Categories
Month: August 2020
Sponsored by Traitor by Amanda McCrina with Fierce Reads.
Amanda McCrina’s Traitor is a tightly woven thrill ride exploring political conflict, deep-seated prejudice, and the terror of living in a world where betrayal is a matter of life or death. “Alive with detail and vivid with insight, Traitor is an effortlessly immersive account of a shocking and little-known moment in the turbulent history of Poland and Ukraine—and ironically, a piercing and bittersweet story of unflinching loyalty. I think Tolya has left my heart a little damaged forever.” —Elizabeth Wein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Verity and The Enigma Game.
Hey there, book nerds! Happy Monday! I hope your weekends were restorative and full of great books. I got in tons of great audiobook and print reading, and I even started watching Perry Mason on HBO, which is a new adaptation of the 1930s-set mystery series by Erle Stanley Gardner, starring Matthew Rhys. I’m super intrigued, so it’s nice to know there’s a second season to look forward to!
Whatever you’ve got going on this week, I hope you remember to take time for yourself and enjoy a good book!
Trivia time: What was the initial print run of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen?
Deals and Squeals:
One nice thing to come out of pandemic life is Together, Apart, which is a YA anthology of romantic short stories that take place during COVID lockdown. Contributors include Rachael Lippincott, Brittney Morris, Erin A. Craig, and Bill Konigsberg. The anthology will be out in October.
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman, a YA book that comes out this week, has been optioned by Sydney Sweeney’s new production company! Sweeney plans on starring in the TV adaptation.
It’s looking like Michael Cohen can write his tell-all after all.
If you’re a fan of Tess Sharpe’s thrillers, then good news–her 2021 release The Girls I’ve Been has been optioned by Jason Bateman and Millie Bobby Brown!
Tor reports that Jason Peele is teaming up with Issa Rae to adapt the short story “Sinkhole” by Leyna Krow for film! Rae plans on starring in the film. You can read the short story here.
Disney+ is releasing a contemporary, American adaptation live action of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and Black Beauty will be voiced by Kate Winslet.
Matthew McConaughey is releasing a book in October called Greenlights, but he promises you it’s not the typical celebrity memoir.
#BlackLivesMatter and so does Black art! Check out this incredible coloring book highlighting and celebrating Black artists, called #BlackArtMatters.
Riot Recommendations
At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!
Recommendation: No Judgments by Meg Cabot
I went to the beach this past week, and naturally I needed a beach read. I grabbed this romance from Meg Cabot because she has been a reliable author for me for over 15 years, and I was not disappointed. This is the first in her new adult romance series set on the fictional Little Bridge Island, the tiniest in the Florida Keys. It follows Bree, who is living low-key as a waitress and painter with her rescue cat after running from her problems in New York City. When the hurricane of the century swerves for her island, she decides not to evacuate–and it’s a good thing, because the storm wipes out the bridge to the island, separating evacuees from their pets. She goes on a mission to rescue and look after as many animals as possible, aided by her boss’s sexy nephew–and maybe finds her calling along the way. This was such a fun read (that made me glad that my beach is far, far away from tropical storms) and an immersive and welcoming setting. I can’t wait for the second in the series, No Offense, out next week!
What I plan on reading this week:
Once You Go This Far by Kristen Lepionka
Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg
Trivia answer: 1,500 copies!
Looking for a fun sewing project with all your fabric scraps that isn’t making face masks? Check out these easy fabric square bookmarks! I’m going to whip up a few the first chance I get!
This Kickstarter for a Reader’s Advisory card deck has already been fully funded, but look at how cool it is! You can still contribute and score a deck for yourself.
I’ll leave you with this photo I took of one of my fave summer reads of this year, and maybe all time, Beach Read by Emily Henry, at its setting–Lake Michigan! As you can see, Lake Michigan beaches are legit, plus there are no tropical storms, no sharks, and no saltwater! (Although they do come with some wicked lake effect snow in winter, so I guess no beach is perfect!)
Happy reading!
Tirzah
Categories
FOLKLORE + Romance Novels
Sponsored by Keep My Heart in San Francisco by Amelia Diane Coombs.
“Intriguing and Charming.” – Kirkus Reviews. Chuck loves three things: coffee, fashion, and San Francisco. She hates—well, strongly dislikes—two things: bowling and Beckett Porter, her ex-best friend who broke her heart. Unfortunately, Chuck’s spring break will be filled with both if she has any hopes of saving Bigmouth’s, her family’s ancient bowling alley and the only thing keeping her in the city she loves.
Hey guess what. As of today, August 3rd, there are only 150 days left in this disgrace of a year. So that’s something to look forward to. What else do we look forward to? Romance novels, of course. I mean, they just keep coming and coming, and we try to keep up. And we just continue to accept it, because we can’t help ourselves.
