Month: July 2021

072721-AsGoodasDead-RR

Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date July 27, 2021

Sponsored by As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson. Pre-Order now!

The highly anticipated, edge-of-your-seat finale to the New York Times bestselling A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series that everyone is dying to read. There’s a serial killer in town, someone’s been watching Pip . . . and to make matters worse they may just be the same person.
PRE-ORDER by 7.30.21 to receive Pip’s Detective Kit and help her solve the mystery before it’s too late. All valid entries will automatically receive Phase 2 gift.

The Kids Are All Right

New Children’s Book Releases for July 27, 2021

Post author By Chelsea Henley
Post date July 26, 2021

I Can Make a Train Noise by Michael Emberley and Marie Louise Fitzpatrick

At a coffee shop, a little girl imagines being aboard a train by making train noises, transforming the shop into a great train ride.

(Backlist Bump) The Muse Squad: The Cassandra Curse by Chantel Acevedo

For the mythology lovers out there, this fantasy is out now in paperback. After Callie accidentally turns her best friend into a pop star, she learns she’s one of the muses from Greek mythology. As the newest muse of poetry she is tasked with protecting humanity. For her first assignment, Callie must not only inspire her classmate, Maya, but also save her from Sirens determined to destroy her destiny.

Lucy in the Sky by Kiara Brinkman and Sean Chiki

When Lucy discovers her parents’ old records, she’s catapulted into a summer of Beatlemania. Inspired, she starts a band with her friends, Vanessa and Rupa. They still need a drummer, and Georgianna could be perfect for it, but she doesn’t exactly click with Vanessa and Rupa. Check out this graphic novel to learn how Lucy’s efforts to form an all-girl rock band go.

Super Sidekicks: Ocean’s Revenge by Gavin Aung Than

In this second installment in the Super Sidekicks series, the sidekicks are settling in nicely to their new headquarters. But, the Mother of the Seas, sick of the oceans being treated so horribly by humans, is out for revenge.

(Backlist Bump) Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julia Abe

Now out in paperback is this fun fantasy about Eva, a young witch determined to gain the rank of Novice Witch before she turns thirteen. Unfortunately for Eva, her magic amounts to little more than a pinch. The coastal town she arrives in expects a full-fledged witch, not a mildly magical girl, but Eva opens up a shop to prove her worthiness. When a storm threatens the town, Eva has to rally all the magic and smarts she can to save the town she loves.

Until next week! – Chelsea

Giveaways

072621-Crossbones-Giveaway

Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date July 26, 2021

We’re giving away five copies of Crossbones by Kimberly Vale and The Last She by H.J. Nelson to five lucky Riot readers!

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

Here’s what it’s all about:

Crossbones by Kimberly Vale: The Blood Bell’s toll marks the death of the pirate king and the start of the heart-stopping competition to claim the island throne. Csilla, Kane, and Lorelai are each on a mission, but dark tides are rising, and if they aren’t careful, they’ll surely drown.

The Last She by H.J. Nelson: As the only female to survive a devastating virus, Ara hasn’t seen another human in months until she’s caught by Kaden and his crew. With a mission passed down to her by her father, Ara will have to go back to beginning with Kaden’s help—even if it tears their worlds apart.

Check Your Shelf

Erotic Manga, Woke Baby Books, and CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD Part 2

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date July 26, 2021

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

Lincoln Center Poet-in-Residence Mahogany L. Browne is launching the first Woke Baby Book Fair, which will be free and open to the public.

Testing the in-person book show waters.

New & Upcoming Titles

Random House just announced a forthcoming memoir from Prince Harry, which will be published in late 2022.

Winnie-the-Pooh is getting an official prequel.

Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen are publishing a book developed from their podcast conversations.

We’re also getting a young adult edition of Obama’s Dreams From My Father this fall.

Stacey Abrams is publishing her first children’s book, Stacey’s Extraordinary Words, which will be out in late December.

Viola Davis and Kelly Ripa are each publishing nonfiction books in 2022.

Here’s a first look at Emily St. John Mandel’s new book, Sea of Tranquility, that she wrote during quarantine.

Ocean Vuong announces a new poetry collection, Time Is a Mother.

Adam Cesare is writing a sequel to Clown in a Cornfield, called Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives.

Weekly book picks from Crime Reads and USA Today.

