Dear Book Friends,
Hello and welcome to another Book Radar written from an airport. I am in between flights right now, but lemme tell you… I was reading Catriona Ward’s Sundial on the last flight, and it was a wild ride. Read anything good lately? I’m always happy to hear about it. And now for what’s up in the book world.
Book Deals and Reveals
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Elissa Bassist, essayist and editor of the column “Funny Women” on The Rumpus, has a memoir coming out. It’s called Hysterical, and here’s the cover reveal! You can get this one on September 13th.
Ian McEwan, the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of Atonement, has got a new novel coming out. Oprah Daily has the exclusive cover reveal of Lessons, which also comes out in September.
And here’s the cover reveal for Oceans Echo, a space adventure novel from the author of Winter’s Orbit. This book will be out from Macmillan in November!
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been cast as the male lead in the Apple limited series The Last Thing He Told Me, based on the novel of the same name by Laura Dave.
America’s Next Top Model fans, check out what Nyle DiMarco has to say about his new memoir Deaf Utopia.
Polity Books will be publishing Serhii Rudenko’s biography of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky this summer.
State Street Pictures has optioned the comic book Assassin & Son for development as a film.
May the 4th was Star Wars day. And Disney celebrated by releasing a full trailer for the new series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
And here’s the latest trailer for the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon.
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!
Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen (William Morrow & Company, June 7th)
I don’t know about y’all, but around this time of year, I start craving fun, fast-paced contemporary fiction that will keep the pages turning, but is still super smart. And, hello, just like magic, Kirsten Chen’s Counterfeit is serving exactly what I asked for. This one’s out June 7th—that’s less than a month from now!—so make some space on your shelves for this one ASAP.
Asian American lawyer Ava Wong has always played by the rules. She’s got a dream career, a successful surgeon husband, a son, a beautiful home—why would she ever color outside the lines when her strait-laced, rule-abiding life has gotten her everything she could ask for?
Well. Turns out the life she asked for isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. Her marriage is falling apart. She hasn’t used her law degree in years. Oh, and motherhood? It’s a lot harder than it looks.
That’s where Ava’s Chinese friend Winnie Fang comes in. Winnie was Ava’s college roommate, but she dropped out of college for reasons unknown, and Ava hasn’t seen her since. Now, when she pops back up 20 years later, Winnie is no longer the shy, awkward girl Ava remembers from school. She’s confident, exudes wealth and glamour, and is running a highly successful counterfeit handbag scheme. Now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to manage her business, and Ava seems like the perfect target… ahem, I mean, the perfect person for the job.
Counterfeit is full of funny moments and surprises that make it fun to read. But it’s also got smart and thought-provoking messages to share about women’s roles in society and the myth of the model minority.
What I’m Reading This Week
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Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Monday Memes
What type of reader are you? I, sadly, am often this last guy, unless the book is really good. Don’t judge me!
And Here’s A Cat Picture
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Ahhh! While I was in D.C., I had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite cat cafes, Crumbs and Whiskers. I got lots of glorious cat pictures, and it was so hard to choose which one to share with you. But this kitten was one of my favorites.
Her name is Raspberry, and she was so, so, so sweet and outgoing. She just ran right up to me, and I got a lot of cute pics of her.
Her sister Gooseberry was a little timid, but still wonderful. In fact, I found Gooseberry hiding under a pile of pillows. Once she came out and warmed up to me, I felt really special. And yeah, I posted a pic of us together over on Instagram, if you want a bonus pic. Gooseberry and I are BFFs.
I also picked up this shirt while I was there. Hey, all the $$ goes back to the kittens, so how could I not? If you wanna help save the kitties, you can buy Crumbs & Whiskers merch online too!
On Thursday, I’m heading to the Pacific Northwest to pop by Seattle and Portland, so next time I write to you will probably be from the airport yet again! More time for travel reading, I guess. And, yes, more cat cafes.
Have a wonderful week!
💙 Emily