Month: April 2021

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Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date April 5, 2021

Sponsored by The Loft’s Wordplay, May 2-8, 2021

The Loft’s Wordplay, presented by St. Catherine University and Star Tribune, is a week-long, free, and virtual celebration of the year in books (May 2-8). Each day will host a morning session for youth, including visits from Chelsea Clinton, Marjorie Liu, and Jon Klassen. Then an afternoon session with international authors including Helen Oyeyemi, Sofia Segovia, and Rivers Solomon. Finally, evening conversations between authors including Alison Bechdel, Cheryl Strayed, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kazim Ali, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Dean Koontz, and Donika Kelly on themes of climate change, black ambition, native voices, the patriarchy, and more.

Today In Books

Tennessee Bill to Ban LGBTQ+ Books from Schools One Step Closer to Law: Today in Books

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date April 4, 2021

NPR Wants Your Mini Poems for National Poetry Month: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date April 3, 2021

Sponsored by Hanover Square Press, publisher of The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin.

Get a First Look at Lauren Groff’s New Novel Matrix

Matrix is Lauren Groff’s first novel since her 2015 bestseller Fates and Furies. Needless to say, Groff’s latest is highly anticipated. And while the book doesn’t come out until September, you can now get an exclusive first look at the novel at Elle.com. Matrix is a historical novel set in the 12th century. It follows the real-life story of poet Marie de France, who at 17 was cast out of the French royal court and sent to England to work as the new prioress of an ailing abbey.

Cincinnati Firefighter Writes Children’s Book to Empower Young Girls

Cincinnati firefighter Mario Jackson has written a children’s book aimed at inspiring and empowering young girls. The book, entitled Nya the Great and Her Visit to the Fire House, shows kids what a day in the life of a firefighter is like, but more importantly, it shows young girls that women can be successful. Jackson, a father to daughters aged 7 and 13, said, “I realized that there isn’t a lot of representation for women, especially women of color, in jobs that are usually male-dominated…I just wanted to give them something to let them know that you can do this job, probably better than I can, and don’t be afraid to do it just because you’re a woman.”

NPR Wants Your Mini Poems for National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and to celebrate, NPR wants you to submit your original mini poems. On Twitter, you can tweet your poem, in 140 characters or less, with the hashtag #NPRpoetry. And this year for the first time, you can also submit your poem via TikTok. Just post your poem to your TikTok page using #NPRpoetry, and remember to keep it to no more than 15 seconds. Each week for the rest of April, a professional poet will join All Things Considered to talk about the poetry submissions that caught their eye. Now get to submitting!

Meet the Winners of the 2021 Windham-Campbell Prize

The winners of the 2021 Windham-Campbell Prizes were announced last week. Here are all the winners in non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama.

Riot Rundown

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Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date April 3, 2021

It’s HOT PINK for Sarah Michelle Gellar and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date April 2, 2021

Sponsored by Oni Lion Forge Publishing Group.

Marjorie Glatt’s life hasn’t been the same ever since she discovered ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. Now in the eighth grade and finally fitting in at school, Marjorie begins to distance herself from her ghost friend Wendell. Wendell isn’t the only one pushed to the outside, though. Marjorie’s classmate, Eliza Duncan, is beginning to feel like a ghost herself. Is Marjorie’s newfound popularity worth excluding both Wendell and Eliza? Following the events of Brenna Thummler’s first graphic novel, Sheets, Delicates tells a powerful story about the importance of being seen and bringing light to those who need it most.

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Can you tell that I am typing this even faster than normal? That’s because I am racing to finish my work so I can start reading You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo! I have been clamoring for this book since I first learned of its existence eight months ago. It’s being called “Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off” and I could not be more excited if I swallowed a cat and broke out in kittens! If it is as amazing as it sounds, I’ll be sure to tell you about it in next Monday’s newsletter.

Moving on: I have some exciting book news for you today and a look at a delightfully demented thriller, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, an upside-down orange monster, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Who was the historical figure who inspired the poet Percy Shelly to write his poem Ozymandias?(Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Six more cast members, including Lori Petty, Daniel Zovatto, and David Cross, have been added to the Station Eleven series.

Regé-Jean Page will not appear in season 2 of Bridgerton; Charithra Chandran and Rupert Young have joined the cast.

Join in to support the Asian American Writers’ Workshop’s upcoming events.

Join Rioter Tirzah Price for the launch of her first book, Pride and Premeditation!

