Category: New Books

Welcome to another Tuesday, readers! We are already knee-deep in the great books coming our way this year. I spent a lovely weekend reading. It was sunny and in the low 60s here in Maine, but as I write this, it is now 32 and snowing. MoThEr NaTuRe, wHat r U dOiNg???

I am also making my way through the show Bones. I’m almost done with the second season. It’s relighting my crime fire, and now all I want to read are creepy mystery novels and true crime stories. (But wait five minutes, I’ll be fascinated with something else, LOL.)

But back to books! I have a few fun ones today, and you can hear about even more new books coming out on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Kelly and I discussed several upcoming books that we’re excited to read, including Uncanny Valley, We Wish You Luck, The Missing American, and more!

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance by Zora Neale Hurston

Hot on the heels of the publication of Hurston’s unpublished manuscript, Barracoon, comes a story collection that features eight “lost” Harlem Renaissance tales. Hurston is considered one of the most influential American writers. These stories were written during her time as the only Black student at Barnard College. Fans or newbies to her work are sure to appreciate these century-old stories of racism, class, love, and sexism. I will not say I loved everything in this book, but I think it is a privilege to hear once again from such an important voice.

Backlist bump: Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

This is a charming debut middle grade mystery. Zoe Washington loves to bake. She has an internship at a bakery and hopes to one day audition for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge. But when she receives a letter from the father she has never met, it changes everything. Zoe has never heard from her father, and now after 12 years, he is writing from prison to tell her he was locked up for a crime he didn’t commit. Zoe thinks she can help, and begins investigating the crime while trying to juggle her baking. But as she searches for clues, she has to face one possibility: is her father really telling her the truth? Zoe is a wonderful, headstrong character, and this novel is an excellent read that will help kids (and adults) learn about racism, wrongful convictions, friendship, and family.

Backlist bump: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Me and Mr. Cigar by Gibby Haynes

You know I never like to detract from a book’s awesomeness, but it has to be said: This book is not going to be for everyone. But I mean that in the nicest way! Haynes is the frontman of the hardcore psychedelic-punk band The Butthole Surfers, and I was seriously surprised when I heard he was writing a YA novel. I knew it would be out there, and this book did not disappoint. But be warned that it is really weird and surreal. It’s a mind-bendy, coming-of-age novel about a boy named Oscar and his dog, Mr. Cigar. Oscar’s home life is not great since his father died and Mr. Cigar bit off his sister’s hand. (Yep, you read that right.) Mr. Cigar is a supernatural dog, and he comforts Oscar through some tough times. And now he’s going to help Oscar rescue his sister, who calls and says she’s been kidnapped.

No amount of description here is going fully explain this book, so you’ll have to take my word that if you’re ready for a WTF experience, kinda like J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon had a baby, then this is the book for you. Being a Gibby Haynes fan, it is exactly what I expected from him, and I loved it! (Heads up that something bad happens to Mr. Cigar at the beginning of the book, and there are a lot of references to drugs.)

But, seriously, it’s weird.

Backlist bump: Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

You made it to the bottom! Thanks for reading.

xx,

Liberty

🥳 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉 We are a week into the new decade, and I am so excited about all the amazing books we have ahead of us. I also REALLY love starting a new reading spreadsheet. It’s an epic nerdpurr. And I think this year, I’m going to go back to writing down a short synopsis of every book I read. I fell out of that habit years ago, but I think it will be helpful as I attempt to read more books than ever this year!

Like I said, I am so excited for more books! I already have a handful of 2020 titles under my belt, and am headed to read another one as soon as I finish this newsletter. You can hear about several of the great books out this first new release day of 2020 on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about The Black Cathedral, Why We Can’t Sleep, Qualityland, and more.

And like with each megalist, I’m putting a next to the books that I have had the chance to read and loved. It has been slow reading for me the last few months, so I haven’t read as many as I wished, but I did get to a few of today’s books. And there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!

The Magical Language of Others: A Memoir by E.J. Koh

Shadowshaper: Legacy by Daniel José Older

City of Stone and Silence (The Wells of Sorcery Trilogy) by Django Wexler

The Secret Chapter (The Invisible Library series) by Genevieve Cogman

We Used to Be Friends by Amy Spalding

Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun

Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives by Daniel J Levitin

Where Have All the Boys Gone? by Jenny Colgan

A Collective Bargain: Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy by Jane McAlevey

Yellow Earth by John Sayles

The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry

Kill Reply All: A Modern Guide to Online Etiquette, from Social Media to Work to Love by Victoria Turk

The Simple Past by Driss Chraibi, Hugh A. Harter (Translator)

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

Westering Women: A Novel by Sandra Dallas

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson

Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling

Just Breathe by Cammie McGovern

Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin

Average is the New Awesome: A Manifesto for the Rest of Us by Samantha Matt

Topics of Conversation: A novel by Miranda Popkey

This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 lessons on how to wake up, take action, and do the work by Tiffany Jewell, Aurelia Durand

Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It by Kamal Ravikant

BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams by Michael Allred, Steve Horton , et al.

All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch

The Last Witness by Claire McFall

Don’t Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth About Language by David Shariatmadari

Grace Is Gone: A Novel by Emily Elgar

You Too?: 25 Voices Share Their #MeToo Stories by Janet Gurtler

Oasis: A Novel by Katya de Becerra

The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy by Chris Murphy

The Black Cathedral: A Novel by Marcial Gala, Anna Kushner (translator)

Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins by Katarina Bivald

Diana: Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, et al.

Come Tumbling Down (Wayward Children) by Seanan McGuire

Mr. Nobody: A Novel by Catherine Steadman

Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir by Marsha M. Linehan

Lady Clementine: A Novel by Marie Benedict

Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity by Peggy Orenstein

A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison

Keystone by Katie Delahanty

F*ck Your Diet: And Other Things My Thighs Tell Me by Chloé Hilliard

Furious Thing by Jenny Downham

Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition by P. Carl

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton

A Sportsman’s Notebook: Stories (Art of the Story) by Ivan Turgenev

Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers

Martin McLean, Middle School Queen by Alyssa Zaczek

The Kids Are in Bed: Finding Time for Yourself in the Chaos of Parenting by Rachel Bertsche

Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum

Creatures: A Novel by Crissy Van Meter

Lie to Me by Kaitlin Ward

Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber

How to Speak Boy by Tiana Smith

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott

Dear Edward: A Novel by Ann Napolitano

The Map from Here to There by Emery Lord

The Schrodinger Girl by Laurel Brett

Firebird by Mark Powell

One of Us Is Next: The Sequel to One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon

The God Game: A Novel by Danny Tobey

The Heap: A Novel by Sean Adams

Rocket Man: The Life of Elton John by Mark Bego

The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick

The Gimmicks: A Novel by Chris McCormick

Westwind by Ian Rankin

Fuel Your Fire: 200 Ways to Instantly Beat Burnout and Reignite Your Passion by Samantha Acton

Cesare: A Novel of War-Torn Berlin by Jerome Charyn

First Cut: A Novel by Judy Melinek M.D and T.J. Mitchell

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Butterfly by Ashley Antoinette

Deep State: A Thriller by Chris Hauty

It’s My Life by Stacie Ramey

Two Blankets, Three Sheets by Rodaan Al Galidi, Jonathan Reeder (translator)

Jane Anonymous: A Novel by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Raising Hell: Backstage Tales from the Lives of Metal Legends by Jon Wiederhorn

The American People: Volume 2: The Brutality of Fact: A Novel by Larry Kramer

Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis by K. R. Gaddy

19 Love Songs by David Levithan

Failure to Launch: Why Your Twentysomething Hasn’t Grown Up…and What to Do About It by Mark McConville Ph.D.

Physical Intelligence: The Science of How the Body and the Mind Guide Each Other Through Life by Scott Grafton

The Vanishing (Fogg Lake) by Jayne Ann Krentz

Thanks for joining me every Tuesday. Here’s to an amazing new decade full of books. See you next week!

xx,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday, readers! It’s my last newsletter of 2019 and I am having SO MANY EMOTIONS. What a year it has been. But despite everything else that has been going on, the books were amazing. But enough about that – there’s a whole new year of incredible books just a week away! And today’s newsletter is about 20 of the books coming out in 2020 that that I’ve read and recommend.

You can hear about even more books coming in 2020 on this week’s episode of the All the Books! In our first show together, Patricia and I discussed several upcoming books that we’re excited to read, including Little Eyes, Wow, No Thank You, The Truants, and more!

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel (The Murderbot Diaries Book 5) by Martha Wells

This is a continuation of the awesome novellas, about the awesome self-aware securitybot, and its awesome adventures, and yes, it’s AWESOME.

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

This is a charming, funny story of an 11-year-old boy named Scoob. He has been suspended from school, and his dad is really mad about it, so when Scoob’s grandmother shows up in an RV and asks if he wants to take a road trip, he says yes. He will learn the history of the segregated South, and a lot about his grandparents along the way.

The Return by Rachel Harrison

THIS BOOK. It is so scary and amazing! It’s about four college friends and what happens when one of them disappears for two years…and then returns with no memory of what happened or where she was. To celebrate her being back, the friends plan a weekend getaway, but things are going to get really weird and uncomfortable really fast.

Deacon King Kong: A Novel by James McBride

McBride returns with his first novel since the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird. This one starts off with a cranky old church deacon known as Sportcoat, who murders a local drug dealer, and how the killing affects different people involved.

The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig

A young woman – whose dead mother lives in a scar in her neck and talks to her – butts heads with her father over appropriate suitors and her future until she meets an eligible bachelor with silver skin, who just might be the answer she has been looking for.

Interior Chinatown: A Novel by Charles Yu

This is a funny and sharp send-up of Hollywood tropes and Asian stereotypes, about Willis Wu, who sees himself as the Generic Asian Man of his own life.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Linus Baker is a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.

I Hold a Wolf by the Ears: Stories by Laura van den Berg

The always-incredible van den Berg is back with a new collection of wry, razor-sharp stories about women and the “misogyny, violence, and the impossible economics of America.” I loved it.

The Only Child: A Novel by Mi-ae Seo

Criminal psychologist Seonkyeong gets double the uneasiness when a serial killer requests she speak with him, and her husband’s creepy stepdaughter comes to live them after her grandparents die in a mysterious fire. I love a great evil kid book.

Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit

This is a fantastic historical novel based on the first murder that took place in the newly established colony of Plymouth, Massachusetts among the Mayflower pilgrims. But it’s told through the eyes of the women there, instead of the men.

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

I am so obsessed with this book. It got me right in the feels. It’s about a young girl named Ella who has the power to see things in the future, and as she grows up, her powers mutate and change, and grow stronger. When her little brother is incarcerated, she must decide how she wants to use her powers to help him.

Kingdomtide by Rye Curtis

The seventy-two-year-old sole survivor of a plane crash fights to survive in the Montana wilderness, as a park ranger with struggles of her own, races to find the lost woman before it is too late.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Four American Indian men from the Blackfeet Nation find themselves fighting for their lives against a spirit that seeks revenge for what they did on a hunting trip ten years earlier.

