Month: October 2019

Unusual Suspects

“If it comes to it, I’ll kill Jack Reacher.”

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 31, 2019

Cancelled Books, Selling Books, and Unauthorized Books

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date October 31, 2019

Eliminated Library Fines = 240% Increase In Book Returns: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 31, 2019

What If Circulation Numbers Determined the Democratic Presidential Candidate?

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date October 31, 2019

Swords and Spaceships for November 1

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date October 31, 2019

Audiobooks – 10/31

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date October 31, 2019

Sponsored by the audiobook of Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade, coming soon from Macmillan Audio

When Mathias discovers it’s his destiny to save the world, he dives in head first, pulling his best friend Aaslo along with him. However, saving the world isn’t as easy as it sounds. As the list of allies grows thin and the friends find themselves staring death in the face, they must decide how to become the heroes they were destined to be, or how to survive. When the unthinkable happens, Aaslo forms a crew to take on the job everyone else has given up on: Defy the gods. Save the world. Probably just die trying. It’s too bad his crew is made up of a mage-school drop out, the world’s worst horse, some petty thieves, and a prophet who refuses to tell the future.

Happy Halloween, Audiophiles! I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to October, my favorite month of the year! I’ll tell you one thing: if the universe thinks I’m going to stop reading witchy things now, it has another thing coming.

This week I’ve got some new releases, deets on my latest witchy listen, and of course audiobook news from around the web. If you’re the costume type and dress up today, send me pics of you, your pets, your tiny humans. I’ll take all the joy!

Ready? Let’s audio.

New Releases – October 29 (publisher’s descriptions in quotes)

This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay, narrated by the author – I wasn’t familiar with the term “junior doctor” and thought this was going to be a Doogie Howser memoir situation. I now realize that junior doctors are more or less the British equivalent of medical residents, and that this book has already won all kinds of awards across the pond. It’s described as painful funny and feels perfect for my Grey’s Anatomy obsessed self.

Find Me by André Aciman, narrated by Michael Stuhlbarg – In this follow-up to Call Me By Your Name, Aciman revisits the characters of his 2007 bestseller decades after it left off. “In Find Me, Aciman shows us Elio’s father, Samuel, on a trip from Florence to Rome to visit Elio, who has become a gifted classical pianist. A chance encounter on the train with a beautiful young woman upends Sami’s plans and changes his life forever.”

Narrator note: Michael Stuhlbarg has narrated a lot of work for James Patterson. If you do a lot of Jimmy’s stuff on audio, you’ll recognize his building-suspense style

The In-Betweens: The Spiritualists, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna by Mira Ptacin, narrated by Chloe Cannon – Liberty totally sold me on this one in her latest New Books newsletter: “There have been a lot of books recently where weird things happen in the Maine woods – and with good reason. Weird things DO go on in the Maine woods. In Ptacin’s latest book she investigates Camp Etna, a community in the Maine woods started in 1848 by two sisters who claimed they could speak to the dead.” Yes, give it to me.

Narrator note: I enjoyed Chloe Cannon’s narration of Megan Abbott’s Give Me Your Hand, mostly; pacing was good, but there was something about her tone that sometimes sounded like a little like Siri. I’ve since sampled more of her work and really enjoy it even though I still get a little Siri at certain registers. Someone listen and tell me if it’s just me!

The Beautiful Ones by Prince, narrated by Esperanza Spalding, Adepero Oduye, Dan Piepenbring – I don’t think there’s anything to say here but, “It’s Prince.” He was in the process of writing this when he died and I wish so bad that he’d recorded some of the audio before he passed.

Narrator Note: Adepero Oduye did the uh-mazing audiobook of My Sister, the Serial Killer, Esperanza Spalding is a ridiculously talented singer and jazz bassist, and Dan Piepenbring is a writer for The New Yorker. That’ll work!

Latest Listens (TW for violence against women)

Remember when I said I was reading The Witches of New York by Ami McKay? Wow. Just… wow, and I *just* found out there’s a sequel called Half Spent Was the Night: A Witches’ Yuletide.

The book takes place in Gilded Age New New York and opens with a line from an advertisement in the paper that reads: “Respectable Lady Seeks Dependable Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply.” Young Beatrice Dunn isn’t just not averse, she’s quite interested to learn whether magic exists. When she shows up to Tea & Sympathy, a tea shop in the city run by witches Adelaide Thom and Eleanor St. Clair, she’s unaware that she possesses “the gift” (she can see and speak with the deceased) herself.

Beatrice gets the job and shadows Eleanor as she gets more familiar with her powers, observing as Adelaide and Eleanor assist the many women who seek out their services: help with illness, getting pregnant, not getting pregnant, matters of the heart. Enter some seriously angry men, including one very deranged priest, each hell-bent on rooting witchcraft out root & stem and watching these women perish at all costs.

I love the three protagonists so hard. They’re smart, witty, talented, strong, and unwilling to take anybody’s sh*t even in the face of danger. Julia Whelan gets the pacing of the plot just right in her narration and does accents that don’t feel forced, and the dialogue feels so natural that I almost forgot it was just one person doing all the work.

If you’re in the mood for a magical listen, some witchy feminism, and a plot that will suck you in, I recommend.

Listens on Deck

Because I don’t want Managing Editor Sharifah to stop being my friend, I’m finally going to remedy a giant hole in my reading life and read some Terry Pratchett (stop gasping, I hear you! I know!). Small Gods is where I’ll start as soon as I can get the audiobook from Libby. In the meantime, I’m thinking it’s time for a spooky listen that isn’t necessarily about witches. Hmm… possibilities…

From the Internets

Esquire has a list of audiobooks for readers on the move.

I know today is Halloween, but here are some audiobooks for kiddos who like their spooky listens all year round.

Over at the Riot

Do you Libby? Because I Libby (a lot). Here are some handy hacks for doing the audiobook thang on the Libby app.

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

Kissing Books

Last Day of Romance Deals and a Bombardment of Riches

Post author By Jessica Pryde
Post date October 30, 2019

Sponsored by TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations

TBR is Book Riot’s subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes. Been dreaming of a “stitchfix for books?” Now it’s here! Tell TBR about your reading preferences and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Visit mytbr.co to sign up today.

Hey, it’s Halloween! Enjoy the evening in whichever way you prefer—out and about trick or treating or hiding in the dark with your own bowl of candy goodness—and if you’re in a place that has celebrations for All Saints and All Souls, enjoy those the same way.

Over on Book Riot

We at Book Riot love our reading pathways! Check out the Christina Lauren one if you missed it last week, and now we’ve got one for Tessa Dare!

In search of new ways to read and eat at the same time? Here are some tips!

Dana dropped some knowledge about preorders and why they’re important. I know I don’t often mention books that far in advance, if at all, but it’s definitely something worth reading up on.

Do you use Libby to listen to audiobooks through your library? Check out these hacks to up your listening game.

Deals

Today’s the last day of a lot of deals, so I’ll drop a couple that you should definitely check out before the clock strikes twelve.

Have you read any Lucy Parker? If not, you’re in luck, because Act Like It is 1.99. It’s the first in a delightful series, the fifth of which (Headliners) comes out in January. So now is the perfect time to pick it up and see if you want the rest. This one is a delightful enemies-to-fake-relationship-to-lovers story between two actors who are both in hot water. Lainie is the respectable one, though, and if people think she’s taming the ultimate bad boy, it’s good press for both of them and the play they’re in.

If you haven’t yet read Cat Sebastian’s first m/f romance (though it’s no less queer than her others) A Duke In Disguise is 99 cents. Verity runs a bookshop that keeps in the black by publishing some stuff that they probably shouldn’t, especially since her brother is an outspoken radical. Her BFF is an illustrator who’s basically been in love with her since they were kids, and also, it turns out to everyone’s surprise (including his)…the heir to a duke. So that’s always fun.

New Books!

So I jumped the gun a little bit this past weekend and did some reading ahead. You all know how I don’t like doing it. But I finally decided that I wasn’t going to torture myself anymore waiting to read this book, even though it doesn’t come out until next week. Go ahead and preorder it now, and you’ll be happy it’s in your hands on Tuesday.

The Bromance Book Club
Lyssa Kay Adams

If you feel like you’ve been hearing a lot about this book, it’s because you have. It’s been inspiring a lot of excited squeeing since well before summer, and I’ve just been trying to hold off on reading it too far in advance. I just…couldn’t wait any longer.

When we meet Gavin, he’s drunk out of his mind. His wife, Thea, wants a divorce, and he’s living in a hotel room. His friends—and some other guy he’s not even friendly with—decide that they need to help him, and bring him into the fold. The first rule of book club is you don’t talk about book club and all that. Using romance novels, these men have all found their way to the right language and clear understanding of how their lovers want to be treated, both in and out of the bedroom. They invite Gavin to do the same, and give him some assigned reading.

Gavin and Thea are in more trouble than he ever knew, and this is the story of them falling back in love—and doing so to a much deeper level. There’s also a bonus for the reader: we get to see a few chapters of the book Gavin is reading. It’s being touted as a romcom, but it’s definitely more serious leaning, as funny as some parts (and the whole premise) are.

Do you know what this book did? It made me decide that marriage-in-trouble stories are the only kind of second chance romance I’m really drawn to. I don’t mind a story of lost love reuniting a decade later, but there needs to be a huge draw for a story about someone who did something very bad and is trying to redeem themselves. I want the protagonists to have not quite reached that point, and The Bromance Book Club is that kind of story.

