Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Happy Tuesday! I have a special treat for you today: a list of 33 books released so far this year that I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss. These are titles that may not have received as much publicity, or might have flown under your radar, so I thought it would be fun to do a recap! And for new books, you can hear about awesome new reads on this week’s episode of All the Books! Kelly and I discussed Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune, Bunny, Slime, and more great books.


Sponsored by Dreamscape Media, LLC

Helen Hoang’s second romance is available now on audio! This scintillating, funny, heartwarming romance about a man who is convinced that can’t feel love and a woman who is hopelessly smitten with him is the perfect listen for summer. An #ownvoices novel from the author of The Kiss Quotient, Hoang dives deep into what romance looks like with an autistic protagonist. Don’t miss The Bride Test and be sure to listen to The Kiss Quotient, both available now from Dreamscape Media.


the light yearsThe Light Years: A Memoir by Chris Rush

A stunning coming-of-age memoir about Rush’s turbulent upbringing during the late 1960s, his dark journey through the 1970s, and his recovery.

The Orphan of Salt Winds by Elizabeth Brooks

A gothic historical mystery set on the moors of England, involving a ten-year-old girl attempting to adjust to her new adopted home, and a downed German fighter plane.

The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams

Yip-Williams’s heartbreaking, but uplifting (and even funny), memoir about her lifelong battle with health issues, published posthumously.

the far fieldThe Far Field by Madhuri Vijay

After the death of her mother, a young woman from Bangalore sets out for a remote Himalayan village in the troubled northern region of Kashmir to find a nam from her past.

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

Treuer presents the history of Native Americans in America from the beginning of the 20th century to present day, a history not often highlighted or documented in history books.

We Cast a Shadow: A Novel by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

A wildly sharp satire set in the near-future South–presented as an unsafe, racist mess–about a lawyer attempting to gather enough money so his son can have his skin lightened.

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay

A collection of Gay’s essays of small daily delights, written over the course of a year, including flowers peeking out of a sidewalk, a friend’s use of air quotes, and holding a tomato seedling aboard an airplane.

the falconerThe Falconer: A Novel by Dana Czapnik

A seventeen-year-old woman navigates unrequited love, heartache, and the bohemian side of New York City in 1993.

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

Based on a true story, this fantastic novel follows an underutilized, ignored young black FBI agent as she goes undercover for the CIA.

Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley

Knisley’s heart-squeezing graphic memoir of her pathway to becoming a mother, including loss and setbacks, is full of important, relevant information about pregnancy for today’s world.

The Psychology of Time Travel: A Novel by Kate Mascarenhas

Four women discover the secret to time travel, but when one suffers a breakdown, they go back in time and erase her from the project, with serious consequences.

Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family by Mitchell Jackson

Jackson’s illuminating and powerful memoir about his lineage and life, growing up in Portland, Oregon, and how he got out of the cycle of poverty and incarceration.

Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker

This is a fantastic collection of weird, brilliant short stories, including a prosthetic arm that believes its a road, children who bathe on the rocks like seals, and a writers’ conference in which every attendee is the author–including the murder victim.

The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi S. Laskar

This is a straight-up gut punch, but it’s also an important novel. It follows an Indian-American woman’s train of thought as she lays injured by police violence in her driveway.

the honey busThe Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May

A beautiful memoir about May’s childhood. She was abandoned by her parents and raised by her grandfather, who taught her a love for the natural world.

The Dragonfly Sea by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

Based in truth, this is a genre-defying novel about a young girl who grows up on the island of Pate, off the coast of Kenya. In her teens, she is invited to China to study and learn about her heritage.

The Word for Woman is Wilderness by Abi Andrews

A young woman from England travels through the wilderness to Alaska to show that, historically, only men have been championed for that kind of journey.

The Other Americans by Laila Lalami

The suspicious death of a Moroccan immigrant brings repercussions for several people in this compelling, taut story of immigration and race.

The Affairs of the Falcóns by Melissa Rivero

Undocumented Peruvian immigrants struggle with their new situation in America, and try to decide whether to stay as they work hard to survive.

Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Intense, gorgeous stories featuring Latinas of Indigenous descent living in the American West. This collection is incendiary.

Phantoms: A Novel by Christian Kiefer

A Vietnam vet in California works to discover what happened to a neighbor who disappeared after he returned home from World War II to find his family had been placed in a Japanese internment camp.

Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration by Emily Bazelon

An enraging, important read about how criminal prosecutions can go wrong, or can be corrupt, and the people who suffer the most because of it.

the bindingThe Binding by Bridget Collins

In a time when bad memories can be removed from the brain and bound in a book in a special library, a young apprentice at the library discovers a book on the shelves with his name on it.

Alice’s Island: A Novel by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo

A grieving widow becomes obsessed with finding the truth of her husband’s whereabouts, after he is killed in a car accident far from where he said he would be.