Godshot: A Novel by Chelsea Bieker

This is a remarkable debut novel about mothers and daughters, and the damaged world, both within and around us. Fourteen-year-old Lacey moves in with her grandmother after her mother runs off, who goes in search of her mom to help heal the lands. This is gritty brilliance, and you’ll be hearing about it everywhere soon.

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

And this is another fabulous debut novel, about a young man from Alabama who is trying to find his place in a Midwestern university town, and the challenges he faces in figuring out what he wants, and what is expected of him.

Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus

This is a great, creepy YA novel about a teen girl whose father comes apart after claiming to have been abducted by aliens. Years later, she finds evidence that maybe her father wasn’t mistaken about what happened during his disappearance after all.

We Ride Upon Sticks: A Novel by Quan Barry

The 1989 field hockey team of Danvers, Massachusetts, site of the original Salem Witch Trials, decide to try and invoke their own magic to help them have a winning season. I ate this book in one bite, I loved it so.

The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet

Judah and Gavin were both raised in the castle, but as they grow up, it is certain that Gavin will rule, while Judah has no place in the kingdom. But there is an evil lord who has use for her and her mysterious past. Political intrigue! Foundlings! Magic! Treachery! This has everything you want in a high fantasy novel and more.

The Black Cathedral: A Novel by Marcial Gala, Anna Kushner (translator)

This is Gala’s English-language debut about a pastor who moves to the Cuban coast on a mission from God: Build the biggest, most wonderful cathedral Cuba has seen. As he goes about attempting to complete his task, the book is told, oral history-style, by many members of the community (and a ghost.)

The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood

An orc priestess who knows when and how she will die changes her fate when she accepts an offer from a powerful mage to go away with him and become an assassin, and help his bring down an empire.

You made it to the bottom! Thanks for reading.

xx,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday, readers! It’s time for another round-up, as we are now halfway through Rounduptember! Today’s newsletter is about 20 of the books coming out in 2020 that I am excited about that I haven’t read yet. (Publishers/editors/authors/agents, feel free to send them to me!) Next week, I’ll cover books I have read. Which is woohoo for me, because you know how I love to tell you about as many books as I can!

You can hear about about more favorites from this year on this week’s episode of the All the Books! María Cristina and I discussed several of our favorite nonfiction books of 2019, including On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, The Priory of the Orange Tree, The Hollow Kingdom, and more!

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling (Grand Central Publishing, January 7)

I heard that this book was awesome from Kira Jane Buxton, and since she wrote The Hollow Kingdom, I know she has amazing taste. It’s about a future country built entirely on algorithms. Peter Jobless is a machine scrapper who can’t bring himself to destroy some of the machines sent his way, so his home is now populated by a band of robot misfits. And one day he returns a machine, calling into question Qualityland’s whole system.

Virtuoso by Yelena Moskovich (Two Dollar Radio, January 14)

The first offering of 2020 from one of my very favorite indie presses is a novel sent in Prague, Paris, Boston, and Wisconsin. The Guardian calls it a mashup of David Lynch, Elena Ferrante, Anaïs Nin, Antonin Artaud, and Lana Del Rey, which is quite the impressive mashup.

 

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender (Scholastic Press, February 4)

I was a big fan of Callender’s 2019 release, Queen of the Conquered, which is most definitely NOT a children’s book. But this upcoming release IS for kids (and everyone else.) It’s a middle grade read about a 12-year-old boy who thinks his brother turned into a dragonfly after he died.

 

The Snow Collectors by Tina May Hall (Dzanc Books, February 12)

I marked this one down to read months ago, and then forgot, and then came across it a few weeks ago, and thought “WOWZA! I WANT THIS!” and then of course discovered I had already written it down, lol. I love when I do that. It’s being billed as a Gothic mystery about the Franklin Arctic expedition. I can’t wait to read it! I’d love to have a favorite novel about Arctic exploration that wasn’t by a garbage fire.

So We Can Glow: Stories by Leesa Cross-Smith (Grand Central Publishing, March 10)

I loved Cross-Smith’s novel, Whiskey and Ribbons, from 2018, so I am incredibly interested to see what she has for us in shorter form. Also, I think we need to bring neon signs back to more book covers. Last year’s cover trend was snakes. Maybe this year’s trend will be neon snakes.

 

You Will Never Be Forgotten: Stories by Mary South (FSG Originals, March 10)

I am all aboard for every book that FSG puts out, but I will admit that I saw an author I greatly respect discussing this online, so I marked it down without even reading about it. I can no longer remember who the author was (Elizabeth McCracken, maybe?) but I have now read over the synopsis of the stories and remain committed.

 

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, by Mieko Kawakami, Sam Bett (Translator), David Boyd (Translator) (Europa Editions, April 7)

The author of Ms Ice Sandwich returns with a novel about three women in Japan and their relationships with their own bodies. One woman struggles with self image after giving birth; one is a girl terrified to experience puberty; and the unnamed narrator deals with being neither a daughter or mother.

Braised Pork: A Novel by An (Yu Grove Press, April 14)

I have heard amazing things already about this novel of a woman in Beijing who finds her husband dead in the bathtub after breakfast. Next to his body is a mysterious pencil sketch that sends her off on a journey across the city for answers.

 

 

Northernmost: A novel by Peter Geye (Knopf, April 14)

A man thought lost in an Arctic expedition returns home to discover his funeral is underway. His wife, of course, is shocked to see him alive. Over a century later, a woman travels to Oslo to learn more about her great-great-grandmother who was born there but moved away as a young woman and never returned.

