Category: New Books

Happy Tuesday! As you read this, I am currently on a bus to Chicago to attend Book Expo America to learn about wonderful books coming out in the next year! You can bet Rebecca and I will tell you all about them on the podcast when we get back. On this week’s episode of the All the Books! we talked about some great new releases, such as Mongrels, The High Places, and The Loney. I have a few more great titles for you below, and as always, you can find a big list in the All the Books! show notes. And I want to wish a happy pub day to my pal Dan Wilbur! His book, Never Flirt with Puppy Killers: And Other Better Book Titles, is out today.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey, the much-anticipated sequel to The Girl at Midnight.

Everything in Echo’s life changed in a blinding flash when she learned the startling truth: she is the firebird, the creature of light that is said to bring peace. The firebird has come into the world, but it has not come alone. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and Echo can feel a great and terrible darkness rising in the distance. Cosmic forces threaten to tear the world apart. Echo has already lost her home, her family, and her boyfriend. Now, as the firebird, her path is filled with even greater dangers than the ones she’s already overcome. She knows the Dragon Prince will not fall without a fight.

Echo must decide: can she wield the power of her true nature—or will it prove too strong for her, and burn what’s left of her world to the ground?

Welcome to the shadow hour.

LaRose by Louise Erdrich

Erdrich has solidified her place as a consistently wonderful writer who knows how to break your heart every time. In this case it’s a tragic accident involving neighbors, the gift of a child, and the threat of a secret revealed that drives this devastating, beautiful novel.

Backlist bump: The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich

The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay

Fans of David Mitchell will enjoy this enormous, epic novel of interwoven stories transcending time and space. Set in three different Venices – Italy, Los Angeles, and Los Angeles – and involving mirror makers, espionage, ominous councils, secret plans and more, this is an utterly original story that will spin your brain in your skull.

Backlist bump: Bats of the Republic by Zachary Thomas Dodson

Albina and the Dog-Men by Alejandro Jodorowsky (Author), Alfred MacAdam (Translator)

This is one of the stranger things I’ve read lately, which is fine by me – I love strange! A beautiful amnesiac albino giantess and her protector arrive in a South American town, where Albina’s beauty turn the men into wild animals, and they must fend off her suitors while hiding from a dangerous criminal. There’s also killer bees and parrots. (Like I said, it’s strange.) And certainly not for everyone. But if you like bizarre Kafkaeque stories, then it’s for you.

Backlist bump: Where the Bird Sings Best by Alejandro Jodorowsky (Author), Alfred MacAdam (Translator)

The Seed Collectors by Scarlett Thomas

It sounds like a strange thing to say out loud, but I felt really grown up while reading this book. It’s a fantastic, weird novel about love, sex, yoga, botany, and more. The characters say and do questionable (sometimes even unacceptable) things – I yelled out loud at them more than once – but they always do what feels real to them, and that human side is what makes book tick. It’s truly an original delight.

Backlist bump: White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

Central Station by Lavie Tidhar

Tidhar is poised to take the scifi world by storm. This latest effort is a wild tale of real life and virtual reality, where a city grows at the foot of a space station, data-vampires hunt their prey, cyborg soldiers hunt for parts, and more, all under the shadow of the interplanetary hub, Central Station. This is a fantastic tale of complicated politics and even more complicated relationships.

Backlist bump: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

YAY, BOOKS! That’s it for me. If you want to learn more about books (and see lots of pictures of my cats), or tell me about books you’re reading, you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’! (OMG I am OBSESSED with Litsy.)

And if you’re at BEA this week, and you see me, say hi!

Stay rad!

Liberty

Happy Tuesday! Time for a new release mega-list! It is impossible to read all the books out today, but I did my best. And on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about some great new releases, such as The Yoga of Max’s Discontent, Sweet Lamb of Heaven, and Imagine Me Gone. I have a few more great titles for you below, and as always, you can find a big list in the All the Books! show notes. And I mean big – this is a HUGE day for new releases! I have shared a whole bunch below that I enjoyed.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Unforgivable by Amy Reed. 

Unforgivable is Amy Reed’s sequel to Invincible. In Unforgivable, Marcus continues Evie’s story of their intense romance after saving her life only to find his life—and their relationship—falling to pieces.

 

Heat and Light by Jennifer Haigh: Haigh returns to Bakerton with a moving drama about small town vs. big businesses.

Eleven Hours by Pamela Erens: A pregnant nurse in an ER helps a young woman who shows up alone and in labor.

