Author: Liberty Hardy

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

HAPPY TUESDAY! I’m excited about so many of today’s books! I’d love to tell you that I’m just especially excited about today but, honestly, I’m like this all. the. time. I’m a human exclamation point, really.

One of the things I am excited to tell you is that today is the release of The Hand on the Wall, the final book in Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious trilogy! I have read it, so I can assure you that we get all the answers we have been waiting for, like what happened to Alice. In trying to figure it out on my own, I will say that I was right about some things, and wrong about others. She’s good at red herrings!

You can hear about even more new books coming out on this week’s episode of the All the Books! María Cristina and I discussed several upcoming books that we’re excited to read, including Riot Baby, Fight of the Century, The Seep, and more!

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

Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles

I’m a huge fan of Lamar Giles! He has been cranking books out at an astounding rate the last few years, and we are all better for it. This is his first contemporary YA novel, and it is an important one. It’s about the effects of toxic masculinity and society’s messages to young men. It’s about a teen named Del who signs up for the Purity Pledge as a way to get closer to his crush, Kiera. At first, he’s pretending so that he can win her over, but what he learns opens his eyes to the problems with his behavior, and his regard for what Kiara herself wants.

Backlist bump: Odd One Out by Nic Stone

the janesThe Janes: An Alice Vega Novel by Louisa Luna

(CW: murder, human trafficking) Kickass Alice Vega and her partner, Cap, are back! This time, they have to solve the mystery of who killed two young women and dumped their bodies in the outskirts San Diego. With no ID on the victims to go on, Alice and Cap think the clues point to human trafficking, and they’re determined to stop it. While these books have pulse-pounding stories, I like these novels more for the characters than the story. I like Alice’s “stop at nothing” methods, even when it involves breaking the law*, and I think Cap, a retired police officer, is a good compliment to her.

*You should never break the law, but if you’re going to anyway, doing it to stop a human trafficking ring is a great reason.

Backlist bump: Two Girls Down: An Alice Vega Novel by Louisa Luna

A Long Petal of the Sea: A Novel by Isabel Allende

If you are a big Allende fan, you will have to take my review with a grain of salt, because I have read The House of Spirits, her debut, and….this one. So I cannot compare it to any of her others. But as only the second book by Allende that I have read, I quite enjoyed it. And I learned about history, so bonus! It’s about a pregnant young widow who marries her deceased love’s brother in order to survive, after fleeing General Franco and his Fascists during civil war in Spain. They will cautiously traverse unfamiliar lands, and their unfamiliar relationship, as they dream of one day returning to Spain.

Backlist bump: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

P.S. Remember what I told you about watching the House of Spirits adaptation with Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons: Don’t.

You made it to the bottom! Thanks for reading.

xx,

Liberty

Categories
Book Radar

The Trailer for Jerry Spinelli’s STARGIRL and More Book Radar!

It’s Monnnnnnnnnday! I mean, assuming you’re reading this on the day it went out. Or maybe you’re on the other side of the globe, then it’s probably already Tuesday, because you’re in the future. (In which case, could you email me the winning Maine lotto numbers for today? Thanks.)

I have been chugging along this week, reading and writing, but no ‘rithmatic because ew, math. I’m in the middle of watching season four of Bones, which I find kind of silly at this point, but I am still enjoying the forensic parts. Although I have read online that the show gets some of the science and anthropology aspects wrong, which is so confounding to me, because it’s the 21st century so you can easily ask people to help with this stuff. People who know about forensics and anthropology, I mean. Not just anyone on the internet. I wouldn’t be able to identify bones, for instance. I’d be like, “Sure, that’s the funny bone. And the…ham bone. I think this is the bone that was used as a dog biscuit model. And I’m pretty sure that’s Leon Redbone.”

Whatever your area of expertise, I hope you have something wonderful to read. Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What famous character was dressed like an old lady to sneak onboard a yacht to steal an emerald necklace when she made her first appearance in comics? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Here’s the first trailer for Disney’s adaptation of Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl with America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal.