 

The Abstainer: A Novel by Ian McGuire (Random House, April 28)

This is already the third mention of Arctic exploration and I’m not even halfway through my list, but I loved McGuire’s novel, The North Water, about an expedition gone wrong. It is a grisly, darkdarkdark novel, so I cannot wait to see what he does with his new one, about an Irishman in nineteenth-century England and the underground movement for independence.

Gory Details: Adventures From the Dark Side of Science by Erika Engelhaupt (National Geographic, May 12)

And it wouldn’t be a list by Liberty without something macabre! This book covers “the gross, strange, and morbid absurdities of our bodies and our universe” and is being compared to Mary Roach. WE NEEDS THE PRECIOUS.

 

House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess (Random House Books for Young Readers, May 12)

The promo material for this YA novel calls it “Three Dark Crowns meets The Breakfast Club with DRAGONS.” I don’t think I need to say anything else.

 

 

Catherine House: A Novel by Elisabeth Thomas (Custom House, May 12)

Okay, not only am I a sucker for a 1980s reference (see above), but I will read anything compared to The Secret History, which this has been. I guess you can say it’s in my Catherine Wheel house. (Sorry not sorry.) It’s a Gothicky novel about a very selective school of higher learning hidden in the Pennsylvania woods.

 

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (Scholastic Press, June 2)

I 100% admit to wanting to read this simply because it is a reference to my favorite Andrew Scott moment on Sherlock. (Yep, that’s where the title for the Billie Eilish song came from, too.) It’s about two girls competing for prom queen who fall in love. Sounds amazing, I want to have read it yesterday. SIGN ME UP.

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (Random House, June 16)

This is Mbue’s first novel since her impressive debut, Behold the Dreamers, back in 2016. (Where DOES the time go???) This one is about the people of the fictional African village of Kosawa, who are fighting back against the devastation caused by an American oil company.

 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey, June 30)

This is SMG’s second novel coming in 2020, the first being Untamed Shore in February. Mexican Gothic is “a reimagining of the classic gothic suspense novel, a story about an isolated mansion in 1950s Mexico.” MY BODY IS READY.

 

 

Hamnet: A novel by Maggie O’Farrell (Knopf, July 28)

This is based on O’Farrell’s fascination with a story regarding Shakespeare and the death of his eleven-year-old son, Hamnet. It’s a look at Shakespeare and his wife after the loss of the son, and in the years leading up to the production of Hamlet.

 

Empire of Wild: A Novel by Cherie Dimaline (William Morrow, July 28)

This one was blurbed by Tommy Orange, so I cannot wait to get my hands on it ASAP. It’s a fable inspired by the traditional Canadian Métis legend of the Rogarou—a werewolf-like creature that haunts the roads and woods of native people’s communities. My goal in 2020 is to read more Native voices, and I think this one is going to be incredible.

Luster: A Novel by Raven Leilani (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, August 4)

And this promises to be an electrifying debut about a young Black woman who gets involved in an open marriage, that turns into attachment when she loses her job and grows close with the wife and child.

 

 

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Vol. 2 by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics Books, September 15)

I’m not going to get too excited, since they have already pushed this release date three times, and then pulled it entirely for a while. But for now, it appears to be back on, and I love the first book so much that I don’t care if I am sharing incorrect information right now, I just want it to happen. The artwork in the first book is some of the most amazing pen-and-ink work I have ever seen.

See you next week!

xx,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday, readers! It’s time for another round-up, lol. They should just change ‘December’ to ‘Rounduptember.” Totally plausible and easy-to-use name, right? Today’s newsletter is about 20 of my favorite books of the year! Obviously, I love so many more than that but I cannot mark all of them down, so I will pick the first ones that pop into my head.

If you want to read about more of them, I have started off my yearly Twitter thread of 150 favorites. (Just barely: Twitter was down almost as soon as I started, so I am only up to #9 right now. It was a conspiracy!) And you can hear about about more favorites from 2019 on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Kelly and I discussed several of our favorite nonfiction books, including Good Talk, Say Nothing, Dapper Dan, and more!

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg

I loved this book so much. SOOOOOOO MUCH. It’s about members of a family who have been lorded over by the abusive narcissist patriarch their whole lives. When he suffers a heart attack, they reflect on his past behavior, and contemplate forgiveness and whether we have to give it. And the ending, holy cats! It was the first time I fist-pumped the air and said “YESSSSSS” while reading a book. I looked like Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club.

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer

This is a very important book: Treuer presents the history of Native Americans in America from the end of the 19th century to present day, a history not often highlighted or documented in history books. This was a finalist for the National Book Award for nonfiction.

 

Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson

Madison needs her former bff, Lillian, to be the governess for Madison’s soon-to-be-arriving stepchildren. She can’t hire just anyone, because she needs someone she can trust to keep the family secret: These children catch on fire when they get upset. This is a really sweet, funny novel, and I loved it from beginning to end. I think that it works because Wilson never makes it over-the-top. No one seriously questions the science behind fire children. The book never flies too high, so he has no problem landing it.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel by Ocean Vuong

The debut novel of the incredible poet Vuong, written as a letter from a son to his mother, about her life in Vietnam before his birth, and their difficult lives together later on. This is “reach into your ribcage, pull your heart out, and rub it on your head” beautiful. What a powerfully moving read.

 

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

I know I mention this book practically every week, but it is my obsession. A swordswoman of the Ninth House accompanies her necromancer to the First House to participate in a competition for the Emperor. Add lots blood, skeletons, and swordplay, and shake vigorously.

 

 

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

THIS BOOK IS BANANAS, Y’ALL. It’s about the end of humanity brought about by the apocalypse, told through the eyes of animals. Mainly S.T., a foul-mouthed domesticated crow, who is traveling to find a cure to help his infected human friend. It’s SO funny and gross and awesome, and it’s also incredibly moving. I can’t wait for the AMC for animated TV series.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

A genre-defying young adult novel about monster hunting from the author of Freshwater. This book is such a tremendously imaginative way to talk about children and parents, and the dangers of silence and denial. This was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

 

 

gods with a little g by Tupelo Hassman

This is an incendiary novel of youth and grief and yearning. It perfectly captures how stupid, immediate, and confusing it feels to be a teenager. I loved it with the heat of a thousand suns. I feel like this one needs more love.

 

 

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

It’s definitely one of the year’s best novels. It’s about a couple who find themselves embroiled in a murder trial after their experimental medical treatment device kills two people. But it’s also a story of family, and responsibility, and immigration. The writing is astounding, and it will deliver a kick-o-gram straight to your heart. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

 

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

This book is so intense, and remarkably sad, but it’s an incredible read about a mother of ten who was taken in full view of her neighbors in 1972 and never seen again. Everyone knew who took her, but no one would speak, because they were afraid of repercussions. It’s an excellent examination of The Troubles and the effects on the country.

The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi S. Laskar

This is an incredible look at micro-aggressions and macro-aggressions experienced by people of color who are American citizens. The main character, Mother, is reflecting on these as she lies injured in her driveway, the result of police violence. The writing in this book and the non-linear storytelling is also amazing.

 

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Evvie Drake is about a young widow and a burned-out ballplayer in Maine who strike up a friendship. There’s plenty of witty banter and “will they, won’t they” tension, but it’s also a freaking smart, emotionally charged story about loss. It charmed the pants off me. I can’t wait to read more from Holmes.

 

 

We Cast a Shadow: A Novel by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

I can’t believe this was just out in January. I feel like I’ve been recommending it for years. It’s a profound satire about racism and survival in America, about a near-future, post-post-racial America where a father tries to make more money, so his son can have a radical surgery to lighten his skin.

 

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

Do you want to recapture the feeling of reading The Westing Game or Agatha Christie novels for the first time? Then read this book. Well, when it comes out. I loved it! It’s a spooky, charming scavenger hunt, kind of like a ghostly reality show, but better because you don’t have to look at anyone. Reading this made me feel like I was a kid again, watching Mr. Boogedy, just absolutely thrilled and tickled pink. TL;DR: The Westing Game for adults.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Two young boys with different views on facing the world deal with their challenges after they are thrown in a brutal reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. Whitehead has taken another dark spot in American history, based on a real school of horrors in Florida, and transformed it into a compelling, powerful novel.

 

Body Leaping Backward: Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood by Maureen Stanton

This is a fantastic memoir about Stanton’s delinquent childhood, growing up in a working-class prison town. It aches with painful truths and bad decisions, and the writing is incredible. I will be mentioning it eleven million more times, at least, between now and its release.

 

Science Comics: Cats: Nature and Nurture by Andy Hirsch

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

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

I am so glad I managed to squeeze this one in after its released date, because it ended up being one of my favorite novels of the year. It’s a look at love, friendship, and faith, revolving around two couples who meet at a church in Chicago in the 1960s.

 

 

Your House Will Pay: A Novel by Steph Cha

Another book from 2019 that I think deserves WAY more attention. Cha has done an amazing job with this literary thriller about two families caught up in the wake of the shooting of a black teenager in early 1990s in Los Angeles, and a second crime that brings them back together two decades later. This is the most realistic novel I read this year, if that makes sense.

 

A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself by William Boyle

When mob widow Rena (rightfully) knocks her disgusting neighbor on the head with an ashtray and steals his car, she sets off a chain of events that sends her in the direction of other people’s comeuppances and coincidences. It’s dark and funny, just the way I like them. Imagine if Charles Portis wrote a mash-up of Two Days in the Valley and The Sopranos, and you’d have this book, a smart, gritty crime novel about loss, second chances, and the Mafia.

See you next week!

xx,

Liberty

IT’S DECEMBER. Which means publishing is more about pushing books than publishing books at the moment, because of the holidays. So new releases become slower than molasses rolling uphill. For this week, I have a great big list of titles coming out the whole month of December. Next week, I’ll share my favorites of 2019, and the week after that, books I am excited about coming in 2020. It’s going to be an explosion of book awesomeness! You can hear about some of this month’s books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about Such a Fun Age, Dead Astronauts, This is Going to Hurt, and more.

And like with each megalist, I’m putting a next to the books that I have had the chance to read and loved. It has been slow reading for me the last few months, so I haven’t read as many as I wished, but I did get to a few of today’s books. And there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read! Like, seriously, I want to read most of the books out today. Someone invent a way to stop time, please.

Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer

The Measure of Our Lives: A Gathering of Wisdom by Toni Morrison

This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Medical Resident by Adam Kay

Cheaters Always Win: The Story of America by J. M. Fenster

Treachery: A Novel (Giordano Bruno Thriller) by S. J. Parris

Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean

Free Day (New York Review Books Classics) by Inès Cagnati, Liesl Schillinger (translator)

Nine Elms (Kate Marshall) by Robert Bryndza

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (THIS. A MILLION TIMES, THIS.)

