Author: Liberty Hardy

New Books for the First Tuesday of September!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date September 6, 2022

Sponsored by

Hello, star bits! I hope you got lots of rest last night, because you’re going to use all your energy spending the rest of the day looking at all the titles out today! At the top of my list of books to buy are Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley (surprise, surprise), What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, and Plagues and Pencils: A Year of Pandemic Sketches by Edward Carey. This is shaping up to be my busiest month yet, with events and work meetings, so I hope I can find time to read them!

Now, today’s books: I do these first Tuesday megalists because the first Tuesday of each month has so many new releases, and it’s fun to round some of them up. Below, you’ll find titles (loosely) broken up into several categories, to make it easier for your browsing convenience. I hope you have fun with it! And as with each first Tuesday newsletter, I am putting a asterisks *** next to the books that I have had the chance to read and loved.

And speaking of today’s great books, for this week’s episode of All the Books! Danika and I discussed some of the wonderful books that we’ve read, such as Killers of a Certain Age, The Weight of Blood, Year of the Tiger, and more.

Biography and Memoir

Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life by Alice Wong

Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

On the Ledge: A Memoir by Amy Turner

They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi, Dena Takruri

All the Women in My Brain: And Other Concerns by Betty Gilpin

Boy with the Bullhorn: A Memoir and History of ACT UP New York by Ron Goldberg

A Visible Man: A Memoir by Edward Enninful

Fiction

The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West ***

The Bad Angel Brothers by Paul Theroux

On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton ***

Sacrificio by Ernesto Mestre-Reed

Ithaca by Claire North

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell***

Book of Extraordinary Tragedies by Joe Meno

What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri

The Attic Child by Lola Jaye

No Windmills in Basra by Diaa Jubaili, Chip Rossetti (translator)

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh ***

The Unfolding by A.M. Homes

The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland

The Means by Amy Fusselman

Unleashed by Cai Emmons

If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery***

The Family Izquierdo by Rubén Degollado***

The Deceptions by Jill Bialosky

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

History

American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper by Daniel Stashower

The Red Widow: The Scandal that Shook Paris and the Woman Behind it All by Sarah Horowitz

Off with Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power by Eleanor Herman

Middle Grade

The Curse on Spectacle Key by Chantel Acevedo

1-2-3-4, I Declare a Thumb War by Lisi Harrison and Daniel Kraus

Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution by Sherri Winston

Eden’s Everdark by Karen Strong

A Pocket Full of Posies by Shawn Sarles

Attack of the Black Rectangles by A. S. King***

What We Saw by Mary Downing Hahn

My Buddy, Killer Croc by Sara Farizan and Nicoletta Baldari

Sweet and Sour by Debbi Michiko Florence

The Replacement by Lindsey Duga

Shot Clock by Caron Butler and Justin A. Reynolds

Moonflower by Kacen Callender

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Young Adult

The Sunbearer Trials (The Sunbearer Duology) by Aiden Thomas***

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories by Yamile Saied Méndez (Editor), Amparo Ortiz (Editor), Ricardo López Ortiz (Illustrator)

Daughters of the Dawn by Sasha Nanua and Sarena Nanua

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix (Remixed Classics, 5) by Anna-Marie McLemore***

Destination Unknown by Bill Konigsberg

Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson***

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week: I’m currently reading The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland, Cat + Gamer Volume 2 by Wataru Nadatani, and Community Board by Tara Conklin. Outside of books, I’m back to watching Over the Garden Wall again (over and over and over) while I do data entry. And the song stuck in my head is this amazing cover of Cher’s “Believe” by Lucy Dacus. (She is the best. THE. BEST.) And because it was Ginger Cat Appreciation Day lately, here’s a throwback to my orange monsters when they were just wee monsters.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty ❤️

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 29, 2022

Sponsored by

It’s Tuesday, so you know what that means—time to overload your TBR with new releases! This last Tuesday in August is full of exciting titles. Topping my list of books to buy today are Diary of a Misfit: A Memoir and a Mystery by Casey Parks, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets by Jenifer Lewis (I saw a ten-minute author event with her and she made me both laugh and cry in that time), and The Dragon’s Promise (Six Crimson Cranes) by Elizabeth Lim. And don’t forget, the Bunnicula graphic novel hits shelves today! It’s super-adorbs and you should definitely pick it up. *stares intensely at you in carrot speak*

You can hear about more of today’s new releases on this week’s episode of All the Books! where Kelly joined me for a rare fifth Tuesday and we discussed the best books we read for this week and more, including Daisy Darker, Seton Girls, and Suburban Hell. And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants.

