in the 80's.

White Lines by Jennfier Banash
Cat is the ultimate 80's club kid, right in the middle of the scene. The money, the clothes, the hair, the music, the dancing and the drugs. Lots of drugs. Her nights seem like a dream, but her days? Nightmarish. If you want to make a whole playlist to listen to, you can't go wrong with Grandmaster Flash's jam of the same title. This one has been getting mixed reviews, but looks just salacious enough for a good summer read.

 
The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford
Ooooh, this one is about a girl studying abroad in Leningrad during the Cold War. GUESS WHAT HAPPENS? Yup, swoonytimes with a cute Russian boy. He's an artist! But it has to be a secret! I bet there are illegal blue jeans! But can she trust him? Is he just looking for a ticket out, or is it true, forbidden love? I don't know! I kind of can't wait to read this!

Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Elizabeth Kiem
Whuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, this one is also set in 1980's Russia, and looks amazing. Marina's mother is a prima ballerina for the regime, and Marina seems to be following in her footsteps. Then her mother disappears, her father wisks her off to Brooklyn and she enrolls in Juilliard. But her new school and new life are hard to focus on when her mother is missing, and there is all this SPY STUFF and MYSTERY SOLVING she has to do to.