Hello, my Tuesday friends! It’s me, the book-loving human Muppet, back to wave my arms about books again. First, I want to tell you that if you have listened, or are going to listen, to this week’s episode of All the Books, I finished Flying Solo by Linda Holmes. So yes, I know what happens to the duck. 🦆 Phew! I know you were all very worried, lol. Also, it is a freaking delight and you should read it. Second, I am continuing to get better! Thank you again for all your lovely wishes and messages and emails. I hope to be at 100% by the time we “see” each other next week. 🤞🏻❤️
Now, let’s talk books! At the very top of my list of new releases for this week to acquire are The Girls in Queens by Christine Kandic Torres, Maker Of Swans by Paraic O’Donnell, Seven Aunts by Staci Lola Drouillard, and Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre, translated by Tina Kover. And on this week’s episode of All the Books! Vanessa and I discussed the best books we read for this week and more, including One’s Company, Skye Falling, and A Mirror Mended. And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants.
January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky
I cannot get enough of Tor novellas. I love pretty much every freaking one. This is no exception. It’s a futuristic look at class and privilege in the United States. On January 15th each year, Americans receive their annual Universal Basic Income payment. But this money means different things to different people. It’s very different for someone who desperately needs it to receive it compared to someone who already has so much. This is a sharp story following four people and their payment. (CW for deadnaming, racism, suicide, loss of a loved one, sexual assault, and domestic abuse.)
Backlist bump: Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Grief of Stones (The Cemeteries of Amalo Book 2): Part of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Okay, so I haven’t read this yet, but I absolutely had to include it. Because this is the second part of The Cemeteries of Amalo series, The Witness for the Dead being the first. And these are set in the same world as The Goblin Emperor, which is one of my favorite fantasy books! And you don’t have to just take my word for it: The Goblin Emperor is one of the best-reviewed fantasy novels of the century. If you like fantasy, comedy, royal intrigue, backstabbing, and fish out of water stories, do yourself a favor and pick up The Goblin Emperor. And for those of you who are already fans, ta-da! Congratulations, the wait is over and the new book is out today. 😊
Backlist bump: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Lupe Wong Won’t Dance by Donna Barba Higuera
And last, but not least, a new paperback release! Last year I had the pleasure of talking to Donna Barba Higuera about her second novel, The Last Cuentista, which received the John Newbery Medal and the Pura Belpré Award. That book is SO GOOD. So I went back and read this one, her first novel, which won like a trillion awards, give or take, and it is also SO GOOD. It’s about a middle grader who wants to be the first female pitcher in the Major Leagues. She has an opportunity to meet her pitching hero, but only if she gets straight As. So imagine Lupe’s horror when she discovers that square dancing is going to be part of her gym requirement. (She doesn’t want to dance.) This is a fantastic story of dreams and sacrifices. (CW for bullying, racism, loss of a loved one.)
Backlist bump: The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
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This week: I am reading Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree and All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien. Outside of books, I have been taking a lot of naps and keeping a new journal about all the wildlife that visits our yard. The song stuck in my head today is Smiley by Smashing Pumpkins, probably because of this photo. Zevon looks like he’s smiling!
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. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty ❤️