Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Crazy Cat Lady, written and illustrated by Agnes Loonstra & Ester Scholten.
Do you often wake up covered in cat hair? Do you prefer staying home Friday nights so you can cuddle your kitties? Proclaim your feline obsession proudly! Joyfully illustrated with cheeky mottoes, flowcharts, and fun facts, this little book is an affectionate tribute to cats and the cool ladies who love them. Includes a bonus sheet of colorful stickers!
Hello hello, fellow nonfiction readers! I’m finishing up this newsletter on April Fool’s Day, which is one of those days that can be both fun and annoying all at the same time. My favorite joke was from Pizza Hut because it was a thing I actually wish would happen. And I also have to give a little hat tip to the American Library Association — support your local library!
To take a word from velocireader Liberty Hardy, April is a truly bananapants month for new books. To try and mention as many as possible, I decided to pick five to write about in a little more depth, then list others that seemed interesting near the end. Onward!
Sponsored by our $100 Amazon gift card giveaway! Enter here.
We’re giving away a $100 Amazon gift card in support of Swords and Spaceships, our sci-fi/fantasy newsletter! Just click here to sign up and enter.
Women’s Work: A Reckoning with Work and Home by Megan Stack – In this book, journalist Megan Stack seeks to understand the lives of the women she hired to help with childcare and housework while living and working abroad, looking at “the trade-offs they’d been forced to make as working mothers seeking upward mobility—and on the cost to the children who were left behind.”
We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood by Dani McClain – As a first-time mother, Dani McClain worked to understand how to raise her daughter in a world that can be unjust and hostile to black women, speaking with “mothers on the frontlines of movements for social, political, and cultural change who are grappling with the same questions.”
Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl – Ruth Reichl is one of the best people writing about food right now, so a new memoir from her is cause to celebrate! In this book, Reichl chronicles her time as editor in chief of Gourmet, a story about “a former Berkeley hippie entering the corporate world and worrying about losing her soul.” It’s also a peek into the peak of print magazines, and how the internet has turned that industry upside down.
Woman of Color by LaTonya Yvette – This book is a collection of essays and advice on “style, beauty, and motherhood” from a popular blogger. Each chapter covers a different topic, then ends with “thoughtful advice and lifestyle takeaways” for everyone, though the heart of the book is her experience “growing up as a woman of color in Brooklyn.”
Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris – If you are a grammar and punctuation geek, this this book will be right up your alley. Mary Norris has been a copy editor and proofreader at The New Yorker for more than 30 years. In this book, she writes about her “lifelong love affair with words and her solo adventures in the land of olive trees and ouzo.” This seems so charming.
And finally, 10 more new books out this week that you might want to check out:
And that’s the end! You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, on email at kim@riotnewmedia.com, and co-hosting the For Real podcasthere at Book Riot. Happy reading! – Kim
P.S. Don’t forget about Book Riot’s new podcast about children’s literature, KidLit These Days. On the show, co-hosts Karina Yan Glaser and Matthew Winner pair the best of children’s literature with what’s going on in the world today. Check it out!
Hello mystery fans! This week I have for you a great modern And Then There Were None, a fun dark domestic thriller, and a really good crime novel about secrets and survival.
Sponsored by The Center of the Universe by Ria Voros from KCP Loft
Grace Carter’s mother — the celebrity news anchor GG Carter — is everything Grace is not. GG is a star with a following of thousands, while Grace — an aspiring astrophysicist — is into stars of another kind. Then one day GG disappears. News shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace’s family struggles as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG’s disappearance, Grace grows closer to her high school’s golden boy, Mylo. She also uncovers some secrets from her mother’s long-lost past. The more Grace learns, the more she wonders. Did she ever really know her mother?
