Author: Liberty Hardy

Welcome to another Monday, book friends! Who read something good this weekend? *raises hand* I never, ever, ever, ever get tired of books. My order from my local indie bookstore arrived, so I had shiny books to read, and I also read some great upcoming titles that you’ll be hearing about in the future. I had also wanted to watch The Mysterious Benedict Society this weekend, because Tony Hale 5-eva, but I ran out of time. Have you seen it? I hope it’s great!

Moving on: I have a lot of exciting news for you today! I also have a look at a space horror novel coming in 2022, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, my precious little orange monster, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What new novel is based on the true story of Belle da Costa Greene? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Kumail Nanjiani will star in and executive produce a limited series adaptation of Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar.

Tin House announced that Hanif Abdurraqib has been named a Tin House editor-at-large.

An Ursula K. Le Guin stamp is being issued July 27.

Javier Bardem will star in the adaptation of Bernard Waber’s Lyle, Lyle Crocodile.

Here’s the first look at Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo.

The trailer for the second season of The Witcher has been released.

Peacock announced a reality dating series inspired by Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Jamie Lynn Spears is releasing a memoir in 2022.

Saoirse Ronan will star in the adaptation of Foe by Iain Reid.

Here are the 2021 CWA Dagger Award Winners.

There’s a trailer now for the Stephen King-inspired series Chapelwaite.

Here’s the cover reveal for Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Searching for an American Utopia by Adrian Shirk.

Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin adapting Tony Hillerman crime novels for AMC.

A film adaptation is being made from the short story Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez.

There’s an adaptation of The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware in the works.

Here’s the cover reveal of Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh.

Andy Serkis is recording the Lord of the Rings audiobooks.

Here’s the cover reveal of Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott.

Take a peek at The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins.

Book Riot Recommends 

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes (Tor Nightfire, January 25, 2022)

One of my favorite storylines, which happens in almost every sci-fi show eventually, is the abandoned/missing/haunted spacecraft. You know, where the heroes come upon a supposedly unmanned vessel and it’s super creepy, and possible haunted and/or not actually abandoned? I love it when that happens!

Dead Silence is one such story, and it rocked my world! It’s like Event Horizon meets Avenue Five. Claire Kovalik and her beacon repair crew are getting ready to return to Earth when they pick up a strange distress signal. Upon investigation, they find the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that has been missing since its first voyage more than twenty years ago. No one knows where it went or what happened aboard the ship. And now here it is.

This is the epic salvage score of their dreams for Claire and the crew, but once they board the Aurora, it quickly becomes a nightmare. I’m not going to spoil what it is that they find. I’ll just say it’s soooooo creepy. The book is action-packed, and I liked how things shook out in the end. It has a present-day story line that went places I wasn’t expecting while detailing what Claire and her crew faced while exploring the ship. Hooray for scary space boats!

(CW for violence, murder, and gore.)

What I’m reading this week.

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor 

Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen

Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Groan-worthy joke of the week: 

How do you row a canoe filled with puppies? With a doggy paddle.

And this is funny:

This dog is hilarious.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

• Leverage: I am about 13 years behind in starting this show, but I like it! It’s like The Librarians without magic, but also with Christian Kane.
• Phineas and Ferb: I am finally getting around to watching this! I like Perry the Platypus the best, although I also enjoy Ferb’s Silent Bob vibes.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Sometimes Farrokh can sit still and behave, but not very often.

Trivia answer: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. Please be safe, and be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. xoxo, Liberty

Happy Thursday, my bookish friends! I hope you have had a great week so far. I have been reading lots of books, a couple of which are rereads, and watching the Stanley Cup finals and the NBA finals, and also watching a lot of cartoons. Why no, I don’t really sleep, why do you ask? 😂

Moving on to today’s newsletter and book talk: I have a lot of fun news, including adaptation deals, a LOT of book cover reveals, and a look at a darkly comedic upcoming indie press novel. Plus I’ve included a picture of my sticker-stealing orange monster, some trivia, and more! I love writing these newsletters and I appreciate your support so much. Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you goodbob and we same place again very now. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! What novel set during the Reconstruction period of the southern states after the Civil War is the latest Oprah Book Club pick? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Get your first look at Fevered Star, the sequel to Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.

Michelle Yeoh has been cast in the six-episode Witcher prequel, Blood Origin.

