Dear Book Friends,
Welcome back for another Thursday Book Radar! How have you been this week? Today, I’m thinking of taking a walk and listening to an audiobook, and picking up some kind of seasonal coffee beverage. We’re fully leaning into the season, friends! This is the time when we bookish people thrive! I hope you’re living your best life. Let’s talk books.
Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, plus five mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!
Book Deals and Reveals
Isabel Allende is making her picture book debut with Perla, the Mighty Dog, illustrated by Sandy Rodriguez. “I love dogs more than people because we have so much to learn from them,” Allende said in a statement. “Perla and Nico’s adventures are about the power of friendship, teamwork, and the magic hidden in our daily lives.” The book, which is the first in a series, will be published on June 4, 2024.
Penguin Random House is hitting the road with their Banned Wagon Tour! PRH, Freedom to Read Foundation, PEN America, and Little Free Library will hand out copies of banned books in some of the most affected communities across the country. Check out the schedule to see if the tour is coming to a city near you!
Here’s the cover reveal of a new debut historical fantasy coming out next year! Rosalie M. Lin’s Daughter of Calamity hits shelves next June.
Kennedy Ryan’s follow-up to Before I Let Go, entitled This Could Be Us, releases on March 5. The author tweeted, “Final stage of proofreading means ARCs will be available soon. OMG. Cannot wait for you to meet Soledad.”
Here’s the cover reveal of Jordan Morris and Bowen McCurdy’s Youth Group, a YA horror-comedy graphic novel. It’s out on July 16.
Kalie Holford’s YA debut, The Last Love Song, is a bi Mamma Mia-inspired book, out next April. Here’s the cover reveal!
Evil wizards, killer squids, and a garlic festival? Check out the cover of Caitlin Rozakis’s Dreadful, forthcoming June 2024, from Titan Books.
Literary Hub has shared the exclusive cover reveal of Amy Lin’s memoir Here After. It’s out from Zibby Books in March.
This week, Longwood University announced the finalists for the 2023 John Dos Passos Prize. Here is the shortlist.
Gen Z celebrity book clubs are starting to take off! How do these celebrities speak to younger readers in a way the established book clubbers like Oprah or Reese don’t?
Despite their popularity, bestseller lists are painfully boring.
Book Riot Recommends
Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!
Book Riot has podcasts to keep your ears listening for days! Check them out and subscribe.
Can’t Wait for This One
Bride by Ali Hazelwood (Berkley, February 6)
If you care about romance novels, like, at all, then you’ve definitely heard of Ali Hazelwood. You’ve probably read The Love Hypothesis. Maybe you also picked up Love, Theoretically, or one of her other STEMinist novellas. But now…get ready for a romance that’s taking Hazelwood in an entirely different direction. This one’s going to be so fun, and I can’t wait for February!
In this fantasy/paranormal romance, we follow Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest. In a move to form an alliance with the Vampyres’ dreaded enemies, Misery has reluctantly agreed to an arranged marriage with Lowe Moreland, an Alpha Werewolf. Lowe, like all other Weres, is wild and unpredictable. Unlike Vampyres, Weres are driven by emotions and impulses. Knowing how cold and calculated Vampyres can be, Lowe is certain this arranged marriage is not to be trusted. And he’s not wrong.
For Misery, there are plenty of reasons to go through with this marriage. And they’re not all ones the Vampyre council has approved. Misery is willing to go deep into the wolves’ den to get what she wants.
Words of Literary Wisdom
“Writing is such a solitary activity. You have no assurance that what you’re creating has any value, and any indication that you’re behind in the rat race sends you spiraling into the pits of despair. Keep your eyes on your own paper, they say. But that’s hard to do when everyone else’s papers are flapping constantly in your face.”
— Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
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.
BookTube is going mainstream! Famous BookTuber Jack Edwards will be hosting this year’s Booker Prize Livestream. “I’m so so thrilled to share that I’ll be hosting the official livestream for the Booker Prize 2023 on Sunday November 26th across mine and the Booker’s channels, in which one of these six glorious novels will be crowned the winner of this year’s prize!” Jack Edwards wrote in a statement on Instagram. “I discovered so many of my favourite books and authors because of this incredible prize which champions diverse, global, thought-provoking literature, so it’s an absolute privilege to get to be a part of the ceremony this year.”
New to Jack Edwards? Check out his YouTube channel here.
And Here’s a Cat Picture!
Cersei loves to position herself like this, straddling the couch with an arm and leg on either side. It’s very weird, but cute. And if you look closely, you can see Murray sitting behind her. His little orange face is poking up in the background.
I hope you have had a wonderful week, friends. The weekend is right around the corner. And then? October! We’re almost there! See you then!