Author: Liberty Hardy

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 30, 2020

Sponsored by Carina Press and American Sweethearts by Adriana Herrera.

Don’t miss the latest book in the Dreamers series by award-winning author Adriana Herrera! “A fresh and vital new voice in romance.” —Entertainment Weekly. “Inclusive, optimistic, and scorching, this romance sends the series out on a high note.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review. “Adriana Herrera is writing some of my favorite Afro-Latinx characters and giving us beautiful love stories along the way.” —Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award Winner for The Poet X

Happy Tuesday, readers. It’s time for more new books! At the top of my list of today’s titles that I want to read are Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight and The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag.

If this quarantine was ten years ago, I would be dipping into my backlist stacks. But because I get PDFs of advance reading copies that I can read on my laptop, I am still keeping up with new books, and my backlist continues to sit and glare at me. Poor backlist.

You can hear about some of the amazing new books coming out that I did get to read on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Patricia and I discussed Days of Distraction, Hurricane Season, We Want Our Bodies Back, and more!

As always, I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. Here’s where you can learn more about COVID-19 Updates from the Bookish World. We’ll continue to update it regularly. Please stay inside as much as you can, but don’t forget that fresh air is good for you, so be sure to open your windows now and then. (And be sure to watch your pets and small children around them when they’re open.)

And please reach out to your friends and family if you’re having a hard time – talking on the computer or phone is a great way to communicate right now! I wish you all wonderful reading during this hard time.

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

Godshot: A Novel by Chelsea Bieker

This is a remarkable debut novel about mothers and daughters, and the damaged world, both within and around us. The world in this novel is now an environmental disaster, because of a water shortage. Fourteen-year-old Lacey lives with her alcoholic mother. Their town has become dependent on a cult leader for guidance in these hard times. When Lacey’s mother is exiled from the community, she runs away. Lacey moves in with her grandmother, but when the cult’s grasp becomes stronger, she flees in search of her mother. This is gritty brilliance, a coming-of-age novel set in uncertain times. This will not be the last time you hear me mention this book.

Backlist bump: Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman

Artforum by César Aira, Katherine Silver (translator)

This is a quirky little novel about an unnamed narrator who is passionate about Art…forum, the magazine about art. The chapters are vignettes about his attempts to get a subscription, find more copies, his hunt through magazine shops and used bookstores, and more. I will admit that I have read a few of Aira’s books now, and I am not entirely sure that I understand the actual point they are making. I think it largely goes over my head, but I enjoy them anyway. Or maybe I’m overthinking them.

Backlist bump: The Musical Brain: And Other Stories by César Aira

Valentine: A Novel by Elizabeth Wetmore

Remember last week when I told you that you might want to skip certain books if you’re not in the mood for dark subject matter? This is another one of those books. It’s set in a small town in Texas in the 1970s, and is about the violence towards women that accompanies the prosperity that follows an oil boom. It’s told from multiple points of views, and is a novel of the strength and resilience of the women in this town. It is brutal, but also beautifully written, and it addresses important subjects, like the perceived societal worth of the lives of women and people of color compared to white men.

Backlist bump: Desperation Road by Michael Farris Smith

Thanks for subscribing! xx, Liberty

Book Radar

THE DARK DESCENT OF FRANKENSTEIN is Coming to Television and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 27, 2020

A New Tana French Novel and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 25, 2020

Sponsored by our $50 Barnes and Noble giveaway! Enter here!

We’re giving away a $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble to one lucky reader. Enter here (and don’t forget to send us pics of your book stack if you win!).

Happy Thursday, readers. How is everyone doing out there in Week 2 of self-quarantine? I found it hard to concentrate on books the first week, but this week, I am reading them faster than ever. Which makes a nice break from reality. Books have gotten me through hard times before, and they’ll save me again this time, that’s for sure.

Today I have a little bit of book news for you, and a few links to some things that might make you smile during this time. Also, here’s where you can learn more about COVID-19 Updates from the Bookish World. We’ll continue to update it regularly.

Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you virtual hugs. I hope you are safe, and please remember to be kind to yourself and others. Thanks for subscribing, and I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! Who was the first American author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Valeria Luiselli has won the Rathbones Folio Prize.

Cheryl Strayed will be doing a special Dear Sugar appearance on Friday.

There’s a new Tana French coming in October!

Watch as our very own Jenn Northington interviews N.K. Jemisin on Saturday.

Here’s the first trailer for Defending Jacob with Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery.

