Dear Book Friends,
How’s it going? Me, I’ve just been doing the usual. Chilling with my cats. Reading books. Writing things. Nothing new to report here. But I do have a bunch of fun book news to share with you, so let’s just get down to business. Oh, and hey, happy Thursday.
Book Deals and Reveals
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Oprah Winfrey has chosen 19-year-old Leila Mottley’s debut novel Nightcrawling for her next book club pick. Mottley is the youngest author to ever be selected for Oprah’s Book Club, which was founded in 1996.
Holly Black has announced a new Elfhame duology series starring Oak. Here’s the cover reveal of the first book in the duology, The Stolen Heir. This book will be available on January 3rd, 2023.
And here’s the cover reveal for Palo Alto: A History of California Capitalism and the World, from Malcolm Harris, the author of Kids These Days. This one’s out from Little, Brown, and Co. in February 2023.
For fans of second chance romances, here’s the cover reveal of For Twice in My Life by Annette Christie. This book follows the story of a woman who gets a second chance at love when an accident causes her boyfriend to forget their recent break-up. This one’s also coming at you in February 2023, also from Little, Brown, and Co.
Sotheby’s is auctioning a fireproof version of The Handmaid’s Tale. Proceeds will help PEN America’s efforts to fight book banning.
Netflix has finally set a premiere date for the highly-anticipated series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. You can catch the premiere on August 5th, and get more details about the series (and see the trailer) here.
Hulu’s half-hour comedy series adaptation of Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed has cast Kathryn Hahn to star.
Looking for great listens for your summer adventures? Here are 10 of the most popular preordered books over at Libro.fm.
Approximately 30 Amazon employees disrupted the company’s annual raising of the pride flag event at the Amazon headquarters in Seattle in protest of the company’s continued sale of anti-trans books.
Do you enjoy Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge? Well, here’s the Pride edition of the challenge.
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!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Can’t Wait for This One
Jackal by Erin E. Adams (Ballantine, October 4th)
October is my favorite time of the year. It’s my birthday month, for one, and it’s also that time of year where the weather starts getting cooler. But all that aside, October is the month where is finally socially acceptable to be all in on scary stuff. That means October is prime time for reading creepy horror novels and spine-tingling thrillers. That’s where this book comes in. Jackal is going to be one of the most exciting thrillers you’ll read this fall, and it’s the perfect read for the perfect month of the year.
As a Black woman, Liz Rocher doesn’t have the fondest memories of her predominantly white hometown. But since her best friend is getting married, Liz reluctantly returns to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, already preparing herself for the worst. But nothing could have prepared her for what happens on the day of the wedding, when the bride’s daughter Caroline goes missing.
As the search for Caroline begins, Liz realizes she’s seen this before. Years ago, Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in school, also disappeared in a similar manner. This can’t be a coincidence, and as Liz begins to uncover her town’s past, she discovers a horrifying secret. Young Black girls have been going missing in this town—in these woods—for years. No one has ever done anything about it. And now the evil in the woods is creeping closer.
Words of Literary Wisdom
“We believe the one who has power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there you get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.”
— Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
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.
We’re not quite halfway through the year just yet, but a lot of places are coming out with their Best Books of the Year (so far) lists already. Curious to see what books are making it onto these lists? Ranging from middle grade fantasy to adult literary fiction and romance, here are Barnes & Noble’s top 10 books of 2022 so far. And here’s Time’s list. Book Riot’s very own list is coming up soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
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Little Remy is making himself at home.
This was Phantom’s favorite sleeping space, in this little bread basket bed in the sunlight. Now Remy has adopted it. Of course Remy isn’t replacing Phantom at all. He has his own special place in our hearts. But it’s nice to see him carrying on some of the things that Phantom loved most. It makes my heart happy.
And that’s all I have for you today, friends. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
💙 Emily