The Wilds by Vita Ayala, Emily Pearson (Artist)

One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle

Now You See Them (Magic Men Mysteries) by Elly Griffiths

Just Watch Me: A Novel by Jeff Lindsay

The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt by Burt Solomon

Plate Tectonics: An Illustrated Memoir by Margaux Motin

Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance by Jennieke Cohen

The Thank-You Project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time by Nancy Davis Kho

Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra

All the Colors of Magic by Valija Zinck

When Old Midnight Comes Along (Amos Walker Novels) by Loren D. Estleman

Scared Little Rabbits by A.V. Geiger

Thin Ice: A Mystery by Paige Shelton

1973: Rock at the Crossroads by Andrew Grant Jackson

Walk the Wild With Me by Rachel Atwood

Reverie by Ryan La Sala

Oppo: A Novel by Tom Rosenstiel

Anyone: A Novel by Charles Soule

Down Among the Dead by K.B. Wagers

Children of Virtue & Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

Winter Grave (An Embla Nystrom Investigation) by Helene Tursten, Marlaine Delargy (translator)

Scornful Stars (Breaker of Empires Book 3) by Richard Baker

The Heart Is a Full-Wild Beast: New and Selected Stories by John L’Heureux

Reputation: A Novel by Sara Shepard

Diamond & Dawn (Amber & Dusk, Book 2) by Lyra Selene

Trace of Evil: A Natalie Lockhart Novel by Alice Blanchard

Elena Ferrante’s Key Words by Tiziana de Rogatis, Will Schutt (translator)

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

The Sacrament: A Novel by Olaf Olafsson

Alice Adams: Portrait of a Writer by Carol Sklenicka

Heaven on Earth: How Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo Discovered the Modern World by L. S. Fauber

The General Zapped an Angel: Stories (Art of the Story) by Howard Fast

Nietzsche and the Burbs by Lars Iyer

Blitzed (The Playbook) by Alexa Martin

The Revisionaries by A. R. Moxon

A Bookshop in Berlin: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman’s Harrowing Escape from the Nazis by Françoise Frenkel

This Is Happiness by Niall Williams

From Sea to Stormy Sea: 17 Stories Inspired by Great American Paintings by Lawrence Block

Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey

The Road to Delano by John DeSimone

A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution by Jeremy Popkin

The Wonderful by Saskia Sarginson

The Dead Girls Club: A Novel by Damien Angelica Walters

The Story of a Goat by Perumal Murugan, N Kalyan Raman (translator)

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

The Hills Reply by Tarjei Vesaas, Elizabeth Rokkan (translator)

Africaville by Jeffrey Colvin

The Wicked Redhead: A Wicked City Novel by Beatriz Williams

All That’s Bright and Gone: A Novel by Eliza Nellums

Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition by Buddy Levy

Sonnets to Orpheus by Rainer Maria Rilke, Christiane Marks (translator)

Gatekeeper: Poems by Patrick Johnson

The German House by Annette Hess, Elisabeth Lauffer (translator)

A Faithful but Melancholy Account of Several Barbarities Lately Committed by Jason Brown

The Kill Club by Wendy Heard

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins

A Trace of Deceit: A Novel by Karen Odden

The Network: A Novel by L. C Shaw

Star Trek: Discovery: Dead Endless (6) by Dave Galanter

Afterwardness by Mimi Khalvati

Karen’s Witch (Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphix) by Ann M. Martin  (Author), Katy Farina (Illustrator)

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison

The Wives: A Novel by Tarryn Fisher

Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

The Sky Done Ripped (Ned the Seal) by Joe R. Lansdale

Self-Confidence: A Philosophy by Charles Pépin, Willard Wood (translator)

The Guilty Feminist: You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Overthrow the Patriarchy by Deborah Frances-White (Author)

The Best of Uncanny by Naomi Novik, Hao Jingfang, et al.

Splintegrate by Deborah Teramis Christian

F*ck No!: How to Stop Saying Yes When You Can’t, You Shouldn’t, or You Just Don’t Want To (A No F*cks Given Guide) by Sarah Knight

See you next week!

xx,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday, readers! It’s the last November week of the decade! Which sounds wild, when you say it out loud. Forgive me for mentioning the end of the decade so much these last few weeks, but it’s an enormous passage of time that I still can’t wrap my mind around!

What I can wrap my mind around is books! I have a few of today’s great reads for you to check out below. And you can hear about great releases from 2019 that make wonderful gifts on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Tirzah and I discussed American Spy, Cats Are a Liquid, Gideon the Ninth, and more!

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

Tiny Love: The Complete Stories of Larry Brown by Larry Brown 

Brown was a highly regarded Southern writer, who taught himself the craft. His collections garnered him a lot of praise, including the Mississippi’s Governor’s Award For Excellence in the Arts, and he is considered an influence on many of today’s writers. This is the first complete collection of all his stories, including his few genre works, since his death in 2004. If you like authors such as Donald Ray Pollock, Harry Crews, William Gay, or Daniel Woodrell, you’ll love Larry Brown.

Backlist bump: Big Bad Love by Larry Brown

Fleabag: The Scriptures by Phoebe Waller-Bridge 

There are very few people on the planet who haven’t heard of Fleabag, the outstanding Emmy award-winning series, which originated as a one-woman play. This is the original script, with commentary by Waller-Bridge. The Fleabag phenomenon is huge, and this makes a great gift for the Fleabag lover in your life. Deluxe editions come with the Hot Priest.*

*No, they do not.

Backlist bump: Fleabag: The Special Edition by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

… And Other Disasters by Malka Older 

Older, best known for her amazing Centenal Cycle trilogy, has released a collection of short fiction and poetry about the future. She discusses otherness, identity, and compassion in possible future existence. In Older’s imagination midwives form a community on a new planet; a young scientist visits a dying Earth (I love a ruined Earth story!); a robot is built to experience empathy; and more.

