Hello, friends! I hope you are doing well. As I mentioned last week, I have been sick with COVID, so my reading life has been nonexistent. But I am on the mend, and I ALWAYS love to talk about books! So, I have three books out today that I haven’t read yet, but that I think should be on your radar. There’s the tell-all from a princess of pop, a new novel from a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, and the first novel in two decades from the author of an American classic!
At the top of my list of today’s books that I want to buy are Jewel Box: Stories by E. Lily Yu, Nefando by Mónica Ojeda, and Miss Macintosh, My Darling by Marguerite Young. You can hear about more of the fabulous books coming out today on this week’s episode of All the Books! Patricia and I talked about great books we loved that are out this week, including Let Us Descend, Micro Activism, The Comfort of Crows, and more.
Autumn is here, which means it’s time to curl up with a great read and get cozy — whatever your version of cozy looks like. Whether it’s romance, creepy reads, modern classics, or escapist reads you crave, TBR can help you find the perfect books for your fall reading, with options curated to your specific reading tastes.
And now it’s time for everyone’s favorite game, “Ahhhhhhh, My TBR!” Here are today’s contestants!
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
And in this corner, we have a contender for the biggest book release of 2023! Seriously, I think this is going to be the biggest seller of the year. And why not? Spears has been famous for most of her life, but basically under the control of other people for much of that, due to first being a child entertainer and then a conservatorship. In her first memoir, she talks about her family, her music, her fame, her relationships (including her first boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, and her 55-hour marriage), and more. Spears has been a source of public idolization and ridicule for decades, and it is great that she is finally getting to tell her story. And if you want to read another tell-all memoir from a legend out today, there’s Behind the Shoulder Pads: Tales I Tell My Friends by Joan Collins (who is 90 now, btw!).
Backlist bump: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Organ Meats by K-Ming Chang
I loved Chang’s last books, Gods of Want: Stories and Bestiary. Her writing is raw and sinks its claws into your brain and shakes your head around. This novel is about two troubled girls named Anita and Rainie, who meet a pack of stray dogs that can communicate with humans. Forming their own pack based on the dog’s stories about the legend of women-dogs, the two think they’ll be friends for all time. But when they are separated, Rainie must figure out a way to rescue Anita before she’s lost forever to a dream world. (It’s called Organ Meats, and y’all know I’m a vegan, but I am going to read the hell out of this book anyway, lol.)
Backlist bump: Gods of Want by K-Ming Chang
America Fantastica by Tim O’Brien
And last but not least, a new novel from Tim O’Brien—his first in 20 years! You might have had to read his novel The Things They Carried for school. It is considered one of the greatest books about the Vietnam War ever. This new novel, set in 2019, is a darkly comedic revenge story full of eccentric characters, current events, and American scenery. It’s about a journalist turned bank robber looking to get even with the man who ruined his life and the bank teller hostage he brings with him on his journey.
Backlist bump: The Dog of the South by Charles Portis
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This week, I have started getting back to reading. I read The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark, which I think might end up my favorite book of 2024. And right now, I am getting ready to start Thirsty by Jas Hammonds and A Better World by Sarah Langan. In non-book things, we started watching Bodies on Netflix. I read the comic when it came out, but I barely remember it. But the show is intriguing so far. And I am excited for the NBA season to kick off today! The song stuck in my head this week is “Paint” by The Paper Kites. And here is your weekly cat picture: Farrokh and Zevon are trying to stare down a moth by the ceiling light. Spoiler: It didn’t work.
Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty