Dear Book Friends,
I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve had a Monday Book Radar with all of the holidays and things. So welcome to Monday! As this is the second week of the new year, I feel like this is the week we really get our act together. Last week was a trial run. Now we’re in it for real. I’m excited for what this week is going to bring, and I have a feeling it’s going to be good. We’re back in the swing of things and I’m back with another Book Radar for you to read and enjoy. So let’s do this thing.
Book Deals and Reveals
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LGBTQ Reads has the exclusive cover reveal of The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will by Maya MacGregor. This book releases on July 18 from Astra Books for Young Readers.
Okay but…Shouldn’t all cover reveals secretly be cake? I’ve been wondering this ever since I watched Michaela Loach’s cover reveal for It’s Not That Radical. You’ll see what I mean when you watch!
Barnes & Noble has announced the first-ever BookTok Festival. The festival will be held at the B&N flagship store in New York City’s Union Square on February 4.
First Second has purchased the debut graphic memoir Until We Meet Again by Lily Kim Qian. The book is slated for a spring 2025 and, according to First Second, it “tells the story of a young girl growing up in a loving but dysfunctional family in which an immigrant father struggles to play the role of sole caregiver and a mother grapples with her mental health.”
Apple’s Books service recently introduced audiobooks narrated by a text-to-speech AI. Apple says the aim of the new “digital narration” is making “the creation of audiobooks more accessible to all.”
Disney+ has announced that the newest Black Panther film, Wakanda Forever, will be available to stream on the Disney+ streaming platform starting on February 1.
Here’s the trailer for the upcoming comedy adaptation Renfield, based on the classic novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. The film, directed by Chris McKay, will come to theaters on April 14.
Netflix has released the first look at young Lady Agatha Danbury in its upcoming Bridgerton prequel, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The young Lady Danbury is played by Arsema Thomas.
The stars of 1968’s Romeo and Juliet have sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million for a nude scene shot when they were underaged.
Filippo Bernardini, a former Simon & Schuster UK employee who was arrested last year, is expected to plead guilty to wire fraud.
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!
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (Hogarth, February 7)
Mariana Enriquez’s Our Share of Night is, as I mentioned a few newsletters ago, is one of my most anticipated books of 2023. And it’s going to be out soon, friends! At 600+ pages, this one is probably going to be one of the longest books I read this year (I don’t normally gravitate towards super long books personally), but I am so ready for it.
Our Share of Night is Mariana Enriquez’s first novel to be translated into English, but English-speaking readers have already had the pleasure of experiencing two of her short story collections, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and Things We Lost in the Fire. These books are incredibly good. This novel is going to be so good. I just trust it.
In Our Share of Night, a father and his son are grieving the tragic death of the wife and mother they both loved. Now, they travel together to the mother’s family home, where they learn of the strange, centuries-old secret society to which she belongs. The Order is a vampiric cult that will stop at nothing in their hunt for eternal life. And now they’re after Gaspar, the son.
What I’m Reading This Week
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata
Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley
Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stephens
Heartstopper: Vol. 3 by Alice Oseman
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Monday Memes
IMHO, there aren’t enough Jane Eyre memes out there in the world. So here’s one for you today. I hope you enjoy!
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
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Awww, look Cersei loves you. I hope you take this cute cat and this giant heart into your week, and I hope you have the best week ever. If you want. We still don’t do toxic positivity in 2023. I’m just personally feeling pretty good about this week. But you’re allowed to do you!
Farewell, friends!