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

Dead Flip by Sara Farizan

I hate to say it but…summer is practically over, my friends. This is a great YA book to kick off the fall and also give you some Stranger Things vibes. In 1987, Cori, Maz, and Sam were the closest of friends, spending much of their time at the arcade. But then Sam went missing. Now it’s five years later, and Cori and Maz are in high school. Sam’s disappearance has never been solved, and it has been hard on a lot of people. Then suddenly Sam shows up again—but he’s still twelve years old. Something supernatural is going on and it’s not finished with their small town yet. Can the group of friends, old and new, get to the bottom of the weirdness? This book is lots of fun and chock full of nostalgia! I was like, “I remember that! And that! And that…” (CW for racism, homophobia, violence, child harm, and animal harm.)

Backlist bump: If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

I am leaning heavily into fantasy reads the last couple of weeks, so I picked this up because I can’t resist a Goblin Emperor comp. And I was not disappointed! In this world of Arasht, the princes have the ability to taste metals with the touch of their fingers. Kadou is one such prince. After the shy prince is humiliated by the father of the queen’s child, he agrees to lead an important investigation to prove his loyalty. With the help of his handsome new bodyguard, Evemer, what starts as a look into a seeming break-in uncovers a vast conspiracy at the court—and some complicated feelings between Kadou and Evemer! This is a fabulous enemies-to-lovers high fantasy romance adventure! (Plus lots more adjectives but we’re short on space, lol.) (CW for anxiety and mental illness, violence, murder, and chemical use.)

Backlist bump: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Stories to Keep You Alive Despite Vampires by Ben Acker, illustrated by Scott Buoncristiano

Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark fans, take note! As I may have said, I am so excited about fall books and the upcoming Halloween reading season. So here’s a delightful new middle grade story collection! These are age-appropriate and still scary stories to delight readers of all ages. There’s ghosts, vampires, werewolves, beasts, hauntings, bugs, and more. Scary + funny + wonderfully illustrated = a new collection for a new generation. (Full disclosure: I used to babysit Scott Buoncristiano’s little brother when I was in high school. I haven’t seen him in over three decades, but I was unsurprised and happy to to learn he’s made a career out of his art.)

Backlist bump: Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker, illustrated by Junyi Wu

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week, I am reading House of Cotton by Monica Brashears and The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi, which is her first novel for adults! Outside of books, I have been rewatching Regular Show. And the song stuck in my head is “Am I Wrong” by Love Spit Love. I’m also into listening to music from the 1980s while I play WoW and I started a playlist. It now has over 900 songs and you can listen here! And here is your weekly cat picture: I don’t know how this can possibly be comfortable, but Farrokh loves to sleep like this.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 22, 2022

Sponsored by

Happy new release day to all who celebrate! I hope you are having a fabulous Tuesday, and are reading something wonderful. I am here to tempt your brain with more reading material. (IT’S NEVER ENOUGH!) Topping my list of books to buy today are The Silverberg Business by Robert Freeman Wexler, Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley (because lol that title), Day Boy by Trent Jamieson, and Perma Red by Debra Magpie Earling. (I CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH!)

You can hear about more of today’s new releases on this week’s episode of All the Books! where Patricia and I discussed the best books we read for this week and more, including The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, To Catch a Raven, and Babel. And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants.

Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Gurnah is the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, for good reason. This is a sweeping epic about a young boy who was stolen by German troops in east Africa and raised to fight his own people. When Ilyas eventually returns home, he finds his family in pieces. Eventually his fate will cross with other young people trying to find their way in a fractured world. It’s a work about brutality and beauty. (CW for racism, colonization, slavery, violence, trauma, illness, and death.)

Backlist bump: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R. F. Kuang

I mentioned this on the show and then read it this weekend and had to tell you about it here, too, because it’s so good. It’s a fantasy novel set at Oxford in the 19th century. Robin Swift is an orphan who is brought from China to England, where he is educated at Oxford. Robin’s to work on Babel, the center for magic and translation. Silver is used in the work of translation and it helps the British remain a major world power, which also enables colonialism. Eventually, when Britain declares war on China, Robin wonders if he can help his homeland from the inside. (CW for violence and murder, loss of a loved one, child abuse, sexism, racism, colonization, chemical use, and suicide.)