There won’t be a second season of Watchmen at HBO after creator Damon Lindelof drops out.

The Magicians author Lev Grossman will publish his first children’s book in the fall.

Here’s the cover reveal for Girl Giant and the Monkey King by Van Hoang.

The possibility of a third season of Netflix’s Mindhunter is in limbo.

Here’s the first look at Laurie Halse Anderson’s paperback cover for Shout.

Here’s the first trailer for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 3.

The Dark Tower series adaptation is off. But AMC is developing Stephen and Owen King’s Sleeping Beauties.

The Game of Thrones prequel will be here in 2022.

americanahChinonye Chukwu will direct the first two episodes of Americanah.

Here’s the cover reveal for The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters.

DC will publish a comic for Catwoman’s 80th anniversary.

The Postcard Killings, the Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Famke Jansen film based on the James Patterson thriller, will be released in March.

And here’s the first look at the cover reveal for My Life in the Fish Tank by Barbara Dee.

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:

three keysThree Keys (A Front Desk Novel) by Kelly Yang (Scholastic Press, September 15)

Front Desk by Kelly Yang was one of my favorite middle grade novels of 2018. Based on Yang’s own experiences, it’s about a 10-year-old who helps her parents run a motel. It’s charming, funny, and an important read about immigration in America. So I am really excited that there’s going to be another book set in that world. And I bet it’s as amazing as the first!

What I’m reading this week:

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

Death in the Family (A Shana Merchant Novel) by Tessa Wegert

Plain Bad Heroines by emily m. danforth

Winter Counts: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Pun of the week: 

I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

Here’s a cat picture:

“Guess who?” – Zevon

And this is funny.

Well played.

Trivia answer: Catwoman.

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

Categories
Book Radar

Nnedi Okorafor’s BINTI is Headed to Hulu and More Book Radar!

Welcome to another Thursday, readers! I have lots of delicious bookish goodies for you to chew on before the weekend. (Be sure to wait one hour before going swimming after.) I am typing this newsletter and then heading straight back to the books because OMG I LOVE READING. You may have picked up on that before now. Someone develop a way to freeze time already, geez! I would most definitely abuse that power, and am willing to test that theory, lol.

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

Trivia question time! What American poet wrote The Road Not Taken? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

a young black woman gazes at the viewer through a series of overlapping sphere shapes of various colorsAn adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti is in the works at Hulu.

Here’s the cover reveal for Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim.

Gael García Bernal will be a recurring character on HBO Max’s Station Eleven limited series.

Gentleman Jack’s Suranne Jones is adapting boxing champion Jane Couch’s memoir.

Here’s the trailer for the Netflix adaptation of Yangtze Choo’s The Ghost Bride.

A Silence Of The Lambs sequel series, Clarice, is coming to CBS.

Corey Hawkins will join Lupita Nyong’o in Americanah.

Here’s the trailer for the upcoming Miss Fisher’s Murder Mystery movie.

Melissa de la Cruz has signed a deal to write two Hallmark Channel Christmas movies to air in 2020.

John Leguizamo, Daniela Vega, Toheeb Jimoh, and several more actors have joined the cast of The Power, the series adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s novel.

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

There’s a series coming based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher character.

Dr. Brené Brown is launching a weekly podcast called Unlocking Us.

Starz has plans for Outlander spin-offs, and a second season of Dublin Murders.

George Clooney’s Good Morning, Midnight adaptation has also added to its cast.

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:

A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry (Viking, April 21)

I cannot say enough amazing things about Sebastian Barry’s writing. His last book, Days Without End, is one of my favorite novels of the last few years. It’s set in my favorite time period, the second half of the 19th-century in America, as is A Thousand Moons, though they are not connected. I cannot wait to read what such a master writer has in store for us this time. Damn, it feels good to be a reader!

What I’m reading this week.

Parakeet: A Novel by Marie-Helene Bertino

Death in the Family (A Shana Merchant Novel) by Tessa Wegert

Plain Bad Heroines by emily m. danforth

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (Related: I just finished season 3 of Bones.)