Here’s the cover reveal of Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore.

A new Jennifer Egan book, the sequel to A Visit from the Goon Squad, is coming in 2022.

Lovecraft Country will not get a second season.

Here’s the first peek at Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron.

Here are the Good Sex Awards winners and runners up.

Here’s the cover reveal to the sequel to Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano: Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead.

Read an excerpt from Sword Stone Table, the upcoming new anthology of Arthurian retellings.

Here’s the cover reveal of Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence by Sonja Thomas.

More cast additions to the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

Here’s the cover reveal of The Turning Pointe by Vanessa L. Torres.

Check out the first look at Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram.

Here’s the cover reveal of Secret Identity by Alex Segura.

Book Riot Recommends 

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Excited to read: 

New Animal by Ella Baxter (Two Dollar Radio, February 15, 2022)

I am a huge fan of small press Two Dollar Radio, and I’m not going to lie, I get excited about pretty much everything they put out. But this darkly comedic novel sounds like something I am really going to enjoy and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

It’s about a young woman named Amelia who is trying to find her place in the world. She works at the family mortuary business as a cosmetic mortician, and is shocked by her mother’s sudden passing. So she turns to her birth-father in Tasmania for comfort and ends up stumbling into the local BDSM community, where she learns a lot about herself and who she wants to be. This one has ‘will make an amazing indie film’ written all over it. GIVE IT TO ME NOW.

What I’m reading this week.

I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home by Jami Attenberg 

A Song Everlasting by Ha Jin

Wish It Lasted Forever: Life With the Larry Bird Celtics by Dan Shaughnessy

Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Song stuck in my head:

Song 2 by Blur. This song is never not fun. And you can listen to it almost 30 times in an hour. (Also, I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)

And this is funny:

OH NO.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

• Phineas and Ferb: I am finally getting around to watching this! I like Perry the Platypus the best, although I also enjoy Ferb’s Silent Bob vibes.
• The Owl House: This is scratching a lot of my Gravity Falls itch, which is helped by the fact that Alex Hirsch does some of the voices.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

“This is my sticker now.” —Farrokh

Trivia answer: The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris.

You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L

Happy Thursday, my bookish friends! I hope you are managing to stay cool in this heat. I have been reading lots of books, watching the Stanley Cup finals, and playing with my growing rock collection. I am super into the sparkly ones. I’m even thinking of asking for a gift certificate to the local rock and mineral store for my birthday this year, instead of my usual bookstore trip. *GASP* WHO AM I?!? I know, I know, but I just need a few more! You know how well I do with moderation, lollllll.

Moving on to today’s newsletter and book talk: I have a lot of fun news, including adaptation deals, book cover reveals, and a look at the latest Dan Chaon novel. (*Muppet arms*) Plus I’ve included a picture of my orange monsters trying to work out quantum physics, some trivia, and more! I love writing these newsletters and I appreciate your support so much. Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. I’ll see you again on Thursday because of the holiday. Have a safe Fourth of July, if you’re celebrating! – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson is about what Nobel Prize-winning scientist? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

John Lithgow will return for the Dexter revival.

Here’s the first look at I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson.

HarperVoyager bought Janelle Monáe’s upcoming collection of Afrofuturistic short stories.

Kyla Zhao’s first novel was announced.

Here’s the cover reveal of Maud Newton’s Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation.

Here’s the cast of the adaptation of No Exit by Taylor Adams so far.

Justine Ireland and Tessa Gratton are coauthoring a YA fantasy duology.

The release date of the new Dune movie has been moved again.

Morgan Jerkins announced a new novel.

Valerie Perrin’s Fresh Water for Flowers is going to be a TV series.

Asante Blackk is joining Tiffany Haddish in Landscape With Invisible Hand, based on the book by M.T. Anderson.

Antonio Banderas has joined the series adaptation of The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi.

Here are the 2021 Locus Awards winners.

The Ivy and Bean series is getting a Netflix adaptation.

Michael Gray Bulla’s upcoming novel has a new title.

Here’s the trailer for Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Here’s the first look at Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez.

Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot series, Chapelwaite, has a release date.

Good Omens is getting a second season. I don’t really care what happens next, as long as there is more Michael McKean.

Here’s the cover reveal for The Moth Girl by Heather Kamins.

Matt Bell shared the cover reveal for his craft book Refuse To Be Done.

Penguin Teen announced Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto.

Here’s the new trailer and release date for Apple’s adaptation of Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I don’t care what it’s about, I will watch Lee Pace in anything. #PieGuy4life

A new Exorcist sequel is in the works.

Book Riot Recommends 

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Excited to read: 

Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon (Henry Holt and Co., April 5, 2022)

HOLY CATSSSSSSSS. I cannot tell you enough how much I love Dan Chaon’s books. This one was just announced a few days ago and I am over the moon about it! It’s about a big-hearted mercenary in future America who gets a call from a woman who says she’s his biological daughter. He thinks it’s suspicious, but agrees to help her anyway. I can’t wait to find out what happens!

If you’ve never read Chaon before, he has incredible story collections, like You Remind Me of Me and Stay Awake, and I also recommend his novels, such as Await Your Reply and Ill Will. He’s one of those authors that all the other authors admire. His writing has a sad, beautiful quality, with a small side of the supernatural. If you like Emily St. John Mandel’s writing, you’ll like Dan Chaon!

What I’m reading this week.

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith

Devil House by John Darnielle 

My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura, Sam Bett (translator)

The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean 

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Song stuck in my head:

Happy Birthday by Concrete Blonde. I fell down the Concrete Blonde rabbit hole and haven’t been listening to much else this past week. (Also, I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)

And this is funny:

Every. Single. Week.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

• The Owl House: This is scratching a lot of my Gravity Falls itch, which is helped by the fact that Alex Hirsch does some of the voices.
• Rocks and crystals: I have discovered one of the new things I find relaxing is looking at pictures of rocks and crystals. I bought a guide book but I also go on etsy and look at all the pictures of crystals for sale. They’re so shiny and pretty! I have bought a beautiful celestine rock last week and it’s so cool.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Farrokh and Zevon are cheating at Schrödinger’s thought experiment.

Trivia answer: Jennifer Doudna.

You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L

Happy Monday, star bits! I know you’re never going to believe this but…I am excited about books today. LOL. Jk, jk, when am I not excited about books? I am up to my eyeballs in upcoming books, but I am also still working through Dune. But also the Interview with the Vampire news is giving me nostalgia feels now, so I kinda want to start reading those again too? I haven’t read Anne Rice since high school which was *cough* years ago, but I did love the first three vampire books, and The Witching Hour, and The Mummy. Will they hold up? Stay tuned!

Moving on: On top of the Interview with the Vampire story, I have lots more fun news for you today! I also have a look at an awesome creepy fall YA novel, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, my little orange vulture, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: In The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, The Maidens are a secret society at what school? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

A series adaptation of Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is headed to AMC and AMC+ in 2022.

The winners of the Indigenous Voices Awards have been announced.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell is being made into a film.

Here’s the cover reveal for Sense and Second-Degree Murder, the new Jane Austen mystery from fellow Rioter Tirzah Price!

Alexandra Huynh has been announced as Amanda Gorman’s California successor for youth poet laureate.

Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom are holding Here to Slay, an empowerment weekend.

Here’s the cover reveal for the upcoming novel Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon. I am so excited—I LOVE his books!

Saaed Jones has a new collection of poetry coming next year.

Evie Drake Starts Over author Linda Holmes teased a new book.

Paramount has optioned the rediscovered Richard Wright novel The Man Who Lived Underground.

Sarayu Blue has joined the cast of Expats, based on the novel The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee.

Robert Downey Jr. will star in the HBO Max adaptation of Samantha Downing’s For Your Own Good.

Anne Hathaway will star in the adaptation of Robinne Lee’s novel The Idea of You.

A biography of Barbara Walters has been announced.

Book Riot Recommends 

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh (Razorbill, September 7)

I don’t know about you, but I am a big fan of all the podcast-related novels that have popped up over the last couple years. You know, where someone within the book is making a podcast, usually about an unsolved event, and then scary things start happening again.

That’s certainly what is going on in this excellent YA fall thriller. Dare Chase is a teenager supernatural skeptic with a pretty big hit podcast on her hands. But now she needs a new subject for her next season. So when she gets a chance to spend a little time at Arrington Estate, she jumps at it.

