Author: Emily Martin

BRIDGERTON Prequel Series Introduces First Images of Young Queen Charlotte: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 23, 2022

Sponsored by The Antiquarian Sticker Book: Imaginarium

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao Heading to the Big Screen

Xiran Jay Zhao’s bestselling YA novel Iron Widow is heading to the big screen! Erik Feig’s Picturestart has obtained the rights to the novel, and J.C. Lee is set to write the screenplay for a film adaptation. Lee’s previous screenwriting credits include Luce, To My Girls, Looking, Love, Victor, and The Morning Show. Picturestart’s Jessica Switch and Julia Hammer will produce alongside Erik Feig. Samie Kim Falvey will executive produce.

Bridgerton Prequel Series Introduces First Images of Young Queen Charlotte

Netflix and Shondaland have released the first photo from the Bridgerton limited prequel series, entitled Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The series is based on the origins of Queen Charlotte, and the first photo from the show gives fans a first look at a young Queen Charlotte, played by India Amarteifio. Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Agatha Danbury) and Ruth Gemmell (Lady Violet Bridgerton) will all reprise their roles for this series. Also joining the cast are Michelle Fairley as Princess Augusta, Corey Mylchreest as Young King George, Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury, Sam Clemmett as Young Brimsley, Freddie Dennis as Reynolds, Richard Cunningham as Lord Bute, Tunji Kasim as Adolphus, Rob Maloney as the Royal Doctor, Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury, and Hugh Sachs as Brimsley (older). Shonda Rhimes serves as writer and showrunner. She also executive produces along with Betsy Beers and Tom Verica, who also directs.

Here’s A Peek Inside Boston’s Newest Bookstore Beacon Hill Books

A new bookstore is opening up in Boston soon! Here’s a sneak peak at the stunning new five story shop. Each floor will focus on books for different kinds of readers. But beyond that, the bookstore is divided into individual rooms, each painted and decorated to appeal to a different subset of readers. The store will also include a cafe with coffee, snacks, an afternoon English tea service, and wine. Check out their website for more details.

Wolf Hall Author Hilary Mantel Dies at 70

Booker Prize-winning author Hilary Mantel has died at 70 years old. She was a prolific writer of books, including Wolf Hall.

Book Radar

Xiran Jay Zhao’s IRON WIDOW is Going to be a Movie and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 23, 2022

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal for Ride or Die, Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu’s debut YA thriller, out from Soho Teen on June 6th, 2023.

Iron Widow, the New York Times bestselling novel by Xiran Jay Zhao, is going to be a movie!

The Nerd Daily has the exclusive cover reveal of Jordan H. Bartlett’s Queen’s Catacombs, the second installment in The Frean Chronicles. This book is out on March 14th, 2023.

Here’s the cover reveal for The Future King, Robyn Schneider’s sequel to 2021’s YA humor/fantasy novel The Other Merlin.

Disney+ has optioned a series based on Melissa de la Cruz’s YA novel The Ring & The Crown, published by Disney Publishing Worldwide.

Brian Selznick, author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck, has a new novel coming out: Big Tree, inspired by an idea from director Stephen Spielberg.

TikTok has partnered with Penguin Random House to create a new in-app feature that allows users to link directly to PRH titles in their video captions.

Here’s the trailer for Rosaline, a comedy based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Netflix has announced that season 2 of Heartstopper is officially in production!

The City of Chicago and the Chicago Public Library have declared themselves book sanctuaries, offering a safe space for endangered stories.

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!

Prepare Your Shelves!

When Franny Stands Up by Eden Robins (Sourcebooks Landmark, November 1)

When Franny Stands Up doesn’t come out until November 1st, and here we are at the end of September. So while right now November seems a million days away, it’ll be here sooner than you know it. So prepare yourselves for this one, because this novel is the perfect funny and heartbreaking read to pick up for the fall.