Flowers over the Inferno (A Teresa Battaglia Novel) by Ilaria Tuti, Ekin Oklap (translator)

An aging Italian police superintendent searches a small village for a deranged killer, while trying to hide the beginning symptoms of memory loss.

Let’s Tell This Story Properly by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

A marvelous collection from the author of Kintu! These stories are centered around the lives and treatment of Ugandans in Britain, as they work menial jobs and are excluded from white British life.

the seven or eight deathsThe Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna: A Novel by Juliet Grames

A family saga following Stella Fortuna from her birth and early years in Italy to her mysterious present-day fallout with her formerly beloved sister.

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

A young woman named Fatima in the city of Noor is caught up in the war between two clans of powerful djinn. When one of the most powerful Ifrit dies, she is transformed into something she doesn’t understand.

Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane

Macfarlane explores what lies underground, and explores our relationships with darkness and burial, from the birth of the universe to a post-human future.

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

The ghost of an Australian Aboriginal girl works to help her father solve arson at a home for troubled boys, and unlock the riddle of the only witness.

Other Words for Home by Jasmine WargaOther Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Written in verse, this is a wonderful middle grade novel about a young girl’s experiences as a Muslim in her school, both before and after the September 11 attacks.

The Truffle Underground: A Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and Manipulation in the Shadowy Market of the World’s Most Expensive Fungus by Ryan Jacobs

A fun, fascinating microhistory about truffles, one of the most expensive, sought-after foods in the word. Jacobs covers their history, their biology, the truffle black market, and their future.

The River by Peter Heller

Two college students hoping to spend a pleasant time on a canoe trip on the Maskwa River in northern Canada come up against wildfires, and a missing woman.

Thanks so much for visiting me here each week! Y’all are the best.

xoxo,

Liberty

Categories
New Books

First Tuesday of June Megalist!

Get ready for the mega-est of megalists! There are SO many amazing books out today. I had the great fortune of reading several of them, and loving many of them. And there are still a ton more I can’t wait to read. And because I love you, I made you a big shiny list below, and you can hear about more amazing books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about Ayesha at Last, Leaving the Witness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, and more.

(And like with each megalist, I’m putting a ❤️ next to the books that I have read and loved. But there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!)


Sponsored by This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura, from Epic Reads

CJ’s never lived up to her mom’s ambition, and she’s perfectly happy just helping her aunt, Hannah, at their family’s flower shop. She doesn’t buy into Hannah’s ideas about flowers and their hidden meanings, but when it comes to floral arrangement, CJ discovers a skill she can be proud of. Then her mom decides to sell the shop—to the family who swindled CJ’s grandparents when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during WWII. Soon a rift threatens to splinter CJ’s family, friends, and their entire community; and for the first time, CJ has found something she wants to fight for.


mostly dead thingsMostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett ❤️

Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas

The Unbreakables by Lisa Barr

The Milk Hours: Poems by John James

Beyond All Reasonable Doubt: A Novel by Malin Persson Giolito

That Night by Cyn Balog

Assassin of Shadows: A Novel by Lawrence Goldstone

This Might Hurt a Bit by Doogie Horner

Girls of July by Alex Flinn

No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani and Omid Tofighian

on earth we're briefly gorgeousOn Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel by Ocean Vuong ❤️

Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life by Amber Scorah

Dual Citizens: A novel by Alix Ohlin

We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib

The Reaping (Paperbacks from Hell) by Bernard Taylor

The Ten Loves of Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami and Allison Markin Powell

Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

The Beholder by Anna Bright

The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair

The Last Unknowns: Deep, Elegant, Profound Unanswered Questions About the Universe, the Mind, the Future of Civilization, and the Meaning of Life by John Brockman

magic for liarsMagic for Liars by Sarah Gailey ❤️

The Cat in the Box by Chris Ferrie

The Friends We Keep by Jane Green

Exposed by Jean-Philippe Blondel, Alison Anderson (translator)

Awards for Good Boys: Tales of Dating, Double Standards, and Doom by Shelby Lorman

Murder in Bel-Air (An Aimée Leduc Investigation) by Cara Black

The Chosen (Contender) by Taran Matharu

This Land Is Our Land by Suketu Mehta

The Favorite Daughter by Patti Callahan Henry

Naturally Tan: A Memoir by Tan France

Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall by James Polchin

out of the shadowsOut of the Shadows: Reimagining Gay Men’s Lives by Walt Odets ❤️

The Love Factory by Elaine Proctor

Banshee by Rachel DeWoskin

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

More News Tomorrow: A Novel by Susan Richards Shreve

The Lost Letters of William Woolf by Helen Cullen

The Truffle Underground: A Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and Manipulation in the Shadowy Market of the World’s Most Expensive Fungus by Ryan Jacobs ❤️

