Author: Liberty Hardy

Happy Monday, book lovers! It has gotten cold and yucky here in Maine over the last few days. Which is perfect weather for reading in a hammock inside! I hope to get some quality hammock time in this week, and read as many books as I can. SO MANY GOOD BOOKS ON THE WAY. I hope you are all also able to get lots of reading done. 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: Where is the real castle Bram Stoker modeled Dracula’s castle on? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House will be a television series.

Rioter Eric Smith announced an #OwnVoices YA novel coauthored with Summer Heacock.

K-pop star Jessica Jung has written a YA novel.

Here’s the gorgeous cover of Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar. (HarperTeen, August 11, 2020)

Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley will star in the adaptation of The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes.

Kerry Washington has joined Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of The Prom for Netflix.

An adaptation of Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle’s Let It Snow is coming to Netflix on November 8th.

The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones is a film and I really wanna see it, because I loved the book.

Clive Owen will star with Julianne Moore in the adaptation of Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story.

And even more cast news for the new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand.

And here’s the first look at All Adults Here, the upcoming novel by Emma Straub. (Riverhead, May 5, 2020)

Bela Lugosi is the face of Dracula in the upcoming graphic novel adaptation of the Bram Stoker classic.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks to adapt the Donald L. Miller book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany.

Here’s the trailer for The Turning, an adaptation of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

T.D. Rizor’s Freaky Deaky High series is being adapted for television.

The Crown writer will adapt Allison Pataki’s Sisi novels.

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:

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by Anonymous (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, July 7, 2020)

I am a big fan of Duchess Goldblatt on Twitter. She is such a delight to follow. Also, she’s not real. That’s right. Her Grace is a fictional creation by a reclusive real-life writer, and they have now written a memoir. They talk about how speaking through Duchess Goldblatt and forming a large online community of friends has helped them get through some tough times. I can’t wait to check it out!

What I’m reading this week:

A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus

Initiated: Memoir of a Witch by Amanda Yates Garcia

Ghoster by Jason Arnopp

Pun of the week: 

I got a new pair of gloves today, but they’re both ‘lefts’ which, on the one hand, is great, but on the other, is not right.

Here’s a kitten picture:

And this is funny.

I feel ya.

Trivia answer: Scotland.

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

Happy Thursday, star bits! I cannot believe it has already been a week since I left for Rhode Island, but here we are. It was so much fun! And I picked up a lot of great books that I cannot wait to read, so I can tell you about them. Because you know that’s my favorite thing to do. I hope you’re reading something wonderful right now, and have a great rest of your week. And remember to be kind to yourself and others.  I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! How long did it take Charles Dickens to write A Christmas Carol? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

The Disney Channel has optioned Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy.

The Firekeeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, sold for a rumored to be seven figures.

Rihanna announced an upcoming visual autobiography, featuring more than 1000 photos.

Here is the shortlist for the Scotiabank Giller prize!

And the finalists for the 2019 National Book Awards!

Here’s the cover of The Voting Booth, the upcoming book from Brandy Colbert.

And here’s the cover of Clap When You Land, the new book from Elizabeth Acevedo.

Michelle Obama is publishing a companion to Becoming next month.

Bad Robot has optioned Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan for television.

David Oyelowo will star in the Showtime pilot of The President Is Missing, adapted from the book by Bill Clinton and James Patterson.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark, coming summer of 2020.

Mariah Carey is writing a memoir about her life, and yes, she’s going to discuss Glitter.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Muse Squad by Chantel Acevedo.

Inland by Téa Ohbret has been optioned for television.

James Comey’s A Higher Loyalty is being turned into a four-hour miniseries for CBS.

Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell are making a musical version of A Christmas Carol.

The Selection author Kiera Cass announced a new romance duology.

And here’s the first look at One True King, the final School for Good and Evil book.

The oldest part of the Tale of the Genji manuscript has been found.

Lili Reinhart is publishing a book of poems.

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:

The Holdout: A Novel by Graham Moore (Random House, February 18, 2020)

Yes, Moore won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for The Imitation Game, and gave that beautiful tearjerker of a speech. But before that, he wrote The Sherlockian, which is a REALLY fun book! It’s partly about Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker investigating a murder in the early 1900s, and the mysterious death of a Sherlock fan in present day. And Moore also wrote The Last Days of Night, a mystery surrounding a lawsuit brought by Thomas Edison against George Westinghouse. So you know I am super pumped to read this new mystery about a woman suspected of killing a fellow juror a decade after the trial they attended ended with an acquittal.

What I’m reading this week.

Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi

Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People by Ben Crump

My Dark Vanessa: A Novel by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Initiated: Memoir of a Witch by Amanda Yates Garcia

Ghoster by Jason Arnopp

And this is funny.

Bad product is bad.

Trivia answer: Six weeks.

