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Happy Tuesday, book lovers! I will give you three guesses as to what I did this weekend. Yep, that’s right: I juggled armadillos. JUST KIDDING. I read books, of course! People always ask me, “Don’t you get tired of reading?” Not yet, knock on wood! I read some great things that you will hear me talk about in 2020. Until then, you can hear me talk about other awesome reads out now on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Jenn and I discussed Nothing to See Here, The Cheffe, Sisters of the Vast Black, and more great books!
And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:
Color Outside the Lines: Stories about Love edited by Sangu Mandanna
A wonderful collection of stories about interracial and LGBTQ+ relationships, from some of today’s most amazing YA authors, including Samira Ahmed, Adam Silvera, L.L. McKinney, and our own Eric Smith.
Backlist bump: Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond
Queen of the Conquered (Islands of Blood and Storm) by Kacen Callender
This is a fantastic, Caribbean-inspired fantasy about colonial oppression. When Sigourney Rose was young, colonizers slaughtered her family. The same people who have been enslaving her people for generations. But Sigourney Rose isn’t young anymore, and she has powers – and she’s ready for revenge. For starters, she uses mind control to talk her way into the royal islands run by colonizers. But someone on the island is murdering their way through the kingdom, and even she is powerless to stop them. This is so good and SO dark. I keep seeing this listed as a YA book. Spoiler: THIS IS NOT A YA BOOK.
Backlist bump: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
The Innocents: A Novel by Michael Crummey
So Sweetland is one of my favorite novels of all time, so I was ridiculously excited to read his latest novel. And I did think it was beautiful, which is why I am including it here. But it’s also heartbreaking, and may not be for everyone. It’s a historical novel about a young brother and sister who are cut off from civilization in a Newfoundland cove after their parents die. The children are resourceful and tough, but when they start to get older, well…let’s just say the bonds of family are going to be tested. Crummey really is an incredible writer, though, and this was a finalist for several awards.
Backlist bump: Sweetland by Michael Crummey
See you next week!
xoxo,
Liberty