Categories
New Books

First Tuesday of March Megalist!

Happy Tuesday! Did you enjoy your extra February day this weekend? A whole extra day to read – what a treat! I hope that you have some extra time today, too, because you’ll need it to be able to check out this lonnnnnnnnnnnnng list of new releases! There are so many new books out today that I want to read, including a new graphic novel with Daphne and Velma that looks pretty rad, a look at DNA in the 21st century, and Noelle Stevenson’s new graphic memoir.

You can hear about several of today’s great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Kelly and I discussed Deacon King Kong, We Ride Upon Sticks, The Story of More, and more.

And like with each megalist, I’m putting a ❤️ next to the books that I have had the chance to read and loved. I am still working on getting my reading superpowers back, so it is still slow reading for me the last few months, but I did get to a few of today’s books. And there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!

we ride upon sticksWe Ride Upon Sticks: A Novel by Quan Barry ❤️

The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren

Only Mostly Devastated: A Novel by Sophie Gonzales

Anger Is My Middle Name: A Memoir by Lisbeth Zornig Andersen, Mark Mussari (translator)

Hide Away by Jason Pinter

This Terrible Beauty by Katrin Schumann

A Drop of Midnight: A Memoir by Jason Diakité and Rachel Willson-Broyles

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando

This Town Sleeps: A Novel by Dennis E. Staples ❤️

Help Wanted, Must Love Books by Janet Sumner Johnson

Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis

Spirit Run: A 6000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land by Noé Álvarez

Writers & Lovers by Lily King ❤️

Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel by Julian K. Jarboe

Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry by John Murillo

The Chaos Curse (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond) by Sayantani DasGupta

On the Corner of Hope and Main: A Blessings Novel by Beverly Jenkins

docile k.m. szparaDocile by K.M. Szpara ❤️

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas Illustrated by Gertrude Stein, Maira Kalman (Illustrator)

The Magnificent Conman of Cairo: A Novel (Hoopoe Fiction) by Adel Kamel, Waleed Almusharaf (translator)

The Back Roads to March: The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season by John Feinstein

The Love Story of the Century by Märta Tikkanen, Stina Katchadourian (Translator)

How to Be a Pirate by Isaac Fitzgerald and Brigette Barrager

The Age of Phillis (Wesleyan Poetry Series) by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers

Longing for an Absent God: Faith and Doubt in Great American Fiction by Nick Ripatrazone

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space (Exploded Views) by Amanda Leduc ❤️

Trace Elements (A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery Book 29) by Donna Leon

Legendary Children: The First Decade of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Last Century of Queer Life by Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez

Blame the Dead by Ed Ruggero

Beneath the Rising by Premee Mohamed

Pale Colors in a Tall Field: Poems by Carl Phillips

The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim

The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart

sharks in the time of saviorsSharks in the Time of Saviors: A Novel by Kawai Strong Washburn ❤️

Open Fire by Amber Lough

The Rabbit Hunter by Lars Kepler

Without Sanction (Matt Drake) by Don Bentley

Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit by Eliese Colette Goldbach

John Adams Under Fire: The Founding Father’s Fight for Justice in the Boston Massacre Murder Trial by Dan Abrams, David Fisher

Moment of Truth by Kasie West

Land of Wondrous Cold: The Race to Discover Antarctica and Unlock the Secrets of Its Ice by Gillen D’Arcy Wood

Foreign Bodies: Poems by Kimiko Hahn

Beautiful by Massimo Cuomo, Will Schutt (translator)

deacon king kongDeacon King Kong: A Novel by James McBride ❤️

Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath

Manor Black by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Tyler Crook

The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O’Shaughnessy

The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by Anika Orrock

Journey: A Novel by Andrew Zimmerman

Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Volume I: July 1937-May 1942 by Richard B. Frank

The Eye You See With: Selected Nonfiction by Robert Stone, edited by Madison Smartt Bell

82 Days on Okinawa: One American’s Unforgettable Firsthand Account of the Pacific War’s Greatest Battle by Art Shaw and Robert L. Wise

The Vanishing Girl (Daphne and Velma YA Novel) by Josephine Ruby

Somebody’s Gotta Do It: Why Cursing at the News Won’t Save the Nation, But Your Name on a Local Ballot Can by Adrienne Martini

Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas

The First 7 (The Last 8) by Laura Pohl

Lost At Sea by Erica Boyce

The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils by David Farrier

You Are Not Alone: A Novel by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen

Witches of Ash and Ruin by E Latimer

Chain of Gold (The Last Hours) by Cassandra Clare

The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) by Sarah J. Maas

Stop at Nothing: A Novel by Michael Ledwidge

Sting by Cindy R. Wilson

Reef Life: An Underwater Memoir by Callum Roberts

The Night of Your Life by Lydia Sharp

Blossoms and Bones: Drawing a Life Back Together by Kim Krans

If These Wings Could Fly by Kyrie McCauley

The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

The Fire Never Goes Out by Noelle Stevenson

Actress by Anne Enright

Serenade for Nadia: A Novel by Zülfü Livaneli, Brendan Freely (translator)

The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner

The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson

The Midnight Hour by Benjamin Read, Laura Trinder

The Ice Cream Man and Other Stories by Sam Pink

We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo

All the Invisible Things by Orlagh Collins

The Velvet Rope Economy: How Inequality Became Big Business by Nelson D. Schwartz

Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan ❤️

The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

The Last Taxi Driver by Lee Durkee

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

Eight Perfect Murders: A Novel by Peter Swanson

Havenfall by Sara Holland

The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown

Lost Autumn by Mary-Rose MacColl

Every Reason We Shouldn’t by Sara Fujimura

Thin Places: Essays from In Between by Jordan Kisner

Otaku by Chris Kluwe

The Exhibition of Persephone Q: A Novel by Jessi Jezewska Stevens

Every Drop of Blood: Hatred and Healing at Lincoln’s Second Inauguration Edward Achorn

Once Upon a Sunset by Tif Marcelo

The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland

Apology to the Young Addict: A Memoir by James Brown

In Five Years: A Novel by Rebecca Serle

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom by Louis Sachar, Tim Heitz

Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen

The Companions by Katie M. Flynn

I’ve Been Wrong Before: Essays by Evan James

Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta

A Pale Light in the Black: A Novel (NeoG Book 1) by K. B. Wagers

City of Margins: A Novel by William Boyle ❤️

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Separation Anxiety by Laura Zigman

That Left Turn at Albuquerque by Scott Philips

Fly Like a Girl: One Woman’s Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front by Mary Jennings Hegar

Frida in America: The Creative Awakening of a Great Artist by Celia Stahr

They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers by Sarah Scoles

Mermaid Moon by Susann Cokal

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Under the Rainbow: A Novel by Celia Laskey ❤️

Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

Hannah’s War by Jan Eliasberg

Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic) by Rin Chupeco

Postcolonial Love Poem: Poems by Natalie Diaz

The Dragon Egg Princess by Ellen Oh

Santa Fe Noir (Akashic Noir Series) by Ariel Gore

Re-Coil by J.T. Nicholas

Girl at the Edge by Karen Dietrich

Columbus Noir (Akashic Noir Series) by Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Blackwood by Michael Farris Smith ❤️

Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel

Everything Is Beautiful, and I’m Not Afraid: A Baopu Collection by Yao Xiao

The Grace Kelly Dress: A Novel by Brenda Janowitz

The Body Double: A Novel by Emily Beyda

These Ghosts Are Family: A Novel by Maisy Card

Pretty Bitches: On Being Called Crazy, Angry, Bossy, Frumpy, Feisty, and All the Other Words That Are Used to Undermine Women by Lizzie Skurnick

Temporary (Emily Books) by Hilary Leichter ❤️

The Body Politic: A Novel by Brian Platzer

Collected Stories (Everyman’s Library Contemporary Classics Series) by Lorrie Moore

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance by Linda Sarsour

Voyage of Mercy: The USS Jamestown, the Irish Famine, and the Remarkable Story of America’s First Humanitarian Mission by Stephen Puleo

When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey ❤️

If We Were Giants by Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith

To Fly Among the Stars: The Hidden Story of the Fight for Women Astronauts (Scholastic Focus) by Rebecca Siegel

