Happy Tuesday! I’m changing things up a bit today because I had several books I wanted to tell you about but not enough for a megalist. (GREAT BIG ENTHUSIASM, itty bitty newsletter space.) So you can check out a bunch of awesome books 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 The Mere Wife, Blood & Ivy, What We Were Promised, and more. (PS – Apologies in advance: I also sang a song.)
Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas.
New from the author of the highly acclaimed The Resurrection of Joan Ashby – set over the course of a single weekend, this provocative novel reckons with the nature of the stories we tell ourselves and our family and the price we pay for second chances.
Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott
ALL HAIL THE QUEEN. Believe me when I tell you this is her best and since she’s already awesome, you KNOW it’s good. This is about two former friends who become rivals a decade later at a science lab when they are competing for the same position.
The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas
The Tabor family is gathering together in honor of their father, who is receiving an award. They appear to be the perfect family, but they each have secrets, and over the course of the weekend, a lot of ugly truth is going to come out. I love a messy family novel!
The Secret Habit of Sorrow: Stories by Victoria Patterson
These stories are tremendous, but what I have to say about them can’t top the publisher’s blurb: “…has a Denis-Johnson refiltered-through-Raymond-Carver-vibe, along with the emotional depth and density of Elena Ferrante.”
Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie
Girls! In! Space! This is a kickass story of a girl who volunteers to become a mechanically enhanced space soldier in order to make the money to save her ill brother. But there’s a rebellion coming, and she may have to fight.
Tacky Goblin by T. Sean Steele
I’m so happy that Unnamed Press is putting an edition of this out, because I loved this weird little book about a slacker renting an apartment with his sister and trying to get his life together.
Condomnauts by Yoss (Author), David Frye (Translator)
Warning: This book is not going to be for everyone. It’s about sexual ambassadors in the galactic community. It’s a weird space adventure with technology and sex that is also a satire about Communist Cuba. But damn that Yoss can write.
When Life Gives You Demons by Jennifer Honeybourn
Shelby Black is training to be an exorcist, but she doesn’t want the cute boy she has a crush on to know that. But she soon discovers it’s a hard thing to hide… The title cracks me up!
Kill the Farm Boy: The Tales of Pell by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson
An ordinary farm boy becomes the Chosen One, and must rescue a princess in her tower. Along his journey, he’s going to meet some WEIRD people. This is a funny adventure by way of Terry Pratchett and Monty Python.
Apocalypse Nyx by Kameron Hurley
An ex-government assassin turned bounty hunter manages a ragtag group of misfits as she takes on missions.
A Sloth’s Guide to Mindfulness by Ton Mak
An adorable book about slowing your life down and breathing, with cute illustrations. It would make a great gift and also a perfect book for young people who want to learn about meditation.
The Mere Wife: A Novel by Maria Dahvana Headley
A retelling of Beowulf set in the suburbs! MDH has done a fantastic, fascinating job with a super old tale in a contemporary setting. And it’s feminist as all get out.
Blood & Ivy: The 1849 Murder That Scandalized Harvard by Paul Collins
A true crime set at Harvard Medical School, featuring several of the day’s famous authors, and a gruesome murder. If you like The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or Devil in the White City, this is your jam.
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
Sometimes Hanna’s mom wishes she hadn’t been born. With good reason. HANNA IS EVIL. She torments her mother (and others) for fun but her mother is determined not to let Hanna get the upper hand. If kids creep you out, you will be doubly upset in this domestic horror novel.
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