Author: Liberty Hardy

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Book Radar

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Documentary and More Book Radar!

Happy Monday, my little star slough. I hope you had a good weekend. I had a pretty relaxing time in my secret volcano lair. My reading for All the Books! episodes in 2020 is all done, so I have been trying to squeeze in a few books I missed before we start recording new episodes. We are coming up on our 300th episode in a couple months, which is something to celebrate! I can’t even believe it. I may still get ridiculously nervous and awkward every time I record an episode, but it is worth it for all the wonderful people it has brought into my life. VIRTUAL GROUP HUG.

For today, as usual, I have book news, a cat picture, some funny stuff, and a recommendation for another awesome upcoming 2021 book. Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: The fictional town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut is the setting for which book series? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

i'm not dying with you tonight

Warner Bros. Television has inked an overall deal with activist and I’m Not Dying with You Tonight author Kimberly Latrice Jones.

Joy Harjo will serve a rare third term as U.S. poet laureate.

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

Picador has won a four-way auction for 10 books from Jamaica Kincaid.

Penguin Random House is buying Simon & Schuster.

The Queen’s Gambit adaptation has caused sales of chess books and sets to spike through the roof.

Here’s the first trailer for Cherry, based on the novel by Nico Walker.

Lorde is publishing a photo book about her trip to Antarctica.

This is a great story about how German librarians caught a book thief.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library documentary is set to air in December.

The Expanse has been renewed for a sixth and final season.

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 I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, January 26, 2021)

This book was a high octane adventure from beginning to end! The publicist for this book practically drooled when she told me I should read it, and a few Rioters have been jumping up and down about it too. So I picked it up and started reading it without knowing what I was getting into and WOW. So if you want to feel the same way, STOP HERE. The rest of you, follow me to the next paragraph!

Nora is a teenager living in northern California with her aunt. At the beginning of the book, we think her biggest problem is that her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Wes, finds out that she’s in love with their mutual other best friend, Iris. Wes is hurt that Nora and Iris kept it a secret from him. But then they walk into a bank together and suddenly they’re in the middle of a robbery, and their feelings will have to wait. How rude!

But what seems like a straight-forward bank heist goes sour really quickly when the volatile robbers mess up their plan. Now they have hostages and the law right outside. But that’s the least of their problems. Because they don’t realize that among the hostages is a young woman who has already been several girls in her short lifetime, and has enough dangerous criminal experience to turn the tables on them. What started out as a bank robbery has now turned into a multi-layered game of cat-and-mouse, because as it turns out, this isn’t the scariest situation Nora has ever been in.

This book is so INTENSE. It jumps back and forth from the robbery in progress and the hostages with their MacGyver-ish attempts to get out of the bank, to Nora’s earlier life pulling jobs with her mother, a con woman who ends up married to a dangerous man. It’s so well done and extremely cinematic. I can’t wait to see the Netflix adaptation with Millie Bobby Brown!

(Content warning for descriptions of chemical use, physical violence, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, torture, and gore.)

What I’m reading this week.

The Startup Wife: A Novel by Tahmima Anam

Appleseed by Matt Bell

How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith III

Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson

What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

Pun of the week: 

Shopping centers, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen the mall.

And this is funny:

May we all look so spiffy in our tiny hats.

Happy things:

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

  • Check, Please. If you haven’t read this comic yet, I suggest you drop everything and read it now. It’s available on her website or in two trade paperbacks. I like to reread it every few months and make heart eyes.
  • Happiest Season. I really liked this movie, mostly because I have a crush on everyone in it. (CW for characters being outed and homophobia.)
  • Numberzilla. Still not tired of this game.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Well, this looks like a perfectly normal thing to see when you wake up.

Trivia answer: The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you EXTRA 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

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

It’s that time of year again! Yep, the time when I apologize repeatedly because publishing slows to a crawl the last six weeks of the year, so there aren’t nearly as many books to talk about. Like I’m somehow responsible, lol. We all know if I was in charge of publishing, every book would have cat protagonists.

But it’s true about the book world: Because of the holidays, publishing puts out very few new releases at the end of the year. That’s not to say there aren’t any good books still to come in 2020. For instance, the sequel to Ready Player One is being released today, if that’s something you’re excited about, as well as my friend Julia’s book about Dawson’s Creek (tbh, I have never seen Dawson’s Creek—shhhh, don’t tell her). There’s also a hilarious book of comics called Barely Functional Adult.

