Author: Liberty Hardy

It’s Monday! Today is the first day of the rest of your…week. I hope you had a relaxing weekend, if it was possible. I read books (shocking!) and added more stickers to my office walls. They are 95% covered now, and it is 100% the room that I always dreamed of when I was young. (Being an adult is rad!) Related: Does anyone remember Stickers Magazine? I used to get it at Toys “R” Us. I wish I still had all the issues. The magazine is also where I got the address to write to Soleil Moon Frye, who sent me an autographed picture in return. (I wish I still had that, too.)

Moving on: I have some exciting book news for you today and a look at an excellent upcoming novel about spies in Silicon Valley, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, toe beans, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What year was the inaugural Newbery Medal awarded? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey is going to be a feature film.

Here’s the first trailer for Without Remorse, starring Michael B. Jordan.

Here’s the cover reveal for the mass market edition of The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.

Alyssa Cole is partnering with Oneill Jones for a graphic novel.

Waubgeshig Rice and Jennifer David have started a new podcast, Storykeepers, to be an audio book club on Indigenous lit.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters will be a TV series.

Wu-Tang Clan is releasing a limited edition photo book encased in a 400-pound chamber.

Here’s the trailer for HBO Max’s adaptation of The Runaway Bunny.

Check out the cover reveal for Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson.

Here’s an update on the new Goosebumps TV series.

Take a peek at Jeff Vandermeer’s upcoming endangered species conspiracy novel Hummingbird Salamander.

A new Jumanji movie is in early development.

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: 

Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang (Custom House, June 15)

Recently, my husband and I started watching The Americans. I have heard nothing but amazing things about it, and maybe it gets better as you go along, but we stopped watching after about 10 episodes. For me, the whole “Will they get caught this time? How about this episode? Now?” got old for me really fast. I’m not saying it’s bad, don’t @ me. Maybe I’ll even go back to it at a later time.

I do generally like spy stories, which is why I enjoyed Impostor Syndrome so much. Like The Americans, it’s about a Russian operative living in the United States as an American. But this story is set in the present day. It’s about Julia Lerner, a Russian spy who has been living in the U.S. for years. She’s living and working in Silicon Valley as COO of Tangerine, one of the world’s largest tech companies. Her accomplishments are vast and she has settled nicely into her glamorous, high profile life, while also planning for the arrival of her first baby with her husband.

But now her home country is asking more of her: they want her to give them access to her computer’s systems, so they can install a backdoor to all the email accounts and messages sent through Tangerine. But this bigger ask comes with greater risk, and Julia isn’t so sure she wants to give up her new life anymore. And she knows a lot of new tricks to keep from losing the things she loves.

Alice Lu is an employee at Tangerine who works behind the scenes in IT, making sure all the systems are running smoothly. One day, while doing a routine check up of Tangerine’s servers, she discovers that a privacy loophole that isn’t supposed to be there anymore. And not only does this extremely limited access to all of Tangerine’s user’s information exist, someone is using it to dump large amounts of data.

At first, Alice is sure she should tell someone. But the allure of being able to see anything anyone is emailing or messaging pulls her in, especially when she realizes she can spy on specific people from a tragic incident in her past who were never properly punished. And then when Alice discovers who is responsible for sharing all the data, it takes it to a whole new level of danger and accountability.

I loved both Alice and Julia. They felt very real, and I understood and even sympathized with their actions and motivations. Julia has a family and an incredible job, and now she is being asked to risk it all. And Alice now has the tools at her fingertips to get the revenge she has always craved. I also think Wang does a great job spinning an espionage story in the current technological world, and I really enjoyed the outcome.

(CW for racist remarks and actions, violence, infidelity, chemical abuse, sexism and sexist language, and a mother threatened with the loss of her child.)

What I’m reading this week.

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge

Scorpion by Christian Cantrell

The Night We Burned by S. F. Kosa

Victim F: From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors by Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn with Nicole Weisensee Egan

Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell

Groan-worthy joke of the week: 

What does a bee use to brush its hair? A honeycomb.

And this is funny:

Another “thing that would make me sad, but makes me laugh instead, because it’s a book reference.”