Set in Chicago during WWII, When Franny Stands Up tells the story of Franny Steinberg, who is first introduced to the concept of the “Showstopper” one Christmas Eve when she sees the comedian Boopie Baxter perform at the Empire Room of the Palmer Hotel. From that moment forth, Franny’s dream is to become like her idol Boopie. At the Blue Moon Comedy Club, Franny learns the true power of the Showstopper, that moment when the audience laughs so hard that they are transformed. When Franny finds herself onstage in a torn bridesmaid dress, she realizes her Showstopper has the power to change everything. Not just for the audience, but for herself also.

When Franny Stands Up is funny, sweet, and certainly magical, but it also covers difficult topics— such as PTSD and sexual identity— with insight and heart. This book confronts the difficulties of life, but it also celebrates laughter and its power to heal and bring people together.

What I’m Reading This Week

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy

The Verifiers by Jane Pek

Hokuloa Road by Elizabeth Hand

The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

Monday Memes

Not all of these are literature-based, but how could I let this Monday pass and not bring up all the Adam Levine DM memes? The Internet is a wonderful place. I don’t care what anyone says.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Checking in with Remy in the cat tree. He’s still loving it. We call this his side car, and it’s perfect because he’s got this dangly toy right in front of him. Whoever invented cat trees was really onto something.

Anyway, that’s it for Monday’s Book Radar! I hope you have a wonderful week. Don’t forget to go eat a golden bowl for me if you’re in Athens.

Emily

Today In Books

LeVar Burton Responds to Kanye West’s Statement That He Never Reads Books: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 22, 2022

Sponsored by Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo; illustrated by Dani Pendergast

Disney+ Greenlights Series Based on Melissa de la Cruz’s The Ring & The Crown

Disney+ has optioned a series based on Melissa de la Cruz’s YA novel The Ring & The Crown, published by Disney Publishing Worldwide. The series is currently in development and will be written by Aaron Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg (Our Kind of People). Harberts and Berg will also executive produce alongside author de la Cruz. Casting and release dates have yet to be announced.

Here’s A Sneak Peak at Brian Selznick’s Stephen Spielberg-influenced Novel Big Tree

Brian Selznick, author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck, has a new novel coming out, inspired by director Stephen Spielberg’s idea. Spielberg came up with the idea for this story in collaboration with Illumination Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri. Then Selznick took that idea and made it into a gorgeously illustrated book. “Creating this book was a great joy and an even greater challenge because I was telling a story about nature from nature’s point of view,” Selznick said in a statement. “It grew into a narrative I’m very proud of, one that reminds us to stop and listen to the world around us, and to help those who need to be helped. These themes seem to grow more and more urgent with each passing day.” Big Tree will be released by Scholastic Press on April 4th, 2023.

LeVar Burton Responds to Kanye West’s Statement That He Never Reads Books

Reading Rainbow and Star Trek star LeVar Burton is a vocal advocate for reading books, so when Kanye West announced that he never reads, of course Burton had something to say about it on Twitter. West said, “I actually haven’t read any book. Reading is like eating Brussels sprouts for me and talking is like getting the Giorgio Baldi corn ravioli.” Burton’s response? “Hmmm… I’m going have to take Mr. West at his word,” he tweeted. “I hope however, that he shares a different message with the children enrolled in the school he’s founded named after his mother, who was an professor of English. I’m fairly certain she read a book or two.”

5,100 Free Library Cards Issued by Brooklyn Library in Fight Against Book Banning

The Brooklyn Library has issued thousands of library cards across the country, aiding in the fight against censorship.

Today In Books

TikTok Partners with Penguin Random House for New In-App Feature: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 21, 2022

Sponsored by The Witches of Hant Hollow 3, a Fabulous Fall Read!

George M. Johnson Speaks Out as His Book Becomes One of the Most Banned in the US

George M. Johnson’s New York Times best-selling memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue is currently one of the most banned often banned/challenged books in the United States. According to a Pen America report released Monday, the memoir has been taken off the shelves in at least 29 school districts across the US. “It’s been bittersweet to see our stories be attacked in this way, but it is also amplifying many of our stories and I’m able to get the book out to the teen readers who really need it the most,” Johnson told ABC News. “If there’s anything I’m thankful for, it’s that it’s actually getting to the hands of the people who need to read it to heal from it.”