Book Riot Recommends

Excited to read:

Earthlings: A Novel by Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori (translator) (Grove Press, November 10)

I was a big fan of Murata’s last novel, Convenience Store Woman. And it had a delightful cover. But this cover tops it – look at that cute little hedgehog! I just want to squish its face. Here’s the beginning of the description: “As a child, Natsuki doesn’t fit into her family. Her parents favor her sister, and her best friend is a plush toy hedgehog named Piyyut who has explained to her that he has come from the planet Popinpobopia on a special quest to help her save the Earth.” I’M SOLD. All your awkward, lonely childhood books are belong to me.

What I’m reading this week.

Sex and Vanity: A Novel by Kevin Kwan

Malorie: A Bird Box Novel by Josh Malerman

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab

The Shadows by Alex North

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

And this is funny.

My cats would murder me in my sleep if I tried this.

Song stuck in my head:

Waking Up the Giants by Grizfolk

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.
And more cute animal pictures.
Music Catch, one of my favorite desktop games. I also still play Lemonade Stand occasionally.

Trivia answer: Sinclair Lewis.

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

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 23, 2020

Sponsored by Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry, new from Algonquin Young Readers.

The Torres sisters dream of escape. Escape from their needy father and their San Antonio neighborhood. After her senior year of high school, Ana, the oldest sister, falls to her death from her bedroom window. A year later, her three sisters are still consumed by grief and haunted by Ana’s memory. But then strange things start happening around the house. The sisters begin to wonder if Ana is trying to send them a message—and what exactly she’s trying to say. Samantha Mabry weaves an aching, magical novel that is part family drama, part ghost story, and part love story.

Happy Tuesday, readers. It’s time for more new books! At the top of my list of today’s long list of titles that I want to read are Brown Girl Ghosted by Mintie Das, Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America’s Youngest Sommelier by Victoria James, and The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin.

You can also hear about some of the amazing new books coming out that I did get to read on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Patricia and I discussed The Return, The Empress of Salt and Fortune, The Glass Hotel, and more!

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

Constellations: Reflections From Life by Sinéad Gleeson

If you are looking for light books to read, this might be a little heavy for you right now. But If not, or if it’s something you might want to read later, I cannot recommend it enough. These are gorgeous essays about what it means to inhabit a body. Using examples from her own life, Gleeson talks about the things a body does for us and to us, both good and bad. Gleeson’s writing is absolutely – wait for it – stellar.

Backlist bump: Notes to Self: Essays by Emilie Pine

Umma’s Table by Yeon-sik Hong and Janet Hong

Okay, this one is a little heavy too. But in case you missed my recommendation on All the Books! last week, I want to reiterate it here. This is a wonderful graphic novel about an artist in South Korea who is caring for his sick mother while his father struggles with alcoholism. Madang is trying to learn his mother’s recipes and cook them with her one last time as a family before she is gone.

Backlist bump: The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

Science Comics: Crows: Genius Birds by Kyla Vanderklugt

Finally, something light! I love this series and I love crows, so this is two great tastes that taste great together. These are written for middle grade readers, but they’re so full of information that they’re great for anyone. I particularly like the ones on bats, cats, and plagues (sorry). Back to crows: In case you hadn’t heard, crows are super smart! They make their own tools, can communicate with humans, and you better be nice to them, because they never forget a face (just like my mother-in-law.)

Backlist bump: Science Comics: Cats: Nature and Nurture by Andy Hirsch

See you next week! Thanks for reading. xx, Liberty

Book Radar

The First Look at V.E. Schwab’s Next Book and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 23, 2020

Sponsored by The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, new from Algonquin Books.

Deeply personal and stunningly moving, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s #ownvoices novel, The Mountains Sing, has become one of this year’s most anticipated books with Book Riot, the New York Times, Washington Post, Amazon, and many more picking it as a must-read. Set against the backdrop of the Việt Nam War, this multigenerational story is vivid, gripping, and steeped in the language and traditions of Việt Nam. The Mountains Sing brings to life the human costs of this conflict from the point of view of the Vietnamese people themselves, while showing us the true power of kindness and hope.

Happy Monday, readers. It’s Week 2 of self-quarantine. It’s a scary time, and it isn’t easy, but I have seen so many wonderful posts on social media that let me know we’re going to be okay. You’re all so creative, and it seems like a lot of you are getting more reading done. I was having trouble concentrating at first, but now I am sopping up books with my brain-bread like whoa.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot going on in the book world as far as news right now, but here’s where you can learn more about COVID-19 Updates from the Bookish World. We’ll continue to update it regularly.