Great Modern And Then There Were None! (TW suicide/ eating disorder/ anxiety attacks)
They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall (April 9): I went into this with high expectations because I love Hall’s detective series and “remakes” of And Then There Were None (strangers suddenly deserted together and one by one they start to be murdered). Hall totally delivered! I don’t want to say much on plot, because the not knowing is a fun element of these stories, so I’m going to focus on why this really worked for me. I loved Miriam Macy–who accepts a trip to a Mexican island in hopes of winning a reality show and getting her life back in order–as the point of view because she clearly has baggage but is a fighter. And Hall used a lot of clever crime genre elements that all blended really well together: a main character known to lie who has anxiety and doubts what she sees; everyone has a motive so the killer can be anyone; they’re all stuck together because of a storm so they’re forced to solve the mystery or fight; the challenge of who we are as people when we’re forced to face our worse self; everyone’s got a secret they’re hiding; the boiled frog fable–you’re in danger and you didn’t even realize it until it’s too late! Hall is also brilliant in how she modernized this tale while staring the problematic aspects of the genre dead in the eyes. I’ll read anything she writes.
Fun Domestic Thriller! (TW suicide)
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing: For me, this one did a really good balance of being bonkers enough to be fun, while also not going too off the rails where I think it’s too ridiculous to care–the details of the family dynamics worked really well. This starts with the husband out in a bar trying to get laid and, immediately, you have a few WTF moments which perfectly situate you for the ride you’re about to go on. Because why is this seemingly ordinary couple with two teenage kids straight up hunting women to murder? I told you it’s banana pants! But it also balances it so well with the day-to-day child care and marital issues that it gave the novel a good depth. I went with the audiobook and was pleasantly surprised that being in the husband’s head all the time didn’t make me want to murder dudes. If you’re looking for a dark-ish murder thriller that reads like fun–yes, you can judge me–pick this one up!
Really Good Crime Novel! (TW domestic and child abuse/ rape/ suicide)
The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman: This was a great crime novel where no one is who they seem, but why and how will that change the course of their lives? Alice and ten-year-old Oren have escaped an abusive home and need to hide. Mattie is a social worker living in the middle of the woods who takes them in. But both women clearly have secrets, and while they can spot the deception in the other both assume it’s just for survival reasons. Add a storm, tempers flaring, and secrets rising and you’ve got a volatile mixture destined for explosions. If you like crime novels, slow-burn suspense, and character driven reads, this was really good. I especially enjoyed the audio narrated by Jane Oppenheimer.
Recent Releases
The Killer in Me (Frankie Sheehan #2) by Olivia Kiernan (Really enjoying this dark Irish procedural series–bonus: audiobook has an Irish narrator.) (TW suicide/ animal cruelty/ domestic abuse)
Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock
The Loch Ness Papers (Scottish Bookshop Mystery #4) by Paige Shelton
The Execution of Justice by Friedrich Duerrenmatt, John E. Woods (Translator)
The Poison Bed by Elizabeth Fremantle
An Artless Demise (Lady Darby Mystery #7) by Anna Lee Huber
Black and Blue (Doug Brock #3) by David Rosenfelt
Treason (Trident Deception #5) by Rick Campbell
Who Slays the Wicked (Sebastian St. Cyr #14) by C.S. Harris
Nancy Drew: The Palace Of Wisdom by by Kelly Thompson, Jenn St. Onge
And in case you missed it last week, and are looking for picture books, we have a new podcast, Kidlit These Days, hosted by New York Times bestselling author Karina Glaser and children’s librarian Matthew Winner.
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 Canavés.
If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own you can sign up here.
This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins and Fierce Reads.
The Political Scandal Surrounding A Children’s Book
Let’s catch-up shall we: Catherine Pugh is the Mayor of Baltimore and has a self-published children’s books, Healthy Holly. Recent reports have taken a look at the Mayor’s lucrative deals surrounding Healthy Holly and accused her of “self-dealing.” Maryland’s governor asked the state prosecutor to investigate the allegations. Mayor Pugh announced yesterday an indefinite leave of absence due to pneumonia. You can keep up with the developments here.
Children’s Books Without A Scandal News
Lupita Nyong’o revealed her upcoming children’s book cover and please ready all the heart eyes emojis! Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison, is the story about a little girl in Kenya who has the darkest skin in her family and out of anyone she knows, and “a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.” It’ll be on bookshelves October 1st. Why so far away?!
Another Trailer!
