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Book Radar

The Trailer for the New Season of DEXTER and More Book Radar!

Happy Monday, my book fair-weather friends! I hope you had a lovely weekend. Thanks to everyone who told me how they felt about the Shadow and Bone show. Can you believe I have never seen Ben Barnes in anything? Speaking of shows, if a whole season doesn’t go up at once, I like to wait until the season has finished airing before I start it, so I can watch the whole thing at once. But I broke my rule last week for Mare of Easttown and watched the first two episodes, and I’m so mad at myself now, because I want to know EVERYTHING this very minute. It’s so good, and Kate Winslet is everything, but also wow is it similar to Happy Valley.

Moving on: I have some exciting book news for you today. Not a lot today, but it’s good stuff. I also have a look at a pulse-pounding YA sci-fi novel, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, another upside-down orange fur dragon 🙃, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: In The Shining by Stephen King, the Torrances’ VW Bug is red. In the Kubrick adaptation, it is what color? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

cover of meet me in another life by catriona silvey

Gal Gadot will star in and co-produce Meet Me In Another Life by Catriona Silvey. (I love this book so much!!!)

Here’s the first look at Rebekah Weatherspoon’s Beauty and the Beast-inspired novel A Thorn in the Saddle.

Hulu is adapting the upcoming debut novel Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez. Here’s the cover reveal and an excerpt.

Here’s the cover reveal of Letter to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us by Colleen Kinder.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is being made into a series.

Here’s the first teaser trailer for Sweet Tooth on Netflix.

Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society has nabbed the rights to Akwaeke Emezi’s upcoming novel You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty.

cover of the last days of constance verity

Atsuko Hirayanagi will direct The Last Adventures Of Constance Verity, starring Awkwafina.

Here’s the first teaser trailer for the Dexter limited revival series.

Here’s the first look at Elizabeth Gilpin’s Stolen: A Memoir.

The Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist has been announced.

The winners of the Edgar Awards have been announced.

Here are the actors in the five lead roles, who will be joining Sarah Michelle Gellar in Hot Pink.

Grace Gummer has joined the cast of the Let the Right One In series.

Book Riot Recommends 

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!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

We Light Up the Sky by Lilliam Rivera (Bloomsbury YA, October 5)

This is an action-packed alien invasion YA novel, set in Los Angeles a few years from now.

Pedro, Luna, and Rafa are three Latinx teens who attend Fairfax High School together, although they’re not really friends. Pedro is a social media influencer who captures every bit of his life on film; Luna is still reeling from the coronavirus death of her cousin and best friend, Tasha; and Rafa is trying to keep his family safe and together while they experience homelessness in the city.

Then comes the Visitor from outer space.

Basically, aliens on the Visitor’s planet have decided that humans are really bad at living on Earth and they no longer deserve to have it, so they send a representative to scout the place out and prepare it for a full invasion, which will include the total annihilation of all human life. When the Visitor arrives, it assumes the form of Luna’s dead cousin, Tasha, which confuses everyone up until the point that alien Tasha starts unleashing destruction and chaos. Pedro, Luna, and Rafa wind up on the run together from Alien Tasha, while also trying to help stop her. Complicating matters is the behavior of the police, who are still trying to detain and arrest people in the middle of an alien invasion.

While an alien invasion is maybe not totally realistic, other aspects of this book are all too real. I loved the relationships and road blocks that pop up in the trio’s lives, and there is so much action in this book! It’s a lot of fun.

(CW for violence, death, illness, pandemic, police violence and killings, people experiencing houselessness, racism, and bullying.)

What I’m reading this week.

Fault Lines by Emily Itami

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow 

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

Emma Who Saved My Life by Wilton Barnhardt

Groan-worthy joke of the week: 

I’m afraid for the calendar. Its days are numbered.

