Author: Tirzah Price

Banned Books Week 2020 Starts Today: Today in Books

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 27, 2020

Sponsored by Love is Powerful by Heather Dean Brewer and LeUyen Pham

Samuel L. Jackson To Play Nick Fury In New Marvel Disney Plus Series

Disney is reportedly developing a new Marvel series for their streaming service, with Samuel L. Jackson attached to star as Nick Fury. Jackson has appeared as Fury in both small and large roles in various Marvel movies since 2008. No word yet on who else might be in this series or when or where it’s set in the Marvel universe, but it’ll likely be a big budget show if it’s given the green light.

Netflix Faces Call To Rethink Liu Cixin Adaptation After His Uighur Comments

Netflix had previously announced plans to adapt The Three-Body Problem, a sci-fi novel by Chinese author Cixin Liu, but now is being questioned not only by viewers but by five U.S. Senators. It’s recently come to light that Liu supports the Chinese Community Party’s forced internment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, where they are forced to live and work in labor camps, undergo forced sterilization, and are pressured to denounce their faith and culture. The five senators wrote in a letter to Netflix that China’s actions are closely approaching genocide, and asked that the company closely reconsider giving a platform (or money) to artists who support such treatment of a marginalized group.

Banned Books Week: The Most Challenged Books In the US

Today is the start of Banned Books Week, a week to raise awareness about issues of censorship in the U.S., and educate people on how to fight for access for all. Check out the most challenged books in 2019 according to the ALA, and then head to bannedbooksweek.org to learn more about how you can join the fight against censorship!

Read This Book

Read This Book: We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 24, 2020

Sponsored by White Fox by Sara Faring, with Fierce Reads.

“A ghost story that will spook even the most hardened grown-ups.” —Entertainment Weekly. After their world-famous mother disappears under mysterious circumstances, sisters Manon and Thais are sent away from their remote Mediterranean home by their father. Lured home a decade later by the death of their father, the sisters discover their mother’s legendary last work, White Fox, a screenplay filled with enigmatic metaphors. The clues in this dark fairytale draw them deep into society’s surreal underbelly, into the twisted secrets hidden by their glittering family, to reveal the truth about their mother—and themselves.

Welcome to Read This Book, a weekly newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!

This week’s pick is a powerful, hard-hitting YA novel that I inhaled earlier this year: We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez.

Content warning: Violence, death, assault (not detailed, but both on and off page), grief, suicidal ideation

Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña are three teens living in a small city in Guatemala. Chico lives with Pulga and his mom after his own mother’s death, and Pequeña lives with her own mother, who is close with Pulga’s mom–they consider each other cousins, even if they’re not related by blood. At the start of the book, Pequeña is pregnant, and she goes into labor. The boys head to the nearby store for Cokes and fireworks to celebrate the baby’s birth, and instead end up witnessing a violent murder. Mere days later, it becomes obvious to the three teens that it’s no longer safe for them to stay in Guatemala thanks to the violent man who is responsible for the murder the boys witnessed and Pequeña’s rape that resulted in her pregnancy. Under the cover of night they leave and head north. But the journey is perilous, especially aboard La Bestia, the train that many migrants hitch a ride on in Mexico. It’ll take all their strength, courage, and determination to make it.

You may recall some controversy surrounding American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins earlier this year. Writer Myriam Gurba does a great job summarizing why that book is harmful. While I haven’t read it personally, after reading You Are Not From Here and some reviews from writers with much more familiarity on the topic of migrants from Central America than I possess, I think it’s safe to say that this book is absolutely essential reading and the better pick. The author writes these characters with such sensitivity and vibrance.

Pulga and Pequeña share narration duties as they reveal what it’s like to grow up alongside the violence in their neighborhood, so much so that it doesn’t come entirely as a shock when they are finally forced to flee their home. As they travel north and face danger after danger, occasionally sprinkled with some small kindnesses from strangers, Sanchez knows when to focus in on their journey, when to pull back in order to make the reader feel alongside them. She has a true gift for making the reader understand the horrors without having to spell them out explicitly. This is not an easy read, but it is essential and eye-opening. Yes, it’s written for teens, but adults should absolutely read it too. While this book is not without hope, Sanchez also makes it clear that the United States is no promised land–more danger and adversity face these characters at their destination, but they’ll chance it over certain death back home. This is a powerful read that has stayed with me, and I think will linger in my mind for a long time.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Marisa Blake, which I highly recommend.

