Author: Liberty Hardy

Hello and welcome to another Monday! We book lovers are in the middle of a great time for new releases and book news. So many great things have come out or been announced in the last few weeks. It’s an epic nerdpurr! Thanks for joining me again. I hope you are reading something wonderful. And please be kind to yourself as well as others, and remember that life is hard – you are doing a great job! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse (pronounced luh-see) and Revell (pronounced rah-vell) Books, a Division of Baker Publishing Group.

The things that tear us apart can also bring us together With America’s entrance into World War II, the town of Blackberry Springs, Alabama, has exploded virtually overnight. Workers from all over are coming south for jobs in Uncle Sam’s munitions plants—and they’re bringing their pasts with them, right into Dolly Chandler’s grand but fading family home turned boardinghouse. A struggling young couple from the Midwest, unemployed professors from Chicago, a widower from Mississippi, and a shattered young veteran struggling to heal from the war are all hoping Dolly’s house will help them find their way back to the lives they left behind. But the house has a past of its own. When tragedy strikes, Dolly’s only hope will be the circle of friends under her roof and their ability to discover the truth about what happened to a young bride who lived there a century before.

Here’s this week’s trivia question: Albert Finney starred in Tom Jones, which was an adaptation of The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. Who wrote the novel? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

A film version of Wicked is coming in 2021.

Elizabeth Acevedo announced two upcoming novels. She’s also going to be in Patrice Caldwell’s just-announced anthology.

These just-announced Tor Teen titles sound amazing.

A new true crime book details Stieg Larsson’s investigation into Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme’s 1986 assassination.

Jac Jemc announced a story collection, coming in October.

And Maggie Stiefvater announced the beginning of a new trilogy, coming in November.

The Bill Clinton/James Patterson novel, The President is Missing, is going to be a Showtime series.

Sigourney Weaver will star in an adaptation of Joanna Rakoff’s book My Salinger Year.

Cover Reveals

Book Riot has the exclusive look at the cover of My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, Ibi Zoboi’s upcoming middle grade novel. (Dutton Books for Young Readers, August 27)

Tor.com tweeted a thread of all the amazing new covers they’ve revealed lately.

And here’s a look at Five Dark Fates, the last book in Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns series. (HarperTeen, September 3)

Sneak Peeks

Here’s the new trailer for the new adaptation of Pet Sematary. (It’s kinda spoilery, so don’t watch if you don’t want to know the big change.)

And here’s the first trailer for the new Shaft film. (Did you know Shaft was originally a novel from 1970?)

Annnnd here’s the first trailer for the third season of The Handmaid’s Tale.

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:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday, November 5)

I’m terribly sorry to rub this in, but I read this novel, and it IS indeed as wonderful and magical as you hope it will be. Without giving too much away, it’s about a young man who finds an old book at the library where he goes to college, and when he starts reading it, he discovers there’s a story in it about him when he was young. What does this mean? How did the author of the book know? Who IS the author? And what is the Starless Sea? What follows is a delightful journey, one that I can’t wait for everyone else to read. November will be here before you know it, I promise.

What I’m reading this week.

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

Notes to Self: Essays by Emilie Pine

Book joke of the week:

“I am writing to apply for the position of bookkeeper. Attached, you will find my list of qualifications. I have been keeping books for four years now, and I am never going to give them back.” – Joey Comeau

Here’s a kitten picture: The cute, it burns!

And this is funny.

Ohmygoodness.

Trivia answer: Henry Fielding.

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

THANK GOODNESS YOU’RE HERE. I have so much to tell you! It’s only Wednesday as I write this, but what a week it has been already! I’m super-excited to share all kinds of fun stuff with you today. Which is now Thursday as you read this. (Is it any wonder I never know what day of the week it is several times a day, lol.) Please enjoy the rest of your week, be kind to yourself as well as others, and remember that life is hard – you are doing a great job! – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by Flatiron Books

Enchantée by Gita Trelease transports readers to the glittering and magical world of 1870s Paris. After her parents die, Camille must find a way to provide for her sister by transforming scraps of metal into money. But soon she begins to pursue a more dangerous mark: the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Camille transforms herself into a baroness and is swept up into life at Versailles. She meets a handsome young inventor, and begins to believe that love and liberty may both be possible. But magic has costs, and when revolution erupts, Camille must choose—before Paris burns.

Trivia question time! What does the J.K. mean in J.K. Rowling?
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Michael B. Jordan has nabbed the film rights to Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James!

Stephen King announced a new novel for September: The Institute.

Mira Jacob’s memoir Good Talk is going to be a television series!

S.A. Chakraborty revealed the title of the third book in her Daevabad Trilogy.

Fox is adapting On the Come Up by Angie Thomas for the big screen.

FX orders Y: The Last Man adaptation to series.

Spike Lee is producing Son of the South, based on the Bob Zellner memoir The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement.

JD Salinger’s unseen writings are to be published.

Christopher Golden’s Ararat is going to be a television series!

Veronica Roth is back this fall with The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future.

Netflix is turning Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her into a series.

Cover Reveals

I am so in love with this cover: Here’s the reveal of Jami Attenberg’s All This Could Be Yours. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 22)

Rick Riordan shared three covers for upcoming titles from Rick Riordan Presents: The Fire Keeper (A Storm Runner Novel, Book 2) by J.C. Cervantes (September 17), Race To the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (October 15), and Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia. (Winter 2020)

Epic Reads revealed the cover for Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin. (HarperTeen, September 3)

And Scholastic had the first peek at Child of the Dream (A Memoir of 1963) by Sharon Robinson. (Scholastic Press, September 3)

Sneak Peeks

The teaser trailers for Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark aired this weekend. And he also shared the movie poster.

And here’s the first trailer for the adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s The Sun Is Also a Star.

And a new Captain Marvel trailer aired during the Super Bowl.

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 Book of Lost Saints by Daniel José Older (Imprint, November 5, 2019)

DJO is a machine! I think he’s putting out two or three books a year now. His last several have been middle grade and young adult books (which are still perfectly great for adults), but this is one is actually written for grown-ups. It’s about a foul-mouthed spirit who visits her nephew in New Jersey, prompting him to examine his Cuban family’s history. And I am SO here for cursing ghosts!

What I’m reading this week.

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li

Notes to Self: Essays by Emilie Pine

And this is funny.

Elizabeth McCracken, always Elizabeth McCracken.

Trivia answer: Joanne Kathleen.

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

Ready or not, it’s Monday! Time to kick off another week of reading. I hope you had a great weekend, and your team won the Super Bowl. Say hello to your pets for me, and please be kind to yourself as well as others, and remember that life is hard – and you are doing a great job! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by THE ME I MEANT TO BE and HMH Teen

Best friends Willa and Flor have every intention of sticking to their girl code—but some rules are meant to be broken in this swoony, contemporary romance about finding yourself and following your heart by New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan. For fans of Jenny Han, Kasie West, and Stephanie Perkins.

Here’s this week’s trivia question: Who wrote the surreal novel Tarantula? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Reese Witherspoon’s February book club pick is The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory.

The Wheel of Time TV series will start production in the fall.

Sady Doyle, author of Trainwreck, announced a new book.

The new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand is headed to CBS All Access.

Representative Ilhan Omar is writing a memoir.

Netflix is adapting Spiderhead, a short story by George Saunders.

Javier Bardem joins Denis Villenueve’s Dune adaptation.

Cover Reveals

Alyssa Cole revealed the cover for Can’t Escape Love: A Reluctant Royals Novella. (HarperCollins, March 19)

And here’s the first peek at The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. It’s the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. (Nan A. Talese, September 10)

Sneak Peeks

Here’s the teaser for Netflix’s adaptation of The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo.

Here’s the first trailer for Shrill, based on Lindy West’s book. (FYI: That’s Rioter Wallace Yovetich’s awesome brother, Luka Jones, playing Aidy Bryant’s boyfriend!)

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:

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob (One World, March 26)

Yes, I have mentioned this everywhere, and yes, I am talking about it again. Because it’s wonderful! Jacobs took real conversations she had with her young son about race, love, sexuality, family, and more, and illustrated them. The combination makes a heartfelt, funny, and important book.

What I’m reading this week.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Opioid, Indiana by Brian Allen Carr

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay

Book joke of the week:

The high school music teacher was quite controversial. He told his students to read band books.

Here’s a kitten picture: They are mayhem.

And this is funny.

I laughed so hard I woke my boyfriend up.

Trivia answer: Bob Dylan.

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

Hello and happy almost-Friday! Besides the fact that the planet is trying to freeze the middle of the country out of existence, it’s been a pretty good week. (Hang in there!) There are lots of great new books to read, which is always exciting! Please enjoy the rest of your week, be kind to yourself as well as others, and remember that life is hard – you are doing a great job! – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by Amazon Publishing

When the granddaughter of one of Florida’s most powerful judges disappears, it triggers a personal trauma for a detective. Brianna Labuskes returns with Girls of Glass the thrilling follow-up to Amazon Charts bestseller It Ends With Her.

Trivia question time! “It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.” This is the first line of what book? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Megan Abbott’s Dare Me is headed to Netflix!