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What juvenile edition of this 1961 best seller was called The Great Adventure of Michelangelo? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals!

Gabby Rivera’s debut novel Juliet Takes a Breath is being adapted into a graphic novel.

The Warmth of Other Suns author Isabel Wilkerson’s new book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, will be out in August.

A library in Pennsylvania created a digital Hogwarts escape room.

Frankie Shaw will direct the adaptation of T Kira Madden’s Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls.

Here’s the cover reveal of The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab.

And here’s the cover reveal for Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know by Samira Ahmed.

Book Riot Recommends

Excited to read:

The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire by Chloe Hooper (Seven Stories Press, June 2)

Written prior to the devastating fires of 2019, this true crime recounts fires in Australia in 2009. This is the story of the hunt for the man who started the fires. It has been out in Australia for a couple years, and I know a few people who have read it and say it’s remarkable and riveting. I am so ready to read it when it comes out in the US later this year!

What I’m reading this week:

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones

The Shadows by Alex North

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope by Shayla Lawson

Bones: Inside and Out by Roy A. Meals

Pun of the week:

I just found out I’m colorblind. The diagnosis came completely out of the purple. (It’s more like a bad joke this week.)

Here’s a cat picture:

Millay is in self-quarantine.

And this is funny.

Give this woman a Pulitzer.

Trivia answer: The Agony and the Ecstasy.

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

Book Radar

A New Book from Tochi Oneybuchi and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 19, 2020

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 16, 2020

The Cast of the GOSSIP GIRL Reboot and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 16, 2020

Sponsored by Carina Press and No Questions Asked by Julie Moffett.

Julie Moffett’s beloved Lexi Carmichael mystery series returns! One last fling (with danger) before the ring? Before they can say I do, Lexi and Slash are flying off to the Brazilian rain forest. Their mission: stop hackers from stealing a vaccine that could save millions of lives. She thought it’d be easy, but from the moment they step off the plane, Lexi’s up to her neck in trouble. Lexi will have to use all her geek skills to stop the bad guys if she’s going to make it home in time to tie the knot.

Hello, readers. It is a stressful time, I know, but I hope everything is going as well as it can for you out there. It’s okay to be a little freaked out about it, because we’re all a little freaked out, so remember that you’re not alone.

Whether you’re reading a book or watching a movie or learning a new language, I hope you’re well. Please enjoy the rest of your week as best you can, and remember to stay inside and wash your hands. We’re going to be okay. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What author believed he could improve his writing if he slept facing north? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals!

Everything Inside: Stories by Edwidge Danticat won the National Book Critics Circle award for fiction.

Here’s the cast of the HBO Max reboot of Gossip Girl.

And here’s the new cast of The Baby-Sitter’s Club.

Here’s the shortlist for The Kitschies.

Here’s the cover reveal for The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson.

Leslie Marmon Silko won a $100,000 arts academy prize.

The Library of America will publish the works of Octavia Butler.

Here’s the trailer for True History of the Kelley Gang, based on the novel by Peter Carey.

Book Riot Recommends

Excited to read:

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur Avon, November 10)

This is an #ownvoices queer rom-com about a social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an actuary until New Year’s Eve. I love a fake romance! To stop her well-meaning brother from setting her up on another blind date, Darcy asks her brother’s business partner, Elle, to pretend that they have hit it off. Elle says she agrees, if Darcy agrees to come with her to her family’s house for the holidays. You can guess what happens next..

What I’m reading this week:

This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope by Shayla Lawson

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Bones: Inside and Out by Roy A. Meals

American Animals: A True Crime Memoir by Eric Borsuk

Mayhem by Estelle Laure

Pun of the week:

I couldn’t work out how to fasten my seatbelt. Then it clicked.

Here’s a cat picture:

What to choose, what to choose.

And this is funny.

Bad reviews of national parks.

Trivia answer: Charles Dickens.

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

Book Radar

Riz Ahmed Will Star in EXIT WEST and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 11, 2020

Sponsored by Amazon Publishing and Dean Koontz’s upcoming title Devoted.

From Dean Koontz, the bestselling author and master of suspense, comes a new thriller about a terrifying threat to humanity and the singular compassion it will take to defeat it. Woody Bookman hasn’t spoken a word in his eleven years of life. He believes a monstrous evil was behind his father’s death and now threatens him and his mother. He’s not alone in his thoughts, Kipp is a uniquely gifted dog who communicates like Woody does, without speaking. A special boy, an amazing dog, a desperate mother, and a man who is becoming an inhuman terror, pre-order Devoted today.

