Categories
111821-LBYREAC-Giveaways
Month: November 2021
Sponsored by Oni Press.
Fans new and old will love the brand-new deluxe collector’s edition of Mooncakes featuring a gorgeous new cover, introduction by Sarah Kuhn, and more! Teen witch Nova Huang spends her days working in her grandmothers’ spell bookshop and her nights hunting down the supernatural. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf and comes across her childhood crush, werewolf Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods.When Tam turns to Nova for help, their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It’s been so easy to get caught up in the soul-crushing weight of stress and ennui lately that I’m trying to find tiny little things to appreciate/enjoy each day. My pessimistic side is very confused by this, and I’m not sure if it’s working yet…but today, I’m wearing one of my favorite warm sweaters, and our Board approved for us to close early the day before Thanksgiving. So I got that going for me!
Also, if you or someone you know is looking for employment opportunities, Book Riot is hiring for an Advertising Sales Manager! Do you like books and comics? Does helping advertisers reach an enthusiastic community of book and comics lovers intrigue you? This might be your job. You can apply by December 5, 2021.
Okay, let’s library. (And get yourself a couple pieces of chocolate as you move through the Banned/Challenged Books section…it’s a long one.)
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
The Denton (TX) Public Library cancels its Rainbow Story Time due to safety concerns from community backlash.
New temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program could impact librarians with student loans.
Hawaii libraries seek security upgrades following a Covid pandemic crime wave.
The Spokane Public Library closed all branches last weekend after getting “concerning threats” on social media.
The Library of Congress is replacing its “aliens” and “illegal aliens” subject headings with “noncitizens” and “illegal immigration.”
Cool Library Updates
DeKalb (IL) Township has elected to cover the cost of library cards for all of its unincorporated residents. (Speaking as someone who works at an IL library with a lot of unincorporated residents, this is really cool.)
The soul of San Francisco rides on in this pedal-powered library.
The Eden Prairie (MN) Puzzle Library is the first of its kind.
Nemo the fish, who previously resided at the Domonkas Branch Library in Ohio, now lives at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, where he will be a part of the hospital’s mobile aquarium therapy program.
Worth Reading
The Library of Congress subject heading change doesn’t address the real issue.
Your trash for our books: Indonesian library creates literacy from litter.
Here are a few funny library tweets that’ll hit you in your soul with their accuracy.
Book Adaptations in the News
Jon M. Chu, the director of Crazy Rich Asians, will be directing the animated film adaptation of Oh, the Places You’ll Go!.
Jennifer Garner replaces Julia Roberts in The Last Thing He Told Me.
Scholastic’s The Royal Diaries series is being adapted for TV.
Over 25 romance novels by Brenda Johnson have been acquired for film and TV adaptations.
Netflix has secured the rights to Jodi Picoult’s Wish You Were Here.
Casting update for Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner.
Banned & Challenged Books
When the Anti-CRT movement comes for collections.
The South Carolina Association of School Libraries issued a statement on the censorship happening within the state’s school libraries.
Will Texas repeat a McCarthy-like investigation into what students read in schools?
A group of renowned Texas authors wrote an open letter to Governor Abbott condemning the banned book list issued in the state.
The Virginia Library Association shared two letters that it has sent recently in response to the ongoing censorship efforts.
Two Spotsylvania (VA) school board members advocated for literal book burning.
Related: “Conservatives are just openly endorsing book burning now.”
And: Is book burning only symbolic in 2021?
The Augusta County (VA) Library explains its book challenge and review process.
Parents file a recall petition against the Loudoun County (VA) School Board chair.
Lafayette (LA) libraries elect to keep This Book is Gay in the library, but have moved it to the adult nonfiction section, along with all of the other books in the teen nonfiction collection.
Craighead County Library’s battle against censorship.
The director of the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library (AK) has resigned. His resignation letter stated “Until recently, I have always enjoyed my employment at this library.”
The Lindbergh School District (MO) is conducting a review of several challenged books, including Crank, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, The Bluest Eye, All Boys Aren’t Blue, This Book is Gay, and Gender Queer.
Students strike back after Fun Home and All Boys Aren’t Blue were removed from school libraries in Kansas City Northland.
The Goddard School District (KS) reversed its decision to remove nearly 30 books from circulation.
The Indian River County School District (FL) has permanently removed All Boys Aren’t Blue from its library shelves, with 27 other books currently under review.
Flagler County School Board (FL) member Jill Woolbright filed a report with the Sheriff’s Office over an “obscene” book included in school libraries, after the superintendent and board attorney did not share her complaint with the other board members.
Downers Grove (IL) students rally to defend LGBTQ book as the school board hears objections over its content.
Parents speak at the Bristow Board of Education (OK) meeting on graphic reading materials in schools.
Governor McMaster (SC) calls for an investigation into Gender Queer being made available in schools.
In response, Greenville County (SC) schools will evaluate all illustrated novels in their collections.
An Urbandale (IA) parent files a formal complaint over the book Hey, Kiddo.
Books in school libraries remain a hot topic at the Hamilton County (TN) School Board.
A Kutztown (PA) meeting becomes heated over CRT and school library books.
How a Pride Month display evolved into a battle over censorship at the library.
“We’re preparing for a long battle:” Librarians grapple with conservatives’ latest efforts to ban books.
A librarian recommends talking about books, not banning them.
The debate over Gender Queer has become a focus of multiple GOP governor’s races.
Conservatives fight to ban this Black, queer memoir state-by-state.
NPR talked to two students who helped reverse their high school’s book ban.
Author George M. Johnson talks about their book All Boys Aren’t Blue being removed from libraries in at least 8 different states.
The banning of George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue speaks to a tiring history of Black censorship.
Can parents have books banned from school libraries? Usually not.
Parents shouldn’t seek to censor school library books that other parents’ kids might want to read.
Banning books and talks about race in schools won’t erase reality.
A war on books? Conservatives push for audits of school libraries.
Republicans seize on schools as a wedge issue to unite the party.
The danger of the new book-banning brigades.
School board book bans on LGBTQ issues and race are hurting, not helping, students.
Need a laugh? SNL weighed in on the book-banning debacle. (The book banning part starts at 2 minutes, but the previous 2 minutes are also funny.)
Books & Authors in the News
A New York State ethics panel revoked its approval that allowed Andrew Cuomo to write his book, and now he may need to forfeit millions of dollars earned from the publication.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Numbers & Trends
The lofty goals and short life of the antiracism book club.
The five-second book reviews going viral on TikTok.
Award News
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe wins the Baillie Gifford Prize.
Jesse Sutanto wins the Comedy Women in Print Prize for Dial A for Aunties.
Voting is open for the first round of the Goodreads Choice Awards 2021.
Pop Cultured
LeVar Burton is set to host a new Trivial Pursuit game show.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
Two Milwaukee sisters launched the pop-up bookstore La Revo Books to reinvent their community’s relationship with literature.
A new hub for Black books opens in a downtown Lansing smoothie shop.
On the Riot
What’s in the infrastructure bill for libraries?
This Rioter’s workplace joined the fine-free library movement (and here’s what they learned).
How libraries are helping the unhoused.
I was a middle school library volunteer.
Shel Silverstein, country songwriting legend.
The top 15 authors based on Goodreads stats.
Excel-lent ways to use pivot tables to look at your reading habits.
All the bookish announcements from Disney+ Day.
Don’t forget to check out our new podcast Adaptation Nation, all about TV and film adaptations of your favorite books!
Did you make it through the book banning wilderness? Go treat yourself and enjoy the weekend. I’ll catch you all next week.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.
Sponsored by Miami Book Fair.
Singing Even in the Dark Times: Four YA Authors on Historical Fiction
In One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite, two sisters embark on a journey to honor the memory of their social activist sister, killed under mysterious circumstances, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. Take a genre-bending journey through historical fiction with Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite, joined by some of the most thrilling YA authors, Tahereh Mafi, and Alex Wheatle.
JOIN THE PANEL
Sunday, November 21, 12:00 P.M. EST
Dear Book People,
Happy Thursday before Thanksgiving! I’m about to head out of town to see my cousin for the next week, so the next time you hear from me, I’ll be writing from somewhere else that’s not normally where I write from! How exciting! I have a lot of driving coming up, so I’m hoping to get a lot of audiobooks in over the next week or so. I will report back and let you know how it goes. How are you prepping for Thanksgiving? Dreaming of mashed potatoes? Baking apple pies? Pretending the whole holiday doesn’t exist? Or maybe you’re not in America and it actually doesn’t exist? Whatever the case, I hope you’re doing well, and I hope you’re ready for… *drumroll please* Book Radar.
❤️ Emily
Book Deals and Reveals
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Hi fellow horror fans. Tor Nightfire has released its extensive list of horror novels they’re looking forward to in 2022. If your TBR for 2022 isn’t long enough yet, you’ll want to check this out.
I love the cover of this middle grade novel! Author Shawn K. Stout tweeted the cover reveal of her new novel The Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle, out on May 10, 2022.
Voting for the Goodreads Choice Awards for 2021 is officially open! Get your votes in now! You have until the 28th to vote in the opening round.
Well Read Black Girl has a special cover reveal for you: It’s Ebony LaDelle’s upcoming novel Love Radio, available in May 2022.
