Whether you’re stocking up on great gifts for bookish dads and grads or treating yourself, enjoy 20% off your order PLUS get a free pair of adult socks with any purchase of $50 or more. Sale ends 6/3.
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Month: May 2018
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#Cockygate Continues
The madness continues, folks, but we’ve got plenty of books to keep us warm. Or cool. Whatever you need right now.
News and Useful Links
Let’s get this out of the way: our favorite “author” has doubled down and is apparently using a personal injury lawyer to help her write documents in her favor for trademark law. Many people have expressed how much this is not a good idea (but I mean, really. She hasn’t had any yet so…) Want to dive all the way down the rabbit hole? Here’s Kevin Kneupper’s complete thread of legal documents.
Sponsored by Litworld Publishing House
When a witty medical student, Aliya’s life is cut short in a tragic accident, she discovers that she is given another chance at life. She finds herself reborn into the body of a heavy-set Countess named Lilian. Aliya must use her mind and skills in a society where women are oppressed, protect herself from assassination attempts, and build alliances with peasants, sea raiders, members of the Royal Family… and her own errant husband. First Lessons is the first of five volumes in Lina J. Potter’s bestselling Medieval Tale series. Will Aliya forge her own “happy-ever-after?” And if so, at what cost?
Talia Hibbert got a new cover for A Girl Like Her and it is perfect. Just perfect.
(Also, she went and lowkey announced that she had a Ravenswood novella coming out soon.)
The Deadly Sexy adaptation might be done with filming, but they still need support to get it through post production and out into the world. Curious? Here’s a clip.
Courtney Milan had some really good words on writing (or any kind of creativity, really).
Deals
(Note: Since tomorrow is the beginning of a new month, some of these deals might end tonight. Just FYI.)
Elizabeth Kingston’s A Fallen Lady is FREE right now. (I believe through the end of the week.)
Shame on You by Tara Sivec is 1.99. If you haven’t read her stuff, you’re in for a hilarious treat. (And then you’ll want to check out the books featuring treats, believe me.)
In the mood for a new KJ Charles? The Henchmen of Zenda is 3.99.
And if you’re not yet wedding’d out, Jeevani Charika’s A Royal Wedding is 99 cents. I mean, why not support the people capitalizing on writing the cinderella story of their dreams, right?
Over on Book Riot
Silvana (Sil, if you know her on Twitter) joined us to share some great recs, including awesome romances to read for summer and books to read based on your favorite reality tv.
Casey shared some amusing but unhelpful subject headings.
I talked about some time travel without a Highland rebel in sight.
And of course, we’re still having that giveaway! 500 bucks, on us!
Recs!
I noticed a pattern in my reading this past week, and want to talk about a couple of those books and throw in some recs for books I’ve previously discussed (and some I haven’t) if those are your thing.
Sinner
Sierra Simone
No, the pattern wasn’t hot sex meets theology discussions. In this case, Sean Bell (brother to Tyler, our favorite Hot Priest) meets a beautiful, much younger woman (15 years, but who’s counting?) at a party, and proceeds to tell her all the things he wants to do to and with her. Feels a little sketchy, but she seemed cool with it so we’ll let it slide. It’s only the next day, when he’s got to meet with a young “nun-in-training” (aka a postulant) about a shelter that’s in danger of closing if one of his corporate real estate deals actually goes through. Said postulant turns out to be Zenny, younger sister to his BFF, who he hasn’t seen since she was seven, before their parents’ schism. Zenny is all grown up, and wants to learn a few things about secular life before entering the novitiate, at the recommendation of her mentor. What can Sean say but yes?
Grumpy Fake Boyfriend
Jackie Lau
Will is grumpy. Well, sort of. He just doesn’t like being around people, talking to them, or dealing with them for anything more than brief transactions. Good thing his education (advanced fusion study) and his trade (science fiction where fusion actually works) both allow him to control how much of that he has to do. Until one meeting with his only IRL friend leads him to agree to a long weekend with said friend’s younger sister, pretending to be her boyfriend. Naomi doesn’t want to spend the weekend as the only single person there, expecially with her ex and his new flame. A lot can happen in a few days.