TikTok Partners with Penguin Random House for New In-App Feature

TikTok has partnered with Penguin Random House to create a new in-app feature that allows users to link directly to PRH titles in their video captions. This new feature is available to TikTok users in the US and the UK. Users can access it by clicking “Add Link” and selecting “Book.” You can see a full explainer of the new feature on TikTok here.

S.A. Cosby Reveals Cover of New Southern Noir Novel

Anthony Award-winning author S. A. Cosby has shared the cover of his latest novel All the Sinners Bleed. Cosby says the main inspiration for his latest novel was “the old Southern Gothic tales my mom would tell me about our hometown, with a dash of True Detective Season 1 thrown in for good measure.” Cosby’s latest novel will be out from Flatiron Books in June 2023.

Spotify Adds Audiobook Feature in US

Spotify has launched its long-awaited audiobooks feature. The company is also looking to create new business models with audiobooks.

Book Radar

S.A. Cosby Reveals Cover of New Thriller ALL THE SINNERS BLEED and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 21, 2022

Book Deals and Reveals

S.A. Cosby recently did an interview with Crime Reads and revealed the cover of his upcoming Southern noir thriller All the Sinners Bleed. The novel is out from Flatiron Books in June 2023.

Tordotcom Publishing has revealed the cover of Emma Mieko Candon’s The Archive Undying. The publisher describes the book as a “bold entry into the world of mecha fiction.”

Can’t wait to read Rebekah Weatherspoon’s upcoming YA romance novel Her Good Side? You don’t have to! Penguin Teen has an excerpt from the novel that you can read right now (and a cover reveal)!

And if you need more cute romances in your life, check out the cover of Melissa See’s Love Letters for Joy, out from Scholastic in June 2023.

Showtime’s upcoming series Let the Right One In is a reimagining inspired by John Ajvide Lindqvist‘s original 2004 novel, and the first trailer has been released.

A limited edition single volume of the manga One Piece has been released, and it’s being billed as the longest book in existence at 21,450 pages.

Brandon Taylor, the Booker Prize-shortlisted author behind Real Life and Filthy Animals, has moved to Jonathan Cape from Daunt Books for his new novel The Late Americans.

Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter manga is finally returning in November. The Shonen Jump Twitter announced that Volume 37 would come out on November 4th in Japan.

Jenny Saint, author of the retellings Ariadne and Elektra, has a new novel coming out soon entitle Atalanta, and Paste has an exclusive cover reveal and author Q&A.

Former company president of Canada’s Indigo Books & Music, Peter Ruis has been named CEO in place of Heather Reisman who will now assume the role of executive chairman.

Spotify has launched its long-awaited audiobooks feature. The company is also looking to create new business models with audiobooks.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One!

The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill (Tordotcom, February 28, 2023)

Kelly Barnhill’s When Women Were Dragons was one of the most exciting new fantasy novels of 2022. So when I found out she has a novella coming out in 2023? And that it’s a retelling of the Japanese folktale “The Crane Wife?” Yeah, I got pretty excited to get my hands on this one. Also, just check out this incredibly stunning cover. I mean!

The Crane Husband is centered around the story of a small Mid-western family. The fifteen year-old daughter is responsible for raising her brother while her artist mother struggles to provide for her family through selling her beautiful tapestries. Over the past six years, while her mother has brought guests home, none of them have ever stayed. For the most part, it’s just been the three of them.

But then one day her mother brings home a strange guest, a six-foot tall crane that completely turns the family’s life upside down. The mother quickly falls prey to the crane’s every demand, abandoning the world around her to weave the masterpiece the crane has asked for. Now the teen girl knows she must do whatever it takes to protect her mother and save her family.

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

Words of Literary Wisdom

“A mother is always giving. A mother never falls apart. A mother is a buffer between her child and the cruel world. Absorb it, the instructors say. Take it. Take it.”

— The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

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.

It’s scary season, and you know what that means. It’s time to prepare for some Halloween Read-A-Thons. My favorite time of year! I will be posting a longer list of Halloween Read-A-Thons next week. But for this week? I wanted to highlight the one I’m planning on participating in this year, and that’s gabbyread’s Weekendween: The Monster Mash. I chose this one because I love Gabby’s horror/thriller read-a-thons, and I love that this one is a manageable amount of tasks over the course of one weekend. Check out the prompts for yourself, and let me know if you’ll be participating too! Should I share what books I plan on reading for this?

What I’m Watching This Weekend

Anyone else a football fan here? Welp. I got NFL Sunday Ticket because I am playing in some fantasy leagues and I was hoping to keep up with all of the games. But. You know. Sunday Ticket hasn’t been working. At $80/month, I feel like I need my money back. Or is this just the price I pay for being a football fan?

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

As the weather starts getting cooler, the cats just start getting cuddlier. We love to see Murray and Remy getting along so famously. And yeah, I love my elephant quilt too.

That’s all for today, everyone. As I say pretty much every Thursday, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I hope you get to pet lots of cats and read lots of good books. I hope you sleep in at least one day this weekend, if not two. And yeah, I’ll see you same time same place on Monday, friends.

Emily

Today In Books

Judge Vacates Murder Conviction of Adnan Syed of SERIAL: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 20, 2022

Sponsored by ODDER by Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate

Showtime’s Let the Right One In Releases First Trailer

Showtime’s upcoming series Let the Right One In is a reimagining inspired by John Ajvide Lindqvist‘s original 2004 novel, and the first trailer has been released. Demián Bichir stars as Mark, a father who returns to New York with his vampire daughter Eleanor (played by Madison Taylor Baez) to find a cure for her illness. The show, which Showtime says is perfect for fans of Dexter and Yellowjackets, will start streaming on October 7th ahead of its premiere on Showtime on October 9th.

Longest Single-Volume Book in the World Goes on Sale

A limited edition single volume of the manga One Piece has been released, and it’s being billed as the longest book in existence at 21,450 pages. But if you were planning on actually reading this one, think again. The book is physically impossible to read, making it less of a book and more of a sculpture. A spokesperson for the book’s publisher JBE told the Guardian that the book, entitled ONEPIECE, is an “unreadable sculpture that takes the shape of a book – the largest one to date in page numbers and spine width – that materializes the ecosystem of online dissemination of comics.”

Judge Vacates Murder Conviction of Adnan Syed of Serial

Judge Melissa M. Phinn of Baltimore City Circuit Court has vacated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed “in the interests of justice and fairness.” Syed, 41, is now out of prison for the first time after spending the past 23 years fighting his conviction on charges that he murdered his former high school girlfriend. The case was chronicled in the first season of the podcast Serial and in multiple other podcasts and books, including Adnan’s Story by Rabia Chaudry. Prosecutors have 30 days to decide if they will proceed with a new trial or drop the charges against Syed.

Overwhelming Majority of American Voters Strongly Oppose Book Banning According to National Poll

In anticipation of Banned Books Week, EveryLibrary Institute conducted a poll that found that the majority of voters oppose book banning.

Today In Books

Book Bans Impact Over 4 Million Students: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 19, 2022

Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publisher of HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER

Author Brandon Taylor Moves to Jonathan Cape from Daunt Books

Brandon Taylor, the Booker Prize-shortlisted author behind Real Life and Filthy Animals, has moved to Jonathan Cape from Daunt Books for his new novel The Late Americans. According to the publisher, The Late Americans is “a deeply involving new novel of young men and women at a crossroads.” Of his move to Jonathan Cape, Taylor says, “I’m honored and thrilled to be making a home at Jonathan Cape, who has published many of the novels that have meant the most to me.” The Late Americans is set to be published in June 2023. The novel will be published by Riverhead Books in the U.S.

Elly Conway, Author Behind Henry Cavill Spy Thriller Argylle, Remains a Mystery

Elly Conway is a debut novelist whose upcoming spy thriller, Argylle, is already being adapted into a major motion picture starring Henry Cavill, Ariana DeBose, Bryan Cranston, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Dua Lipa. But who is Conway? The author’s bio simply reads that she “lives in the United States and is currently working on the next installment in the series.” But the Argylle novel will not be published until March 30, 2023, and it doesn’t even have an Amazon page yet. Furthermore, Conway seems to have no social media presence. The film version of Conway’s novel is currently in post-production, and short teaser for the film was released March 9th.

Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter Returns in November

Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter manga is finally returning in November. The Shonen Jump Twitter announced that Volume 37 would come out on November 4th in Japan. This marks the first Hunter x Hunter manga to be released since 2018. No announcement has been for when the manga will be available in the U.S.

Book Bans Impact Over 4 Million Students

Over 2500 books have been banned in the last year, impacting over 4 million U.S. students, says new PEN America report.

Today In Books

TikToker/Author Alex Aster Changing the Publishing Industry for the Better: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 17, 2022

Blade Runner 2099 Series Given the Greenlight from Amazon’s Prime Video

Amazon’s Prime Video has given the green light to Blade Runner 2099, a limited series sequel to the iconic sci-fi film franchise, based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Ridley Scott, who directed the 1982 film Blade Runner, will executive produce through his Scott Free Productions. Silka Luisa (Shining Girls) will serve as showrunner. Story details about the series are being kept under wraps for now, but the title implies the series takes place fifty years after the film Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve. “The original Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce Blade Runner 2099 to our global Prime Video customers,” said Amazon studios head of global television Vernon Sanders. Sanders also promised that “Blade Runner 2099 will uphold the intellect, themes and spirit of its film predecessors.”

TikToker/Author Alex Aster Changing the Publishing Industry for the Better

After hundreds of rejections, Alex Aster joined TikTok in March 2021 to share the concept of her young adult novel Lightlark, determined to prove that she wasn’t the only person in the world who wanted to read it. The video, which shows Alex scrolling through her manuscript and sharing fantasy-inspired Pinterest photos, has since received over 1.8 million views, over 363,000 likes, and more than 56,000 saves. Now Aster has found a publisher in Abrams books, and the author tells Huffpost that she would never be in this position if it wasn’t for the support of the BookTok community. Aster and Abrams Books have been using TikTok ever since to help market the novel.

Here’s the Cover Reveal of Atalanta, Jenny Saint’s Latest Greek Mythology Retelling

Jenny Saint, author of the retellings Ariadne and Elektra, has a new novel coming out soon, and Paste has an exclusive cover reveal and author Q&A. Saint’s new novel Atalanta explores the story of the only woman to join Jason’s famous Argonauts. Saint told Paste, “Atalanta appealed to me as a pretty elusive figure in Greek mythology – she’s a brilliant heroine with really intriguing and unusual mythology, but she isn’t as immediately recognizable a name to a lot of people the way that my other protagonists are.” Atalanta will be released on May 2, 2023.

8 Hispanic and Latine YA Authors You Should Definitely Read

September is Hispanic Heritage Month, and what better way to celebrate than to read some of these Hispanic and Latine YA authors!

Today In Books

Celeste Ng Touring for Upcoming Novel MISSING HEARTS: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 16, 2022

Anne Heche’s Memoir Call Me Anne to Publish in January

Anne Heche’s new memoir Call Me Anne is set to be published in January 2023. Start Publishing says the actress turned in a manuscript shortly before her death. In the memoir, Heche will share thoughts and details about her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres in the late 1990s, when the couple were one of Hollywood’s first openly gay couples. “I was labeled ‘outrageous’ because I fell in love with a woman. I had never been with a woman before I dated Ellen,” Heche writes in the memoir. The book’s release was first announced by Publishers Weekly.

