Author: Liberty Hardy

A New Neil Gaiman Television Series is Coming!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date September 1, 2017

Happy Monday and welcome to September! It’s such a lovely time of year. We’re gearing up for some amazing fall news, and as always, there’s lots of exciting stuff going on. I hope you find something below that piques your interest. Be excellent to each other. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Marta McDowell, published by Timber Press.

In this revealing exploration of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s deep connection with the natural world, bestselling author Marta McDowell shares intimate details about the pioneer writer, following the trail of the Little House series—from New York and Wisconsin to the Dakotas and Missouri. Excerpts from Wilder’s books, letters, and diaries bring to light a profound appreciation for the plants, animals, and landscapes at the heart of her world. Featuring the beloved illustrations by Garth Williams and Helen Sewell, The World of Ingalls Wilder is a treasure for anyone enchanted by Laura’s wild and beautiful life.

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

It co-star Jackson Robert Scott to play Bode Locke in the Locke & Key pilot.

Fall television premiere dates are out, including new and returning shows based on books!

There’s an all-female Lord of the Flies remake in the works. Or you could just read this.

New deals: Upcoming books from Justine Bateman, Ally Carter, Jill Mansell, and more.

Cover Reveals

Lovely cover for City of Bastards by Andrew Shvarts, the sequel to Royal Bastards. (Hyperion, June 5, 2018)

Gorgeous artwork design for Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew. (Apex Book Company, December 12)

Paste Magazine has the exclusive look at The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan. (Little, Brown, March 20, 2018)

Sneak Peeks!

Lockjaw-Inhumans-Poster The trailer for Marvel’s Inhumans is up. (And just look at that dog!)

Check out the trailer for Shudder: Neil Gaiman’s Likely Stories. (I hadn’t heard about this until now!)

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 I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week!

they can't kill us They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by by Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib (Two Dollar Radio, November 14): Poet, writer, and critic Willis-Abdurraqib has written a series of smart essays about music and his thoughts and feelings about it in relation to current events and culture, including the Springsteen concert he attended the day after visiting Michael Brown’s grave and seeing PDA at a Carly Rae Jepsen show. AND THAT COVER. W-o-w!

Malagash by Joey Comeau (ECW Press, Oct. 3): Comeau has written wonderful books about zombies and summer camp blood baths, but his latest release is a touching, sweet novel about a teenage girl who records her dying father’s words in the hopes of giving him immortality by turning his words into a computer virus. It’s both funny and sad, and wholly original.

And this is funny.

Some people are reeeeeeally unhappy that It is coming back. This guy is not down to clown.

New Books

Paying for Your Words, Beauty and the Alien, and More New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 28, 2017

Today is an AMAZING day for books! I have a few fantastic new titles to tell you about here today, and as always, you can also hear about several more great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including The Resurrection of Joan Ashby, The Burning Girl, and My Absolute Darling.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller.

I Needed to Win.

They Needed to Die.

Sal Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class—and the nobles who destroyed their home.

When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand—the Queen’s personal assassins, named after the rings she wears—Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.

Imagine a future where you’ll pay for what you’ve said. Literally. That’s what happens in this inventive new book! Speth Jime is set to deliver her Last Day speech. After her speech, she must pay for every word she uses. It’s the same for everyone once they turn fifteen, and a way for the government to keep people down by forcing them to work constantly to afford being able to talk. But what would happen if someone refused to speak? That’s exactly what Speth decides to do, and her actions may very well spark a revolution. I eagerly await the second book!

Backlist bump: Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge

patina Patina (Track) by Jason Reynolds

The follow-up to the wonderful National Book Award finalist Ghost. This time, it’s about Patina, a different star runner on the elite middle school track team. Patina has a lot to run from in her life, and a lot to run for – like her mom, who cannot run. But her resentments about her situation are starting to build up, and the coach is not going to put up with Patina’s bad attitude much longer. Can she find a balance and learn to work with others in order to run on the relay team. This is a wonderful story of overcoming obstacles and learning to face your problems.