Backlist bump: Infomocracy: Book One of the Centenal Cycle by Malka Older

See you next week!

xx,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday, readers! We’ve reached that time of the year when publishing slows way down for the holidays. That’s not to say there aren’t still great books coming out – there just aren’t as many of them. So for today, I’m going to tell you about a few recent releases I have enjoyed that I didn’t get to read in time for release day (or didn’t get a chance to discuss when they first came out.) You can hear me talk about awesome reads out now on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Jenn and I discussed Mary Toft; or the Rabbit Queen, Wyoming, Wake, Siren, and more great books!

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

The Deep by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes

Inspired by the song “We Are In The Future,” by the rap group Clipping, featuring Diggs, Solomon wrote this inventive novella about the descendants of slaves living in an underwater colony. Yetu is the historian of the colony. She is the only one who holds the secrets of her people’s traumatic past. But holding on to such horrors is ruining her, so she flees to the surface to escape her responsibilities. There she will learn about the people left behind, and how embracing the past is the way to the future.

Backlist bump: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade

There are a zillion books about The Chosen One, i.e. the one who has been chosen through fate or prophesy to save the world or some other world-altering task. Like Buffy or Harry Potter. But what if the Chosen One fails at their job? That’s the question at the heart of this fun fantasy about two very different friends, one of whom is supposed to save them all, and how the other steps in when things don’t go according to plan. I highly enjoyed this book, and look forward to more adventures in this world!

Backlist bump: The Ruin of Kings (A Chorus of Dragons) by Jenn Lyons

Acid For The Children: A Memoir by Flea

If you’ve been reading this newsletter and/or listening to All the Books! for a while, 1) YOU ROCK and 2) you know that I’ll read anything if I’m told it’s good. Which is how I wound up reading this memoir. I am not a big fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, of which Flea is bassist and co-founder, but I had read nothing but incredible reviews of this book. And it was indeed wildly interesting! For starters, I had no idea that Flea was from Australia. It’s a candid look at his life of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, as well as his journey to spirituality, self-reflection, and healing. Sometimes it’s fun to read about a life so vastly different from anything you’ve ever experienced, especially when that person manages to turn it around for themselves. Includes a beautiful introduction poem from Patti Smith.

Backlist bump: Just Kids by Patti Smith

See you next week!

xx,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday, book lovers! I will give you three guesses as to what I did this weekend. Yep, that’s right: I juggled armadillos. JUST KIDDING. I read books, of course! People always ask me, “Don’t you get tired of reading?” Not yet, knock on wood! I read some great things that you will hear me talk about in 2020. Until then, you can hear me talk about other awesome reads out now on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Jenn and I discussed Nothing to See Here, The Cheffe, Sisters of the Vast Black, and more great books!

And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:

Color Outside the Lines: Stories about Love edited by Sangu Mandanna 

A wonderful collection of stories about interracial and LGBTQ+ relationships, from some of today’s most amazing YA authors, including Samira Ahmed, Adam Silvera, L.L. McKinney, and our own Eric Smith.

Backlist bump: Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond

Queen of the Conquered (Islands of Blood and Storm) by Kacen Callender 

This is a fantastic, Caribbean-inspired fantasy about colonial oppression. When Sigourney Rose was young, colonizers slaughtered her family. The same people who have been enslaving her people for generations. But Sigourney Rose isn’t young anymore, and she has powers – and she’s ready for revenge. For starters, she uses mind control to talk her way into the royal islands run by colonizers. But someone on the island is murdering their way through the kingdom, and even she is powerless to stop them. This is so good and SO dark. I keep seeing this listed as a YA book. Spoiler: THIS IS NOT A YA BOOK.

Backlist bump: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

The Innocents: A Novel by Michael Crummey

So Sweetland is one of my favorite novels of all time, so I was ridiculously excited to read his latest novel. And I did think it was beautiful, which is why I am including it here. But it’s also heartbreaking, and may not be for everyone. It’s a historical novel about a young brother and sister who are cut off from civilization in a Newfoundland cove after their parents die. The children are resourceful and tough, but when they start to get older, well…let’s just say the bonds of family are going to be tested. Crummey really is an incredible writer, though, and this was a finalist for several awards.

Backlist bump: Sweetland by Michael Crummey

See you next week!

xoxo,

Liberty

Happy November, booklings! Today is without a doubt the BIGGEST new release day of the second half of 2019, if not the whole year. Just today we have the new Erin Morgenstern, the Booker Prize-winning Girl, Woman, Other, the new Susannah Cahalan, two books about RBG, the Rivers Solomon/Daveed Diggs collaboration The Deep, and more! That means I have a great big list of titles for you today, and you can hear about some of these and more amazing books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about The Starless Sea, Wake Siren, In the Dream House, and more.