Happy things:

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

• Modern Family: This show makes me laugh a lot. I am a big fan of people falling down and/or getting hit in the head. my favorite parts now are Stella the dog and how evil and sarcastic Lily has become.
• Joseph’s Chocolate Hommus: This is my favorite treat!
• Jigsaw puzzles! Yup, still puzzling.

• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

“Please speak into the microphone.” Zevon, putting his best foot forward.

Trivia answer: 1922.

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

Welcome to Thursday, kittens! I hope you are having a great week, or at least a reasonably good week. I have been balancing work with reading books and watching television, which is just how I like it. (Keep your eyes out for a Gideon the Ninth post on the site soon!) And I am hoping for an awesome weekend of reading ahead. I enjoy being able to read upcoming books so I can talk to you about which ones you should get excited about. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it. 😉

Moving on, I have exciting adaptation news and book talk. Plus I’ve included a picture of my snuggly orange monster, some trivia, and more! Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! Which Spielberg film is based on a book by Thomas Keneally? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Theo James and Rose Leslie will star in HBO’s series adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

Fifty Shades author E.L. James is taking her entire catalog to a new imprint.

Numa Perrier is directing the adaptation of The Perfect Find by Tia Williams.

Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, Regé-Jean Page, Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana De Armas will star in The Gray Man, Netflix’s biggest budget film to date. It’s based on the novel by Mark Greaney.

Here are the L.A. Times Book Prize finalists.

Kal Penn is writing a memoir called You Can’t Be Serious.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield has written a debut novel.

Cynthia Erivo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will join Keegan-Michael Key and Tom Hanks in the live-action Pinocchio.

Netflix is going ahead with the animated Asterix limited series.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo will star in HBO Max’s adaptation of The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney.

C.J. Cherryh is the winner of the 2021 Robert A. Heinlein Award.

Blondie announced that they’re writing a graphic novel.

Stephen King’s 2018 novella Elevation will be a film.

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: 

Second Contact by Mike Chen (MIRA, 2022)

Recently I asked book publishing Twitter to tell me about their upcoming books, and I could not be more excited that Mike Chen responded! As you know, his newest novel, We Could Be Heroes, is one of my favorite books of the year. And he has two more books coming in the new two years! He mentioned the title coming in 2022. It’s called Second Contact and he said it’s “a story of a family destroyed by an alien abduction — but then brought back together when the abductee returns 15 years later claiming to be a space soldier. Think X-Files meets Netflix’s Hill House series w/ a little Last Starfighter.”

Holy cats, it’s like he’s writing this book for ME. It sounds like ten tons of fun. I cannot wait to get my hands on it. I must have watched The Last Starfighter two hundred times when I was young. (Remember when cable channels showed the same five movies over and over each month?) And his 2023 book is titled Vampire Weekend. He hasn’t shared details, but I’m going to guess it’s about—I know it’s wild but hear me out—vampires. (Related: Why is The Last Starfighter never streaming anywhere??? 😩)

What I’m reading this week.

Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell

Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death, and Glory in America’s Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt by Daniel Barbarisi 

Victim F: From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors by Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn with Nicole Weisensee Egan

We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

The Revelations by Erik Hoel

Song stuck in my head:

Disco Sheets by Wolf Parade, my very favorite band. (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:

It makes it less sad when it’s a literary reference.

Happy things:

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

• Modern Family: This show makes me laugh a lot. I am a big fan of people falling down and/or getting hit in the head. I just started season six and my favorite parts now are Stella the dog and how evil and sarcastic Lily has become.
• Joseph’s Chocolate Hommus: This is my favorite treat!
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Look at my little cinnamon roll!

Trivia answer: Schindler’s List.

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

Happy Monday, star bits! I am so excited about tomorrow and all the incredible books coming out, including two of my favorites of the year: Yolk by Mary HK Choi and In the Quick by Kate Hope Day. I may reread them, I loved them so much. I am also delighted because I get to talk to Kate next week about her novel for Book Soup. I love moderating author events! I get to ask questions I want to know and learn more about the book from the amazing authors, and then I like to add a couple of silly questions at the end, like, “If you had to eat a Muppet, who would you pick?” (You never know! It could happen.)