Backlist bump: Ghost (Track) by Jason Reynolds

Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain’s Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre

Macintyre has a knack for finding outrageous stories from history and turning them into fascinating books that read like thrillers. This one is about the SAS, Britain’s secret fighting force that helped turn the tide of World War II and shaped how special forces units operate still to this day. I am always riveted by these tales!

Backlist bump: Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre

Zero Repeat Forever (The Nahx Invasions) by G.S. Prendergast

An exciting new fantasy series, hooray! When the Nahx invade, Raven is away at summer camp. Isolated in the woods, she must do whatever she can to survive, even if it means trusting the enemy who killed her boyfriend. When Raven is injured, she must rely on Eighth, who has deserted his Nahx unit, to help her. Think Beauty and the Beast, but with aliens (and no singing dinner service set.)

Backlist bump: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or L itsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

Book Radar

Make Way for Beyoncé’s New ($300) Book!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 25, 2017

It’s a new week with new book news! As always, there’s lots of exciting stuff going on. I hope you find something below that brightens your day and manage to get in a little reading, too. Be excellent to each other. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by A KIND OF FREEDOM by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, published by Counterpoint Press

At the height of WWII, Evelyn, a Creole woman, comes of age in New Orleans. In 1982, Evelyn’s daughter, Jackie, is a single mother grappling with her absent husband’s drug addiction. Post-Katrina, Jackie’s son, T.C., is fresh out of a four-month stint for drug charges and decides to start over―until an old friend convinces him to stake his new beginning on one last deal. For Evelyn, Jim Crow is an ongoing reality, and in its wake new threats spring up to haunt her descendants: “A poignant, deeply emotional and timely exploration of systemic racism in America” (PureWow).

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Sarong Party Girls by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan is coming to the small screen!

More additions to the Dumplin’ cast!

Beyoncé will release a $300, 600-page coffee table book.

The Discovery of Witches series has found its Matthew and Diana.

Issa Rae has joined the cast of The Hate U Give!

Common is set to star in a new series based on the Black Samurai book series.

Elizabeth Debicki and Isabella Rossellini have joined Vita & Virginia, based on the love letters of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West.

100 year old man Will Ferrell to star in The 100-Year-Old Man adaptation.

David Oyelowo has joined the cast of Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness.

And speaking of Patrick Ness, he’s writing the screenplay for the film adaptation of Anya’s Ghost.

Netflix announced the premiere date of Gerald’s Game, the film based on the novel by Stephen King.

Cover Reveals

Luis Alberto Urrea announced his next novel and revealed the cover: The House of Broken Angels. (March 6, 2018)

Jamie Quatro revealed the cover for Fire Sermon, her next novel. (January 9, 2018)

The cover for Tara Sim’s Chainbreaker, her Timekeeper sequel, is out. (November 7)

Sneak Peeks!

dirk gently The trailer for Netflix’s adaptation of The Punisher is up.

The trailer for the second season of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency looks bonkers!

Book Riot Recommends

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, November 14): This is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy set in the 18th century Middle East. And wow-ow-owza! Nahri has never believed in real magic – until she accidentally summons a mysterious djinn warrior, who tells her the tale of the legendary City of Brass. Determined to see this city for herself, Nahri embarks on a dangerous journey, one of dark court politics and deadly schemes. But what fun! The City of Brass is a stunning debut that will charm your pants off.

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press, October 3): Want to read the most blisteringly brilliant story collection of the fall? This is it! Plagues, prom dresses, houseguests, ghosts, and girls with bells for eyes are just a few of the things you’ll find on these pages. Machado’s genre-bending stories about women’s lives and the violence visited upon their bodies is a “how is this a debut??!” book, for sure, and perfect for fans of Karen Russell and Kelly Link.

And this is funny.

There was a little scandal in the YA community last week. And Preeti Chhibber made the best gif for it.

New Books

Middle School Rocks, Middle Age Slumps, and More New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 21, 2017

Today is an AMAZING day for books! The last book in William Ritter’s Jackaby series hits the shelves, Sue Grafton is finally on ‘Y‘ in the Kinsey Malone series, and it’s the release day of what will probably be my favorite book of the year: The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne!

