Sponsored by Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls.
Thirty-eight year old Charlie Lewis is about to be married, but he can’t stop thinking about the past, and the events of one particular summer. He was sixteen years old then, his life not at all glamorous, thinking about the future with dread. But then, Fran Fisher bursts into his life and, despite himself, Charlie begins to hope. In order to spend time with Fran, Charlie must—gulp—join a play. Romeo and Juliet, to be exact, and hespends the summer facing his fears and becoming a different person thanks to Fran and his fellow theater troupe.
Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed. How’s it going, amigxs? I’m over here sweating in places I won’t name and watching my skin explode in a phenomenon I now know as maskne, but we’re entering one of the most bountiful release seasons I’ve seen in awhile, and that is pretty exciting. Let’s talk about how we can support those authors with our book club endeavors, shall we?
To the club!!
Nibbles and Sips
It’s… so hot here on the West Coast. My brain is a little fried, so I’m taking a week off from my usual nibbles & sips programming and encouraging everyone to drink lots and lots of water.
Book Club Gets Virtually Eventful
On Monday, I came across this Buzzfeed roundup of virtual author events going on this week. I wrote down a few I’d love to get in on, then I got to thinking about how hard it has to be for authors promoting books, especially debuts, in the middle of a pandemic. It’s tough enough to get to the point of publication and even tougher to make a big splash on a good day! Add in the cancellation of most in-person events and you have quite the challenge on your hands.
So this week, I want to encourage you and your book club to pick a book coming out sometime in 2020, buy it if that’s within your means, then track down a virtual event for that book if possible. If you can get in on a preorder, you may even score some cool book swag with your purchase! This feeds two birds with one scone: you’ll be supporting the author both with your dollars and by ensuring the author isn’t alone on that Zoom call, and the “work” of organizing a book club meeting will practically be done for you.
First: some tips for finding virtual author events
- Follow the author on social media, especially Instagram where so many of these kinds of announcements are made
- Check your local indie’s calendar of virtual events
- Look up literary festivals since many of these have now gone online
And now for some book recs! These are just a few suggestions I’m particularly excited about, but again: there are so. many. books. coming out this fall.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas – I marked and remarked this release in bright green highlighter on my calendar when its earlier release date was pushed from early summer to fall (thanks, Rona!). It’s a debut work of paranormal YA about a trans boy who wants more than anything for his super traditional Latinx family to accept his true gender. To prove that he’s a brujo, he performs a ritual with the help of his BFF to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. Problem: the ghost he summons kind of refuses to leave, and also he’s super dreamy. This book made mi corazon Mexicano just so, so full. (September 1)
Book Club Bonus: Aiden is very active on the socials and has started to announce all kinds of fun stuff! I’m already signed up for their virtual event through Powell’s next month where they’ll be in conversation with Adam Silvera. Yay! They will also be a part of the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival with this absolutely ridiculous lineup of authors: Lilliam Rivera, Zoraida Cordova, Mark Oshiro, Meg Medina, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Daniel Jose Older, Elizabeth Acevedo, Anna-Marie McLemore… my brain, it explodes!
When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole – Many of you already know and love Alyssa Cole as a romance writer, as you should! If you don’t know about her yet, take a lil detour here first, then pick up her mystery/thriller debut. Described as a mashup of Rear Window and Get Out, this is a thriller set in a Brooklyn neighborhood in which gentrification takes on a sinister new meaning… (September 1)
Book Club Bonus: Alyssa Cole hosts a regular romance event through Loyalty Bookstore! Date Night with Alyssa Cole is currently a digital series featuring a diverse group of Romance writers and takes place every other Friday at 6PM ET.
Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera – This is a YA retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth by my beloved Lilliam Rivera, the author who won me all the way over in Dealing in Dreams when she named the girl gang Las Malcriadas. This reimagining is set in the Bronx and features Afro-Latinx characters, giving me major Pride vibes in the best possible way. (September 15)
Book Club Bonus: Catch Lilliam at the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival as mentioned above! You can also catch her next week at Lo’ Mas Lit Book Club (that name is everything!) with Elizabeth Acevedo, Natalia Sylvester, and Jenn de Leon in conversation with Angie Cruz. What I wouldn’t give to share a meal with this crew!
Suggestion Section
Reese Witherspoon announced her first ever YA book club pick. Congrats, Leah! Get that shine!
Tor.com’s Terry Pratchett Book Club discusses Equal Rights, Part i
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 and catch me once a month on the All the Books podcast.
Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa