Sponsored by Kensington Books
Set on a black-owned luxury dude ranch and with a fairy tale twist, the second Cowboys of California romance by award-winning author Rebekah Weatherspoon absolutely sizzles! In this thoroughly modern take on the timeless tale of a struggling Cinderella who finds her prince charming at the eleventh hour, an Oscar-winning actor and an aspiring screenwriter attempt to make a relationship work away from the Hollywood spotlight.
Sponsored by Kensington Books.
Set on a black-owned luxury dude ranch and with a fairy tale twist, the second Cowboys of California romance by award-winning author Rebekah Weatherspoon absolutely sizzles! In this thoroughly modern take on the timeless tale of a struggling Cinderella who finds her prince charming at the eleventh hour, an Oscar-winning actor and an aspiring screenwriter attempt to make a relationship work away from the Hollywood spotlight.
It’s the last Thursday of October, and we’ve got books to talk about. We’re closer to Halloween, and I hope we’re all planning to celebrate safely (with or without candy).
Oh and yeah, I definitely went ahead and bought the Julie and the Phantoms soundtrack. If you were wondering.
Take this quiz for a cozy YA romance rec!
Tote bags? Did someone say tote bags?
Who would you take a writing seminar with? I’d totally go for Alyssa Cole, what with her being able to write in legit any genre. Give us a horror romance, Alyssa!
Literary experiences, right from your home!
Ashley had Midnight Sun thoughts.
And there’s still time to win that sweet B&N gift card.
If you don’t like characters from Disney movies being heavily sexualized and given angsty, emotional erotic arcs, look away now. I’m serious. You’re not gonna want to see this. Okay, for those of you who are still here…if you have not dipped a toe into Katee Robert’s Wicked Villains series, you can start with Desperate Measures for free ninety-nine as of my writing this. That’s free, if you didn’t figure that out. This is the first in the series of books that would usually be 4.99. It’s…hard to explain this book. But I will tell you there’s Jasmine. And there’s Jafar. And there’s consensual non-consent. There is daddy kink. And there is…Jafar. So take that as you will. It’s very much a YKINMK and YMMV kind of book for some people, but if you’re interested…free ninety-nine.
This is a pretty good week for books, I gotta tell you. Some of them are books we’ve been waiting on for…what feels like years but is probably just a few months, and some of them are books their authors just decided to graciously provide us with out of nowhere. I have so much to read!
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His Grumpy Childhood Friend by Jackie Lau
Deal with the Demon by Chace Verity
Costume Cutty by Chencia C. Higgins
Don’t Let Go by Chelle Ramsay (I haven’t read this author before but I will go for any author who names both the book and the series after En Vogue songs)
Seduced By the Wolf by Terry Spear
The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher
Claiming His Bollywood Cinderella by Tara Pammi
Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
Holiday Home Run by Priscilla Oliveras
Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella
Missing Christmas by Kate Clayborn (it’s a novella, sadly)
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Love is a Rogue by Lenora Bell
Trick and Treat by Shae Sanders
Northanger Haunting by Jae Wiley (Northanger Abbey AND ghosts? How have I never heard of this book???)
Restored by Joanna Chambers
Black Witch Magic by Mila Nicks
Until the World Stops by LA Witt
Demon King by Elizabeth Briggs (You know how I just caught up with Lucifer? This looks like it’ll help with that itch…)
Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert
My Last Duchess by Eloisa James
Happily Ever After in Bliss by Lexi Blake
Spells by Kristen Proby
The Christmas Backup Plan by Lori Wilde (there’s one every year, but I can’t seem to quit her lol)
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Jane in Love by Rachel Givney
Bane’s Choice by Alyssa Day
The Duke Effect by Sophie Jordan
Brothersong by TJ Klune (if you’ve been waiting for the audiobook)
Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton
High-Priority Asset by Juno Rushdan
The Tenant by Katrina Jackson (This comes out on Halloween and I will be very busy that day doing nothing but eating chocolate and reading this book)
Bitterburn by Ann Aguirre (And if I have time, this one too)
Oh. Um. Sorry?
I hope you don’t have any plans the rest of 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!
Sponsored by Murder at Queen’s Landing: A Wrexford & Sloane Historical Regency Mystery by Andrea Penrose.
The murder of a shipping clerk…The strange disappearance of friends…Rumors of corruption within the East India Company… In the new installment of the atmospheric Wrexford & Sloane Mystery series set in Regency London, brilliant scientist Earl of Wrexford and secret cartoonist Charlotte Sloane become entangled in a dangerous web of secrets and lies that will call into question how much they really know about the people they hold dear—and about each other… “Scientific discoveries combine with a complex mystery to provide an action-packed brainteaser.” —Kirkus. “This thoughtful blend of derring-do and intellectual discussion should win Penrose new fans.” —Publishers Weekly.
Welcome to Thursday, book fiends! Is anyone dressing up for Halloween in quarantine? I had my costume all figured out last year, but the global pandemic had other plans. So I’m saving it for (hopefully) next year. But I bet it will still be fun for people to dress up, for Zoom meetings and stuff. (You could log in and then leave the room, and tell everyone you’re a ghost.) I am also a big fan of pet costumes at Halloween, although I am not a fan of bleeding to death, so I do not dress my cats up. I have to live vicariously through the people with calmer pets.
Now, it’s time for book talk, which is my favorite kind of talk! And remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. Please be safe, and remember to wear a mask and wash your hands. And please be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™
Trivia question time! Which Russian dramatist wrote The Inspector General? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)
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Mudbound co-writer Virgil Williams will adapt S.A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland.
Here’s the first trailer for The White Tiger with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, based on the novel by Aravind Adiga.
Congratulations to Rioter Susie Dumond, who just announced the deal for her first book!
Undead Girl Gang author Lily Anderson announced her next YA novel.
Here’s the first trailer for The Midnight Sky, the new George Clooney vehicle adapted from Lily Brooks-Dalton’s novel Good Morning, Midnight.
And here’s the first look at Batwoman‘s Javicia Leslie in the new suit.
Adam Sandler is set to star in Netflix’s adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař’s novel Spaceman of Bohemia. (I don’t know how I feel about this news, but I was happy to be reminded of this book, because I really enjoyed it.)
And speaking of Netflix, the new adaptation of The Queen’s Gambit by Walter is now available to stream.
The Impossible Fortress author Jason Rekulak has a new novel coming next year from Flatiron Books.
And in awards news, here’s the longlist for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, the 2020 British Fantasy Awards shortlist, and the 2020 Nommo Award winners.
Oscar Isaac is in talks to star in the Marvel series Moon Knight at Disney Plus.
Here’s the first look at Good Company, the upcoming novel by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.
And here’s the first look at the true-crime-inspired horror novel Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman.
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!)
I am so excited about this book that I think I sprained something doing Muppet arms. I literally just found out about it about five minutes before I sat down to write this newsletter and HAD to tell you about it. Because it’s a new novel coming from the author of The Raw Shark Texts, which is such a good book. I cannot believe it came out 14 years ago!
Today is the first I have heard of it, so I know nothing about it, so let’s read the publisher description together, shall we?
“Thomas Quinn is having a hard time. A failed novelist, he’s stuck writing short stories and audio scripts for other people’s characters. His wife, Imogen, is working on a remote island halfway around the world, and talking to her over the webcam isn’t the same. The bills are piling up, the dirty dishes are stacking in the sink, and the whole world seems to be hurtling towards entropic collapse. Then he gets a voicemail from his father, who has been dead for seven years. Thomas’s relationship with Stanley Quinn—a world-famous writer and erstwhile absent father—was always shaky, not least because Stanley always seemed to prefer his enigmatic assistant and protégé Andrew Black to his own son. Yet after Black published his first book, Cupid’s Engine, which went on to sell over a million copies, he disappeared completely. Now strange things are happening to Thomas, and he can’t help but wonder if Black is tugging at the seams of his world behind the scenes. Absurdly brilliant, wildly entertaining, and utterly mind-bending, Maxwell’s Demon triumphantly excavates the ways we construct meaning in a world where chaotic collapse looms closer every day.”
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Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch: A Novel by Rivka Galchen
A Master of Djinn: a novel by P. Djèlí Clark
The Souvenir Museum: Stories by Elizabeth McCracken
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto
Early Morning Riser: A novel by Katherine Heiny
Come and Get Your Love by Redbone (Did you see the book that came out this week?) (Also, I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)
“Boop.” “NO BOOP.” “Boop.” “CUT IT OUT.”
Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:
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Adorable aliens in my office.
Trivia answer: Nikolai Gogol.
You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L
The 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction longlist has been announced by the American Language Association. Twenty-six fiction and 20 nonfiction titles are in the running for the honor and $5,000. You can check out the list of 46 titles here to introduce to your TBR, which includes The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, and The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio.
Diane di Prima, a prominent voice of the Beat Generation, has passed away at age 86. She was named Poet Laureate of San Francisco in 2009 and had published more than 40 works of poetry and memoir focusing on love, sex, politics, and community. During her Poet Laureate of San Francisco press conference, she said, “Her deepest service … was to poetry and to humans.”
The action packed–hello, awesome car chase scenes!–crime novel Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby is being adapted into film by Erik Feig’s Picturestart and Mike Jackson, John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co. And writing the screen adaptation will be Virgil Williams, who co-wrote the Mudbound screenplay. This is going to be awesome!
The opening round of the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards is open for voting. Cast your vote and write in your chosen titles now.
Sponsored by Emporia State University’s School of Library & Information Management
The Masters of Library Science program at Emporia State University is an ALA accredited program that offers you the flexibility of online classes while also giving you a community of peers to build your professional network. Through a combination of online and face to face instruction, students are able to form deep connections to the course work, professors, other students, and practicing professionals in libraries. ESU offers a quick and affordable way to earn your MLS, with most students completing their degree in two years – even while working a full-time job! To learn more, visit our website at www.emporia.edu/slim
Hey, kidlit pals! It’s the week before Halloween, and there are just so many great deals on scary and creepy books for all ages going on this week. I highlighted some of the best ones out there, but if spooky isn’t your thing, then scroll down to the bottom for a few non-scary book deals as well. Have a safe and happy Halloween!
(As always, prices are subject to change, so act fast if you see a deal you like!)
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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz is the perfect read for this week, and it’s just $3!
Speaking of scary, I once went as Other Mother for Halloween and I scared actual children. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to grab Coraline by Neil Gaiman for $3.
Mary Downing Hahn is another great author if you love spooky tales, and Deep and Dark and Dangerous is a ghost story that’s only $2.
Read The Witches by Roald Dahl for just $2, then see the new movie adaptation.
The Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey is a fun Halloween picture book about a dog who wants treats, not tricks, and it’s just $4.
Skeleton Man by Jospeh Bruchac is a chilling book based on Native American legend, and it’s $3.
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams and Megan Lloyd is a great pick if you have a little one struggling with fear, and it’s $2.
For just $2, snag Crankenstein, a hilarious picture book by Samantha Berger and Dan Santat!
And if you’re not in the Halloween or spooky story mood, pick up Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes for $4, a heart-warming book about a girl who takes care of shelter animals and is looking for a forever home of her own.
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Finally, Blizzard Besties, a novel by Yamile Saied Mendez about some kids who go searching for a missing brother in a blizzard, is also just $4.
Happy reading and if you’re trick or treating this year, be sure to take extra social distancing precautions!
Tirzah
We’re giving away five copies of Sorrow by Tiffanie DeBartolo to five lucky Riot readers!
Enter here for a chance to win, or click the cover image below!
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Here’s what it’s all about:
Joe Harper has backpedalled throughout his life. A once-promising guitar prodigy, he’s been living without direction since abandoning his musical dreams. But Joe finds an unlikely path to redemption when he starts working for the bohemian conceptual artist October Danko. Sorrow is a poignant story about friendship and love, art and music, and how these pursuits can save us from ourselves.
Sponsored by DC
It’s a new day in Gotham. Bane’s been vanquished, but both the city and its champion are struggling to pick up the pieces. Deathstroke is back and soon Batman is surrounded by assassins—as well as Gotham’s own dangerous players, from the Riddler to the Penguin to Harley Quinn. As the Caped Crusader draws closer to uncovering the figure pulling the strings, the love of his life, Catwoman, holds the sinister secret in her claws. Can Batman pry it from her without tearing their relationship apart? And will it be enough to stop the coming plot against him?