I have a few fantastic new titles to tell you about here today, and as always, you can also hear about several more great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including The Heart’s Invisible Furies, Stay With Me, and The Futilitarians .

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin.

From the bestselling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry comes another perfect fable for our times — a story about women, choices, and recovering from mistakes. Young Jane Young’s heroine is Aviva Grossman, a Congressional intern who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her married boss — and blogging about it. She becomes a talk-show punchline; she is slut-shamed. How does one go on after this? A smart, funny, and moving novel about what it means to be a woman of any age, Young Jane Young captures our current political climate and the double standards of life for women.

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez

As if moving to a new school isn’t hard enough, twelve-year-old Malú accidentally crosses the school’s queen bee and violates the dress code on the first day. Malú wants to live by her father’s advice to be herself, but it’s hard when she’s told being herself doesn’t work at this school. So she does something she knows will help her feel better: she starts a punk band with a group of other misfits. This is a charming book about fitting in and fighting for what you believe.

Backlist bump: Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel by Diana López

The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes

Holy cats, there is so much going on in this book, it’s almost easier to just wave Muppet arms and yell, “READ IT!” than to explain it. But let me try: Molly is a teenager with a father on death row. Pepper is a Kuwaiti immigrant with epilepsy and the world’s laziest seizure dog. And Ava is a long-dead resistance fighter. Here’s how they go together: When Molly receives a mysterious package, it leads her to Pepper and a chance to solve Ava’s decades-old murder. As they race to find all the pieces of the puzzle, they’ll realize that maybe someone is leading them to the answers for their own reasons, and perhaps the answers they find are for different questions entirely. This is a big, weird, twisty novel, and I loved it!

Backlist bump: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

Eastman Was Here by Alex Gilvary

It is 1973 and Alan Eastman’s life is crumbling apart. His wife has taken their children and left him, he’s now living with his mother in New Jersey, and he feels like his best years are behind him. When he receives a call from an old rival with a job opportunity to cover the end of the Vietnam War, he sees it as a chance at redemption. But once he reaches Saigon, Eastman learns that wherever you go, there you are: He’s the same person with the same problems, just in a different country. Eastman Was Here is a darkly humorous, poignant novel about aging, love, and keeping up with a changing world, from one of today’s best young writers.

Backlist bump: From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant by Alex Gilvary

(Also out today is Brian May’s book about Queen, called Queen in 3-D, which I haven’t seen yet but I am going to buy the hell out of it! I figured some of you would also be excited about this news.)

Stay rad,

Liberty

Book Radar

GOOD OMENS, THE FIFTH SEASON, and More Exciting Adaptation News!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 18, 2017

Happy Monday, you glorious book nerds. Hope you had a great weekend and read lots of great books! Be excellent to each other. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by GONE TO DUST by Matt Goldman

A brutal crime. The ultimate cover-up. How do you solve a murder with no useable evidence?

A woman has been found murdered in her bedroom, her body covered with the dust from hundreds of emptied vacuum cleaner bags, all potential DNA evidence obscured by the calculating killer.

Praised by Lee Child as “a perfect blend of light touch and dark story,” and Harlan Coben as “Irreverent and insightful…sure to become a fan favorite,” Gone to Dust is the debut private eye murder mystery you don’t want to miss.

Start Reading Gone to Dust today!

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

cover of The Changeling by Victor LaValle The My Cousin Vinny sequel is coming to the big…book?

The Changeling by Victor LaValle to become a television series!

The sequel to Julie Murphy’s Dumplin’ has been announced: it’s Puddin’! And speaking of Dumplin’, Odeya Rush has joined the cast of the film version.

Sanaa Lathan cast as lead in Netflix’s adaptation of best-selling novel Nappily Ever After.

Bryan Fuller teased a Hannibal revival on Twitter.

Michael Sheen, David Tennant to star in Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens.

N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season to be developed as a TV series!