And like with each megalist, I’m putting a next to the books that I have had the chance to read and loved. It has been slow reading for me the last few months, so I haven’t read as many as I wished, but I did get to a few of today’s books. And there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read! Like, seriously, I want to read most of the books out today. Someone invent a way to stop time, please.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Journey to Justice by Debbie Levy and Whitney Gardner

What Are We For?: The Words and Ideals of Eleanor Roosevelt by Eleanor Roosevelt and Nancy Pelosi

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder Place by Janelle Shane

Swimming in Darkness by Lucas Harari and David Homel

A Thousand Fires by Shannon Price

All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard-Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy by Phil Keith, Tom Clavin

Four White Horses and a Brass Band: True Confessions from the World of Medicine Shows, Pitchmen, Chumps, Suckers, Fixers, and Shills by Violet McNeal

The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett

Songs from the Deep by Kelly Powell

The Mysterious Affair at Olivetti: IBM, the CIA, and the Cold War Conspiracy to Shut Down Production of the World’s First Desktop Computer by Meryle Secrest

Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson

I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson

The Rib Joint: A Memoir In Essays by Julia Koets

Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel by Bernardine Evaristo

Mudlark: In Search of London’s Past Along the River Thames by Lara Maiklem

The Accursed Tower: The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades by Roger Crowley

Find Me Their Bones by Sara Wolf

This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving by David J. Silverman

Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers by Andy Greenberg

The How & the Why by Cynthia Hand

This Is Pleasure: A Story by Mary Gaitskill

Acid for the Children: A Memoir by Flea

A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Asebedo

Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women’s Fight for Their Rights by Mikki Kendall and A. D’Amico

Shine of the Ever by Claire Foster

She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado

The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle by Kent Alexander, Kevin Salwen

Disaster’s Children: A Novel by Emma Sloley

Most of the Better Natural Things in the World by Dave Eggers and Angel Chang

Making Comics by Lynda Barry

Skein Island by Aliya Whiteley

The Bishop’s Bedroom by Piero Chiara, Jill Foulston (translator)

The Fowl Twins (Artemis Fowl) by Eoin Colfer

The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown

Life and Limb by Jennifer Roberson

Space Struck by Paige Lewis

Anything for You: A Novel by Saul Black

The Lost Art of Scripture: Rescuing the Sacred Texts by Karen Armstrong

Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law by Jeffrey Rosen

Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness by Philip Goff

Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade

Aviva-No by Shimon Adaf, translated from the Hebrew by Yael Segalovitz

The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women by Mo Moulton

The Princess Who Flew with Dragons by Stephanie Burgis

The Little Blue Kite by Mark Z. Danielewski

The New Voices of Science Fiction by Nino Cipri, Little Badger, Darcie, et al.

Oblivion Banjo: The Poetry of Charles Wright by Charles Wright

The Bridge by Enza Gandolfo

The Deep by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, et al.

Girls of Storm and Shadow (Girls of Paper and Fire) by Natasha Ngan

The Family Upstairs: A Novel by Lisa Jewell

Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 14) by Jeff Kinney

The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team by Matthew Goodman

Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community and the Meaning of Generosity by Priya Basil

Quillifer the Knight (2) by Walter Jon Williams

Return to the Enchanted Island: A Novel by Johary Ravaloson, Allison M. Charette (translator)

Living in a World that Can’t Be Fixed: Reimagining Counterculture Today by Curtis White

The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West

They Will Drown in Their Mothers’ Tears by Johannes Anyuru, Saskia Vogel (translator)

The Toll (Arc of a Scythe) by Neal Shusterman

Fortuna (The Nova Vita Protocol) by Kristyn Merbeth

The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel José Older

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

On Swift Horses: A Novel by Shannon Pufahl

The Other Windsor Girl: A Novel of Princess Margaret, Royal Rebel by Georgie Blalock

Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Desk 88: Eight Progressive Senators Who Changed America by Sherrod Brown

Space Invaders: A Novel by Nona Fernández, Natasha Wimmer (translator)

Jakarta by Rodrigo Márquez Tizano, Thomas Bunstead (translator)

The Poppy Wife: A Novel of the Great War by Caroline Scott

Winterlust: Finding Beauty in the Fiercest Season by Bernd Brunner

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe

Alta California: From San Diego to San Francisco, A Journey on Foot to Rediscover the Golden State by Nick Neely

Parade: A Folktale by Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell (translator)

Tell Me No Lies: A Lady Dunbridge Novel by Shelley Noble

The Revisioners: A Novel by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

Up in the Main House: and Other Stories by Nadeem Zaman

The Crying Book by Heather Christie

The Ninja Daughter (Lily Wong) by Tori Eldridge

Humiliation: Stories by Paulina Flores, Megan McDowell (translator)

The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away: My Fifty Years Editing Hollywood Hits – Star Wars, Carrie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Mission: Impossible, and More by Paul Hirsch

Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao

Heed the Hollow: Poems by Malcolm Tariq

Feed by Tommy Pico

Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving by Mo Rocca

We Met in December: A Novel by Rosie Curtis

Supernova by Marissa Meyer

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

Get a Life, Chloe Brown: A Novel by Talia Hibbert

The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon

The Worst Kind of Want: A Novel by Liska Jacobs

Unnatural Magic by C. M. Waggoner

Ghost Train by Stephen Laws

Death and the Seaside by Alison Moore

Little Weirds by Jenny Slate

The First: How to Think About Hate Speech, Campus Speech, Religious Speech, Fake News, Post-Truth, and Donald Trump by Stanley Fish

The Returns by Philip Salom

Voyage of the Frostheart by Jamie Littler

The Age of Anxiety by Pete Townshend

Resistance Reborn (Star Wars): Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by Rebecca Roanhorse

Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay

Pain: A Novel by Zeruya Shalev and Sondra Silverston

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge by Ethan Sacks and Will Sliney

The Colonel’s Wife: A Novel by Rosa Liksom and Lola Rogers (Translator)

And Go Like This: Stories by John Crowley

Vernon Subutex 1: A Novel by Virginie Despentes, Frank Wynne (Translator)

Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives – and Save Theirs by Richard Louv

Cryptozoology for Beginners (Codex Arcanum) by Matt Harry and Juliane Crump

Shadowscent by P. M. Freestone

See you next week!

xoxo,

Liberty