Author: Emily Martin

Corgis All Over Book Covers and More Book Radar

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 11, 2022

Book Deals and Reveals

I don’t know what’s going on with all of these corgis on book covers lately, but I am here for it. Just look at that little buddy! Anyway, this is about the book. Check out the cover of Fake Dates and Mooncakes, a new YA romcom from Sher Lee that’s being pitched as Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians. Meets a corgi. (I added that last part.)

And coming on August 15th, 2023 is another great queer romcom, New Adult by Timothy Janovsky. This one follows 23 year old stand-up comedian Nolan Baker, who longs to be “thirty, flirty, and thriving.”

Check it out: Jennifer Dugan, one of your favorite queer YA novelists, is now writing adult f/f romance. Love at First Set releases from Avon on May 23rd, 2023, and LGBTQ Reads has the first look!

The official trailer for Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio has been released ahead of the film’s December 9th premiere on Netflix.

New images from the upcoming third season of His Dark Materials reveal a first-look at the mulefa, seed-riding creatures with elephant-like trunks and short horns. Season 3 premieres on December 5th.

Paramount+ has unveiled the cast for the series The Doll Factory, based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth Macneal.

Vox Media’s Eater is partnering with Abrams on an Eater-branded series of cookbooks and city guides. The books will release starting next year.

St. Martin’s Griffin bought Priyanka Taslim’s adult debut, From Mumbai, with Love in a two-book deal.

The 2022 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction has been awarded to Khadija Abdalla Bajaber for her debut YA novel The House of Rust.

Looking for useful and/or creative ways to keep tabs on your reading life? Check out these fabulous reading journals.

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!

Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke (Avid Reader Press, November 22)

The cover! The title! The general concept of a book about butts! What’s not to love? That’s right, friends, we’re continuing to celebrate nonfiction November here at Book Radar, and the next nonfiction book I’m going to highlight is this fabulous book about butts. And it’s coming out next week, so tell those other books on your shelves to get their butts out of the way to make room for this one.

Butts: A Backstory (see what she did there?) is Heather Radke’s debut in which the author explores the history of human butts. Butts are a body part that are specifically unique to humans, and humanity has quite a complicated relationship with them. Women’s butts, in particular, have become symbols of sexuality and are constantly being assessed, critiqued, and objectified. But why? In this book, Radke mixes deep-dive reporting and research with her own personal history to get to the bottom (see what I did there?) of butts.

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 I’m Reading This Week

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

Monday Memes

Okay, this is actually a brilliant idea, and if any of you know of a place like this, please let me know. Immediately.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

It’s Monday, so have you scheduled your meetings for the week? Remy certainly has, and now he’s sitting in his business chair ready to get to work. “Monday = time to work!” he says.

I wanted to take a moment today to wish Remy a belated birthday. He turned 1 year old on Wednesday, November 9, and I totally forgot to shout him out last week! Poor sweet boy! I’ll be sure to give him extra treats this week to make up for my mistake.

Friends, thanks for hanging out with me this Monday. Have a wonderful week. See you soon.

Emily

Today In Books

Kevin Conroy, the Voice of Batman, Has Died: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 11, 2022

Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw to Launch Horror Audio Series on Spotify

Filmmaker Jordan Peele is launching an audio-only horror series with Monkeypaw Productions. The series, entitled Quiet Part Loud, will be exclusively available on Spotify on Tuesday, November 15th. The 12 short-form episodes will all be available at once. The series is written by Mac Rogers and Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Ghost Eaters and Whisper Down the Lane. It stars Tracy Letts, Arian Moayed, Christina Hendricks, and Taran Killam.

Hilary Duff Slams Book Publisher for Releasing Aaron Carter’s Unfinished Memoir

Following the death of pop star Aaron Carter, fellow Disney alum and former girlfriend Hilary Duff slammed Carter’s book publisher Ballast Books for announcing its plans to release his unfinished memoir. Duff said in a statement, “It’s really sad that within a week of Aaron’s death, there’s a publisher that seems to be recklessly pushing a book out to capitalize on this tragedy…To water down Aaron’s life story to what seems to be unverified click-bait for profit is disgusting. In no way do I condone shedding any light on what is so obviously an uninformed, heartless, money grab.” The book in question was written by Andy Symonds based on his three years interviewing Aaron Carter, who died at age 34 on November 5th. The book is set to be released on November 15th.

