Hey YA Readers!
Like that, we’ve reached the halfway point of January. This is one of my least favorite months of the year, so I’m not especially sad to see it slip by. It’s been a busy month of preparing for the year, and now, I’m ready to actually live the year.
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Let’s dive into this week’s new releases. Since we are halfway through the month and have had some other fun new releases hit shelves that I haven’t yet talked about, this newsletter is double the new books content. There are two anthologies releasing today that I want to shout out, some graphic novels from earlier this month, and, of course, the usual novel releases.
Bookish Goods
2024 Reading List Bookmark by KettleandCrow
Want an easy and fun way to keep track of your reading–without losing track of what you’re currently reading? Enter this fun bookmark where you can log your year in books. $4 and available in many colors.
New Releases
Two very different new novels to highlight today–one for our fantasy fans and one for our fans of realistic YA. You can grab the entire list of new YA hardcover releases over here and keep scrolling for *even more* new releases.
A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
This one is being pitched as Circe for YA readers, and it is a feminist retelling of Medusa from Rick Riordan’s rad imprint.
Manisha, 16, runs from monsters. It was monsters (and men) that caused the dispersal of her people. She should be safe as a Priestess in the floating temples, but she’s not.
Pratyush is a monster slayer and favored by the King. Every kill he makes adds a year to his life. But he doesn’t want to have this duty anymore.
When Manisha and Pratyush connect, they see a possibility to change the trajectory of each of their lives. Their plans go awry, though. But in the rebirth of both, they reclaim power and their respective futures.
This one has in the description that there is a sexual assault that happens, so heads up for folks who like to know.
If I Promise You Wings by A. K. Small
Alix Leclaire and her best friend Jeanne are going to graduate and land incredible work in the arts in Paris. Alix as a feather artist, and Jeanne, a record contract. But then Jeanne dies, and Alix is at a complete loss.
Alix then feels the spirit of Jeanne pushing her to take risks. To behave as Jeanne would, were she still around. This leads Alix to step out of her comfort zone….though perhaps into the hands of challenges she could never anticipate.
This is a story about art, grief, and defining your own future.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Now let’s look at a rad work of nonfiction, a comic, and two anthologies which have all published so far this month. There’s something here for every kind of reader.
American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky by Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein
This book, put together by two powerhouse authors, is about the period between World War I and World War II when flying became an American obsession. That included an obsession in the Black community, too, even if their options were much more limited. But a crew of Black Americans, men and women, in Chicago, came together to build their own flying club and airfield on the south side. They trained and educated future Black pilots alongside white pilots in those years.
There are photos throughout as well, really bringing this incredible piece of history to life.
Ghost Roast by Shawneé Gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs, illustrated by Emily Cannon
Now for our graphic novel, which looks so fun!
Chelsea has been trying to shake the reputation she has, thanks to her dad. They live in New Orleans, and he runs a paranormal removal company. It’s a new school year, and Chelsea is feeling good as she’s finally made friends with the popular crowd.
But then she finds herself in trouble and as punishment, she’s spending the summer working with her dad. She’s not thrilled, especially when she discovers that she might be good at the job because she can actually see ghosts.
Things get more complicated when Chelsea meets a ghost named Oliver and wants to help save him from being stuck inside the mansion that she’s supposed to be helping to destroy spirits from.
My Big, Fat Desi Wedding edited by Prerna Pickett
All of the stories in this anthology center around Desi weddings. Among the stories are a curse that becomes prophetic, a soulmate whose words can appear on the skin of their beloved, a girl discovering the meaning of true love, a boy debating whether or not to betray his parents, and more. The collection includes stories from Prerna Pickett, Syed Masood, Tashie Bhuiyan, Aamna Qureshi, Payal Doshi, Sarah Mughal, Noreen Mughees, and Anahita Karthik.
Out Of Our League edited by Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli
One more YA anthology for your TBR is this little gem, which looks like it might actually publish next week (so go ahead and preorder to request it from your library). I am someone who loves a good sports story, so I know I’m eager to dive into these 16 stories about girls in sports. It’s got a strong roster of contributors, including Carrie S. Allen, Sara Farizan, Juliana Goodman, Maggie Hall, Leah Henderson, Sarah Henning, Naomi Kanakia, Miranda Kenneally, Yamile Saied Méndez, Cam Montgomery, Marieke Nijkamp, Amparo Ortiz, Aminah Mae Safi, Kayla Whaley, and both of the editors, Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacoppelli.
Whew, are we ever in for some good reading!
I’ll see you later this week with some new paperbacks and YA book news. Until then, may you be reading your next favorite book.
–Kelly Jensen, currently reading The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly