Month: August 2018

Indie Bookstore Fights Back: Today in Books

Post author By Sharifah Williams
Post date August 31, 2018

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by CubHouse, an imprint of Lion Forge.

Indie Bookstore Fights Back

James Jenkins and husband Ryan Cagle, co-founders of Valancourt Books, have filed a lawsuit in federal court, “arguing that the Copyright Office’s demand violates the publisher’s right to free speech and its right to ‘just compensation’ for taken property.” The independent, print-on-demand publisher specializes in reprinting long-lost works, including queer literature. But the U.S. Copyright Office demanded one copy of 240 different books from the publisher’s collection for free. “If we don’t send the books, the Copyright Office says they will fine us out of existence,” said Jenkins.

A Harry Potter-Themed Mixology Course

Please, someone in New York, attend the Harry Potter-themed mixology class for me. The Cauldron, a pop-up bar and mixology course, is opening in NYC in September. The Kickstarter-funded London pop-up was so successful back in March, that the organizers took it to the states. Here’s hoping it spreads across the country.

The Guardian’s “Unimpressive” Alt Nobel Coverage

The Guardian has come under fire for its coverage of the alternative Nobel Prize in Literature shortlist released this week. Two women–Maryse Condé and Kim Thúy–and two men–Haruki Murakami and Neil Gaiman–are on the shortlist. But The Guardian focused on the two men, pushing the women to the bottom of the piece and mentioning them as “completing the shortlist.” The New Academy Prize in Literature was created in the wake of a sex abuse scandal that postponed the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018.

Audiobooks

End-of-Fummer Audiobooks Week Special Edition

Post author By Katie MacBride
Post date August 31, 2018

Heya audiophiles,

As the summer comes to a close (*sob*), we at Book Riot want to make sure you’ve got all the audiobooky content you could want. If you haven’t had a chance to check out what’s been happening in Book Riot audiobooks world for this week’s End-of-Summer Audiobooks Week, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered:

Win the Best Books of 2018…So Far!

Post author By Jeff O'Neal
Post date August 31, 2018

We just clicked over the half-way point of 2018, and we here at Book Riot have named our favorite books of 2018…so far. And we are giving away all of them to somebody! And it could be you! Go see the full list of what you could win, and then fantasize about a giant stack of books to take you through to 2019.

Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below. Good luck!

What's Up in YA

📚🎥🎮”Read, Watch, Play”: Kendare Blake’s Entertainment Recommendations

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date August 30, 2018

Hey YA readers: This is an exciting newsletter and I can’t wait to share.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by A Room Away From The Wolves by Nova Ren Suma.

Nova Ren Suma, the New York Times #1 bestselling author of The Walls Around Us, returns with a mesmerizing gothic novel about the dark secrets teenager Bina discovers when she runs away to Catherine House in New York City. As nightmare and memory tangle, she will be forced to face the terrible truth of why she’s come here and what it will cost for her to leave. A Room Away from the Wolves is a spellbinding ghost story about who deserves a second chance, how we lie to ourselves and those around us, and what lengths girls go to in order to save each other.

Before the newsletter, a quick announcement: we want to hear about your reading habits! Hop over to our fall reading survey and share, share, share.

And now: a fun, fun piece from Kendare Blake.

Kendare Blake continues to grow as a YA author, racking up accolades, critical acclaim, and devoted readers. The next book in her “Three Dark Crowns” series hits shelves tomorrow, September 4, and it’s called Two Dark Reigns.

I asked Kendare to share some of her favorite books, movies, and video games; I was not sad to find myself adding so many new things to my “do, see, try” lists. While you wait for that next book, you can enjoy these things in the mean time . . . and immediately after you immerse yourself in Two Dark Reigns.

Without further ado, Kendare Blake!

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Are you a bookworm? Do you like to play video games? Do you also like to watch…things…on the moving picture talk box? You do? Me too! So I thought it would be fun to do a little round of Read, Watch, Play, where I pair delightful combinations of books, video games and movies/tv shows. Ready? Here we go!

If you like: Epic quests through dangerous territory + Norse mythology then you should:

Read: The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke. It’s a genderbent Beowulf retelling about a band of mercy-killing girls who decide to give up the mercy-killing and grab themselves some glory, by undertaking a quest to slay a fearsome monster. Come for the blood and axes, stay for the salt marsh witches and the girl-gang bravery.

Watch: Vikings on the History Channel. The bloody trajectory of Ragnar Lothbrok and his family, from everyday, regular Viking to warring Viking royalty will have you raising your mugs of mead and singing…one of those songs you sing with mead.

Play: God of War. The new one, for PS4. It plunks Kratos right down in the midst of Norse Country and pits him against gods and beasts and maybe the World Serpent? It also gives him a son to teach the ways of the warrior and makes for some fun dual combat. I called this game “Teamwork with Man Friend.” Kratos would obviously be the Man Friend. So I guess that makes his kid…Teamwork?

If you like: learning the art of a master assassin and diving deep into the history of a place, then you should:

Read: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. It’s the story of Mia, orphaned but bent on bloody revenge, and her path to becoming one of the most badass killers her country has ever seen. Filled to the brim with fascinating footnotes on the history of the world, and also with smartass shadow animals.

Play: Assassins Creed. But not the one about the Revolutionary War. Or Black Flag.

Watch: Assassins Creed. Haha, I’m just kidding. No one should ever watch that.

If you like: Dragons, and folks caught up in a destiny far larger than themselves, + more dragons, then you should:

Read: The Last Namsara by Kristin Ciccarelli. Can the greatest dragon slayer somehow also be the greatest dragon whisperer? That would seem unfair, but trust me, it ends up making sense.

Watch: Dragonheart. Because who doesn’t want a dragon with the voice of Sean Connery. That dragon will eat you shaken, not stirred.

Play: Dragon Age: Inquisition. A sprawling RPG that let’s you take on the role of mage or rogue or warrior, that has a really good narrative. Come for the monster fighting, stay for the possibility of sleeping with an elf. They are wily bedmates, I hear.

If you like: Dreamlike fantasies with intensely beautiful worldbuilding + wow so many colors! Then you should:

Read: Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor. A half-god girl with blue skin and red hair hides away with her similarly colored brethren in the hopes that the humans below will not one day murder them. And a regularly shaded librarian with an uncanny knack for figuring things out embarks on a quest to a world he thought to be legend. Maybe to save it. Maybe not.

Watch: The Neverending Story. I know there are not that many colors in it, but it is mightily fantastic. Follow it up with like, Finding Nemo if you’re craving some blues and oranges.

Play: Final Fantasy X. I find it the prettiest installment in the franchise, and one of the best stories as well. The animations for summoning your fancy guardian force friends are not to be missed.

And finally, if you like pioneer stories with plucky heroines + the possibility of dying of dysentery, then you should:

Read: Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson. A girl who can sense the presence of gold tries to make it west for the gold rush, to escape her horrible uncle and to follow the only boy she cares about in the world. Come for the gold, stay for the wagon trains.

Watch: I don’t know, maybe old episodes of Little House on the Prairie? I recommend the one where Pa plays a fiddle. That probably doesn’t narrow it down much. Maybe the one where Laura kicks Nellie in the face.

Play: The Oregon Trail. Or, if you don’t have a floppy disk drive, then Horizon: Zero Dawn. It has a similarly plucky heroine who must mine the wilderness on her quest to find answers about why she is an outcast from her tribe. Come for the robot dinosaurs (ROBOT DINOSAURS!) stay for the engaging storyline.

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Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you Monday!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram

Today In Books

First Trailer For Elena Ferrante Adaptation: Today in Books

Post author By Sharifah Williams
Post date August 30, 2018

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of 13 Minutes by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pinborough.

First Trailer For Elena Ferrante Adaptation

HBO released its first official teaser trailer for the series adaptation of My Brilliant Friend, the first book in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. The story follows friends Elena and Lila as they try to make their way out of a rough Naples neighborhood and restrictive home lives. Watch the teaser.

Traditional Publishers Are Selling Way More Nonfic

Forbes reported that “adult non-fiction revenues are soaring above fiction revenues and have been widening the gap for the past five years.” This, with a note that these numbers only account for traditionally published books, leaving out fiction and non-fiction from indie self-publishing. In other words, these numbers do not signal the death of adult fiction.

3 Members Return To Nobel Prize Body

Three members who quit the Swedish Academy (the Nobel literature prize body) amid a sex-abuse scandal are returning. Sara Danius, Kjell Espmark, and Peter Englund will rejoin the body, saying differences with a member aren’t as important as the Academy itself. Espmark said they’re ready to help out with the election of new board members.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

True Story

New Nonfiction about Impostors, Politicians, and Parents

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date August 30, 2018

Last week, 81-year-old Senator John McCain passed away after a brief battle with brain cancer. McCain’s political legacy is complicated, and I won’t pretend to be an expert, but he does leave a lifetime of work and several books to his name.

Sponsored by Elizabeth Warren: Her Fight. Her Work. Her Life by Antonia Felix.

Elizabeth Warren’s rise as one of America’s most powerful women is a stirring lesson in persistence. From her fierce support of the middle class to her unapologetic response to political bullies, Warren is known as a passionate yet plain-speaking champion of equity and fairness. In the wake of one fellow senator’s effort to silence her in 2016, three words became a rallying cry across the country:

Nevertheless, she persisted . . .