Ridley Scott will produce the film version of The Beast is an Animal.

St. Vincent to direct female-led film adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Amazon Studios and Warner Bros. teaming up a film version of The Goldfinch.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware is going to be a movie.

Channing Tatum will produce and star in Bloodlines, based on the upcoming book from author Melissa Del Bosque.

Cover Reveals

Here’s the cover for Reaper at the Gates, the next book in Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember In The Ashes series. (April 10, 2018)

Cover for the new Meg Wolitzer novel, The Female Persuasion, coming next year! (April 3, 2018)

Here’s the first look at Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews. (May 8, 2018)

And here’s the cover for Laura Sebastian’s Ash Princess. (April 24, 2018)

Book Riot Recommends

Phoebe and Her Unicorn in the Magic Storm by Dana Simpson (Oct. 17, Andrews McMeel Publishing): Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils are back in their sixth book, but instead of a collection of comics, this one is a graphic novel! Phoebe and Marigold must discover what is causing the town’s crazy weather and depleting the magic supply. This one has a lot more of Sam, and of Phoebe’s nemesis, Dakota (and her troll minions.) As always, it’s super charming and fun. You don’t have to have read the other books to follow this one (but omg you should!)

Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir by Amy Tan (Oct. 17, Ecco): Love the novels of Amy Tan? Then you’ll love to read about her childhood and influences. Love reading books where writers discuss their craft? Then you’ll love learning about Tan’s process and how she brings memory into her work. She’s a wonderful writer, and it’s a delight to have a work of nonfiction from her. It’s a win for everyone, really.

And This is Funny…

Game of Thrones joke + cat picture = perfection.

New Books

A Fight for Justice, Coming of Age Stories, and More New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 14, 2017

Happy Tuesday, book lovers! The hits just keep on coming. I have a few fantastic new titles to tell you about today, and as always, you can also hear about several more great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including The Mountain, Home Fire, and You Play the Girl.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin.

The shattering conclusion to the acclaimed fantasy trilogy that began with THE FIFTH SEASON, winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2016.

“Jemisin deliberately refuses to provide easy answers: they’re simply not available, in this world or ours. Painful and powerful.” —Kirkus

“Vivid characters, a tautly constructed plot, and outstanding worldbuilding meld into an impressive and timely story of abused, grieving survivors fighting to fix themselves and save the remnants of their shattered home.” —Publishers Weekly

How to Behave in a Crowd by Camille Bordas

A moving story about a tragedy in a family and the young boy who thinks he can heal them. Isidore is the youngest of six successful siblings. Living in their shadows, he hasn’t received a lot of credit for also being his own person with his own skills and interests. But when a tragedy happens, Isidore feels he has the unique skills to help his family get through it – that’s if he decides he wants to help. It’s a lovely story about a boy learning that the adults don’t always know what is best, either.

Backlist bump: Margherita Dolce Vita by Stefano Benni, Antony Shugaar (Translator)

A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

Spanning over 70 years, this powerful debut novel follows a Creole woman and her children in New Orleans as they deal with love, addiction, racism, redemption, and the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. It’s a stark look at the legacy of racial disparity in the South, as Eleanor and her family seek to make a life for themselves.

Backlist bump: Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile

Ghost of the Innocent Man: A True Story of Trial and Redemption by Benjamin Rachlin

The true story of Willie J. Grimes, an innocent man sentenced to life imprisonment in 1988 for a horrific crime, and the tireless efforts of the people who fought for over two decades to prove his innocence. It seems like there are a lot of these stories out in the world now, but it is always frightening and infuriating to hear about the prejudices and shortcomings of the justice system that allows them to happen.

Backlist bump: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Karma Khullar’s Mustache by Kristi Wientge

Wientge has taken the subject of body hair and turned it into a delightful Blume-esque tale about a young girl trying to figure out how to deal with the hairs that have grown on her lip just as she’s due to start middle school. Karma thinks her parents are too busy with their own problems, so she must deal with what she feels is going to be a horrifying experience all on her own. It’s a charming and funny story about friendship and family.

Backlist bump: The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani

Things That Happened Before the Earthquake by Chiara Barzini

A teen girl moves from Italy to Los Angeles just weeks after the 1992 riots, and must navigate the unfamiliar territory of a new culture in a new country while dealing with family problems, not to mention an earthquake. This is a smart, dark, coming-of-age novel about immigration and growing up. (I will say the opening paragraph was so WTF, I had to set it down for a while before I continued because yuck. *shudder*. )

Backlist bump: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Stay rad,

Liberty

Book Radar

EXIT WEST Movie News and More!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 11, 2017

Happy Monday, book lovers! (There has to be something good about Mondays, right?) Here’s your rundown of exciting book news! Have a fabulous week, kittens. Be excellent to each other. – xoxo, Liberty

Sponsored by IMPOSSIBLE VIEWS OF THE WORLD by Lucy Ives, published by Penguin Press

Stella Krakus, a curator at Manhattan’s renowned Central Museum of Art, is having the roughest week in approximately ever. Her soon-to-be ex-husband (the perfectly awful Whit Ghiscolmbe) is stalking her, a workplace romance with “a fascinating, hyper-rational narcissist” is in freefall, and a beloved colleague, Paul, has gone missing. Pulsing with neurotic humor and dagger-sharp prose, Impossible Views of the World is a dazzling debut novel about how to make it through your early thirties with your brain and heart intact.

DEALS, REELS, AND SQUEALS

dawn Ava DuVernay is developing Octavia Butler’s sci-fi novel Dawn as a television series!

Anna Paquin to star in Tell It To the Bees, based on the novel by Fiona Shaw.

Exit West is going to be a movie!

Riz Ahmed in talks to play popular marvel character in Venom.

Cowboy Ninja Viking with Chris Pratt stakes out June 2019 date.

COVER REVEALS

The cover for the new John Green book was revealed on Good Morning America! (Dutton Books for Young Readers, Oct. 10)

BOOK RIOT RECOMMENDS

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill (Oni Press, October 31): *Chandler Bing voice* Could this book BE any cuter? I’m thinking, nope, it could not. It has tiny DRAGONS that grow leave on their horns which people then use to make TEA. The whole concept is so adorable I could die. The world of Greta and the dragon tea makers is about as delightful and inclusive as you can get. I loved this book with the heat of a thousand suns.

Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo (Knopf, August 22): Powerful debut set in Nigeria told from the perspectives of both a husband and wife about their marriage. Yejide and Akin have always wanted to have children, but after four years of trying, Akin takes a second wife. Furious and heartbroken, Yejide believes the only way to win Akin back is to get pregnant – but at what cost? This is THE debut of the year the was Homegoing was THE debut of last year.

AND THIS IS FUNNY.

I am not only a huge fan of Heather O’Neill’s books, but I am also in love with her Twitter account.

New Books

Dark Family Legacies, A Buffy Readalike, and More New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 7, 2017

Hellooooooooooo! It’s time for another newsletter full of good stuff to read! That’s the best kind of newsletter, IMO. I have a few fantastic titles to tell you about today, and as always, you can also hear about several more great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing upcoming fall books we are excited about, such as Little Fires Everywhere, What Happened, and Sing, Unburied, Sing. (PS – Because we didn’t cover August 8 new releases on this week’s episode, I’ve included a few more titles here today. Because I love you.)

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel Wilson.

Present day: When a young anthropologist specializing in ancient technology uncovers a terrible secret concealed in the workings of a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll, she is thrown into a hidden world that lurks just under the surface of our own. With her career and her life at stake, June Stefanov will ally with a remarkable traveler who exposes her to a reality she never imagined, as they embark on an around-the-world adventure and discover breathtaking secrets of the past…

Russia, 1725: In the depths of the Kremlin, the tsar’s loyal mechanician brings to life two astonishingly humanlike mechanical beings. Peter and Elena are a brother and sister fallen out of time, possessed with uncanny power, and destined to serve great empires. Struggling to blend into pre-Victorian society, they are pulled into a legendary war that has raged for centuries.