Backlist bump: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Perish by LaToya Watkins

And last but not least, this powerful debut about family, love, and intergenerational trauma. It follows Helen Jean, the matriarch of the Turner family, as she is on her death bed, and how her choices affected those around her. As her family gathers around her, their long-held secrets come to light. Told in alternating chapters, Watkins explores familial hurts and how the Turners work towards a better future. (CW for racism, violence, chemical use, child abuse, sexual assault, incest, and suicide.)

Backlist bump: The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week, I am reading How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. Outside of books, I’m still into playing World of Warcraft and I am looking forward to watching the first episode of House of the Dragons soon. (Rhys Ifans 5-eva!) And the song stuck in my head is “Playboy Mommy” by Tori Amos (from my favorite Tori album.) I’m also into listening to music from the 1980s while I play WoW and I started a playlist. It now has over 900 songs and you can listen here! And here is your weekly cat picture: Zevon is ready for his close-up.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 15, 2022

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, star bits! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I spent it trying to cram as many books as I could into my brain pan. I received a plethora of incredible titles last week, which made it really hard to choose what to read. So I started about ten of them, ha ha, including White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link, Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, Megan McDowell (Translator), The Ferryman by Justin Cronin, and Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson. You can see many of them here so you can get them down on your TBR. You know how I love to spread the word about upcoming books!

As for today’s books, I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is that I did not read many of today’s books that I enjoyed enough to pass along, so I am sharing three that I am excited to read. The good news is that after this week, publishing starts ramping up again for a huge fall, in which I have read so many of the books. So thanks for coming on this journey with me, and I promise, there will be more recommendations that I have read next week. You can hear about some of today’s new releases on this week’s episode of All the Books! where Tirzah and I discussed the best books we read for this week and more, including Complicit, Tumble, and Acting Class. And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants.

Stories from The Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana

I can’t wait to pick this up, because you know how I love interconnected stories! Each of the stories in this debut collection is about a tenant in the Banneker Homes, a low-income high rise in Harlem. Fofana looks at their lives separately, including their hopes and dreams, as well as how their paths cross in the building.

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

And I did start this dark YA thriller recently, because Danika gave it such a rave review on All the Books! and WOW was she right about the beginning. It opens with a teen trying to kill her brother in his bed, and then goes back to examine what could have driven her to such an act. The quest for answers will lead him to a prestigious summer academy, home of a mysterious group called The Honeys. I will definitely be getting back to this soon!

Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis by Beth Macy

And last but not least, this important work of nonfiction. A few years ago, Macy examined the opioid crisis in America in Dopesick (which has since become an award-winning series). Now, in Raising Lazarus, she dives deeper into the epidemic, highlighting the people on the front lines working to combat the crisis and offer help to those who need it. I don’t know anyone whose life hasn’t been touched in some way by the opioid crisis, and I will definitely be buying a copy of this next time I’m at the bookstore.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week, I am reading What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall at the moment, but like I mentioned, I have about ten other books going, because I want to read everything all at once. Outside of books, I have been playing a bit of World of Warcraft in the middle of the night. It’s a great time to play! And the song stuck in my head is “Just Like Honey” by The Jesus and Mary Chain. I’m into listening to music from the 1980s while I play WoW and I started a playlist this weekend of songs I thought I’d like to hear and the next thing I knew, it had over 700 songs. You can listen here! And here is your weekly cat picture: Zevon is demonstrating how he is able to get away with murder: by being the cutest.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 8, 2022

Sponsored by

Hello, friends! I hope you are well. It has been a very eventful weekend for me. I rescued a bird and I read two amazing books: The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean and Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton. And now as I write this, it is Sunday night, and I am getting ready to start A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher. There’s something about this disgusting heatwave we’ve been having here in Maine that makes me want to read horror more than ever, even before bed. But I’m sure I will chicken out at some point and pick something else up instead — she writes scary stuff!

As for today’s books: At the very top of my list of new releases for this week to acquire are Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe by David Maraniss, Mother in the Dark by Kayla Maiuri, and Moth by Melody Razak. And on this week’s episode of All the Books! Vanessa and I discussed the best books we read for this week and more, including The Women Could Fly, You’re Invited, and I’m Glad My Mom Died. And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants.

A Map for the Missing by Belinda Huijuan Tang

As it happens occasionally, I did not read and love as many of this week’s books as I hoped. So I am kicking it off with this novel, which I just started. It excellent so far, so it seemed worth mentioning it to you. It’s a debut novel about a man living in America who returns home to China when his father goes missing. This will reconcile him not only with his estranged mother, but a childhood friend he hasn’t seen in many years. If the rest of the book is as good as the beginning, this will be an excellent read!

Backlist bump: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

Healing a Divided Nation: How the American Civil War Revolutionized Western Medicine by Carole Adrienne

And this is a little Liberty wheelhouse-y, given my interest in reading about the American Civil War, but it’s always fun to learn! Treatment for illness and injury at the start of the war was archaic and horrifying. Adrienne documents the crucial strides that were made in medicine during the four years of the Civil War, helping more soldiers survive and revolutionizing medicine in general. Though sometimes gross and shocking, this is a great book for people who love reading about history.

Backlist bump: This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust

Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer

Dara Rabinowitz is the creator and CEO of the popular Jewish dating app J-Mate. And while she helps many, many people find love, she herself hasn’t had much luck. When her bubbe shares her private list of the qualities in a perfect husband on national television, everything changes. News anchor Chris Steadfast decides helping Dara find love will be good for his show’s ratings. But there’s the chance he just might fall for her himself. Could Dara be interested in someone who doesn’t check any of the boxes on her list?

Backlist bump: The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week: Like I mentioned, I am reading A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher, as well as Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Outside of books, I have been spending a lot of time watching all the nature in my yard again and rooting for a rogue sunflower that has decided to grow in the middle of our yard. The song stuck in my head is “The Authority Song” by Jimmy Eat World. And here is your weekly cat picture: Zevon is taking advantage of the rare day I spent out of my office last week. (That’s his favorite position to be in, which I call the Steve Holt.)

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty

New Books

New Books for the First Tuesday of August!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date August 1, 2022

Sponsored by

Hello, my little page turners, and welcome to another book-filled Tuesday! There are so many good books to check out today, you may cackle with uncontrollable glee. I had a lovely weekend, soaking in our inflatable pool, watching the hummingbirds, and reading upcoming titles, as well as some comics. I am really into comics again lately, especially graphic novels. I will be sure to share the ones I love with you when they come out. 😊

Now, today’s books: I do these first Tuesday megalists because the first Tuesday of each month has so many new releases, and it’s fun to round some of them up. Below, you’ll find titles (loosely) broken up into several categories, to make it easier for your browsing convenience. I hope you have fun with it! And as with each first Tuesday newsletter, I am putting a ❤️ next to the books that I have had the chance to read and loved.

And speaking of today’s great books, for this week’s episode of All the Books! Danika and I discussed some of the wonderful books that we’ve read, such as All This Could Be Different, The Book Eaters, Shutter, and more.

Biography and Memoir

Acceptance: A Memoir by Emi Nietfeld

Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My (In)Fertility by Michelle Tea

Mothercare: On Obligation, Love, Death, and Ambivalence by Lynne Tillman

Fiction

Bookish People by Susan Coll

All the Ruined Men: Stories by Bill Glose

Dogs of Summer by Andrea Abreu, Julia Sanches (Translator)

With Neighbors Like This by Tracy Goodwin

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford

Delphi by Clare Pollard

All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews ❤️

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra ❤️

Yoga by Emmanuel Carrère and John Lambert

A Career in Books: A Novel about Friends, Money, and the Occasional Duck Bun by Kate Gavino ❤️

When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

Mother of Strangers by Suad Amiry

Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak

How to Fall Out of Love Madly by Jana Casale

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid ❤️

Cyclorama by Adam Langer

Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggin

Middle Grade

Camp Scare by Delilah S. Dawson

Future Hero by Remi Blackwood

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

Mystery and Thriller

Shutter by Ramona Emerson ❤️

Kismet by Amina Akhtar

The Lost Kings by Tyrell Johnson

Alias Emma by Ava Glass

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias ❤️

Gangland by Chuck Hogan

Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor

The Couple at Number 9 by Claire Douglas

Nonfiction

Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter by E.B. Bartels

Deer Creek Drive: A Reckoning of Memory and Murder in the Mississippi Delta by Beverly Lowry