Winter Counts: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

And this is funny.

“Oh yeah? Well, take that!”

Song stuck in my head:

“Night Shift” by Lucy Dacus. (It’s Rachel’s fault.)

Trivia answer: Robert Frost.

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

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Welcome to another Tuesday, readers! We are already knee-deep in the great books coming our way this year. I spent a lovely weekend reading. It was sunny and in the low 60s here in Maine, but as I write this, it is now 32 and snowing. MoThEr NaTuRe, wHat r U dOiNg???

I am also making my way through the show Bones. I’m almost done with the second season. It’s relighting my crime fire, and now all I want to read are creepy mystery novels and true crime stories. (But wait five minutes, I’ll be fascinated with something else, LOL.)

But back to books! I have a few fun ones today, and you can hear about even more new books coming out on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Kelly and I discussed several upcoming books that we’re excited to read, including Uncanny Valley, We Wish You Luck, The Missing American, and more!

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

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance by Zora Neale Hurston

Hot on the heels of the publication of Hurston’s unpublished manuscript, Barracoon, comes a story collection that features eight “lost” Harlem Renaissance tales. Hurston is considered one of the most influential American writers. These stories were written during her time as the only Black student at Barnard College. Fans or newbies to her work are sure to appreciate these century-old stories of racism, class, love, and sexism. I will not say I loved everything in this book, but I think it is a privilege to hear once again from such an important voice.

Backlist bump: Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

This is a charming debut middle grade mystery. Zoe Washington loves to bake. She has an internship at a bakery and hopes to one day audition for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge. But when she receives a letter from the father she has never met, it changes everything. Zoe has never heard from her father, and now after 12 years, he is writing from prison to tell her he was locked up for a crime he didn’t commit. Zoe thinks she can help, and begins investigating the crime while trying to juggle her baking. But as she searches for clues, she has to face one possibility: is her father really telling her the truth? Zoe is a wonderful, headstrong character, and this novel is an excellent read that will help kids (and adults) learn about racism, wrongful convictions, friendship, and family.

Backlist bump: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Me and Mr. Cigar by Gibby Haynes

You know I never like to detract from a book’s awesomeness, but it has to be said: This book is not going to be for everyone. But I mean that in the nicest way! Haynes is the frontman of the hardcore psychedelic-punk band The Butthole Surfers, and I was seriously surprised when I heard he was writing a YA novel. I knew it would be out there, and this book did not disappoint. But be warned that it is really weird and surreal. It’s a mind-bendy, coming-of-age novel about a boy named Oscar and his dog, Mr. Cigar. Oscar’s home life is not great since his father died and Mr. Cigar bit off his sister’s hand. (Yep, you read that right.) Mr. Cigar is a supernatural dog, and he comforts Oscar through some tough times. And now he’s going to help Oscar rescue his sister, who calls and says she’s been kidnapped.

No amount of description here is going fully explain this book, so you’ll have to take my word that if you’re ready for a WTF experience, kinda like J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon had a baby, then this is the book for you. Being a Gibby Haynes fan, it is exactly what I expected from him, and I loved it! (Heads up that something bad happens to Mr. Cigar at the beginning of the book, and there are a lot of references to drugs.)

But, seriously, it’s weird.

Backlist bump: Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

You made it to the bottom! Thanks for reading.

xx,

Liberty

Categories
Book Radar

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA is Coming Back and More Book Radar!

Happy Monday, my little page turners! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. As I write this, it is Friday, and I am over the moon because I got my hands on a manuscript of Emily M. Danforth’s forthcoming horror novel. I could not be more excited! It’s called Plain Bad Heroines and it’s about a cursed New England girls’ boarding school, and a horror movie being made about the curse. It’s going to be a while before it comes out, but you should mark it down now!

I also settled on a new show to watch: Bones! It’s exactly what I wanted. It’s not too serious but not too light, plus murder. (Also, in the last newsletter, I said Supernatural has 12 seasons instead of 15. My bad.)

Whatever it is you’re doing this week, I hope you have something wonderful to read. Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What author once managed a Saab car dealership in Massachusetts? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

cover image: scary shadowed gothic mansion and a giant key with skull overlayedHere’s the first trailer for Joe Hill’s Locke & Key.

One Night in Miami, Regina King’s directorial debut adapted from the Kemp Powers play, has been cast.

BOOM! is planning a graphic novel version of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

And there’s a three-volume graphic novel adaptation of Dune by Frank Herbert is coming too.

And in even more graphic novel news, IDW is teaming up with the Smithsonian Institution for a new line.

Here’s the cover reveal of Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, Meg Medina’s upcoming picture book.

Here’s the first look at Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, Part 3.

Here’s the cover reveal of Katrina Leno’s Horrid.

And here’s the cover reveal for The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found by Rioter Karina Yan Glaser. (Yay, Karina!)

FX is hoping to make more Charles Dickens adaptations.

Here’s the cover reveal of Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody.

The upcoming Cinderella adaptation has cast its stepsisters.

Jonathan Lethem’s Gun, With Occasional Music is being adapted for television.

Cary Joji Fukunaga is adapting The Last Of The Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.

And here’s the first look at the cover of Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker.

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:

question markPlain Bad Heroines by emily m. danforth (William Morrow, 2021)

As I mentioned above, I just received this manuscript and I am SCREAMING. I love The Miseducation of Cameron Post so, so much, and this one also sounds incredible. I was told it “tells the interwoven story of a cursed, fin de siècle girls boarding school in coastal New England and the making of a 21st century horror film about that curse. It also heavily features the wonderful (and very queer) 1902 teen memoir, The Story of Mary MacLane.”” Emily has been calling it “Picnic at Hanging Rock + The Blair Witch Project + The Night Film x lesbians.” WHOOOOOA, MUFFINS! I can’t wait to finish my work and get started on this book! It is a while before its publication, so in the meantime, you should check out the writing of Mary MacLane, who is an actual figure from history. I recommend I Await the Devil’s Coming.

What I’m reading this week:

The Wagers by Sean Michaels

Three Keys (A Front Desk Novel) by Kelly Yang

Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Essays by Alexandra Petri

Winter Counts: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Parakeet: A Novel by Marie-Helene Bertino

Pun of the week: 

What do you call a lazy goat? Billy Idle.

Here’s a cat picture:

And this is funny.

This raccoon sure is thirsty.

Trivia answer: Kurt Vonnegut.

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

Categories
Book Radar

Melissa McCarthy Joins NINE PERFECT STRANGERS and More Book Radar!

Happy Thursday, inklings! We are in our first full week of 2020, and I have to say that book-wise, it’s going great. I have read several books that I have enjoyed, and I am ! I am also back on my SG-1 kick, which I watch while I peruse the publishers’ catalogs in search of interesting upcoming books. It’s a whole lot of nerdy happiness going on at once.

Even though I am only on season one of SG-1 still, I am already trying to decide what to watch next. Perhaps the new BBC adaptation of Dracula? Or maybe I’ll rewatch Farscape or Stargate: Atlantis. Or maybe it’s time to finally check out The Magicians or Lucifer. Or am I brave enough to start Supernatural?!? That’s a 12-season show! It’s a good thing I don’t have this problem when it comes to choosing books.

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

Trivia question time! What word did Robert A. Heinlein introduce into the English language? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

wolf hallHenry Holt revealed the cover for The Mirror & the Light, the final book in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy.

Stacey Abrams is writing a book on voter suppression.

Melissa McCarthy will star with Nicole Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers.

Jonathan Van Ness is writing a children’s book about a nonbinary guinea pig.

Candice Carty-Williams will be the Guardian’s new books columnist.

Ryan T. Higgins announced his upcoming picture book: We Will Rock Our Classmates.

Tor.com revealed the cover for Drowned Country by Emily Tesh, the follow-up to Silver in the Wood.

Robert Aramayo, who played the younger version of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, has joined the cast of the upcoming series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

Jake Gyllenhaal will produce and star in a movie musical adaptation of Fun Home.

