Sponsored by The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf, on sale January 25.
Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. It would be perfect, if not for that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered and a girl disappeared. As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls. Then she discovers a child in the snow. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought.
And so it goes. It’s Monday again.
Hi everyone! Welcome to another round of book news, book chatting, book contemplating, and cats. That’s what we’re all about here at Book Radar, and we’re so glad you’re here. “We” is just “me,” but I thought it sounded more official if I said “we.” I don’t know. It’s 2022. No one knows what’s going on anymore.
But I do know about books, so let’s talk about them.
❤️ Emily
Book Deals and Reveals
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Paramount Pictures has landed the rights to Tomi Adeyemi’s best-selling YA series Children of Blood and Bone. Adeyemi announced on Instagram that she would be writing and executive producing the film adaptation. Furthermore, the author announced that she is nearly finished with the third book in the series. Readers should expect book 3 to be published in 2023.
Here’s the cover reveal for Berlin, the upcoming novel from Bea Setton. This one’s coming out from Doubleday Books in July.
We’ve also got another cover reveal from Tordotcom Publishing: Self-Portrait with Nothing by Aimee Pokwatka. This debut novel is coming out in October.
Cindy Cheung has joined the cast of Loveboat, Taipei, an upcoming film based on the YA novel by Abigail Hing Wen.
Here’s the cover reveal for Tom Angleberger’s latest graphic novel Two-Headed Chicken, coming to bookshelves everywhere in September. This is the first graphic novel Angleberger both wrote and illustrated.
Shadow and Bone season 2 has started filming in Budapest, and four new cast members have been announced for the new season!
Harlequin has launched Harlequin Plus, a new multimedia subscription service offering subscribers monthly book bundles, access to an e-book library, and movies and games.
Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai have joined the cast of Batgirl, Warner Bros. and DC Film’s feature for HBO Max. The movie is currently in production in Glasgow.
Here’s the trailer for HBO Max’s The Girl Before. The limited series is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by JP Delaney, and it stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo.
The televised battle-of-the-books Canada Reads has announced its longlist of potential picks for 2022. Get all of the details here!
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!
Prepare Your Shelves!
The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson (Del Ray Books, February 1)
Delilah S. Dawson is a comic book writer, a children’s/middle grade author, and she writes adult novels too. Like the author herself, The Violence, Dawson’s latest novel, is doing a whole lot of things. It’s science fiction, it’s dystopian, it’s social commentary, it’s a thriller, it’s horror… and as the title suggests, it’s very, very bloody and violent. So those who get a little squeamish when it comes to gore, proceed with caution. Trigger warnings for many things, including domestic violence, torture, and abuse. The author does include a note about the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, so maybe take a look at that before reading if you’re concerned this book might not be for you.
Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way. What is The Violence about? This book is set in a near future where the world is hit with an all new pandemic. The Violence is spread by mosquitoes, and once you’re infected, you’re filled will an unrelenting desire to kill. Once the infected have killed, they snap out of their trance and are completely horrified by the chaos they have caused.
For most people, this sounds like a nightmare. But for Chelsea Martin, The Violence might just be her only means of escape. From the outside, it appears as if Chelsea lives a perfect life with her perfect husband and two daughters. But her beautiful home is actually a prison. Her husband holds her captive and has taken away her every last freedom. Will she be able to use the spread of the violence to rescue herself and protect her daughters?
The Violence is a page-turning thriller that also offers up commentary on the politics of pandemics, which might hit too close to home for some at the moment. Especially because this book directly addresses the COVID-19 pandemic. But for me? It’s cathartic to read about this kind of thing. In addition to the social commentary and the thrilling story, Dawson’s characters are expertly drawn and felt incredibly real. Of course this makes the tense moments feel even more unbearably tense, and the character arcs feel earned. The Violence is a dark but rewarding read!
What I’m Reading This Week
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Let’s Get Physical by Danielle Friedman
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body by Megan Milks
Miss Me With That by Rachel Lindsay
Wahala by Nikki May
Monday Memes
This Monday’s meme is from our very own Book Riot’s instagram page. You know, these folks might be onto something. And I relate to this so much!
Other Things That Make Me Happy
So if I haven’t made this clear already, one thing I love almost as much as books? Movies. Sundance Film Festival is entirely online this year, which I know is bad news because it means Covid has made it unsafe to hold the festival in person. But it is also good news for my dad and me, who now get to enjoy the festival virtually and spend some quality time watching some movies together online while we can’t be together in person! Tickets for the festival are on sale now, so if you also love movies, check it out!
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
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Here’s Cersei in one of her favorite places: in the window basking in the sunshine. Today was a beautiful day, and I’m so happy my sweet girl got to spend time enjoying the sun.
I hope you all get some time in the sun this week too! Take advice from Cersei and cherish the sunshine. Cats always have the best ideas.
And with that, we enter into another new week, friends! I hope it’s a good one for you. I’m rooting for you! Until next time!
❤️ Emily