Entertainment Weekly has got a special sneak peek at Sloane Crosley’s Cult Classic, which is, according to the author, “a romantic comedy set in a new age mind control cult on the Lower East Side.” This book will hit shelves on June 7, 2022.
Actress Kaitlyn Dever has posted a first-look image on Instagram of her character Rosaline in the upcoming Hulu film Rosaline, a comedic retelling of Romeo and Juliet, coming in 2022.
Author Chloe Gong has announced that in 2023, she will be making her adult fiction debut with Immortal Longings, the first in a new epic fantasy trilogy.
Disney+ Day last week included a lot of announcements for upcoming bookish material. Here’s a rundown of what’s coming!
Amazon has announced their picks for the best books of 2021!
Book Riot Recommends
I’m a Contributing Editor at Book Riot, I write the Today in Books newsletter, and I’m a Bibliologist for Book Riot’s Tailored Book Recommendations subscription service. I also have a PhD in English, so I’m basically a doctor of books. Books are my life, in other words, so in this section of the newsletter, let me share with you some upcoming books I’m super excited about. And I think you will be too!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Can’t Wait for This One
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (Sourcebooks, June 7, 2022)
The Woman in the Library doesn’t come out for another seven months, and already I can’t stop thinking about it. A locked room set inside of a library? Four strangers forced together, all with their own secrets? I want it now.
Let’s set the scene. It’s the reading room at the Boston Public Library. Everything is quiet and serene. Everyone is minding their own business. Then, out of nowhere, a scream shatters the calm. Security guards rush to investigate straight away, and they ask everyone else to remain where they are until they can figure out what happened. While stuck inside the reading room, four strangers who just happened to be sitting at the same table strike up a conversation. Each of them has their own reason for being in the reading room that day. And each of them has a secret. One of those secrets? One of them is the murderer.
If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced, high-tension mystery, this one is going to check those boxes. And if June 7 seems like a long time from now, go back and check out her previous books while you wait. 2017’s After She Wrote Him is another mystery with lots of bookish content.
Words of Literary Wisdom
“Apologies didn’t exonerate the sinner, only compelled graciousness from its recipient.”
— Nothing But Blackened Teeth, Cassandra Khaw
What’s Up in the Book Community?
My iPhone is constantly telling me I spend too much time staring at my screen, which is honestly so rude. But this means I spend a lot of time scrolling around the online book community: BookTube, Bookstagram, BookTok, BookLinkedIn (JK. That’s not a thing… I don’t think). You get the idea. Don’t have the time, energy, or the will to do all of that yourself? No problem. I got you. In this weekly section of Book Radar, we’ll take a look at something cool, interesting, and/or newsy that’s going on in the book community.
If you love a good book club, I’ve got a new one for you that’s worth checking out. I’ve already purchased several shirts and sweatshirts from Phenomenal. You can check out their current campaigns here. But now, Phenomenal is branching out into book club territory!
Phenomenal is partnering with Penguin Random House and Pulitzer Prize-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones for the first official book club selections of The 1619 Project and the kids’ companion book Born On The Water. If you’re interested in participating in the book club, you can RSVP here for a special online event with author Nikole Hannah-Jones and illustrator Nikkolas Smith in conversation with Meena Harris.
Additionally, Phenomenal has exclusive book club merch! Some of the sweatshirts are in partnership with local bookshops. Additionally, you can buy the book clubs books on their website.
Your Weekend Reading Soundtack
Hey, did y’all hear Taylor Swift has a new album out? Well I’m sorry, but that’s all I’m listening to right now. And I’ll also be watching the video for “All too Well” starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien. I have to.
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
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It’s Murray and Phantom on the cat tree yet again! And I love how Phantom is posing to show of his cute little white fluff.
If you’ve been around for a while, you probably know I have a third cat named Cersei. And you might be wondering where she’s been lately. Cersei is doing great. She’s just very camera shy. And especially as the weather gets colder, she’s been cuddling into her hiding places. I’ll try to get a new pic of the sweet girl soon!
And that’s all, book friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and we’ll speak again soon!
❤️ Emily
LeVar Burton to Host Trivial Pursuit Game Show
Former Reading Rainbow host and favorite of the book community LeVar Burton might not have landed Jeopardy, but he is now set to host a game show version of the classic trivia game Trivial Pursuit. Burton will also executive produce the game show with LBE’s Sangita Patel and Tara Long and Geno McDermott from Entertainment One (eOne), which is owned by Hasbro. “Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe,” Burton said. “I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television.”
Here’s an Excerpt from Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli’s Upcoming Novel Here’s to Us
Best-selling YA authors Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli collaborated in 2018 with the YA romance novel What if It’s Us. Now, the authors are working together again for the sequel, entitled Here’s to Us, which hits shelves on December 28th. Can’t wait til the end of December to find out what everyone’s favorite on-again off-again couple Ben and Arthur have been up to for the past couple of years? You can read an excerpt from the first chapter of the novel right now.