And this is funny:

This made me snort water up my nose, because it’s so true.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

  • Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Yes, I have watched this eleventy million times. It has become one of the shows in my stable of background noise shows. I like to put it on while I do data entry work, such as populating the New Release Index. (Which is as much nerdy fun as it sounds like it would be.)
  • Jeopardy: I’m big into trivia right now. I don’t play any online, because there’s always too much nonsense attached, even with the Jeopardy app. I don’t want to pick levels, spend points, or other trivial (heh) things they make you do just to answer a question. So for now, I will continue to watch old episodes of quiz shows.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

I must take at least one picture of a day of Zevon posed like this. He’s very relaxed, and I’m quite sure, boneless.

Trivia answer: Yellow.

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. Please be safe, and be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. xoxo, Liberty

Categories
Today In Books

The 2021 Edgar Award Winners Have Been Announced: Today in Books

Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty is Going to Be a TV Show, and Here’s the Cast

Amazon is adapting Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty into a television show, and now they’ve announced the cast. Newcomer Lola Tung has been cast as the lead, and Rachel Blanchard, Jackie Chung, and Christopher Briney will also be series regulars. The coming-of-age story centers around a love triangle between a girl and two brothers, and the enduring power of strong female friendship.

Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay Writing a Book of Personal Essays

On Thursday, former Bachelorette lead Rachel Lindsay announced that she will be releasing a book of personal essays in January. Lindsay shared the official cover of her upcoming book Miss Me with That on Instagram, and she wrote, “Ya’ll know I won’t hold back… I’m telling MY story, sharing my experiences, and opening my heart 🖤.” The book will be available on January 25, 2022, but you can preorder it now.

The Mystery Writers of America Announce the 2021 Edgar Awards Winners

The Mystery Writers of America have announced the winners of the 2021 Edgar Awards. Among the winners are Alyssa Cole’s When No One is Watching for Best Paperback Original and Katie Alender’s The Companion for Best Young Adult. You can see the full list of nominees and winners here. This year is the 75th annual presentation of the awards.

The Best Way to Teach Reading

The best way to teach reading is a topic that has been hotly debated for many decades. Here is a look at where we are in the conversation around how to teach reading, and a look back at where we’ve been

Categories
The Goods

Mother’s Day TBR

Let out expert Bibliologists hand-pick your mom’s next read for Mother’s Day! Tailored Book Recommendations is our book subscription service where we send you recs based on what you do (or don’t) love to read, and it makes a perfect gift. Once she gets her gift, your mom will tell us all about her taste, and we’ll either send her emailed recommendations, or hardcovers in the mail, depending on the plan you pick! And gifts can be scheduled to be delivered on Mother’s Day, so you don’t have to worry about it being too late to get a gift. Get started here!

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Giveaways

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We’re giving away five copies of White Magic by Elissa Washuta to five lucky Riot readers!

Enter here for a chance, or click the cover image below!

Here’s what it’s all about:

Elissa Washuta explodes the essay genre with an innovative style all her own. Using the precision of a master conjurer, Washuta carefully unfolds her subjects and sentences, entrancing her readers, then delivers unexpected — and powerful — revelations about life as a Native woman searching for meaning and love.

Categories
The Fright Stuff

Some Scares Never Get Old

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.‌

Grab your acid wash jeans and your flannel, it’s I Love the ’80s (and the ’90s) week on Fright Stuff! Some of the best horror on page or screen came out of the genre in the ’80s and ’90s. Okay, yes, and also the late ’70s. Maybe we should refer to the era as the long-1980s, then we can lump the late ’70s and early ’90s into the ’80s… I’m so sorry to my enlightenment literature professor, by the way, who introduced me to the phrase long 18th century and is probably writhing in mental agony at my misappropriation of that device. MOVING ON. The horror genre as we know it today just wouldn’t be the same without the horror of the ’80s and ’90s. Many of the tropes and archetypes that we still love in horror today had their first hurrah in those early mass market paperback days! So I thought this week we’d have a little fun with some horror titles either set in the ’80s and ’90s, and/or inspired by those vibrant (and often very strange) two decades of horror.

cirque berzerk by jessica guess cover rewind or die

Cirque Berserk by Jessica Guess

Cirque Berserk is seriously becoming one of my go-to recommendations. Not only does it fit into so many categories that I love (creepy carnival horror, retro-horror, coming of age massacres), it’s hands down a really good book. In the summer of 1989, disaster strikes the town of Shadows Creek, Florida when a group of teens massacred a dozen people at the local carnival and then vanished. Thirty years later a new group of teens escape their boring senior trip and decide to explore the mystery of the infamous Cirque Berserk, unaware of the bloody dangers that lurk behind its gates.

The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper

Set in the New York City of the ‘90s, where it’s easy for people to just disappear and never to be seen again, Worm’s protagonist Monique is on a quest to find her missing girlfriend Donna. But it’s not just Donna who has vanished, and as other impoverished women start to disappear from the city streets, Monique begins to hear rumors of monsters stalking the city’s underbelly. In order to save Donna, Monique must follow the rumors deep into the world below New York, a subterranean kingdom of creatures, cultists, and an even more terrible, ancient evil lurking there in the dark.

The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones

Okay so I know that this is one of those books that I keep recommending over and over again but it’s just so good. The Last Final Girl is a love letter to slasher films, and in particular to the glory that is ’80s horror. Homecoming Queen Lindsay is a final girl. She survived – barely – the brutal attentions of Billie Jean, the sadistic murder in a Michael Jackson mask who was determined to kill her. She’s a legend. But Billie Jean isn’t done with Lindsey, and Lindsey’s not the only final girl in town. When the masked killer slaughters her royal court, Lindsay replaces them with other final girls, stacking the decks in her favor. One psycho killer vs a homecoming court full of final girls, all competing to be the last survivor standing when the credits roll.

Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw

I had the chance to read Mina and the Undead before it was released earlier this year and it really hit me right in the nostalgia sweet spot. If The Last Final Girl is a tribute to slasher films, this is Amy McCaw’s love letter to the vampire genre. Seventeen-year-old Mina travels from England to New Orleans to visit with her estranged sister Libby, excited to explore a city as steeped in vampire literary references as her home town of Whitby. But Mina gets more than she bargained for when she becomes embroiled in a series of violent murders that all seem to point to Libby. Technically, Mina and the Undead has only been released in the UK, but luckily you can still order a copy through Book Depository!

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Okay so Hendrix’s forthcoming book isn’t set in the ’80s or the ’90s like the rest of these books, but I had to include it on this list. Because The Final Girl Support Group wouldn’t exist without the horror of the late ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. We all know who the final girl is, most horror fans can name at least a handful without really having to think about it. She’s the one who survives. She’s the one who fights back. She’s every horror villain’s worst nightmare because her life spells their death. But what happens with the credits roll and the monster IS dead, but the final girl is still left standing? Lynnette is one of a group of former final girls who, years later, are just trying to put their lives back together. Until one of them goes missing.

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

The latest episode of the Post Mortem Podcast features author and filmmaker Clive Barker in conversation with host Mick Garris about writing horror without boundaries.

We have some new haunting horror content for you over at Book Riot with this list of 15 Horror Movies Based on Books.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh who’s ready for Fear Street?! I’m so excited. All three Fear Street movies will be released on Netflix this summer as part of the streaming services “Summer of Fear”, and my wishlist is READY.

As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Categories
What's Up in YA

Your Weekend YA Book Deals

Happy weekend, YA friends! I hope that you’ve got relaxing plans, and if not…can I recommend a few book deals? There are so many great deals here, from newer books to author backlists. I’m sure you’ll find something to keep yourself busy, but just be sure to snatch them while they’re still on sale, because these deals never last long!

cover image of Mariam Sharma Hits the Road

Mariam Sharma Hits the Road by Sheba Karim is a great road trip novel for just $2! (Plus, you can read it ahead of Sheba’s newest release, The Marvelous Mirza Girls, out this month!)

Speaking of road trip novels, Kissing in America by Margo Rabb is just $2, and her debut Cures for Heartbreak is $5.