Oscar Issac is in talks to join the cast of Dune – as Timothée Chalamet’s dad. Zendaya is also considering joining.

Erika L. Sánchez announced a new book.

More actors have been announced for HBO’s Series adaptation of The Outsiders by Stephen King.

Gillian Flynn’s new female-led drama series has found a home at Amazon.

There’s going to be a Throne of Glass card game.

Elizabeth Banks will direct the adaptation Kim Liggett’s upcoming novel The Grace Year.

Cover Reveals

Book Riot has the first peek at Unraveling by Karen Lord. (DAW, June 4)

Former Teen Vogue editor Elaine Welteroth revealed the cover of her new book More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say). (Viking, June 11)

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:

Rule of Capture by Christopher Brown (Harper Voyager, August 13)

I loved, loved, loved his last novel, Tropic of Kansas, and this one sounds like another “America is a hot mess” dystopia. It’s the first in a legal thriller series, being pitched as “Better Call Saul meets Nineteen Eighty-Four.” I am dying to get my hands on it!

What I’m reading this week.

York: The Clockwork Ghost by Laura Ruby

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay

Opioid, Indiana by Brian Allen Carr

And this is funny.

This guy wins the internet this week.

Trivia answer: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

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

What do we want?

BOOKS.

When do we want them?

SHH I’M TRYING TO READ.

Happy Monday, readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and read something awesome. As always, I have some fun stuff to share with you today. Please be kind to yourself as well as others, and remember that life is hard – and you are doing a great job! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by The Familiars by Stacey Halls and MIRA Books.

Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth, noblewoman of one of the finest houses in Lancashire, is pregnant for the fourth time, having been unable to carry a baby to term so far. When Fleetwood finds a hidden letter from the doctor who delivered her last stillbirth, she learns of the prediction that she will not survive another pregnancy. By chance she meets a midwife who promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby and prove the physician wrong. As the midwife, Alice, is drawn into the witchcraft accusations sweeping the area, Fleetwood must risk everything to help clear her name. Historians have asked, “was witch-hunting woman-hunting?” THE FAMILIARS explores the themes of women’s rights in this period, many of which still resonate today.

Here’s this week’s trivia question: What was the name of the real-life inspiration for “Alice” in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Kat Howard is writing a sequel to An Unkindness of Magicians.

Sandra Bullock teaming up with Netflix again for Reborn.

A modern-day retelling of Anna Karenina is being made into a series with a Korean-American lead. It’s based on the YA novel Anna K by Jenny Lee.

A new Nancy Drew series is coming to the CW.

E.L. James announced a new book – and it isn’t about the Greys.

CNN’s Jim Acosta is writing a book on the current administration.

The second season of She-Ra: Princess of Power is coming to Netflix April 26.

USA picks up Briarpatch anthology series starring Rosario Dawson.

Cover Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal of the anthology Color Outside the Lines, edited by Sangu Mandanna. (Soho Teen, November)

Here’s the first look at The Grace Year by Kim Liggett (Wednesday Books, September 17)

Tor Books revealed the cover of Longer by Michael Blumlein. (Tor.com, May 28)

And here’s the first look at The Undefeated by Una McCormack, a feminist space opera. (Tor.com, May 14)

GQ has the first look at fashion designer Dapper Dan’s memoir. (Random House, July 9)

And I Read YA revealed *eight* upcoming covers of books being released in the fall.

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:

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, June 25)

I was super excited to read this book based on the description, and it was completely warranted enthusiasm, because WOW. This is a fabulous YA novel set in modern-day Seoul, about a young woman named for Gu Miyoung. Miyoung is a Gumiho, a nine-tailed fox, who must eat the souls of men to survive. I mean, do I even need to say more?? Okay, I will: Miyoung must choose between her immortal life or staying with the boy she loves. Who, I might add, she met when she saved him from a murderous goblin. I mean COME ON. Nine-tailed foxes, murderous goblins…this book is A+++ fun.

What I’m reading this week.

Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain by Danny Goldberg

Patsy: A Novel by Nicole Dennis-Benn

Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett

Book joke of the week:

Why are first books afraid of their sequels? Because they always come after them.

Weekly kitten picture: Kitten tarts.

Trivia answer: Alice Liddell.

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

Welcome back, book fans! I have a few great things to tell you today, and I want to remind you that this weekend is the 24-in-48 Readathon. It’s really fun, and there’s still time to sign up! For those of you who have never participated, 24-in-48 means trying to read 24 of the 48 hours. But however many hours you read is great – the main goal is to spend time reading. Because there’s nothing better than that! Whatever you decide to do, please be kind to yourself as well as others, and remember that life is hard – you are doing a great job! – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by our Unusual Suspects giveaway of $100 to the bookstore of your choice!