Because Arrington Estate has a scary backstory: 30 years ago, teenager Atheleen Bell drowned in Arrington’s lake, and local legend says her spirit still haunts the estate. The house itself is falling into disrepair and is in need of renovations, which is what Dare has been hired on to do. She quickly makes friends with Quinn, the new house owner’s daughter, and another teen girl, who will also be helping in the cleanup efforts.

But right away, it’s evident that something weird is happening around the house. Warnings to stay out of the lake go unheeded and terrible things happen. As Dare finds herself falling for Quinn, she begins to worry more and more that she might be wrong about the existence of ghosts. And her stubbornness and insistence on continuing to get material for her show might get them all killed.

Like I said, I love a podcast-in-a-book story, and things in bodies of water freak me the eff out! (Have you ever read Tananarive Due’s short story collection Ghost Summer?!?) Plus there’s a big spooky house and lots of romantic tension. So this book was a big win for me. It’s a fun queer supernatural thriller that will haunt your fall reading!

(CW for murder, gore, animal death, and drowning.)

What I’m reading this week.

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin by C. M. Kushins

Groan-worthy joke of the week: 

Where was the dripping coming from in the fridge? The leeks.

And this is funny:

TOO SOON.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

• Rocks and crystals: I have discovered one of the new things I find relaxing is looking at pictures of rocks and crystals. I bought a guide book but I also go on etsy and look at all the pictures of crystals for sale. They’re so shiny and pretty! I even bought an angel aura crystal and I love it so much! Nature never fails to be astounding.
• Rutherford Falls: I thought this show was really charming! (It does require a Peacock subscription, though.)
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Zevon reminds me of Snoopy when he’s pretending to be a vulture.

Trivia answer: Cambridge University.

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. Please be safe, and be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. xoxo, Liberty

Good morning/afternoon/evening, my bookish pals! It is time for me to once more grace your screens with lots of words about books. I had a chance the other day to read a book that wasn’t needed for work, and I had so many choices that it took me almost an hour to decide, lol. Does that ever happen to you? Every time I thought I had made my decision, all the other choices seemed like a better idea. I finally settled on the sequel to The Goblin Emperor, and it was a great choice!

Moving on to today’s newsletter and book talk: I am excited about a lot of today’s shiny news, including adaptation deals, book cover reveals, and a look at Victoria Schwab’s upcoming YA novel. Plus I’ve included a picture of my stretchy orange monster, some trivia, and more! I love writing these newsletters and I appreciate your support so much. Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. I’ll see you again on Thursday (because of the holiday). – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! What new novel features Klara, an Artificial Friend? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Will Smith is releasing a memoir in November.

Rachel Zegler will play Snow White in Disney’s live-action adaptation.

Nicholas Braun and Emilia Jones will star in Cat Person, based on the New Yorker story.

John Cho is releasing Troublemaker, a middle grade novel.

A Frankenstein television series adaptation is in the works.

The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup is going to be a Netflix series.

Here’s the cover reveal of Melissa Febos’s craft-book-meets-memoir, Body Work.

Here’s a new teaser for the upcoming season of Dexter.

Somewhere Only We Know by Maureen Goo is getting a series adaptation.

Here’s the cover reveal for One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig.

Netflix released a Geralt teaser for the new season of The Witcher.

Jack Huston signed on for the new Count of Monte Cristo adaptation.

Liv Tyler has optioned the movie rights to Lucca by Danish author Jens Christian Grondahl.

Book Riot Recommends 

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Excited to read: 

Gallant by Victoria Schwab (Greenwillow Books, March 1, 2022)

Yesterday, the cover was revealed for Victoria Schwab’s upcoming standalone YA novel and wowwwwww. IT’S SO PRETTY. It’s being billed as “The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak.” *Chandler Bing voice* Could I be anymore excited?

I am a big fan of Victoria/V.E Schwab, everything she writes, including most recently The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and the City of Ghosts trilogy. So I am really looking forward to pushing this one directly into my brain as soon as I can. According to the post in EW yesterday, Gallant is about a young woman named Olivia who has grown up away from Gallant, her family home, with only her mother’s mildly disturbing journal to remind her where she comes from. When Olivia is invited to return home to Gallant, she is greeted by her hostile cousin, Matthew, but she is determined to learn as much as she can about the house and her family. Which leads to her discovering a secret world of ghouls that might also hold the clues to the identity of her father. SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY.