Stacey Lee is one of my favorite historical fiction writers! Pick up her NYTimes bestseller The Downstairs Girl and her other backlist historical novels Outrun the Moon and Under a Painted Sky all for $3 each!

If you’re looking for something to satisfy your itch for all things Shadow and Bone and the Dregs, Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett is $2.

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart has a twisty, backwards plot and a great premise you won’t be able to put down, and it’s just $2.

Looking to start an epic fantasy series? I really enjoyed A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos, now only $2.

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz is a steal at $1.

Pick up a backlist title by the husband and wife duo Austin Broke-Siegemund and Emily Wibberley! If I’m Being Honest is $3.

They Went Left cover

They Went Left by Monica Hesse is a historical novel that explores what those liberated from Nazi imprisonment went through after the war, and it’s under $4.

Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith is a fantastic contemporary YA novel about a Native teen facing discrimination in her community even as she finds herself falling in love, and it’s just a buck!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Thanks to Mad Cave Studios’ Young Adult Imprint Maverick for making today’s newsletter possible!

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Riot Rundown

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Categories
Today In Books

Gal Gadot to Star in MEET ME IN ANOTHER LIFE: Today in Books

Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist Announced

The Women’s Prize for fiction’s shortlist has been announced. The prestigious UK prize was founded in 1996 and aims to celebrate and honor book written by women. The books that made the shortlist are all novels written by women and published in the UK between 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. The books are: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Piranesi by Suzanna Clarke, Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps by Cherie Jones, and No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. The authors on this list come from diverse backgrounds and are from all over the world. None of the authors in this year’s lineup have ever made the shortlist before.

Watch the First Trailer for Netflix’s Sweet Tooth

Netflix has just released its first teaser trailer for its upcoming series Sweet Tooth. The show is based on Jeff Lamire’s DC Comic Series Sweet Tooth, and is set in a post-apocalyptic world where human/animal hybrids are a normal part of the world. The story focuses on a deerboy named named Gus and his companion Jepperd as they set out in a journey across what’s left of America to find answers about Gus’s origins. Christian Convery, Stefania LaVie Owen, Adeel Akhtar, Nonso Anozie, Aliza Vellani, Dania Ramirez, Neil Sandilands, and Will Forte star in the series. James Brolin narrates. Sweet Tooth is out on Netflix on June 4.

Gal Gadot to Star in Meet Me in Another Life

Catriona Silvey’s debut novel Meet Me in Another Life was just published earlier this week, and already an adaptation is in the works. Atlas Entertainment and Gal Gadot, with Jaron Varsano’s production label Pilot Wave, have purchased the rights to the novel, and Gal Gadot is set to star in the film adaptation. The story centers around a man and a woman who keep meeting one another in different versions of reality. In a statement, Gadot and Varsano said, “Catriona’s characters are beautifully explored and deeply complex – their reincarnations sometimes bordering on taboo – that the payoff of their self-discovery feels genuine and earned.” They went on to say they are “thrilled to bring this story with many layers on the big screen.”

Authors Form a Task Force After Disney Refuses to Pay Them

Authors across genres—including Alan Dean Foster, Neil Gaiman, Tess Gerritsen, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Chuck Wendig—have come together to create a task force to fight for the royalties Disney has refused to pay for Star Wars and other tie-in novels.

Categories
Unusual Suspects

Psych: MINDHUNTER S3 May Be Happening After All

Hi mystery fans! I’ve got your news, round-ups, Kindle deals, some of my week in reading and, per the theme of this newsletter, it’s all crime all the time.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Patricia and Liberty chat new releases on the latest All The Books! including Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto and Don’t Call it a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM by Sarah Berman.

Nusrah and Katie celebrate the 100th episode of Read or Dead, and talk about books that shaped them as mystery readers.

The Dangers Of The Mental Illness Boogeyman Twist In Mysteries

Stacey Abrams Talks Her Second Career as a Novelist — and the One Book Her Mom Wants Her to Write

David Fincher and Netflix reportedly back in talks for ‘Mindhunter’ season three

Monica Gallagher and Alex Segura’s The Black Ghost will also be in audio, thanks to the fine folks at @GraphicAudio!

‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Trailer: Nicole Kidman, Regina Hall and Melissa McCarthy Lead Hulu Drama

A Brief History of Unsolved Mysteries

15 Lies About the Legal System We Learned From Movies & TV

Hugh Laurie To Adapt Agatha Christie’s ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?’ Into BritBox’s Biggest Original To Date

The State of the Crime Novel in 2021: A Roundtable With the Edgar Awards Nominees

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka, Sam Malissa (Translator)

This is my current read because I am always here for Japanese crime, and this just sounded like a hook that would grab me and, spoiler, it did! Each chapter is a different character(s) riding a bullet train and they are all either criminals or victims (why not both!), including a kidnap victim rescued by two criminals who aren’t doing a great rescue job. There’s a suitcase of money on the train and lots of people with grabby hands… This seems to be flowing between beach read thriller and an exploration of human behavior and Japanese society, and it has my full attention.

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

I just got two upcoming titles I am super excited about: Auntie Poldi and the Lost Madonna (Tante Poldi #4) by Mario Giordano, J. Maxwell Brownjohn (Translation), which is a hilarious mystery series with an elderly lady always getting into trouble and solving mysteries; All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris, which, not gonna lie, had me at the cover! But also it’s a legal thriller with secrets and the past is coming for you so you know I am all in.

Kindle Deals

goldie vance

Goldie Vance Vol. 1 by Hope Larson, Brittney Williams

For fans of teen detectives looking for a fun read set in a beach resort with an in-house detective and a valet always on the hunt for a mystery, this is a great series currently $4.99! Goldie is one of my favorite detective characters, and her mom is a performing mermaid!

Confessions by Kanae Minato cover

Confessions by Kanae Minato, Stephen Snyder (translation)

Feeling in the mood for a revenge? Here’s one I love for how it unfolds and it’s $3.99! (Review-includes TWs)

An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten cover image

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten, Marlaine Delargy (translation)

How much trouble can a “little old lady” get into? Well, if she’s a murderous Swedish octogenarian, a lot, and you can find out all the details for $1.99! (Review-includes TW)


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases. 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.

Categories
True Story

The Books Behind the Oscars

The Oscars happened! Apparently they were very bad. I was rewatching old episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race at home, so I did not watch. But what an appropriate time to look at books that inspired Academy Award-winning films. So we shall do so!

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder

This won best picture, best director (Chloé ZHAO!), and best actress, so that feels like a pretty good sweep. The book came out in 2017 and covers the phenomenon of older Americans who, following the Great Recession of the late 2000s, started traveling around the country looking for seasonal work. Journalist Bruder traveled with the “houseless” for years. I’ve heard nothing but positives about this book.

Argo Cover

Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio

Remember Argo? It was the secret rescue of six Americans from Tehran in the early 1980s. Which was accomplished under the guise of filming a sci-fi movie, which if you think about it is perfect, because what was going on at this time? Star Wars. Anyway, this story is wild and such a weird thing to have happened. And yet it did!

Twelve Years a Slave cover

Twelve Years a Slave: A True Story of Betrayal, Kidnap and Slavery by Solomon Northrup

I could not watch this movie because I heard it was difficultttttt to watch. But it was very lauded! And Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o are supposed to be very good in it! The book it’s based on is an 1853 memoir by formerly enslaved Solomon Northrup, who was born a free man, tricked into going to Washington D.C., and sold to a plantation in Louisiana. He manages to get free, but good Lord. The things that have happened and continue to happen.

A Beautiful Mind cover

A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

This came out in 1998, which terrifying enough was 23 years ago. It’s a biography of Nobel Prize-winning economist and mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. It goes from his childhood to his time at Princeton and MIT, his Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and his schizophrenia diagnosis. Nash did not die until 2015, which I did not know until just now. but when the book was published, he was 70.


For more nonfiction new releases, check out the For Real podcast which I co-host with the excellent Kim here at Book Riot. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @itsalicetime. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.