Romance

Just Another Love Song by Kerry Winfrey

Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Horror

The Wild Hunt by Emma Seckel ❤️

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean ❤️

A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair

Birds of Maine by Michael DeForge

The Sleepless by Victor Manibo ❤️

40: A Novel by Alan Heathcock

Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Brook Tsai

Wayward: A Novel (Wanderers Book 2) by Chuck Wendig ❤️

Face by Joma West ❤️

Young Adult

How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez

It Sounds Like This by Anna Meriano

You, Me, and Our Heartstrings by Melissa See

Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin ❤️

You, Me, and Our Heartstrings by Melissa See

What’s Coming to Me by Francesca Padilla

The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week: I’m currently reading Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson and The Honeys by Ryan La Sala.. Outside of books, I have been rewatching Psych (Dulé Hill does not get enough credit as a comedic actor. He makes the best expressions. Oh, how I love him.) And the song stuck in my head is Desperados Under the Eaves by Warren Zevon. (Which is 20 years old now!) And here’s a picture of my cat Zevon (yes, named for the musician) screaming into the void. Or yawning — one of these things is true.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty ❤️

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date July 25, 2022

Sponsored by

Welcome back, book fans! It’s another amazing Tuesday in the world of books. A little slower than usual, because of the summer, but there are still quite a few books to get excited about. At the very top of my list of new releases for this week to acquire are Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda (Alison Watts, translator), A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows, and The Amazing Screw-On Head anniversary edition, because despite being a one-off issue, it remains my favorite comic (and 22 minutes of television) of all time.

And on this week’s episode of All the Books! Patricia and I discussed the best books we read for this week and more, including Calling for a Blanket Dance, The Souls of White Jokes, and Nightmare Fuel. And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants.

Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min

This is a love story and a love letter to music, friendship, and love. Just a whole lot of love going on here! Santi and Suwa are high school boys in the school’s marching band. Suwa is a musical prodigy and isn’t sure that Santi belongs in band. But once they get to know each other, they embark on a beautiful journey, full of highs, lows, heartaches, and dreams. It will give you all the feels. (CW for child abuse, chemical use and abuse, loss of a loved one, grief, transphobia including deadnaming, racism, suicidal ideation, and mental illness.)

Backlist bump: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne

Okay, so I haven’t actually read this one. I didn’t get to as many of this week’s books as I had hoped, and I don’t like to use the same books for the newsletter as I use for the podcast. Because I want to tell you about as many books as I can! But I am excited to read this book, and wanted to mention it to highlight the fact that I am SO into fantasy novels right now. They are getting me through the summer. And this one is the story of the witch who put Rapunzel in her tower. YES, PLEASE. Give me all your witchy books, your retellings, your witchy retellings. My body is ready. And be sure to read my favorite of the year: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher!

Backlist bump: Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traoré

And last, but not least, an award-winning middle grade fantasy novel that is out in the States today! This is a great adventure filled with Yoruba myths and legends, set in a Nigerian village. Thirteen-year-old Simi is determined to find out her family secrets, since no one will tell them to her. But her search leads her to danger and a lake where she sinks into quicksand and…falls through to a parallel world. It’s a world of missing children, and Simi must find out what is happening to them to get the answers she wants. (CW for loss of a loved one and grief.)

Backlist bump: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week: I am reading The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley and Sink: A Memoir by Joseph Earl Thomas. Outside of books, I have started rewatching A.P. Bio for the millionth time. The song stuck in my head is “In Luv with U” by Finn. And here is your weekly cat picture: ˙ʎǝʞuoɯ ʎllᴉs ɐ ʇɐɥM

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty ❤️

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date July 18, 2022

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, star bits! I do believe I am now in my eighth year of writing the New Books newsletter and I must say, it’s just as fun as when I started. Thank you for joining me on this weekly book journey! ❤️ Now, for books: we’ve hit a mid-summer publishing lull this week, which means there are only hundreds of great books out today, instead of thousands. Whatever shall we do??? At the very top of my list of new releases for this week to acquire are Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy, Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham, and Lumberjackula by Mat Heagerty and Sam Owen.