Sponsored by Nothing Like I Imagined by Mindy Kaling.
From New York Times bestselling author Mindy Kaling comes “Nothing Like I Imagined,” a new collection of six hilarious and personal essays. Mindy gives the inside scoop on her new role as a single mom, the perks of being her own husband, and how she deals with social anxiety even at the most glamorous A-list parties. In between, the beloved actor, writer, producer and Hollywood power-bruncher gets Kanye West’d at her best friend’s birthday, thwarts an “only in LA” crime, and learns what it means to have it all. Prime members read or listen for free.
Welcome to the end of October! Finish up those scary reads, because reading them in November just doesn’t feel the SAME, y’know? We’ve got some excellent new releases this week for all your fact-loving needs:
Rock and roll! What a genre. And this new release is here to walk you through African American women’s contributions to the genre from the 1950s all the way through the 1980s. Big Mama Thornton, Tina Turner, the Shirelles, they are all here and their “powerful sonic legacy” is laid out.
Know the 1970s hit “Come and Get Your Love”? That’s the work of Redbone, a Mexican-American/Native American rock band of the ’60s and ’70s (it’s still an active band though!). This chronicles their rise to fame, and how “as the American Indian Movement gained momentum the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward.”
The memoir of a “guarded, over-achieving, self-lacerating young lawyer who reluctantly agrees to get psychologically and emotionally naked in a room of six complete strangers.” Basically, if you want to read a memoir about group therapy and how it can helpful, here it is! tw: self-harm and eating disorders
This is pushing the “host of Kindred Spirits” thing, but I’m more impressed by Bruni’s past on GHOST HUNTERS. Here she tells stories about her ghostly experiences and “thirteen truths that guide her approach to the supernatural.” If you’re into real life (?) ghost stories and the people who investigate them, here’s a read for you.
You can find me on social media @itsalicetime and co-hosting the nonfiction For Real podcast with Kim here at Book Riot. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.
Sponsored by Creatures by Crissy Van Meter, now in paperback from Algonquin Books.
Now in paperback, Crissy Van Meter’s Creatures is the alluring debut novel everyone has been raving about, from The New York Times to People, from Belletrist Book Club to Entertainment Weekly. Creatures introduces us to Evangeline on her wedding weekend, as a dead whale is trapped in the Winter Island harbor, the groom might be lost at sea, and her absent mother has shown up out of the blue. From there, Evie reckons with her wild upbringing in this lush land off California’s coast. “A beautiful look at how we navigate the pain and heartbreak that comes with being human.” —NPR
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!!
There are still a few days left until Halloween, which means recommending another book bound to leave you thrilled with chills. Since I prefer psychological thrills over gory chills, today’s book is for readers both young and young at heart.
The day after her family moved into their new home, Coraline went exploring. She discovered the family’s new flat had 21 windows and 14 doors, but only 13 of those doors opened and closed. The 14th door is locked. When unlocked it opens to a brick wall until the day Coraline finds a passage to another flat that looks like her own, but is different. At first, everything seems better in the other flat from the food to Coraline’s bedroom. However, there is also another mother and another father who want Coraline to stay with them as their little girl. Other children are also trapped in this world, and Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with her wits and all the tools she can find to save not only the lost children but her own ordinary life.
I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about Neil Gaiman’s books, so I decided to finally dive into his works starting with the beloved Coraline. Although the story was a rollercoaster ride of pleasure and disappointment, the hits are what make this book enjoyable. For starters, Gaiman holds no punches when it comes to creepiness factor. There was serious tension as Coraline battled The Other Mother, and I wasn’t sure if Coraline would be successful in the end.
What I loved most about Coraline was the titular character herself. Coraline is a self-assured, courageous young girl who speaks her mind. Best of all, Coraline isn’t afraid of just being herself. She has a curious nature that definitely leads her into a very precarious situation, but she also has the smarts to solve problems. Above all else, I loved how Coraline showed the importance of bravery and independence. That’s an important quality for young readers to learn, especially young girls. However, Coraline is an excellent book for readers of all ages.
Until next time bookish friends,
Katisha
Find more of me on Book Riot.
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Sponsored by Elsewhere by Dean Koontz.