Tempted by the Billionaire Next Door
Therese Beharrie
Jess has been enjoying the view from her window of the beautiful man who has been tending to his yard, but actually meets him when she rushes to his side after what could have been a terrible accident. Turns out he’s fine, and also is the brother of the woman in whose house she is currently living (who also happens to be her best friend). The two didn’t part on good standing, and Dylan has only been back for a week. He’d like to get back into his sister’s good graces, and he’d also like to get to know the beautiful pregnant woman currently residing next door. But that whole best friend of sister thing will probably get in the way. And the whole pregnant thing, if we’re honest.
So, I remember the first time I tried to read a book involving a man and the much younger sister of his best friend. I got a bit squicked out, and I don’t know if it was the narrator or what. But these books are not Rush, and I enjoyed them greatly. So if you’re down for “best friend’s younger sibling” (or in the case of Tempted, “younger sibling’s best friend”), here are a few more you might be interested in:
Pretending He’s Mine by Mia Sosa (you might recall me talking about this before, but it bears repeating)
Her Perfect Affair by Priscilla Oliveras
Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (another younger sibling’s best friend one; in this instance, the younger sibling is a man and the hero expects that his younger brother and the heroine will marry someday)
Clean Breaks by Ruby Lang
Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reisz (in which the great Tiffany treats us to a relationship in which the hypermasculine trait of overprotective assholishness does not present itself at all in said older brother)
What are some of your favorite younger sibling style stories? Drop me a line! (Especially if you have any that are queer romances? Like, I am not sure I have seen a “best friend’s younger brother” story in which the brother is gay or straight and I’d like to see that kind of dynamic.)
New and Upcoming Releases
Making Up by Lucy Parker
Cocktales by The Cocky Collective
Riven by Roan Parrish
All Up in the Mix by Donna Hill
I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting
Too Wilde to Wed by Eloisa James
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (June 5)
What Happens in Summer by Caridad Pineiro (June 5)
As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!
This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Hush, My Inner Sleuth by M.E. Meegs.
Golden Man Booker Shortlist
The Golden Man Booker shortlist was announced over the long weekend. On the list are In a Free State by V. S. Naipaul, Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. The Golden Man Booker selects books “from Man Booker history that have best stood the test of time.” You can vote on who should win; the winner will be announced on July 8th.
Accountant Embezzles Millions From Literary Agency
And Chuck Palahniuk responded. Why? Because his finances were directly affected by the embezzlement, according to his statement. Accountant Darin Webb faces major jail time on wire-fraud charges for embezzling $3.4 million from Manhattan agency Donadio & Olson, which represents Palahniuk, the estate of The Godfather writer Mario Puzo, and other big authors.
AirBnB The Home Of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald
Get ready to write that Jazz Age-inspired novel you’ve been thinking about because your perfect, self-made writer’s retreat is now open for AirBnB booking. Spend a few nights in the Montgomery, Alabama home of society and literary darlings F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The apartment, which occupies part of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Museum, wasn’t exactly the site of innumerable joys, but it is where F. Scott wrote Tender is the Night.
Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here!
Hi mystery fans! I’ve got a witchy girl, tarot card reader, and an FBI investigator for you this week!
The Craft Meets Veronica Mars Is As Awesome As It Sounds! (TW suicide)
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson: Mila Flores is naturally having a hard time since her best friend’s death. The problem is that she’s certain Riley didn’t take her own life, but no one believes Mila. Instead, they think she’s refusing to accept her best friend’s death. But Mila is head-strong and won’t let it go so she conjures up a spell in hopes of bringing back Riley to find out what really happened. And that’s when things really take a turn because Mila isn’t an experienced Wiccan, and not only does she bring Riley back but she also brings back two recently dead girls who she really didn’t like. And they’re all going to be around for seven days until the spell ends. Hopefully they can all work out their issues and come together to solve who exactly murdered them… A fun, smart, and excellent read with a great lead.
Sponsored by Penguin Teen
Quiet, shy Elyse can’t believe it when she’s cast as the lead in her high school’s production of Romeo and Juliet. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye–someone she knows she absolutely shouldn’t be with–she can’t help but be pulled into the spotlight.
Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable–breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She’s not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever.
Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive.
Would You Pretend To Be Someone Else For An Inheritance?
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware: Hal has been struggling since her mom’s death. While she took over her mom’s tarot card reading business it hasn’t been enough to pay the rent, and now she’s in way over her head after a bad loan. That’s why when a letter clearly wrongly addressed to her arrives, she decides to pretend to be someone else. If there really is an inheritance awaiting the person the letter was meant for, maybe it’ll save her. And so she makes the trip to Mrs. Westaway’s mansion and decides to use her tarot card people reading skills to pretend she’s the person the letter was meant for. At first her fear is that she’ll be discovered, but there’s just something off about this family and maybe she’s made a grave mistake… A good suspenseful mystery novel with a character I was rooting for from the beginning.
Great Atmospheric Procedural (TW domestic violene)
A Sharp Solitude (Glacier Mystery #4) by Christine Carbo: FBI investigator Ali Paige knows better than to investigate a case not assigned to her–especially, since the suspect is Landon, her daughter’s father. And yet, she can’t stop herself. She’s quickly lying to her partner and doing seriously questionable things in order to prove the investigation is focusing on the wrong person. Told in alternating POV between Ali and Landon, you get to watch Ali try to prove his innocence while slowly watching Landon’s life up until the photographer he was accused of murdering is killed. I really love procedurals like this that give you a good look into a case but also the personal lives of the characters–especially when there is an interesting job involved like Landon’s, who uses a dog for finding animal scat in the woods for scientific research. (The series is linked only by setting so it reads as a standalone. If you’re curious about the previous book in the series, The Weight of Night, I reviewed it here.)
Recent Releases
The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker (Paperback) (For fans of serial killer arcs on procedural shows–full review) (I don’t remember the TWs but there are, think horror movies.)
The Accidental Mistress (Justice Hustlers #3) by Aya de Leon (Series I love about women who steal from crappy rich men to fund their women’s health clinic.)
Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts
AND Book Riot is still giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice!
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.
Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.
If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own you can sign up here.
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In the Club May 30
Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.
This newsletter is sponsored by Litworld Publishing House.
When a witty medical student, Aliya’s life is cut short in a tragic accident, she discovers that she is given another chance at life. She finds herself reborn into the body of a heavy-set Countess named Lilian. Aliya must use her mind and skills in a society where women are oppressed, protect herself from assassination attempts, and build alliances with peasants, sea raiders, members of the Royal Family… and her own errant husband. First Lessons is the first of five volumes in Lina J. Potter’s bestselling Medieval Tale series. Will Aliya forge her own “happy-ever-after?” And if so, at what cost?
The warm days have finally arrived here in Philadelphia, and I’ve been gathering up some “beach reading” recommendations. Whether you take them to an actual beach, a park, your back couch, or read them in the middle of next winter is totally your call.
– Romance novels based on your favorite reality TV
– Beach read recs from Girls Night In (very cosign)
– Southern literature for your summer
If you occasionally find yourself wondering why you put all this work into book club, let Marty remind you of its joys.
Book group bonus: Have everyone in your group tell their “book club origin story” — what was the first book club meeting they ever attended?
There’s nothing like a whodunnit, and these are for readers who are most at home in the literary fiction stacks.
Book group bonus: You could have a really rousing discussion about the different categories of mysteries (many of them mentioned in the above piece). Do your members favor any one in particular?
Speaking of mystery subgenres, there are also SF/F ones! And here are a few that take Sherlock Holmes as their inspiration.
Book group bonus: Have each member bring in their personal favorite retelling of or book inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and let the Death Match, I MEAN, discussion begin.
In celebrity book club news, Reese Witherspoon is adding audiobooks to her empire.
Book group bonus: Are you reading along with Reese? And if not, does an official audio component make you any more likely to?
Stamp of approval: The Man Booker International Prize has been awarded! The winning title, Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from the Polish by Jennifer Croft, sounds ready-made for a good discussion.
Book group bonus: I’m still thinking about this piece on the translation of Han Kang’s works. How much do you take for granted when you read a translation, and how do you pick out the translator’s voice from the author’s? There aren’t easy answers, but there’s a lot of good food for thought.
