Sponsored by Odin’s Child by Siri Pettersen, new from Arctis Books, March 23, 2021.
The first book in Siri Pettersen’s epic Raven Rings trilogy comes at last to the United States. Fifteen winters old, Hirka learns that she is an Odin’s child – a tailless rot from another world. Despised. Dreaded. And hunted. She no longer knows who she is, and someone wants to kill her to keep it a secret. But there are worse things than humans, and Hirka is not the only creature to have broken through the gates…
Happy Thursday, star bits! I wrote today’s newsletter while listening to the playlist I made of almost 70 different versions of the Gravity Falls theme and it was an excellent choice. It’s also an amazingly beautiful day here in Maine—I even have the window open! There is lots of sunshine and lots of bird noises, and supposedly it’s only going to get warmer as the week goes on. I’ll take it! Also, don’t forget we have to set our clocks an hour ahead this weekend. It’s my least-favorite day of the year, but I do enjoy more sunshine. (And who am I kidding, all the clocks change themselves now, amirite?)
Moving on, I have exciting adaptation news and book talk. Plus I’ve included a picture of one of my ridiculous orange monsters, some trivia, and more! Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™
Trivia question time! What famous older novel starts with a reader returning a defective book to a bookshop? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)
Deals, Reals, and Squeals!
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Octavia Butler is being inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. And speaking of Butler, FX is working on an adaptation of Kindred.
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman is getting a new Folio Society edition. You can also check out the new adaptation, which is streaming on Peacock.
Here’s the official teaser trailer for part two of Lupin on Netflix.
Zoraida Córdova announced her Marvel comics debut.
The Duffer Brothers of Stranger Things fame are adapting The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub.
The roller derby comic Slam! is in the works at HBO Max as an animated series.
Talia Hibbert is writing a YA romance novel.
A V.E. Schwab short story about vampires is being adapted into the series First Kill.
Here are the finalists for the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.
Dominique Fishback will star alongside Samuel L. Jackson in Apple Studios’ adaptation of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley.
Here’s the first look at the Sandman/Locke & Key comic crossover.
The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor is being adapted into a series.
And here’s the gorgeous cover for the new edition of Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Book Riot Recommends
At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)
Excited to read:
Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim (Ecco, December 7)
I fully admit that it’s the gorgeous cover that made me stop and want to know more about this book. And it sounds excellent! It’s about the intertwined fates of a girl sold to a courtesan school and a penniless hunter, starting in occupied Korea in the early 20th century.
It starts with a Japanese officer being saved from a tiger by a hunter. Over the next decades, a young girl becomes a courtesan and meets an orphan boy who lives on the streets, and they become friends. Later, when she becomes a highly sought-after performer, she will have to decide if she wants to live a life of status or love.
After reading Pachinko, I have been interested in reading more novels about the Japanese occupation of Korea, and this one sounds incredible, so I cannot wait to get my hands on it!
What I’m reading this week.
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Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori Lee
Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Song stuck in my head:
The Breakup Song by The Greg Kihn Band. (Also, I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)
And this is funny:
This seems like sound advice.
Happy things:
Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:
- Gravity Falls: Okay, but seriously, have you watched this show? It’s my favorite cartoon. Yes, I just rewatched it three weeks ago. Yes, it has been many times. No, I’m not sorry. I also made a playlist with almost 70 versions of the theme song.
- Joseph’s Chocolate Hommus: This is my favorite treat! It’s like eating brownie batter.
- Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.
And here’s a cat picture!
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Zevon: Clear eyes, empty head. ❤️
Trivia answer: If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino.
You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L