Crumbling mansions, long-kept secrets, unfriendly cousins—this sounds like a dream come true for We Have Always Lived in the Castle fans! If anyone can write a book that is a good comp for Jackson, it’s Schwab. I can’t wait to read it!

What I’m reading this week.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin by C. M. Kushins 

Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel by Anthony Doerr

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron 

Objects of Desire: Stories by Clare Sestanovich

Song stuck in my head:

Locked Out by Crowded House. Wow, did I used to listed to the Reality Bites soundtrack a lot. (Also, I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)

And this is funny:

Knives Out: The Squeakuel.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

• Rutherford Falls: I thought this show was really charming! (It does require a Peacock subscription, though.)
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Zevon is his own hammock.

Trivia answer: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L

It’s Monnnnnnnnnday! Happy new week, and happy almost-new release day! I am excited about all the great books coming up and all the exciting bookish news going out into the world, even if I forget what they are, lol. I am reading 2022 books now for work, so I’m pretty much confused all the time about what is coming each week. So I have to do a refresher every Tuesday and read my notes. My brain is basically just a chyron that says “books books books” all day, every day.

Moving on: There has not been a lot of big book news the last few days, but what I have for you today is great! I also have a look at an awesome creepy fall book, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, my distracting office mate, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Tiller, a college student, is the protagonist of what 2021 novel? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead is being adapted for the screen.

This Is My America by Kim Johnson is being developed as a series for HBO Max.

Here’s the cover reveal of Eyes That Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho.

These are the top 48 books of the year so far on Goodreads.

Madison Taylor Baez has joined the cast of the Showtime series remake of Let the Right One In.

The world premiere of the new Dune adaptation will happen at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.

Rafe Spall will join Natalie Portman in the adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s Days of Abandonment.

And Jack Huston will join Lulu Wang and Nicole Kidman in Expats, the series adaptation of The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee.

Book Riot Recommends 

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

Cackle by Rachel Harrison (Berkley, October 5)

So if you’ve been reading the newsletter or listening to All the Books for a while now, you know that I lost my dogpanned mind over Rachel Harrison’s The Return. It was a super creepy novel about friendship, set partly in Maine. I loved it with the heat of a thousand suns.

This time, Harrison is also revisiting friendship and relationships, but with witches. Annie is a teacher in Manhattan, involved in what she thinks is her forever-relationship. Then Sam, her boyfriend of ten years, unceremoniously dumps her. Distraught and adrift, she accepts a new teaching position in a tiny, tiny town in Vermont. Even though the village is adorable and all the people are friendly, Annie is miserable at first. Her apartment is full of spiders, she has no friends, and her students are unruly and mock her openly during class. It makes her even sadder and she spends her free time missing Sam and trying to find hopeful subtext in his text messages.

Then Annie meets Sophie. Sophie is literally the most beautiful, charming woman Annie has ever seen, and she wants to be Annie’s friend! Sophie wants Annie to start recognizing her own potential and stop moping around about her boyfriend. And at first, their friendship is wonderful and Annie is so happy. She’s feeling more confident and isn’t taking anymore guff from her students. But she’s also terrified to sleep at Sophie’s enormous mansion in the woods after a harrowing overnight stay, and the townspeople all seem to be afraid of Sophie. Plus Sophie has become a bit more meddlesome and demanding of Annie’s time. Annie is starting to worry that there might be dangerous repercussions to letting Sophie down…

The heart of this book is a story of friendship and self-worth. Sophie wants Annie to recognize that she is a beautiful person worthy of love. It’s also about witches and the treatment of independent, strong women throughout history. But then it’s also a scary story of ghosts and the unknown. Let’s just say that I have been afraid to open my basement door ever since I read this book! I thought it was wicked charming and creepy, and I especially loved Ralph. (You’ll see.)

(CW for infidelity, murder, sexism, and death.)

What I’m reading this week.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron 

Objects of Desire: Stories by Clare Sestanovich

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton 

Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke

Groan-worthy joke of the week: 

Why is Peter Pan always flying? Because he Neverlands.