What it means for you is that I have to get a little more creative with my newsletters. I read a couple of today’s new releases, but I talked about them on the podcast, so I think for today’s newsletter I will highlight a few more upcoming titles that I have enjoyed. 2021 may seem like a long way away to some, but it’s already practically the end of November, so just hang tight! (TL;DR: do not despair, there are still good books coming this year.)

Before I start, I want to remind you that you can hear about a few of today’s new releases on this week’s episode of All the Books! Patricia and I discussed Ruinsong, Barely Functional Adult, Escape Pod, and more great new books.

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg (December 29)

Set in a mildly steampunk-y alternative London in the 1950s, Marion Lane follows Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries, a secret organization of anonymous detectives who work in the old hidden tunnels under the city. No one knows who the detectives are, just that if you have a problem or a tip about a crime, you write it on a piece of paper and slip it into one of the many pneumatic tube drop-off slots around the city, and it gets taken care of somehow.

Marion Lane is a young woman who has been working for Miss Brickett’s for four months when something dreadful happens: an employee is found murdered. And since strangers from aboveground can’t come down into the agency’s tunnels, the killer must be someone at Miss Brickett’s. When Marion’s friend and colleague is accused of the crime, Marion takes it upon herself to solve it—even if it means breaking rules and losing her job and possibly her life. With the help of a couple other agents—who she may or may not be able to trust—she attempts to escape detection as she detects around the detective agency. (Detect, detect, detect!)

(Content warning for mentions of murder, violence, chemical use, description of suicide on page, and gore.)

Backlist bump: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi (March 2, 2021)

And this one just gutted me! It’s listed as YA, but it is very adult in themes, so it’s recommended for older teens. Jayne and June Baek are two Korean-American sisters with nothing in common. While June is the perfect daughter with the prestigious career and enviable bank account, younger Jayne is untethered and caught in a downward spiral professionally and personally. The sisters haven’t spoken in some time, but then June reaches out to Jayne to tell her she has cancer, and suddenly everything changes for both sisters. Together, they will work to help Jayne get the treatment she needs and in the process, begin to both heal. This book was so sharp and frighteningly realistic, it felt at times like I knew these characters. It broke my heart so many times, but at the end, I felt healed.

(Content warning for mentions of racism, eating disorders, chemical abuse, cancer, mental illness, and child death.)

Backlist bump: Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (January 26, 2021)

And last, but not least: I am sure you have a already heard a few other Rioters raving about this book, and I would like to throw my hat in the ring. This book is a non-stop thrill ride about a bank robbery in California. Three of the people taken hostage in the robbery are Nora; her girlfriend, Iris; and her best friend/ex-boyfriend, Wes. But what seems like a bungled bank heist with volatile criminals is going to turn out to be a multi-layered game of cat-and-mouse with a young woman who has already been several girls in her short lifetime, and has experienced enough to help her turn the tables.

This book is so INTENSE. It jumps back and forth from the robbery in progress to Nora’s earlier life with her mother, a con woman married to a dangerous man. It’s so well done, extremely cinematic. I can’t wait to see the Netflix adaptation with Millie Bobby Brown!

(Content warning for descriptions of chemical use, physical violence, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, torture, and gore.)

Backlist bump: Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe

Please enjoy the holiday from a safe distance this week, if you’re celebrating. And thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. Please reach out to your friends and family if you need someone to talk to, and be sure to keep social distancing and washing your hands to keep yourself and others safe.

Thanks for subscribing! – XO, Liberty

Categories
Book Radar

CHAOS WALKING with Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland and More Book Radar!

Happy Monday! This is the only time you’ll be hearing from me this week, because Thursday is Thanksgiving (HOW?? HOWWWWW??!) and Book Riot takes the day off. I will be spending it—shocker—reading books and hanging out with my old boyfriend (which is what I call my new husband) and our cats. So a regular day, lol.

For today, as usual, I have book news, a cat picture, some funny stuff, and a recommendation for an upcoming 2021. (IT’S SO GOOD.) I hope that you enjoy the rest of your week and get to enjoy your holiday safely, if you celebrate. Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you EXTRA love and hugs. Please be safe, and remember to wear a mask and wash your hands. And please be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: How many of Lara Jean’s letters are sent in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Douglas Stuart has won the 2020 Booker Prize for his debut novel, Shuggie Bain.

Barack Obama’s memoir broke the first day sales record for PRH.

The New York Times named their 100 Notable Books of the Year.

Here are the winners of the 2020 National Book awards.

