Author: Liberty Hardy

Hello, book lovers! As I am writing this, it is Friday and I am typing as fast as I can, so I can get back to watching Good Omens. I am only two episodes in, but so far, it’s great. I hope it lasts. The Deadwood movie also premieres today, and while I don’t have high hopes for it, I am super excited to see it anyway. (I swear I still read books sometimes too.) It was a slow news week, probably because all of publishing was at Book Expo, but I still have a couple cool things to share. Enjoy the rest of your week and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by Gallery Books

For fans of Jodi Picoult and Anna Quindlen, comes The Summer We Lost Her, the new novel by Tish Cohen. An “astonishingly profound…exquisitely written drama” (Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You) about a husband and a wife, a missing child, and the complicated family secrets that can derail even the best of marriages, The Summer We Lost Her is an unforgettable read about a parent’s worst nightmare.

Here’s this week’s trivia question: Daphne du Maurier’s cousin was Peter Llewellyn Davies, who was the inspiration for what character? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Hulu is adapting Normal People by Sally Rooney.

The Fifth Season is June’s pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times book club

Netflix has optioned Sarah Dessen’s YA novels.

Anna North announced that she has written a Western.

Keeley Hawes and Ann Dowd have joined the new Rebecca adaptation.

There’s also a new adaptation of The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe in the the works.

Cover Reveals 

Here’s the first look at The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, February 4, 2020)

Sneak Peeks

Here’s the first trailer for The Kitchen with Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss. It’s based on the graphic novel of the same name by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle.

Book Riot Recommends

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Loved, loved, loved:

All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 22)

I can’t remember if I already told you how much I loved this book, so I’m going to do it again. It’s about members of a family who have been lorded over by the abusive narcissist patriarch their whole lives. When he suffers a heart attack, they reflect on his past behavior, and contemplate forgiveness. I LOOOOOVED it. And the ending, holy cats! It was the first time I fist-pumped the air and said “YESSSSSS” while reading an ending. I looked like Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club.

What I’m reading this week:

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

Permanent Record by Mary H. K. Choi

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

Theme Music: A Novel by T. Marie Vandelly

Pun of the week: 

I’ve just written a song about tortillas. Actually, it’s more of a rap.

Here’s a kitten picture:

“Ask me about my cats.”

And this is funny.

Awwww, adorbs.

Trivia answer: Peter Pan.

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

Hellooooooo! We haven’t seen each other in so long. I completely forgot last week that Monday was a holiday. But we’re back on track now! I have some fun things to tell you about today. I hope whatever you’re doing, you 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

Sponsored by William Morrow Books

Emily Dawson travels to Barbados in 1854 to claim an unexpected inheritance from her grandfather – Peverills, a sugar plantation in Barbados that her grandfather never told anyone he owned. Emily discovers that Peverills is a burned out shell, destroyed in 1816, when an uprising of enslaved people sent the island up in flames. Why would her grandfather leave her a property in ruins? Why are the neighboring plantation owners so eager to acquire Peverillsw? The answers lie in the past–a tangled history of deception, greed, clandestine love, betrayal, and a bold bid for freedom.

Trivia question time! What writer published a poem in the Mississippi literary review when she was just thirteen years old?(Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Exciting adaptation news: Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi is going to be a film!

Kathleen Rooney has a new book coming in the fall of 2020.

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez is going to be a musical.

Gentleman Jack has been renewed for a second season.

Hulu has ordered an anthology series based on Nathan Ballingrud’s North American Lake Monsters.

The Jonas Brothers are releasing a memoir in the fall.

French Exit by Patrick deWitt is going to be a film with Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges.

Caleb Roerhig announced his new novel, The Fell of Dark, coming in January 2020.

Marsai Martin may star in the adaptation of Amari and the Night Brothers.

Cover Reveals 

Here’s the first look at How to Speak Boy by Tiana Smith. (Swoon Reads, January 7th, 2020)

And the first peek at the cover of The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters. (Crooked Lane Books, December 10)

Sneak Peeks

Here’s the first trailer for the adaptation of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt!

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 King of Crows by Libba Bray (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, February 4, 2020)

It’s the final book in the Diviners series, eeeeeeeeee! I have enjoyed this spooky YA series SO MUCH, and can’t wait for this one. Everything Libba Bray does is amazing, so if you’ve never read this series, or any of her books, I highly recommend correcting that.

What I’m reading this week.

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky (Yes, still. Little bits at a time.)

Bunny: A Novel by Mona Awad

And this is funny.

Poor kitty.

Trivia answer: Donna Tartt.

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

Welcome to another book-filled Thursday! I have some fun news and recommendations to share with you today. Also, I don’t know if it’s the warmer weather or what, but I have been reading up a storm lately. (I also started watching Veep and, holy cats, I love it so much!) I hope whatever you’re doing, you 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

“Book Radar” is sponsored by Tor Teen.

Maris Brown is a liar. A good one. But even she is unprepared for what a summer in a wealthy beach town with her estranged father and his new family have in store for her. Sinister plots lurk beneath the surface of what should be paradise—and at the heart of everything is the elite Duval family. Maris isn’t sure who she can trust, but she’s drawn to the youngest Duval. Edison is back from college and dating Maris’s stepsister, but he is far more than the golden boy he appears to be. The secrets he harbors are deadly.

Trivia question time! What is V.C. Andrew’s real name? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Joshua Jackson is set to star in the adaptation of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.

Adriyan Rae will star in a live-action version of the comic Vagrant Queen by Magdalene Visaggio and Jason Smith.

The Mirror & the Light, the third book in Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy, is coming in March of 2020.

Marie Kondo announced that she has two announcements. One of those was an upcoming children’s book!

Berkley has acquired its first queer female romance.

Netflix and Forest Whitaker are teaming up for an adaptation of Erin Entrada Kelly’s Hello, Universe.

There’s a Napoleon Dynamite sequel coming in comic form.

Kacen Callender announced their upcoming book: Felix Ever After.

And Benjamin Dreyer announced a new upcoming book about fiction.

Cover Reveals 

Here’s the first look at Paul Lisicky’s upcoming memoir Later: My Life at the Edge of the World. (Graywolf Press, March 17)

Nina MacLaughlin revealed the cover of her upcoming book Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung. (FSG Originals, November 19)

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 Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain (Tor.com, August 13)

I am a HUGE fan of Hossain’s earlier book, Escape from Baghdad! and Djinn City, so I could not be more excited to read this novella about alternate djinn history and the apocalypse. I will hopefully get to it this weekend!

What I’m reading this week.

The Library of the Unwritten (A Novel from Hell’s Library) by A. J. Hackwith

Searching for Sylvie Lee: A Novel by Jean Kwok

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come: One Introvert’s Year of Saying Yes by Jessica Pan

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

And this is funny.

Same, same.

Trivia answer: Cleo Virginia Andrews.

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

Welcome to another Monday, my little spine sniffers. Not a whole lot of book news the last few days, but there’s still some great tidbits (and of course a kitten picture.) I hope you had a marvelous weekend and read great books. (And that the Game of Thrones series finale wasn’t too horrible.) Enjoy the rest of your week and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

“Book Radar” is sponsored by Gather the Fortunes by Bryan Camp, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 

Camp returns to his otherworldly New Orleans for a new novel that evokes the magic, mystery, and mythology of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods with a female protagonist that calls to mind the power and personality of Chuck Wendig’s Miriam Black (Blackbirds). Is it one of the storm gods that’s descended on the city? The death god who’s locked the Gates of the Underworld?

Or the manipulative sorcerer who also cheated Death? When she finds the schemer, there’s going to be hell to pay, because there are scarier things than death in the Crescent City. Renaissance Raines is one of them.

Here’s this week’s trivia question: Edward Stratemeyer created what famous character? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Lucy Hale and Robbie Amell will star in an adaptation of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.

Queen Latifah and Will Smith are producing a hip-hop adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.

Lauren Oliver’s Panic will be a series on Amazon.

The cast of the remake of High Fidelity with Zoë Kravitz is growing.

Cover Reveals

The Folio Society is releasing new editions of the Game of Thrones books.

Sneak Peeks

The first trailer for His Dark Materials is here!

Here’s the first trailer for Nancy Drew on the CW.

Book Riot Recommends

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Loved, loved, loved:

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty (W. W. Norton & Company, September 10)

This was every bit as wonderful as I knew it would be! Doughty takes real questions she has been asked by kids – which she prefers, as adults aren’t as usually as direct when talking about death – and gives funny, fascinating, and completely honest answers. While the questions have been asked by children, the book is not exactly for children. Maybe for older kids, but the graphic descriptions and frankness definitely make this more for adults, something that Doughty warns in the preface. Whoever it is for, she has once again written an informative and conscientious book about mortality. It’s a book most everyone can learn from.

What I’m reading this week:

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

Prairie Fever by Michael Parker

Pun of the week: 

Need an Ark? I Noah guy.

Here’s a kitten picture:

Signing Farrokh up for America’s Got Talent.

And this is funny.

It’s the circle of life.

Trivia answer: Nancy Drew.

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

Happy Thursday, book fans! It’s another rain-filled week here in Maine. It’s getting exhausting, and I don’t even like to go outside, lol. At least there are books! (And Netflix: marathoned Dead to Me. Loved it.) I hope whatever you’re doing, you 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

Sponsored by Soho Crime

Sujata Massey returns with a new Perveen Mistry historical mystery set in India following 2018’s award-winning The Widows of Malabar Hill. India, 1922: What begins as a trip to mediate a dispute between maharanis in the distant mountain province of Satapur quickly turns sinister when Perveen Mistry, Bombay’s first female lawyer, finds herself caught in a viper’s nest of cold-blooded power players settling ancient scores.