Kevin Conry, the Voice of Batman, Has Died

Warner Bros. has issued an official statement on the death of Kevin Conroy, “the most beloved voice of Batman in the animated history of the character.” Co-star Mark Hamill said of Conroy, “Kevin was a brilliant actor. For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman…I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.” Conroy is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy. Memorial services have yet to be announced.

There Are Not Two Sides to the Holocaust: This Week’s Book Censorship News

What it means to represent and meet community needs in school and public libraries. That, plus this week’s book censorship news.

Today In Books

Guillermo Del Toro’s PINOCCHIO Trailer Released: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 10, 2022

Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publisher of The Resemblance

Whiteout Authors Partner with Epic Reads and Loyalty Bookstores to Support One Warm Coat

Loyalty Bookstores, Epic Reads, and the authors of Whiteout — Nicola Yoon, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Nic Stone — have teamed up to support One Warm Coat in their mission to provide free coats to teens, children, and adults in need. During the authors’ Whiteout tour, Loyalty Bookstores will be hosting an in-person coat drive. All attendees are invited to bring their new and gently worn coats for donation. You can drop off coats at the tour stop tonight (Thursday, November 10th, at 6 p.m. ET) and through the weekend until Sunday, November 13th.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio Trailer Released

The official trailer for Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio has been released ahead of the film’s December 9th premiere on Netflix. Del Toro’s stop motion animation film, which he co-directed with Mark Gustafson, takes the classic Carlo Collodi fairy tale and sets it in Mussolini’s Italy. David Bradley voices Geppetto, Gregory Mann is Pinocchio, and Ewan McGregor is the voice of Jiminy Cricket. The voice cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, and Burn Gorman.

Wake County Library Under Scrutiny After Adding Transphobic Book to Collection

The Wake County Public Libraries are under scrutiny for adding the picture book Johnny the Walrus to their collection. The transphobic book compares being transphobic to pretending to be a walrus. “On the one hand, it is horrifying,” says Rowan Dalzell, a part-time library assistant who is also transgender. “On the other hand, I don’t want to make it out to be more than it is, which is the broadest, stupidest, most bad-faith parody imaginable…The book itself is pretty meaningless: what’s upsetting is what it represents.” The Wake County Library system purchased 20 copies of the picture book after receiving two requests from library patrons, according to county spokeswoman Alice Avery. This follows a scandal last year in which Wake County Library staff tried to remove LGBTQ-themed books from library shelves.

The Best Biographies of 2022

From celebrity bios to experimental memoirs, find the best biographies 2022 had to offer to add to your reading list!

Today In Books

Meet the 2022 National Book Award Finalists: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 9, 2022

Sponsored by HarperCollins Children's Books

His Dark Materials Season 3 Images Reveal First Look at the Mulefa

New images from the upcoming third season of His Dark Materials reveal a first-look at the mulefa, seed-riding creatures with elephant-like trunks and short horns. One of the images shows a mulefa, or zalif, as they’re singularly known, interacting with the character Mary Malone (played by Simone Kirby). Season 3, which is based on the third novel in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series The Amber Spyglass, premieres on December 5th.

Meet the 2022 National Book Award Finalists

The 73rd National Book Awards will announce its winners in Young People’s Literature, Translation, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction in a ceremony hosted by Padma Lakshmi at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City (and streamable online). Ahead of the upcoming ceremony next week, Literary Hub interviewed most of the finalists to ask them a bit about their books, their reading habits, and their writing lives. Finalists include: Alejandro Varela, author of The Town of Babylon; Gayl Jones, author of The Birdcatcher; Imani Perry, author of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation; and Ingrid Rojas Contreras, author of The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir. You can watch the ceremony broadcasted live online on November 16th at 8 p.m. ET.