Barnes & Noble has their most anticipated August releases for adults and children/teens.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Intimacies – Katie Kitamura (Bustle, LA Times, New York Times, NPR)

The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion – Eliot Brown & Maureen Farrell (New York Times, Washington Post)

Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville – Akash Kapur (New York Times, NPR)

Nightbitch – Rachel Yoder (Esquire, The Guardian)

RA/Genre Resources

The space to exist: the other kind of diversity in storytelling.

The many shades of gatekeeping: how the term “emerging author” hurts more than it helps.

Asexual romance readers are finally getting their happily ever afters.

The international authors to read this summer.

On the Riot

2021 must-read beach reads.

9 gripping new summer thrillers to add to your beach bag.

Weekly new releases to add to your TBR.

Your guide to techno thrillers.

An introduction to literary nonfiction.

When a “romantic” read is really about grooming. (TW: grooming, sexual abuse)

All Things Comics

These were the buzziest panels at ComicCon At Home.

Michael B. Jordan is bringing Black Superman Val-Zod to HBO Max. (If anyone’s keeping track, this is separate from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ and JJ Abrams’ plans to bring a Black Superman to the big screen.)

Black Panther gets a new origin story with the launch of Black Panther Legends.

Mel Valentine Vargas is adapting Meg Medina’s YA novel, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass into a graphic novel.

Michaela Cole has joined the cast for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Leslie Grace is going to be the new Barbara Gordon in the upcoming Batgirl movie.

Plans are in the works to turn The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina into new comics.

The greatest seinen manga of the decade, according to Goodreads.

On the Riot

9 new and upcoming comics and graphic memoirs that embody queer joy.

6 manhwa and manga like The Beginning After the End.

Books you never knew had manga adaptations.

Manga erotica: a beginner’s guide to ecchi and hentai.

Can you read manga on a Kindle?

This Barbie comic is really, really weird.

Audiophilia

The Panoramic Project looks at audiobook use in 2020 and context around reading and other entertainment media.

Regé-Jean Page joins the cast of The Sandman on Audible.

7 great audiobooks to listen to this month.

13 summer activities to pair with audiobooks.

Audiobooks for every attention span.

7 kids’ audiobooks for a summer road trip.

On the Riot

Who listens to audiobooks?

5 audiobooks for your next road trip.

30 of the best Audible books for kids.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

10 new children’s books in translation to read this summer.

12 of the best books for three-year-olds.

17 YA books about starting over.

16 YA fairy-tale retellings that live up to the hype.

Adults

A reading list for Disability Pride Month.

7 novels about scandalous small towns.

For fans of Sherlock Holmes: 15 recommendations for detective book lovers.

6 books for nature lovers.

Reader-recommended climate fiction.

5 must-read books about the invisible borders between culture and identity.

9 books with plots pulled from real life.

Thrillers set in the great outdoors.

9 books to transport you around the world.

15 Pulitzer Prize book winners and finalists that deserve a spot on your TBR.

11 books recommended by TikTokers.

On the Riot

9 funny chapter book series that will keep kids giggling.

15 books about going off to college.

“It’s gay and it slaps:” TikTok’s favorite LGBTQ books.

9 LGBTQ+ memoirs to read this summer.

8 notable queer contemporary fiction novels by Asian authors.

8 books about Japanese culture to read before the Olympics.

10 books about cryptids and cryptozoology.

Horror reads for summer.

10 recent magical realism novels.

8 unconventional romantic reads like Netflix’s Sexy Beasts.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in Library Reads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

All right, I’m off to continue reading. Have a good week, everyone!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Survive the Night by Riley Sager. (Yeah, this is the book determined to keep me up past my bedtime.)

Unusual Suspects

July Mystery Releases

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date July 26, 2021

The Perfect Ruin by Shanora Williams

Bienvenidos a Miami where one young woman finally learns the identity of the woman who ruined her life years before and sets out to destroy her and her perfect socialite world.

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

Revenge, regret, and the dismantling of the hate we’re taught in a page-turning thriller reminiscent of the ’90s buddy action films where two opposites get paired together on a mission.

(TW child abuse/ racism, homophobia, transphobia, dead naming/ alcoholism/ ableism)

A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram #2) by Darynda Jones

If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls and Stephanie Plum, this series is made for you! Start with A Bad Day For Sunshine (Review) if you don’t want the ending of the first book spoiled and want to be up to date with all the personal background info.

(TW mentions flasher/ mentions past child suicidal thought, detail/ backstory involves teen abduction and assumption of rape with no details)

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

I’ve been a fan of Miranda since I read her twisty mostly told backwards mystery All The Missing Girls and she always delivers for me with an entertaining mystery. This time around it’s a neighborhood where one member sent to prison is back and all the drama and secrets–and murder–are gonna come out.