And on this week’s episode of All the Books! Tirzah and I discussed the best books we read for this week and more, including The Force of Such Beauty, Just Like Home, and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants.

Acne: A Memoir by Laura Chinn

I will admit to never having seen any of writer/actor Chinn’s work, but I heard such great things about this book that I picked it up. And it is indeed excellent, not the story of how she found fame so much as an examination of her life before that. Chinn recounts her experiences as the mixed race child of a broken home as she deals with hardships and a severe acne condition. Despite a lot of obstacles and trauma, Chinn still finds a way to make her memoir funny and enlightening. It’s perfect for fans of Jenny Lawson and Sara Benincasa, and anyone who had an awkward, difficult upbringing. (CW for racism, sexual assault, chemical use and abuse, and suicidal ideation.)

Backlist bump: Agorafabulous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom by Sara Benincasa

Crumbs by Danie Stirling

When Tirzah mentioned this on All the Books! this week, it reminded me I had a copy, so I went spelunking and found it. And I am glad I did! It’s a love story in the Mooncakes vein, collected from the webcomic, about a young witch trying to figure out her life. Ray eats at a bakery where the baked goods are handcrafted to help your dreams come true. And then Ray meets Laurie, an aspiring musician. Sparks fly, but is their romance in the stars? This is a beautifully illustrated and colored YA graphic novel that will give you warm feelings like a good cup of hot tea. (CW for loss of a loved one.)

Backlist bump: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons by Ben Riggs

Okay, this last book is extremely nerdy insider baseball. But if you love D&D, or Magic: The Gathering, World of Warcraft, or any fantasy game or novel, You’ll probably find it fascinating, like I did. This is a look at the creation — and almost ruination — of the most popular role-playing game of all time. Desite being an enormous mega hit, the company behind D&D had to contend with poor management, poor budgeting, and all kinds of other pitfalls. And of course, there was the Satanic Panic of the 1980s… This is an extremely detailed look at. the business side of the game. I learned a lot and also thought, “Why would they do that??!” on many occasions as I read it. (CW for sexism and sexual harassment.)

Backlist bump: Looking For Group by Alexis Hall

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week: I am reading Patricia Wants To Cuddle by Samantha Allen and Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle) by Tracy Deonn. Outside of books, my fervent need to watch Palm Springs repeatedly flared up, so that’s how I have spent quite a bit of time lately when I am not adding titles to my card catalog. The song stuck in my head is “Hot Blur” by How Sad. And here is your weekly cat picture: Look. at. this. fool. I pulled two drawers out of my card catalog to do some arranging, and Farrokh immediately jumped into the space. Oh, to have the self-confidence of a cat and just explore everything all the time! JK, I would hate that because it would cut in on my reading time. 😝

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty ❤️

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date July 11, 2022

Sponsored by

Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it: There are sooooooo many books out today that I want to read. Someone please—PLEASE—make a machine that stops time so I can use it and catch up on my reading. I don’t need it to freeze everyone in place, just to keep time from moving forward. Is that too much to ask? But truly, today is an embarrassment of riches. At the very top of my list of new releases for this week to acquire are Brother Alive by Zain Khalid, Harry Sylvester Bird by Chinelo Okparanta, Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress, and How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaipotra.

And on this week’s episode of All the Books! Vanessa and I were very silly and still managed to discuss the best books we read for this week and more, including Our Wives Under the Sea (my favorite book of the year!), Crying in the Bathroom, and What Moves the Dead. And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants.

The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser

This is a smart, fabulous collection of essays that was born out of the title essay. Several years ago, Hauser wrote an essay that went viral about how she called off her wedding and instead went to Texas to study whooping cranes. She published a novel shortly after that, which I really enjoyed, and now she’s written several more essays about her life after the events of that essay. She details all the things she does for herself, as she works to figure out what it is that she wants, and what it’s like to look for love in the age of the internet. It’s a funny, honest book, and is great for fans of Mary Laura Philpott and Jami Attenberg.

Backlist bump: Family of Origin by CJ Hauser

Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter

This is a fun romance about two twenty-somethings who try to make a ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement, based on a bingo card. Walker is back in Georgia to help his grandmother until she gets better, which includes filling in for her at bingo. Aja is surprised to learn her new bingo partner is the man of her dreams she saw in Piggly Wiggly earlier. But it doesn’t take long for them to complicate their relationship by actually speaking to one another. And then there’s the bingo card sex arrangement. Can they keep it just friends, or will their emotions get the best of them? (CW for chemical use and abuse, anxiety disorders, mental illness, and child abuse.)