We’re giving away $100 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter to win by signing up for Unusual Suspects, our mystery/thriller newsletter about new releases, book recommendations, book deals, and more. Enter here.

P.S. Should there be a weekly kitten picture? Here’s one, just in case.

Trivia question time! What is the name of Long John Silver’s parrot? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Syfy has renewed The Magicians for a fifth season.

Eve Ewing is writing another story in the Marvelverse.

Tor Books is releasing Robert Jordan’s never-before-seen first novel.

Harlequin have launched a creator fund for the Feel Good Project, for works that are – wait for it – feel-good.

Congratulations to Rioter Eric Smith! His new novel, Reclaim the Sun, is coming in 2020.

Two USA Today bestselling vampire series optioned for the small screen.

The Wizard of Oz will return to theaters for its 80th anniversary.

And BlacKKKlansman, based on the memoir by Ron Stallworth, is returning to theaters after garnering six Academy Award nominations.

Cover Reveals

Here’s the first look at Alphabet Squadron (Star Wars) by Alexander Freed. (Del Rey, June 11)

And here’s another amazing cover: Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite. (Inkyard Press, September 3)

Here’s the beautiful cover of Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 8)

And here’s a cover reveal and a sneak peek at Wicked Fox by Kat Cho. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, June 25)

Sneek Peeks

Ellen revealed the first trailer for the new Nancy Drew movie.

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:

Aru Shah and the Song of Death (Pandava Series) by Roshani Chokshi (Rick Riordan Presents, April 30)

I loved the first Aru Shah book so flippin’ much. It’s so inventive, and action-packed, and I loved the cranky pigeon sidekick. He’s very Zazu. And Aru Shah is a great character! She’s very realistic, and I appreciate that she’s flawed, because heroes who don’t make mistakes are boring. So you can bet I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on this one! If you didn’t read the first one, I HIGHLY recommend it.

What I’m reading this week.

Patsy: A Novel by Nicole Dennis-Benn

Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain by Danny Goldberg

What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break Their Silence by Michele Filgate

And this is funny.

Having three cats in the house now reminded me of my favorite New Yorker piece. (Slightly NSFW.)

Trivia answer: Captain Flint.

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

Happy Monday, you glorious humans! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and that you didn’t get too much snow. Er, assuming you are somewhere that gets snow. (If you are not, I am so jealous of you right now.) (Unless you live somewhere with scorpions.) Enjoy your upcoming week, be kind to yourself as well as others, and remember that I love you and I like you. – xoxo, Liberty

P.S. Here is a kitten standing on a book.

Sponsored by Libby, the one-tap reading app from your library and OverDrive

Meet Libby. The award-winning reading app that makes sure you always have something to read. It’s like having your entire library right in your pocket. Download the app today and get instant access to thousands of ebooks and audiobooks for free thanks to your public library and OverDrive.

Here’s this week’s trivia question: What private investigator lives in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

The fantasy novel Empire of Sand has been optioned for television.

Mary H. K. Choi confirmed that she has a new book on the way.

Huzzah! Former Rioter Preeti Chhibber is writing a Spider-Man: Far from Home tie-in for Marvel!

The release date for Where’d You Go, Bernadette? has been pushed back.

NBC orders Lincoln pilot based on Jeffrey Deaver’s The Bone Collector books.

Cover Reveals

Here’s the first peek at The Beautiful, Renée Ahdieh’s new vampire novel.

And here’s the lovely cover of They Could Have Named Her Anything by Stephanie Jimenez.

Here’s the first look at The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde. (Tor.com, June 4)

And EW has the first look at the new Laura Lippman: Lady in the Lake. (William Morrow, July 23)

Sneak Peeks

Here’s the first look at Gone, featuring Chris Noth, based on One Kick by Chelsea Cain.

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:

Science Comics: Cats: Nature and Nurture by Andy Hirsch (First Second, August 13)

I was delighted by the wonderful illustrations and all the information in the book, but my favorite part is when Hirsch poses the question: Are house cats domesticated? And his answer is pretty much, “LOLOLOL, NOPE.” Basically, if your cat was big enough, it would eat you, no matter how well you get along.

What I’m reading this week.

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob

Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence edited by Michele Filgate

Book joke of the week:

A guy walks into a library.

Guy: Can I have a burger and some fries?

Librarian: Sir, this is a library.

Guy: Right, sorry. *whispers* Can I have a burger and some fries?

Trivia answer: Kinsey Millhone.

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