Happy reading,

Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, the Insiders Read Harder podcast, All the Books, and Twitter.

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Book Radar

New Taylor Jenkins Reid Book and More Book Radar!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 23, 2020

Sponsored by White Fox by Sara Faring, with Fierce Reads.

Happy Thursday, friends! I hope you’re enjoying the first official days of fall. I am loving the changing leaves and crisper weather here in northern Michigan and I plan on getting my fill of all things pumpkin spice while imbibing all the spooky reads!

Here’s your dose of bookish news (some really exciting 2021 releases to look forward to) and book radar! Remember to keep wearing those masks!

Trivia question: How many lines are there in a Shakespearean sonnet?

Deals and Squeals:

Rejoice, Taylor Jenkins Reid has a new novel coming out next spring called Malibu Rising, and it’s set in the 1980s!

Ashley C. Ford’s new memoir has a cover and is available for preorder–get your hands on Somebody’s Daughter in June!

There’s going to be an adaptation of Jennifer E. Smith’s Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between starring Jordan Fisher!

The National Book Foundation has announced its 5 Under 35, an award that honors five debut writers under the age of thirty-five.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is available on audio for the first time via Audible, narrated by Laurence Fishburne.

Rhianna Pratchett, daughter of the late great Terry Pratchett, talks about what it’s like to author a book in the Fighting Fantasy series.

The cover of the third book in the You series by Caroline Kepnes, You Love Me, is here!

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Excited to read: Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore

There’s a new Kristin Cashore book coming in 2021, and it’s set in the Graceling world! I just downloaded a review copy and I’m torn between wanting to dive in headfirst, or take a moment to revisit the first three incredible books. It’s about Bitterblue, queen of Monsea, who sends envoys to the nation of Winterkeep. But when they never return, she decides to travel there herself. Meanwhile, a new character in Winterkeep is waiting, and what she does next will have big consequences for everyone in her realm and Bitterblue’s.

This week’s book acquisitions:

Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

The French Girl by Lexie Elliott

Trivia answer: Fourteen

That’s it for me, book nerds! I leave you with this photo of all the animals in my household under temporary truce whilst perched on the dog bed. The dog clearly did not sign up for this.

Happy reading!

Tirzah

The Kids Are All Right

Kidlit Deals for September 23, 2020

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 23, 2020

Sponsored by Black Heroes of the Wild West from TOON Books.

This graphic novel by James Otis Smith celebrates the extraordinary true tales of three black heroes who took control of their destinies and stood up for their communities in the Old West. Born into slavery, Mary Fields became famous as “Stagecoach Mary,” a cigar-chomping coach driver who never missed a delivery. Bass Reeves, the first black Deputy US Marshal west of the Mississippi, was one of the wiliest lawmen in the territories. Bob Lemmons lived to be 99 years old and was so good with horses that the wild mustangs on the plains of Texas took him for one of their own.

Happy Wednesday, kidlit pals! I hope you’re having a great week and enjoying the fall sunshine and changing leaves, if that’s something that happens where you are. I’ve got a nice bundle of kidlit deals for you, including series starters, fun standalone novels, and exciting mysteries. As always, these deals never last long, so snag them while they’re hot!

Get hooked on a new series! The first Wings of Fire book, The Dragonet Prophecy, by Tui Sutherland is just $4.

Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eager is just $1, as is The Bigfoot Files!

Add Pieces and Players to your Blue Bailliet collections for just $5.

Mayday by Karen Harrington can be yours for $2.

The award-winning novel The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is just $3!

Snag The Wonderling by Mira Bartok for just $1.

Jennifer L. Holm’s Penny from Heaven is $5.

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes is $2, as is her novel Sugar.

The Dog Who Lost His Bark, a picture book by Eoin Colfer and P.J. Lynch, can be yours for $1.

Looking for something action-packed? The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson is $4.

For another heist novel, grab Loot by Jude Watson for $4!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 21, 2020

Sponsored by Channel Kindness by Born This Way Foundation Reporters with Lady Gaga.