Avengers: Endgame (April 26th) dropped another special look trailer today. It’s angsty and the wrong Chris has a beard but I’m still gonna watch it! Oh, yeah, and tickets are officially on sale now!
We have one brand new iPad mini to give away, courtesy of Early Bird Books, your resource for free and discount ebooks in your favorite genres!
Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below. Good luck!
Hola Audiophiles!
Happy Thursday and welcome to April! The first quarter of the month is officially behind us and spring is finally…springing! It was almost 80 degrees in San Diego this weekend and I had to remind myself that this is what I’d been asking for after the chilliest winter we’ve seen in a really long time. I just wasn’t prepared to sweat through my top while sampling nut milks at the Farmers Market!! I know, I know: I shouldn’t complain.
Enough of that: let’s get to the rest of those new books I promised you last week. These are all releases in the second half of the month. Let’s audio!
Sponsored by the audiobook edition of The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves.
Jonathan and Annika first meet at chess club in college, where Jonathan loses his first game of chess, and his heart, Annika. Brilliant but shy, Annika prefers to be alone. But Jonathan accepts that about her, admiring Annika, quirks and all. Their relationship that follows is tumultuous, but strong, until an unforeseen tragedy forces them apart. A decade later, fate brings them back together… She’s a librarian and he’s a divorced Wall Street whiz seeking a fresh start. Their feelings are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.
Before we begin, have you tuned into our new podcast Kidlit These Days yet? It’s hosted by author and BR contributor Karina Glaser and children’s librarian Matthew Winner, your kidlit connoisseurs, pairing the best of children’s literature with what’s going on in the world today. Give it a listen!
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, narrated by Jennifer Lim (April 16)
Young and Pak Yoo live in rural Virginia where they offer a super experimental medical treatment: they heal patients of assorted medical maladies and conditions with healing “dives” in a special pressurized oxygen chamber. Sh*t hits the fan when the magic healing machine mysteriously explodes and kills two people; secrets come to light and nefarious motives are uncovered as a dramatic murder trials ensues. This exciting debut draws from the author’s own experience as a Korean immigrant and trial lawyer. She is also the mother of a real-life “submarine” patient; get ready for this one.
Normal People by Sally Rooney, narrated by Aoife McMahon (April 16)
Connell and Marianne are two teens from a rural town who are opposites in just about every way. They’re undeniably drawn to each other in spite of differences in class and personality, circling around each other, growing apart and coming together time again from high school through adulthood. “This heartbreaking narrative that delves into the potency of first loves and how people can change over time” is already killing me softly. Sounds like one of those maddeningly addicting love stories that makes me yell things at my audiobook app like, “JUST KISS ALREADY!”
The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia, translated by Simon Bruini, narrated by Xe Sands and Angelo di Loreto (April 16)
It’s 1918: the Mexican Revolution is in its eighth year and the influenza epidemic is ravaging the world’s population. A baby boy is found abandoned under a bridge, scaring most of the locals in a small Mexican town with his disfigurements and the swarm of bees that follows him around. He doesn’t scare Francisco and Beatriz Morales, landowners who take him in and raise him like he was their own. They soon learn that their adopted son possesses a rare and unnatural ability, one that he will use to keep his family safe: he can see the future when he closes his eyes. “The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.” Yay for fantastic Mexican authors in translation!
Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor, narrated by Zara Ramm (April 23)
How am I just finding out about the Chronicles of St Mary’s series when it’s 10 books in?! Any series that “follows a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets as they hurtle their way around History” rings all my Jasper Ffordian bells. Historian Dr. Madeleine “Max” Maxwell works for St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, using time travel to investigate major historical events and right past wrongs in present day. In this 10th series installment, Max and the St. Mary’s team find themselves in the 16th century, tasked with unraveling the chaos that’s placed the wrong Tudor queen on the throne.
Will somebody page Thursday Next!? I think she and Max could make beautiful music together.