The Electric Hotel: A Novel by Dominic Smith

Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane

The Summer We Lost Her by Tish Cohen

The Great Eastern by Howard Rodman

A Small Zombie Problem (Zombie Problems) by K.G. Campbell

Trace: Who killed Maria James? by Rachael Brown

unravelingUnraveling by Karen Lord ❤️

I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest

Donna Has Left the Building by Susan Jane Gilman

Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth by Gordon L. Dillow

Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind by Annaka Harris

In at the Deep End by Kate Davies

Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power by Pam Grossman

On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard by Jennifer Pastiloff

The Summer Demands by Deborah Shapiro

Among the Lost by Emiliano Monge, Frank Wynne (translator)

in west millsIn West Mills by De’Shawn Charles Winslow ❤️

Aug 9 – Fog by Kathryn Scanlan

Chasing the Moon: The People, the Politics, and the Promise That Launched America into the Space Age by Robert L. Stone and Alan Andres

The Haunted by Danielle Vega

Oval: A Novel by Elvia Wilk ❤️

Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime by Alex Espinoza

All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker

The Summer Country: A Novel by Lauren Willig

Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson by Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow

1919 by Eve L. Ewing

time is a thingTime Is the Thing a Body Moves Through by T Fleischmann ❤️

Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

This Storm by James Ellroy

Ordinary Girls by Blair Thornburgh ❤️

Not Your Backup by C.B. Lee

When the Ground Is Hard by Malla Nunn

The Moon: A History for the Future by Oliver Morton

Patsy: A Novel by Nicole Dennis-Benn ❤️

All That You Leave Behind: A Memoir by Erin Lee Carr

Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life and Work by Victoria Ortiz

Out of Place by Jennifer Blecher, Merrillee Liddiard (Illustrator)

US cover of ayesha at lastAyesha At Last: A Novel by Uzma Jalaluddin ❤️

If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann

Virtually Yours by Sarvenaz Tash

Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum?: and Other Cocktails for ’90s Kids by Sam Slaughter

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson ❤️

The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde

Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert ❤️

The Shallows (Nils Shapiro) by Matt Goldman

The Last Pirate of New York: A Ghost Ship, a Killer, and the Birth of a Gangster Nation by Rich Cohen

why my cat is more impressiveWhy My Cat Is More Impressive Than Your Baby by Matthew Inman and The Oatmeal

Spider-Man: Far From Home: Peter and Ned’s Ultimate Travel Journal by Preeti Chhibber (YAY, PREETI!)

Searching for Sylvie Lee: A Novel by Jean Kwok ❤️

This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura

We Were Killers Once: A Thriller (Brigid Quinn Series) by Becky Masterman

Just One Bite by Jack Heath

Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal

Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money by Ken Honda

Out Stealing Horses: A Novel by Per Petterson, Anne Born (translator)

That’s it for me today! If you want to learn more about books new and old, or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), or see pictures of my cats (How do I make them stop growing?!?), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Thanks so much for reading!

Liberty

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a wonderful three-day weekend, if that’s a thing that happened where you are. I’ll give you three guesses how I spent mine. (SPOILER: Reading books.) I have a few of today’s amazing new releases to tell you about. And you can hear about more awesome reads on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Kim and I discussed Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to ComeStay Sexy & Don’t Get MurderedOther Words for Home, and more great books.


Sponsored by The Plus One from HarperCollins 360.

Polly Spencer is single and turning thirty, but seriously, she’s fine. Even if she’s still stuck at Posh! magazine writing about royal babies and the chances of finding a plus one to her best friend’s summer wedding are looking worryingly slim. But it’s a new year, and Polly’s determined that over the next 365 days she’ll remember to shave her legs, drink less wine, and get her s**t together. Her latest piece is on the infamous Jasper, Marquess of Milton, undoubtedly neither a plus one nor ‘the one.’ She’s heard the stories—there’s no way she’ll succumb to his charms…


the flatshareThe Flatshare: A Novel by Beth O’Leary

This is a delightful romantic comedy about two people who are perfect for each other, if only they could meet. Tiffany and Leon share a flat. Just not at the same time. In an effort to save money, Tiffany stays in it at night, and Leon during the day. As the two communicate through a series of notes, they begin to develop a real affinity for one another. Could it translate over IRL? (Writing this blurb is making me want to go watch Ladyhawke.)

Backlist bump: Matchmaking for Beginners: A Novel by Maddie Dawson

rebel beverly jenkinsRebel (Women Who Dare) by Beverly Jenkins

I don’t know why people even bother writing reviews of Beverly Jenkins’s books. She is amazing every. single. time. This romance is about Valinda Lacy, a Northern woman in New Orleans after the Civil War. She’s trying to help the newly emancipated community, but when criminals destroy her school, and threaten her, she flees – and ends up running into Captain Drake LeVeq. He admires Valinda’s strong spirit and independence. And when her father insists Valinda returns home, Drake realizes he feels even more for her.