The Clockwork Dynasty seamlessly interweaves past and present, exploring a race of beings designed to live by ironclad principles, yet constantly searching for meaning.

eat only when you're hungry Eat Only When You’re Hungry by Lindsay Hunter

An unhappy middle-aged man goes on a trip to find his missing son, but along the way, as he fills his aching heart with roadside junk food, he faces up to harsh truths about his own existence. Hunter is one of today’s smartest writers and she has written a powerful, sharp look at addiction and America.

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

After a school year away at boarding school, Suzette flies home to California to help support her stepbrother, Emil, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But things take a complicated turn when they both fall for the same girl. Little & Lion is a compassionate, honest examination of integrity and love.

The Good Daughter by Karen Slaughter

When she was a teen, Charlotte Quinn’s family were the victims of a horrific crime. Twenty-eight years later, she is witness to another tragedy that will tear her town apart, and unleash long hidden memories about her own experiences three decades before. HOLY CATS. This was my first time reading Slaughter and it was SO INTENSE. This book was fantastic – what an incredible writer! – but please be aware that its realistic depictions of violence are very graphic and can be hard to read at times.

You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Train Wrecks, & Other Mixed Messages by Carina Chocano

A fantastic book of essays using depictions of women in popular culture to explore how these images shape women, and what it is like to raise a daughter in the shadow of all the mixed messages about what it means to be a girl. Perfect for fans of Roxane Gay and Rebecca Solnit.

Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology by Ellen Ullman

Ullman has spent almost four decades working with computers, beginning in San Francisco in the 1970s as a woman in an almost entirely male-dominated field. Her 1997 book, Close to the Machine, chronicled the rise of technology, and now twenty years later Life in Code covers her thoughts on its mainstream use in everyday life and how life with computers has changed us. It’s a fascinating book!

Bibliomysteries: Stories of Crime in the World of Books and Bookstores by Otto Penzler

Penzler has rounded up some of today’s best mystery writers, including Laura Lippman and C.J. Box, for a fun collection of original book-related mysteries. This anthology is an epic nerdpurr!

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee

CALLING ALL BUFFY FANS. 16-year-old Genie Lo thought she had a lot on her plate trying to get into a good college. Then she discovers she’s a celestial spirit made for fighting demons. Now she and her BFF are fighting demons between filling out applications – but is Genie going to be able to save the town on her own? Two words: WHAT FUN.

To Lay To Rest Our Ghosts by Caitlin Hamilton Summie

Summie has written ten quiet but powerful stories about family bonds, loss, and what unmoors the human spirit. From rural Minnesota to flashy New York City and more, these are memorable tales that will bring reflection after they have ended.

The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard

I couldn’t pass up a novel blurbed by Toni Morrison! Johnny Ribkins is 72 and facing doom: he has one week to return the money he stole from his mobster boss or he’ll sleep with the fishes. But Ribkins comes from a long line of people with unusual powers. Once used for good, they now mostly use them for personal gain. And Ribkins is hoping these talents can help him get out of his predicament. What an original, delightfully odd book!

Rebellion by Molly Patterson

A multigenerational debut novel following four women and their various “rebellions” throughout in their lives. At the heart of the book is a mystery about Addie, an American missionary who goes missing during the Boxer Rebellion. Rebellion is a powerful story of family, fate, that explores the women’s hidden secrets and their determination to take control of their own destinies.

Darkansas by Jarret Middleton

Jordan is a flailing country musician who can never seem to get out from under the shadow of his legendary father. When a wedding brings him back to his hometown in the Ozarks, he learns a dark secret: In his family, every generation of men have been twins, and it is customary for one twin to kill their father. Jordan and his brother must fight to escape the family legacy as they are pursued by a mysterious hill dweller. This dark, original tale is perfect for fans of Donald Ray Pollock and Harry Crews. It also has my vote for best title of the year.