Backlist bump: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot Book 2) by Becky Chambers

This is a self-care recommendation: If you want to read something lovely, something that is gentle on your brain and soul, then pick up this series. It’s about a tea monk and a robot who travel together, wondering about life. The robots of the world had left the humans centuries ago, making a new life for themselves in the woods. And then one day a robot ventured back out to see how the humans were doing, and met a tea monk. And from there, a friendship and road trip were born! Seriously, this series will lower your blood pressure, it’s so nice.

Backlist bump: A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot Book 1) by Becky Chambers

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week: I am reading Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones and Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin, Aneesa Abbas Higgins (translator). Outside of books, I have been working on adding titles from my library into my card catalog. I am already on my third pen and have used about 800 index cards so far. And still a lonnnnnng way to go! The song stuck in my head is “Whiskey in the Jar” by Metallica. And here is your weekly cat picture: Farrokh is taking full advantage of the fact that a drawer was left open. Zevon is like, “What is happening down there?” Also, if you want to see something funny, visit my Instagram to witness Zevon punch Baby Yoda’s lights out.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty ❤️

New Books

New Books for the First Tuesday of July!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date July 5, 2022

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, book friends! It’s time for your weekly dose of new releases. I’m actually surprised, I have read more books being released later in the month of July than today, the first Tuesday, which is when there are a ton coming out at once. But that just means there will be lots more for me to tell you about in the coming weeks! Which makes me happy. You might be surprised to learn that I love books. (JK, everyone knows it. People who haven’t even been born yet know it, lol.)

Now, today’s books: I do these first Tuesday megalists because the first Tuesday of each month has so many new releases, and it’s fun to round some of them up. Below, you’ll find titles (loosely) broken up into several categories, to make it easier for your browsing convenience. I hope you have fun with it! And as with each first Tuesday newsletter, I am putting a ❤️ next to the books that I have had the chance to read and loved.

And speaking of today’s great books, for this week’s episode of All the Books! Danika and I discussed some of the wonderful books that we’ve read, such as Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Florida Woman, Night of the Living Rez, and more.

Biography and Memoir

Original Sins: A Memoir by Matt Rowland Hill

Growing Up Getty: The Story of America’s Most Unconventional Dynasty by James Reginato

Fiction

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin ❤️

Florida Woman by Deb Rogers

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

1,000 Coils of Fear by Olivia Wenzel, Priscilla Layne (translator)

Keya Das’s Second Act by Sopan Deb

In Her Boots by KJ Dell’Antonia

Night of the Living Rez: Stories by Morgan Talty ❤️

Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori (translator)

Voices in the Dead House (The American Novels) by Norman Lock

Five-Part Invention by Andrea J. Buchanan

NSFW by Isabel Kaplan

Human Blues by Elisa Albert

The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger

Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen

Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

Self-Portrait with Ghost: Short Stories by Meng Jin

The Earthspinner by Anuradha Roy

The Burning Season by Alison Wisdom

Middle Grade

Apprentice Lord of Darkness by CED, Jean-Phillipe Morin ❤️

Mystery and Thriller

Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow

Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

The Ruins by Phoebe Wynne

Look Closer by David Ellis

First Born by Will Dean

Take No Names by Daniel Nieh

Nonfiction

100 Animals That Can F*cking End You by Mamadou Ndiaye ❤️

Romance

The Light Always Breaks by Angela Jackson-Brown

Dream On by Angie Hockman

The Charmed List by Julie Abe

Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola

Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Horror

Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib

The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay

Young Adult

What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix by Tasha Suri

Who We Were in the Dark by Jessica Taylor

A Disaster in Three Acts by Kelsey Rodkey

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

This week: I’m currently reading Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen and A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon. Outside of books, I have been watching the garden grow and the critters run around, and reading the back posts of Bird and Moon. And the song stuck in my head is Heavy Metal Drummer by Wilco. (Which is 20 years old now!) And here’s a cat picture: Zevon likes to get in my reading nest while I’m working and flaunt the fact that he doesn’t have to do anything all day long.

Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty ❤️