And that’s a wrap: Happy discussing! If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations (including the occasional book club question!) you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.
Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn
More Resources:
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page
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Win a Fandom & Culture Prize Pack!
We have 15 Fandom & Culture prize packs to give away to 15 Riot readers!
The University of Iowa Press is a well-regarded academic publisher serving readers throughout the world with works of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. We are proud to announce our new series, Fandom & Culture, which produces dynamic books that challenge readers to reexamine preconceived notions of fandom, fan communities, and fan works. The series aims to speak to fans, general audiences, and scholars on issues related to fandom including (but not limited to) gender, sexuality, race, class, technology, pedagogy, cultural studies, and other traditionally overlooked topics in the field.
Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click on the image of the books in the pack below!
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Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!
Welcome to the second day of the rest of your week. And happy Legendary day to all you Caraval fans! That’s right it’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for new boooooooooks! I have a few awesome books for you below and you can hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Amanda and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain, From Twinkle, with Love, and more.
Sponsored by Flatiron Books and Legendary by Stephanie Garber
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and the time to repay the debt has come.
I also wanted to give you a heads up that next Tuesday there are more amazing new books coming out than any day yet this year, so you’ll wanna go ahead and clear your schedule now. I’ll write you a note, if you need one. SO MANY BOOKS.
PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here by June 21st!
Another Side of Paradise by Sally Koslow
A fictional account of the doomed relationship between the famous writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hollywood gossip columnist Sheilah Graham. In 1937, as Fitzgerald’s career fizzled and his wife, Zelda, remained confined to a clinic, he and Graham struck up a romance that lasted until his death three years later. Koslow has put a lot of love into their tragic story.
Backlist bump: Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck
No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America by Darnell L Moore
When journalist Moore was fourteen, he was the victim of a hate crime, nearly burned a life from a gang of neighborhood boys as he walked home from school. This is his story, a sort of investigation into his own life, about how that experience, as well as growing up in New Jersey, and his work as a leading Black Lives Matter activist, has shaped him.
Backlist bump: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Blood Standard (An Isaiah Coleridge Novel) by Laird Barron
The crime fiction debut of sci-fi/fantasy author Barron! It’s a hardboiled mystery featuring a disgraced mob enforcer named Isaiah, who is exiled by his boss to upstate New York after messing up big time. Isaiah attempts to go straight and lawful and live life under the radar, but when a girl goes missing in his town, he’s not going to let the criminals get away with it.
Backlist bump: The Deep Blue Good-by: A Travis McGee Novel by John D. MacDonald
That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!
Stay rad,
Liberty
Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Disney Publishing Worldwide.
Red mask, blue wig, silver swimsuit, rubber gloves, torn tights, high top sneakers and . . . a cape? Who would run through School dressed like this? Janey—quick to stay in the shadows—can’t resist the urge to find out. The answer pulls invisible Janey into the spotlight and leads her to an unexpected friendship with a superhero like no other. But superheroes hold secrets and Captain Superlative is no exception. When Janey unearths what’s at stake, she faces her own dark secrets and discovers what it truly means to be a hero . . . and a friend.
Happy Monday! If you’re in the States, that means it’s a holiday for you today. Whether you are working or have the day off, I hope you get lots of time to read books today. I have a ton of exciting book-related news for you, and I hope everything in your world is marvelous and you’re reading something wonderful. Enjoy your upcoming week, and be excellent to each other. – xoxo, Liberty
Sponsored by Claire Messud’s The Burning Girl, now on sale in paperback from W. W. Norton.
Julia and Cassie have been friends since nursery school. They have shared everything, including their desire to escape the stifling limitations of their birthplace. But as the girls enter adolescence, their paths diverge and Cassie sets out on a journey that will put her life in danger and shatter her oldest friendship. The Burning Girl is a complex examination of the stories we tell ourselves about youth and friendship, and straddles, expertly, childhood’s imaginary worlds and painful adult reality―crafting a true, immediate portrait of female adolescence. A New York Times bestseller and finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here by June 21st!
Here’s this week’s trivia question: In Percy Jackson & the Olympians, what is the Greek name for Percy’s pen/sword?
