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From Karen M. McManus, the bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying, comes a brand-new pulse-pounding thriller. Three old friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly—fatally—wrong. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it’s about to get worse. It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common . . . like a connection to the dead kid. And they’re all hiding something. Could it be that their chance reconnection wasn’t chance after all?
Hi Book People!
I’m still in Belfast, holding it down. And yes, we’re being as safe as possible. I hope everyone else out there is being safe as well. Seems like a good time to maybe stay inside with a warm cup of coffee or cider or mulled wine and read a few good books? I know I’ve got my mulled wine and a nice stack of reading to do. And if you’re wondering what books are coming to get excited about as we continue through these cold winter months and these weird times that are the 2020s, well, stick around. I’ve got Book Radar info for you.
Quick correction to Thursday’s newsletter: Sarah Gailey’s pronouns are they/them.
💚 Emily (it’s green for Ireland)
Book Deals & Reveals
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Here’s the cover reveal for Josh Malerman’s upcoming novel Daphne, which is available for preorder right now.
Janelle Monáe has written a collection of short stories based on the Afrofuturistic world of her album Dirty Computer. The book is called The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories from Dirty Computer, and you can read all about it here.
OMG fellow Ghostbusters fans. In November 2022, we’re getting an awesome new book about the in-depth history of the Ghostbusters movies. It’s called A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, and here’s a cover reveal. I am nerding out right now.
Goodreads has revealed the cover of the upcoming novel from Christina Lauren, Something Wilder, which will go on sale on May 17th, 2022.
We’ve also got a cover reveal of Yassmin Abdel-Magied’s upcoming essay collection Talking About A Revolution, coming May 31st, 2022.
Jo Nesbo’s dark corporate thriller Headhunters, which was adapted in 2011 as a film starring Aksel Hennie and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is getting a TV series adaptation, set to premiere in 2022.
Poet, essayist and author Saeed Jones recently shared the title piece from his forthcoming book, Alive at the End of the World, which is hitting shelves in 2022.
Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films and Lulu Wang’s Local Time are partnering to develop the comedy series The Son of Good Fortune, an adaptation of Lysley Tenorio’s novel of the same name, for Amazon.
Laverne Cox has joined the cast of the Netflix film Uglies, an adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s bestselling novel of the same name.
Here are the 51 most read books in the 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge. How many of them did you read this year?
Oh, and it’s the beginning of December! So check out your horoscope and your book recommendations.
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!
Prepare Your Shelves!
Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho (Viking, January 4, 2022)
I’m a sucker for a good book about complicated, dynamic, and deeply felt female friendships. And as you’ve probably guessed by the title of this novel, the gorgeous book cover, and the introduction I just gave to this book, Jean Chen Ho’s Fiona and Jane is a really, really good book about a complicated, dynamic, and deeply felt female friendship.
Fiona Lin and Jane Shen have been best friends since the second grade. Both Fiona and Jane are Taiwanese American women growing up in Los Angeles with different but equally tumultuous family lives. As with most friendships, there are moments in time when Fiona and Jane grow closer to one another, and other periods of time where they drift apart. This is a novel told in short stories about these different moments in their friendship. And while each section of this novel works as its own separate story/vignette, ultimately the entire book works as a whole to paint a vivid portrait of friendship, love, loss, and coming of age in contemporary America.
Fiona and Jane comes out from Viking on January 4, 2022, so make space for this one on your shelves and on your TBR list right now. This is Jean Chen Ho’s debut novel/short story collection, and I’m already looking forward to seeing what this author will do next.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
What I’m Reading This Week
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No Exit by Taylor Adams
Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett
Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
Murakami T by Haruki Murakami
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo
Monday Memes
Did you miss memes last week? They’re back. This one is absolutely relatable. Do not talk to me while I’m reading. Or writing. Or just waking up. You know what? Just don’t talk to me.
Other Things That Make Me Happy
It’s December, which means this month, what’s making me the most happy is all the delicious Christmas foods I’m going to be eating. If you’re like me and you’re really annoyed that Starbucks got rid of their gingerbread latte, fear not! Last year, I discovered this recipe to make a delicious gingerbread latte at home, and it’s been getting me through the tough times.
I guess I should also take this moment to say my Nespresso machine makes me very happy. Thanks, Dad, for the birthday present last year. Yes, my dad reads this newsletter.
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
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Fun fact: my cat Murray is a skilled pole dancer.
And no, he won’t teach me his ways. I guess we just have to marvel at the wonder that is Murray and try not to ask too many questions about how or why he is the way he is.
Meow.
That’s all I’ve got for you today, friends! I hope you have a wonderful week. Be kind to yourself. Pet a cat.
💚 Emily