Celeste Ng Touring for Upcoming Novel Our Missing Hearts

Celeste Ng’s new novel Our Missing Hearts will be out on October 4th, and the author will be touring to promote the book. Ng’s tour kicks off on October 2nd in Boston at the Brattle Theatre, presented by Porter Square Books. There will also be a free virtual event on November 1st, as part of the Women on the Move Series, presented by Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center. You can find all of the information about each event on Ng’s Events page.

The Trailer for Netflix’s From Scratch is Here!

The trailer for Netflix’s adaptation of Tembi Locke’s memoir From Scratch is here! Attica Locke and Tembi Locke serve as writers and creators of the eight-episode series. The series stars Zoe Saldana, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Danielle Deadwyler, Keith David, Judith Scott, Kellita Smith, Lucia Sardo, Paride Benassai, and Roberta Rigano. From Scratch premieres on October 21st on Netflix.

A Banned Books Week Action List

Take action during Banned Books Week with these action items. That, plus this week’s roundup of book censorship news.

Book Radar

SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL Coming to Netflix and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 16, 2022

Book Deals and Reveals

SLJ (School Library Journal) is sharing an exclusive first look and cover reveal for Grounded by Aisha Saeed, S.K. Ali, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, & Huda Al-Marashi. The book publishes in May 9th, 2023.

Netflix has released the trailer for its film adaptation of the YA bestseller School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani.

The late actress Anne Heche’s memoir Call Me Anne is scheduled for a January release. According to the publisher, Heche turned in a manuscript shortly before she died.

Ten writers have been shortlisted for HarperFiction and The Good Literary Agency’s inaugural (Re)Presenting Romance Award.

Celeste Ng’s highly anticipated new novel Our Missing Hearts will be hitting shelves in October, and Ng will be doing several events both virtually and in-person to promote the book. Here’s the full schedule!

Jacob Lofland has been cast in a key role in Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to the film Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Todd Phillips.

The National Book Foundation has announced the 2022 Longlist for the Young People’s Literature Award. Here are the 10 contenders.

Here are the most popular books for summer 2022 as read by Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime users.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

A Sliver of Darkness by C.J. Tudor (Ballantine, November 8)

I’m aware we’ve talked about a lot of novels lately, but how about short story collections? There are quite a few exciting short stories coming out here at the end of 2022, but C.J. Tudor’s A Sliver of Darkness is one of the more exciting ones. Whether you’re a fan of Tudor’s other novels, such as The Chalk Man or The Burning Girls, or whether this author is totally new to you, you’re going to want to prepare your shelves for this one.

This debut short story collection features 10 tales that are creepy, twisty, and mind-bending. For instance, there’s “The Lion at the Gate,” a story about a strange piece of graffiti that leads four school friends into a horrifying encounter. And as the world descends into darkness in “Final Course,” a group of old friends find time for one last dinner party. Then there’s “I’m Not Ted,” in which a case of mistaken identity turns deadly. Tudor has been hailed by the Daily Mail as “Britain’s female Stephen King.” So if you’ve been dying to find a collection of stories that will stick with you and chill you to the bone long after you’ve turned the last page, you’re going to want to grab this book when it comes out in November.

What I’m Reading This Week

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy

The Verifiers by Jane Pek

Hokuloa Road by Elizabeth Hand

The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

What’s Up in the Book Community?

Have you heard about the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical? Okay, yes, we’ve all probably heard of the TikTok sensation by now. But have you heard Netflix is suing the musical’s creators, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear? If you missed this bit of news, Swell Entertainment has all the details. And here’s more from MickeyJoTheatre.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

I am so obsessed with this cat. Look at sweet Murray, my ginger angel, being the angelest angel you’ve ever seen.

Anyway, I hope your Monday was great and that the rest of your week is super awesome. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I love the optimism of a Monday. Good things are coming for us. I can feel it.

Bye, friends!

Emily