The fate of the world is in the hands of a father and daughter. When a local eccentric shows up on their doorstep with a strange and dangerous device, Jeffy Coltrane and his 11-year-old daughter Amity are swept up in an epic adventure with extraordinary implications. The device allows them to jump between parallel planes at once familiar and bizarre, wondrous and terrifying. As they search for truths about their own lives, a man with a dark purpose is in pursuit. And unless Amity and Jeffy can outwit him, the place they call home may never be safe again.
Hello mystery fans! This week I thought I’d offer you a short read and a long read, depending on where your 2020 brain is at and what it needs.
This is a gem of a mystery, but heads up that it seems to only be available in audiobook in the U.S. However, that is the format I would highly recommend it in.
It starts with a bear and a crow having a discussion/argument that ends with the bear sending the crow to a man, Billy. We then meet Billy as he thinks he’s waking from a terrible night of falling off the wagon because it is the only thing that would explain his strange state and his inability to remember the previous night. But in fact the crow is his spirit guide because Billy has been murdered. I know!
Billy has to figure out why he’s stuck from moving on and who murdered him. Enter his cousin Dale who makes Billy figure out a way to talk to him through his Bluetooth, and his aunt Tina who sees and talks to spirits. We get taken into life on an unnamed reservation where many of the threats to Native Americans can be behind Billy’s death including an oil company and a gang. Will Billy–with help from the crow, his cousin, and aunt–be able to figure out who murdered him and more importantly find the forgiveness needed to pass on?
The Ghost Detective is a quick read packed with humor and heart that reminds readers of the voices missing in the crime genre. It also opens the door for it to become a series and yes, please. (TW alcoholism/ brief child abuse/ mentions song about rape, no detail/ fat shaming/ past child cancer deaths, not graphic)
For those who are unaware of Tana French, she has a great police procedural series–each book can be read as a standalone novel–following detectives on the Dublin Murder Squad. She also has a standalone suspense murder mystery, The Witch Elm, and now The Searcher, a second standalone, which is a slow burn, possible missing persons mystery.
If you like procedurals, character driven stories, and want a faster pace, you want her Dublin Murder Squad books. If you want to sink deep into a life and have a murder mystery filled with suspense, you want The Witch Elm. If you want to be plunged into a life in a tiny town that is a slow burn possible missing person case, you want The Searcher. I love all her books and feel like a main theme is they should have a trigger warning for men. And by that I mean, if you think about the male leads, they are presented as “nice guys” but they’re kind of terrible.
Case in point: in The Searcher we meet Cal Hooper, a retired American detective, who is divorced and a father to an adult woman. He has a not-great relationship with his ex and his daughter, and he retired pretty young from the police force. He wants to have a better relationship with his wife and is certainly trying to have a good relationship with his daughter, so naturally he moves alone to a remote village in rural Ireland to work on those things while they are in the U.S. You see what I mean? And why did he retire early you wonder? Because he was coming to understand the Black Lives Matter movement and it was too difficult for him to wade through all of it to make any kind of decision, so retiring early seemed the best plan. You see!
Welcome to the life we’re plunged into. And by that I mean this was one of the few books this year that truly transported me out of the hellscape we are in and took me somewhere else. Cal may have moved away from all his problems but as he will soon discover, life is hard no matter where you go, and you’re going to have to make tough decisions, buddy! His comes in the form of a young teen named Trey who he keeps catching lurking around his property as he tries to fix the cottage. Trey is like a stray that will not leave and will not give up and forces Cal to do something about his inability to make hard decisions because Trey is convinced their brother did not pack up and leave, and Cal, being a detective and all, has to be able to help.
Problem is, small towns aren’t real big on outsiders to start with let alone ones that show up and start poking their nose into a mystery they claim isn’t a mystery… If you like slow unraveling mysteries, character studies, excellent writing, and want to live in rural Ireland while getting to know the locals (and all their gossip and secrets) this one is for you. I find myself once again longing for the next Tana French–always my feeling as I turn the last page of one of her crime books. (TW brief mention suicide, detail/ domestic violence discussed, not graphic or on page/ animal deaths, cruelty, hunting/ mentions fake rape rumor, no detail/ child abuse off page, results detailed)
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!
Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.
If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.