Welcome to another Thursday, readers! I am excited to share some book-related news with you, as usual. There are so many movie and television adaptations happening, it’s amazing. I am one of those people who likes to read the book first, so I can compare it to its adaptation. My most recent adaptation watch was The Witcher. Looking forward to seeing Tormund in the second season!

Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, please remember to be kind to yourself and others. Thanks for subscribing, and I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! What Spanish author wrote more than 5000 novels? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Here are the 2020 Lambda Literary Awards Finalists!

Tiffany D. Jackson announced a horror novel.

Riz Ahmed will star in and produce Netflix’s adaptation of Exit West by Mohsin Hamid.

AMC is making Pantheon, an animated series based on Ken Liu’s short fiction.

There’s a new tabletop game based on Dune coming soon.

Lucy Alibar will pen the film adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

Book Riot Recommends

Excited to read:

Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park by Andy Mulvihill and Jake Rossen

Despite the fact that I literally grew up across the street from an amusement park (and we heard lions roaring every morning at 5am, which is weird when you’re in Maine), I detest going to parks and am terrified of rides. But I will read the hell out of a book about other people doing it! This is about a park in New Jersey in the 1980s that had the nicknames “Accident Park,” “Class Action Park,” and “Traction Park.” I can feel my heart rate elevating just thinking about reading this book. BRING IT.

What I’m reading this week.

American Animals: A True Crime Memoir by Eric Borsuk

Mayhem: A Novel by Estelle Laure

The Last Thing You Surrender: A Novel of World War II by Leonard Pitts Jr.

Not a Gentleman’s Work: The Untold Story of a Gruesome Murder at Sea and the Long Road to Truth by Gerard Koeppel

The Silence of the White City by Eva García Sáenz

And this is funny.

I can identify.

Song stuck in my head:

“Everyone Knows Juanita” by Gael García Bernal

Trivia answer: Corín Tellado.

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

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date March 9, 2020

Sponsored by Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen by Helen Mullane, Dom Reardon, and Matthew Dow Smith.

Nicnevin “Nissy” Oswald is stuck in the English countryside for the summer with only her mother and brother for company. As she busies herself with old family relics and thoughts of the handsome neighbor, Reggie, the humdrum town she’s been banished to gets rocked by a slew of grisly murders. Before long, a series of seemingly disparate yet increasingly disturbing incidents brew into a storm, and Nissy is in its eye.

Welcome to another Tuesday, readers! Who else is cranky that they lost an hour of reading this weekend? Not forgetting that we got a whole extra day this year. I just want as much reading time as possible, 24-7.

At the top of my list of today’s long list of titles that I want to pick up are So We Can Glow: Stories by Leesa Cross-Smith and Lost Boy Found by Kirsten Alexander (simply because I am fascinated by the real case that it is based on.) And for all you Wolf Hall fans, the third book in the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, is finally out TODAY.

You can also hear about some of the amazing new books coming out that I did get to read on this week’s episode of the All the Books! It’s our 250th episode! Vanessa and I discussed New Waves, Good Citizens Need Not Fear, The Animals at Lockwood Manor, and more!

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

Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Teen Harley Milano has wanted to be a trapeze artist her entire life.Her parent, who own a famous circus in Las Vegas, have insisted she stay on the ground and put her energy into school. When Harley defies her parents and joins a rival circus, she will learn just how hard she must work to achieve her dreams, while trying to figure out how to heal the rift with her family after her betrayal. Can she have everything she wanted?

Backlist bump: Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Most Likely by Sarah Watson

Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha have been BFFS since kindergarten. In the future, one of them will be the first woman president of the United States. But for now, they’re seniors in high school getting ready to leave home – and each other – and go to college. Readers follow along as they make tough choices and say hard goodbyes, and then get to find out in the end which one of the four friends will be Madam President.

Backlist bump: This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow

Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America by Gerald Posner

I did not get a chance to read this one yet, but it’s at the top of my TBR. I am in favor of all the books that expose the greed and corruption of a few that has affected millions. This is an expose on the pharmaceutical industry, and how it went from a source of help for patients to a trillion dollar a year industry that lined corrupt pockets and caused opiate addiction in the United States to skyrocket. There isn’t a person alive whose life hasn’t been touched by this crisis somehow, so it’s good to get as much information out there about it as possible.

Backlist bump: Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy

You made it to the bottom! Thanks for reading.

xx,

Liberty