The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala, narrated by Sneha Mathan (April 23)
I have many fist pumps for fantasy being set in non-European countries! Inspired by Indian history and Hindu mythology, The Tiger at Midnight is the first in a trilogy that imagines an alternate ancient India. Esha and Kunal are a rebel assassin and reluctant soldier whose paths cross one fateful night. In the midst of chaos in their war-ravaged land, the two must decide where their loyalties lie and navigate the ultimate inconvenience: an undeniable but forbidden love. Stupid love, always getting in the way.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence by Michelle Filgate, narrated by various (April 30)
Over a decade ago, Michele Filgate sat down to write an essay on her stepfather’s abuse. It took a long time for her to realize what she really needed to write about: the abuse’s effect on her relationship with her mother. She did finally share the essay and it sort of blew up, garnering the attention of women like Rebecca Solnit and Anne Lamont. The experience gave Filgate the inspiration for this anthology, a collection of essays from fifteen writers exploring the profound impact of our relationships–the good kind, the bad kind, and everything in between–with our mothers.
The stellar list of contributors includes Leslie Jamison, Melissa Febos, Alexander Chee, Kiese Laymon, Carmen Maria Machado and more. Waaaaaant…..
A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole, narrated by Karen Chilton (April 30)
*whispers in shame* I’ve never read Alyssa Cole before. I’m new to romance, I have catching up to do in the queen of inclusive historical romance’s repertoire!! This latest in the The Reluctant Royals series transports readers to Thesolo: Nya Jerami is home from New York for a wedding and winds up in bed with a celebrity prince (don’t you just hate when that happens?). That prince is Johan van Braustein, “the redheaded step-prince of Liechtienbourg,” whose antics and tomfoolery are all a ploy to distract the paparazzi and protect his brother, the heir to the throne. A fake engagement should do the trick, throwing Nya and Johan into a whirlwind fake-romance that might just be the real deal.
Cape May by Chip Cheek, narrated by George Newburn (April 30)
It’s September 1957 and Georgia native newlyweds Henry and Effie arrive in Cape May, New Jersey for their honeymoon. They find the place deserted and a bit of bust, so they decide they’ll just head home when a beguiling and mysterious set of strangers entices them to stay. Clara is a glamorous socialite, Max is a richity rich playboy, and Alma is Max’s aloof half-sister; together they rope Henry and Effie into a whirlwind of… well, gin, sexy times, and nude abandoned-town shenanigans that results in a loss of innocence and betrayal. This thrilling debut “explores the social and sexual mores of 1950s America through the eyes of a newly married couple from the genteel South corrupted by sophisticated New England urbanites.”
The interwebs were low on audiobooks news this week, but I did come across this very important, very serious, not-at-all-a-prank announcement: Audible is launching Audible for Fish! Headphones sold separately.
Hey, you’re new here, right? Welcome to Audiophilia! If it’s your first time, don’t be scared. Here’s some advice for your new audio journey.
The latest Riot Roundup is live now, our quarterly collective book-gush where we Rioters share the best books we’ve read. I rant for a solid paragraph on my love of Helen Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread which you may recall I did on audio. So good! There are a couple of other suggestions here for fantastic audiobooks–check it out!
That’s all I got today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with audiobook feedback & questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the In The Club newsletter, peep the Read Harder podcast, and watch me booktube every Friday too!
Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa
Hey YA Readers: Let’s get series-ous!
“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by the late spring and summer picks of the Class of 2k19 books, 20 authors, 20 MG and YA novels debuting in 2019.
WE RULE THE NIGHT: “The richly textured world, filled with disparate people who want to win the war, is background to a powerful story.” – Kirkus starred review
THE BEST LIES: Told in alternating timelines, Thelma and Louise meets Gone Girl in this twisted psychological thriller about the dark side of obsessive friendship.
ALL OUR BROKEN PIECES: “Crichton is a master at manipulating her reader’s emotions […] sharply written and deeply moving.” -Tamara Ireland Stone
THE GRIEF KEEPER: The Grief Keeper is a tender tale that explores the heartbreak and consequences of when both love and human beings are branded illegal.
Next Monday, over on Book Riot, I’ve got a mega list of completed YA book series that should be on your to-read, if you haven’t already marathoned them. What I didn’t include on the list were series coming to a close this year, so it seemed only right to do a small round-up of those titles here.