Deals, Reals, and Squeals!
Jennifer Egan is working on a companion book to Visit From the Goon Squad.
Morgan Parker has sold a YA novel.
Random House Children’s to publish book by Parkland students.
Idris Elba to star in and direct The Hunchback of Notre Dame for Netflix.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries set for a movie adaptation.
HBO’s Watchmen pilot casts Regina King, Don Johnson, four more.
The Vampire Diaries is getting a spinoff show.
The Hate U Give movie has a release date!
George R.R. Martin’s The Ice Dragon to become an animated film.
There’s a new adaptation of The House of Spirits in the works. (Won’t be hard to beat the first one imo.)
John Malkovich to play Hercule Poirot in The ABC Murders.
Netflix lands Dee Rees’ political thriller The Last Thing He Wanted, based on the book by Joan Didion.
Lisbeth Salander to return in new comic book series.
The Firefly crew returns in a brand new book series.
The Baby-Sitters Club series being shopped for a TV adaptation.
There is a new Sarah Gailey novella on the way!
And a new book from Zan Romanoff!
Felicity Huffman acquired the rights to The Iron Will of Shoeshine Cats, the 2009 novel by Hesh Kestin.
Cover Reveals
The cover to Michelle Obama’s memoir has been revealed! (Crown, November 13)
Here’s the first look at Spin, a thriller about hip hop and death, on the way from Lamar Giles. (Scholastic Press, January 29, 2019)
Mackenzi Lee shared the epigraph for A Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy.
Sneak Peeks
Here’s the first look at Down a Dark Hall, (loosely) based on the novel by Lois Duncan.
And here’s the full trailer for Mowgli, the live-action version of The Jungle Book directed by Golem Andy Serkis.
Here’s the first trailer for Christopher Robin, about a grown-up CR in need of help from his old friends Pooh and the gang.
Book Riot Recommends
At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week!
Loved, loved, loved:
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker (Random House, January 15, 2019)
We’re only half way through 2018 but I’m pretty sure I’ve already read my favorite book of 2019. Set in a small college town, The Dreamers is a gorgeously heartbreaking story about a wildly contagious illness that causes people to fall asleep and not wake up. Its origins are unknown and as scientists work to figure out the mystery and find a cure, the town around them falls apart. This book put me in a trance and wrapped itself around my brain. It is so beautifully written. I was a huge fan of KTW’s first book, The Age of Miracles, and I loved this one even more!
Excited to read:
My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame (Pantheon Graphic Novels, September 18)
In the first volume, we learn about Yaichi a single dad living with his daughter, Kana, in Tokyo. When Yaichi’s estranged twin brother Ryoji dies, Ryoji’s husband, Mike, comes to visit them. As Kana endlessly questions “Uncle Mike” about his life in Canada and the details of his marriage to an uncle she never met, Yaichi slowly comes to realize what caused the rift between him and his brother, and how having Mike around is helping them both to heal. It is an incredibly charming book that I highly recommend you read before the second one comes out! As for me, I was delighted to learn about a second volume and I cannot wait to read it!
What I’m reading this week.
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Beloved Poison by E.S. Thomson
The Day the Sun Died by Yan Lianke
An Easy Death by Charlene Harris
Non-book-related recommendation.
OMG ARE YOU WATCHING KILLING EVE???? Two words: Sandra Oh. The season finale was last night, so you can binge the whole thing now, start to finish. Get on it. (Er, unless excessive violence and bloodshed is not your thing, then maybe skip it. That’s cool, too.)
And this is funny.
Here’s Mark Oshiro with a little funny/scary wordplay based on his wonderful new novel Anger is a Gift.
Trivia answer: Anaklusmos (or Riptide)
Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Running Press Kids and SOMEONE ELSE’S SUMMER by Rachel Bateman
Anna’s always idolized her older sister, Storm. So when Storm dies in a tragic car accident on the night of her high school graduation, Anna is completely lost. That is, until she finds Storm’s summer bucket list and decides to honor her sister by having the best summer ever—which includes taking an epic road trip along with her sister’s best friend Cameron. Who knew that Storm’s dream summer would eventually lead to Anna’s own self-discovery?