Author: Emily Martin

All of the Best Things of 2023 and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 20, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi Book Friends!

Well, this is it. We’ve reached the final two Book Radar newsletters of 2023. So with that in mind, I’m taking this newsletter to focus on my favorite books of 2023. And for the next one, we’ll look ahead to my most highly anticipated books of 2024. Sound fun? Let’s end this year on a good note. Are you ready?

But first, a quick reminder: The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the cover of Sanctuary by Valentina Cano Repetto, coming April 2024 from CamCat Books. This one is going to be great for fans of The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, The Stroke of Winter by Wendy Webb, The House in the Orchard by Elizabeth Brooks, and The Winter Guest by W. C. Ryan.

A new novel from Alexander Chee is coming in 2025: Other People’s Husbands, a novel about a “queer Korean American novelist who returns to his alma mater as a visiting writer,” will be out from Mariner Books.

Alice Feeney has also announced a new novel. The thriller author’s seventh novel, Beautiful Ugly, out from Flatiron Books, is coming soon!

And here’s the cover of upcoming memoir Pretty by KB Brookins. “This book is unlike any other project I’ve attempted,” Brookins told Electric Lit. The cover was designed by Chip Kidd, with artwork by Anita Kunz.

If you’re excited about the new Mr. and Mrs. Smith series, then here’s a rom com novel you should check out in 2024: Jewel Me Twice by Charish Reid. The cover features art from Monika Roe. It’s out in July!

Aria Fiction has revealed the cover of The Big Day by Aliya Ali-Afzal. This “funny, heartwarming novel about a British-Asian mother and daughter who clash over plans for the bride’s Big Day” is out on June 6.

The Book Saves Lives Act has been introduced to US Congress. The Books Save Lives Act would ensure trained librarians in every school and classify book bans as federal civil rights violations.

Romance fans, have you read the best romance novels of 2023? Check out Entertainment Weekly‘s top 10 romance novels of the year to see if there are any you missed.

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!

Best Books of 2023

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah — This is the best dystopian fiction I’ve read in some time and one of the most important books to come out in 2023. If you only read one book on this list, make sure it’s this one. I read this book around the 4th of July this year, and considering all of the messed up stuff going on in the world and in our country right now, a pointed attack on American violence and the prison industrial complex was the perfect seasonal read.

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez — This one wins for best cover of 2023, in my book. At 608 pages, Our Share of Night was quite the time investment, but this dark horror novel/family saga was so worth it. I will never be able to get these characters out of my head.

What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman — Clay McLeod Chapman’s horror fiction is always wildly inventive, with imagery that will give you nightmares. There’s something beguiling and terrifying about water and the things that live within. It’s something that has always scared me, and this book really taps into those fears.

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward — Catriona Ward is another all-time favorite of mine. Ward specializes in psychological horror that will leave your brain in knots, and Looking Glass Sound is her mind-bendiest novel yet. In fact, I’m still unraveling what really happened in this twisty novel, but I loved every word of it.

Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant — And now for something entirely different. Sometimes the most healing read for the soul is a sweet, heartwarming contemporary YA rom-com. It’s one of my favorite genres, and Elise Bryant’s Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling was the best I read all year. Reggie and Delilah are such fun characters, and I loved that their love story was about so much more than falling for each other. It was about learning to fall for yourself.

What I Loved Watching in 2023

Yes, I read a lot in 2023, but I also watched a lot of movies and TV. Here are some of my favorite things I watched in 2023.

The Last of Us — Have you heard of a lil HBO show called The Last of Us, starring the Internet’s boyfriend Pedro Pascal? No? Crawl out from under that rock and watch it now. I cried watching pretty much every episode. No big deal.

May December — Someone give Charles Melton the Oscar right now! We don’t have to wait for the awards ceremonies. I loved this movie, and it’s now streaming on Netflix!