Here’s the first look at Without Remorse, the Tom Clancy adaptation starring Michael B. Jordan and Jodie Turner-Smith.

Gwenda Bond announced her new two-book deal for her upcoming rom-coms.

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:

sisters daisy johnsonSisters by Daisy Johnson (Riverhead Books, August 25)

I am excited to read this for three reasons:

1. Daisy Johnson is incredible. She is the youngest author ever shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, for her first novel Everything Under. She also wrote the amazing short story collection Fen.

2. Riverhead Books rarely let me down.

3. I am always fascinated by books about sisters, since I don’t know what it’s like to have a sister.

What I’m reading this week.

Winter Counts: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden 

Parakeet: A Novel by Marie-Helene Bertino

Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste by Bianca Bosker

Widow Basquiat: A Love Story by Jennifer Clement

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald

(I also started something else that is REALLY exciting, but I can’t tell you what it is yet. #galleybrag)

And this is funny.

Actual LOL.

Song stuck in my head:

“Them Bones” by Alice in Chains

Trivia answer: He coined the term ‘Grok’ in his 1961 science-fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, which means “to understand intuitively or by empathy.”

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

Categories
New Books

First January 2020 New Books Megalist!

🥳 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉 We are a week into the new decade, and I am so excited about all the amazing books we have ahead of us. I also REALLY love starting a new reading spreadsheet. It’s an epic nerdpurr. And I think this year, I’m going to go back to writing down a short synopsis of every book I read. I fell out of that habit years ago, but I think it will be helpful as I attempt to read more books than ever this year!

Like I said, I am so excited for more books! I already have a handful of 2020 titles under my belt, and am headed to read another one as soon as I finish this newsletter. You can hear about several of the great books out this first new release day of 2020 on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about The Black Cathedral, Why We Can’t Sleep, Qualityland, and more.

And like with each megalist, I’m putting a ❤️ next to the books that I have had the chance to read and loved. It has been slow reading for me the last few months, so I haven’t read as many as I wished, but I did get to a few of today’s books. And there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!

The Magical Language of Others: A Memoir by E.J. Koh ❤️

Shadowshaper: Legacy by Daniel José Older

City of Stone and Silence (The Wells of Sorcery Trilogy) by Django Wexler ❤️

The Secret Chapter (The Invisible Library series) by Genevieve Cogman

We Used to Be Friends by Amy Spalding

Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun ❤️

Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives by Daniel J Levitin

Where Have All the Boys Gone? by Jenny Colgan

A Collective Bargain: Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy by Jane McAlevey

Yellow Earth by John Sayles

The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry ❤️

Kill Reply All: A Modern Guide to Online Etiquette, from Social Media to Work to Love by Victoria Turk

The Simple Past by Driss Chraibi, Hugh A. Harter (Translator)

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer ❤️

Westering Women: A Novel by Sandra Dallas

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson

Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling ❤️

Just Breathe by Cammie McGovern

Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin

Average is the New Awesome: A Manifesto for the Rest of Us by Samantha Matt

Topics of Conversation: A novel by Miranda Popkey ❤️

This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 lessons on how to wake up, take action, and do the work by Tiffany Jewell, Aurelia Durand

Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone ❤️

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It by Kamal Ravikant

BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams by Michael Allred, Steve Horton , et al.

All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch

The Last Witness by Claire McFall

Don’t Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth About Language by David Shariatmadari

Grace Is Gone: A Novel by Emily Elgar

You Too?: 25 Voices Share Their #MeToo Stories by Janet Gurtler

Oasis: A Novel by Katya de Becerra

The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy by Chris Murphy

The Black Cathedral: A Novel by Marcial Gala, Anna Kushner (translator) ❤️

Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins by Katarina Bivald

Diana: Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, et al.

Come Tumbling Down (Wayward Children) by Seanan McGuire ❤️

Mr. Nobody: A Novel by Catherine Steadman

Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir by Marsha M. Linehan

Lady Clementine: A Novel by Marie Benedict

Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity by Peggy Orenstein

A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison

Keystone by Katie Delahanty

F*ck Your Diet: And Other Things My Thighs Tell Me by Chloé Hilliard ❤️

Furious Thing by Jenny Downham

Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition by P. Carl

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton

A Sportsman’s Notebook: Stories (Art of the Story) by Ivan Turgenev

Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers

Martin McLean, Middle School Queen by Alyssa Zaczek

The Kids Are in Bed: Finding Time for Yourself in the Chaos of Parenting by Rachel Bertsche

Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum

Creatures: A Novel by Crissy Van Meter ❤️

Lie to Me by Kaitlin Ward

Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber

How to Speak Boy by Tiana Smith

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott

Dear Edward: A Novel by Ann Napolitano

The Map from Here to There by Emery Lord

The Schrodinger Girl by Laurel Brett

Firebird by Mark Powell

One of Us Is Next: The Sequel to One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

long bright riverLong Bright River by Liz Moore ❤️

House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon

The God Game: A Novel by Danny Tobey

The Heap: A Novel by Sean Adams ❤️

Rocket Man: The Life of Elton John by Mark Bego

The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick

The Gimmicks: A Novel by Chris McCormick ❤️

Westwind by Ian Rankin

Fuel Your Fire: 200 Ways to Instantly Beat Burnout and Reignite Your Passion by Samantha Acton

Cesare: A Novel of War-Torn Berlin by Jerome Charyn

First Cut: A Novel by Judy Melinek M.D and T.J. Mitchell

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen ❤️

Butterfly by Ashley Antoinette

Deep State: A Thriller by Chris Hauty

It’s My Life by Stacie Ramey

Two Blankets, Three Sheets by Rodaan Al Galidi, Jonathan Reeder (translator)

Jane Anonymous: A Novel by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Raising Hell: Backstage Tales from the Lives of Metal Legends by Jon Wiederhorn

The American People: Volume 2: The Brutality of Fact: A Novel by Larry Kramer

Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis by K. R. Gaddy

19 Love Songs by David Levithan

Failure to Launch: Why Your Twentysomething Hasn’t Grown Up…and What to Do About It by Mark McConville Ph.D.

Physical Intelligence: The Science of How the Body and the Mind Guide Each Other Through Life by Scott Grafton

The Vanishing (Fogg Lake) by Jayne Ann Krentz

Thanks for joining me every Tuesday. Here’s to an amazing new decade full of books. See you next week!

xx,

Liberty

Categories
Book Radar

GRETEL & HANSEL Will Creep Onto the Big Screen and More Book Radar!

Hello!!!!!! It’s the first full week of January. Yep, it’s really-real, it’s really here. Tomorrow is the first new book release day of 2020, and the year hits the ground running! There are a zillion amazing books coming out between now and the fall. We will see fewer releases in the last few months of this year, because historically, publishing holds off on putting a lot of books out around election time. But it’s okay, because we can stock up on great books before then. And it’s a leap year, so we get an extra day to read!

Whatever it is you’re doing this week, I hope you have something wonderful to read. Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What is different about the French version of Cinderella from the Grimms’ version.? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Here’s the creepy first trailer for Gretel & Hansel.

Jason June announced his debut YA novel, Jay’s Gay Agenda.

I Read YA revealed a bunch of fall YA titles.

Sarah Maslin Nir shared the cover of her upcoming memoir, Horse Crazy.

Here’s the first look at Octavia Spencer in Madam C.J. Walker, inspired by the book, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles.

The New York Times shared its list of 20 most anticipated books of 2020.

You author Caroline Kepnes shared an early preview of the third book.

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:

Mother Daughter Widow Wife: A Novel by Robin Wasserman (Scribner, June 23)

I was a huge fan of Wasserman’s novel Girls on Fire, so I am thrilled to hear we get a new one from her. And it has a blurb from Liz Phair, which is BADASS. This one sounds a little Long Kiss Goodnight-ish, about a woman found on a bus with no idea how she got there, who she is, or where she is going.