Backlist bump: Tempest (Old West) by Beverly Jenkins

hope for the bestHope for the Best (Chronicles of St Mary’s) by Jodi Taylor

This is the tenth novel in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series. I’m here to recommend you this whole delightful series about time-hopping historical researchers. They investigate unsolved events in history and try not to mess time up or get killed in the process. But you can’t just drop in on history and not expect to make an impression… Start with the first book in the series, listed below!

Backlist bump: Just One Damned Thing After Another (Chronicles of St. Mary’s) by Jodi Taylor

Thanks so much for visiting me here each week! Y’all are the best.

xoxo,

Liberty

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Hello and welcome to another Tuesday edition of “Holy cats, there are so many books in the world!” I know we’re all trying to read as many of them as we can. (Go, us!) I have a few of today’s amazing new releases to tell you about. And you can hear about more awesome reads on this week’s episode of the All the Books! María Cristina and I talked about The Confessions of Frannie Langton, Vessel, Star-Crossed, and more great books.


Sponsored by Flatiron Books

From the award-winning author of If I Was Your Girl, Meredith Russo, comes a heart-wrenching and universal story of identity, first love, and fate. Six years of birthdays reveal Eric and Morgan’s destiny as they come together, drift apart, fall in love, and discover who they’re meant to be—and if they’re meant to be together.


biloxiBiloxi: A Novel by Mary Miller

I don’t know that there are many authors who could have pulled this book off. It’s about 63-year-old Louis McDonald, Jr. His father has died, his wife of 37 years has left him, he’s retired, and he’s a bit problematic. But the way Miller writes him, I still found myself caring for this book about a flawed man, and the dog he adopts, because it’s incredibly compelling. I may not love Louis, but I loved this book. (Also, do you think this is the first book cover to feature baloney?)

Backlist bump: The Last Days of California by Mary Miller

Let Me Hear a Rhyme cover imageLet Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D Jackson

Set in Brooklyn in 1998, this is about the power of music and how it fills the spaces in grief. Steph was a talented rapper, until he was murdered. Wanting to keep him from being forgotten, his best friends Quadir and Jarrell and Steph’s younger sister Jasmine release his songs under a new name: The Architect. But when Steph’s music catches on, and people are wanting to know more and hear more from the architect, their secret threatens to come apart, forcing them to confront the truth of Steph’s death.

Backlist bump: Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D Jackson

amelia westlakeAmelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough

This is a delightful, queer romantic comedy about two girls who hate one another – but not as much as they hate inequality. Harriet Price and Will Everhart are about as different as two students can be, but when both girls are fed up with the harassment and sexism at their school, they join together to create Amelia Westlake, an imaginary student who exposes the wrongs they cannot. But how long can they keep the secret of Amelia – and how long before they admit they’re falling in love?

Backlist bump: Moxie: A Novel by Jennifer Mathieu

Thanks so much for visiting me here each week! Y’all are the best.

xoxo,

Liberty

Categories
New Books

May New Books Megalist: The Sequel!

I’m sorry, but I had to do it. I read so many wonderful books that are coming out today, I HAD to make another megalist, because I couldn’t choose just a few to highlight. (You know how I hate making decisions.) So this way, you can see all the Liberty-approved books out today, plus a ton more that are out now. YAY BOOKS! And you can hear about more amazing books on this week’s episode of All the Books! Kelly and I talked about The DenThere’s Something About Sweetie, Lanny, and more new books!

(And like with each megalist, I’m putting a ❤️ next to the books that I have read and loved. But there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!)


Sponsored by Wednesday Books

From one of the most followed BookTubers today, Christine Riccio, comes a story about second chances, discovering yourself, and being brave enough to try again. Colleen Hoover calls Again, but Better “is a fantastic debut novel! Entertaining, clever, and impossible to put down.” What would you do with a second chance?


the lost coastThe Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta ❤️

Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir by Jayson Greene

Not Bad People by Brandy Scott

Manfried Saves the Day: A Graphic Novel by Caitlin Major and Kelly Bastow

A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata and Julia Kuo

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina ❤️

Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos

Deep Past: A Novel by Eugene Linden

Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban

The Key to Happily Ever After by Tif Marcelo

shut up you're prettyShut Up You’re Pretty by Téa Mutonji ❤️

Testimony from Your Perfect Girl by Kaui Hart Hemmings

Dream Sequence: A Novel by Adam Foulds

Brothers Down: Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS Arizona by Walter R. Borneman

Dawson’s Fall: A Novel by Roxana Robinson

Floyd Harbor: Stories by Joel Mowdy ❤️

The Song of the Jade Lily: A Novel by Kirsty Manning

The Undefeated by Una McCormack

Offline Journal: An Illustrated Guide for a more Connected, Creative Life by Jaya Nicely

My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding by Wendy Wax

transformedTransformed: A Navy SEAL’s Unlikely Journey from the Throne of Africa, to the Streets of the Bronx, to Defying All Odds by Remi Adeleke

York: The Clockwork Ghost by Laura Ruby ❤️

The Killer You Know by S.R. Masters

Strangers and Cousins: A Novel by Leah Hager Cohen

Lanny by Max Porter ❤️

Life of David Hockney: A Novel by Catherine Cusset, Teresa Fagan (translator)

The Satapur Moonstone (A Perveen Mistry Novel) by Sujata Massey

Triangulum by Masande Ntshanga ❤️

We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra

The Scholar cover imageThe Scholar: A Novel by Dervla McTiernan

The Obsoletes: A Novel by Simeon Mills

Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal ❤️

The Desert Sky Before Us: A Novel by Anne Valente

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay

Time Sight by Lynne Jonell ❤️

A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay

Tears of the Trufflepig: A Novel by Fernando A. Flores

There’s Something about Sweetie by Sandhya Menon

the candle and the flameThe Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad ❤️

Once More unto the Breach by Meghan Holloway

Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers ❤️

The Night Window: A Jane Hawk Novel by Dean Koontz

Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel by Casey McQuiston ❤️

A Bend in the Stars by Rachel Barenbaum

Naturally Tan: A Memoir by Tan France

Glitch by Sarah Graley ❤️

If She Wakes by Michael Koryta

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

the denThe Den: A novel by Abi Maxwell ❤️

Freedom Fire (Dactyl Hill Squad #2) by Daniel José Older ❤️

The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 (The Revolution Trilogy) by Rick Atkinson

America Was Hard to Find by Kathleen Alcott

Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang ❤️

The Night Before by Wendy Walker

Lima :: Limon by Natalie Scenters-Zapico

Rules for Visiting: A Novel by Jessica Francis Kane ❤️

Apollo’s Legacy: Perspectives on the Moon Landings by Roger D. Launius

out eastOut East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer by John Glynn ❤️

Beyond Babylon by Igiaba Scego, Aaron Robertson

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football by John Urschel and Louisa Thomas

Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide by Tony Horwitz ❤️

The Case for Space: How the Revolution in Spaceflight Opens Up a Future of Limitless Possibility by Robert Zubrin

Odd Gods by David Slavin, Daniel Weitzman

You Will Be Safe Here by Damian Barr ❤️

Hybrida: Poems by Tina Chang

orange worldOrange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips ❤️

Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back by Luis Tiant

On a Scale of One to Ten by Ceylan Scott

No Saving Throw by Kristin McFarland ❤️

Nirvana Is Here: A Novel by Aaron Hamburger

The First Wave: The D-Day Warriors Who Led the Way to Victory in World War II by Alex Kershaw

Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson

If You Cross the River: A Novel by Geneviéve Damas and Jody Gladding

That’s it for me today! If you want to learn more about books new and old, or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), or see pictures of my cats (How do I make them stop growing?!?), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Thanks so much for reading!

Liberty

Categories
New Books

First Tuesday of May Megalist!

Holy cats, brace yourself for the most amazing new release day yet this year! Seriously, there are about a zillion new books out today, give or take almost a zillion. I have had the pleasure of reading several of them, and I can’t wait to see how excited everyone else is going to be when they see them. And because I love you, I made you a big shiny list below, and you can hear about more amazing books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about The Bride Test, Somewhere Only We Know, Furious Hours, and more.

(And like with each megalist, I’m putting a ❤️ next to the books that I have read and loved. But there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!)


Sponsored by Flatiron Books

Welcome to Finale, the final book in Stephanie Garber’s #1 New York Times bestselling Caraval series! It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist. Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend. After uncovering a secret, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change him. Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun.


the seven or eight deathsThe Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna: A Novel by Juliet Grames ❤️

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang ❤️

The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday by Rob Walker

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel by Kim Michele Richardson

The Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI by Lauren Johnson

The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont by Shawn Levy

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep ❤️

Rough Magic: Riding the World’s Loneliest Horse Race by Lara Prior-Palmer

Beautiful Revolutionary by Laura Elizabeth Woollett

Such a Perfect Wife: A Novel (Bailey Weggins Mysteries) by Kate White

The East End by Jason Allen

Jaclyn Hyde by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White

Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Being Everyday French by John von Sothen

The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones

Exiles of Eden by Ladan Ali Osman

rabbits for foodRabbits for Food by Binnie Kirshenbaum ❤️

The Lingering by Sji Holliday

The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel by Liv Constantine

How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Finale: A Caraval Novel by Stephanie Garber

Loudermilk: Or, The Real Poet; Or, The Origin of the World by Lucy Ives

Finding Orion by John David Anderson

Nocturna by Maya Motayne

The Guest Book: A Novel by Sarah Blake ❤️

No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder

the unpassingThe Unpassing: A Novel by Chia-Chia Lin ❤️

The Body in the Wake: A Faith Fairchild Mystery by Katherine Hall Page

Again, but Better: A Novel by Christine Riccio

Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

A Craftsman’s Legacy: Why Working with Our Hands Gives Us Meaning by Eric Gorges and Jon Sternfeld