Heartstopper — I can’t get enough Heartstopper. Season 2 was wonderful. I just picked up my copy of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper: Volume 5. And… season 3 just wrapped! Will Heartstopper also be one of my favorite things of 2024? Probably.

Priscilla — Sofia Coppola’s adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me was visually stunning from start to finish. And again, A+ acting. It’s now available to rent, but I’m probably going to have to buy this one.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse — Everyone saw this, right? RIGHT?

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

You know it’s winter because Remy has decided the dryer is a fun place to sleep. Dangerous, but fun. And is life worth living if you’re not living on the edge? (Disclaimer: yes, yes it is worth living.)

Alright, friends! That’s it for looking back on 2023. It’s all looking forward from here on out. What were your favorite things of 2023? Let me know!

Emily

The Fright Stuff

All the Best Horror of 2023

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 15, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi, horror fans! Somehow, we’ve made it to the last The Fright Stuff newsletter of the year, so I thought this week would be a good chance to look back at all the wonderful horror of 2023…and everything we can look forward to in 2024! I love a new year. Let’s do this.

Are you looking for the perfect gift for that bookish special someone in your life this holiday season? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! Here at TBR, we pair our customers with a professional book nerd (aka bibliologist) who just gets them. They fill out a survey and then sit back and relax as we pick books just for them. We’ve got three levels — recs-only, paperback, and hardcover — and you can gift a full year or one time, so there are options for every budget! Get all the details at mybtro.com/gift.

Bookish Goods

Horror Movie Logbook by ArtfulPixels

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to watch more horror movies in 2024? Grab yourself a copy of this horror movie logbook. You can mark details about the movie, when you watched it, how scary the movie was, and more. Each page provides sections to rate two different movies. $26.

Best Horror of 2023

What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman

There were so many good horror novels in 2023. Here are just a few of my favorites I read this year! What Kind of Mother is a Southern Gothic horror novel that follows Madi Price, who has reluctantly returned to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, with her 17-year-old daughter. Madi scrapes by working as a palm reader, which is how she encounters Henry McCabe, whose son went missing five years ago. Everyone assumes Henry’s son is dead, but when Madi reads his palm, she sees something different. This book is so unique and disturbing in the best way. And you will never look at crabs the same way again. Trust me!

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

This is the second book in Stephen Graham Jones’ Indian Lake Trilogy, and we can look forward to the third book in the series, The Angel of Indian Lake, in 2024. Don’t Fear the Reaper sees Jade Daniels return to the rural lake town of Proofrock on the same day serial killer Dark Mill South escapes to exact his revenge. A lot has changed since Jade’s senior year, but after Dark Mill South’s 36-hour rampage and 20 dead bodies, many of the horrors of that year come flooding back.

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

Natural Beauty combines horror and humor to tell the story of an unnamed narrator who quits her job as a pianist to care for her parents in New York City. There, she takes up a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store called Holistik and grows close to the owner’s niece, Helen. The two form a friendship that slowly becomes more, and the narrator becomes deeply wrapped up in the products and ideology of Holistik. But underneath its glossy surface, Holistik hides something sinister.

Horror to Look Out for in 2024

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (June 25)

Paul Tremblay is always a must-read horror author every year, but this book looks especially good. 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.

The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim (June 25)

This book cover is already haunting my nightmares. When her father leaves unexpectedly, Ji-Won is forced to keep the rest of her family together and care for her grieving mother. Then Ji-Won’s mother tells her eating fish eyes could bring them good luck, so Ji-Won tries it. Now, all she can think about is eating eyes. And not fish eyes this time. Human ones.

The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste (March 5)

This final book is being described as perfect for fans of Yellowjackets, and it comes from Gwendolyn Kiste, who won a Bram Stoker Award for The Rust Maidens and the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Fiction for Reluctant Immortals. This book follows the story of three childhood friends who are the lone survivors after everyone else in their town turns into ghosts.

Horror fans, I hope you have a great rest of your holiday season and a happy new year! I’ll see you on the other side! Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!