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

Hello, readers! I am feeling optimistic about this upcoming week, which never happens, so my head is probably going to suddenly drop off my shoulders or something. But until that happens, there are fantastic books to be read! I just got back from NEIBA, where I picked up many amazing books that I can’t wait to read and then tell you about. Which is my favorite thing to do (after reading them.) 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: Before Kathy Bates took the part, what actress turned down the role of Annie Wilkes in Misery because she thought it was too violent? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Julie Murphy announced Faith: Taking Flight, an upcoming YA novel about the plus size super hero of Valiant Comics. (Balzer + Bray, July 7, 2020)

Here’s the cover for the new Hunger Games prequel. (Scholastic, May 19, 2020) (I find it wild that three of the most highly anticipated books coming in the next several months are by Suzanne Collins, Susanna Clarke, and Susannah Cahalan.)

Mariko Tamaki is working with Abrams Kids on a new imprint of graphic novels by LGBTQIA creators.

Rivers Solomon has a work of gothic fiction on the way in the winter of 2021.

Kristen Arnett has sold two new books to Riverhead.

Look at this beautiful cover for Hannah Abigail Clarke’s debut novel The Scapegracers. ( Erewhon, May 12, 2020)

Hari Kunzru has finished a new book!

The comic book series Bitter Root by David F. Walker, Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown, is being made into a film.

Here’s the first look at If It Bleeds, Stephen King’s next book. (Scribner, May 5, 2020)

And speaking of Stephen King, here’s a look at the Misery prequel set for the second season of Castle Rock.

John Wick writer Derek Kolstad will be adapting V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic series for Sony.

M.R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts, has a new post-apocalyptic trilogy on the way.

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:

And I Do Not Forgive You: Stories and Other Revenges by Amber Sparks (Liveright, February 11, 2020)

I am a big fan of Amber Sparks. I loved her collection from a couple years back, called The Unfinished World and Other Stories, and I hear this one is even better! The rep at the trade show table told me that her blood felt fizzy while she read these stories. In a good way. I’M SOLD. I mean, I was already sold, but yay fizzy blood! Also the cover makes me think of Rosa Diaz: “What kind of woman doesn’t have an axe?”

What I’m reading this week:

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown

Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Pun of the week: 

What happened when the semi-colon broke grammar laws? It was given two consecutive sentences.

Here’s a kitten picture:

And this is funny.

It’s topical.

Trivia answer: Bette Midler.

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

Hello, friendos! I apologize in advance: today’s email is going to be a quick one, as I am on the road doing bookish events. But there’s still some great stuff to share! I hope you’re reading something wonderful, and have a great rest of your week. And remember to be kind to yourself and others.  I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! In Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, what does the Man with the Thistle Down Hair take from Lady Pole? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes is getting a trilogy of graphic novel prequels.

Susanna Clarke announced her first book since Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

Ava DuVernay is adapting the comic DMZ for HBO.

Penguin Teen ran down the list of several of next year’s titles on Twitter.

The Tana French adaptation, The Dublin Murders, has a premiere date.

The Netflix adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone has found its cast.

Here’s the cover reveal for Chosen Ones, Veronica Roth’s first adult novel.

Ina Garten is writing a memoir.

Here is the longlist for the ninth annual Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction.

Here is the first footage from the Wheel of Time table read.

The Phantom of the Opera is being adapted into a graphic novel.

Here’s the trailer for a new War of the Worlds adaptation.

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:

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (Gallery / Saga Press, April 7, 2020)

I am a huge fan of SGJ’s Mongrels and After the People Lights Have Gone Off, so you can bet your sweet bippy I am clamoring for this novel. Which is pitched as “Peter Straub’s Ghost Story meets Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies“, which makes me go “Ruh?” like Scooby, but I’m still sure it will be awesome.

What I’m reading this week.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse: Book One of the Thorne Chronicles by K. Eason

My Dark Vanessa: A Novel by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko

Quotients by Tracy O’Neill

And this is funny.

Readers everywhere feel attacked.

Trivia answer: One of her fingers.

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

Monday? More like FUNDAY, amirite??? (NO, NOT THE FACE.) Okay, so it’s Monday, but there’s a lot to be happy about. Most of it book-related. And, would you look at that, you happen to be reading an email about book news. What a random happenstance! Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

P.S. Today is the last day to enter Book Riot’s giveaway of the year’s 10 best mystery/thrillers so far!

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: When Reading Rainbow left the air in 2009, it was the third-longest running children’s show in PBS history. What are numbers one and two? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Knopf announced Transcendent Kingdom, a new novel from Homegoing author Yaa Gysai coming in July 2020.

Tracy Deonn announced the new title of her debut YA fantasy novel.

Here’s a preview of Carmen Maria Machado’s DC comic debut The Low, Low Woods.

The seven shortlisted debut novels for the 2019 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize were announced.

LeVar Burton is hosting the 70th National Book Awards ceremony!

Tiffany Boone has been cast as a young version of Kerry Washington’s character in Little Fires Everywhere.

David Strathairn has joined Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of Nightmare Alley.

The Pretty Little Liars reboot has been canceled after one season.

William Knoedelseder’s Bitter Brew, about the Busch brewing dynasty, is being adapted as a series.

Addison Riecke is adapting The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine.

Caroline Mitchell’s Truth and Lies is also being adapted as a series.

And here’s a peek at three upcoming comics from Joe Hill.

