Category: New Books

This is a middle grade novel packed to the gills with action and adventure! Jillian is an 11-year-old who experiences anxiety when trying new things. Her parents are space explorers, something that Jillian finds very exciting, and when the book opens, she’s on her way to see their lab for the first time for Take Your Daughter to Work Day. But when she gets there, her parents have a surprise for her: They’re leaving on a new mission, right away, and they’ve managed to get Jillian a place on the shuttle. Of course, Jillian is apprehensive. It’s one thing to visit a lab, it’s another thing entirely to go off-planet. But her parents assure her that it is the safest planet and the dullest mission that could possibly exists, so she decides to do it. What could go wrong?

Famous. Last. Words.

Instead, upon arriving on the planet, their shuttle crashes, her parents are severely injured, and now Jillian is left alone and in charge of getting them home. Not exactly how she saw her day going when she got up that morning. Well, Jillian isn’t exactly alone: she does have the help of SABRINA, a sentient, sarcastic nanobot-ish shapeshifter AI, who serves a lot of purposes. SABRINA can change into things Jillian needs, or it can can separate and be two places at once, which means scouting for danger or water and food, while also tending to Jillian’s parents. SABRINA is like the genie from the animated Alladin movie with the personality of (I’m dating myself here) the Flight of the Navigator robot.

In order to last the five days until their return portal to Earth opens, Jillian needs to find shelter, tend to her injured parents, and round up food and water, because everything they had was lost in the crash. She has SABRINA to help, but compounding the difficulty of lasting five days are the teeming masses of invasive green alien worms, who are determined to eat them (how rude!) and everything else in their path. As the days go by, Jillian finds her strength and faces her fears to save herself and the ones she loves.

The planet and the aliens are cool, the story is action packed and occasionally intense, and the characters are wonderful. And I really loved SABRINA, the snarky not-robot cloud thingy. I am a big fan of sarcastic AI. (See also: Murderbot.)

(Content warning: Child peril, parental accidents and injuries, anxiety, animal death, gore.)

I think one of the hardest things to do well in crime novels is the chase scene/car chase sequence. To convey the threat of capture, combined with the excitement and fear, on the page is a difficult thing to do. But this fantastic novel nails it!

This is a crime novel, but it’s also a serious look at archaeological digs, artifacts, and ownership. Sophia Shepard is a young anthropologist who is researching the impact of tourism on cultural sites at a national monument on the Utah-Arizona border. But things take a dangerous turn when she accidentally sees something of value that two hired thieves stole from an old artifact collector. The thieves are a pair of brothers who are part esoteric lunkheads, part dangerous cutthroats. Realizing that she’s seen what they have, and also realizing her skills would come in handy in their search for treasure, the brothers decide to pursue her. But as the brothers chase after Sophia, an even more dangerous man is searching for them.

But this isn’t just a thriller – it’s also one of the funniest books I have read in years. It’s full of great, dry humor. (There’s a scene involving the use of “Staying Alive” by The BeeGees during CPR that had me in tears, and a Star Wars reference that had me cackling.) Plus, there is crackling dialogue, and some really great points about who owns history. This is a perfect read for fans of Elmore Leonard, William Boyle, and The Coen Brothers.

TL;DR: Riotous comedy + psychopathic murderyness = very much my jam. I loved this book to freaking pieces.

(Content warning: Cultural appropriation and theft, violence, murder, suicide, chemical use, and kidnapping.

Jamie and Zoe are strangers who wake up one day in separate apartments they don’t remember renting. The bad news: they have no memory of who they are or how they got there. The good news: they have superpowers. As they go about their lives, Jamie decides to use his powers for evil, erasing people’s minds to pull off bank heists. Zoe becomes a heroic vigilante, catching criminals in the city, which is how she and Jamie first cross paths. A second encounter at a support group for people with memory loss leads them to realize they have a lot in common: they may both be part of some unknown plan. Together, they seek the truth of their pasts, while becoming besties along the way.

I love this book so much that I actually talked about it for almost ten minutes to a friend before I realized I hadn’t even mentioned that Jamie and Zoe had powers. There’s just so many great parts to mention! It’s a funny, refreshing take on superpower origin stories, full of adventure, but it’s not very violent or mean-spirited. It’s also queer and diverse, and bonus: there’s no romance! All these things add up to one of the most exciting novels headed our way next year. Put it at the top of your list now! – (I stole this blurb from my contribution to the Riot Roundup: The Best Books We Read in July-October. Shhh, don’t tell Santa.)

(Content warning: intense action, violence, illness, and injuries.)

