Hello Book Friends!
First of all, I just want to say I always appreciate hearing from you, and thank you so much for letting me know about your NaNoWriMo plans, if you are participating this year.
Secondly, I want to say that one reader kindly pointed out that I wrote “your” instead of “you’re” in Thursday’s newsletter. It might seem like a small thing, but I just want to say I’m so embarrassed that one slipped by me! As lovers of words, I know we all value preciseness in language, and I messed up. I’m going to chalk this one up to being in speed-writing mode from all that NaNoWriMo’ing. Hopefully you can forgive me, and seriously, thank you for calling me out! Haha!
Shall we talk books?
Book Deals and Reveals
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If you loved this year’s Love in the Time of Serial Killers, you’ll be happy to know Alicia Thompson has a new book coming out. Here’s the cover reveal for her upcoming romance novel From Cold World, With Love. It’s out from Berkley in August 2023!
Tor Books revealed the cover of Christopher Paolini’s upcoming novel Fractal Noise. This novel is set in the same world as his bestselling novel To Sleep in A Sea of Stars. Find it in bookstores everywhere on May 16th, 2023.
Kwame Mbalia, the bestselling author of the Tristan Strong trilogy, is heading a new imprint for Disney. Freedom Fire will feature stories of Black resilience and Black joy, written by Black creators. The imprint is tentatively scheduled to debut in spring 2024.
Anna-Marie McLemore’s first adult novel The Influencers will be published by Dial Press.
Aubrey Plaza has been cast in the WandaVision spin-off series Agatha: Coven of Chaos at Disney+. Plaza is joining Kathryn Hahn, who will reprise her role of Agatha Harkness in the new show.
Michael Hobbes, the host of podcasts Maintenance Phase and You’re Wrong About, has announced a brand new podcast: If Books Could Kill. The first episode on the book Freakonomics is out now.
No local indie near you? No problem! These independent bookstores across the U.S. offer online ordering and will ship anywhere.
Need to free up some shelf space? Find out where to donate kids’ books, and how to figure out which books to donate, in this guide.
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 Field by Victoria Garza (JackLeg Press, November 15)
Since this month is Nonfiction November, I thought for the rest of the month we could focus on upcoming nonfiction titles. The first book I want to highlight is a memoir from indie publisher JackLeg Press. From debut author Victoria Garza, The Field is a memoir first and foremost about grief, but of course the author learns so much more about herself and the world around her through exploring her very personal experiences with loss.
In this literary meditation on grief and recovery, Garza recounts her experiences with survivor’s guilt, dissociation, and spirituality following the death of her 9 year old sister Gina. While Garza has now lived most of her life without her sister, she reflects on how the loss of Gina has reverberated throughout her life. The author also draws from many other sources about grief and loss, including Rebecca Solnit, Saint Teresa of Ávila, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Through these different lenses, Garza explores humanity’s understanding and relationships with death and how we come to accept it as part of all our lives.
This one is a very personal read for me, as someone who also lost a sibling. But I think anyone who has experienced grief will relate to Garza’s reflections. Ultimately, we all go through loss in our lifetimes, and we all are forced to reflect on death in multiple ways throughout our lives. So really, this book is for everyone.
Get ready for more Nonfiction November picks coming at you for the rest of the month, friends.
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What I’m Reading This Week
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Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
Uzumaki by Junji Ito
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
White Horse by Erika T. Wurth
Monday Memes
More Our Flag Means Death literary memes? Don’t mind if I do!
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
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It’s getting cold up here in Seattle, and even the cats are feeling it. Yet for some reason, this little guy decided to hang in the bathroom, one of the coldest rooms in the house. At least he found the bathmat? Also hey look how cool the tiles are in our bahtroom.
Anyway, I hope you’re staying warm if it’s also cold where you are. And I hope you have a great week!