(TW rumors of a statutory guy, not graphic)

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

If you’re a fan of revenge (so much revenge!), want something that unfolds a little differently, and like dark humor ,do not miss this page-turner! (Review)

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

The absolute very last bit of this book is my favorite–don’t worry, I won’t spoil it, I just love that level of “gonna get ya”! Anyhoo, if you are in the mood for a great murder mystery where you will spend the ENTIRE book accusing EVERY single person of being the murderer, plop yourself in your favorite place and enjoy!

(TW emotional abuse/ past child and domestic abuse, not graphic/ past suicide, detail)

People Like Them by Samira Sedira, Lara Vergnaud (Translation)

Here’s a French novel partly based on a 2003 murder in the Alps region. You have a small French village and two different families that see tensions boil over when financial troubles arise…

The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb

For true crime and history readers, here’s the case of a doctor who poisoned people and his 1892 murder trial that also looks at the Victorian society.

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.

Today In Books

Amazon Orders Series Adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s ANANSI BOYS: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date July 26, 2021

Scarlett St. Clair Launches New Dark Fantasy Series with Bloom Books

Bloom Books, Sourcebooks’ new imprint for entrepreneurial women authors, is launching a new dark fantasy series from author Scarlett St. Clair. The publisher will release St. Clair’s new novel King of Battle and Blood in November 2021. The story will follow a woman who is forced to marry a powerful vampire king. St. Clair’s previous series—which includes the novels A Touch of Darkness, A Touch of Ruin, A Touch of Malice, and A Game of Fate—were originally self-published, but these books will now be available from Sourcebooks as well. When asked how she feels about joining Bloom Books, St. Clair said she is “ecstatic,” adding, “Readers and fans always ask me, ‘How can I get your books?’ Joining Bloom means that all readers and booksellers will have access—something that is very important to me not only as a writer but as a former librarian.”

Amazon Orders Series Adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys

Amazon has ordered a six-episode series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys. Gaiman himself will pen the script with the help of British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer Sir Lenny Henry. Anansi Boys is the story of Charlie Nancy, who discovers a surprising secret about his family after the death of his father: his father was the trickster god Anansi, and Charlie has a brother named Spider. While Mr. Nancy does appear in American Gods, Gaiman’s Anansi Boys is a standalone story. Of the upcoming series, Gaiman said, “Anansi Boys as a TV series has been a long time coming…We needed Amazon Prime to come on board and embrace our vision, we needed a lead director with the craft and vision of Hanelle Culpepper, we needed the creative and technical wizardry of Douglas Mackinnon, who worked out how we could push the bounds of the possible to shoot a story set all over the world in a huge studio outside Edinburgh, and we needed the rest of the amazing talents that nobody knows about yet.”

Avon x Mushens Entertainment Prize Longlist Announced

Avon and Mushens Entertainment have have announced the 12 nominees who have made their longlist for inaugural Avon x Mushens Entertainment Prize. The prize is for writers from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds who are writing commercial novels. Launched on January 11th of this year, the competition accepted submissions from unpublished writers of color in the UK. The winner will receive a two-book deal with HarperCollins, a grant to support their writing career, and representation from Mushens Entertainment. Included in the longlist are: Spaghetti by Tamara Bugembe, Little White Lies by Farah Faqir, The Radiant Dark by Cheyanne-Joni Morris, Just So You Know by Betty-Maxine Onwuteaka and The Element of Trouble by Ivy Ngeow. Also featured is Double Blind by Perween Richards, The Country Ain’t Built for Us by Ayo Okoya, Bully by Dee Spencer, House of Olympus by Ingrid Banerjee Marvin, alongside Almost Strangers by Farrah Yusuf, How to Divorce a Psychopath by Angelina Melwani, and Ben & Gia by Ipsita Deb. A winner will be announced this fall.

Pandemic Reading Habits Survey Results

Two weeks ago, we asked readers to answer questions about how the pandemic had (or had not) changed reading habits. Here are the results of that survey.

Swords and Spaceships

Solving Your Own Murder, Dragon Slaying, and Other New Releases

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date July 26, 2021

New Releases

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters

This is not the first time that girls have gone missing in the woods, but Natasha is determined that her sister will be the last. Following rumors of supposed witchcraft, she asks Della for magical help to bring her sister home. But Della has her own fears that center on the woods, ones she keeps carefully secret–she believes the beast that takes the girls might in fact be her own mother, transformed by a spell gone wrong. With little to lose, they are each other’s only hope.