Moving on: I have some exciting book news for you today and a look at an awesome YA fantasy novel based around the story of The Goose Girl, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, a cat picture, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Who is the author of Steal This Book? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

America Ferrera will make her directorial debut with the adaptation of Erika L. Sánchez’s I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is writing a new Superman film for DC and Warner Bros.

Akwaeke Emezi is publishing a romance novel.

Reese Witherspoon and Christina Milian are starting a literary-inspired cooking show on Instagram.

The adaptation of The Mysterious Benedict Society is coming to Disney+ on June 25. (Look at Tony Hale!!!)

Colson Whitehead was on 60 Minutes.

And speaking of Colson Whitehead, here’s the premiere date and new teaser trailer for The Underground Railroad.

Alexis Hall has a BUNCH of new books in the works.

Stephen Graham Jones has a graphic novel coming in the fall.

E.T. star Henry Thomas has written a fantasy novel.

HBO Max has optioned Marissa Meyer’s Instant Karma for a series.

Paul McCartney to publish a 900-page ‘lyrical autobiography.’

Here’s a glimpse of the second season of Love, Victor on Hulu.

Here’s the first look at Olga Tokarczuk’s The Books of Jacob.

Here’s the first look at Shadow and Bone on Netflix.

Tor Dot Com Publishing has a ton of gorgeous cover reveals: Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente; Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker (Seanan McGuire); The Tensorate Series by Neon Yang; Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo; In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu; and The Underland by Alix E. Harrow.

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: 

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen (Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), October 5)

There is so much going on in this book, in the best way, that I don’t know if I’ll be able to explain it all, but hold on to your butts because I’m going to try!

This is a somewhat-retelling of the fairy tale The Goose Girl, which is about a princess whose wicked maid steals her life and impersonates her, and now the princess is the maid. But don’t worry, the maid gets hers in the end. *eye roll* It’s dark and violent and so, so classist.

This is a WAY better interpretation of the story! Vanja was a baby when her mother left her in the forest and she was taken in by Fortune and Death. Like, the actual embodiments of Fortune and Death. But when she was a teenager, they had to let her make her own way and she became a maid for a princess, who treated her cruelly and made her sleep in squalor. So Vanja stole the princess’s enchanted pearl necklace, and now Vanja appears as the princess and the princess has to work among the common folk—who all think the princess is a little off because she’s always yelling about how she’s really a princess. (Same, girl.)

Okay, got that part? Good. Now, when the book opens, Vanja-as-princess is getting ready to pull of a big heist. She’s been robbing nobility for months and fencing the jewelry so she has enough money so she can eventually leave the land and get away from her godmothers, Fortune and Death, because no one wants to have to owe them any favors. And the fact that Vanja can switch identities back and forth by removing the magic pearl necklace comes in handy when perpetrating a crime and keeps her from getting caught.

But then she accidentally steals a special ring that has magic powers specific to the owners, and it brings about a skull-headed Low God, who curses Vanja: the god sticks a ruby to Vanja’s cheek, and tells her that she has two weeks to return what she has stolen, or her entire body will turn into one solid ruby. And as if that isn’t enough, the real princess’s horrible fiancé has returned to the castle and wants to step up the wedding AND a hunter arrives hot on the trail of the thief, aka, also Vanja.

As Vanja tries to avoid the hunter and her almost-husband while more and more rubies appear on her skin, she has to figure out a way to give back what she has taken while also keeping the money so she can split town. But with so many eyes on her, how will she ever pull it off? This book is so fun and original and flirty—I loved it!

What I’m reading this week.

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious) by Maureen Johnson

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian 

Groan-worthy joke of the week: 

Did you hear the rumor about butter? Well, I’m not going to spread it.

And this is funny:

I feel this, so hard.

Happy things:

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

• Modern Family: This show makes me laugh a lot. I am a big fan of people falling down and/or getting hit in the head. Ty Burrell is incredible at doing physical comedy.
• Warehouse 13: All five seasons are streaming on Peacock! Of course, rewatching this is going to lead to a rewatch of The Librarians, for sure.
• Jigsaw puzzles! Yup, still puzzling.

• Numberzilla. Still not tired of this game.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Look at this rebel. The sticker clearly says “No feet.”

Trivia answer: Abbie Hoffman.

