Author: Liberty Hardy

Happy Monday, readers! I hope you had a great weekend. I spent a good portion of it looking for my copy of the Grease fotonovel. Unsuccessfully, I might add. But I know it’s in this house somewhere! I’m sure I put it somewhere to keep it safe, but I hid it a little too well because now I don’t remember where it is, lol. (More like GRRRR is the word, the word that you heard, amirite?)

Have you ever seen a fotonovel before? I wonder if they even make books like this anymore. It’s the whole 1978 movie adaptation told through hundreds of still photos. I loved it to pieces when I was a kid, so much that the cover fell off. I WILL FIND YOU, FOTONOVEL.

Moving on, I have a bunch of fun bookish stuff to share with you to kick off your week, including the first of many amazing 2021 books that I have been dying to tell you about! Say it with me now: YAY, BOOKS!

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you 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 Fastest Kid in the Fifth Grade” is the title of the third chapter in what children’s classic? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa is being adapted into a film, with Reed Morano directing and Charlie Kaufman attached as the screenwriter.

American poet Louise Glück has won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Here’s a fun cover reveal for Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.

The trailer for News of the World, based on the novel by Paulette Jiles and featuring Tom Hanks, has been released.

And here’s the trailer for the fifth season of The Expanse.

Rick Riordan Presents released the covers for Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares by Tehlor Kay Mejia and The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim

Dickinson has received an early season 3 renewal at Apple TV+.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Fences: Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan.

Christopher Paolini’s first novel for adults, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, will be made into a film.

A date has been set for the second season of Snowpiercer.

And here’s the cover reveal for XOXO by Axie Oh.

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: 

What I’m reading this week.

Whereabouts: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri 

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner

There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura 

Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler

Pun of the week: 

“I’ve started sleeping in our fireplace. Now I sleep like a log.”

And this is funny:

To be fair, I look like this every time I eat salt and vinegar chips.

Happy things:

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

• Star vs. the Forces of Evil. (This is perfect for fans of Gravity Falls and Steven Universe.)
• FOLD IT IN: All six seasons of Schitt’s Creek are available now on Netflix!
• The Great Pottery Throw Down. I love Keith the Crying Judge.
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.
• Here are livestreams of animals. I particularly enjoy the bat one.
• And more cute animal pictures.
• Disney Emoji Blitz!

And here’s a cat picture!

“Der-dee-der. Look at me, I’m a hooman.” – Zevon

Trivia answer: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. (Does anyone want to cry just hearing the title? No? Just me?)

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

OMG I’m back again! Happy Thursday, kittens! It is I, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™, back to share things with you from the wonderful world of books. I have missed you all so much! I had a relaxing break, and I read books like whoa, but I am ready to get back in the book saddle and start slinging book recommendations again.

Which means I have some fun stuff for you today, including a recommendation of one of the best books I read while on my vacation, plus more! (Like gifs. I got a little carried away with gifs today.) I have been excited to tell you all about books again pretty much since my vacation started, lol. IT IS MY CALLING.

Before I start, a little housekeeping: First, thank you to Tirzah for stepping in while I was out. (Did you know she has an amazing Jane Austen mystery trilogy on the way, starting with Pride and Premeditation??? Well, now you do.) And second, know that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you 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 Monday. – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! The amazing Walter Mosley was born in what city? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Holy bell hooks! Lumberjanes may become an animated series on HBO Max.

The Cleaners by Ken Liu is being developed into a series with Orlando Bloom.

Here’s the cover reveal for Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua.

Here are the finalists for the 2020 National Book Awards!

Rumor has it that the new Lord of the Rings series might have adult content.

Elizabeth Acevedo, Charlie Jane Anders, Kacen Callender, and Alexis Daria will be writing pep talks for NaNoWriMo 2020.

Disney is launching a new publishing line with If the Shoe Fits, a Cinderella retelling by Julie Murphy.

Iain Reid, author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things, is working on a new novel.

Tordotcom announced In the Watchful City, a debut novella from S. Qiouyi Lu.

Hodor is supposedly going to have a different fate in the end of the Game of Thrones books than he had in the show.

Here’s the cover reveal for Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass.

Watch the trailer for The Show, featuring Alan Moore in shiny face paint.

The release of the new Dune adaptation has been moved to the end of 2021.

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: 

Gory Details: Adventures From the Dark Side of Science by Erika Engelhaupt (National Geographic, March 2, 2021)

I was literally approved to read this book about ten minutes before I sat down to write this newsletter and I couldn’t be more excited if I swallowed a cat and broke out in kittens! It was supposed to come out earlier this year, but got pushed to 2021 because of *waves at world*. It’s claiming to be a Mary Roach-esque look at really gross stuff relating to science and I AM HERE FOR IT. (Lol, are you surprised?) Not only does Engelhaupt write about science for a living, but she also does stand-up comedy. I’m hoping the two jobs mix in the best way and don’t end in an explosion.

What I’m reading this week.

There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura 

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler

Halsey Street by Naima Coster

Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown

Song stuck in my head:

A Life of Illusion by Joe Walsh. (I was really into songs from my childhood while I was on break. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)

And this is funny:

I don’t know about you, but my cats wouldn’t have even sat still long enough for a picture. They’d be hoovering food off the floor in 0.00001 seconds.

Happy things:

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

• Star vs. the Forces of Evil
• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.
• Here are livestreams of animals. I particularly enjoy the bat one.
• And more cute animal pictures.
• The Great Pottery Throw Down
• Disney Emoji Blitz!

And here’s a cat picture!

I never get tired of seeing a bowl of cat.

Trivia answer: Los Angeles.

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

Happy Thursday! I have some fun stuff to tell you today. It’s all about – SPOILER – books! Try not to be shocked, lol. I have been enjoying a good run of reading, but it might all come screeching to a halt because I just reactivated my World of Warcraft account. I found my old WoW shirt over the weekend and was overcome with the need to play again. We’ll see if I can go longer than two weeks before I delete it this time. Sorry, unread books, mama has to shard some purples!

Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you virtual 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 Monday. – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! Whose first novel was called Pebble in the Sky? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Jennifer Egan is writing a companion novel to A Visit From the Goon Squad.

Candice Carty-Williams and Bernardine Evaristo are this year’s British Book Awards winners.

Sir Patrick Stewart is working on a memoir. And so is Lenny Kravitz.

Here’s the first look at The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch.

HBO will adapt The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Adam Christopher is writing a Mandalorian novel.

Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion by Tanisha C. Ford is being developed by Gabrielle Union and Freida Pinto.

And here’s a look at Faith: Taking Flight by Julie Murphy.

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: 

This deal was just announced yesterday, so it doesn’t even have a cover or a title yet! But I am so excited to read this, I had to mention it: Brandy Colbert, author of The Voting Booth (which is out next week), is writing a non-fiction YA book about the Tulsa Massacre. It will be released next fall to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the devastation. I am all about more YA nonfiction, and this is an event that needs to be taught in schools, so I hope this book will become part of curriculum. Mark it down now!

What I’m reading this week.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmermann

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

Song stuck in my head:

Dollar Bill by Screaming Trees

And this is funny:

The kids are all right.

Happy things:

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

• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.
• Here are livestreams of animals. I particularly enjoy the bat one.
• And more cute animal pictures.
• Music Catch, one of my favorite desktop games. I also still play Lemonade Stand occasionally.
• Disney Emoji Blitz!
• We Bare Bears

And here’s a cat picture!

DO NOT WANT.

Trivia answer: Isaac Asimov.

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

Happy Monday, readers! I had a tremendously productive reading weekend, which felt really good. You’ll be hearing about a couple of the books I finished in the coming months. I also watched several episodes of Regular Show, my new cartoon obsession. I don’t think I have watched the Cartoon Network since high school, so discovering all these shows that are streaming now is a ton of fun. I’m a big fan of eleven-minute episodes!

I hope that you were able to enjoy your weekend and that you have a pleasant week. 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

P.S. Don’t forget to fill out our Reader Survey (it’ll only take a few minutes) for a chance to win an ereader!

Here’s Monday’s trivia question:  What Thomas Pynchon novel won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1973? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal is being adapted into a film.

Book Riot has the cover reveal for Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds, with art by Danica Novgorodoff.

Here are the 2020 Locus Award winners.