Far Out: Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Paula Guran

An anthology of science fiction and fantasy short stories from the last decade that includes a wide spectrum of queer identities and voices. Authors include Sam J. Miller, Amal El-Mohtar, Neon Yang, Charlie Jane Anders, and many more!

The Dying Squad by Adam Simcox

Detective Inspector Joe Lazarus thought he was going to take down a drug ring; instead, when he storms a farmhouse in Lincolnshire, he discovers his own corpse and a woman named Daisy-May who has some bad news and some good news for him. The bad news: yes, he’s dead, and she’s a spirit guide. The good news? She’s there to recruit him into the Dying Squad, a detective force of the recently dead, so at least his afterlife won’t be boring. His first mission: solve his own murder, and do it before his memories fade away to nothing.

Hold Fast Through the Fire by K.B. Wagers

The crew of Zuma’s Ghost, one of the Near-Earth Orbital Guard ships, has won the Boarding Games for their second year in a row, cementing their reputation as an absolutely unstoppable team. But in the wake of this victory, they find out their commander and their Master Chief are both retiring, so a change in dynamic is inevitable–but they get more disruption than they counted on in the form of Spacer Chae Ho-Ki, who has a dark past as a convict and an even darker secret. As the crew of Zuma’s Ghost struggles to find its equilibrium again, the Trappist colonies start a war, and the ship is directly in their sights.

Death Song of the Dragón Chicxulub by Rudy H. Garcia

La Muerta Blanca is a mysterious dragon-like ghostly creature that’s been stalking Central America since the days of the Aztecs, eating hearts and spreading terror. Now, Miguel Reilly comes to modern-day New Mexico and falls in with a shaman named Tomás, who shows him that he’s not “pure” Irish-American while trying to train this innocent nerd into a dragonslayer. Along his journey, Miguel meets a Maya med student named Maritza who has survived a brush with the spectral monster and come away with her own ambitions to slay it. Náhuatl codices lead the two to Chichén Itzá for a final, fantastical battle to slay a dragon and find themselves.

News and Views

The new Dune trailer has dropped

The Fantasy Hive does another round of 5-Star Books in 5 Words

Kate Elliott on adapting history into SFF

Interview with Chuck Wendig

Interview with Cassandra Khaw

Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan

Apex Magazine is running its 2022 fundraising Kickstarter

Haunted Objects in Women’s Weird Fiction

Season 13 trailer for Doctor Who

Wheel of Time is coming to Amazon in November

On Book Riot

2021 World Fantasy finalists announced

How rereading The Lord of the Rings helped me cope with my OCD

This month you can enter to win a $250 Barnes & Noble gift card, a Kindle Paperwhite, and a Kindle Oasis.

See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date July 26, 2021

Godspeed by Nickolas Butler

I’m a big fan of Butler’s work, and this one continued to hold my admiration. I love his gritty midwest storylines. This one is about three down-on-their-luck carpenters who are offered a ridiculous amount of money to finish building a house in the mountains outside of Jackson, Wyoming. The catch? The project must be finished in an almost impossible amount of time. Despite their reservations—Why wasn’t the house completed by the original builders? Who is the mysterious owner?—the men decide to take on the project, but bad luck and tragic consequences follow. It’s a frantic, dark tale of friendship and greed. It’s perfect for fans of Daniel Woodrell, Michael Farris Smith, and David Joy.

Backlist bump: The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler

Breathing Fire: Female Inmate Firefighters on the Front Line of California’s Wildfires by Jaime Lowe

And for you fans of nonfiction that cover an aspect of the world you’ve never considered before, this is a fascinating, devastating book. The size of California’s wildfires and the number of days they burn grows each year. Roughly 30 percent of the on-the-ground crews fighting the fires in the state now are inmates. Lowe spent years interviewing dozens of women who risked their lives for the state, as well as captains, family and friends, correctional officers, and camp commanders. She discusses the dangers of the work, for which the inmates earn a dollar a day, and the politics involved in such a program.

Backlist bump: Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout by Philip Connors

The Man Ban by Nicola Marsh

And here is an easy, breezy romance novel for those of you looking for a lighter pick today. After a terrible breakup, Harper Ryland decides to swear off dating and focus on her career. So of course, that’s when a handsome doctor appears in her life. At first, everything about Manny Gomes rubs her the wrong way, but when he appears while she’s working out of the country and she gets to know him better, Harper decides her ban doesn’t apply to international travel. But can they make things work when she returns home? (Admittedly, Harper’s ‘man ban’ doesn’t last very long, so the title is kinda silly, but the book will take your mind off the outside world for a while.)

Backlist bump: The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Say it with me now: YAY BOOKS. Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. – XO, Liberty

What's Up in YA

These New and Upcoming YA Anthologies Are 🔥🔥

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date July 26, 2021

Battle of the Bands edited by Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith (September 14)

The concept behind this anthology is genius and I cannot wait to read it. Taking place over the course of one event — a high school battle of the bands — fifteen authors and one musician weave interconnected stories about it. Authors include Jay Coles, Ashley Woodfolk, Preeti Chhiibber, and more.

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon

This book is such a delight. All of the stories are distinct, but each of them is tied together with the blackout, with intersecting secondary characters, and a giant Brooklyn block party. Each story is on its own except for Jackson’s, which is broken up across the book, mimicking the way her story is about a long walk across the city. Every story’s voice is distinct, as are the characters. There’s a wide variety of romances representing, queer and heterosexual, with an awesome range of gender identities.

Fools in Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales edited by Ashley Herring Blake and Rebecca Podos (December 7)

If you’re a fan of romance and specifically, love the tropes within the genre, then this book will be up your alley. The collection has fifteen stories, all featuring a range of tropes and happily ever afters. Among the rockstar contributors are Malinda Lo, Lilliam Rivera, Sara Farizan, and more.

Reclaim the Stars edited by Zoraida Córdova (February 15)

First, pause to admire the incredible cover on this one, designed by Olga Grlic and illustrated by Faye Guanipa. This collection of science fiction and fantasy reads explores the Latinx diaspora, and it features some of the most incredible Latinx YA authors working today. Among the 17 stories are pieces by Daniel José Older, Anna-Marie McLemore, and Mark Oshiro.

Up All Night edited by Laura Silverman

I’m old enough to remember the anthology called Up All Night from 2008, where a slate of rockstar authors shared stories of what kept them up all night. Silverman’s anthology, which shares the title, would pair really nicely with it. Instead of what keeps teens up all night, though, this collection is about what happens between dusk and dawn. Contributors include Nina LaCour, Brandy Colbert, Maurene Goo, and more.

Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed edited by Saraciea J. Fennell (September 14)

One of the most interesting and vital things to come from the wave of anthologies over the last half decade is how inclusive they are. Anthologies are a powerful space for historically underrepresented voices to come together and share both the similarities and differences in their experiences within any given identity. Fennell’s collection is a great example, wherein 15 writers from the Latinx diaspora have written essays and poetry about the wide range of experiences of being Latinx. Contributors include Meg Medina, Elizabeth Acevedo, Ibi Zoboi, and more.

Thanks for hanging out, and I hope you added some new reads to your TBR.

See you Thursday!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing and Song of the Forever Rains for making the newsletter possible today.

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Patricia Elzie
Post date July 26, 2021

Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual by Luvvie Ajayi Jones

This book is nonfiction self-help/self-improvement with a heavy dose of humor. It’s divided into three sections, Be, Say, and Do, and each section has a wealth of insight and advice.

The author begins by talking about the internal work we need to do if we are going to be successful in fighting our own fears. This ranges from dealing with our own insecurities to managing (and stopping) our self-sabotage and unpacking our loads of baggage.

One of the things I love so much about this book is that it is an ode to her grandmother, who sounds like an incredibly fierce, amazing, powerhouse of a woman. Jones brings in many anecdotes about her grandmother as well as many Nigerian cultural traditions that can, in turn, help all of us to fight our fears.

I appreciated when Jones wrote about how so many of us are told that we’re too much. Too loud. Too aggressive. Too passionate. Too intimidating. Too sensitive. And that when people are saying you’re too this or too that, what they’re really saying is, “Can you be less? Can you be less than you are? Can you make yourself small for me?” And surprise, the lesson here is that it’s not our job to shrink ourselves to make other people comfortable unless our too muchness is actually harming someone or hindering our own growth.

So much of this book is about owning your own awesomeness, fighting imposter syndrome, and doing things even if you are scared. There are two chapters in particular that I think are worth the price of admission: the chapter on asking for more and letting loved ones help you and the chapter on money and asking for what we are worth.

This book was funny, inspiring, and empowering and definitely one I’ll read more than once.

That’s it for now, book-lovers!

Patricia

Find me on Book Riot, the All the Books podcast, and Twitter.

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