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, star slough! I hope you have been having a fabulous week. I’ve been reading books and watching a lot of Modern Family, because you know how it takes me a decade to catch up with what’s popular. Pretty soon I’m going to check out this Taylor Swift everyone is talking about! (I kid, I kid.) The real reason is that I’m an impatient little monster and prefer to watch things after every single episode is available to me.

Moving on, I I have exciting adaptation news, cover reveals, and book talk. Plus I’ve included a picture of orange gremlins, some trivia, and more! Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! What is the name of Xandra’s dog in Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Interior Chinatown author Charles Yu has established a prize for young Taiwanese American creative writers.

Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson have joined the Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret movie.

Amblin Television is making a show based on Walter Mosley’s Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins series.

Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington have joined the cast of The School of Good and Evil.

Mila Kunis will star in the adaptation of Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive for Netflix.

Here’s the cover reveal for Sword Stone Table: Old Legends, New Voices, an anthology of Arthurian retellings edited by Swapna Krishna and Book Riot’s very own Jenn Northington!

Farrah Rochon announced a new book with Disney-Hyperion.

Here’s the first look at Netflix’s The Irregulars, based on the Baker Street Irregulars from Sherlocks Holmes.

The Horror Writers Association has announced the finalists for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards.

HBO has picked Aziza Barnes and Jeremy O. Harris as the writers for its potential series based on Brit Bennett’s novel The Vanishing Half.

Anthony Bourdain’s crime novel Gone Bamboo to become a TV series.

Hillary Clinton to publish a political thriller with author Louise Penny.

An animated adaptation of The Great Gatsby is in the works.

Here’s the first look at the upcoming adaptation of Lisey’s Story by Stephen King. And speaking of King, Edgar Wright will direct the remake of The Running Man.

Disney+ is making a sequel to their adaptation of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

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: 

Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond (St. Martin’s Griffin, October 5)

I’ve adored Gwenda Bond’s books in the past, so I am really looking forward to getting my hot (pun intended) little hands on her upcoming romance novel about a young woman named Callie who meets a Satanic cult while running her family’s escape room business and a handsome young man named Luke who offers to help drive the cult off before the bring about the destruction of the world. And it turns out Luke is perfect for this particular task, because he is the actual son of the Devil himself. So, the question is, should Callie date the hot son of the Prince of Darkness if the end of the world is a possibility anyway? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW.

What I’m reading this week.

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian 

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Lightseekers by Femi Kayode

Song stuck in my head:

Dark Runs Out by Amy Stroup. (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’ve watched this too many times.

Happy things:

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

• Modern Family: This show makes me laugh a lot. I am a big fan of people falling down and/or getting hit in the head.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Okay, so this is in no way a happy thing, but it’s just what I need playing in the background while I do jigsaw puzzles. I have now made it to the middle of season five and I am still into it. After watching so much Murder She Wrote recently, I’m enjoying the crimes coming to them, not just happening everywhere they go.
• Jigsaw puzzles! I have moved on to two-in-one puzzles, where you have to separate the pieces to make two entirely different puzzles.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

I’m letting them drive these boxes even though they don’t have licenses.

Trivia answer: Popper.

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

Happy Monday, star bits! I hope you all were able to enjoy your weekend. I had a lot of assigned reading for my jobs, so I spent the weekend up to my face orbs in words, which is just how I like it. And you’ll be hearing about some of the books that I read in the future here in this newsletter! (IT’S ALL FOR YOU, DAMIAN.) Any excuse to read books is a good excuse, but it’s even better when I get to share. And speaking of sharing, I watched an interview with Emily St. John Mandel last week and all she would say about her next novel, which she has almost finished, is that there is a time-traveling book publicist. Which is not a thing I knew I wanted until just now. I can’t wait!

Moving on: I have some exciting book news for you today and a look at an exciting dystopian novella that takes place in a submarine, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, a cat picture, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Who wrote the 1959 novel To Sir, With Love, which later became a film starring Sidney Poitier? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Jesse Plemons has joined the cast of Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s Killer of the Flower Moon.

Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt The Flame is being adapted into a television series.

Daisy Ridley will star in the adaptation of The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne.

Rick Riordan’s imprint will publish its first YA novel, which will be written by Daniel José Older.