Paramount+ Unveils Cast for The Doll Factory

Paramount+ has unveiled the cast for the series The Doll Factory, based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth Macneal. The six-episode drama series will star Esmé Creed-Miles as Iris, an aspiring artist who paints dolls at a doll shop; Éanna Hardwicke as Silas, a taxidermist; Mirren Mack as Rose, Iris’ twin sister who works alongside her in the doll shop; and George Webster as Louis, a painter and member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Also joining the ensemble cast are Pippa Haywood, Sharlene Whyte, Reece Kenwyne-Mpudzi, Freddy Carter, Saoirse Monica Jackson, Laurie Kynaston, Jim Caesar, Akshay Khanna, Aysha Kala, and Nell Hudson.

Jamestown Library Defunded (Again) Over LGBTQ Books, Will Likely Close

Jamestown, Michigan seems to have voted that they’d rather have no library at all than one that carries LGBTQ books.

Book Radar

THE FINAL STRIFE by Saara El-Arifi Gets a Sequel and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 9, 2022

Book Deals and Reveals

Sian Gilbert’s debut novel She Started It is being called the perfect read for fans of Liane Moriarty and Lucy Foley. Check out the cover reveal now, and get ready to pick this one up on June 13th, 2023.

The sequel to Saara El-Arifi’s The Final Strife is coming! It’s called The Battle Drum, and here’s the beautiful cover, with an illustration by Adekunle Adeleke. This one’s out in May 2023.

Kindred, FX/Hulu’s upcoming series based on Octavia Butler’s novel of the same name, has dropped its first trailer. The series will air on Hulu starting December 13th.

In 2023, a new graphic novel will be released that chronicles comedian Chris Farley’s life from childhood to Saturday Night Live and beyond.

Saturday Night Live alumna Sasheer Zamata has joined the cast of Agatha: Coven of Chaos, the WandaVision spin-off series for Disney+.

Kit Steinkellner, Danny Strong, and Darren Aronofsky have scored a pilot order for The Answers, an adaptation of Catherine Lacey’s novel of the same name, at FX.

Author Erika L. Sanchez announced on Twitter that she has signed an option deal with production companies PATMA and Fifth Season for her memoir Crying in the Bathroom.

BAFTA Award-winning director Sam Miller is set to direct and executive produce the upcoming drama series A Gentleman in Moscow for Paramount+ and Showtime.

The official trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of Lady Chatterly’s Lover has been released. The movie, based on the 1929 novel by English author D. H. Lawrence, stars Emma Corrin as Lady Chatterly and Jack O’Connell as Oliver Mellors. Lady Chatterly’s Lover hits Netflix on December 2nd.

Goodreads ratings, which are easily manipulated by “review bombing,” are now being shown on some Amazon listings of books.

The 2022 Kirkus Prize has been awarded for the categories of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. Here are the winners.

You could read all the books on the National Book Award longlist, or you could take this quiz and get matched with the one you’ll love.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One!

The Real-Life Murder Clubs by Nicola Stow (Ad Lib Publishers, February 1, 2023)

Alright, friends. We’re keeping the Nonfiction November party train going with another nonfiction recommendation coming at you in early 2023. I love this book cover, and not just because it’s got a cat on it. This cover immediately makes me think “cozy mystery,” but really what we’re dealing with here is true crime. Specifically, this true crime book’s cover screams, “I am perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman!” And it’s right. This book is perfect for fans of Osman’s series who are also interested in true crime. So it’s really calling to the correct audience here.

Nicola Stow’s The Real-Life Murder Clubs looks at the fascinating stories behind real-life amateur detectives. These ordinary citizens, sometimes in clubs very similar to Osman’s Thursday Murder Club, help to investigate crimes and uncover the truth behind both recent and cold cases. This book includes the cases of Casey Anthony, John Wayne Gacy, JonBenét Ramsey, the Golden State Killer, Boston Marathon bombings, and many more.