Here’s the third teaser trailer for the adaptation of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

Penguin Teen shared a bunch of lovely cover reveals.

Here’s the cover reveal for one of my most highly anticipated books of 2021: The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris.

And here’s the cover reveal for another of my most highly anticipated books of 2021: Appleseed by Matt Bell.

Here’s the first trailer for Chaos Walking with Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland, adapted from the book by Patrick Ness.

Here’s the first look at Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller.

Unseen JRR Tolkien essays on Middle-earth are coming in 2021.

Adam Silvera announced a sequel to What If It’s Us.

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: 

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg (Park Row, December 29)

I read this book last week and OMFG, I loved it, and I am so happy that you don’t have to wait much longer to get it. BECAUSE GET IT YOU SHOULD. It’s set in a mildly steampunk-y alternative London in the 1950s. There is a secret organization of detectives who work in a series of old tunnels under the city and solve crimes. No one knows who they are, just that if you have a problem or a tip about a crime, you write it on a piece of paper and slip it into one of the many pneumatic tube drop-off slots around the city, and it gets taken care of somehow.

Marion Lane is a young woman who was recruited to work for Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries. She is studying to be an investigator, and also hangs out in the shop, tinkering on the different gadgets that have been invented to help with detective work. Marion is four months into her internship when something dreadful happens: The woman who oversees the mailroom, and is the guard of the tunnels that remain off-limits to employees, is found murdered. And it quickly becomes apparent that since strangers from aboveground can’t come down into the agency’s tunnels, the killer must be someone at Miss Brickett’s.

When Marion’s friend and colleague is accused of the crime, Marion takes it upon herself to solve it—even if it means breaking rules and losing her job and possibly her life. With the help of a couple other agents—who she may or may not be able to trust—she attempts to escape detection as she detects around the detective agency.

I loved this book! It’s so much fun. The agency is hidden under an old bookshop, which reminded me of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. And the murder within an esteemed organization by one of its own reminded me of Gattaca. It’s a thrilling adventure from beginning to end. It’s a great mystery and Marion is an awesome character. She’s like a steampunk Maisie Dobbs. And it’s also funny, touching, and REALLY scary in parts. I have heard that Willberg is already at work on a second one and I couldn’t be more excited if I swallowed a cat and broke out in kittens!

(Content warning for murder, violence, chemical use, description of suicide on page, and gore.)

What I’m reading this week.

What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars: Space, Exploration, and Life on Earth by Kate Greene

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Pun of the week: 

What did the mayonnaise say when somebody opened the refrigerator? “Hey, close the door! I’m dressing!”

And this is funny:

Well, it looks so comfy!

Happy things:

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

  • Knock Balls. Dumb name, fun game.
  • Cush’s Homegrown black bean salsa. Although, it’s so hard to find around here right now because of *waves at world*. So you can get it delivered! (Sometimes I swear I was cursed to only enjoy foods that are either always sold out or taken off the menu after a short time.)
  • Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23. I don’t think I really like this, yet I can’t stop watching??? Also, it includes one of the greatest exchanges I’ve ever heard: James: “What were you thinking?” Luther: “That ghosts have seen all my passwords.”
  • They Can Talk comics. I’m always down for animal jokes.
  • It’s always a good time to watch Over the Garden Wall, but fall is the goodest time! (Yes, I know ‘goodest’ isn’t a real word, but I like to think that Greg would use it.)
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

The gatekeepers.

Trivia answer: Five.

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

Categories
Book Radar

A WAITING TO EXHALE Series Is Being Developed and More Book Radar!

Welcome to another Thursday, my little ink-stained friends! Things are going as well as they can here in Maine right now. Millay got an A+ report from her vet, so she didn’t have to have surgery, and although I didn’t end up starting The West Wing, it was because I have been reading up a storm. I already have over 50 titles coming out next year under my belt, and I am so excited to tell you more about the ones that I’ve loved!

I am so grateful, every day, for all that I have, and so appreciative of all of you! This past week, it tickled my heart that several of you reached out to tell me you purchased The Orchard on my recommendation, to wish Millay well, and even a few messaged me to say that the Larry Bird Funko was on sale on the Hot Topic website. (I already have it, but I appreciate you letting me know. Larry Bird is the GOAT!) But enough mushy stuff – who wants to hear about book news?

First, please remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you EXTRA love and hugs. Please be safe, and remember to wear a mask and wash your hands. And please be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! The events of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 are set on which Italian island? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

between the world and me

Here’s the official trailer for Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, premiering on HBO.