Here’s the cover reveal for Redemptor, the second Raybearer book, by Jordan Ifueko.

Here’s the book trailer for TJ Newman’s forthcoming book, Falling, which has already been bought by Universal.

Here’s the cover reveal for The Perishing by Natashia Deon.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Sarah MacLean’s new romance novel Bombshell.

Tim Burton is making a live-action Wednesday Addams series for Netflix.

Here’s the first look at the LGBTQ+ graphic novel Eighty Days by A.C. Esguerra.

Mindy Kaling’s Kaling International is adapting Sanjena Sathian’s Gold Diggers for TV.

Paddington 3 is officially in the works.

Here’s a huge round-up of Epic Reads fall book release cover reveals.

Brit Bennett is on the cover of Time magazine as one of their Next 100 Most Influential People.

Here’s the cover reveal for Lies Like Wildfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez.

Norman Reedus is developing Edward Gorey’s Neglected Murderesses as a series for AMC.

Here’s the cover reveal of A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw.

Netflix is creating an animated musical film based on Lupita Nyong’o’s Sulwe.

Victor LaValle is writing a brand new five-issue original comic series, which will be illustrated by Jo Mi-Gyeong.

Daniel Cole’s Ragdoll is going to be made into a series.

William Corlett’s Now & Then is being made into a film.

Lily Rabe will join Ben Affleck in George Clooney’s Tender Bar, based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer.

Here’s the cover reveal for Cherie Priest’s Grave Reservations.

HBO is adaptating Roger Zelazny’s Roadmarks.

Here’s the cover reveal for The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker.

Anna Friel will star in the adaptation of Karen Hamilton’s The Perfect Girlfriend.

Here’s the cover reveal for Shoot the Moonlight Out by William Boyle.

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: 

We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep by Andrew Kelly Stewart (Tor.com, March 9)

The beginning of the first sentence of the pitch for this was “A Canticle for Leibowitz meets The Hunt for Red October…” and I was like “I’M IN.” A Canticle for Leibowitz is my favorite sci-fi book, and I don’t hear it mentioned that often, so of course I had to read this.

Here’s the three-word elevator pitch: monks in submarines. That’s the whole premise and I loved it. So it’s the future and there’s been a horrible nuclear war that has decimated the planet. People have taken to boats to avoid the poisoned lands, and an order of monks spend their days and nights aboard a submarine that has been outfitted with the last nuclear bomb. They have been on the submarine for years; its electrical wiring is a mess, the other mechanical parts are faulty, and all the monks are suffering from scurvy and radiation poisoning and other ailments.

When the book starts, we meet Remy, a Chorister, who is one of the young boys charged with singing in church aboard the submarine. Except only the dying caplain (like captain and chaplain, get it?) of the boat knows that Remy is actually a girl. He rescued her from a vessel years ago, and had to keep her secret because no girls or women are permitted aboard. And she is also the only one he trusts to hide the key that unlocks the nuclear bomb.

But then the caplain dies, and his power-mad replacement is hellbent on releasing the last bomb and ending everything, and even resorts to using Remy’s best friend as a pawn to try and get what he wants. Can Remy save her only friend and keep the key out the hands of the new caplain?

I thought this was perfectly paced and it seemed entirely plausible. Although submarines stress me out—it also made me feel claustrophobic!

(Content warning for murder, physical violence, drowning, a nuclear apocalypse, radiation poisoning, child abuse, and starvation.)

What I’m reading this week.

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

Lightseekers by Femi Kayode

Redemptor (Raybearer Book 2) by Jordan Ifueko

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Ten Low by Stark Holborn

Groan-worthy joke of the week: 

I could tell a joke about pizza, but it’s a little cheesy.

And this is funny:

Great, another thing I’m going to be wondering about instead of sleeping.