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 reminder to remember: just because the sharpness of the sadness has faded does not mean that it was not, once, terrible. It means only that time and space, creatures of infinite girth and tenderness, have stepped between the two of you, and they are keeping you safe as they were once unable to.”

— In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

What I’m Watching This Weekend

While the rest of the world is out watching the latest Black Panther movie this weekend, you can catch me at home watching Weird, the Weird Al Yankovic movie starring Daniel Radcliffe and Evan Rachel Wood. One thing you should know about me: I’m a huge Daniel Radcliffe fan. Maybe the biggest Daniel Radcliffe fan. Yes, this is a competition.

Will I be watching Black Panther: Wakanda Forever eventually? For sure. But I’m going to wait and let the crowd die down a bit first. In the meantime, I’ll just be over here listening to the soundtrack on repeat. Especially “Lift Me Up.”

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Remember how I said it’s getting cold here? Yeah, that means that cats have been really cuddly lately. I have taken soooo many pictures since the last time we chatted, but I’m sharing this one because I just love Remy’s little paw on Murray’s chest so cute. Snuggle brothers for life.

And that’s all for today, friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and if you do go see Black Panther this weekend, no spoilers ok? Thanks!

Emily

Today In Books

British Comic Artist Kevin O’Neill Dies at 69: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 8, 2022

Sponsored by Mihi Ever After by Tae Keller

FX Drops First Trailer for Kindred

Kindred, FX/Hulu’s upcoming series based on Octavia Butler’s novel of the same name, has dropped its first trailer. The eight-episode series stars Mallori Johnson as a woman who is forced to travel back and forth through time from the present to America’s past of slavery. The series also stars Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, David Alexander Kaplan, Sophina Brown and Sheria Irving. Kindred will air on Hulu starting December 13th.

Sasheer Zamata Joins WandaVision Spin-Off Agatha: Coven of Chaos

Saturday Night Live alumna Sasheer Zamata has joined the cast of Agatha: Coven of Chaos, the WandaVision spin-off series for Disney+. Zamata, whose character is being kept under wraps for the time being, joins Kathryn Hahn, who is reprising her WandaVision role as Agatha Harkness. Also starring in the project are Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, and Maria Dizzia. Emma Caulfield Ford also is expected to reprise the role of Dottie from WandaVision.

British Comic Artist Kevin O’Neill Dies at 69

Kevin O’Neill, British comic artist and co-creator of League of Extraordinary Gentleman, has died at the age of 69. O’Neill started working in the comic industry when he was 16 years old, first as an office assistant for children’s humor comic Buster. O’Neill then worked in artistic and editorial roles for the sci-fi anthology 2000 AD. In 1986, O’Neill had his first collaboration with Alan Moore, who would go on to co-create League of Extraordinary Gentleman with him in 1999. The epic saga concluded last year with its final volume, The Tempest.

Amazon is Adding Goodreads Ratings to Book Listings

Goodreads ratings, which are easily manipulated by “review bombing,” are now being shown on some Amazon listings of books.

Today In Books

Sam Miller to Direct A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 7, 2022

All Quiet on the Western Front Tops Netflix Charts for November 6th

All Quiet on the Western Front, the new film based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, made it to the top of Netflix’s streaming charts for November 6th. This top 100 chart is compiled by the Netflix top 10 tracking site FlixPatrol, who compiles this list exclusively for What’s on Netflix. All Quiet on the Western Front beat out Jessica Chastain’s and Eddie Redmayne’s The Good Nurse for the top spot this week, with The School for Good and Evil dropping to the third position. Meanwhile, From Scratch, based on the memoir by Tembi Locke, remains number one for Netflix streaming series.

Black-Owned Bookstore Black Garnet Books Opens Its Doors

Saint Paul, Minnesota has a new Black and woman-owned bookstore in Black Garnet Books. Store owner Dionne Sims says she first got the idea for Black Garnet Books after the murder of George Floyd. Sims said she was looking to support a Black-owned bookstore but couldn’t find one in Minnesota. And so she posted a tweet, asking why there wasn’t one. “I thought the tweet would just get like 10 likes and my friends would be like that[‘s] a cool dream and maybe you can do that one day after you’re retired. So, for everyone to be like ‘no, actually we need this, it’s a void we all seriously feel,’ I was like ‘oh, ok. I’m not the only one feeling this way,’” Sims said. After two years of raising funds to make her dream a reality, Sims finally opened the brick-and-mortar shop in Midway in October. Sims says she hopes to see the store become a community space supporting poetry readings, book signings, and community conversations.

Sam Miller to Direct A Gentleman in Moscow

BAFTA Award-winning director Sam Miller is set to direct and executive produce the upcoming drama series A Gentleman in Moscow for Paramount+ and Showtime. The limited series adaptation of Amor Towles’ best-selling novel is set to commence production early next year. Ewan McGregor will star as Count Alexander Rostov, “who, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, finds that his gilded past places him on the wrong side of history.” The series is set to debut in 2023 on Paramount+ internationally and on Showtime in the United States.

A Call to Vote

A call from from Book Riot’s editorial staff to cast your vote in the midterm elections. Public education is under attack and democracy is at stake.

Today In Books

Erika L. Sanchez’s CRYING IN THE BATHROOM Optioned for Television: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 6, 2022

Here’s the Official Trailer for Lady Chatterly’s Lover

OpenBooks to Launch at FutureBook as a Free Resource of Book Industry Opportunity

The Publishers Association (PA), Booksellers Association (BA) and Association of Authors’ Agents (AAA) are developing a series of free and accessible online events geared towards showcasing book-related career opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds. The program will be launched as part of this year’s FutureBook Conference, which takes place in London on November 18th. It will also be streamed online. Then, OpenBooks will go live in February 2023. It will include a series of virtual live events, panels, and short video content and will primarily be aimed at 14 to 19 year olds from underrepresented backgrounds.

Erika L. Sanchez’s Crying in the Bathroom Optioned for Television

Author Erika L. Sanchez announced on Twitter that she has signed an option deal with production companies PATMA and Fifth Season for her memoir Crying in the Bathroom. “I never in a million years imagined my messy-ass bipolar Mexican life would be TV worthy,” the author tweeted. Sanchez will be an executive producer on the project.

13 New Mystery, Thriller, and True Crime Releases

November is full of exciting stuff for mystery fans, from a new procedural series set in Colorado to vigilante historical fiction.

Today In Books

Chris Farley’s Life Chronicled in New Graphic Novel Co-Written by His Brother Kevin: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 5, 2022

Sponsored by Tordotcom Publishing (@tordotcompub)

Prince Harry Memoir Heavily Discounted at Larger Retailers, Much to the Dismay of Smaller Bookstores

According to booksellers, Prince Harry’s forthcoming memoir, Spare, is being heavily discounted by larger retailers. The recommended retail price in the UK is set at £28. However, Waterstones, Foyles, and Amazon are all offering the book at half price. Amanda Truman from Truman Books in Pudsey said that her bookshop would be stocking it, but “as an independent bookshop it’s hard to get excited about a book when you see chain bookshops advertising it at 50% off within minutes of the publication announcement.” Many other independent booksellers echoed Truman’s sentiment, noting that they’d only carry a few copies but didn’t know how many they would actually sell, due to the fact that it’s so much cheaper at larger retailers.

Chris Farley’s Life Chronicled in New Graphic Novel Co-Written by His Brother Kevin

In 2023, a new graphic novel will be released that chronicles comedian Chris Farley’s life from childhood to Saturday Night Live and beyond. Farley’s brother, actor and comedian Kevin Farley, co-wrote the book with Frank Marraffino and collaborated with artist Ryan Dunlavey for the book Growing Up Farley: A Chris Farley Story. The graphic novel from Z2 Comics will be released in fall of next year.