As much as I love short story collections, it’s almost more exciting for me to get to read anthologies, because you can find a bunch of amazing authors inside! This is the fourth collection released by We Need Diverse Books. This fun book features 15 young adult fantasy stories with monsters, magic, and memories by some of the best children’s authors working today, including Samira Ahmed, Libba Bray, Zoraida Córdova, Tochi Onyebuchi, and Rebecca Roanhorse.

Backlist bump: The Hero Next Door by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (Editor)

I know what you’re thinking: “Gee, it’s almost the holidays, and I really wish I had a witty satire about foodies and cannibals to help me celebrate.” Well, your wish has been granted! Dorothy Daniels is a food critic with an esteemed career. But she has always thought there was something special about herself, something better that set her apart from other people. So she decides to combine her supposed superiority with her interest in food…which means the finger sandwiches are now finger sandwiches, if you catch my drift. (This is a fantastic novel, but keep in mind it’s about eating people, so it’s not for the squeamish.)

Backlist bump: Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins by Emma Donoghue

And finally, an enormous biography that would make a great gift for lovers of history, music, and biographies. I have only read the first third so far, but since this one is almost 900 pages long, that’s almost a whole book on its own! Swafford is an acclaimed composer and biographer, and this is a compelling look at the musical genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the immortal legends of classical music. From his gift for music at a young age, to his passionate and playful career as one of the most talented and unusual composers, to his tragic end, this is a wildly fascinating book.

Backlist bump: Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph by Jan Swafford

In my opinion, Alyssa Cole IS the queen. I love her romance novels so much! This is the start of the Runaway Royals series (the second will be out in May.) Shanti Mohapi weds the Sanyu, king of Njaza, in an arranged marriage. And while it’s obvious they are attracted to one another, she doesn’t harbor any illusions that this is anything but an arrangement, until their passions boil over in the bedroom, leading to hot and heavy nights. But when political turmoil upends the kingdom, Shanti flees, and Sanyu must decide if he has what it takes to get her back.

Backlist bump: A Princess in Theory: Reluctant Royals by Alyssa Cole

Hey, all you fans of feminist fairytales and Gideon the Ninth! This is the story of a princess trapped in a tower by a witch—because that’s what witches do—who must figure out how to rescue herself when all the princes who come to rescue her become dragon lunchmeat. Floralinda expected to be rescued right away, but when it doesn’t happen, she must figure out how to get past 39 flights of scary monsters make it to the bottom of the tower. Helping her, begrudgingly, is a fairy named Cobweb, who blows into her room during a storm and cannot fly away because her wing is broken. Together they will take on the Night-Boar and the Devil-Bear, and all the other Big Bads, to prove princesses don’t need rescuing.

Note: This is being published by a boutique press, which means it’s a limited edition item. If you’re a collector, and/or love Tamsyn Muir, you can get a signed and numbered copy from the Subterranean Press site while supplies last, or there’s also a digital version available!

Backlist bump: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko

And last, but not least: Soho Press is releasing this groundbreaking Own Voices YA classic for its 30th anniversary. Seventeen-year-old Ellen Sung is part of the only Korean American family in her Minnesota town, and her classmates at her all-white school continuously point it out. When she begins an unexpected romance with the star quarterback, Ellen must stand up to racism at school and disapproval from her parents, and along the way discovers she has a voice of her own. This new edition includes an introduction from Kat Cho.

Backlist bump: Somebody’s Daughter by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

Set in a mildly steampunk-y alternative London in the 1950s, Marion Lane follows Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries, a secret organization of anonymous detectives who work in the old hidden tunnels under the city. No one knows who the detectives are, just that if you have a problem or a tip about a crime, you write it on a piece of paper and slip it into one of the many pneumatic tube drop-off slots around the city, and it gets taken care of somehow.

Marion Lane is a young woman who has been working for Miss Brickett’s for four months when something dreadful happens: an employee is found murdered. And since strangers from aboveground can’t come down into the agency’s tunnels, the killer must be someone at Miss Brickett’s. When Marion’s friend and colleague is accused of the crime, Marion takes it upon herself to solve it—even if it means breaking rules and losing her job and possibly her life. With the help of a couple other agents—who she may or may not be able to trust—she attempts to escape detection as she detects around the detective agency. (Detect, detect, detect!)

(Content warning for mentions of murder, violence, chemical use, description of suicide on page, and gore.)

Backlist bump: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

And this one just gutted me! It’s listed as YA, but it is very adult in themes, so it’s recommended for older teens. Jayne and June Baek are two Korean-American sisters with nothing in common. While June is the perfect daughter with the prestigious career and enviable bank account, younger Jayne is untethered and caught in a downward spiral professionally and personally. The sisters haven’t spoken in some time, but then June reaches out to Jayne to tell her she has cancer, and suddenly everything changes for both sisters. Together, they will work to help Jayne get the treatment she needs and in the process, begin to both heal. This book was so sharp and frighteningly realistic, it felt at times like I knew these characters. It broke my heart so many times, but at the end, I felt healed.