The rights to Tananarive Due’s upcoming novel have already sold.

Mariko Tamaki is curating a new graphic novel imprint for LGBTQIA writers.

Authors Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon are teaming up for the YA novel Blackout.

And speaking of Dhonielle Clayton, here’s the first trailer for the Netflix adaptation of Tiny Pretty Things, adapted from the YA novel she wrote with Sona Charaipotra.

Here’s the cover reveal for She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.

Patton Oswalt is writing a Black Hammer comic.

Kima Jones sold her memoir to Knopf.

There’s a Waiting To Exhale TV series in the works with Lee Daniels

David Ebershoff is returning to Random House.

Here’s the first look at Camryn Garrett’s upcoming YA novel Off the Record.

No surprise: James Patterson was the decade’s best-selling author. (Say what you want about his books, but he is extremely generous and donates millions of dollars every year.)

Here’s the first look at Later by Stephen King.

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: 

Cruella: Hello, Cruel Heart by Maureen Johnson (Disney, April 6, 2021)

I must admit, I am not a big fan of villains being Darth Vadered. (Which is a totally real term that I made up.) By ‘Darth Vadered’ I mean, when a famous villain is given a separate backstory to show that they once were good. My least favorite of all these Vaderings is Hannibal Lecter. It was weaksauce. Can’t people just be born bad?

HOWEVER. I am a huge Maureen Johnson fan. She is hilarious and witty, and does a great job writing scary characters, too. So if anyone is going to write about Cruella de Vil when she was young (and known as Estella), then I believe she is 100% the right choice. In this book, she’s a fashion designer hopeful who runs wild on the London streets with her friends, small-time crooks Horace and Jasper. Bring on the bad!

What I’m reading this week.

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud

Song stuck in my head:

Sister Golden Hair by America. (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:

Sound on!

Happy things:

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

And here’s a cat picture!

Millay, my rainbow laser queen, on her 10th birthday.

Trivia answer: Pianosa.

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

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Happy Tuesday, readers! I can’t believe it is already Tuesday again, but this week I have much better news: Millay got an A+ at her follow-up vet appointment yesterday, so she can go back to being an aloof house cat with no worries. Hooray!

In non-cat-related news: BOOKS. There are a lot of them out today, including Barack Obama’s new memoir AND my favorite book of the year, The Orchard by David Hopen. I have been throwing this book at your brain-walls since I read it in May in the hopes it would stick, because it’s my favorite book of the year and I wanted to make sure it was on all your radars. I hope it worked, and you love it as much as I do, because I L-O-V-E it. And the book I most looking forward to getting my hands on this week is Alright, Alright, Alright: An Oral History of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused by Melissa Maerz. (Did you know that Matthew McConaughey’s new memoir is currently at the top of the bestseller lists? I had no idea it would be that popular! So of course I got one for myself, and—bonus—it arrived SIGNED.)

And speaking of today’s new releases, you can hear about more of today’s amazing books on this week’s episode of All the Books! Tirzah and I discussed (what else?) The Orchard, These Violent Delights, Nights When Nothing Happened, and more great new books.

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi

Okay, so this is actually the sequel to War Girls, which came out last year, but it’s awesome and I wanted another opportunity to bring the first one to your attention. Because 1) it is also awesome and 2) I think it got lost in all the excitement for Riot Baby, another amazing book from Onyebuchi that was released a few months later. War Girls is set in a futuristic, Black Panther-inspired Nigeria in the year 2172. (Can you imagine the world making it to 2172? Lolsob.) Because of humans being humans, the world is now mostly uninhabitable, and many people have moved to space colonies. The unlucky people left behind are subject to harsh conditions, radiation poisoning, and civil war. Onyii and Ify are two sisters who dream of a better world and are willing to fight to get it. This is an intense, action-packed duology about that fight. It’s great fun and also makes you think at the same time.

Backlist bump: War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

Lord The One You Love is Sick by Kasey Thornton

And this is a powerful novel-in-stories about addiction and its effects on people in a small community. Dale, a police officer, is having a hard time since his best friend, Gentry, died from a heroin overdose. Dale’s wife is uncertain how to deal with her husband’s grief, which is also something Gentry’s mother is struggling with—where can she place the blame for his death? As the town’s leaders gather to pray that the Lord will help heal their town, two young sisters deal with the unreported violence in their own home. This is not an easy read and it comes with all the trigger warnings, but it’s also incendiary and moving, and perfect for fans of Daniel Woodrell and Donald Ray Pollock.