Sarah J. Maas revealed the title of the next book in her Court of Thorns and Roses series!

And Julie Murphy reveal the title of the third Dumplin’ novel.

Derek B. Miller announced a new novel.

Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends will be a Hulu series.

Tor.com is publishing Nghi Vo’s new book,The Chosen and the Beautiful. and Aliette de Bodard’s Fireheart Tiger.

Science of Ghosts, a supernatural graphic novel, is coming in 2021.

Here’s the cover reveal for The Factory Witches of Lowell by C. S. Malerich.

And the cover reveal of The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman.

And one more: here’s a look at the cover of A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha.

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!

Excited to read:

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten, Alexandra Fleming (translator) (Minotaur Books, April 6, 2021)

So here’s the deets: a documentary filmmaker obsessed with the story of a village where 900 people vanished without a trace decides to make a film about it. She gets a crew and they camp out, determined to solve the mystery of why, in 1959, everyone disappeared from the town except for a newborn baby. As you can imagine, hanging out in a mystery village = weird things start happening to the crew. The book is being called “The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar.” I haven’t seen Midsommar, but I am all about vanishing village people and scary present-day events. I hope it turns out the baby ate all of them…but that’s probably not what happened.

What I’m reading this week:

Scorpionfish by Natalie Bakopoulos

Want: A Novel by Lynn Steger Strong

The Color of Air: A Novel by Gail Tsukiyama

Such Big Teeth (The Darkwood Series Book 2) by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones

Pun of the week: 

What do you call a cat that throws all the most expensive parties? The Great Catsby.

Here’s a cat picture: It happens to us all: Zevon fell asleep while he was washing his belly.

Happy things:

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

• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.
• Here are livestreams of animals. I particularly enjoy the bat one.
• And more cute animal pictures.
• Music Catch, one of my favorite desktop games. I also still play Lemonade Stand occasionally.
• Disney Emoji Blitz!
• We Bare Bears

Trivia answer: Gravity’s Rainbow.

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

Happy Monday, readers! I somehow missed that it was already almost Monday again, despite the fact that it happens every seven days. So I forgot to do the newsletter last week and am now dashing this off as fast as I can to get it out. So forgive the brief intro, but I’m going to jump straight into it today! But I wish you all books and happiness this week. 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

P.S. I can’t believe I am just now learning about We Bare Bears. I am mad at everyone who kept it from me.

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What first book in a series opens with “It wasn’t a very likely place for disappearances?” (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Ibram X. Kendi’s Anti-Racist Baby board book will now also be a picture book.

Keira Knightley is set to star in a limited series adaptation of The Other Typist by Suzanne Randall for Hulu.

HOLY CATS: Maureen Johnson is expanding on the Truly Devious trilogy with a fourth book!

Here’s the cover reveal of One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite.

Emily Lloyd-Jones announced her middle grade debut.

Dial A for Auntie, Jesse Q. Sutanto’s upcoming “Crazy Rich Asians meets Weekend at Bernie’s” novel, is being adapted by Netflix and Fresh Off the Boat creator Nahnatchka Khan.

The Animorphs series is being adapted for the screen.

Racquel Marie announced her #OwnVoices queer YA debut.

Here’s the cover reveal for Aru Shah and the City of Gold, the fourth book in the Pandava Series by Roshani Chokshi

Ben Stiller will direct Oscar Isaac in London, based on a short story by Jo Nesbo.

Here’s the cover reveal for Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez.

Here’s the trailer for the adaptation of Eleanor Catton’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Luminaries.

Emma Copley Eisenberg, author of The Third Rainbow Girl, announced two new upcoming books.

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!

Excited to read:

Outlawed by Anna North (Bloomsbury Publishing, January 26, 2021)

“The Crucible meets True Grit in this riveting adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers, and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West.” A novel set in my favorite time period that has been blurbed by Jenny Zhang, R.O. Kwon, and Esmé Weijun Wang?!? TAKE ALL MY MONEY NOW.

What I’m reading this week:

A Girl is A Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

The Searcher by Tana French

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones

South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War by Alice L Baumgartner

Pun of the week: 

What did the author say about her novel she finished writing it? “It’s a complete mystery.” (I stole this from a popsicle stick.)