In Lady Gaga and Born This Way Foundation’s first book, you’ll find stories of inspiration and community from young storytellers. Within the pages of CHANNEL KINDNESS you’ll meet changemakers who found their inner strength, prevailed in the face of bullies, started their own social movements, and decided to break through the mental health stigma. These storytellers share how they felt, created safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and embraced kindness with every fiber of their being by helping others without the expectation of anything in return.

Happy Tuesday, book nerds! It’s time for another round up of great new books, and if you thought last week was awesome, wait until you get a load of this week’s releases! I’m also extra excited to get my hands on copies of Miss Meteor by Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia, Well Played by Jen DeLuca, and White Fox by Sara Faring.

Be sure to catch Liberty and Patricia on today’s episode of All the Books! They discuss the new book by Allie Brosh, Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, and more!

And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

This is a novel about a woman gone missing, and the woman tasked with tracking her down. Isabel Lincoln disappears, and it’s up to Grayson to find her. But as Grayson is going to find out, Isabel doesn’t want to be found–she has some dark secrets that have sent her running, and if Grayson continues to look for her, both women are going to have to face the consequences.

Backlist bump: Want to try Rachel Howzell Hall in paperback? Pick up her thriller They All Fall Down, an And Then There Were None style mystery!

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

In an alternate 1983 London, Susan is looking for her missing father. She’s never met him, but she thinks that talking to a crime boss can lead to answers. Instead, it leads her to the booksellers of London, magical beings who protect the Old World ways of magic in addition to selling books. Booksellers Merlin and Vivien are looking for the person responsible for their mother’s murder, and they find their search overlapping with Susan’s.

Backlist bump: I’m also a huge fan of Nix’s lesser known and under appreciated book, Newt’s Emerald! It’s a magical Regency-era mystery!

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

This is the story of Dawn, who is on a plane when the flight attendant tells them to prepare for a crash landing. What goes through her mind immediately isn’t thoughts of her family at home, but of Wyatt, a man she loved two decades ago. Dawn survives the crash, and then is given a choice: return to Boston, or head to Egypt where she last saw Wyatt when she was studying archaeology. This is a book that explores both of her choices, and the meaning of life and how the choices we make that can shape our lives in profound ways.

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Book Radar

The National Book Awards Longlists and More Book Radar!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 21, 2020

Books About Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Today in Books

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 20, 2020

Sponsored by Don’t Ever Forget by Matthew Farrell

Books To Celebrate The Life & Legacy Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Like so many, we were heartbroken to learn of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She lived a remarkable life and fought hard for equality and women’s rights all throughout her career. There are no shortage of incredible books that explore her legacy and work, and the NYPL has rounded up over 15 books for all ages that celebrate the notorious RBG, from memoir to pop nonfiction.

Parents Create Pop-Up Store Selling Books With Strong Black Characters For Their Sons

When Duane Miller and Victoria Scott-Miller’s son Langston told them he wanted to be a writer, they began looking for books featuring Black characters that he wanted to read and found the market lacking. They decided to create space in the market and champion books about the African diaspora by launching Liberation Station, an indie bookstore that specializes in pop-up markets and has been found in hotels, churches, galleries, and more. They even host story times! Check out the link for ways to shop their online store during the pandemic.

‘Ms. Marvel’ Finds Directors

Disney+ is one huge step closer to bringing Ms. Marvel to their streaming service as a TV show–they’ve hired Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Meera Menon to direct and produce episodes! Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan, is a Muslim Pakistani-American superhero who will be included in future Marvel movies, according to Disney. She’ll be the first Muslim character in the Marvel universe, and it’s great to see Disney hiring Pakistani filmmakers for this project!

Read This Book

Read This Book: The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 17, 2020

Sponsored by Size Zero by Abigail Mangin.

Condom dresses and space helmets have debuted on fashion runways. A dead body becomes the trend when a coat made of human skin saunters down fashion’s biggest stage. The body is identified as Annabelle Leigh, the teenager who famously disappeared over a decade ago from her boyfriend’s New York City mansion. This new evidence casts suspicion back on the former boyfriend, Cecil LeClaire. Now a monk, he is forced to return to his dark and absurd childhood home to clear his name. He teams up with Ava Germaine, a renegade ex-model. And together, they investigate the depraved and lawless modeling industry behind Cecil’s family fortune.

This week’s pick is a fascinating nonfiction title, The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum!