The Dove’s Necklace by Raja Alem: A gripping noir, about a discovered body and subsequent investigation in Mecca. Alem is the first woman to win the international prize for Arabic fiction.

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart: A powerful, brave story about Lily, a transgender girl, and Dunkin, a boy dealing with bipolar disorder.

Tasa’s Song by Linda Kass: Based on true events, this is the extraordinary story of a young girl, and her family’s escape from the Nazis in Poland.

The Star-touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: A fabulous YA novel drawn from Indian folklore and mythology, about a seventeen-year-old queen.

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ All-Time Greatest Hits by Mark Binelli: A fictionalized version of the life of Hawkins, one of rock and roll’s legendary madmen.

In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero: The OITNB and Jane the Virgin actress discusses the deportation of her parents and brother when she was 14 and her struggle to survive without them.

Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo: Russo returns to North Bath with a sequel to his wonderful 1993 novel Nobody’s Fool!

Not Working by Lisa Owens: An insightful novel about a woman quits her job in the hopes of finding her real passion.

Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman: Lu Bryant, the first female state’s attorney of Howard County, Maryland, prepares to make her name with a big murder case.

The Assistants by Camille Perri: A technical error in an expense report allows the assistant to a CEO to make some much needed changes to her finances.

The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan: A grand, lush story of racism, prejudice, and wealth, revolving around horse racing.

The Veins of the Ocean by Patricia Engel: A woman with a guilty past moves to a sleepy town in the Florida Keys after her brother’s death.

Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann: A teenage girl must make big choices in this fantastic novel-in-verse. (I love love love Heppermann’s last book, Poisoned Apples, too!)

If I Was Your Girl by Melissa Russo: A contemporary coming of age novel about a young girl with a secret who moves to a new school.

White Sands: Experiences from the Outside World by Geoff Dyer: Dyer continues his search for answers in Beijing, White Sands, Los Angeles, and New Mexico

 

Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety by Ann Y. K. Choi: A bittersweet coming of age novel about a young Korean girl in 1980s Toronto.

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman: A socially awkward busybody must make her way alone in the world after she walks out on her cheating husband.

The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore: A look at twenty real-life tsars and tsarinas over the span of three centuries.

Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto, trans. from the Portuguese by Alex Ladd: A renowned Brazilian therapist searches for a former patient, and discovers he is now a woman living in NYC.

The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight: McCreight makes her YA debut with the suspenseful tale of a missing girl in the Maine woods.

Oneida: From Free Love Utopia to the Well-Set Table by Ellen Wayland-Smith: A fascinating look at how the successful flatware company started out as a free-love utopia.

Desert Boys by Chris McCormick: A series of interconnected stories revolving around a man named Daley Kushner and his acquaintances.

I Let You Go by Claire Mackintosh: A grieving mother struggles with a hit-and-run that leaves a young boy dead, and her survivor’s guilt.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave: A love story set at the beginning of World War II, based on the author’s own grandparents.

Beer Money: A Story of Privilege and Loss by Frances Stroh: Stroh’s memoir about her family, heirs to a beer dynasty, and the crumbling industry and decisions that led to its decline.

YAY, BOOKS! That’s it for me. If you want to learn more about books (and see lots of pictures of my cats), or tell me about books you’re reading, you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’! (OMG I am OBSESSED with Litsy.)

Stay rad!

Liberty

Happy Tuesday! I know there are a lot of happy people out there today because The Raven King, the fourth and final book in Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle, is now available! Congratulations and happy reading if you’re one of those people. On this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about some great new releases, such as Sleeping Giants, Real Artists Have Day Jobs, and Panther. I have a few more great titles for you below, and as always, you can find a big list in the All the Books! show notes. And stay tuned next week for another “First Tuesday” mega-list! Now, are you ready? LET’S DO THIS.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Liquid Cool by Austin Dragon.

The debut, action-packed (and funny) cyberpunk detective novel! It’s cyberpunk reimagined—sci-fi meets the detective thriller in an ever-raining Metropolis with dark skies, colossal skyscrapers, and hover-cars above, with grimy, flashy streets below. Uber-governments and mega-corporations fight for control of the fifty-million-plus super-city, but so does crime. So watch out for tech-tricksters, analog hustlers, and digital gangsters—psychos, samurais, and cyborgs aplenty. Welcome to the high-tech, low-life world of the Liquid Cool series.