Cinderella Liberator by Rebecca Solnit and Arthur Rackham ❤️

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Illustrator)

Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali

china dreamChina Dream by Ma Jian and Flora Drew ❤️

Above the Ether by Eric Barnes

The Scientific Attitude: Defending Science from Denial, Fraud, and Pseudoscience by Lee McIntyre

Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis by Jared Diamond

Juliet the Maniac: A Novel by Juliet Escoria ❤️

Stop Doing That Sh*t: End Self-Sabotage and Demand Your Life Back by Gary John Bishop

The Yankee Widow by Linda Lael Miller

The Woman in the Blue Cloak by Deon Meyer

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo ❤️

The Missing of Clairdelune: Book Two of The Mirror Visitor Quartet by Christelle Dabos and Hildegarde Serle

How We Disappeared: A Novel by Jing-Jing Lee

middlegameMiddlegame by Seanan McGuire ❤️

Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The Absence of Sparrows by Kurt Kirchmeier

Last Things by Jacqueline West

Black Mountain (An Isaiah Coleridge Novel) by Laird Barron

Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler ❤️

Gather at the River: Twenty-Five Authors on Fishing by David Joy and Eric Rickstad

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors: A Novel by Sonali Dev ❤️

Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations, and Observations by Craig Ferguson

Outside the Gates of Eden by Lewis Shiner

Is, Is Not: Poems by Tess Gallagher

Hurricane Season by Nicole Melleby

The Archive of Alternate Endings: Stories by Lindsey Drager ❤️

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins ❤️

The Daughter’s Tale: A Novel by Armando Lucas Correa

Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle and Isaac Goodhart

The Farm: A Novel by Joanne Ramos ❤️

Original Prin by Randy Boyagoda

New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent by Margaret Busby

Just South of Home by Karen Strong

Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang ❤️

kings queens and in-betweensKings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju

A Devil Comes to Town by Paolo Maurensig, Anne Milano Appel

Nightingale by Paisley Rekdal

The Laws of the Skies by Grégoire Courtois and Rhonda Mullins

Hope and Other Punchlines by Julie Buxbaum

Westside by W.M. Akers ❤️

The Charmer in Chaps by Julia London

The Cowboy and His Baby by Jessica Clare

HUMANS: A Brief History of How We Fcked It All Up by Tom Phillips

Million Mile Road Trip by Rudy Rucker

the flight portfolioThe Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer

The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI’s Original Mindhunter by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker ❤️

Sleepless Night by Margriet de Moor and David Doherty

Scott Pilgrim Color Collection Box Set by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Nuking the Moon: And Other Intelligence Schemes and Military Plots Left on the Drawing Board by Vince Houghton

Queer Heroes by Arabelle Sicardi and Sarah Tanat-Jones

Angel Bones by Ilyse Kusnetz

The Unspeakable Mind: Stories of Trauma and Healing from the Frontlines of PTSD Science by Shaili Jain

A Job You Mostly Won’t Know How to Do: A Novel by Pete Fromm

No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir by Ani DiFranco

all the rageAll the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership by Darcy Lockman

Atomic Frenchie, Vol. 2 by Tom Sniegoski and Tom McWeeney

The Man They Wanted Me to Be: Toxic Masculinity and a Crisis of Our Own Making by Jared Yates Sexton

After the Party: A Novel by Cressida Connolly

A Life in Movies: Stories from 50 Years in Hollywood by Irwin Winkler

Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage by Bette Howland

The Unquiet Heart by Kaite Welsh

State of the Union: A Marriage in Ten Parts by Nick Hornby

The Paris Diversion: A Novel by Chris Pavone

At Home with Muhammad Ali by Hana Ali

fearing the black bodyFearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings

Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman, Heather Fox (Illustrator)

The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby

Electric Forest by Tanith Lee

The Latte Factor: Why You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach and John David Mann

Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague by David K. Randall

Queer X Design: 50 Years of Signs, Symbols, Banners, Logos, and Graphic Art of LGBTQ by Andy Campbell

When Darkness Loves Us (Paperbacks from Hell) by Elizabeth Engstrom

Folded Wisdom: Notes from Dad on Life, Love, and Growing Up by Joanna Guest

That’s it for me today! If you want to learn more about books new and old, or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), or see pictures of my cats (How do I make them stop growing?!?), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Thanks so much for reading!

Liberty

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Happy last day of April! Can you believe it??? Everything here in Maine is so green. It’s true – I can see it out the windows. I have my hammock set up in my library now, and I spent the weekend reading old horror novels that frightened me as a child. It was pretty much perfect. (Even if I didn’t think the books I read were scary anymore.) And now I am enjoying Spring by Ali Smith, the third book in her Seasonal Quartet. (Spoiler: It’s fantastic.) And speaking of reading, I have a few of today’s amazing new releases to tell you about. And you can hear about more awesome reads on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Trisha and I talked about The Invited, Mama’s Boy, Let’s Tell This Story Properly, and more great books.