In this breakthrough biography, bestselling author Antonia Felix reveals how Warren brought her expertise to Washington to become an icon of progressive politics in a deeply divided nation, and weaves together never-before-told stories from those who have journeyed with Warren, from Oklahoma to the halls of power.

In the wake of his death, McCain’s most recent book, The Restless Wave, climbed on to several bestseller lists. The book was released in May, after McCain’s cancer diagnosis, and was again co-written by his former chief of staff, Mark Salter.

In the Christian Science Monitor, one writer remembered McCain as an “active and passionate fellow reader,” comparing him to another political bibliophile, Teddy Roosevelt. The books mentioned in the piece are overwhelmingly written by white men, but it’s still a nice angle on a memorial. (For a more diverse reading list from a politician, check out Barack Obama’s summer reading recommendations. So good.)

New Books!

And with that, let’s dive into new books coming out this week. There are a bunch of good ones.

Small Animals by Kim Brooks – On a mild afternoon, Kim Brooks made the decision to leave her son in the car while she ran into a store. A bystander called the police, setting of years of legal trouble for the family. Brooks uses that experience as a jumping off point to explore “the broader role America’s culture of fear plays in parenthood.” You can get a peek of her style in this Salon article Brooks wrote about the initial incident in 2014.

Boom Town by Sam Anderson – The subtitle of this book is what sold me on reading it… “the fantastical saga of Oklahoma City, its chaotic founding… its purloined basketball team, and the dream of becoming a world-class metropolis.” It just sounds incredibly fun.

Not Quite Not White by Sharmila Sen – As a 12-year-old, first generation immigrant from India, Sharmila Sen struggled with her “not quite-ness” – “not quite white, not quite black, not quite Asian.” This memoir is a story of her teenaged attempts to blend in with American whiteness and an argument about what that actually means.

The Imposter by Javier Cercas – In 2005, an elderly man living in Barcelona who claimed to be a Holocaust survivor was exposed as a fraud… he’d never been in a Nazi concentration camp, making his decades of honors and recognition false. This book seeks to unravel his story and understand what led to such an enormous deception.

Attention by Joshua Cohen – This book is the “culmination of two decades of writing and thoughts about life in the digital age,” a collection of assorted writings that explore a range of issues of modern life and how to exist in a world that is saturated with information.

Elizabeth Warren by Antonia Felix – Political memoirs and biographies released ahead of a possible run for president don’t usually interest me, but this one about Elizabeth Warren is probably of interest to other Book Riot readers. Reviews suggest the book is a generally positive portrayal, but I am interested in the idea of exploring the cultural and media coverage that Warren gets.

Around the Riot!

Finally, there’s been some excellent nonfiction coverage over at Book Riot lately. Here’s a round up in case you missed anything:

8 Essay Collections to Look Out For This Fall by Laura Sackton
5 New Biographies About Mary Shelley by Ann Foster
Black and Indigenous Authors You Should Be Reading
12 Books to Pierce the Filter Bubble by Alex Acks
8 Books to Read Before You Make Your New Year Resolutions List by Nicole Froio
Some of the Best Books About World War I by Romeo Rosales
Astronomy Books for Beginners by Amanda Kay Oaks
10 Microhistory Books to Read This Summer by Beulah Maud Devaney

You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

Swords and Spaceships

Swords and Spaceships Aug 31

Post author By Jenn Northington
Post date August 30, 2018

Happy Friday, friends! Today we’re talking about Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews, webcomics, problematic faves, WorldCon, fairytales, and so much more.

This newsletter is sponsored by Penguin Teen.

After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, who have lost their families and homes because of Aric. But when Caledonia’s best friend barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric once and for all…or will he threaten everything the women have worked for?

What does it mean to have more women in sci-fi? This contemplative piece unpacks a lot of stereotypes and internalized misogyny in the process of answering that question.

Bones for the win: A fan looks at the ways Star Trek: The Original Series combatted toxic masculinity, and makes a compelling case.

LET THERE BE GREAT REJOICING: we’re getting Avatar: The Last Airbender novels about Avatar Kyoshi!!!! All the muppet arms!!!!

Get more comics in your browser! I love SF/F webcomics, and this list just added a bunch more to my bookmarks folder.

Want a behind the scenes look at WorldCon 76? Alex gives the nitty gritty details on the business side of things (as well as the alt-right protest), which I always find fascinating.

I have a deep appreciation for the questions posed in this post about reconsidering problematic faves, and in particular would like to highlight this bit, which sums up so beautifully a feeling I’ve been struggling to articulate:
“I like and respect my friends better than I like the book, and I don’t feel comfortable reading a book that’s taking aim at my friends. It has lost its magic.”