I bought this book years ago, and there it sat on my shelf gathering dust until I finally cracked it open earlier this year and WOW, I can’t believe I waited so long! It follows the history of forensic medicine in New York City, first giving readers an overview of how early chemistry, poison, and crime unfolded in society until scientific discovery at the turn of the century finally, finally allowed scientists to identify and prove when poisonous substances were found in humans–and allow them to detect and fight crime. Of course, then the trouble was in developing a system of investigation, examination, and scientific review that would help law enforcement catch and prosecute criminals–no small task in the corrupt city departments. Enter Charles Norris, the man who would become New York City’s groundbreaking medical examiner, and his recruit, toxicologist Alexander Gettler. Together the two men reformed their departments, contributed to science, and changed how we understand poison.

What I loved about this book was how Blum framed everything to tell a story that captures your attention–from the chapters that are named after a different poison plaguing society and the scientific communities to exploring various pivotal cases that Norris and Gettler encountered, there is never a dull moment in this book. It reads as breathlessly as a thriller and is never short on twists, interesting crimes, and surprising developments. Honestly, reading this book might make you keenly aware of your own mortality (how did any of our ancestors survive when beauty products full of radium were once on the market?), but it will also give you a deeper appreciation for the systems that we have in place and the scientific advancements that make our every day life safer and healthier. Blum does this in such a way that goes beyond what most of us know from that one time we had to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Even if you aren’t a science reader, there is so much here about history, politics, every day life, crime, and justice that you’re sure to find an entry point into this fascinating book! I can’t wait to check out more books that Blum has written!

I’m also eager to check out American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI, which looks at another forensic scientist working at about the same time, but on the opposite coast, in Berkeley, CA!

Happy reading!

Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, the Insiders Read Harder podcast, All the Books, and Twitter.

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Book Radar

The Booker Prize Shortlist is Here and More Book Radar!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 16, 2020

Sponsored by Fly on the Wall by Remy Lai.

“Bright, funny storytelling . . . in this sharp, sweet story there is much to connect with.” —The New York Times. In Fly on the Wall, a moving and hilarious diary-style illustrated novel from the award-winning author of Pie in the Sky, a twelve-year-old boy goes on a (forbidden) solo adventure halfway around the world to prove his independence to his overprotective family. Filled with humor, heart, and hijinks, Fly on the Wall is a sure bet for fans of Jerry Craft, Terri Libenson, and Shannon Hale!

Hey there, book nerds! I can’t believe we’re halfway through September already. I hope you’re enjoying cooler temps and all the trappings of fall, including the explosion of new releases and all the exciting book news! I’m already having trouble keeping up with all the books I want to read this month! Let’s dive in, shall we?

Trivia question: In honor of her birthday on Tuesday, what was Agatha Christie’s debut novel?

Deals and Squeals

Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez, which just came out this week, has been chosen as Reese Witherspoon’s next YA book club pick!

Two bits of exciting news: We are getting a new Persuasion adaptation, and Anne Elliot has been cast!

Plan accordingly: Barack Obama’s memoir will be dropping sometime in November!

The Booker Prize shortlist is here and it’s the most diverse shortlist ever! We love to see it.

Ibram X. Kendi revealed the cover of his next book, Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019.

Ken Liu’s The Dandelion Dynasty has just grown from a trilogy to a quartet!

The hashtag #RIPJKRowling was trending on Twitter–not because the author died, but because a review of her new detective novel (written under the name Robert Galbraith) has been revealed to have a highly transphobic subplot.

Riot Recommendations

Excited to read: Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez

I am so darn excited for this book, especially since it’s been named a YA book club pick by Reese Witherspoon! It follows Camila, an Argentinian teen who plays soccer and keeps it from her parents, and dreams of one day qualifying for a scholarship to a North American college. When her team advances to an important tournament and someone from her past returns, Camila will have to figure out how to balance her dreams with her obligations.

Books I Acquired:

The Nesting by C.J. Cooke

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

Recommended for You by Laura Silverman

Trivia answer: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

That’s it for me, book nerds! I leave you with a photo of the kitten, who has grown even more curious and now climbs everything. Here he is, having discovered the TV. (As an aside, anyone else watching The Vow on HBO? It’s absolutely BONKERS and a bit scary.)

Happy reading!
Tirzah

The Kids Are All Right

Kidlit Deals for September 16, 2020

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date September 16, 2020