Sarah Michelle Gellar will star in the series Hot Pink, which is based on What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold.

A Breaking Bad art book is on the way.

Here’s the cover reveal of The Lost Girls: A Vampire Revenge Story by Sonia Hartl.

Andrea Riseborough, Stephen Graham and Sindhu Vee have joined the Matilda remake.

Patti Smith will share new writing in a substack newsletter.

Diana Gabaldon has finished the ninth book in the Outlander series.

Noah Emmerich and Kim Dickens have joined the cast in Netflix’s adaptation of The Good Nurse.

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:

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing (Berkley, July 20)

This is a viciously fun little read! Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at the esteemed Belmont Academy, but he secretly hates most of his students and coworkers. He has single-handedly plotted behind the scenes to ruin the future prospects of a few students and a couple of his coworkers.

And then one of the parents of a student is poisoned at a school event. Were they the intended victim? Was Teddy the poisoner? It’s hard to say because HOLY CATS, there are so many people hiding secrets and so many revenge plots being carried out in this book! It’s told from five points of view, including another teacher, a former student, and a current student, but it doesn’t make it confusing at all. It makes it fun, really. It’s almost like a reality show, where the most horrible person gets away with murder.

I thought Downing’s last two books were really ridiculous, but fun, but I found this one to be even better. It’s superbly plotted and paced, and also still ridiculous. But in an awesome way. What a bunch of devious people! And there are so many reveals, you will get to the end of the book not even realizing you had heard a bunch of clues and significant details along the way and then SURPRISE! If you’re looking for a deliciously nasty thriller, this is it!

(I’m sorry, I read this a long time ago and somehow forgot to mark down my notes, so off the top of my head, content warnings for violence, murder, home invasion, illegal surveillance, poisoning, black mail, and infidelity. But you should do more research before reading it if you are worried about more possible warnings.)

What I’m reading this week.

You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo

A Calling for Charlie Barnes by Joshua Ferris

Reprieve by James Han Mattson

Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel

Moon and the Mars by Kia Corthron

Groan-worthy joke of the week:

Dogs can’t operate MRI machines. But catscan.

And this is funny:

I feel attacked.

Happy things:

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

Nailed It! The fifth season of this baking competition show is up on Netflix now and I can feel my blood pressure dropping just writing about it.
3rd Rock from the Sun: I have spent the last few years rewatching shows from when I was younger. But I am now starting the fourth season of 3rd Rock, of which I had only seen the first season previously, and I’m delighted. It isn’t that it’s a great show—because it isn’t—but it’s fun to see all the young actors (Baby Jim Beaver! Baby Linda Cardellini! Younger Garry/Jerry/Larry/Terry/Barry from Parks and Recreation!) and the pop culture references, many of which make no sense now if you weren’t alive in the 1990s. Nostalgia has a scientifically proven calming effect on your brain. I’m having so much fun, I may only watch old shows I haven’t seen for the next several months.
Star vs. the Forces of Evil: My love of all things Alan Tudyk right now has led me to another rewatch of this fabulous cartoon.
Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

A special order of upside-down air biscuits.

Trivia answer: Ramesses II.

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

Today In Books

BRIDGERTON Star Regé-Jean Page Will Not Be Returning for Season 2: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date April 2, 2021

Mena Suvari’s Memoir to be Published in July

American Beauty and American Pie actress Mena Suvari is publishing a memoir with Hachette Books about how coming of age in Hollywood led to losing herself “to sex, drugs, and bad, often abusive relationships.” Suvari’s The Great Peace: A Memoir is coming out on July 27.

Bridgerton Star Regé-Jean Page Will Not Be Returning for Season 2

Bridgerton fans, unfortunately the television series’ breakout star Regé-Jean Page will not be back to reprise his role of Simon Bassett, duke of Hastings, in season 2. Netflix and Shondaland announced the sad news via a note from Lady Whistledown on Instagram. In an interview with Variety, Page explained that only signing on for one season was part of the appeal of the role: “I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on.” Season 2 will follow the events of the second novel in the Bridgerton series, The Viscount Who Loved Me.