Watch the Final Trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home
The final trailer of Spider-Man: No Way Home is now out, and the new trailer reveals just how closely connected the Spider-Man universe is. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will be forced to face off against villain from past Spider-Man films: Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is intended to be the final film in this Spider-Man trilogy, is directed once again by Jon Watts, and it stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, and Marisa Tomei. Catch this movie only in theaters starting on December 17th—a month from today!
Amazon Announces Their Picks for the Best Books of 2021
Amazon has just released its editors’ picks for the best books of 2021, including their top 100 and picks from every genre.
Sponsored by Gilded by Marissa Meyer, with Fierce Reads.
All magic comes at a price, but love wasn’t meant to be part of the bargain. In Gilded, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.
Hey YA Readers!
The last week has sure been a mixed bag. For those of us who were young in the early 00s have seen some of the most shamed young women get freedom and find love (see: the end of conservatorship for Britney Spears, a marriage for Paris Hilton, and Jessica Simpson getting ownership of her name and brand again–it’s impossible, of course, not to see that the positive stories are cis, presumed-heterosexual white women.). But now, we’re seeing a war on young people, as right-wing groups attack their rights to access queer, Black, and Brown literature, as well as push back against mental health discussions and help in schools. It’s unbearably frustrating to see change happen at a glacial pace — change that will hopefully help the most vulnerable among us find their own autonomy — while seeing more and more efforts to stifle the rights of young people TO that autonomy.
I know I’ve shared this before and will continue to share, but there are things you can do to help support intellectual freedom and the rights of young people. This toolkit gives you action items, whether you have time and energy to invest or you are passionate, but have limited resources to utilize.
I’ll link to last week’s censorship news below, but I urge anyone who can to speak up and take action. You’re here because you love young adult literature, and as such, you’re a believer in the rights of teenagers. It’s impossible to divorce the two.
That all in mind and charge offered, let’s dig into this week’s YA book news and new books.
YA Book News
- George M. Johnson addresses the challenges to their book All Boys Aren’t Blue in Florida.
- This was a really interesting look at how Chloe Gong found success on TikTok with her book These Violent Delights.
- I do like the ways we’ve shifted from trilogies being the gold standard for book series in YA and moved toward more duologies.
- A prequel to We Were Liars by E. Lockhart is coming next spring.
- Some casting news for the adaptation of Loveboat, Taipei.
- A nice piece about YA author Ayana Gray (Beasts of Prey) from her local Little Rock news station.
- Uglies will hit screens next year.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
YA Books Out This Week
Please note that with supply chain issues, paper supply challenges, and the pandemic more broadly, publication dates are changing at a pace I can’t keep up with. Some release dates may be pushed back. If a book catches your attention, the smartest thing to do right now is to preorder it or request it from your library. It’ll be a fun surprise when it arrives.
Hardcover
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The Diamond Keeper by Jeannie Mobley
Game Changer by Abbi Glines (series)
The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee (series)
Our Violet Ends by Chloe Gong (series)
Paperback
Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen
Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins
Making a Play by Abbi Glines (series)
This Week at Book Riot
- Danika’s anti-censorship manifesto about queer books is essential reading. This is a reminder of how much queer literature has grown just over the last half-decade. I helped with one of Malinda Lo’s queer book count projects and remember when she stopped doing them because it’d become hard to quantify any longer.
- A Rioter talked about how YA horror inspired a love of reading.
- Why do so many young readers love VC Andrews? (I dug these books so much).
- Dark novels in verse, including a number of great YA titles.
- Given the perennial popularity of vampires and werewolves in YA, this deep dive into the history of those creatures in the UK and Ireland is definitely worth a read.
- Great new YA books about cheerleading.
- PEN America’s new report on the state of educational gag orders is eye-opening.
- Finally, here’s a look at (…some of) last week’s book censorship news.
Thanks for hanging out, y’all. Because next week is a holiday week here in the US, I’m going to take a week off nonfiction discussion for a roundup of some great YA gift ideas for the gifting season. I’ll come back to nonfiction the following Monday, since I don’t want to shortchange highlighting these excellent reads.
Happy reading!
— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram.
Categories
Thanksgiving Romances
Sponsored by M. Lee Prescott, author of the 11 book “Morgan’s Run” Series.
A woman is the last thing on Ben Morgan’s mind as he comes home to Morgan’s Run, then he runs into Maggie Williams on Main Street, prompting vivid memories of a magical night. Father of her beloved five-year-old daughter, he is the last person Maggie expects to have crash into her car and back into her life. She has struggled to forget him and to make a life for herself and her daughter, Emma, the mirror image of her father, who is unaware of her existence. Maggie swears Ben Morgan will never break her heart again.