Resistance Reborn (Star Wars): Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by Rae Carson

Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century by John Loughery, Blythe Randolph

The Numbers Game: A Novel by Danielle Steel

Barn 8: A Novel by Deb Olin Unferth

The Sea of Lost Girls: A Novel by Carol Goodman

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter

The Evil Men Do by John McMahon

Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders, Carol Rossetti (Illustrator)

Coo by Kaela Noel

Not to Scale : How the Small Becomes Large, the Large Becomes Unthinkable, and the Unthinkable Becomes Possible by Jamer Hunt

The Princess and the Prophet: The Secret History of Magic, Race, and Moorish Muslims in America by Jacob S. Dorman

Pain Studies by Lisa Olstein

Operation Dimwit: A Penelope Lemon Novel by Inman Majors

Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës by Isabel Greenberg

Fiebre Tropical: A Novel by Juliana Delgado Lopera

The Love Hypothesis by Laura Steven

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn

Categories
The Kids Are All Right

New Children’s Book Releases for March 3, 2020

Hello readers,

It’s that time of the week where I get to tell you all about some delicious new releases in the world of children’s literature. And what a fun week it is! We’re celebrating the stories of women in STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, defeating gender discriminating pirates (*insert down with the pirate patriarchy cry here*), and empowering tiny readers everywhere. Good times.

Changing the Equation : 50+ US Black Women In STEM by Tonya Bolden

Remarkable mathematicians have been in the news recently, so this is a timely read indeed. Telling the real life story of over fifty women who ‘changed the equation’ as doctors, mathematicians, aviators, computer-scientists and more, this is a great non-fiction read for your tiny world-changers.

 

Show Me A Sign by Ann Claire LeZotte

Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected in her home, but times are changing. Her brother has died, land-disputes are mounting, and a scientist has come to work out why so many people on the island – including Mary – are deaf. Things escalate to the point that Mary becomes a “live specimen” in his experiments…

Inspired by the true history of a thriving deaf community on Martha’s Vineyard in the early nineteenth century, this is a powerful and moving story from an #ownvoices author.

My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano, illustrations by Jillian Tamaki

This is so adorable! We’ve all had those moments when you meet somebody and realise that you’re going to be friends for life. Tamaki’s delightful artwork underscores Fogliano’s lovely text and together, this story of fast, perfect and intoxicating friendship is guaranteed to steal hearts.

 

How To Be A Pirate by Isaac Fitzgerald, illustrated by Brigitte Barrager

CeCe dreams of being a pirate but the neighborhood boys tell her that she can’t. So she turns to her grandpa – a man with some very pirate-like tattoos. As he shares the story of his ink, they enter a whole world of adventure… Perfect for empowering your tiny pirates, this is a story of never giving up on your dreams. Barrager’s art is lovely and really plays gorgeously with the tattoo motif throughout.

I Believe I Can by Grace Byers, illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo

“My presence matters in this world. I know I can do anything, if only I believe I can”

This wise and positive book is a lovely thing, pairing quiet and rich artwork with a series of positive affirmations for children from every background. It’s never too early to be empowered and this celebration of limitless potential does that very nicely.

 

I think that’s an excellent note to end things on, so I’ll see you next week! In the meantime, you can say hello to me social media @chaletfan (please do!) and also elsewhere on Book Riot co-hosting the biweekly litfic podcast Novel Gazing. Our latest episode includes an interview with the director of EMMA, and we chat about that time the CIA rewrote the ending of Animal Farm…

Happy reading!

Louise.

Categories
Kissing Books

All the Grumpy Heroines

Happy March, folks! People can freak out about viruses all they want; apparently the end of the world in Tucson is marked by the arrival of twenty gazillion mosquito hawks (crane flies). They are literally everywhere; one flew into the side of my head at rehearsal last night. I used to be all about their survival; but even if they did actually eat mosquitoes, they’re getting on my absolute last nerve.

News and Useful Links

Surprising no one, EL James’s first non-Grey novel, The Mister, has been optioned for some kind of film by Universal. I’m honestly not sure how they’ll be able to successfully translate that one to screen and call it a romantic movie, because you kind of hate the male protagonist’s actions and need to be in his head to feel at all sympathetic towards him.

