Hi Book Friends!
How has the first week of December been going for you? I’m trying to get all of my last-minute 2023 reads in before my end-of-the-year wrap-up. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, let’s look at what’s going on and coming up in the book world!
Book Deals and Reveals
New Ruth Ware alert! Here’s the cover of Ruth Ware’s upcoming novel, One Perfect Couple. This one’s giving serious Agatha Christie And Then There Were None vibes. It’s out on May 21, 2024.
Here’s the cover of Rebecca Fraimow’s Lady Eve’s Last Con. This sapphic sci-fi rom-com releases on June 4, 2024.
Electric Literature has the exclusive cover reveal of Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. It’s out from One World on June 18, 2024.
Get a sneak peek of Ashley Poston’s A Novel Love Story over at Cosmopolitan. Read an excerpt now, and get ready for the release on June 25, 2024.
Horror fans, check out the cover of Heidi Honeycutt’s I Spit On Your Celluloid, “a first-of-its-kind celebration” of women’s contributions to horror films. The book includes a foreword by Pet Sematary and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary director Mary Lambert. It’s out in August.
The Guardian has named its picks for the best crime and thriller novels of 2023!
The Atlantic has also chosen its best books of 2023! They also featured their list in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here.
Goodreads Staff, from the CEO to their Visual Editor, weighed in on their favorite reads from 2023. It’s a diverse, fun list.
And here’s the list of The New Yorker‘s Best Books of 2023, including nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. It highlights buzzy and lesser-known books alike.
Every year, Oxford University Press names their word of the year that represents the mood and ethos of our current time. Here is 2023’s.
The Los Angeles Times is using December to look back at the best and biggest cultural moments of 2023, including their top reads of the year.
Here’s another best-of list. This one’s from Esquire, which includes both familiar and unique picks.
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!
It’s happening, readers — we’re bringing paperbacks! Whether you (or a reader you know and love) hate carrying around bulky hardcovers, you’re on a budget, you want a wider range of recommendations or all of the above, you can now get a paperback subscription from TBR, curated just for you by one of our Bibliologists. The holidays are here, and we’ve got three different levels for gifting (to yourself or others) to suit every budget. Get all the details at mytbr.co.
Can’t Wait for This One!
Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow, June 25)
When Paul Tremblay’s coming out with a new novel, you’d better believe it’s going to the top of my TBR list, and this one is ESPECIALLY exciting for me because I’m a horror movie girlie. And look at this cover! Ominous! Exciting! Intriguing? What’s this one about, you ask? Well, lemme tell you.
Back in 1993, a group of young filmmakers spent four weeks making an art-house horror film that would become a cult classic…even though only a few scenes from the film were ever released to the public. And yet, somehow, the movie became a fascination for film fans everywhere. And now, three decades later, there are talks of creating a major Hollywood reboot.
Only one member of the film’s original cast is still alive. The man who starred in the film as “The Thin Kid” has vivid memories of just how strange the filming process was. And just how dangerous. As he attempts to help the big-budget remake get underway, memories of the original filming and all of its mysteries and secrets come flooding back. And the past and the present begin to blur.
Words of Literary Wisdom
“Life is just so damn complicated, isn’t it? A series of random coincidences and chance meetings that add up to a lifetime.”
— A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
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.
You know I love the book Communitea series. But this video was especially good, so I wanted to make sure to point it out to you. Recently, Jess Owens posed the question: “Is TikTok turning publishing into fast fashion?” What do you think? Check out the video, and let me know!
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
We’re ending today’s Book Radar with a classic Murray-in-the-bed photo. This bed went through three cat homes before it got to me. My coworker’s cat didn’t like it, so she passed it on to another coworker. That cat didn’t like it either. But guess who loved it? This agreeable guy. It’s his new favorite place to sleep!
And that’s all for today, friends! Have the best weekend.