Author: Liberty Hardy

It’s finally here! This is the first in a companion series to the amazing Shades of Magic trilogy. Set in the same world as those books, this is a new story about a new Antari, or person who can walk between the magic worlds of Red, Grey, and White London. The heads of the magic worlds must struggle to hold on to their power amidst growing rebellion. Meanwhile, a device that could disrupt the fate of all the worlds falls into the hands of a magical girl. Schwab has once again crafted an enchanting fantasy for adults full of magic and danger. I’m already hungry for the next book in this story! Related: You don’t have to have to have read the original trilogy to follow along with this book, but I recommend reading it anyway because they’re awesome.

Backlist bump: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

This is a heart-wrenching story, expanded from a 2020 New York Times article by the author. When Miriam Rodríguez’s daughter Karen was kidnapped by a dangerous cartel in San Fernando, Mexico, she asked the authorities for help. When they failed to locate her daughter or even take much of an interest in her case, Rodríguez paid ransom money to the people claiming to have her daughter. When that also failed to get Karen back, Rodríguez decided to take the cartel on herself. Armed with disguises and fake identification, she systematically tracked down and orchestrated the arrest of members of the cartel. Ahmed has painted the portrait of a mother with nothing left to lose, who has taken justice into her own hands, and who now works to help other families in her situation. He also details how the cartels have risen to power in the country over the years. It’s an incredible, moving story.

Backlist bump: Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice by Cristina Rivera Garza (This isn’t technically backlist yet, but it’s excellent and relevant and was just longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction.)

And last but not least, this fun fantasy novella is about a world where some animals have gained the ability to speak and who are as much a part of society as humans. Not all the animals in the world have the ability to communicate, and Quintus Shu’al, the narrator, is the world’s only navigating fox. At the start of the book, he’s in disgrace, having led an expedition that ended in the death of everyone but him. Now, attending a meeting where it’s being discussed if he should be thrown out, it is instead decided he will lead a new expedition of humans and animals. It is a chance for Quintus to redeem himself in the eyes of his peers. It’s also a trip to the literal gates of Hell. What could go wrong? This has been called a Redwall read-alike for adults, which I can neither confirm nor deny as I have never read the Redwall books. (Do you think I should read them?)

Backlist bump: Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams

This week, I am reading Hum by Helen Phillips. I yelped so loud when I received it because I love her books. I’m also making my way through Miss Macintosh, My Darling by Marguerite Young, which is 1200 pages long. In non-book things, the new season of Switch started last week, which made me happy. It’s one of my favorite new trivia game shows! The song stuck in my head this week is “My Only Worry” by Arthur Sharpe, which is from the show Flowers, one of the most original and emotionally devastating shows I’ve seen. (Olivia Colman should be in everything, all the time.) And here is your weekly cat picture: Millay doesn’t have to worry about sun damage, because she’s already a faded calico, lol. Our nickname for Millay is ‘Mimi’ so when she does this, we call her Mimi Sunbeamy.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty

I mentioned on this week’s show that I was looking forward to reading this collection, and hooray! I was able to squeeze it in this weekend, and it’s great. These are stories steeped in Indigenous cultures and beliefs, and are scary and unsettling and sometimes outright horrifying. A young man hooks up with a guy who has a collection of what he says are animal teeth; a teenager brings a vengeful spirit about by mentioning it; two children deal with their abusive foster mother in a supernatural way; a young man is bit by a tick after his father dies. (This one is SUPER gross.) Plus, many more! These stories are wildly imaginative, frightening, and fun. (They are horror stories, so be prepared to encounter most content warnings at some point, including the abuse and sexual assault of children and adults, racism, violence, injury, gore, murder, and the death of humans and animals.)

Backlist bump: Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

This one made my stomach drop and feel like it kept dropping until I got to the end! I could only read it during daylight hours. It’s an incredibly well-written and disturbing story about a young woman who survives a horrific crime at a sorority house in the 1970s. Pamela is the president of the sorority and the only one who saw the killer. As the news media and the police distort and mistake the truth, she now faces a world where she will never feel safe again. And then she is contacted by a woman who thinks the killer has struck again. Knoll does an amazing job teasing out details and the story, both in the 1970s and the present day. It is a gut-punch novel about the misogyny and victim blaming that permeates these kinds of crimes, and a dissection of our fascination with true crime stories. (This one also comes with all the content warnings, including violence, gore, and graphic depictions of sexual assault and murder on the page, so take care when you read it.)

