Author: Jamie Canaves

Unusual Suspects

“If it comes to it, I’ll kill Jack Reacher.”

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 31, 2019

Eliminated Library Fines = 240% Increase In Book Returns: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 31, 2019

GAME OF THRONES Spinoff No More: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 30, 2019

Sponsored by The Man Who Played With Fire by Jan Stocklassa

Game of Thrones Spinoff No More

They giveth and they taketh away: The GOT prequel, which would have taken place thousands of years before, will not move forward after HBO was reportedly not satisfied with the pilot. It was a great team and casting so I’m bummed to see them not get to continue.

Little Free Library Infighting

Todd Bol, the founder of Little Free Library, passed away unexpectedly in 2018. Now Bol’s family and the Little Free Library nonprofit literacy organization are not on the same page over filing trademark applications for “‘wooden boxes with a storage area for books,’ and ‘signs, non-luminous and non-mechanical, of metal,’ and ‘guest books and rubber stamps.’” Bol’s family believes in “…protecting groups that don’t register with LFL but want to still call [their boxes] little free libraries.”

Macmillan Responds

With Macmillan’s new book embargo taking place November 1st many librarians have been vocally against it and even boycotting. The American Library Association, which has been collecting signatures on their petition against it, posted Macmillan CEO John Sargent’s open letter to libraries explaining the publisher’s decision and that they’re sticking to it.

Unusual Suspects

So She Goes Rogue 🔪

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 29, 2019

Sponsored by Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters and Revell Books, a Division of Baker Publishing Group.

Tenacious journalist Vivian DeMarco is back in Walton, Georgia, for one reason—to do her job and get out. When her boss suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances, Vivian’s only hope for finding the truth is small-town law enforcement’s Deputy Ryan Frost. But the deeper they dig, the more twisted the truth becomes, and Vivian finds herself fighting for not only answers but also her life. False leads, incriminating emails, and someone called The Watcher force Vivian to confront the secret of her past and decide: How much is she willing to risk for the sake of a headline?

Hi mystery fans! This week I have for you a fun-ish novel about vigilante spies, a look at online amateur sleuths solving missing person’s cases, and a procedural with a thirty year cold case.

Vigilante Spies! (TW human trafficking/ addiction/ child rape, death)

The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif: This is one of those books that, because of the subject matter of the “cases,” could have been dark to dark AF. But, instead, it veers away from that and felt more like a fun-ish novel thanks to the crew of vigilante women trying to take down the evil of the world. Which is what the Athena Protocol is: a top secret organization–with zero ties to any agency–that is led and run by women enacting vigilante justice. It starts with the group freeing girls from human traffickers, but the assignment goes wrong when Jessie Archer ignores protocol. Now, Archer finds herself kicked out of the group but unable to let the work go. So she goes rogue, continuing to help with missions even though her former spy partners have strict orders to bring her in… If you need a good dose of women kicking ass and saving the day, this did that with a good balance of great characters (character growth included) who have their own baggage and issues while trying to help others. If this is the start to a series, count me in as definitely reading the sequel.

Online Amateur Sleuths! (TW basically everything is talked about)

The Skeleton Crew: How Amateur Sleuths are Solving America’s Coldest Cases by Deborah Halber: I love falling down rabbit holes and have always been kind of obsessed with human behavior–sit me on a bench to people watch and I’ll never bore. Which is why this book was kind of perfect for me as it takes a look at the online communities/web sleuths that take it upon themselves to solve missing persons cases by matching them to unidentified bodies that have been found (in all kinds of decay). Halber basically ping pongs (think nonlinear narrative) between cases, web sleuths, the creation of online communities–including the infighting because humans, of course–, law enforcement’s view on these groups/individuals, and opens up discussion for questions like, where is the line between helping and overstepping into people’s trauma and should law enforcement have all the power or is it good that these individuals are in a way bringing some power back to communities?

Procedural! (TW past child abuse/ rape, partially on page)

She Lies in Wait (DCI Jonah Sheens #1) by Gytha Lodge: My brain just needed a procedural to read where I could sit back and watch people work on solving something. In this case it’s the 30 year mystery of Aurora Jackson, a 14-year-old girl, who disappeared while camping with her older sister and her sister’s friends. Until now, when her body is found near the campsite, meaning she’d been there all along, so someone who’d been there that night must have been the killer? Or at least knows something they’ve never shared since? Told in past and present, we watch as investigators currently try to solve what happened to Jackson while also being taken back to 1983 as Jackson takes us into the excitement of tagging along with the older kids. Which timeline will reveal what happened first?…

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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Today In Books

It’s Superman And Lois! Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 29, 2019

Sponsored by There You Are by Mathea Morais, from Amberjack Publishing

It’s Superman & Lois!

The CW is adding to its superheroes family! Currently in development is a modern day hour-long drama following Superman and Lois as they work and raise their kids. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch will play Superman and Lois Lane, and while they’ve already played the characters on other CW shows, this won’t be a spinoff.