Backlist bump: Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock (This one also comes with ALL the trigger warnings.)

A Demon-Haunted Land: Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post–WWII Germany by Monica Black

And if enjoy reading books about times in history that you have never heard about before, have I got a book for you! This is a wildly fascinating look at Germany and its citizens after WWII. Not many history books in English discuss the world from this perspective, but this one delves into how after the war ended, there was a lot of shame and grief among the citizens. Some of it manifested itself—and here’s where it gets strange—in accusations of witchcraft in the 1950s. People began to worry they were cursed, or that someone else was using magic to get things they wanted, so they accused them of witchcraft. There were also people who prayed on the citizens in their weakened state, including dubious preachers and hoaxes. I had no idea what to expect when I picked this up, but I am glad I did. I was so surprised by how interesting I found it!

Backlist bump: Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler, Shaun Whiteside (translator)

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. Please reach out to your friends and family if you need someone to talk to, and be sure to keep social distancing and washing your hands to keep yourself and others safe.

Thanks for subscribing! – XO, Liberty

Categories
Book Radar

A Series of Reimagined Austen Novels and More Book Radar!

Hello, book lovers, and welcome to a new week! And congratulations, you made it through another Friday the 13th. I am a bit sad because we just experienced an unprecedented week of warm November weather here and Maine. And while I know that’s not a good thing, it was so lovely to have.

Now we’re back to miserable spitting rain and cold temperatures. It occasionally blows my mind when I remember that some of you live in places where you don’t experience cold weather. (But those are also usually the places where you have things like tornadoquakes and giant twelve-legged piranha spiders, so I don’t know which I would prefer.)

Okay, now on to the newsletter: I have a stellar book recommendation, trivia, cat pictures, my new favorite pun, and great book news to share with you. So hold on to your butts, because it’s going to be fun!

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you EXTRA love and hugs. Please be safe, and remember to wear a mask and wash your hands. And please be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: The Fault In Our Stars takes its title from which Shakespearean play? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Blue Ivy Carter narrates the Hair Love audiobook.

The upcoming Silence of the Lambs series, Clarice, has added four new cast members.

Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was voted the Women’s Prize ‘winner of winners’.

A modern Austen anthology series reimagining of Jane Austen’s novels is in the works at The CW.

There’s a new series based on The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells in the works. (More like Island of Dr. MORE-eau, amirite?? I’ll see myself out.)

Ernie Cline has hinted at a Ready Player One prequel.

Here’s a peek at the first chapter of C.M. Waggoner’s The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry.

Jonathan Franzen announced a new novel, the start of a trilogy, set to release in October 2021.

Here’s the first look at Laura Lippman’s Dream Girl.

Netflix has renewed The Umbrella Academy for a third season.

Eloise is getting a new adaptation.

Michel Gondry will produce the adaptation of As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem.

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: 

Version Zero by David Yoon (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, May 25, 2021)

David Yoon has been very busy. He has a new YA novel coming out tomorrow—Super Fake Love Songs—and Version Zero, his first novel for adults, coming in 2021! I am here to rave about the latter, because it is EXCELLENT. And so, so timely.

Max is a 20-something tech whiz working in Silicon Valley for Wren, one of the world’s largest social media companies. One day, while working on a huge project involving user data, he discovers that Wren is collecting and sharing its users private information in seriously shady ways. Thinking he is helping the company by mentioning it to his bosses, he instead finds himself unceremoniously fired from his position and blacklisted from all the other tech companies who might have hired him.

So Max, Max’s best friend (and unrequited love) Akiko, who also works for Wren, and his other best friend, Shane (who is also Akiko’s boyfriend) decide to teach Wren a lesson. But where to start: Hacking? Data erasure? A full shutdown of the site? Soon their technological anarchy has grown to a global scale. It brings them into the orbit of a famous reclusive billionaire, and also makes them targets hunted by Wren’s owners and competitors, who wish to silence them before they—gasp—make a difference in the world for the better.

I loved this book! Much like We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen, which also comes out next year, I was fully on board for these heroes in a not-so-distant future, trying to help the world. But this book is much, much darker than the Chen. It asks some very important questions, like what would the world look like if hateful people had not been given anonymous voices and platforms? What happens when only a handful of people have almost all of the wealth in the world? And what would happen if the internet went away? This is a smart, entertaining read, and I hope to see it make its way onto the screen someday, too.

What I’m reading this week.

Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg

Dream Girl by Laura Lippman

Are You Enjoying?: Stories by Mira Sethi

Olympus, Texas: A Novel by Stacey Swann

Pun of the week: 

Napoleon may not have designed the coat he wore, but he did have a hand in it.

And this is funny:

Sound on.

Happy things:

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

  • The Great on Hulu. Horrifying and hilarious, my favorite combo.
  • Palm Springs. I haven’t gotten tired of watching this yet.
  • They Can Talk comics. I’m always down for animal jokes.
  • It’s always a good time to watch Over the Garden Wall, but fall is the goodest time! (Yes, I know ‘goodest’ isn’t a real word, but I like to think that Greg would use it.)
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

“And bend, and reach, and stretch, and hold it…” – Farrokh

Trivia answer: Julius Caesar.

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

Categories
Book Radar

Oprah and Brad Team Up for THE WATER DANCER and More Book Radar!

Happy Thursday, star bits! It’s time for another spot of bookish joy, with lots of book news and talk down below. I’m afraid that I have no exciting stories for you this week. I haven’t wrestled any ninja werewolves or followed any rabbits down any tunnels. I have had my head down reading, reading, reading. It keeps me out of trouble.

In non-book news, I am sad, because I just finished The Great, and now I have to wait for the second season, which will happen who knows when. I am currently trying to decide what to watch next. Possibly The West Wing. I have attempted to watch it three times, and have made it as far as three episodes. I didn’t abandon it because I didn’t like it, but I got distracted by shinier, newer things. Maybe this time it will stick.

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you EXTRA love and hugs. Please be safe, and remember to wear a mask and wash your hands. And please be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! What 2019 debut novel is comprised of a letter by Little Dog to his mother? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

the water dancer

Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt will team up for the adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer.

Time released its list of the 100 Must-Read Books of the Year.

The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is being adapted into a series.

I loved this book: A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey is the November Reese’s Book Club YA pick.

The 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize longlist was announced.

How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa won the $100K Scotiabank Giller Prize.

HBO has canceled the adaptation of Stephen King’s The Outsider after one season.

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman is getting the adaptation treatment.

Here’s the first look at Cadwell Turnbull’s No Gods, No Monsters.

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: 

Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace (Gallery / Saga Press, May 4, 2021)

We here at Book Riot are big fans of Kornher-Stace’s 2015 novel Archivist Wasp. And yet despite being a huge fan, I somehow missed reading the sequel, which I must rectify. In the meantime, I am super-excited to get my hands on Firebreak! It claims to be about an “all-too-near future science fiction debut that reads like a refreshing take on Ready Player One, with a heavy dose of Black Mirror.” And it takes place in New Liberty City! MY BODY IS READY. (And FYI for fans: she also has a children’s book coming next year too: Jillian vs. Parasite Planet.)

What I’m reading this week.

The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

Are You Enjoying?: Stories by Mira Sethi

Olympus, Texas: A Novel by Stacey Swann

The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving by David J. Silverman

Song stuck in my head:

The Wild One by Suzi Quatro. (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 want to read this book.

Happy things:

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

And here’s a cat picture!

These two monsters turned 2 this week!

Trivia answer: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.

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

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Happy Tuesday, readers! I hope you had a great weekend and were able to find something wonderful to read. Sadly, my plans to throw myself a weekend-long readathon were derailed by a cold and a trip to the emergency vet with Millay. But these things happen, and we’re both doing much better now, and I did manage to read most of a book in the vet’s parking lot while I waited. (It makes me laugh whenever I am told there may be a wait. “Oh no, I will be forced to read a book. The horror, lol!”)

Speaking of books (which is almost all I speak about), there are several books I am excited to get my hands on today, including At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop, The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem, and Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer. Megan Rapinoe’s memoir, One Life, is out now too, and it’s also the release day for my favorite true crime read of the year: We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper. And congratulations to former Rioter Melody Schreiber on the book birthday of What We Didn’t Expect: Personal Stories about Premature Birth! That also reminds me that I want to read Loved and Wanted: A Memoir of Choice, Children, and Womanhood by Christa Parravani.

You can hear about more of today’s amazing books on this week’s episode of All the Books! Vanessa and I discussed The Office of Historical Corrections, Moonflower Murders, Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines, and more great new books.