ALA Asks Biden Administration Not to Overlook Libraries in Infrastructure Plan

In a statement this week, American Library Association leaders expressed disappointment that Biden’s American Jobs Plan currently leaves out specific funding for libraries. In a press release, ALA President Julius C. Jefferson, Jr., said, “ALA welcomes President Biden’s focus on modernizing our nation’s infrastructure, including educational facilities. However, we are deeply concerned that the administration’s infrastructure plan fails to include funding for library facilities and would provide only half the level of grants for school facilities that was approved by the House last year.” ALA officials urge library advocates to contact their local lawmakers about the Build America’s Libraries Act, a bill that would provide $5 billion to support long term improvements to public library facilities, and the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which would provide $100 billion in grants for K-12 school facilities, including school libraries.

Poems About the Weather to Celebrate National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and it’s spring! So it’s the perfect time to celebrate by reading poems about the weather.

Kissing Books

Not Another One

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date April 2, 2021

Sponsored by Annie’s Sweet Intrigue Club.

Click here to get your first book in this romantic suspense series for only $1.99!

Top of the week, fellow romance readers! I hope this Monday morning finds you well. Mondays are really a hit or miss for me. Sometimes, I wake up very much ‘the hills are alive with the sound of music’ a la Maria. Others I wake up like Garfield, detesting every second of the day. It’s always a dice roll how it will turn out. At least the week starts off with a surprise of sorts amirite?

One particular challenge I faced over these last few weeks was getting the teenager back into the routine of going to school. You’d think only have one week wouldn’t throw us completely off track, and that he would have dived right back into it ready to count down the days to summer break.

You’d think wrong.

And, even if we had gotten back into our routine, it would go right back out the window, since this last weekend was a four day one for him. At least it’s the last for the school year so it should be steady from here on out.

Still, send well wishes my way.

In Romance News

Yet another ‘hot take’ article made its way around the Internet and came within our orbital pull. The one was about one woman’s journey into writing a ‘horny’ book about females tailored for women just like her. Fictional women who are empowered by sex and their expressions of lust. It also touched on how much of a shortage there was for books like that in the publishing market.

*slow blink*

Because you know it’s not like there’s a genre that matches that already.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t set well with a majority of Romancelandia. It came across as yet another attack on the genre. The piece came off as wanting to be edgy and discussed wanting to have a literary safe space for women who may be more amorous than others, but it fell on angry ears. And with good reason. The initial reaction that I and many other romance readers had can be summed up by this image that was created by Ally Only Reads.

In one exceedingly small defense of the article, it doesn’t outright pooh-pooh romance. The same can’t be said for other articles that come out on this topic. But, that doesn’t mean I’m giving it credit. This is because it doesn’t even acknowledge romance or erotica, which, based on the description, is what her novel would be classified as. It’s almost more insulting to not even acknowledge the genre you describe as trying to pioneer.

I’m all for wanting to write a book that speaks to your heart that you weren’t finding. If the options out there aren’t horny enough for you, go forth and pound the keyboards to write one that fits all your kinks. But don’t act like it’s something that is brand spanking (talk about kinky) new. It’s like deciding to put a brand new topping on cheesecake and then claiming that you’re the creator of cheesecake..

No, you’re not. You didn’t discover anything new. Yes, you put your own spin on a base that was already there and (ideally) made it uniquely you. But that is not the same as creating it or making it new.

As per usual, I’m not linking to it here, the reason being that while it’s slightly better than other articles in that vein, it is still a garbage take.

And also in a bit of maybe not surprising but still heart breaking news, Regé-Jean Page will not be joining the second season of Bridgerton. While we should be expecting the focus to have been off the Bassets, we still expected both of them to be around. Daphne, as a natural Bridgerton, will still be there. Optimistic me is hoping that he will at the very least do a cameo for the Pall Mall scene…which better be in there. *nerd glare*

From Book Riot and Around the Web

Looking to curl up with some steamy vampire reads? Silvana has got your back…or neck, if you prefer, on that.

Easter may have been yesterday, but you can still enjoy the sweets and books recommended here! Even better? Today is also Half-off Candy Day: The Bunny Edition!

For Outlander fans, news broke out that the new book has finally been finished. Here is a quick article for all that is known about it so far.

New Releases & Deals

Here are some of the highly anticipated new releases hitting the shelves this week.

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan

Life’s too Short by Abby Jimenez

Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters

And here are some of the deals I found when writing this newsletter up:

Deliver Me by Farrah Rochon is currently free

He’s Not My Boyfriend by Jackie Lau is available for $0.99

Real Men Knit (Real Men Knit series)n Knit by Kwana Jackson is currently available for $1.99*

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite is also available for $1.99

*Some readers have said this reads more like women’s fiction with a romantic element. But others do consider it a romance hence the reason for the share.