Book Radar

MURDERBOT Series Starring Alexander Skarsgård Coming to Apple TV+ and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 15, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Monday, Book Friends!

We’re nearing the end of the year, and I’m so ready to sit back for a few days, wrap up some reading, watch more bad Christmas movies, and live my best December life. What are you up to for the holidays? Are you reading 5,000 Christmas rom-com books like I am? Let me know!

Book Deals and Reveals

Crime Reads has shared the cover and an excerpt from Elise Bryant’s It’s Elementary. It’s out from Berkley in August 2024.

And here’s the cover of Sarah Pearse’s The Wilds. It’s out on July 16, 2024.

Nicola Yoon’s first adult novel, One of Our Kind, is coming out on June 11, 2024. Check out the cover here.

Alexander Skarsgård will star in the upcoming 10-episode series adaptation of Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries. Murderbot will be available to stream on Apple TV+.

Paddington is set to get a musical theater adaptation! The newly announced show — which has the working title Paddington: The Musical — will open in the UK in 2025.

Here’s Autostraddle’s list of the best queer books of 2023, including everything from horror to nonfiction, graphic novels to poetry.

These are the 2024 YA book-to-film adaptations you’ll want on your to-be-seen list, as well as some possible upcoming adaptations.

Here are the highest-rated celebrity memoirs of the last few years.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

Family Family by Laurie Frankel (Henry Holt and Co., January 23)

It’s time to get excited and prepare your shelves for January 2024 releases. Remember when January 2024 seemed super far away? Well. Here we are. And this is one of the January books you’re going to want to read, especially if you love literary fiction and family dramas.

India Allwood’s dreams are coming true. Sort of. She’s always wanted to be an actress, and now she’s starring in a prestige feature film about adoption. But India hates that the film’s story is the same old adoption tragedy story. Not every story of adoption is a sad story. What about all of the happy adoption stories? Why are those never told?

As someone who is an adoptive mom in real life, she wants the world to know the truth about adoption. And so when she’s asked by a journalist, she tells the truth about the movie. She thinks it’s bad. Almost as soon as the words are out of her mouth, India finds herself under fire in the media. With people coming at her from every direction, India knows it’s time to turn to her family for help.

What I’m Reading This Week

Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Bookish Memes

Okay, this week, we’re going with memes from The Office, which never go out of style!

And Here’s a Cat Picture!

Here’s one of my favorite cat pictures of the past year. Just look at Remy and Murray cuddled up so close on my reading chair. They’re the best!

That’s Monday’s Book Radar, friends! I hope you have a great week.

Emily

Book Radar

Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna Announces REBEL GIRL Book Tour and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 13, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi Book Pals!

It’s a big week here in our household because it was my husband’s birthday yesterday. And we celebrated by going to not one but two bookstores. Oh, and maybe even more importantly, it was our cat Murray’s birthday the day before. My little orange angel is four years old! So happy birthday week to two of the most special people in the whole world. And on with the books!

Book Deals and Reveals

Let’s start with a gorgeous cover reveal! Check out the cover of A Love Like The Sun by Riss M. Neilson. It’s out from Berkley on June 11.

Literary Hub has singled out the 139 best book covers of 2023.

And here are the 12 book covers The New York Times calls the “edgiest, catchiest, most creative book jackets of the year.”

Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna has announced a U.S. book tour in support of her new memoir Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk. The book will be out on May 14, and a portion of all ticket sales from the tour will be donated to the nonprofit Peace Sisters.

Jeffery Deaver has a new series coming out with Thomas & Mercer. The first book in the series, Fatal Intrusion, will be out in fall 2024.

Olivia Dade’s paranormal romantic comedy ZomRomCom is being called The Last of Us meets My Roommate Is a Vampire. And it’s out from Berkley in summer 2025!

Speaking of romance, Judith Rosen’s Bookstore Romance is coming out from Brandeis University Press in early 2025. The author calls the book “a celebration of love—and of bricks-and-mortar bookstores—told through the stories (in words and pictures) of couples who chose to get engaged, and sometimes married, in bookstores.”

Dictionary.com’s choice of Word of the Year nods to the prominence of AI in 2023 — and where it falls short.

Get your TBR ready and feast your eyes on all these fabulous new book releases coming in 2024.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One!

I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones (S&S/Saga Press, July 16)

Y’all know the drill with Stephen Graham Jones by now. He’s always releasing multiple works per year, and I’m always going to send all of them straight to the top of my TBR list. I don’t know how this author does it, but he writes fast and he writes exceptionally well. And there’s nothing quite like a Stephen Graham Jones horror novel. If you’ve read his books, you know what I mean.

Yes, the third and final novel in Stephen Graham Jone’s Indian Lake Trilogy, The Angel of Indian Lake, is coming out in March. But only three months later, we’re getting a fresh new standalone in I Was A Teenage Slasher. Lamesa, Texas is a small town in west Texas where everyone knows everyone else’s business. And in 1989 in Lamesa, a young teenager named Tolly Driver will be cursed to kill others for revenge.

This story is told from the close perspective of a killer, as Tolly Driver writes his autobiography. Stephen Graham Jones is a master of character studies, and I’m so excited to meet his newest protagonist.

Words of Literary Wisdom

“Florida’s soil is soaked with so much blood, it’s a wonder the droplets don’t seep between your toes with every step, Mama used to say.”
— The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

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.

If you’ve been following recent book news, then you know what story we have to talk about this week, friends. First-time author Cait Corrain has lost her book deal after posting fake negative reviews on other authors’ books on Goodreads. Corrain’s book agent, Rebecca Podos, also said she has cut ties with Corrain. The author has issued an apology on X Twitter. You can read more about the story here. Or if you’re more of a BookTube person, here’s a quick explanation.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

We’ve got to end today’s newsletter by wishing Murray a HAPPY BIRTHDAY one more time! Happy birthday, sweet orange angel! Here’s to being four and more wonderful than ever! And many more years to come!

Okay, friends, that’s where we wrap up this newsletter today. I’ll see you on Monday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Emily

Book Radar

Here are the Winners of the Goodreads Choice Awards and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 8, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi Book Friends!

Happy Monday. It’s a new week full of possibilities, and it’s Hanukkah, so Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate! This week is also my husband’s birthday, which he doesn’t care about, but it’s a holiday to me. So happy birthday, Ben! And happy birthday to all the Sags out there. Okay, enough celebrating. Let’s talk books.

Book Deals and Reveals

Goodreads has announced its winners of the annual Goodreads Choice Awards. Winners include Yellowface by R.F. Kuang for Best Fiction and The Woman in Me by Britney Spears for Best Memoir.

Them shared their 23 favorite LGBTQ+ books of 2023, including The Risk It Takes to Bloom by Raquel Willis and Falling Back in Love With Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom.

Tor.com has shared the cover of New Adventure in Space Opera, a short fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan. It’s out on August 13, 2024, from Tachyon Publications.

And here’s the cover reveal of Cally Fiedorek’s Atta Boy. It will be published by University of Iowa Press on April 2, 2024.

Hunger Games actor Tom Blyth is set to star in the upcoming film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. The movie is directed and written by Michael Winterbottom and will star Blyth as protagonist Frederic Henry.

Here’s the trailer for the upcoming Netflix series adaptation of Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben. The series stars Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar, Richard Armitage, Joanna Lumley, Emmett J. Scanlan, and Dino Fetscher. It’s set to premiere on the first of January.

Brigid Kemmerer’s debut adult trilogy has been acquired by Avon at auction. Avon says the “romantasy-centered” series will feature “a princess with a secret” along with a “darkly handsome warrior king” and an “assassin” tasked with killing them both — even though he’s the princess’s childhood friend and first love. The first book in the trilogy is set for a summer 2025 release.

Here are the books being read by all of the book clubs this month, as well as how to take part in the discussion.

And here are Libro.fm’s most popular audiobooks of 2023, including celebrity memoirs, romantasy, a literary thriller, and more.

Book Riot Recommends

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Prepare Your Shelves!

Lucero by Maya Motayne (Balzer + Bray, December 26)

I feel like I got an ARC of this book foreeeever ago, and it’s finally coming out at the end of this month. I’m so excited for you all to finally get to read the last book in Maya Motayne’s Nocturna/Forgery of Magic trilogy. So get ready, and prepare yourselves, because it’s coming!

Lucero picks up after Sombra’s return. Castallan and Englass are on the brink of war, and Finn and Alfie must work together to restore balance in magic and save the world. But with Sombra’s shadows lurking around every corner and their own magic becoming more and more unpredictable, this will be no easy feat.

I’m keeping this summary simple because if you haven’t read the first two books in this series, you have exactly two weeks to do so before this one comes out. Enjoy!

What I’m Reading This Week

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

Making it So by Patrick Stewart

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Bookish Memes

This is one of my new favorite bookish meme accounts, not gonna lie. So you might see a lot of posts from this one in the near future. Anyway, here are some Saltburn bookish memes.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Remy has gotten into the habit of sitting in my lap in the mornings while I work on these newsletters. So anyway, he says hi. This is him sitting here right now. So cute! What a good helper!

Alright, friends. I hope you have a wonderful week, and I’ll see you next time!

Emily

The Fright Stuff

Have You Read These Jewish Horror Novels?

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 8, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Hanukkah, horror fans! It’s me, Emily, your friend in all things frightful. In honor of Hanukkah, I thought we could look at a few horror novels from Jewish authors today. But before we get to that, let’s look at what’s new in the world of horror. You know the drill.

Bookish Goods

Gothic Journal by CurioPopRelics

Okay, my journaling fiends! If you love horror and you love a beautiful journal, you need this gothic journal with a haunting ghostie pic on the cover. Measures 5.75″x8″, with 150-lined pages. $24

New Releases

Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes

It’s cold outside, so it’s the perfect time to pick up this chilly, gothic story of Arctic explorer William Day. Thirteen years ago, William was the sole survivor of a failed expedition where men ate each other to stay alive. Now, on a similar expedition, William’s second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing. Is this William’s chance to redeem himself? Or is he doomed to repeat the past?

They Will Dream in the Garden by Gabriela Damián Miravete, translated by Adrian Demopulos

This collection of short stories in translation blends multiple genres (horror, science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction) to tell stories of violence, activism, and resistance. This is the first full book in translation from Miravete, translated by Adrian Demopulos. So definitely check it out!

Dazzling by Chikọdịlị Emelụmadụ

This debut novel mixes horror with fantasy and West African mythology. After Treasure’s father died, her family lost everything. So when she meets a spirit who promises to bring her father back, she’s eager to do whatever he asks, even when it’s the most terrible thing imaginable. Meanwhile, Ozoemena is just trying to fit in at her new boarding school, but when her fellow students start to disappear, her destiny to become a Leopard and the protector of her people collides with Treasure’s mission to get her father back.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

The Tribe by Bari Wood

Let’s highlight some Jewish horror, starting with the iconic Paperbacks from Hell novel The Tribe. Back in 1945, Jewish captives were liberated from the Belzec concentration camp, but no one could understand how they survived. Thirty-five years later, in 1980, a rabbi’s son is murdered, and those responsible are found slaughtered and covered in a strange gray substance. Now, Rachel Levy and Detective Roger Hawkins are determined to uncover what happened in both cases and how they’re connected.

36 Righteous Men by Steven Pressfield

The Tzadikim Nistarim, or Lamed Vav Tzadikim, is a Jewish legend that says that in each generation there exist 36 righteous people. But when detectives James Manning and Covina “Dewey” Duwai are called to investigate a series of brutal murders, they discover that the 36 righteous men are not a myth at all.

Well, everyone. My cat has fallen asleep on my arm, and I’m typing one-handed, so I guess that means it’s time to wrap this up. Thanks so much for joining me. If you celebrate, I hope you have a happy Hanukkah. And until next time, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!

Book Radar

THE GUARDIAN Names the Best Crime and Thrillers of 2023 and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 6, 2023

Sponsored by

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

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?

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.

Emily

Book Radar

John Green and Jodi Picoult Sue Iowa Over Book-Banning Law and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 4, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi Book Friends!

Welcome to another Book Radar Monday! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I cannot tell you how RELIEVED I am that November is behind us and that we’re on to December. I’m ready for the holiday vibes. My Christmas tree is up. Let’s do this.

(Speaking of the holidays! Are you looking for the perfect gift for that bookish special someone in your life this holiday season? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! We’ve got three levels — recs-only, paperback, and hardcover — and you can gift a full year or one time, so there are options for every budget! Get all the details at mybtro.com/gift.)

Book Deals and Reveals

Brandon Sanderson has a new standalone novel coming in March, and here is the cover reveal! You can preorder The Sunlit Man now.

Penguin Random House and several bestselling authors, including novelists John Green and Jodi Picoult, are part of a lawsuit challenging Iowa’s new book banning law that prohibits libraries and classrooms from having practically any book that depicts sexual activity.

Marcela Fuentes’ debut novel Malas is coming out on June 4, and ahead of its release, we’re getting a cover reveal. The author describes the novel as “a story of passion and revenge, the kinship between two women living on the Texas Mexico border, and a curse that reverberates across generations.”

Here’s another exciting cover reveal for an upcoming debut novel. Lauren Ling Brown’s Society of Lies will be published by Bantam on August 13.

Another debut? Here’s the cover of Jenna Satterthwaite’s Made For You, designed by Elita Sidiropoulou. It’s out from Mira on July 2.

Entertainment Weekly has shared the cover of Kristy Greenwood’s The Love of My Afterlife, a romance novel that explores the possibility of finding love after death. It’s out on June 3!

AudioFIle has released its 53-title list of the best audiobooks of 2023, which are spread out across 9 categories.

A list of the best-selling indie books of 2023 has been released by Bookshop.org. It includes everything from self-help to monster romance.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

Airplane Mode by Shahnaz Habib (Catapult, December 5)

As you get ready to hop on a plane and travel over the holidays, make sure you pick up a copy of this book. It’s out tomorrow, so don’t even worry about preparing your shelves. Just put this one straight into your carry-on bag.

Airplane Mode is a collection of essays by Indian author and translator Shahnaz Habib. These travel essays explore the history and implications of travel from the perspective of a woman of color raised in a developing country. Through these essays, Habib explores the question, “what does it mean to be a joyous traveler when we live in the ruins of colonialism, capitalism and climate change?” Habib’s essays cover everything from passports to Western consumerism to guidebooks to the concept of wanderlust itself. Airplane Mode is at once curious, optimistic, humorous, and analytical, and it’s the perfect nonfiction read to round out your TBR list at the end of the year.

What I’m Reading This Week

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

The Only One Left by Riley Sagar

Making it So by Patrick Stewart

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

Codename: Sailor V by Naoko Takeuchi

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman

Bookish Memes

Where are my What We Do in the Shadows fans? I absolutely loved this Instagram reel “Books as What We Do in the Shadows quotes.” I have watched it several (and I mean several) times.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Here’s a cute lil sleepy boy in a cat tree. Look at his little white whiskers! He’s actually meowing at me right now, and I think he’s saying “Tell your Book Radar friends to have a happy Monday.” Thanks, Remy!

So yeah! Go have a happy Monday, and we’ll talk on Thursday, yes?

Emily

The Fright Stuff

New Beginnings are Always Scary, Especially in Horror Novels

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 4, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi horror fans! It’s me, Emily, your friend in all things frightful. It’s finally December, which is pretty much my second favorite month after October. What, a horror girlie who loves the holidays? Yes, ma’am, that is me.

(Speaking of holidays! We have a new paperback level at TBR. If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.)

But more than Christmas, do you know what I love? New Year’s Eve.

Apparently this is weird, but New Year’s Eve is right up there with Halloween for me. Like Halloween, NYE is a chance to get dressed up and have fun without all the familial pressures. And on top of that, I love how optimistic NYE is. It’s about fresh starts and looking to a new year with a fresh perspective. So in honor of my favorite holiday coming up in just a few more weeks, we’re going to look at some horror that’s also about fresh starts today. Are you with me?

Bookish Goods

Scaredy Cats Calendar by BeccabyHandStudio

Speaking of the new year, it’s time for a new calendar. And I love this one because it brings together my two loves: cats and horror. This 12-month calendar includes 12 original hand-painted horror cat images, including The Bride of Chewy, Dracuclaw, Friday The Purrteenth, The Exorhiss, Krampuss, and more! The calendar is 12×18″ and includes a small hole for hanging. $25.

New Releases

Perfect Little Lives by Amber and Danielle Brown

This horror/thriller follows Simone, whose mother was murdered when she was only 13. Her father was convicted of the crime, and Simone’s life was turned upside down. Ten years later, Simone is trying to move on with her life. She makes a living writing book reviews and is starting to get involved in a serious relationship. But she still believes in her father’s innocence, and when her childhood next-door neighbor Hunter approaches her with new information — that Hunter’s father was having an affair with Simone’s mother — Simone becomes convinced Hunter’s father is to blame for her mother’s death.

The Folly by Gemma Amor

Gothic horror fans, take note: this one is for you. And it’s another one about a father wrongfully(?) convicted. Morgan knows that her father didn’t murder her mother, so when he is finally released from prison, Morgan is overjoyed. Looking for a fresh start (this is going to be a theme this week), Morgan and her father become caretakers at a castle on the Cornish coastline known only as “The Folly.” But their peaceful existence is quickly destroyed by a new visitor: a woman who looks, acts, and speaks exactly like Morgan’s mother.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

The Spite House by Johnny Compton

New beginnings are always scary, and that’s why a family looking for a fresh start is a pretty standard trope for horror fiction. Here are a couple of novels that do it well. Eric Ross is looking for a fresh start after a family trauma sent him on the run with his two daughters. Unsure of where to turn and desperate to find a job, Eric feels like his prayers are answered when he sees a position advertised for a caretaker of the Masson House. The Masson House is notoriously haunted, but this only draws Eric to the house more. His family has their own ties with the supernatural, and Eric is looking for answers.

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

You’ll probably see me recommend this book a lot because I love it so much, so listen up and read it! You won’t regret it! Marigold’s family moves to a new place in a new town in the hopes of starting over (seeing a pattern here?). At first, when Marigold and her family move to the picture-perfect house on Maple Street, it seems too good to be true. But Marigold can’t help but overhear the whispers about her neighborhood at her new school. And then there’s the house itself, where things keep disappearing, and the family feels strange presences watching them around every corner.

Happy December! Thanks so much for tuning in, and I can’t wait to share more horror with you next week. Same time, same place? In the meantime, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!

Book Radar

Froot Loops Offers Free Children’s Books Online and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 29, 2023

Sponsored by

Dear Book Friends,

Welcome to the final day of November, and as always, it’s a tough one for me. This day marks six years since I lost my brother to cancer. I know reading about grief and loss is uncomfortable, but it’s important for me to remember him on this day and every day and to honor him in some way. So we will go one with Book Radar as usual, but first, I just have to say: I love you, Adam. I’ll miss you forever. Everyone go watch The Lion King today in honor of my brother. He used to listen to that soundtrack every night before bed.

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the amazing cover of Mallory Marlowe’s debut romantic comedy, Love and Other Conspiracies, designed by Vikki Chu. It’s out from Berkley Romance on August 20, 2024.

Conservatives are currently boycotting Froot Loops and its parent company, Kellogg’s. And that’s because, in Canada, Froot Loops boxes are including access to an online repository of “free diversity and inclusion content” for children, according to a website dedicated to the initiative.

Rebecca Yarros signed a deal with Montlake to write two standalone contemporary romance novels. The first book is set to publish in 2025.

Ebony LaDelle, author of Love Radio, will be releasing her first adult novel, You’ve Got a Place Here Too, with Ballantine. The book is set for a 2025 release.

The Nerd Daily has shared the cover of M.J. Rose’s upcoming time-travel adventure novel Forgetting to Remember. This one is out on March 26, 2024.

Read an excerpt of Tessa Bailey’s new rom-com The Au Pair Affair, and check out the cover over at Cosmopolitan! It’s out from Avon on July 16, 2024.

Apple Books has launched its 2023 year in review, now available on iPhone and iPad within the Read Now tab under Top Picks.

Matt Smith has signed on to star as the title character in the television adaptation of Nick Cave’s 2009 novel The Death of Bunny Munro.

Meanwhile, Paul Greengrass has been hired to adapt the film adaptation of T.J. Newman’s novel Drowning.

After releasing their 100 Notable Books of 2023, The New York Times has narrowed it down to their top 10 Best Books of 2023.

Here are the sci-fi and fantasy titles getting the most recognition in best-of-the-year lists and award shortlists!

Book Riot Recommends

Power up your reading life with thoughtful writing on books and publishing, courtesy of The Deep Dive. Over at our Substack publication, you’ll find timely stories, informed takes, and useful advice from our in-house experts. We’re here to share our expertise and perspective, drawing from our backgrounds as booksellers, librarians, educators, authors, editors, and publishing professionals. Find out why the bestseller list is broken, analyze some anticipated books, and then get a free subscription for weekly content delivered to your inbox. You can also upgrade to paid-for bonus content and community features connecting you to like-minded readers.

Can’t Wait for This One!

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (January 30, 2024)

It’s time to finally shout out my most anticipated novel of 2024, and I feel so lucky because I don’t have to wait that much longer! This one, being at the end of January, is just almost right around the corner, which means it’s almost time to prepare our shelves. If you read Kiley Reid’s debut novel Such A Fun Age, then you’re probably just as excited about Come and Get It as I am. Such A Fun Age was a wild page-turner, but not in the way you’d expect. I could not put the book down because I was so nervous and weirdly excited to find out what cringey thing the characters would do next. And just like Reid’s first one, Come and Get It is a novel focused on social commentary, dynamic characters, and a story you won’t be able to pull yourself away from.

Set in 2017 at the University of Arkansas, Come and Get It is about senior resident assistant Millie Cousins. Millie is trying to graduate and save up enough money to buy a house. When visiting professor Agatha Paul offers Millie an interesting opportunity to help conduct research about weddings for her new book, Millie thinks it sounds like an easy way to make a little bit more cash. But after a student prank turns sinister, Millie finds herself on the brink of losing everything she’s worked so hard for.

Words of Literary Wisdom

“As I get older I see more and more how fluid a thing time is. There are so many ways to slip in and out of it. The wonder is that we ever stick in the now.”

— Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

What I’m Watching This Weekend

Here’s a fun thing I do every Christmas. I watch twelve new Christmas movies and rate them using my patented (not really) Christmas scale. How Christmassy are this year’s offerings? Time will tell! But here’s a list of some of the new holiday movies coming out this year that I might be watching this weekend.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Here’s sweet little Cersei Anne with a toy bird. I know you are probably thinking about booping her cute little pink nose right now. But it’s a trap. You should know with cats it’s always a trap.

And that’s all I have for you today, friends. I hope you have a wonderful day and a beautiful weekend. Sending you all love!

Emily