School Board Denies Request to Ban Books at Bay City Western High

After the appeal of a decision made by a review committee earlier this year, Bay City Public Schools has denied a proposed ban of several books at Bay City Western High. The matter was first brought to the school board in April by Jillian McGee, who claimed a list of books at the school library were offensive and pornographic. A committee judged the books in question, based on whether they were age-appropriate, whether they shared false information, whether they were unique to the library, or if they were being used for in-class purposes. Considering these factors, the committee decided not to ban the books. After an appeal, a unanimous vote approved the findings of the committee.

Biased Online Book Ratings Systems Undermining Professional Review Sources

BookLooks, RatedBooks, and more biased online rating systems getting books banned. That, plus this week’s book censorship news.

Book Radar

It’s Nonfiction November and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 4, 2022

Book Deals and Reveals

If you loved this year’s Love in the Time of Serial Killers, you’ll be happy to know Alicia Thompson has a new book coming out. Here’s the cover reveal for her upcoming romance novel From Cold World, With Love. It’s out from Berkley in August 2023!

Tor Books revealed the cover of Christopher Paolini’s upcoming novel Fractal Noise. This novel is set in the same world as his bestselling novel To Sleep in A Sea of Stars. Find it in bookstores everywhere on May 16th, 2023.

Kwame Mbalia, the bestselling author of the Tristan Strong trilogy, is heading a new imprint for Disney. Freedom Fire will feature stories of Black resilience and Black joy, written by Black creators. The imprint is tentatively scheduled to debut in spring 2024.

Anna-Marie McLemore’s first adult novel The Influencers will be published by Dial Press.

Netflix has renewed The Sandman, the series based on Neil Gaiman’s comic of the same name, for a second season.

Aubrey Plaza has been cast in the WandaVision spin-off series Agatha: Coven of Chaos at Disney+. Plaza is joining Kathryn Hahn, who will reprise her role of Agatha Harkness in the new show.

Michael Hobbes, the host of podcasts Maintenance Phase and You’re Wrong About, has announced a brand new podcast: If Books Could Kill. The first episode on the book Freakonomics is out now.

No local indie near you? No problem! These independent bookstores across the U.S. offer online ordering and will ship anywhere.

Need to free up some shelf space? Find out where to donate kids’ books, and how to figure out which books to donate, in this guide.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

The Field by Victoria Garza (JackLeg Press, November 15)

Since this month is Nonfiction November, I thought for the rest of the month we could focus on upcoming nonfiction titles. The first book I want to highlight is a memoir from indie publisher JackLeg Press. From debut author Victoria Garza, The Field is a memoir first and foremost about grief, but of course the author learns so much more about herself and the world around her through exploring her very personal experiences with loss.

In this literary meditation on grief and recovery, Garza recounts her experiences with survivor’s guilt, dissociation, and spirituality following the death of her 9 year old sister Gina. While Garza has now lived most of her life without her sister, she reflects on how the loss of Gina has reverberated throughout her life. The author also draws from many other sources about grief and loss, including Rebecca Solnit, Saint Teresa of Ávila, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Through these different lenses, Garza explores humanity’s understanding and relationships with death and how we come to accept it as part of all our lives.

This one is a very personal read for me, as someone who also lost a sibling. But I think anyone who has experienced grief will relate to Garza’s reflections. Ultimately, we all go through loss in our lifetimes, and we all are forced to reflect on death in multiple ways throughout our lives. So really, this book is for everyone.

Get ready for more Nonfiction November picks coming at you for the rest of the month, friends.

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 I’m Reading This Week

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

Uzumaki by Junji Ito

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

Monday Memes

More Our Flag Means Death literary memes? Don’t mind if I do!

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

It’s getting cold up here in Seattle, and even the cats are feeling it. Yet for some reason, this little guy decided to hang in the bathroom, one of the coldest rooms in the house. At least he found the bathmat? Also hey look how cool the tiles are in our bahtroom.

Anyway, I hope you’re staying warm if it’s also cold where you are. And I hope you have a great week!

Emily