Here’s a cat picture:

A rare appearance by Her Royal Highness.

Happy things:

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

• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.
• Here are livestreams of animals. I particularly enjoy the bat one.
• And more cute animal pictures.
• Music Catch, one of my favorite desktop games. I also still play Lemonade Stand occasionally.
• Disney Emoji Blitz!
• We Bare Bears

Trivia answer: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

You made it to the bottom! Thanks for reading! And tune in Thursday for a review of the amazing book I just read this weekend. (I need a little more time to gather my thoughts!) – xo, L

Happy Thursday! I have been SO EXCITED to tell you about a book I read over the weekend. I have been talking about it pretty much nonstop to my friends and my cats (same difference) since I read it. You can learn about it for yourself below! I’ve also got a little bit of book news for you, and a cat picture, of course.

It’s about to get really hot here in Maine for the next couple weeks, so I am looking forward to time inside in my hammock in the air conditioning. I highly recommend getting an indoor hammock, if you can swing it. (Ba-dum-dum.)

Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you virtual 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

Trivia question time! What was Agatha Christie’s pen name, which she used to write several non-mystery novels? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Oprah’s newest book club pick, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, is being developed for television.

Hulu is also making a series based on the upcoming book Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park by Andy Mulvihill and Jake Rossen.

Congratulations to Rioter – and All the Books! co-host – Tirzah Price on her first book! Book Riot has the exclusive cover reveal.

Michael Keaton will star in Hulu’s limited series adaptation of Beth Macy’s Dopesick.

Constance Wu and Sam Heughan are joining Freida Pinto, Sope Dirisu and Oliver Jackson-Cohen in Mr Malcolm’s List.

Colson Whitehead teased an upcoming book for 2021.

You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie will be adapted for television.

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 Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper (Grand Central Publishing, November 10)

In 2009, while a student at Harvard, Cooper heard a story: Forty years ago, an archaeology student had an affair with her professor and when she threatened to tell his wife, he killed her and then the school covered it up. Cooper couldn’t believe that this could be true, or that if it was true, she couldn’t believe the professor in question was still teaching at Harvard. But there he was, waltzing around campus in a cape, like a villain. So Cooper decided to find out about the murder for herself, engaging in what became a decade-long search for answers.

And what she found was that yes, some of that story was true: In 1969, Jane Britton was murdered in her apartment and the case was never solved. But it wasn’t that there was a lack of suspects. In fact, there were almost too many suspects. In the course of her research, Cooper found several people with ties to Jane’s life who had mysterious deaths or suspicious disappearances in their lives both before and after her death. On top of that, she reveals decades of misogyny in academia and the Harvard archaeology department, as well as cover ups, poor property management, government stonewalling, more cold cases, and eventually, the solution to Jane’s murder. Cooper also takes a hard look at her own life and how she relates to Jane and her obsessive interest in the case.

This is the best true crime book I have read where the identity of the killer is known, but not revealed until the end of the book. At the end of the first present-day chapter, Cooper says, “Decades passed, and her case remained unsolved. Unsolved, that is, until yesterday.” And I was like, “OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.” I flew through this so fast to find out who it was, and the reveal is like WHOA. Honestly, the whole book is like WHOA. But this is not a book about Jane’s killer, it’s a book about Jane Britton and injustice. How were there this many sketchy people involved in this case? This book is absolutely bananapants, and sad, and sensitively researched. I cannot stop talking about it, and soon, everyone will be talking about it when it comes out. Write it down now!

What I’m reading this week.

The Searcher by Tana French

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones

South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War by Alice L Baumgartner

The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America’s Wildlands by Jon Billman

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

Song stuck in my head:

Alone by Heart (This is entirely the fault of Bob’s Burgers.)

And this is funny:

I don’t think I would be mistaken if I said almost everything I find funny involves cute animals.

Happy things:

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

• Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.
• Here are livestreams of animals. I particularly enjoy the bat one.
• And more cute animal pictures.
• Music Catch, one of my favorite desktop games. I also still play Lemonade Stand occasionally.
• Disney Emoji Blitz!

And here’s a cat picture!

Is Zevon sleeping or melted?

Trivia answer: Mary Westmacott.

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