Dearest Book Friends,
I hope you’ve been having a great week! It’s been in the high 90s all week down here in Mississippi and also we’re getting lots and lots of rain. Summer in the south is really something, and I’m not going to miss it at all after we move. Speaking of, we’re getting closer and closer to our moving day! And we’re getting excited. The cats have no idea what they’re in for, but we’ll worry about that on another day. For now, let’s talk books
Book Deals and Reveals
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LGBTQ Reads has an exclusive cover reveal of Anna-Marie McLemore’s latest novel Self-Made Boys. The book is a trans reimagining of The Great Gatsby, publishing on September 6, 2022 as part of Feiwel & Friends’s Remixed Classics series.
Jess Sutanto has announced her next book: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. The novel is scheduled for a March 2023 release.
Here’s the new trailer for the Netflix adaptation of Persuasion, which premieres on the streaming platform on July 15th.
Reese Witherspoon announced the release of her new children’s book Busy Betty, which will hit shelves this fall.
Spiegel & Grau has acquired North American rights to A Heart That Works, a memoir by actor Rob Delaney. The book will be published in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook, read by the author, on November 29.
Alexis Hall’s novel Glitterland is getting a brand new cover. This new edition of the novel is available for preorder and will be released January 2023.
And here’s the cover reveal of Sarah Underwood’s sapphic reimagining of The Odyssey, entitled Lies We Sing to the Sea. This one’s out from Harper Teen in March 2023.
Fellow D&D fans, there’s finally a romance novel for us! Elise Bryant’s upcoming YA rom com follows the story of a D&D Dungeon Master and the lead singer of a punk band as they fall in love through chance meetings on holidays over the course of one year. Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling comes out on January 31, 2023.
Michael Gray Bulla’s debut YA novel If I Can Give You That is coming out in February 2023, and here’s the cover reveal!
Penguin Random House’s Dial Press imprint has acquired world rights to a currently untitled memoir by Chelsea Handler. The published described the book as “a hilarious and romantic account of Chelsea’s path from worshipping at the altar of autonomy and self-reliance to falling in love and becoming a tender, open-hearted, committed-at-all-costs girlfriend.”
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!
Can’t Wait for This One!
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (Gallery/Saga Press, February 7 2023)
Well, friends, I have been hyping this book ever since it was first announced last October, but since its release date was pushed back from fall 2022 to February 2023, I wanted to wait a little while to give you all a full write up explaining why exactly this one is at the top of my must-read list. February is still months and months and months away, but I am ready to talk to y’all about this book right now.
Don’t Fear the Reaper is the sequel to Stephen Graham Jones’ 2021 novel My Heart is a Chainsaw. My Heart is a Chainsaw was one of my most anticipated books of that year, and it did not disappoint. Even if slashers aren’t normally your thing, you should give this one a try. Stephen Graham Jones’ writing is always smart and intense and, yes, scary. But what made My Heart is a Chainsaw really stand out for me was the voice of the protagonist, Jade, who was endearing and vulnerable and hilarious and, yes, sometimes even annoying. But that just added more authenticity to her teen voice.
In Don’t Fear the Reaper, Jade is back. This book is set four years after the events of the first novel, so I’m curious to see how she has changed and grown since her senior year of high school. Jade is returning back to her rural lake town of Proofrock. On that very same day, convicted Indigenous serial killer Dark Mill South escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard. Dark Mill South is coming to Proofrock for his own reasons, to complete his revenge killings for the thirty-eight Dakota men who were hanged in 1862.
Apparently, this book is the second novel in The Lake Witch Trilogy. And you know what that means. We’re going to have another book in this series to look forward to very, very soon. Get ready for me to start getting excited about that one as soon as I finish this one!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Words of Literary Wisdom
“The thing about losing someone is that it doesn’t happen just once. It happens every time you do something great you wish they could see, every time you’re stuck and you need advice. Every time you fail. It erodes your sense of normal, and what grows back is decidedly not normal, and yet you still have to figure out how to trudge forward.”
— The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
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.
Of course, you know I had to acknowledge the Internet backlash against James Patterson and his comments about how hard it is to be a white person.
If you’ve somehow missed this, here’s a rundown of what James Patterson said last weekend. Of course, there was an immediate response from the book community on Twitter. Needless to say, Patterson’s comments did not go over well. And yes, the author has since apologized for the remarks, but I’m not sure you can put that racist genie back in the bottle, Jimmy. My heart does go out to the struggle that millionaire white men go through every day.
What I’m Watching This Weekend
Well, I haven’t yet watched the new season of Stranger Things. Why? Because Ben and I are rewatching the first three seasons before we dive into Season 4. So no spoilers! I’ve been trying to avoid all Stranger Things talk. After all, we’re still on our Season 1 rewatch right now, so give us time!
JUSTICE FOR BARB!
And Here’s A Cat Picture
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So since I’ve been told by multiple people that this photo should be Murray and Remy’s album cover, I have to ask. What’s the name of their band? What kind of music is it? And what’s the name of this album? Let me know.
If you’re wondering about my sweet little Cersei, she’s still on the mend. Her ankle is doing better, but the medicine is making her feel sick, so she’s not really wanting to eat now. Anyway, hopefully I’ll have better news to report next time.
For now, I hope you have a great weekend, and I’ll talk to you next week!
💙 Emily