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

I am so excited this book is finally out! Elle Jones is an astrologer with a popular Twitter account. Darcy Lowell is an actuary with a meddlesome brother who is determined to help her find love. When he sets Darcy up with Elle, she agrees to the date—and it’s a disaster. But to keep her brother from trying to find her another match, she gets Elle to agree to pretend they were made for each other. When they obviously are not, nope, no way, no how. And spending more time together will just prove it to everyone and themselves…right? YAY FAKE DATING. This is a frickin delightful #ownvoices queer rom-com, which claims to be a bit like Pride and Prejudice, but I’ll have to take everyone’s word for it, because I still haven’t read P&P. (SHHHHHHHH I KNOW.)

Backlist bump: The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (because they both involve stars!)

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao

It seems impossible that Chao’s debut YA novel, American Panda, came out over two years ago already, but here we are. Then there was Our Wayward Fate—which I still need to read—and now it’s time for another new book! I didn’t mean to pick two books today about fake dating on purpose, I swear. Rent a Boyfriend is about Chloe Wang, a college student who hires a fake boyfriend from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company “specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents”, so that her parents will stop bothering her about her love life. Drew Chan is a former college student who took the Rent for Your ‘Rents job after his parents cut him off when he dropped out of school. Chloe hires Drew to pretend to be her significant other to impress her parents, but it’s Drew’s real persona she starts to fall for. Good idea or bad idea? Read it to find out!

Backlist bump: American Panda by Gloria Chao

This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing by Jacqueline Winspear

This is a lovely memoir whether you are a fan of Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs mysteries or not. This is her personal account of her English childhood, including the harrowing stories and trauma of the second world war on her grandparents and parents, and her young life living on farms around Kent. It’s frank and kind and loving. You can tell she loved her family very much, and readers get a glimpse of how she was struck by the writing bug at a young age.

Backlist bump: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (Unsolicited true story: I will never forget where I was when I read this book. I was on a trip to Montreal with some friends, and we were staying at the The Queen Elizabeth Hotel. We had just retired to our beds, and I was maybe forty pages into Maisie Dobbs, when the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate. It was determined to be a system error and we all returned to our rooms, but it was short-lived—the alarm went off six more times that night. And for safety reasons, we were required to leave the building every time it happened, even though they said from the beginning that it was just bad programming. I carried my book up and down, up and down. I can’t tell you how many people said, “I wish I had brought a book.” It was extremely unfun and none of us slept that night. And that, children, is how we got comped a free night in one of Montreal’s nicest hotels. The end!)

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. Please reach out to your friends and family if you need someone to talk to, and be sure to keep social distancing and washing your hands to keep yourself and others safe.

Thanks for subscribing! – XO, Liberty

Categories
Book Radar

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED: THE RE-REVISITING and More Book Radar!

It’s Book Radar time again! I hope this Monday’s newsletter finds you all…less stressed. What a week! As I write this, it is the Friday afternoon of November 6th, so we still don’t have an official election outcome yet. I am trying not to check the news every five seconds, so I have compiled a pile of weekend reading as tall as a house cat, and I plan to hide between the pages the next few days. But first I am sharing book news, trivia, cat pictures, puns, and another 2021 title that I think you MUST mark down on your TBRs, because I love you.

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you EXTRA love and hugs. Please be safe, and remember to wear a mask and wash your hands. And please be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What author invented the name Vanessa? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Here’s the first trailer for Netflix’s Mismatched, based on the YA novel When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer.

Dr Camilla Pang has won the prestigious Royal Society science book prize for her book Explaining Humans.

Hugh Laurie and Emilia Clarke will add their voices to the adaptation of The Amazing Maurice by Terry Pratchett.

Ashley Romans will replace Lashana Lynch in the forthcoming adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man.

And the new adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited announced a star-studded cast.

The 2020 Kirkus Prize Awards have been announced. (LUSTER!!!!)

So many great new book announcements! Rachel Harrison, John Vercher, and Jeff Zentner were among the new deals I am excited about!

Here’s the latest news about the third season of His Dark Materials.

Young Wallander has been renewed for a second season.

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: 

Two Truths and a Lie: A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search for Justice by Ellen McGarrahan (Random House, February 2, 2021)

Before you keep reading, I want to let you know that this is a true crime read about murder and execution, so there will be upsetting mentions of violence and death in this description.

You know I think that We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper is the best true crime book of 2020. Well, I am already sure that this book will be the best true crime book of 2021! When McGarrahan was a young reporter in Miami, they sent her to witness the execution of Jesse Tafero, a man accused of killing two police officers. What McGarrahan and the other witnesses see at Tafero’s execution is too upsetting to write here, so I’ll just say that they will all have to give accounts of it repeatedly before committees down the road.