Harlequin is launching a new campaign under the auspices of “That Harlequin Feeling,” which is all about feeling good, I guess? And you can download two free books from their website.

Piper Huguley announced on Twitter that she would be working with Hallmark Publishing on her contemporary debut…and there might even be a movie involved.

Romance Sparks Joy is reading Desire and the Deep Blue Sea for their next book club. Have you read it? It’s seriously adorable.

Adriana Herrera, Ruby Lang, Cat Sebastian, Emma Barry, and Olivia Dade have teamed up to put out He’s Come Undone, which just looks and sounds amazing. It’s not out until May, but it’s available for preorder now.

Sometimes I neglect to give Dafina the recognition it deserves, so you should all definitely read this interview with Esi Sogah.

And Romance Sparks Joy pulled together a lot of different things from the far reaches of Romancelandia both last weekend and just yesterday.

Deals

Looking for a new adult campus romance featuring a grumpy, snarky female protagonist who plays bass guitar for a neo soul band? I mean, who isn’t, right? Thanks to Teresa, I’ve been turned on to Jacinta Howard’s Happiness in Jersey, the first in the Prototype series, which is 2.99 right now (or free if you have Kindle Unlimited). Jersey just wants to get through school, keep her scholarship, and play her music. A smiling man was not part of that want. She intends to keep it that way. I look forward to watching this all play out.

Recs!

I’m still making my way through Kristen Callihan’s back- and frontlist (right now I’m reading Outmatched, which is very much a Big Misunderstanding kind of book filled with all my favorite tropes), but I’ve picked up a few other good reads recently, too.

Life is Sweet
Lily Seabrooke

Someone on Twitter (Sarah MacLean, maybe?) asked for romance written by trans women, which is apparently a very tall order. While she wasn’t the only author recommended, Lily Seabrooke’s name came up a number of times, so I had to check her out.

Life is Sweet is a nice, fluffy read that is also very angsty? Melissa and Kayla have a great meet-cute: Melissa is a workaholic in search of a gift for her sister, and Kayla owns the candy shop she wanders into for said gift. At the time of their meeting, Kayla has broken one of her machines and needs a hand ebbing the flow of jelly beans. Melissa can’t stop coming back, and after a painful encounter with an ex, both women realize they could help each other with some fake dating. They each have their own Big Bad to deal with, but have each other’s backs through it all.

CW: Mention of past domestic abuse, intimidation, unhealthy work practices, pregnancy, estranged family

She doesn’t have a large backlist, but I hope to see more of her work in the future.

What are you reading this week?

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

Categories
Today In Books

MY LOVELY WIFE in Development with Amazon Studios: Today in Books

Amazon Studios Acquires For Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films Samantha Downing’s Bestseller My Lovely Wife

Good news for fans of My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing–Amazon Studios is developing the project, in partnership with Nicole Kidman’s production company! The book is about a married couple who seem perfectly average–except that they are secret serial killers by night. No word yet on whether or not Kidman plans on playing the suburban mom/secret serial killer, but the adaptation is sure to be winner with fans of Big Little Lies.

Three New Ojibwe-Language Books Will Tell The Stories Of Tribal Elders In Their Own Words

Fewer than 500 people speak Ojibwe, but a new project from the Mille Lacs Band and Minnesota Historical Society Press is hoping to preserve the language and stories. By speaking extensively with elders, transcribers were able to record stories, wisdom, and fiction, which will be illustrated and published this fall. No English translation will be made available (which is the point of the project), which “affirms the validity of the Ojibwe language apart from its relationship to colonial languages.”

Podcast Playlist: Hillary Clinton To Launch New Show, Audible Casts Dakota Fanning

Buried beneath the news that Hillary Clinton is launching a new podcast–Dakota Fanning is going to be narrating the audiobook of Chosen Ones, Veronica Roth’s new novel and her first book for adults. The book is about a group of five teens who defeated a great evil, and are still dealing with the fallout ten years later. It’s the first time Dakota Fanning has narrated an audiobook, although her younger sister Elle narrated the first five The Babysitter’s Club audiobooks, which released last year. The audiobook will be available exclusively on Audible.