Sometimes a fairytale is what you need, and we’ve got 50 retellings for kids that can scratch that itch.

I confess that I have not listened to this because it is OVER AN HOUR LONG, but if you’ve ever wanted N.K. Jemisin to tell you her world-building secrets, here’s your chance.

Which Weasley sibling are you? Take our quiz! (I am Charlie and I will be over here with my dragons.)

Reminder! Today (August 31) is the last day to enter the Recommended giveaway for 16 excellent books, which you should do right here.

Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews

You might have heard me gush about the world-building in the Kate Daniels series on SFF Yeah, or name-drop them repeatedly while talking about other urban fantasy. In case you weren’t sure: I’m a fan. The last book in the series is out this week, and it gave me All The Feelings.

Before I get into some spoilers, let’s take a moment for my top two reasons this series is worth picking up. And while I’ve heard that the first book, Magic Bites, can be hard to get through for new readers, I’m here to assure you that it’s worth it.

1: It has one of my favorite world-building premises ever, and takes place in an alternate Atlanta in which the world is subject to period, unpredictable waves of magic. While the magic is down, your car and phones work but not your spells; while the magic is up, vice versa. There are vampires and shapeshifters and demons and gods roaming the world again, and humanity is having to relearn how to deal with the supernatural.

2: It has a heroine who not only kicks ass, but learns how to be a person. The Kate Daniels of Magic Bites is just barely a human being — she’s gruff, isolated, drinking too much, and basically only good at slicing things and people and things pretending to be people to bits with her sword. But as the series progresses, Kate also grows in important ways. She acquires friends and a family of choice; she makes peace with her traumatic childhood; she begins to own her power.

And now for mild series spoilers! Avert your eyes!!!

If you’ve been following along with me, I’m happy to report that Magic Triumphs is as satisfying a finale as I could have hoped. The stakes could not be higher — the future of Kate’s son is at stake, the Oracles are having visions of blood and fire, and Roland is just waiting to take over Atlanta and then the rest of the world. Assassins are popping up around town, the populations of entire towns are disappearing overnight, and Kate just got a weird box of ashes with a flower on it. Also her son is manifesting some startling new abilities. Kate’s life is complicated; it must be Tuesday.

The full cast — plus some suprising-to-me reappearances — is on hand for this battle to end the war, and they’re fighting on two fronts. Can they defeat the new Big Bad as well as Roland? And what (or who) will they lose in the process? Magic Triumphs showcases the same bonds of loyalty, friendship, and love that have made the last few books such an absolute delight to read. Kate and her family of choice are Ride or Die for each other, and it makes my heart explode every time.

I finished this book, patted my face dry with a tissue, and then had to suppress the urge to reread the entire series immediately. (Instead I’ll be re-reading it one book at a time for the next 10 months, and I cannot wait.) And if you’re listening, Ilona Andrews? I don’t know if the ending was intended to launch a new series, but I am here for The Further Adventures of [Redacted] and [Redacted], please and thank you.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. 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 you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn

Unusual Suspects

Mystery and Thrillers That Are Better On Audio

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date August 30, 2018

Hi mystery lovers! The season 3 teaser trailer for True Detective played after the Sharp Objects finale, and looks like I’ll be back to being a fan of the show. Here’s the trailer in case you missed it.

Win 16 of the Favorite Books of Our Favorite Authors!

Post author By Jeff O'Neal
Post date August 30, 2018

We’re so excited to announce Season 3 of Recommended, our show where interesting people talk about their favorite books, that we decided to have a giveaway to celebrate! Mark your calendars: Season 3 will air September 5th to November 21st. Season 2 has wrapped up, and you can listen to them all on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or the podcatcher of your choice.

To tide you over in the meantime, we’re giving away 16 of the books written and selected by some of the authors from Season 2! Here is the full rundown of the books you can win!

Florida by Lauren Groff

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Sleepless Nights by Elizabeth Hardwick

Plainwater by Anne Carson

Meridian by Alice Walker

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

Go here to enter for your chance to win, or just click on the image below. Good luck!

The Stack

083018-Smiley’sDream-The-Stack

Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date August 30, 2018

Today’s The Stack is sponsored by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic.

From the creator of the internationally bestselling and award-winning BONE series comes a charming and adorable picture book — the first to feature Smiley Bone in an adventure all his own!

On a beautiful sunny day, happy-go-lucky Smiley Bone is walking through the woods when he begins to count some friendly birds. The birds sing and climb so high that Smiley must find a fantastical way to keep up with them! With lively drawings and expressive word balloons, Jeff Smith has created a one-of-a-kind picture book that will delight the youngest readers.