McGarrahan quit her job shortly after and moved to California, where she worked a series of odd jobs and raged at the world, looking for answers that would make sense of what she saw. Eventually she settled on being a private investigator. But many years later, hearing whispers that the man she saw executed was innocent of the crime, McGarrahan decided that investigating the case and solving it herself would give her the closure she needed. She interviewed as many people involved with the case as she could, including the other two people accused of the murders, and dug through thousands of bits of evidence and testimony – much of which has been contradicted since the trial. What follows is an excellent examination of trauma, the death penalty, corruption, celebrity, rumors, and the people left behind.

What I’m reading this week.

The Conductors by Nicole Glover

The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

Who is Maud Dixon?: A Novel by Alexandra Andrews

This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving by David J. Silverman

The Night Library of Sternendach: A Vampire Opera in Verse by Jessica Lévai

Pun of the week: 

What’s the best thing about Switzerland? Well, for starters, the flag is a big plus.

And this is funny:

A 2020 mood.

Happy things:

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

  • The Great on Hulu. Horrifying and hilarious, my favorite combo.
  • Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper on Hulu. I can’t believe I forgot that En Vogue sings the theme song in salmon-colored, crushed velvet dresses. SO 1990s.
  • Sprite. I imagine it’s what freshly-squeezed sprites taste like, and it’s all I want to drink lately.
  • They Can Talk comics. I’m always down for animal jokes.
  • It’s always a good time to watch Over the Garden Wall, but fall is the goodest time! (Yes, I know ‘goodest’ isn’t a real word, but I like to think that Greg would use it.)
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Zevon and Baby Yoda are pals. (Fun fact: That book is by former Rioter Preeti Chhibber!)

Trivia answer: Jonathan Swift.

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

Categories
Book Radar

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED Adaptation Cast News and More Book Radar!

Hello, my little ducklings! As I write this, it is Tuesday afternoon. I normally write Thursday’s newsletter on Wednesday, but election day has me too nervous to sit still, so I am getting my Wednesday work done early. I was reading books earlier, but my mind chewed through its restraints and is now running amok in my brain pan. All I can do right now is carry on with my day and hope for the best, because I want things to change for the better. (I’m pretty sure once I finish writing this, I’m going to start watching Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper on Hulu, because it’s all my brain can handle.)

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you EXTRA love and hugs. Please be safe, and remember to wear a mask and wash your hands. And please be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! In Crazy Rich Asians, Rachel is a professor at what university? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Here’s the first look at The Turnout by Megan Abbott.

Toni Morrison’s book collection is up for sale.

Joe Hill’s novella The Black Phone will be adapted into a film.

Stephan James and Ashton Sanders will star with Tom Hardy and Pete Davidson in the adaptation of The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.

Karena Evans will direct the first episodes of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot.

Here are the World Fantasy Awards Winners!

Here’s the first trailer for Shondaland’s Bridgerton, adapted from the Julia Quinn novels.

Jeremy Irons will star in the Netflix adaptation of Munich by Robert Harris.

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: 

Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley (Algonquin Books, April 20, 2021)

I was a big fan of Mosley’s last novel, Elmet, so I am extra-delighted to learn she has a new one coming next year! (In fact, I think I will read it again very soon!)

This is about a group of people in contemporary London who are all connected someway to a building owned by a mysterious billionaire named Agatha, who has decided to knock it down and build fancy shops and condos in its place. This upsets several people who work and visit a brothel housed in the current building, as well as squatters who have been living in the basement. I can’t wait to get my hands on this and find out what happens!

What I’m reading this week.

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim

The Night Library of Sternendach: A Vampire Opera in Verse by Jessica Lévai

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot 1) by Becky Chambers 

First Person Singular: Stories by Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (translator)

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Song stuck in my head:

Time for Me To Fly by REO Speedwagon (Related: I recently had to show my husband the REO Speedwagon video about the knight with bad eyesight because he thought I was making it up. ) (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:

Lolololol egg horse.

Happy things:

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

  • The Great on Hulu. Horrifying and hilarious, my favorite combo.
  • Sprite. I imagine it’s what freshly-squeezed sprites taste like, and it’s all I want to drink lately.
  • They Can Talk comics. I’m always down for animal jokes.
  • It’s always a good time to watch Over the Garden Wall, but fall is the goodest time! (Yes, I know ‘goodest’ isn’t a real word, but I like to think that Greg would use it.)
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Ask me about my cats.

Trivia answer: New York University (NYU).

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