I struggle with series books because I need to read the series cover-to-cover. So I’ll get my hands on the first book, then I’ll be sad to have to wait for years to get the final one before starting. I am not patient and it’s too easy for me to forget key parts of a story while waiting for so long.
But completed series? Sign me up. Here are a handful coming to their conclusions in 2019. I’ve included the Goodreads descriptions for the first book, mostly because I’ve not read any of these said for above-stated reasons and to avoid potential end-of-series spoilers in using final book descriptions. I’ve included the title and publication date of the final book in clickable links.
“The Bone Witch” series by Rin Chupeco, ending with The Shadowglass which is available now.When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.
“The Black Angel Chronicles” by Kristen Orlando, ending with You Won’t See Me Coming, available now.Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan. Now Reagan must decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she’s always wanted? And does she even have a choice?
“Alex & Eliza” by Melissa de la Cruz, ending with All for One, publishing April 16.Their romance shaped a nation. The rest was history.
1777. Albany, New York.
As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d rather be aiding the colonists’ cause than dressing up for some silly ball.
Still, she can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington’s right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can’t believe his luck—as an orphan, and a bastard one at that—to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history.
“Three Dark Crowns” by Kendare Blake, ending with Five Dark Fates on September 3.When kingdom come, there will be one.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.
The last queen standing gets the crown.
“Royal Bastards” by Andrew Shvarts, ending with War of the Bastards on June 4.Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.
At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.
Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.
Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.
The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey
Happy reading, y’all! Thanks for hanging and we’ll see you again later this week for some YA news.
PS: If you haven’t already, check out our brand new podcast all about kid lit!
— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.
Today’s The Stack is sponsored by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, publishers of The Handmaid’s Tale Graphic Novel.
Provocative, startling, prophetic, The Handmaid’s Tale has long been a global phenomenon. With this stunning graphic novel adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s modern classic, beautifully realized by artist Renée Nault, the terrifying reality of Gilead has been brought to vivid life like never before.
Hola, friends! Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed.
It’s April! That means it’s Cuba month for me and I’m starting to get giddy about it! In the meantime, this week I’ll share a rodent-insect romance, muse on memoirs, drop new podcast news on the people, and more, all while wondering whether I am indeed a cusp millennial or solidly in that generational classification.
To the club!
Sponsored by A People’s History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian from Algonquin Books.
The eagerly anticipated A People’s History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian centers on a circle of friends in a Bangalore slum known as Heaven. Together they wage war on the bulldozers that would bury their homes and the city that does not care. A politically driven graffiti artist. A transgender Christian convert. A blind girl who loves to dance. A queer daughter of a hijabi union leader. “This is a book to give your little sister, your mother, your best friend, yourself, so together you can celebrate the strength of women and girls, the tenacity it takes to survive in a world that would rather have you disappear.” ─Nylon
Last week I asked whether your book club actively chooses books written by women and what percentage of your reading fits the bill.
Most of you are reading tons of books by women and that is something to celebrate! If this question were instead about authors of color or reads by LGBTQIA writers: would our reading rank as highly on the inclusivity scale? (For some of you, it already does!) I challenge you all to track your reading more mindfully and see what gaps there might be in your habits. I personally find this a really fun endeavor: I love me a reading challenge!
On to the next one! As always, send your responses to vanessa@riotnewmedia.com.
Cue the airhorns, folks: we have a new podcast! Hosted by New York Times bestselling author Karina Yan Glaser and children’s librarian and host of The Children’s Book Podcast Matthew Winner, Kidlit These Days will pair the best of children’s literature with what’s going on in the world today. Get into it!
Book Club Bonus: The show’s inaugural episode touched on an incident that absolutely incensed me last fall involving Idaho elementary school teachers and some racist costume choices (I just CANNOT). The conversation focused on the importance of inclusive children’s literature to combat a grossly misinformed and increasingly pervasive narrative surrounding Latinx immigrants. The books that Karina and Matt suggest are all ones that I’d love to see in a book club for children. Parents and guardians: gather your littles during playdates for story time and incorporate these beautiful reads to broaden their young perspectives.
Related: Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré taught me about a Puerto Rican folktale involving a mouse and a cockroach who are in love and I’m still not over it! Illustrator Paola Escobar managed to make one of the creatures that freaks me out most in this world cute! The whole scene in the book is just *chef’s kiss.* Seriously – read it if only to learn about mousekroach romance of Perez and Martinez.
If you’re mostly a fiction reader, you might find yourself a little hesitant to make the leap to nonfiction. Fear not! Here’s a list of fascinating memoirs to get you started; some of these stories are so wild, you’ll forget they aren’t made up.
Book Club Bonus: Many moons ago, I was one of those people who only primarily read fiction because I classed non-fic as one giant snooze fest (I know, I know! I was young and naive but have grown). If your book club has avoided non-fiction for fear of pacing and narrative issues, a page-turner memoir is a great place to start. If your club members are anything like me, they might just have one of those “Holy shitake mushrooms, truth really is stranger than fiction!” moments and seek out more nonfiction post haste.
Related: A couple of quick recs from me: I cosign Educated by Tara Westover on the memoir front. Once you’re ready for more, try Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, or The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. At the bookstore, I call these my “what in the actual f*#%?” books, of which there are many, many more.
Lately whenever a news story comes out of Florida, I read it with one eye closed hoping it’s not hot trash (no shade to all my progressive Floridians!). I was rewarded today when I learned of a cool Florida-based book club led by two young librarians at the Mandel Public Library. The club’s name? Millennials Ruin Book Club.
Book Club Bonus: I’ve pitched an idea similar to the structure of Millennials Ruin Book Club where everyone reads a different book and then takes turn sharing their read with the group. This may take a little away from the shared experience, but I appreciate how this looser format takes the pressure off for those with busier schedules. Do any other libraries (or other groups) out there do this sort of thing? It would be kind of cool to just have the option of showing up and talking about whatever the heck I just happened to have read.
Related: I have recently embraced the title of Elder Millennial after watching Iliza Schlesinger’s hilarious comedy special of the same name. Seriously, she took me down when she hunched over and croaked, “Gather round the Snapchat, children. I’ll tell you the tale of… the landline!” Dead.
Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter, get it on the Read Harder podcast, and watch me booktube every Friday too.
Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa
Are you sitting down? You might want to before you read any further, because this is the most epic new release day of 2019 so far! SO. MANY. BOOKS. (Do I even need to add ‘books’ to that? Like, if I didn’t, would you think, “What does she mean? Cabbages? Cadillacs??”) Seriously, there is an embarrassment of riches today. And because I love you, I made you a big shiny list below, and you can hear about more amazing books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about Women Talking, The Affairs of the Falcóns, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, and more.
Sponsored by Wednesday Books
The monster hidden behind pale, tortured eyes and a devastating smile. The girl with Dark Gods whispering spells in her head. The prince surrounded by deadly assassins and ambitious suitors. “This gothic jewel of a story will sink its visceral iron claws into you, never letting go until you’ve turned the last page.” (Robin LaFevers)
Oh! Before I show you the list, I have exciting news! For those of you who love to read (or love to give) picture books and chapter books, we’ve got a new podcast, hosted by author and BR contributor Karina Glaser and children’s librarian Matthew Winner! It’s called Kidlit These Days and you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or your favorite podcatcher.
(And like with each megalist, I’m putting a 
next to the books that I have read and loved. But there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!)
Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative by Jane Alison
Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia by Tracey Thorn
Prince of Monkeys by Nnamdi Ehirim
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
Around Harvard Square by C. J. Farley
Baseball Epic: Famous and Forgotten Lives of the Dead Ball Era by Jason Novak
As One Fire Consumes Another by John Sibley Williams
Gatsby’s Oxford: Scott, Zelda, and the Jazz Age Invasion of Britain: 1904-1929 by Christopher A. Snyder
Hold Fast Your Crown: A Novel by Yannick Haenel, Teresa Fagan (translator)
Days by Moonlight by André Alexis
Oscar Wilde and the Return of Jack the Ripper: An Oscar Wilde Mystery (Oscar Wilde Mysteries) by Gyles Brandreth
Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense by Leslie S. Klinger and Lisa Morton
A Sin by Any Other Name: Reckoning with Racism and the Heritage of the South by Robert W. Lee and Bernice A. King
Beyond the Point: A Novel by Claire Gibson
Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain by Danny Goldberg
Since We Last Spoke by Brenda Rufener
To Stop a Warlord: My Story of Justice, Grace, and the Fight for Peace by Shannon Sedgwick Davis
Woman of Color by LaTonya Yvette
Lights! Camera! Puzzles!: A Puzzle Lady Mystery (Puzzle Lady Mysteries) by Parnell Hall
The Buddha Sat Right Here: A Family Odyssey Through India and Nepal by Dena Moes
Leaving Richard’s Valley by Michael DeForge
Little Lovely Things: A Novel by Maureen Joyce Connolly
Ye by Guilherme Petreca
The Spectators: A Novel by Jennifer duBois
The Deadly Kiss-Off by Paul Di Filippo
Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward by Valerie Jarrett
The Luminous Dead: A Novel by Caitlin Starling
The Editor by Steven Rowley
There’s a Word for That by Sloane Tanen
The Light Years: A Memoir by Chris Rush
We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett
Greystone Secrets 1: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix and Anne Lambelet
Lost and Wanted: A novel by Nell Freudenberger
When a Duchess Says I Do by Grace Burrowes
Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide
A Wonderful Stroke of Luck: A Novel by Ann Beattie
Stay Up with Hugo Best: A Novel by Erin Somers
The Execution of Justice (Pushkin Vertigo) by Friedrich Duerrematt, John E. Woods (Translator)
The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves
Lights All Night Long: A Novel by Lydia Fitzpatrick
Soft Science by Franny Choi
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles
Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
I’m Writing You from Tehran: A Granddaughter’s Search for Her Family’s Past and Their Country’s Future by Delphine Minoui, Emma Ramadan (Translator)
The Gulf by Belle Boggs
The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
Loch of the Dead: A Novel by Oscar de Muriel
Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan
The Princess and the Fangirl: A Geekerella Fairytale (Once Upon A Con) by Ashley Poston
Brute: Poems by Emily Skaja
Germaine: The Life of Germaine Greer by Elizabeth Kleinhenz
Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock
The Mission of a Lifetime: Lessons from the Men Who Went to the Moon by Basil Hero
Boy Swallows Universe: A Novel by Trent Dalton
A Song for the Stars by Ilima Todd
The Affairs of the Falcóns by Melissa Rivero
Mother Is a Verb: An Unconventional History by Sarah Knott
American Spirit: Profiles in Resilience, Courage, and Faith by Taya Kyle and Jim DeFelice
Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris
Crossing: A Novel by Pajtim Statovci, David Hackston (translator)
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by Matt Kracht
The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May
Women’s Work: A Reckoning with Work and Home by Megan K. Stack
The Body Papers by Grace Talusan
The Tradition by Jericho Brown
All Ships Follow Me: A Family Memoir of War Across Three Continents by Mieke Eerkens
Geek Girls Don’t Cry: Real-Life Lessons From Fictional Female Characters by Andrea Towers and Marisha Ray
Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl
The Killer in Me: A Novel by Olivia Kiernan
I Miss You When I Blink: Essays by Mary Laura Philpott
Native Country of the Heart: A Memoir by Cherríe Moraga
Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault: Essays from the Grown-up Years by Cathy Guisewite
At Briarwood School for Girls by Michael Knight
Radical Suburbs: Experimental Living on the Fringes of the American City by Amanda Kolson Hurley
Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?: A Mother’s Suggestions by Patricia Marx and Roz Chast
You’d Be Mine: A Novel by Erin Hahn
The Becket List: A Blackberry Farm Story by Adele Griffin and LeUyen Pham
Unscripted by Claire Handscombe
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson
The Poison Bed: A Novel by Elizabeth Fremantle
This One Looks Like a Boy: My Gender Journey to Life as a Man by Lorimer Shenher
The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
Perfunctory Affection by Kim Harrison
That’s it for me today! If you want to learn more about books new and old, or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), or see pictures of my cats (How do I make them stop growing?!?), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!
Thanks so much for reading!
Liberty