Backlist bump: Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

And last but not least, this delightful, thoughtful graphic novel written by former Rioter Minh Lê! Binh and his sisters are being taken on a vacation to a silent meditation retreat, and he is not looking forward to it. He’s had a rough week after fighting back against racist bullies and getting in trouble with the vice principal. At the retreat, Binh first finds it hard to be silent and keep his brain from having a million loud thoughts at once. But soon, Binh hears stories of the Buddha and thinks that maybe he can apply what he learns to his everyday life, especially when he approaches the teachings like a video game. This is a charming story, layered with lots of humor, and featuring wonderful drawings from the illustrator of one of the new Baby-sitter’s Club graphic novels.

Backlist bump: Lift by Minh Lê and Dan Santat

This week, I am reading The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis and Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang. In non-book things, I started rewatching Will & Grace. I had watched the first eight seasons when it was on originally, but I haven’t seen the reboot. The song stuck in my head this week is “Anyway You Want It” by Journey (courtesy of a trivia game show question.) And here is your weekly cat picture: As many of you heard, that was Zevon yelling his head off in the background of last week’s episode of All the Books! He just wanted to say hello.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty

You would think that the ability to see monsters and travel to other worlds would be cool. But for River Rydell, it makes it difficult to have these abilities when no one else believes monsters are real. So they just pretend like monsters don’t exist too. But when River’s friend is kidnapped and spirited away to another realm — the Otherwoods — they will have to face their fears and follow after the monsters to get Avery back. This excellent novel about believing in yourself is also a great spooky supernatural read just in time for scary book season!

Backlist bump: Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans (Not actually backlist, but worthy of another mention.)

Well, the title really tells you everything you need to know about the book. But I will wave my arms a little bit more! (Or should I say flap my arms?) Like many people, I became fascinated with bird watching during the beginning of the pandemic, and now love reading about them. Moss examines ten of the most famous (and infamous) birds that have impacted the planet from all around the world, including the bald eagle, which is no longer in danger of going extinct (for now), and the dodo, which we couldn’t save. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a fan of birds, you’ll be surprised by how much you’ll learn.

Backlist bump: The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by Matt Kracht

And last but not least: This is a gorgeous, slim memoir of a friendship, and it won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Memoir or Autobiography! Hsu lets readers in on his teenage years; how he didn’t feel like he fit in as the son of Taiwanese immigrants. And then he met Ken, another young Asian American, who was Hsu’s complete opposite, and who seemed to love everything Hsu didn’t. And yet, they became great friends, until Ken’s tragic murder a few years later. This is a love letter to friendship and a gorgeous example of the power of memoir.

Backlist bump: Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

This week, I am reading The Book of Love by Kelly Link and Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. In non-book things, I just finished rewatching Parks and Rec again, and am now trying to decide if I should start rewatching Will & Grace or New Girl. (I seem to only have patience lately for shows I am familiar with.) The song stuck in my head this week is “Sleeping with the Television On” by Billy Joel. And here is your weekly cat picture: That’s Zevon stretching upside down on the couch.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty

This week: I’m currently reading In Ascension by Martin MacInnes and Moggies In Space edited by Rita Beeman and CV Walker. Outside of books, I have been watching a lot of Spongebob Squarepants. (Team Gary!) The song stuck in my head right now is “Devil Inside” by INXS. And here’s a cat photo: I love capturing the cats when they’re yawning because it always looks like they’re yelling/laughing/singing. Also, Zevon’s casual lean, pictured here, cracks me up.

This is a stunning debut collection of stories set in Hawai’i. The Hawaiian and Japanese women in these stories are haunted by tradition and expectations. In these stories, a writer’s work comes to life; a young girl with a new stepfamily is frightened by her changing body as well as superstition; an elderly women thinks her dead lover is in a flower; and more. These are raw, sometimes alarming and grotesque, but moving tales of women and the space they occupy. They’re perfect for fans of Carmen Maria Machado and Kali Fajardo-Anstine. There are a lot of content warnings, too, including colonization, fatphobia, body shaming, body horror, loss of a loved one, sexism, and sexual assault.

Backlist bump: Never Have I Ever: Stories by Isabel Yap

And this is another debut, a cute romcom about unlikely roommates. Cassie is all about suffering for her art, but when she faces eviction, she knows she has to make changes. That’s when she finds the steal of a lifetime—a room for cheap in an amazing apartment. Cassie accepts it, even though it seems too good to be true. And it is: her handsome, charming roommate Frederick sleeps all day and keeps blood in the fridge. What is Cassie willing to put up with to keep her dreams alive, and can she resist Frederick, even when she learns he has fangs? This is silly and sweet, perfect for when you need a light bite.

Backlist bump: Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

Over the last couple years, I have read many books from Marshall and enjoyed them all so much! She has scary YA stories, thrilling thrillers for adults, and fantastic middle grade tales. Like this one, for instance! It’s about a young girl named Charlie, whose family all has something special about them…except, Charlie thinks, for her. While her parents are off on vacation, Charlie has to babysit her younger siblings, who are a ghost, a werewolf, and a boy with telekinesis. And when Charlie gets bad vibes from the new neighbors, she’s going to prove to her parents she has a special talent by figuring out The Weavers’ deal, even if it means putting them all in danger. It’s Stranger Things meets Encanto in this spooky story about believing in yourself and being special.

Backlist bump: Thirteens (The Secrets of Eden Eld Book 1) by Kate Alice Marshall

This week, I am reading Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere by Maria Bamford and The Goth House Experiment by SJ Sindu. In non-book things, as I mentioned above, I have been going through episodes of The Monkees. I freaking love The Monkees. My mom let me stay home from school the Monday after the Monkees marathon on MTV in 1986, because I stayed awake for the whole thing. It remains one of my favorite childhood memories. Peter was my favorite Monkee when I was little, but as an adult, it’s Mike. And to that end, the song stuck in my head this week is “No Time” by The Monkees. And here is your weekly cat picture: Zevon is watching the traffic go by our front yard.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty

It seems hard to believe that the Jackaby series started ten years ago, or that it has been over for six years. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. The story of an unusual paranormal investigator Jackaby and his assistant Abigail Rook in late 19th-century New England, the quartet is a fun and frightening time! There are creatures, and villains, and a duck pond in the room of Jackaby’s home for one of his old partners (who is now a duck.) And now we have a standalone with Abigail! I don’t want to say too much about this one, because if you haven’t read the first books, some of this plot is a spoiler. So I’ll just say that this time, it’s Abigail and her fiancé who are investigating the supernatural occurrences in New Fiddleham, New England. And if they can’t figure out why some of the local supernatural citizens are starting to disappear, there will soon be a battle in the town that will destroy everything. And to make matters worse, Abigail’s parents are visiting from England and are trying to force her to come back home. Can she keep the career she loves, the man she loves, and stop a supernatural war?

Backlist bump: Jackaby by William Ritter

The introduction of DNA test results available to anyone who wants to take them has changed a lot of lives. I have been fascinated these last several years by stories of people who discover things they never knew about their families. People who work in these fields often say to make sure you really want to know the answers before you take these tests. But you never imagine you’ll be the one to learn something that will change your life. Kyo Maclear’s memoir is one such story of a shocking discovery. A few months after the death of her father, Maclear learned through a DNA test that her father, the man who raised her, was not actually her biological father. This led her on a search for answers and had her, well, yes, unearthing the truth. It’s a story of family and grief, and complicated family secrets. And a reminder that blood relation doesn’t dictate the only definition of family.

Backlist bump: Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

And last but not least, I wanted to be sure to mention this book, because it is a subject near and dear to my heart: recommending books! Author, bookseller, and bookstore co-owner Josh Cook talks about how so much of the book industry has changed over the last several years. But getting a recommendation for a book you read and love, and having had a bookseller put that book in your hands, is still one of the great joys of being a reader. He also discusses what it is like to be a reader and recommender in the midst of such staggering book-banning attempts and widespread hate in the country. And there are also lots of great book recommendations, too. Yay, books! (Full disclosure: Josh is a friend of mine.)