Happy things:

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

• The Great North: From the creator of Bob’s Burgers; it’s kind of like a Bob’s Burgers but set in Alaska, complete with the youngest child wearing an animal costume at all times. But it’s cute and I’ll keep watching. Bonus: Nick Offerman does one of the voices.
• Warehouse 13: All five seasons are streaming on Peacock! Of course, rewatching this is going to lead to a rewatch of The Librarians, for sure.
• Gravity Falls: It’s never enough, no, it’s never enough. Also: GRAPPLING HOOK.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Okay, so this is in no way a happy thing, but it’s just what I need playing in the background while I do jigsaw puzzles. I have now made it to the middle of season five and I am still into it. After watching so much Murder She Wrote recently, I’m enjoying the crimes coming to them, not just happening everywhere they go.
• Jigsaw puzzles! Yup, still puzzling.

• Numberzilla. Still not tired of this game.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

I should livestream cat wrestling from my house and make a million dollars. Spoiler: Zevon always wins. He always starts it and he always wins.

Trivia answer: E. R. Braithwaite.

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, kittens! Or should I say puppies—hooray for the release of the first Cruella trailer! I know people have mixed feelings about the casting, but I think it looks like super fun and I LOVE the costumes and aesthetics! I hope it’s as delicious as it looks.

On top of the Cruella trailer today, I have exciting adaptation news, cover reveals, and book talk. Plus I’ve included a picture of my gray goblin, some trivia, and more! Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! What is Jay Gatsby’s real name and where was he born? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas is getting her own YA novel.

Here’s the scoop on The Lincoln HIghway, the new novel from Amor Towles.

Here’s the first trailer for the Cruella movie starring Emma Stone. (Did you know 101 Dalmatians was written by Dodie Smith, who also wrote I Capture the Castle?

Alice Wong’s upcoming memoir has sold to Vintage.

Simone Ashley will star in the second season of Bridgerton.

Here’s the cover reveal of The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale.

Here’s the cover reveal of Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco.

Here are the winners of the 2021 Southern Book Prize.

And the Aspen Institute announced the five finalists for the 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize.

Here’s the first look at V.E. Schwab’s new superhero comic.

You can check out the first excerpt from Anthony Bourdain’s posthumous guidebook.

Vincent Cassel, Eva Green and Oliver Jackson-Cohen will star in the new Three Musketeers movies.

Here’s the cover reveal for Battle Of The Bands edited by Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith.

Joe Alwyn, Jemima Kirke, Alison Oliver, and Sasha Lane have been cast in Hulu’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends.

Here’s more information about the True Blood reboot.

And more information on the upcoming season of Lovecraft Country.

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: 

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams (William Morrow, June 15)

If you ask me what my favorite thriller of the past five years is, I will answer so fast your head will spin: No Exit by Taylor Adams. I loooooved that book. It’s a locked-room thriller set in a rest stop visitor’s center during a blizzard. Five strangers who have been stranded by the storm are weathering (teehee) an evening together when one of them discovers a child locked in a van outside. Which means the kidnapper is one of her sleepover friends—but how do you figure out who is a dangerous criminal and still get through the night without alerting them to the fact that you know?

That book is like Die Hard in a rest stop. I still think about it often. So imagine my delight when I got my hands on a copy of the new book from Taylor Adams! It’s about a young woman who is on a quest to learn the truth about the death of her twin sister, which involves a dangerous, creepy bridge in Montana. Unfortunately, I don’t have time in my reading schedule for this until next week—sob!—but you bet I’ll be picking it up as soon as I can!

What I’m reading this week.

Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh 

Ten Low by Stark Holborn

Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan

Dead Dead Girls (A Harlem Renaissance Mystery) by Nekesa Afia  

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

Song stuck in my head:

Homegrown by Haux. (Thanks a lot, Superstore.) (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:

Silly stuff makes me laugh.

Happy things:

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

• Warehouse 13: All five seasons are streaming on Peacock! Of course, rewatching this is going to lead to a rewatch of The Librarians, for sure.
• Gravity Falls: It’s never enough, no, it’s never enough. Also: GRAPPLING HOOK.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Okay, so this is in no way a happy thing, but it’s just what I need playing in the background while I do jigsaw puzzles. I have now made it to the middle of season five and I am still into it. After watching so much Murder She Wrote recently, I’m enjoying the crimes coming to them, not just happening everywhere they go.
• Jigsaw puzzles! I have moved on to two-in-one puzzles, where you have to separate the pieces to make two entirely different puzzles.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Millay is in the hot spot.

Trivia answer: James Gatz and North Dakota.

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