The Locals by Jonathan Dee

Mark Firth is a down-on-his-luck contractor who seeks a chance to repair his lost finances and support his family by buying up local properties in debt. But his investment decisions and partnerships will lead him down a path of greed and class division, and force Mark to confront the man he has become.The Locals is a timely look at wealth and inequality in a small town, as captured by the always amazing Dee.

Stay rad,

Liberty

Book Radar

Sweet Valley High Movie News and More!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 4, 2017

Welcome to another Monday rundown of exciting book news! Hope your summer is going swimmingly. Be excellent to each other. – xoxo, Liberty

DEALS, REELS, AND SQUEALS

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley is being made into a television series, with Stephanie Meyer signed on as executive producer.

The Hate U Give film adds Russell Hornsby and Lamar Johnson to its cast.

The film version of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation gets a 2018 release date.

Anthony Bourdain is releasing a comic called Hungry Ghosts.

AMC is turning Sarai Walker’s Dietland into a series, as well as shows based on Ted Chaing’s short story Liking What You See: A Documentary and Victor LaValle’s novella The Ballad of Black Tom.

The Legally Blonde writer is working on a Sweet Valley High movie!

Film rights to Hannah Kent’s The Good People have been acquired by the production company behind Lion.

Brad Pitt’s production company will turn Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler into a film.

The City & The City is coming to TV in 2018. (This is apparently old news, but I just heard about it, so it totes counts.)

The Netflix adaptation of Suburra to air in autumn.

COVER REVEALS

Cosmopolitan has the first look at Alyssa Cole’s A Princess in Theory. (Feb. 27, 2018)

Angie Thomas interviewed Arvin Ahmadi in EW about his forthcoming book Down and Across, and they revealed the cover. (Jan. 30, 2018)

SNEAK PEEKS!

The trailer for the remake of Death Wish has dropped. Did you know the original film was based on a book by Brian Garfield?

Netflix released the trailer for its new series, Mindhunter, based on the book by John Douglas. It stars Jonathan Groff, and all I kept thinking while I watched it was, “I will kill your friends and family…“

BOOK RIOT RECOMMENDS

bluebird bluebird Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke (Mulholland Books, Sept. 12): This novel is fantastic! Instead of Jay Porter, her lawyer character, this one stars Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger. Mathews must solve two murders – a visiting black lawyer and a local white woman – that have occurred in the sleepy little town of Lark before tensions between the citizens explode into violence. A timely look at race, law enforcement, and justice.

Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (Catapult, Oct. 3): This was just longlisted for the Man Booker prize, and for good reason: It’s an extraordinarily well-written look at community and tragedy. In a small English village, a girl goes missing, and doesn’t reappear. As the seasons pass by and the case is not resolved, McGregor details how the village both comes together and fractures. It’s a chronicle of 13 years of births, deaths, secrets and violence. It’s quite a stunner.

AND THIS IS FUNNY

Jomny Sun is always a delight.

New Books

First Tuesday in August New Books Megalist!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date July 31, 2017

BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS! It’s the first Tuesday of the month, which means there are a bunch of new titles out today. I’ve got a big list for you below, and you can hear about a few of these books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about amazing books we loved, such as See What I Have Done, Mrs. Fletcher, and Sour Heart.

And like last time, I’m putting a next to the books that I have read and loved. There are soooo many more I can’t wait to read!

Sponsored by Elizabeth Singer Hunt, author of THE SECRET AGENT JACK AND MAX STALWART series, published by Weinstein Books. A member of Hachette Book Group.

For fans of the award-winning SECRET AGENT JACK STALWART comes a new chapter book series! Jack teams up with his older brother, Max, to solve international mysteries, using their special training as secret agents.

In THE BATTLE FOR THE EMERALD BUDDHA, Jack is temporarily retired from the Global Protection Force and on family vacation. However, Jack and Max are motivated to act when a band of thieves takes the Emerald Buddha from the Grand Palace in Bangkok. On their own, up against one of the smartest and wealthiest villains they’ve ever faced, can the brothers find Thailand’s treasure in time?

Impossible Views of the World by Lucy Ives