Another Great Book List!

Foyles, the English bookseller once listed in the Guinness Book of Records, has announced their Books Of The Year shortlist! There’s seven books for each category of best 2019 book for fiction, nonfiction, and children’s & YA. It’s a great list of books and the winners will be announced at the end of November.

Aretha Franklin’s Coffee Table Book

Aretha Franklin will certainly live on forever in music. But now also with this coffee table book, The Queen Next Door, a collection of rare and personal photos starting in 1983 when Franklin enlisted journalist Linda Solomon as a personal photographer. And the just released 214-page book is already in its second printing!

Today In Books

Hide Yo Blood: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 28, 2019

Sponsored by Wattpad Books, publisher of Saving Everest by Sky Chase.

Hide Yo Blood

Dracula is back! Or, almost. The creators of the BBC’s Sherlock are bringing us the mini-series Dracula and we have a teaser trailer. It’s dark. And gruesome. Do you dare?

Elena Ferrante’s New Novel

Has an official date: June 9, 2020. And title: The Lying Life Of Adults. If you can’t wait, Europa Editions also tweeted a screenshot from inside the book that you can read. If you missed all the Ferrante fever, you can start with the first in her series My Brilliant Friend. It was also adapted into an HBO series.

Congrats!

The African Speculative Fiction Society announced the 2019 Nommo Award winners at the Ake Arts & Book Festival in Lagos, Nigeria. If you’re looking for a great speculative fiction read check out the shortlist with the winners in novel, novella, graphic novel, and short story.

Today In Books

Carrie Fisher’s Daughter Disavows Unauthorized Biography: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 26, 2019

Sponsored by Epic Reads and Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Carrie Fisher’s Daughter Disavows Unauthorized Biography

Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher’s daughter, and Bryan Lourd, Billie’s father, have issued a statement about the upcoming unauthorized biography Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge by Sheila Weller. Bryan Lourd: “’The only books about Carrie Fisher worth reading are the ones Carrie wrote herself,’ he concludes. ‘She perfectly told us everything we needed to know.’”

New Mulan Novel!

With the new upcoming live-action Mulan film from Disney we’re getting a middle-grade novel that tells the heroine’s story leading up to the film. You can check out the cover, art in progress pics, and read an exclusive excerpt of the novel, Mulan: Before the Sword by Grace Lin, now.

Good News!

Innerpeffray library in Perthshire–Scotland’s first free, public lending library (1680!)–just got a funding boost of £100,000! “The joy of Innerpeffray is its variety. He left such a multi-faceted collection, and he wasn’t didactic about what people should read because he himself read medicine, travel, military history. Nor did he limit who could access the collection. He wanted anyone who can read to benefit from it.”

Today In Books

Tor’s Free Short Story Horror Audiobooks: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 25, 2019

Sponsored by In The Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund

Tor’s Free Short Story Horror Audiobooks

If you’re a fan of short stories, horror, audiobooks, and use GooglePlay/Assistant: Tor has 35 free downloads available! You may know them as a sci-fi and fantasy publisher but they now have a new horror imprint, Nightfire! There’s great authors on the list so enjoy all that horror in your earholes.

If You Want To Pretend 2019 Is Over

Publishers Weekly laughs in the face of more than two months left in 2019 and has released their Best of 2019 list. You can check out the overall top ten books, the best books by genres, and by age.

And The Winners Are…

Last night at the Austin Public Library, Kirkus Reviews announced the winners for the Kirkus Prize for fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. All the congratulations to The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir by Saeed Jones (I read this months ago and still think about it), and New Kid by Jerry Craft, Jim Callahan. If you were looking for new reads for the weekend that is a mighty fine list.

Unusual Suspects

Chidi Narrates Lamar Giles’ FAKE ID

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 24, 2019

Olympic Medalist Siblings Author Series: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 24, 2019

Sponsored by Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren, perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin.

Olympic Medalist Siblings Author Series

Ice dancing partners, Olympic bronze medalists, and siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani are writing a middle grade series for Penguin Young Readers. Kudo Kids: The Mystery of the Masked Medalist will be out in time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and will follow siblings Mika and Andy Kudo’s adventures at the Olympics. Fun!

Better Late Than Never

The sixty-year running comic Asterix–French comic series starring a Gaulish warrior outfoxing Romans–has apparently never had a woman character that wasn’t “the blonde, femme fatales” until now. Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter introduces Adrenaline, a grumpy teen girl who keeps Asterix and his sidekick Obelix on their toes.

It’s So Beautiful!

A third book set in Sandhya Menon’s Dimple And Rishi world is coming in 2020 and not only has the gorgeous cover been revealed but you can also read the first chapter of 10 Things I Hate About Pinky. I happen to be halfway through my galley and hello fake dating! Characters I love! And a possum I can’t stop laughing at!