Trivia question time! In the original TV mini-series of IT, what famous rock legend was in the running to play Pennywise, the role that ending up going to Tim Curry? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Issa Rae has optioned Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones!

Annette Bening and Michelle Pfeiffer have joined the adaptation of Alice LaPlante’s Turn of Mind.

Emilia Clarke will play poet Elizabeth Barrett in Let Me Count the Ways.

Snowpiercer, with Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connelly, is moving to TNT ahead of its debut.

Richard Thomas will star as Atticus Finch in the national tour of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Stephen King’s new novel featuring Holly from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy, If You Bleed, will hit shelves in 2020.

Nora Roberts is writing her 50th J.D. Robb book.

FSG will publish Chelsea Manning’s memoir.

Cover Reveals 

Here’s the cover for Nic Stone’s Jackpot! (Crown Books for Young Readers, October 15)

Tor.com revealed the cover for Docile by K.M. Szpara. (Tor.com, March 3, 2020)

And here’s the first look at Marie Lu’s Rebel: Legend 4. (Roaring Brook Press, October 1)

And the first look at the cover of the companion book to Rebel Seoul: Rogue Heart by Axie Oh (Tu Books, October 8)

Sneak Peeks

Here’s the new trailer for Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

And here’s the trailer for Saving Zoë.

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:

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty

THAT TITLE. Do I even need to explain why I want to read it? Well, if I must: Doughty is the amazing human behind Ask a Mortician, and the fabulous books Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and From Here to Eternity. She is hilarious and smart, and I cannot wait to get my paws on this! And it’s ILLUSTRATED.

What I’m reading this week.

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

The Toll by Cherie Priest

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D Jackson

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

And this is funny.

I laughed because I am eight. (Mildly NSFW. Or bears.)

Trivia answer: Alice Cooper.

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

Happy Monday, book dragons! I had a lovely time seeing Craig Ferguson in New York this week. I am looking forward to reading his new memoir now! And I’m excited to start my reading weekend, as soon as I finish this newsletter. The subjects of the books I have chosen include the plague, truffles, and family secrets. I hope to tell you about them soon! Enjoy the rest of your week and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

The sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller Furyborn! Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity’s long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption—fear of becoming another Rielle—keeps Eliana’s power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted—by embracing her mother’s power, or rejecting it forever.

Here’s this week’s trivia question: What author claims rumors of her owning 6,000 pairs of Christian Louboutin heels are untrue? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Roshani Chokshi revealed the title to the sequel to The Gilded Wolves.

The Witches by Roald Dahl is being made into a graphic novel.

Karamo Brown has written a children’s book.

Filmmakers are trying to make a short film of Mary McClane’s awesome memoir I Await the Devil’s Coming.

The House on Mango Street is going to be an opera.

Guy Pearce will play Ebenezer Scrooge in a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

Barack Obama’s memoir will not be released in 2019.

Scott Wolf will replace Freddie Prinze, Jr. in the upcoming Nancy Drew series.

Kristin Scott Thomas joins Lily James and Armie Hammer In Rebecca.

The Passage was canceled after one season.

You book series expanding with two more novels from author Caroline Kepnes.

Cover Reveals

Here’s the first look at The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper. (Bloomsbury YA, February 4, 2020)

Here’s the cover of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. (Flatiron Books, January 21, 2020)

Sneak Peeks

The first trailer for the second It film has dropped.

Here’s the first look at the new Batwoman show with Ruby Rose.

Here’s HBO’s teaser trailer for Watchmen.

The CW shared the poster for the new Nancy Drew series.

Book Riot Recommends

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Loved, loved, loved:

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, May 28)

Andrew works for the town council, searching the belongings of people who have died alone to find any relatives. And every night, after work, he goes home to his lovely wife and two kids. Or at least, his coworkers think he does. In actuality, Andrew lives alone, much like the people he sees pass away. Then he meets Peggy, a new coworker, and he starts to fall for her. But in order to do that, he’ll have to reveal the truth about his situation, and who wants to start a relationship off with a liar? This is a delightful, life-affirming novel about death that will tickle your funny bone and tax your tear ducts.

What I’m reading this week:

All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg

The Confessions of Frannie Langton: A Novel by Sara Collins

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

Pun of the week: 

What do you call the security outside of a Samsung Store? Guardians of the Galaxy.

Here’s a kitten picture:

Fridge gremlins.

And this is funny.

TOO GOOD.

Trivia answer: Danielle Steel .

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