And that’s all for now. Catch up with me during the in-betweens @Pscribe over on Twitter. Until next time.

The Kids Are All Right

Middle Grade Books About Baseball!

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date April 2, 2021

A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner

Sixth grader Silas Walker loves baseball. He loves it so much he even does a school presentation on former Major League Baseball player Glenn Burke, known for being the inventor of the high five. Burke was a Black gay baseball player in the 1970s―and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward coming out as gay. Although he tells his secret to his best friend, he keeps the truth from his baseball teammates. But he suspects people begin to know the truth about him when a series of suspicious events happen. He ends up staging a cover-up with disastrous consequences. Will Silas continue to hide who he is, or find the courage to be who he is?

The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

Written by the daughter of legendary Jackie Robinson, this book is based on the true story of a boy in Brooklyn in 1948 who became neighbors and friends with his hero, Jackie Robinson. Stephen Satlow, eight years old and living in Brooklyn, New York, loves the Dodgers. He knows all their stats and facts. When Steve hears a rumor that an African American family is moving to his all-Jewish neighborhood, some of his neighbors are against it. Steve knows this is wrong. His hero, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier in baseball the year before.Then it happens — Steve’s new neighbor is none other than Jackie Robinson!

Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages

I really loved this middle grade book set in 1957 about a young pitcher named Katy Gordon who desperately wants to be in Little League. The only problem? The league doesn’t admit girls even though she’s the best pitcher in the neighborhood. Katy embarks on a quest to prove to the federation that girls can play baseball, and with the help of librarians she finds a whole list of female baseball players that excelled in their sport, giving her the confidence she needs to play the game she loves.

The Contract by Derek Jeter (series)

This middle grade book series is inspired by Derek Jeter’s childhood. From a young boy, he had dreams of being the shortstop for the New York Yankees and even going to the World Series. So when Derek is chosen for the Little League Tigers, he hopes to play shortstop. But on the day of the assignments, Derek starts at second base. Still, he tries his best while he wishes and dreams of that shortstop spot. And to help him stay focused on school, his parents make him a contract: keep up the grades or no baseball.

The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell by Lonnie Wheeler

This book, written for adults but appropriate for upper middle grade readers, is a terrific biography about James “Cool Papa” Bell (1903–1991), a legend in Black baseball. Born to sharecroppers in Mississippi, Bell was part of the Great Migration. In St. Louis, baseball saved Bell from a life working in slaughterhouses. Historian Lonnie Wheeler charts Bell’s ups and downs in life and in baseball, in the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, where he went to escape American racism and MLB’s color line.

What are you reading these days? Let me know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.

Until next time!
Karina

*If this e-mail was forwarded to you, follow this link to subscribe to “The Kids Are All Right” newsletter and other fabulous Book Riot newsletters for your own customized e-mail delivery. Thank you!*

The Fright Stuff

April is for Terror, Not Just for Tulips!

Post author By Jessica Avery
Post date April 2, 2021

Blessed Monsters by Emily A Duncan (April 6)

I ordered the books in this newsletter based on released date, not on how badly I want to read them. But I have to confess that I might have put this one first regardless, because I am desperate to get my hands on it. This also gives me a chance to once again recommend this dark fantasy series to horror readers looking for books that successfully bridge the genre lines. As much cosmic horror (so. many. eyes.) as it is dark fantasy, this Slavic-inspired setting is peopled with bloody magic, hungry gods, and (again) so SO many eyeballs. In places that eyeballs really should not be. Blessed Monsters is the final book in this trilogy, so if you’ve been looking for a completed series to marathon, now’s your chance!

Near the Bone by Christina Henry (April 13)

I’ve already had the pleasure of reading Near the Bone, and it is 100% everything I want in a horror novel. The isolation, the deep and growing sense of dread, it’s fantastic. Mattie and William have been living on the mountain for longer than she can remember, just the two of them. Until the day that Mattie finds a mutilated fox in the woods and realizes that there is someone or something on the mountain with them. Lurking in the trees, making terrible noises, savaging the wildlife with sharp teeth and claws. But when a group of strangers appears to hunt the creature in the woods they don’t just pose a threat to the monster. Their unwelcome presence makes William angry, and Mattie knows how dangerous it can be when William gets angry.