Backlist bump: Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount

This week, I am reading Last Acts by Alexander Sammartino and What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama and Alison Watts (translator). In non-book things, I had a very Charles Grodin weekend. I had a lot of busy work to do on my computer, so I put movies on to play in the background. I watched Midnight Run (twice), The Great Muppet Caper, and Clifford (which I haven’t seen since high school and, it turns out, is still one of the worst movies ever). The song stuck in my head this week is “Roll To Me” by Del Amitri (and now it’s stuck in yours, mwahahah!). And here is your weekly cat picture: It’s mew for the price of one! Farrokh (l) and Zevon got on top of the fridge to observe us as we made dinner.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty

This is the 2023 Booker-longlisted story of the Barnes family, a once prominent and wealthy family whose luck all seems to be changing. The father might be responsible for their failing car dealerships which is causing financial hardship for the whole town; the smart and responsible daughter is suddenly a party girl in danger of failing her college exams; the son is being terrorized by a bully; and the mother, who came from poverty and abuse, is furious and lashing out about the possibility of losing everything. It’s a darkly funny and devastating look at ripple effects, small moments that change everything, and the failures of others, and a sad, beautiful search for where it all stops. It’s heart-achingly fantastic. A couple of notes: There are sections in the book written without any punctuation marks — that’s intentional. And there are a lot of content warnings in this one, including murder, suicide, body shaming, racism, antisemitism, emotional abuse, physical abuse, child harm and death, sexism, sexual assault, infertility, substance abuse, homophobia and homophobic language, stalking, ableist slurs, animal killing, and loss of a loved one.

Backlist bump: Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

And from the author of the delightful Pie in the Sky comes another great middle grade graphic novel inspired by Chinese mythology. But this time, it’s a sometimes-scary book about friendship! July Chen has lived her whole life ignoring the ghosts she sees. After all, her father says they’re not real, so maybe she’s imagining them? But when the doors to the underworld let out all kinds of spirits for Hungry Ghost month, July meets a young boy ghost named William and they become friends. William needs help getting his soul back to his body, but helping him means July is putting her own soul at risk, as the scary spirits close in on them. It’s a cute and spooky story of a brave young girl and her quest to make the best use of her rare talent.

Backlist bump: Sheets by Brenna Thummler

And last but not least, I wanted to shout out this book because I have been very excited to read it! I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I have been following Jennifer Baker on social media for many years, and she has been a really important name in the publishing world, so I am excited to read her first novel! Forgive Me Not is the story of a broken juvenile justice system, in which a young woman who has made a tragic mistake must now make an impossible decision. When 15-year-old Violetta gets behind the wheel of a car while drunk, she ends up killing her sister. Now she awaits her fate in a detention center. Will she spend her next several years behind locked doors as punishment, or can she convince her family to find it in their hearts to forgive her, which would lessen her sentence? This sounds incredibly powerful and sad, and I am going to pick it up today!

Backlist bump: Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

This week, I am reading Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business by Roxane Gay and Swim Home to the Vanished by Brendan Shay Basham. In non-book things, I finished rewatching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and now my husband and I have finally started watching The Bear. The song stuck in my head this week is “Dizz Knee Land” by Dada. And here is your weekly cat picture: Can you believe this ridiculous cat?? This is Farrokh, AKA Freddie Purrcury, fast asleep with his face planted on the half wall in our kitchen. Related: He has the biggest feet of any cat I’ve met and he isn’t even double-pawed!

Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty

When a skeleton is found at the bottom of a well during construction work in 1972, it brings up old secrets being kept by the residents of Chicken Hill. In an African American and Jewish neighborhood, the people of Chicken Hill have been helping each other out for decades, working to combat the racism and antisemitism they experience. This is at times a sad and brutal novel of the realities of hatred and racism and the effects they have on Chicken Hill, but it’s also a story of humanity, grace, and neighbors, and the eponymous establishment. McBride is a master of historical fiction, and he has done it again. (CW includes ableism, racism and racist language, antisemitism, xenophobia, and sexual assault.)

Backlist bump: Deacon King Kong by James McBride

It’s the 30th anniversary of the last episode of the kids’ TV show Mister Magic, which ran for decades. The thing is, no footage of the show remains. There are no script writers, no station workers, no directors, no one who worked on the show can be located, and no one really remembers it except for the five cast members, now grown. The internet speculates about it, they have vague memories, but no one can quite describe it. Then the five are invited to do a podcast to celebrate the anniversary. They gather once again at the old show lot in the desert of Utah. One of them cannot remember anything from their childhood, and at least one has ulterior motives. And they’re all in trouble. This is a creepy, fun horror story about children’s television, the Mandela Effect, and childhood memories. (And other things, too, but they’re spoilers.) And trust me, whatever you think the answers are going to be, I promise you that they’re weirder.