Sponsored by Amazon Publishing

Moscow hides a million secrets. This ex-CIA agent is about to discover an all-American deception in the underbelly of the Russian capital. Charles Jenkins is lured to Moscow for one last assignment, but nothing adds up. And as he gets dangerously closer to the truth, he finds himself abandoned by the agency he serves. In the game of spy vs. spy, there are no winners. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series comes a new edge-of-your-seat thriller of espionage, spy games, and treachery. Read The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni. Prime members read for free.


aru shah and the song of deathAru Shah and the Song of Death (Pandava Series) by Roshani Chokshi

If you listen to the podcasts, you already know that I am a HUGE fan of the first book in this series. If you haven’t read the first book, I’m not going to spoil anything here for you. I just wanted another chance to endorse it, because they’re both fantastic. It starts with a young girl named Aru Shah, who touches a magic artifact in a museum, all to impress the school bullies. Unfortunately, whoops, it sets off the end times. Which means F-U-N for us! I love Aru Shah. She can be foolish and selfish, but she’s also brave, clever, and compassionate. And her nervous pigeon sidekick is great. Give these books to the Harry Potter lovers in your life. (After you’ve read them yourself, because really, they’re wonderful.)

Backlist bump: Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Series) by Roshani Chokshi

walking on the ceilingWalking on the Ceiling by Aysegül Savas

In this beautiful meditation on grief and memory,  Nunu, a young Turkish woman, moves from Istanbul to Paris after the death of her mother. There she meets M., a British writer she has long-admired. As their friendship grows, she finds herself telling him things she hadn’t even admitted to herself, about her family, her country, and her grief. And she’s left wondering what she should keep to herself. It’s a wonderful debut.

Backlist bump: Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday

the unlikely adventures of the shergill sistersThe Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

The author follows her wonderful American debut, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, with this charming, emotional novel about three Punjabi sisters traveling to their homeland to lay their mother to rest. The Shergill sisters have never been close, each one so different from the others, but they cannot refuse their mother’s dying wish: that her daughters travel together to the Golden Temple in Amritsar to carry out her final rites. On their life-affirming journey, the sisters will learn things about their mother, each other, and themselves, that will change their lives forever.

Backlist bump: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Thanks so much for visiting me here each week! Y’all are the best.

xoxo,

Liberty

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Welcome back to another Tuesday, book lovers! Is it raining where you are? It has been raining in Maine for what feels like months. Luckily, reading is an inside sport! And speaking of which, I have a few of today’s amazing new releases to tell you about. And you can hear about more awesome reads on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Tirzah and I talked about Storm of Locusts, Ragged Alice, Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl, and more great books.


Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney

Meet Aimee Sinclair: the actress everyone thinks they know but can’t remember where from. Except one person. Someone knows Aimee very well. They know who she is and they know what she did.


how not to ask a boy to promHow Not to Ask a Boy to Prom by S. J. Goslee

People who love a fake dating trope, rejoice! Nolan is sixteen, gay, and crushing hard on a boy at his school. But he’s never even kissed a boy, let alone dated one. Just when he thinks his sister is going to embarrass him to death with a “prom-posal” idea, he’s saved by bad boy Bern, who offers to fake-date him. Do you see where this is going? It’s a sweet, charming novel about learning to speak up for yourself.

Backlist bump: Whatever.: or how junior year became totally f$@cked by S. J. Goslee

flowers of moldFlowers of Mold & Other Stories by Ha Seong-nan, Janet Hong (translator)

A man steals his neighbors’ trash to help him learn about love; a woman starts losing her memory after lending her spatula; a sunny billboard ad taunts the inhabitant of a gray city. These situations and more make up a stellar collection that will definitely please fans of short stories that have an unsettling layer to them.

Backlist bump: The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories by Yukiko Motoya, Asa Yoneda (translator)

this searing lightThis searing light, the sun and everything else: Joy Division: The Oral History by Jon Savage

Okay, this is a little Liberty wheelhousey, I know. But even if you’re not a fan, or unfamiliar with Joy Division, it’s a fascinating read about a band who achieved fame, but lost their singer right as they were really taking off. The story of their meteoric rise is told through interviews with the remaining band members and people who knew them. (Think Daisy Jones & the Six format.) It’s sad to look back on all that was lost, but also a beautiful testament to art, music, and fame. Plus, the cover is holographic!

Backlist bump: Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook

Thanks so much for visiting me here each week! Y’all are the best.

xoxo,

Liberty

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Hello, people of Earth! TAKE ME TO YOUR READER. Today is what you call a “Tuesday,” and it is full of those things you call “books.” As you read this, I am relaxing on the mothership, having taken a week off, but I still needed to tell you about some of today’s great new releases. Because recommending books is ingrained in the fiber of my being! Below are a few of today’s amazing new releases, and you can hear about more awesome reads on this week’s episode of the All the Books! María Cristina and I talked about Miracle Creek, The Binding, Alice’s Island, and more great books.