Welcome to the Kissing Books newsletter. Hope your spirit is doing well. I’m P.N. Hinton, your companion through the world of romance. Whether or not this is your first time or you’re a regular I’m glad to have y’all here.
As a quick reminder, there will not be a newsletter next Thursday, as that is Thanksgiving for America. So you’ll only hear from me once that week. I hope that, if you’re celebrating, that next week is full of fun relaxing downtime for you.
Romance Reflection
This thoughtful tweet from Olivia Dade tugged at all my heart strings. Jayne Ann Krentz’s Trust Me was probably the first outwardly contemporary romance novel I read as a young book dragon. And I remember this because I got this book from a student teacher in middle school who had observed me reading in class one day. She left it with a note that basically came down to, “I love seeing young readers, so keep at it. But also pay attention in class and read later.” Which is fair because I was and still am terrible at math.
But being a fan of JAK and her historical counterpart Amanda Quick isn’t the only reason this struck all those chords. It’s because the underlying thought, for me, is that kindness goes a long way. Something that in the grand scheme may have just a few hours on a random day to that author stayed with Dade for years.
This is one thing I love about the romance genre: the willingness to really listen and give back to your fans. Now, that isn’t to say that all romance authors are like that because we know that’s not the case. Nor is it to say that no other genres do this, so please don’t come for me with pitchforks. But I very rarely hear about it happening as often it does here.
Not only did JAK retain a lifelong fan that day, but she also got a reader who would forever sing her praises and recommend her to others. And that is a gift that keeps on giving. Kindness goes a long way and this recollection helped to show that.
Book Riot Romance:
The latest episode of When in Romance with the first round of reader recommendations.
Jess also wrote this round up of cozy romances.
Rioter Isabelle has a wish list for romance novels destinations.
Don’t forget to give a listen to Adaptation Nation, Book Riot’s latest podcast!
Around the Web in Romance
There is currently an auction going on to help romance writer Chencia C.Higgins, who is currently in a tough spot in her life. If you’re an author who wants to donate you can at this link. And if you want to see what is up for auction you can click here.
Entertainment Weekly came out with their choices for the best romances of 2021.
Here’s more from Olivia Dade on why fat representation is important in romance
How much do you love romance novels? Take this fun quiz and find out. I’m a Swooner!
Here’s a list of romance books that one editor wishes was getting more attention. While I believe that the second and last one is doing just fine, I agree with the rest.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Recommendations
Next week is Thanksgiving for us here in America and I am looking forward to it. I’m hoping to see my blood family for the day since it has been almost two years since we’ve all gathered. But, if not, I still plan on a relaxing day watching TV and spending time with my small immediate family.
The older I get, I really do enjoy Thanksgiving possibly over other holidays. The act of cooking and eating with loved ones is always a welcome respite from the rest of the year as is taking a nap after eating and then waking up for round two or more desserts. There’s nothing that is tradition in our family, like waking up early to watch the Macy’s Day Parade, or turning it to Hallmark to start watching Christmas movies while decorating the tree. But still, being with loved ones, for me anyways, is a tradition in and of itself.
Which leads me to the recommendations for this week, which are romances that take place around Thanksgiving. While Christmas still gets more than the lion’s share for romance settings, there are quite a few Thanksgiving ones out there, a trend I hope keeps increasing in the next few years. Because it’s nice to be thankful for what we have before moving on to what we want.
A Match Made for Thanksgiving by Jackie Lau
Nick is loving his single life in Toronto so much that he always reluctantly returns home to Mosquito Bay for the holidays. This year though, a surprise is waiting for him and his siblings since they all have blind dates waiting for them. As Fate would have it, his brother’s date is Lily, Nick’s most recent one night stand, and the one he can’t seem to forget about no matter what.
Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown
Keighley is tired of her aunt giving her mom flack about Keighley’s sexual orientation. So she decides to hire Brooke as her fake girlfriend for Thanksgiving dinner. However, between fake dating, real kissing, and dog napping, both women wonder if this could be the start of something more.
A McClendon Thanksgiving by Sean D. Young
Faith returns home to Chicago, determined to make her fashion designing dreams come true. There she runs into childhood friend, Michael, who has always been sweet on Faith. Still hurting from a nasty divorce, Faith isn’t looking for love at all. Will Michael be able to prove to her that their second chance romance may be a risk worth taking?
And that’s it for today. I’ll be back Monday with another edition of the newsletter. Until then, you can follow me on Twitter under @PScribe801. I hope that you have a wonderful relaxing weekend. Happy reading!