Backlist bump: Hide by Kiersten White

And last but not least, is this really fun supernatural middle grade adventure! Halle has grand dreams of being a scream queen in horror films when she gets older. And one day, she gets a chance to make her dreams come true: she becomes the babysitter for the twin children of a famous horror director in town. But it turns out that the director gets his inspiration from very real horrors: his home, Price Manor, is full of scary supernatural things. The twins think it’s movie magic, but all three of them will soon learn that monsters are real, and they’re going to have to use their monster movie smarts if they want to survive the summer. This is a great horror novel for young readers who want to get into the genre, and just an all-around fun book for readers of all ages.

Backlist bump: The Keeper by Guadalupe García McCall

This week, I am reading Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash and The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim. In non-book things, I have started rewatching Brooklyn Nine-Nine for the zillionth time while I work on secret things (that I hope I can tell you about soon.) The song stuck in my head this week is “Good to Sea” by Pinback. And here is your weekly cat picture: This is Zevon, sitting in his cat-designated mixing bowl. It doesn’t look like he even fits in there, but I assure you, it’s his favorite place to hang out.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty

This week: I’m currently reading Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele and Greta & Valdin by Rebecca Reilly. Outside of books, I am rewatching Gravity Falls for the bazillionth time. The song stuck in my head right now is “Good To Sea” by Pinback. And here’s a cat photo: Author Marcy Dermansky loves orange cats as much as I do, and she sent me these adorable illustrations of orange kitties, modeled here by Zevon.

This is a collection based on the web cartoon, with new comics. Milk and Mocha are adorable bears who like to snuggle, and nap, and care for each other when they’re feeling down. I look forward to getting a physical copy of this because it comes with stickers! I wanted to open today’s recommendations with this delightful, comforting book of cute bear cartoons because I want to take a moment to say that I see you. I feel like, recently, everywhere I look, and with everyone I talk to, people are struggling like never before. You are not alone, friends, and I love you.

Backlist bump: Cat’s Café by Maxx Tarpley

And now for something completely different: This is a debut novel set in the 1950s about a young man with Hansen’s disease sent to live in a state facility. When Victor is diagnosed with Hansen’s disease, known then as leprosy, he is told he will have to leave his family’s home in NYC and quarantine with other patients at Carville in Louisana (which is a real facility.) It is Victor’s first time away from home, a place he had lived since he immigrated with his father and brother from China years earlier. Hansen’s disease is a painful disease made worse by the treatment of the people who contract it. Very little was known about it in the 1950s, and the patients suffered greatly. This is a coming-of-age novel about a young man in difficult circumstances, fighting for understanding and compassion alongside a cast of characters. This book is moving and heartbreaking, and Victor’s story is all the more powerful when you know that Chin-Tanner’s father was a patient at Carville himself.

Backlist bump: The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett

And last but not least, is this fun graphic novel about belonging. Iris lives in a foster home with other unusual creatures, run by Mr. Halloway, a former paranormal investigator. He brought them all to live here to keep them safe from humans, who consider them monsters. There is a spell on the house to keep humans from getting in and Iris and her housemates from leaving. But one day, while Mr. Halloway is away, the protection spell is inadvertently broken by a young man named Mathias. Iris and the others take the opportunity to leave the home and venture into the human town, where the village Halloween celebration helps them blend in, and even make friends and have fun. But what will happen when the holiday is over? Or when Iris and her friends discover Mathias has been raised to hunt monsters? This is a cute story with an important lesson about fear and understanding. It’s a bit like the monster storyline of Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and should appeal to misfits of all ages.

Backlist bump: Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick

This week, I am reading Bad Foundations by Brian Allen Carr and Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez. In non-book things, I have done some scrape painting, which I mentioned last week, and it really is as fun as it looks! And very relaxing. I am definitely interested in doing it more. (It was something I first saw on this Instagram account.) The song stuck in my head this week is “Pa Pa Power” by Dead Man’s Bones, which I have been loving for years but didn’t know was Ryan Gosling’s band until a couple of months ago. The song is SO catchy. And here is your weekly cat picture: Zevon looks really surprised by how many Nick Harkaway books I own.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week. – XO, Liberty