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:

Sea Wife: A Novel by Amity Gaige (Knopf, April 28, 2020)

I feel like Amity Gaige is one of those authors who consistently releases amazing books, yet you hardly ever hear people mention her. I hope this one catapults her into the literary spotlight. I have heard from many people that it is amazing, and I can’t wait to read it. It’s about a couple who decide to buy a sailboat and, with their young children, take to the seas.

What I’m reading this week:

Quotients by Tracy O’Neill

Will and Testament (Verso Fiction) by Vigdis Hjorth and Charlotte Barslund

The In-Betweens: The Spiritualists, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna by Mira Ptacin

Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko

Pun of the week: 

When the past, present, and future go camping they always argue. It’s intense tense in tents.

Here’s a kitten picture:

And this is funny.

Thank you, internet.

Trivia answer: Sesame Street and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, respectively.

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

Welcome to another Thursday blast of bookish news and goodies! How’s the weather where you are? It’s bananas here in Maine. 80 degrees one day, 60 degrees the next, 40 degrees over night, then back up to 78 the next day. Mother Nature is keeping us on our toes! But no matter what the weather is, it’s always good weather for reading. I hope you’re reading something wonderful, and have a great rest of your week. And remember to be kind to yourself and others.  I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

P.S. More fun news: be sure to enter Book Riot’s giveaway of the year’s 10 best mystery/thrillers so far!

Trivia question time! Who designed the original iconic book jacket for Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum will reprise their original roles in Jurassic Park 3, coming in 2021.

There’s a sequel to Adib Khorram’s Darius the Great Is Not Okay on the way!

Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira will star in the film adaptation of UNpregnant.

Oprah announced The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates as her next book club pick, which is her first for Apple.

Joanne McNeil announced her new book: Lurking: How a Person Became a User.

Ray Romano will have a starring role in the series adaptation of Alissa Nutting’s Made for Love.

Lee Daniels is making a series from The Spook Who Sat by the Door by Sam Greenlee.

Andrew Scott will star in the Showtime series Ripley, based on The Talented Mr. Ripley novels by Patricia Highsmith.

Wilder Girls author Rory Power announced her new book, Burn Our Bodies Down, coming in the summer of 2020.

Meryl Streep will narrate an audiobook version of Charlotte’s Web.

The News of the World adaptation with Tom Hanks has added The Walking Dead actor Thomas Francis Murphy.

A movie adaptation of the sci-fi comic book Blink is in the works.

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:

Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles (William Morrow, April 14, 2020)

I am a HUGE fan of News of the World, the last novel we were lucky enough to get from Paulette Jiles. And this forthcoming one starts just a little bit before that one, at the end of the Civil War. I cannot wait to read it, because as you’ve probably heard me say a million times, that’s my favorite time period for novels! I’m also excited for the News of the World film, which is scheduled for release on Christmas 2020.

What I’m reading this week.

Remember by Patricia Smith

The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

(Hey, it’s been a long week.)

And this is funny.

I can relate.

Trivia answer: Chip Kidd.

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

ARE YOU READY TO RUMMMMMMMMBLE? Or maybe learn stuff about books. That’s probably the better option, yes. Safer for sure. So, it’s Monday, and once again I have fun stuff to tell you about today, because I love you. Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

P.S. More fun news: be sure to enter Book Riot’s giveaway of the year’s 10 best mystery/thrillers so far!

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What debut novel won the 2006 Printz Award? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Darryl Gregory’s Spoonbenders is getting the adaptation treatment at Showtime.

Here are all the titles on the 2019 National Book Awards longlists!

Anna Maiche has joined the cast of Netflix’s adaptation of Tiny Pretty Things.

Monica Gomez-Hira announced her first book deal.

And Zoraida Córdova announced her middle grade debut.

And David Slayton has a queer warlock series on the way.

Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, has finished her next book!

Peter Rabbit 2 is hopping toward an Easter 2020 release.

Here’s a new teaser for Nancy Drew on The CW.

Here’s the newest info on Netflix’s adaptation of Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates.

There’s a biopic about Out of Africa author Isak Dinesen in the works.

Jennifer Beals will be a part of the adaptation of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Larry David is the narrator for the Go The F**k To Sleep sequel.

And Wil Wheaton is going to narrate the audiobook for John Green’s Looking for Alaska.

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:

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (Grove Press, March 3, 2020)

Holy cats, I am excited for this novel! I am such a big fan of Lily King. Father of the Rain is my favorite novel by her. It made me cry so much, which I wasn’t expecting. I was like, “WHY IS IT RAINING ON MY FACE.” And really, everything she does is amazing, so I cannot wait to get my hands on this one. This one is about a woman trying to move past a tough period in her life after the sudden death of her mother and a love affair gone wrong. I’ll have the tissues ready this time, just in case.

What I’m reading this week:

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet

Remember by Patricia Smith

Pun of the week: 

I’m super friendly with 25 letters of the alphabet. But I don’t know Y.

Here’s a kitten picture:

It was all furry.

And this is funny.

A+ fall rhyme.

Trivia answer: Looking for Alaska by John Green.

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