And this is funny:

Here’s a Beauty and the Beast origin story you don’t hear about.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

• Music! I’ve had to take a lot of car trips recently, which means I get to listen to music! It’s something I rarely do at home, because I cannot read while there is music playing. So I turn the stereo in my truck all the way up (yes, I’m that driver, I’m sorry) and rock out on the road. Here’s a playlist I made last summer that is once again all I want to listen to. (*Roger Daltrey voice* Meet the new playlist, same as the old playlist.)
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Farrokh is trying to read by osmosis.

Trivia answer: My Year Abroad by Chang-rae Lee.

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. Please be safe, and be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. xoxo, Liberty

Hello, book friends! (And hello, Kaye!) It’s Thursday, which means it’s time once again for us to hang out and chat about nerdy book stuff. This week I am also excited about our strawberry plants here in Maine. It is our first time growing strawberries and so far, we have lost them all to the critters. We finally got brackets and planters set up so we could hang our strawberry plants off the side of the garage. Now the little strawberry thieves can’t reach them, and soon we will have strawberries for ourselves. MUWAHAHAHA. (Related: This talk of strawberries is making me want to watch Addicted to Love.)

Moving on to today’s newsletter and book talk: I am excited about a lot of today’s shiny news, including adaptation deals, book cover reveals, and Muppet arms for Holly Black’s upcoming debut adult novel. Plus I’ve included a picture of my bowl-loving orange monster, some trivia, and more! I love writing these newsletters and I appreciate your support so much. Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. I’ll see you again on Thursday (because of the holiday). – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! In The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, what is the name of the publishing company Nella and Hazel work for? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Jason Reynolds has won a Carnegie medal for Look Both Ways.

Tor Books acquired Holly Black’s debut adult novel Book of Night. (See more excitement about this below.)

The new Oprah book club pick is The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris.

HBO is making a docuseries based on Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow.

Nnedi Okorafor announced her next book: Noor.

Here’s the cover reveal of Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity by Angela Velez.

Kunal Nayyar, Christina Hendricks, and Lucy Hale have joined the adaptation of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.

Disney Plus has ordered a Beauty and the Beast prequel series with Josh Gad and Luke Evans.

Watch a never-aired profile of James Baldwin from 1979.

Here’s the cover reveal of The Witch, The Sword, and the Cursed Knights by Alexandria Rogers.

Michael Farris Smith’s novel The Fighter is being adapted into a film called Rumble Through the Dark with Aaron Eckhart.

Here’s the first look at Jamie Foxx’s new book Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me.

Netflix has released a “Meet Ciri” trailer ahead of season two of The Witcher.

Jason Priestley will star in an adaptation of the Jackie Collins novel Hollywood Kids.

Here’s the cover reveal of The Truth About White Lies by Olivia A Cole.

Book Riot Recommends 

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Excited to read: 

Book of Night by Holly Black (Tor Books, May 3, 2022)

So Holly Black, author of a zillion amazing books for children and young adults (and adults of course, because we can read them too!) including The Folk of the Air trilogy and Doll Bones, has written her first novel aimed specifically at an adult audience. I could not be more excited!!! Tor Books is releasing it late next spring.

According to the marketing, it’s “a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies in the vein of Ninth House and The Night Circus” about a woman named Charlie Hall who lives in a world where shadows can be manipulated and altered, for entertainment or cosmetic preferences but also to gain power. A shadow is where people hide the parts of themselves they don’t want people to see, and sometimes they can become dangerous. Charlie is a small time con artist and bartender who is studying the shadow arts when a dangerous figure from her past reappears.

GIVE IT TO ME NOW, PLEASE. I can’t wait to read this! In the meantime, you have a ton of Holly Black backlist (blacklist?) to read, or if you want to read a wild book involving shadows, check out Sip by Brian Allen Carr!

What I’m reading this week.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton 

Unbound : My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke

Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson

The Undertakers (A Murder & Magic Novel) by Nicole Glover 

Dune by Frank Hebert

Song stuck in my head:

Golden Sun by Hotel Eden. (Also, I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)

And this is funny:

I tried my hand at this meme too.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

• Palm Springs: I watched this movie dozens of times last summer, and it looks like it’s going to be my repeat viewing favorite for the summer of 2021 as well. It’s dark AF but SO good.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Welp. As long as Zevon thinks it’s comfortable…

Trivia answer: Wagner Books.

You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L