5-STAR REVIEWS: “Lots of shooting, lots of crazy maniacs, lots of action and fun!”  “Cool and Smooth.”

Emperor of the Eight Islands: Book 1 in the Tale of Shikanoko by Lian Hearn
Hearn, the author of the awesome Tales of the Otori series, is back with a new fantastic series set in medieval Japan. At the beginning of the tale is a young future lord, sent into hiding with a mountain wizard by his scheming uncle who wants the boy’s land for himself. What follows is magical adventures on battlefields, and in forests and castles, involving both man and beasts. This story is a rich tapestry of magic, superstition, and ancient history, all wonderfully realized. And all four books in the series will be available over the next few months, so we won’t have to wait long to find out how it ends!

Backlist bump: Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, Book 1) by Lian Hearn.

The People in the Castle: Selected Strange Stories  by Joan Aiken
Joan Aiken stories handpicked by Small Beer Press and Aiken’s daughter and with an introduction by Kelly Link?!! I couldn’t read this fast enough! Aiken, probably best known for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, wrote over 100 books, including 28 story collections. HOLY CATS. These selected stories are wildly inventive, fantastical, and funny, and certainly for fans of Link. I am so delighted this exists.

Backlist bump: The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken

The Geography of Madness: Penis Thieves, Voodoo Death, and the Search for the Meaning of the World’s Strangest Syndromes by Frank Bures 
The title alone sold me on this book, but the insides are pretty great, too! Bures investigates “culture-bound” syndromes, which are cultural myths and superstitions leading people to believe things that other cultures might consider strange. This is a weird, fascinating look at some of those syndromes around the world.

Backlist bump: The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist’s Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic
by Wade Davis by Jim C. Hines

YAY, BOOKS! That’s it for me. If you want to learn more about books (and see lots of pictures of my cats), or tell me about books you’re reading, you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’! (OMG I am OBSESSED with Litsy.)

Stay rad!

Liberty

Happy Tuesday! It’s that time again: NEW BOOKS! On this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about some great new releases, such as The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu, Into the Black, and The Lie Tree. I have a few more great titles for you below, and as always, you can find a big list in the All the Books! show notes. Ready? LET’S DO THIS.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry.

Some say she grants wishes. Some say her touch kills. One boy is drawn into her enchanted world.

Seventeen-year-old Lucas lives in Puerto Rico, where he’s grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, Isabel. When letters from Isabel begin appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers—and finds himself lured into her strange and magical world. But the more entangled Lucas becomes, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life. Nova Ren Suma, bestselling author of The Walls Around Us, calls A Fierce and Subtle Poison “a breathtaking story in which myths come to frightening life and buried wishes may actually come true.”

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
This is a modern day retelling of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, with Liz as a magazine editor and Jane as a yoga instructor, who decide to return to their Cincinnati family home when their father becomes ill. At home, Mrs. Bennet wonders how to find her eldest daughters love, as the younger Bennet girls do CrossFit and study for college. And then they meet Chip, from the reality show Eligible, and neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy. You know how it goes from there: Brooders will brood, sparks will spark, and schemers will scheme. I found this book to be a delight.

Backlist bump: Go watch Clueless.

Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift 
A new Graham Swift novel is cause for a national holiday! He is such a phenomenal writer. This is a dazzling, sexy novella about Jane, a maid in an English country house and her affair with the heir of a neighboring home. It moves back and forth in time between the 1924 and Jane’s life at the end of the century, detailing all of Jane’s emotions and memories beautifully. Swift really is a marvel. He’s an absolute master with language. Fans of Ian McEwan will doubly love this.

Backlist bump: Waterland by Graham Swift

The Everything Box by Richard Kadrey
It’s 22000 B.C. And what does that angel have in his pocket? Oh, it’s just a doomsday box, a small cube that can bring about mankind’s utter destruction. Wait, scratch that – he had it in his pocket. But now it’s lost. Now jump back to 2015: A professional thief has been hired to retrieve a small box for a mysterious client. Any guesses as to what it is? Yep, it’s the doom box! Unfortunately, he doesn’t know what it does until after he delivers it. Good thing he’s a professional thief! Kadrey, of Sandman Slim fame, delivers a fun, apocalypse-looming romp, full of thrills and laughs.

Backlist bump: Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

YAY, BOOKS! That’s it for me. If you want to learn more about books (and see lots of pictures of my cats), or tell me about books you’re reading, you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’! (OMG I am OBSESSED with Litsy.)

Stay rad!

Liberty