Sponsored by The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey and Swoon Reads

A dark and twisty regency novel perfect for readers who like their Jane Austen classics with a side of mystery and murder. 1833. A near-fatal carriage accident has deposited an unconscious young woman on the doorstep of young Lord Ellerby. When she finally awakens, it is with no memory of who she is or where she came from. As the mystery woman tries to solve the puzzle of her own identity and the appalling events that brought her to their door, nothing can prepare her for the escalating dangers that await. What she can’t remember could be deadly.


southern lady codeSouthern Lady Code: Essays by Helen Ellis

You may have heard us talk about Ellis on All the Books! before, because she is a SCREAM. And this collection of essays proves it! She tells the most amazing, frank, deliciously naughty, and over-the-top stories, while also discussing growing up in the South, and how to decode the expressions. (Example: “It’s just the house settling” is Southern Lady Code for: “Yep, you heard a ghost, but we need you to feed the cats while we’re out of town.”) I laugh-snorted my way through the whole thing, and will never look at a bottle of Liquid Plumr the same way. (Fun fact: She is an amazing poker player, and taught Colson Whitehead everything he know, which he documented in The Noble Hustle.)

Backlist bump: Eating the Cheshire Cat by Helen Ellis

diary of a murdererDiary of a Murderer: And Other Stories by Young-Ha Kim, Krys Lee (translator)

An aging serial killer sets his sight on another serial killer – who happens to be his daughter’s boyfriend – before dementia overtakes him. Two school friends reunite after 20 years, with dark results. A son returns years after being kidnapped. And a man thinks he is – wait for it – a cob of corn. These are the stories in this fascinating, well-imagined collection. I look forward to reading more by Kim.

Backlist bump: The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories by Yukiko Motoya and Asa Yoneda

normal peopleNormal People: A Novel by Sally Rooney

Already available across the pond, this dynamic novel has won several awards and been nominated for umpteen more. It’s about Marianne and Connell, two teens who are outside each other’s social circles, but have a connection away from school that they keep hidden from the world. And as they move on to college, and the boundaries of their relationship change, and their social standings and personalities shift, they must decide what it means for them. It’s a lovely rumination on young first love and class, told with sparse beauty.

Backlist bump: Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

Thanks so much for visiting me here each week! Y’all are the best.

xoxo,

Liberty

Categories
New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Welcome back to Tuesday! Er, a different Tuesday. Not the same one as last week. Which is a good thing, because there are a whole new bunch of great books out today! It was really hard to decide which ones to read first, but I managed. (Everything I do, I do it for you.) Below are a few of today’s amazing new releases. And you can hear about more awesome reads on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Kelly and I talked about Descendant of the CraneIn The Neighborhood of True, and more great books.


Sponsored by Henry Holt, publisher of TRUST EXERCISE by Susan Choi. Available now wherever books are sold.

The new novel by Pulitzer Prize finalist Susan Choi, TRUST EXERCISE. A story about the enduring aftermath of the events of adolescence, and about the complexities of consent and coercion among teenagers and adults. Through a narrative twist, TRUST EXERCISE raises questions about the reliability of memory and the accuracy of the stories we tell, and considers the consequences of our memories and our stories across time. One of the most anticipated new books of the year.


the dream peddlerThe Dream Peddler by Martine Fournier Watson

This novel is itself a dream, set in no discernible place at no discernible time. It gave me a bit of a Tuck Everlasting feel. It’s a “stranger comes to town” story, about a man who sells dreams, and a nine-year-old boy who disappears the same day he arrives. Evie, the boy’s mother, turns to the dream salesman for solace in her grief. But not all dreams should come true… (Also, I am so transfixed by this cover!)

Backlist New book bump: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

when we left cubaWhen We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

Beatriz Perez is a sugar heiress whose family lost everything during the Cuban Revolution. Now she has a chance for revenge against Fidel Castro – by becoming a spy for the CIA. But as she works to infiltrate his inner circle, she must decide if gaining back what she has lost is worth risking everything. When We Left Cuba is a compelling tale of love, family, and revenge.

Backlist bump: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

the lost history of dreamsThe Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr

Who’s in the mood for a gothic literary mystery with ill-fated romance? (Spoiler: WHO ISN’T?) Robert Highstead, a post-mortem photographer, is tasked with bringing the remains of his famous poet cousin, Hugh de Bonne, to the chapel that houses Bonne’s wife’s grave. But Bonne’s niece refuses to open the doors until Robert hears the story of the Bonnes’ tragic marriage. And as the story unfolds over five nights, the mystery of Robert’s own tragic past begins to unfold, including things that might not be real. OooOoooOoooooo.

Backlist bump: Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

Thanks so much for visiting me here each week! Y’all are the best.

xoxo,

Liberty