Let’s talk books!
News and Useful Links
Hey look! It’s the Ripped Bodice Awards, back around again! (I’m not judging this year but I’m excited to see the results. This year’s judging panel is spectacular!)
So enamored with Boyfriend Material that you want to stare at a few lines while you write? Have I got the pencils for you!
Check out this upcoming “Guys Who Read Romance” panel.
If you missed the Love’s Sweet Arrow event with Kit Rocha and Beverly Jenkins, you can watch it on YouTube now.
Rebekah Weatherspoon shared some photos and thoughts on Mass Market MAX, the new size that Kensington and a couple other publishers will be utilizing in the future.
A reminder about Alexis Daria’s virtual book launch with East City Bookshop on Tuesday.
Deals
If you’re down to read a book about a bunch of people living in the same house who get on each others’ nerves, The Chai Factor by Farah Heron is 1.99 right now! It’s not actually that bad; Amira goes home to get better work done on her graduate paper, but her grandmother has rented out her basement apartment to a whole ass barbershop quartet. She and Duncan, a member of said quartet, clash from the beginning, but there’s plenty of sexual tension. And singing. And a side of fake dating (someone else) to prevent some homophobic encounters with relatives. But overall, tons of fun.
Recs!
Hey guess what?! I finished reading a whole book. And it made me think of other books I enjoyed that have a related premise, and others still that I want to check out. That’s pretty common, I guess. But it was nice to land upon this past weekend.
Things Hoped For
Chencia C. Higgins
I know I just talked about this book last week but now I can for certain say this is a book you want to read. If you’re reading at your normal pace, you’ll make it through in a few hours. If you’ve slowed down as much as I have, you might be picking at it for several days. Either way, the story of Tasha and Xeno will warm your heart and mess you up a little.
Tasha has moved to Houston in order to start over. Her small town in Arkansas might have her friends and her family home, but it didn’t allow her to search for love and experience life in the way she wished—and the words of a psychic gave her just the right nudge. When she sees rapper Xeno in concert, she’s immediately enthralled by the music and the musician. A chance meeting sends the pair sprawling towards big love, but something is holding Tasha back from accepting it as the real thing.
There are lots of different kinds of famous flings, whether they’re with royalty, movie stars, or famous musicians. I love them all, but I think musicians are my favorite. We usually get to see some element of them working on their craft, whether they’re making an album, on tour, or finding themselves again. Here are some I’ve enjoyed historically:
Kristen Callihan’s VIP series (starting with Idol)
I can’t pick the one I love most in this series. There are so many broken and brokenhearted people pulling themselves back together for love, and you just gotta read them all.
Anna Zabo’s Twisted Wishes series (starting with Syncopation)
These all have different appeal, and include people with multiple sexual and gender identities. And they’re just so effing good. Well written, enrapturing, and super heartfelt.
Rend by Roan Parrish
This is the second in the Riven series, but it is definitely my favorite. It was my first marriage-in-trouble romance, and it’s just so good.
Feels Like Summer by Six de los Reyes
This starts at a summer music festival, and it has an almost-fake relationship setup: Jett is asked by one of Adrian’s bandmates to be his five minute girlfriend. But they like each other more than that and start spending more time together. Jett thinks it’s still going to be limited, but, you know how it is…
How to Reprimand Your Rock Star by Mina Vaughn
This one is fun because it is both a rock star romance and a sports romance. The female protagonist is a college basketball player who randomly meets a famous rockstar. He likes being tied up, and she learns to do it well. There’s some kind of oracle involved. It’s just tons of fun with a little light dommeing.
And the next one I hope to pick up is Rapper’s Delight by Kenya Goree-Bell, just for the cover. I mean, the description is great, too. But you gotta see the cover.
What about you? What’s your famous fling story of choice?
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!
Sponsored by our Kindle Unlimited 1-year subscription giveaway!
We’re giving away a 1-year subscription to Kindle Unlimited courtesy of Early Bird Books! Early Bird Books brings you free and bargain eBooks that match your interests. You can sign up for free, read the books on any device, and the books are yours to keep. Click to enter!
Welcome to Read This Book, the newsletter where I recommend a book you should add to your TBR, STAT! I stan variety in all things, and my book recommendations will be no exception. These must-read books will span genres and age groups. There will be new releases, oldie but goldies from the backlist, and the classics you may have missed in high school. Oh my! If you’re ready to diversify your books, then LEGGO!!
In 2020, the book world will celebrate what would be the centennial birthday of English crime writer P.D. James, born Phyllis Dorothy James on August 3, 1920. Although she rose to fame with the Adam Dalgliesh detective series, I was introduced to James through her dystopian novel The Children of Men.