Sponsored by Tor Books.
In her short story collection, bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky) upends genre cliches and revitalizes classic tropes with heartfelt and often pants-wettingly funny social commentary. The stories in this collection, by their very outrageousness, achieve a heightened realism unlike any other. Anders once again proves she is one of the strongest voices in modern science fiction, the writer called by Andrew Sean Greer “this generation’s Le Guin.”
I’m back! I had a very relaxing week off, and I’m glad to see Our Queerest Shelves was in good hands with Jess. I had a hot stone massage for the first time! It was great, though that might be because I have a high heat tolerance and like my showers just on this side of scalding, so it was soothing. I can’t promise this newsletter will be soothing, though, because book bans of LGBTQ books are on the rise in the U.S.
Which is the perfect segue into today’s charity, Pride and Less Prejudice, which provides LGBTQ-inclusive books to K-3 classrooms. This is a great, productive way of opposing censorship in schools. Here’s their donation page to help out!
LGBTQ BookTok Accounts To Follow
I’m going to be honest with you, there’s a lot of bad queer book news this week. A lot of censorship, a lot of homophobia and transphobia. I could write a dozen ranting think pieces about them (and I just might), but right now, I want to do what I always do when I feel overwhelmed: scroll through TikTok.
Of course, I started following queer BookTok accounts when I downloaded the app, because of who I am. Now I’m bombarded with all kinds of stuff (birates, feminist pottery, hoola hoopers — even some people dancing, occasionally), but my home on TikTok is queer BookTok. I have only dipped my toe in and am not an expert, but here are some of the creators I really enjoy, and I think you will, too!
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Of course, I had to start with Laynie Rose of TheLaynieRose. Her sound is where I got the title of my post about queer BookTok: “It’s Gay and It Slaps:” TikTok’s Favorite LGBTQ Books. They are a lesbian bookseller who talks about queer books she’s read and loved (especially YA), the bookselling life, and some of their personal life.
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One of the most popular queer BookTok creators is Jacob of A Very Queer Book Club. He does lots of short, upbeat videos about queer books, usually under 30 seconds.
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I appreciate Drea of DreaReads introducing some negative criticism to queer BookTok as well. Although she talks about the book she loves, she also calls out bigotry on TikTok and harmful representation, including in queer books.
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Johnee of JohneePixels7 bring such enthusiasm to his videos that you can’t help but smile when you watch them. His videos include a lot of humor as well as great LGBTQ book recommendations.
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And of course I couldn’t leave out Jaysen of Ezeekat. His videos are fun, funny, and frequent! In additional to queer books, he also talks about anime, Disney, games, his other nerdy interests.
Those are just a few of the great BookTok accounts that champion queer books, but hopefully that helps you discover some awesome creators! Now I just need to try to talk myself down from starting to make my own videos… this is BookTube all over again…
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
LGBTQ Book Ban News
- Librarians are fighting back against conservative attacks on LGBTQ books.
- A South Carolina Governor sent a letter to South Carolina Superintendent of Education asking her to “begin a comprehensive investigation into the presence of obscene and pornographic materials in public schools in South Carolina,” naming Gender Queer as an example.
- School board book bans on LGBTQ issues and race are hurting, not helping, students.
- After attempted bans of LGBTQ books from their schools, LGBTQ students in Kenai, Alaska plead for a safe learning environment.
- Central York LGBTQ students speak out against the attempted bans of LGBTQ books in the district: “What I witnessed happen here at last week’s meeting was unnerving and unsettling, not just because of the hate that was expressed, but because nobody here seemed to bat an eye or care at all. But if this can continue, as students we will not put up with the blatant disregard for our well-being and our safety because many parents view us as a threat.”
- A Denton, Texas library had to cancel its Rainbow Storytime for safety concerns after they received backlash for featuring trans-inclusive books like Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall.
- After a school board member last week advocated for burning LGBTQ books, dozens of students, librarians, and others came forward to defend the books in the next meeting, leading to 4 and a half hours of public discussion. At midnight, there were still people waiting to speak, but the meeting was ended. There was also a petition for the school board member’s removal that gathered over 1,000 signatures.
- Florida school board member attempts to file charges over LGBTQ library book.
- North Kansas City has banned two LGBTQ books from school libraries: Fun Home and All Boys Aren’t Blue.
- The National Coalition Against Censorship spoke out about the censoring of Gender Queer in Pennsylvania’s Wissahickon School District.
- Here is some context for three of the queer books that keep getting banned from schools: Gender Queer, All Boys Aren’t Blue, and Lawn Boy.
All the Links Fit to Click
- You can download and print out the new cover for Melissa by Alex Gino (previously published as George), or you can request a sticker to paste over the old cover!
- Queer fans react to Superman’s son and Robin being bisexual.
- Trans witch stories are powerful.
- Here are some must-read books for queer people during a climate crisis.
- Read these queer boarding school YA books and these queer time travel YA books.
- These books by trans and non-binary authors should be on your TBR.
- Queer and Jewish identity are the heart of Where the Wild Things Are.
- No straight lines: Alison Bechdel and the unstoppable rise of queer comics
- Rebecca Podos, author of From Dust, A Flame, interviews Rebecca Kim Wells, author of Briar Girls.
LGBTQ Book Riot Posts
- Students Petition for Library Books, School Board Members Want to Burn LGBTQ+ Titles, and More Censorship News
- After reading all those LGBTQ book ban attempts, I wrote this in a rage: Queer Books are a Hydra: An Anti-Censorship Manifesto
- 9 Binary-Breaking Books by Intersex Authors
- From the vault: 2021 LGBTQ Books by Black Authors
- The Best LGBTQ+ Book Subscription Boxes
- Don’t forget to check out our new podcast Adaptation Nation!
New Releases This Week
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo (Sapphic Space Opera)
This queer space opera is being pitched as Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off. I was already intrigued by the title, but now? Sold. Niko and her former unit just want to retire from combat and run their kitchen, The Last Chance, in peace. Instead, they get pulled on board a sentient spaceship that thinks it’s being stolen and have to do battle with a sadistic pirate king.
Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells (Bisexual YA Fantasy)
Lena hasn’t had a great life. Anyone she touches dies, which has meant that her family has been on the run to keep her in hiding. Then, she meets a girl who emerges from The Silence, a magical and deadly forest. Miranda is from Gather, a city of magic, and she promises that a cure for Lena’s curse can be found there. All she has to do is help Miranda to find and awaken the sleeping princess, who is destined to overthrow the corrupt power that controls Gather. But Miranda is hiding things from her, and everyone she meets in The Silence has their own secrets and motives.
Marry Me by Melissa Brayden (F/F Romance)
Sweet Surprise by Jenny Frame (F/F Romance)
Holiday Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses by M. Ullrich (F/F Romance)
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Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky (Queer, Gender Questioning YA Contemporary) (Paperback Release)
The Year I Stopped Trying by Katie Heaney (Sapphic YA Contemporary)
Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights #2) by Chloe Gong (M/M, Trans YA Fantasy)
Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro (F/F YA Fantasy) (Paperback Release)
Adachi and Shimamura Vol. 7 by Hitoma Iruma, illustrated by Non (F/F Light Novel)
There Are Trans People Here by H. Melt (Trans Poetry)
That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at my bi and lesbian book blog, the Lesbrary, as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books or you can read my Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Danika
Categories
111721-TheWolf-OS:Giveaway
We’re giving away five copies of The Wolf by J.R. Ward to five lucky Riot readers!
Enter here for a chance, or click the image below!
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In the next installment of the Prison Camp series, things get steamy when Lucan, a wolven forced into bartering drug deals for the infamous Prison Colony, meets Rio, the second in command for the shadowy Caldwell supplier. After a deal goes awry, Lucan swoops in to save Rio from certain death. As shocking truths unfurl, Rio is uncertain of who to trust and what to believe—but with her life on the line, true love rears its head and growls in the face of danger.
Sponsored by Amazon Publishing.
Isabel is a successful sculptor living in Chicago. But when her estranged mother dies, she’s forced to face her brutal childhood growing up in the West Virginia hills, a past that not even her husband knows. Back on the land she has inherited, she’s flooded with memories of the forest where she roamed free, of her beloved lost brother, and of the house where she grew up. Her mother has left her another legacy, too, which reveals secrets that Isabel is only beginning to understand. From Joy Castro comes a heartbreaking and triumphant novel of old wounds and family secrets.
Hello, audiophiles! Kendra here. Down here in the South Carolina Lowcountry, we’re enjoying some cooler weather—time to break out the jackets! I love the South, but it definitely limits the length of time I can wear my fall wardrobe.
But even before I broke out the chilly weather gear, I’ve been head-over-heels in love with fall cooking. This year, I’ve been perfecting my spicy carrot soup recipe. Blended cooked carrots and almond milk with cayenne, pumpkin spice, and salt—presto! Then you have the perfect fall soup. I love listening to Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat while I cook.
Gwen is FINALLY fully vaccinated with her puppy vaccines, so we have been taking her all over creation. On our first big fall excursion, my spouse and I took Dylan and Gwen out to a nature preserve. They frapped through fall leaves as Sam and I kept an eye out for alligators and snakes in the wetlands. They snuffled every inch of the trail, joyfully dragging us to get a good whiff of every smelly, dead thing. We had a great time.
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Win Me Something by Kyle Lucia Wu
On my fall walks around my neighborhood while Dylan and Gwen fight over who gets to choose where we go next, I like to listen to something on the more peaceful side of things. Perhaps subconsciously I’m trying to restore balance to the universe. One of my recent listens was Win Me Something by debut author Kyle Lucia Wu. The print edition of the novel is out now from Tin House, one of my favorite indie presses.
Wu’s debut follows WIlla, a 20-something biracial Chinese American woman trying to find a direction for her life. When she was small, her parents split, remarried, and started new families with their new partners. Since then, Willa has never felt as if she belonged anywhere.
At the start of the story, Willa finds a new job as a nanny to a white, well-off couple living in Manhattan. Their daughter, Bijou, loves to cook. But since she’s only around nine years old, she needs a lot of help. As Willa cooks with her charge, she begins to feel like she belongs.
The narrative frequently flashes back to Willa’s childhood with meals seated around one table or another. A backroom bar with her dad, a plate of sweet breakfast food with her mom, her grandmother teaching her how to make a family recipe—each of these moments represent a moment where Willa felt incredibly close to her parents, yet still never completely part of their lives.
Natalie Naudus, a new favorite audiobook narrator of mine, performs Win Me Something, perfectly capturing Willa’s insecurities and inner angst about where she belongs in the world. I will definitely be picking up more audiobooks Naudus performs, so stay tuned!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
New Releases!
A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago
Frances Howard meets the astute, diminished Anne Turner in the Jacobean Court. They strike up a friendship and their fates become intertwined. Political intrigue, marriage proposals, and backroom deals—this work of historical fiction has it all.
Narrated by Sarah Durham (The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce and Whispers of Scandal by Julie Corbin)
Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
I adore Africanfuturist author Nnedi Okorafor and her fantastical stories. In Noor, we meet Anwuli Okwudili, though she prefers to be called AO. Through a series of issues with her birth and an accident shortly after her birth, AO feels artificial, like her disabled body makes her less human. To her, AO stands for artificial organism. But then, AO comes to accept all that she is: a disabled woman who uses necessary accommodations to live her life.
Narrated by Délé Ogundiran (Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham)
All the Feels by Olivia Dade
Alexander Woodroe knows his star is falling. After a bar fight, his job and his very career, is on the line. Lauren Clegg has been hired to keep him in line so he has no more drunken fights. This is a romance novel. We know where this is heading. But it’s sure to be one heck of a ride.
Narrated by Kelsey Navarro (Loud Mouth by Avery Flynn and Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan)
Even Greater Mistakes: Stories by Charlie Jane Anders
Nebula award-winning author Charlie Jane Anders is back with her third book this year (my goodness!), Even Greater Mistakes. In this short story collection, we meet a range of characters, all with their own fantastical adventures to experience.
Narrated by Luis Moreno, Maria Liatis, and Jen Richards (One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus and Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova)
The Teller of Secrets by Bisi Adjapon
Esi Agyekum somehow finds herself the one everyone in her family goes to with their secrets. But as she grows up from girlhood into a young woman, she begins to wonder why men and women’s secrets have different consequences.
Narrated by Anniwaa Buachie (Accra Noir edited by Nana-Ama Danquah)
Over on Book Riot
“Quiz: Design Your Perfect Concert and Get a Graphic Novel on Audio” by Laura Sackton
“More Audiobook Adventures with Animal Crossing: New Horizons” by Kendra Winchester – I share about how I LOVE to listen to audiobooks while playing Animal Crossing. This latest installment is all about the new update!
Don’t forget to check out our new podcast Adaptation Nation, all about TV and film adaptations of your favorite books!
Around the Web
“Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Novels Are Getting New, Star-Studded Audiobooks” (Gizmodo) – “Penguin Random House has announced that it has commissioned new audiobook recordings of all 40 Discworld novels, using a variety of British stars to bring them to life.”
“Sweden’s Storytel Buys Audiobooks.com” (Publisher’s Weekly)
“Spotify’s next chapter will bring audiobooks to the streaming service” (TechRadar) – Spotify keeps adding to the audio content they offer. Find out more in their press release.
That’s it for this week! Feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com or say hi over on Instagram @kdwinchester. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy listening, bookish friends!
~ Kendra
Categories
111721-21stCenture-RR
Sponsored by National Geographic Books
The best photographs of the first 21 years of the 21st century take center stage in this incredible volume of National Geographic’s world-famous imagery. In just two short decades of the 21st century, National Geographic has ushered in a new era of visual storytelling excellence, including innovations in digital, drone, and smartphone photography, and reached out to a global audience through one of the world’s most popular Instagram accounts, @NatGeo.