(Content warning for mentions of racism, eating disorders, chemical abuse, cancer, mental illness, and child death.)

Backlist bump: Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi

And last, but not least: I am sure you have a already heard a few other Rioters raving about this book, and I would like to throw my hat in the ring. This book is a non-stop thrill ride about a bank robbery in California. Three of the people taken hostage in the robbery are Nora; her girlfriend, Iris; and her best friend/ex-boyfriend, Wes. But what seems like a bungled bank heist with volatile criminals is going to turn out to be a multi-layered game of cat-and-mouse with a young woman who has already been several girls in her short lifetime, and has experienced enough to help her turn the tables.

This book is so INTENSE. It jumps back and forth from the robbery in progress to Nora’s earlier life with her mother, a con woman married to a dangerous man. It’s so well done, extremely cinematic. I can’t wait to see the Netflix adaptation with Millie Bobby Brown!

(Content warning for descriptions of chemical use, physical violence, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, torture, and gore.)

Backlist bump: Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe

Okay, so this is actually the sequel to War Girls, which came out last year, but it’s awesome and I wanted another opportunity to bring the first one to your attention. Because 1) it is also awesome and 2) I think it got lost in all the excitement for Riot Baby, another amazing book from Onyebuchi that was released a few months later. War Girls is set in a futuristic, Black Panther-inspired Nigeria in the year 2172. (Can you imagine the world making it to 2172? Lolsob.) Because of humans being humans, the world is now mostly uninhabitable, and many people have moved to space colonies. The unlucky people left behind are subject to harsh conditions, radiation poisoning, and civil war. Onyii and Ify are two sisters who dream of a better world and are willing to fight to get it. This is an intense, action-packed duology about that fight. It’s great fun and also makes you think at the same time.

Backlist bump: War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

And this is a powerful novel-in-stories about addiction and its effects on people in a small community. Dale, a police officer, is having a hard time since his best friend, Gentry, died from a heroin overdose. Dale’s wife is uncertain how to deal with her husband’s grief, which is also something Gentry’s mother is struggling with—where can she place the blame for his death? As the town’s leaders gather to pray that the Lord will help heal their town, two young sisters deal with the unreported violence in their own home. This is not an easy read and it comes with all the trigger warnings, but it’s also incendiary and moving, and perfect for fans of Daniel Woodrell and Donald Ray Pollock.

Backlist bump: Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock (This one also comes with ALL the trigger warnings.)

And if enjoy reading books about times in history that you have never heard about before, have I got a book for you! This is a wildly fascinating look at Germany and its citizens after WWII. Not many history books in English discuss the world from this perspective, but this one delves into how after the war ended, there was a lot of shame and grief among the citizens. Some of it manifested itself—and here’s where it gets strange—in accusations of witchcraft in the 1950s. People began to worry they were cursed, or that someone else was using magic to get things they wanted, so they accused them of witchcraft. There were also people who prayed on the citizens in their weakened state, including dubious preachers and hoaxes. I had no idea what to expect when I picked this up, but I am glad I did. I was so surprised by how interesting I found it!

Backlist bump: Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler, Shaun Whiteside (translator)

I am so excited this book is finally out! Elle Jones is an astrologer with a popular Twitter account. Darcy Lowell is an actuary with a meddlesome brother who is determined to help her find love. When he sets Darcy up with Elle, she agrees to the date—and it’s a disaster. But to keep her brother from trying to find her another match, she gets Elle to agree to pretend they were made for each other. When they obviously are not, nope, no way, no how. And spending more time together will just prove it to everyone and themselves…right? YAY FAKE DATING. This is a frickin delightful #ownvoices queer rom-com, which claims to be a bit like Pride and Prejudice, but I’ll have to take everyone’s word for it, because I still haven’t read P&P. (SHHHHHHHH I KNOW.)

Backlist bump: The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (because they both involve stars!)

It seems impossible that Chao’s debut YA novel, American Panda, came out over two years ago already, but here we are. Then there was Our Wayward Fate—which I still need to read—and now it’s time for another new book! I didn’t mean to pick two books today about fake dating on purpose, I swear. Rent a Boyfriend is about Chloe Wang, a college student who hires a fake boyfriend from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company “specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents”, so that her parents will stop bothering her about her love life. Drew Chan is a former college student who took the Rent for Your ‘Rents job after his parents cut him off when he dropped out of school. Chloe hires Drew to pretend to be her significant other to impress her parents, but it’s Drew’s real persona she starts to fall for. Good idea or bad idea? Read it to find out!

Backlist bump: American Panda by Gloria Chao

This is a lovely memoir whether you are a fan of Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs mysteries or not. This is her personal account of her English childhood, including the harrowing stories and trauma of the second world war on her grandparents and parents, and her young life living on farms around Kent. It’s frank and kind and loving. You can tell she loved her family very much, and readers get a glimpse of how she was struck by the writing bug at a young age.

Backlist bump: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (Unsolicited true story: I will never forget where I was when I read this book. I was on a trip to Montreal with some friends, and we were staying at the The Queen Elizabeth Hotel. We had just retired to our beds, and I was maybe forty pages into Maisie Dobbs, when the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate. It was determined to be a system error and we all returned to our rooms, but it was short-lived—the alarm went off six more times that night. And for safety reasons, we were required to leave the building every time it happened, even though they said from the beginning that it was just bad programming. I carried my book up and down, up and down. I can’t tell you how many people said, “I wish I had brought a book.” It was extremely unfun and none of us slept that night. And that, children, is how we got comped a free night in one of Montreal’s nicest hotels. The end!)

I loved this book and I feel like it has been overlooked on the end-of-the-year lists popping up everywhere because it came out on the first Tuesday of the year. It’s about two sisters in Philadelphia: Molly is a cop who is searching for her estranged sister, Kacey. They were once very close, but time and Kacey’s substance addiction has come between them.

Last Molly knew, Kacey was living on the streets of their city, but when a string of murders reveals that Kacey has disappeared, Molly will do anything to solve the crimes and find her sister. In between the present-day story is a look at Molly and Kacey’s childhood, making this not just a novel of suspense, but a story of family and love.

Backlist bump: The Unseen World by Liz Moore

And this dynamic debut is set in Peaches, California, in a future where the land is dry. Fourteen-year-old Lacey May and her mother live as best they can without much water, and come to put their faith in a preacher, who promises to restore water to the soil and rivers. But Preacher Jim is really nothing more than a venomous, persuasive cult leader who swindles the residents of Peaches. And when Lacey’s mother runs off with a stranger, Lacey is left behind to fight against Preacher Jim’s insidious grasp. In order to save herself and everyone else in her town, Lacey must uncover the real truth of the preacher and return her mother home. Holy cats, do I love a searing and bleak, but brilliantly written read!

Backlist bump: gods with a little g by Tupelo Hassman (Out in paperback November 17th!)

And last, but not least, If I Had Your Face explores beauty standards in society and in different cultures. Four women live in the same apartment building in Seoul, and face different forms of misogyny and sexism. Kyuri is a gorgeous hostess in an underground club; Miho is a talented artist who is willing to deny her wishes for a new boyfriend; Ara is a hairstylist with a serious obsession with a K-pop band; and Wonna is a newlywed who desperately wants a baby. The friendship of these four women will see them through desperate, difficult situations that are all too familiar to women all over the world.

Backlist bump: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo, Jamie Chang (Translator) (This is actually another new title from this year that I couldn’t pass up recommending again.)

BOOK 3 IS FINALLY HERE! I think of all the rescheduled release dates this year, this one made me the saddest when it was kicked from early spring to late fall. (I say that having read Harrow the Ninth early, before it was delayed by months. Sorry, not sorry.) This is one of the best middle grade series I have read, and I like to point it out whenever I can! The series starts with a young girl named Morrigan Crow, who has been told her whole life that she is cursed, and that she is fated to die on her eleventh birthday. But when the doomed day rolls around, a stranger named Jupiter appears and takes her to a school for gifted children to hone her extraordinary talent. The problem is that Morrigan doesn’t know that she even has an extraordinary talent, and Jupiter refuses to tell her what it is, so she will have to work it out – with a little help from wonderful new friends. It’s a delightful adventure of magic and whimsy, with spots of intense villainy. I believe it’s to be a seven-book series, but I fully vote that you start reading them now instead of waiting. They’re also really fun to reread!

Redbone is a Mexican-American /Native American rock band that originated in the 1970s. Their song “Come and Get Your Love” was a huge hit (which you also might recognize from Guardians of the Galaxy.) This is a graphic biography of the band, following its founding in California by Pat and Lolly Vegas, the struggles the band faced, and the triumphs they achieved. Maybe new interest in the band will help the long-overlooked Redbone snag a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Not that I will pay attention to anything that organization does, as long as Warren Zevon remains unsung. *Pout*)

And last, but not least: just in time for Halloween, here’s the creepy and exciting story of twin streghe sisters who keep their witchy ways hidden from the humans around them. But when one of the sisters is horribly murdered, all bets are off. Emilia is devastated by the loss of her beloved Vittoria, and resorts to seeking help from Wrath, a Prince of Hell, to seek vengeance on her killer. The problem is, once you let the monkey out of the bottle, it’s hard to get him to go back in. If you’re looking for something fun and spooky to escape into this Halloween weekend, this is it!