Set in England during the year 2021, The Children of Men takes place during the aftermath of global mass infertility. The last generation of people known as “Omegas” were born in the mid 1990s, and the last Omega to be born has just been killed in a pub brawl. Apathetic toward a future that in sense doesn’t exist since babies are no longer being born, Oxford historian Theodore “Theo” Faron spends most of his time living in the past and reflecting on the current state of affairs in his diary. It takes the bright and beautiful Julian and her group of unlikely revolutionaries who may hold the key to the survival of the human race to awaken Theo’s desire to live.
Although I enjoy reading different genres, my reading repertoire is lacking in the science fiction department. The Children of Men is the perfect book to read for someone who wants to delve into sci-fi books, but doesn’t naturally gravitate towards sci-fi books. What I enjoyed most is the story feeling grounded in reality since the birth rates in the United States have been declining by 2% each year, and the coronavirus pandemic will likely exacerbate that decline. With facts like these, the concept of the world population no longer being able to reproduce is science fiction I can wrap my head around. The Children of Men not only seems plausible, it seems likely to happen if current trends continue.
Yeah … that got a little dark, but sometimes, I like to embrace living in the Darkest Timeline by diving into books that reflect these bleak times. If you’re looking for an engaging book to do the same, then The Children of Men is an excellent choice.
Not only did I love the realistic sci-fi aspect of The Children of Men, I loved the political commentary within the story that touched on issues like immigration, the judicial system, elections, and human rights. Reading this book made me reflect on how I would behave in this forlorn society. I want to believe I would be revolutionary like Julian and the Five Fishes fighting against the government’s passive tyranny. However, I fear I would most likely be another curmudgeon like Theo living day by day with no regards for the future of humanity that is dying right before my eyes.
The Children of Men is not for the light of heart, but if you take the less traveled road to the disheartening parts of the literary world, then you will find a thought-provoking novel that will stay on your mind for years to come.
Until next time bookish friends,
Katisha
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Categories
080320-Girl,Serpent,Thorn-RR
Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publisher of Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Girl, Serpent, Thorn is “an alluring feminist fairy tale” (Kirkus Reviews) about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse.
Announcing The 2020 Huge Award Winners
The Hugo Award winners are here! Congrats to the winners, which include A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, shorter works by S.L. Huang and N.K. Jemisin, and more. George R.R. Martin hosted the virtual ceremony, but viewers are not at all pleased with how he mispronounced names, elevated racist writers of the past, and made a transphobic joke throughout the ceremony.
Comic Book Industry Reckons With Abuse Claims
Since June, the comics industry has experienced a reckoning as multiple long-time writers, creators, and editors have been fired over reports of sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. Due to the freelance nature of comic creation and the lack of representation for writers in the form of agents or unions, it’s easier for gatekeepers to take advantage of others, and many are calling for changes to the system.
Sydney Sweeney To Star In New YA Novel Adaptation
If the YA novel They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman was on your radar, then definitely pick up a copy when it comes out this week, because Sydney Sweeney is has just optioned it as the first project in her new production company! She’ll also star in the TV series, which is about a teen girl investigating the death of her friend and her suspicions surrounding the secret society at her school–which they were both a part of.
#BlackArtMatters Coloring Book
Two Whitney Young students, Mya Cavner and Ethan Switall, reached out to nine Black local artists to create a 44-page coloring book. You can purchase a paperback or hardcover edition and 50% of the proceeds go to the artists and the other 50% goes “to the Brave Space Alliance, the city’s first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ resource center, located in Hyde Park.”
YUM!
Due to the pandemic, the University of Texas at San Antonio has had to halt their project of digitizing the U.S.’s largest collection of historic Mexican cookbooks. In the meantime they’ve decided to release free ebook mini-cookbooks. The first, Postres: Guardando Lo Mejor Para el Principio/Desserts: Saving the Best for First, contains Spanish/English historic sweet Mexican recipes. Sí, please!
New Award
Gotham Book Prize has just been created and will award $50,000 to one author for a book of fiction or nonfiction that is published in 2020 and set in or about New York City. The prize, which will become an annual award, will be awarded in the spring of 2021, and will be selected by 10 New Yorkers and authors who will vote on a created short list.
Categories
080120-Traitor(Pre-sale)-RR
Sponsored by Traitor by Amanda McCrina with Fierce Reads
Amanda McCrina’s Traitor is a tightly woven thrill ride exploring political conflict, deep-seated prejudice, and the terror of living in a world where betrayal is a matter of life or death.
“Alive with detail and vivid with insight, Traitor is an effortlessly immersive account of a shocking and little-known moment in the turbulent history of Poland and Ukraine—and ironically, a piercing and bittersweet story of unflinching loyalty. I think Tolya has left my heart a little damaged forever.” —Elizabeth Wein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Verity and The Enigma Game