CW for discussion of parental neglect, marriage trouble, verbal insults of a person with a speech impediment, and a very heterosexual universe.

I’m also excited to pick up some amazing-looking new books:

Jinx by Phyllis Bourne
The Earl’s Christmas Pearl by Megan Frampton
Someone Seeking Someone Else by Nicole Falls
Learn My Lesson by Katee Robert
The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan
Stocking Stuffers by Erin McLellan (You’re going to hear plenty from me about this one!)
Awaken The Dragon by AC Arthur (November 4)
Beard Necessities by Penny Reid (November 4)
Prose Before Bros by Cathy Yardley (November 4)
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (November 5)

This next week is just a bombardment of riches. And this isn’t even everything coming out.

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, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

Book Radar

Marie Kondo Will Organize Your Workspace and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date October 30, 2019

Sponsored by Wattpad Books, publisher of I'm a Gay Wizard by V.S. Santoni

When Johnny and his best friend, Alison, pass their summer holidays dabbling in magic, they never expect it to have consequences. Sure, it’d be great if they could banish bullies or change their lives for the better, and what harm could come from lighting a few candles and chanting a few spells? They get their answer in the form of an earthquake unleashed at their behest, which draws the attention of the Marduk Institute, an age-old organization dedicated to fostering the talents of young wizards…

It’s Thursday! Congratulations, you’ve made it halfway through the week. And it’s Halloween!!!! I have no plans to go out, but I may still paint my face like Gideon the Ninth just for sitting around the house. And don’t forget we turn the clocks back an hour this weekend – it’s my favorite day of the year. An extra hour of reading time!

Anyhoo, I have some fun stuff to tell you about today. I hope you’re reading something wonderful right now, and that you get full-size candy bars when you go trick-or-treating. And remember to be kind to yourself and others. I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! What happens in David Copperfield by Charles Dickens when Peggotty laughs or gets too emotional? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Patrick Schwarzenegger has received a lead role in Amy Poehler’s adaptation of Moxie.

Marie Kondo has a new book about cleaning up at work coming out next year.

HBO has pulled the plug on the first of its planned Game of Thrones spinoffs.

Here’s the trailer for DC’s new Hill House Comics.

Europa Editions announced the new Elena Ferrante novel, The Lying Life of Adults, which will publish next year and is translated by Ann Goldstein.

This Twitter thread about reading Dracula for the first time is to be applauded. (Head up: NSFW.)

Here’s the star-studded trailer for The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Mackenzi Lee announced a third Montague siblings book: The Nobelman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks.

Mat Johnson is writing a Spider-Man comic.

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 so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Excited to read:

Actress by Anne Enright (W. W. Norton & Company, March 3, 2020)

I am a huge fan of Enright’s Man Booker-winning novel The Gathering, even though, GAH, is it sad. And The Green Road is also magnificent! So I am so thrilled to learn this week that she has a new novel on the way next year! It’s about the daughter of a famous Irish stage actress looking to learn the truth about her mother.

What I’m reading this week.

Lobizona: A Novel (Wolves of No World Book 1) by Romina Garber

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Queen of the Conquered (Islands of Blood and Storm) by Kacen Callender

On Swift Horses: A Novel by Shannon Pufahl

A Rip in Heaven by Jeanine Cummins

And this is funny.

The Cats movie is only following one account on Twitter.

Song stuck in my head:

Frank Sinatra by Cake. (Why, yes, I did just start watching The Sopranos for the first time.)

Trivia answer: Her buttons pop off.

You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L

Today In Books

GAME OF THRONES Spinoff No More: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 30, 2019

Sponsored by The Man Who Played With Fire by Jan Stocklassa

Game of Thrones Spinoff No More

They giveth and they taketh away: The GOT prequel, which would have taken place thousands of years before, will not move forward after HBO was reportedly not satisfied with the pilot. It was a great team and casting so I’m bummed to see them not get to continue.

Little Free Library Infighting

Todd Bol, the founder of Little Free Library, passed away unexpectedly in 2018. Now Bol’s family and the Little Free Library nonprofit literacy organization are not on the same page over filing trademark applications for “‘wooden boxes with a storage area for books,’ and ‘signs, non-luminous and non-mechanical, of metal,’ and ‘guest books and rubber stamps.’” Bol’s family believes in “…protecting groups that don’t register with LFL but want to still call [their boxes] little free libraries.”

Macmillan Responds

With Macmillan’s new book embargo taking place November 1st many librarians have been vocally against it and even boycotting. The American Library Association, which has been collecting signatures on their petition against it, posted Macmillan CEO John Sargent’s open letter to libraries explaining the publisher’s decision and that they’re sticking to it.

Events

It’s Haunted Riot at Book Riot!

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date October 30, 2019