The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur (April 20)

From the author of last year’s chilling The Silence of the Bones comes a new story about families, secrets, and deception. Hwani’s family and life have fallen apart ever since she and her younger sister vanished and were found unconscious in the forest on the edge of a crime scene. Though the family fled their small village to escape the incident, some histories are not so easily banished. Years later Hawni’s father, Detective Min, is drawn back to their hometown by the unsolved cases of 13 other girls who recently vanished under similar circumstances as his own daughters. But when he returns to investigate, he too vanishes, leaving Hwani to follow in his footsteps in an attempt to find her father and finally put an end to the mystery that tore her family apart.

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart (April 20)

Based on the early reviews I’ve seen, Witches Steeped in Gold is going to be a deliciously dark edition to both the fantasy and horror genres. This Jamaican-inspired fantasy pits two enemy witches against a powerful queen, forcing them into an uneasy alliance in order to take her down. Iraya has lived her whole life in a cell, plotting her revenge. Jasmyne is the queen’s daughter, and determined not to be the next body in a long line of daughters sacrificed to strengthen their mother’s power. Though she and Iraya are sworn enemies, they are left with no choice but to combine forces and pursue, at any cost, the queen who threatens both their lives.

A Natural History of Transition by Callum Angus (April 27)

Okay so by now we all know that I adore a short fiction collections, yes? And since I also have an obsession with themes of transformation in horror (thanks Mary Shelley), obviously I am super excited for trans author Callum Angus’ forthcoming debut collection A Natural History of Transition. Angus’ collection “disrupts the notion that trans people can only have one transformation” as its characters undergo incredible, unusual, and at times alarming changes, exploring what it means to “become”. Described as a mix of alternative history, horror, and magic steeped realism, Angus’ first collection promises to be a memorable introduction to a talented new author.

Fresh from the Skeleton’s Mouth

Need more titles to pad out your April reading list? Or maybe your 2021 TBR in general? The Ladies of Horror Fiction, Bloody Disgusting, and Night Fire all have 2021 new release lists for you to peruse!

Author Kate Doughty (The Follower) wrote a fascinating guest post for the Ladies of Horror Fiction blog about “The Alternate Reality of Internet Horror” and the way in which social media is being used to craft new, exciting forms of horror.

May 21st is the 5th Annual Stoker Con /HWA Librarian’s Day! This year it is also a part of StokerCon 2021, and $75 dollars will get you access to the whole con, not just Librarian’s Day. Becky Spratford has a fantastic thread over on twitter with all the details you need to get signed up as well as a full schedule for the event!

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

What's Up in YA

Your Weekend YA Book Deals

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date April 2, 2021

Sponsored by Peachtree Publishing Company

Jenna Guillaume (What I Like About Me) is back with a fun, modern twist on “Weird Science.” All 15-year-old Katie wants is the perfect first kiss from the perfect guy. So when she and her best friend accidentally cook up a “perfect guy” in the kitchen (seriously — he’s like a long-lost Hemsworth brother), things are looking up for Katie and her plan to lose her mouth virginity. But it turns out creating a human is more complicated than Katie could have anticipated. Will her friendship with Libby survive the test? And will Katie EVER get her first kiss?!

Hey, YA fans! It’s the weekend and that means it’s time to read! If you’re looking for something amazing to immerse yourself in this weekend, we’ve got you covered with some great book deals. These deals were active as of writing this, but they might not last, so grab them while you can!

Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena is a gorgeous-looking YA fantasy and the first in a duology and it’s just $3! Read it before the sequel is out in June!

Looking for a YA historical novel? The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor is $2, and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, now titled Ashes in the Snow, is $3.

Looking to finally dive into some completed duologies? Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim is $2.

I’m a big fan of Caleb Roehrig and his debut Last Seen Leaving is $3.

Start a new fantasy trilogy by Julie Kagawa! Shadow of the Fox is $2.

For all you horror fans out there, Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand is $2.

The Diviners by Libba Bray, the first book in a deliciously creepy series I’ve loved, is $4.

Maybe you want something mind bending with an unusual structure? Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart is it, and $2.

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown is $2–it’s a really delightful read and if you enjoy it, be sure to look for her new book out later this month.

Want to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday later this month? Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills is a great novel for that! It’s $3.

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Thanks to Peachtree Publishing Company for making today’s newsletter possible!