What I’m reading this week:

Cleanness by Garth Greenwell 

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow

Little Eyes: A Novel by Samanta Schweblin

Save Yourself by Cameron Esposito

Pun of the week: 

Why couldn’t the leopard play hide and seek? Because he was always spotted.

Here’s a kitten cat picture:

Farrokh found himself a new clubhouse. I was looking everywhere for him! Sneaky little monkey.

And this is funny.

Ah, the metric system.

Trivia answer: At the end, Cinderella forgives her stepsisters and finds them husbands.

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

Categories
Book Radar

CARRIE to Become a Limited Series for FX and More Book Radar!

🎉Happy New Year!!! 🎉 I hope that everyone enjoyed the past week. I know I did! I did a lot of television watching – Monk and The Expanse – and lots of reading, of course. I read The Hand on the Wall, the last book in Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious trilogy, and it was AWESOME. And I kicked off 2020 at midnight on New Year’s Day with Drifts by Kate Zambreno, because her writing is incendiary and inspired and floors me again and again, and that’s what I want for my new year, too.

Not a whole lot of big news happens over the holidays, but I have a bit of fun stuff for you below. I hope that you are all well, and excited for a new year of reading. Whatever you are doing or reading this week, please remember to be kind to yourself and others. I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! What author’s first book was a collection of essays about American writers like Joy Williams and Tobias Wolf, called Contemporary American Fiction? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

such a fun ageSuch a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is Reese Witherspoon’s new book club pick!

FX is developing a new limited series based on Stephen King’s Carrie.

The HBO documentary True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality is now available to watch for free, to coincide with the release of Just Mercy.

Green Eggs and Ham has been renewed for a second season on Netflix.

Barack Obama announced his favorite books of 2019.

Here’s a good recap of the RWA and their horrible ruling/reversal at the end of last year.

Here’s the first full trailer of the High Fidelity reboot with Zoë Kravitz. It’s based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. (HOW WAS THAT 25 YEARS AGO?!!)

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:

Starling Days by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (The Overlook Press, April 7)

I really enjoyed Rowan Hisayo Buchanan’s first novel, Harmless Like You, and I love The Overlook Press, who publishes my favorite living writer*, so I am DOUBLY excited to read her new novel. It’s about a young married couple navigating their way through love and mental illness. It sounds equally parts sad and beautiful.

*who is no longer publishing

What I’m reading this week.

little eyesLittle Eyes: A Novel by Samanta Schweblin

Lake Like a Mirror by Sok Fong Ho, Natascha Bruce (translator)

Wham!, George Michael and Me: A Memoir by Andrew Ridgeley

Long Story Short: 100 Classic Books in Three Panels by Lisa Brown

Save Yourself by Cameron Esposito

And this is funny.

This is actually how I spent my vacation: watching this video over and over again.

Song stuck in my head:

“This Year” by The Mountain Goats

And here’s a picture of my queen, Millay, to kick off the new year with adorableness:

Trivia answer: Nick Hornby.

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! It’s my last newsletter of 2019 and I am having SO MANY EMOTIONS. What a year it has been. But despite everything else that has been going on, the books were amazing. But enough about that – there’s a whole new year of incredible books just a week away! And today’s newsletter is about 20 of the books coming out in 2020 that that I’ve read and recommend.

You can hear about even more books coming in 2020 on this week’s episode of the All the Books! In our first show together, Patricia and I discussed several upcoming books that we’re excited to read, including Little Eyes, Wow, No Thank You, The Truants, and more!

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

network effect a murderbot novelNetwork Effect: A Murderbot Novel (The Murderbot Diaries Book 5) by Martha Wells

This is a continuation of the awesome novellas, about the awesome self-aware securitybot, and its awesome adventures, and yes, it’s AWESOME.

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

This is a charming, funny story of an 11-year-old boy named Scoob. He has been suspended from school, and his dad is really mad about it, so when Scoob’s grandmother shows up in an RV and asks if he wants to take a road trip, he says yes. He will learn the history of the segregated South, and a lot about his grandparents along the way.

the returnThe Return by Rachel Harrison

THIS BOOK. It is so scary and amazing! It’s about four college friends and what happens when one of them disappears for two years…and then returns with no memory of what happened or where she was. To celebrate her being back, the friends plan a weekend getaway, but things are going to get really weird and uncomfortable really fast.

Deacon King Kong: A Novel by James McBride

McBride returns with his first novel since the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird. This one starts off with a cranky old church deacon known as Sportcoat, who murders a local drug dealer, and how the killing affects different people involved.

the unsuitableThe Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig

A young woman – whose dead mother lives in a scar in her neck and talks to her – butts heads with her father over appropriate suitors and her future until she meets an eligible bachelor with silver skin, who just might be the answer she has been looking for.

Interior Chinatown: A Novel by Charles Yu

This is a funny and sharp send-up of Hollywood tropes and Asian stereotypes, about Willis Wu, who sees himself as the Generic Asian Man of his own life.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Linus Baker is a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.

I Hold a Wolf by the Ears: Stories by Laura van den Berg

The always-incredible van den Berg is back with a new collection of wry, razor-sharp stories about women and the “misogyny, violence, and the impossible economics of America.” I loved it.

The Onlly Child cover imageThe Only Child: A Novel by Mi-ae Seo

Criminal psychologist Seonkyeong gets double the uneasiness when a serial killer requests she speak with him, and her husband’s creepy stepdaughter comes to live them after her grandparents die in a mysterious fire. I love a great evil kid book.

Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit

This is a fantastic historical novel based on the first murder that took place in the newly established colony of Plymouth, Massachusetts among the Mayflower pilgrims. But it’s told through the eyes of the women there, instead of the men.

riot babyRiot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

I am so obsessed with this book. It got me right in the feels. It’s about a young girl named Ella who has the power to see things in the future, and as she grows up, her powers mutate and change, and grow stronger. When her little brother is incarcerated, she must decide how she wants to use her powers to help him.

Kingdomtide by Rye Curtis

The seventy-two-year-old sole survivor of a plane crash fights to survive in the Montana wilderness, as a park ranger with struggles of her own, races to find the lost woman before it is too late.

the only good indiansThe Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Four American Indian men from the Blackfeet Nation find themselves fighting for their lives against a spirit that seeks revenge for what they did on a hunting trip ten years earlier.

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. Fourteen-year-old Lacey moves in with her grandmother after her mother runs off, who goes in search of her mom to help heal the lands. This is gritty brilliance, and you’ll be hearing about it everywhere soon.

real lifeReal Life by Brandon Taylor

And this is another fabulous debut novel, about a young man from Alabama who is trying to find his place in a Midwestern university town, and the challenges he faces in figuring out what he wants, and what is expected of him.

Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus

This is a great, creepy YA novel about a teen girl whose father comes apart after claiming to have been abducted by aliens. Years later, she finds evidence that maybe her father wasn’t mistaken about what happened during his disappearance after all.

we ride upon sticksWe Ride Upon Sticks: A Novel by Quan Barry

The 1989 field hockey team of Danvers, Massachusetts, site of the original Salem Witch Trials, decide to try and invoke their own magic to help them have a winning season. I ate this book in one bite, I loved it so.

The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet

Judah and Gavin were both raised in the castle, but as they grow up, it is certain that Gavin will rule, while Judah has no place in the kingdom. But there is an evil lord who has use for her and her mysterious past. Political intrigue! Foundlings! Magic! Treachery! This has everything you want in a high fantasy novel and more.

The Black Cathedral: A Novel by Marcial Gala, Anna Kushner (translator)

This is Gala’s English-language debut about a pastor who moves to the Cuban coast on a mission from God: Build the biggest, most wonderful cathedral Cuba has seen. As he goes about attempting to complete his task, the book is told, oral history-style, by many members of the community (and a ghost.)

The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood

An orc priestess who knows when and how she will die changes her fate when she accepts an offer from a powerful mage to go away with him and become an assassin, and help his bring down an empire.

You made it to the bottom! Thanks for reading.

xx,

Liberty