Newsletters Dev – Page 1053

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Post author By Devin Service
Post date October 24, 2018

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by NaNoWriMo, a nonprofit that believes your story matters. Write your novel this November during National Novel Writing Month!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. Every year, hundreds of thousands of writers around the world take on the challenge of writing 50,000 words of a novel in the 30 days of November.

Track your progress on our website with personalized writing stats and graphs, meet local writers for neighborhood write-ins, and receive pep talks from authors like Justina Ireland, Min Jin Lee, and Andy Weir.

Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel. Sign up today!

Kissing Books

Trans Romance Authors to Support This Week

Post author By Jessica Pryde
Post date October 24, 2018

I’ve been trying to figure out different ways to say “what a week, amirite?” But I’m running out of options.

Sponsored by Harlequin DARE

With a multibillion-dollar deal on the line, billionaire playboy Gideon Mortimer can’t afford another tabloid scandal. He’s committed to a chastity contract, but being on the same yacht as Leonie Branson—temptation personified—is pure, unadulterated torture. Relinquishing control of their thrilling sexual chemistry to tenacious Leonie feels tantalizingly worth the risk—to his reputation and his well-protected heart.

News and Useful Links

You know how I was whining about wanting something dark and atmospheric to read? Rosanna Leo came through with a list of gothic romances, most of which I haven’t even heard of!

There was a bit of a kerfuffle on Twitter over the weekend when an author decided to double down about cover model selection. The heroine, who is biracial, apparently makes comments about her darker skin and the plight of a black woman, but the cover model reads white at first glance. I like to think that covers make a statement about a book, and if you’re going to call your heroine a black woman, she should probably read as such at first glance. It’s not about the fact that black women come in all shades; it’s about the fact that when representation is a problem across the board, visual cues are key.

Twelfth Night is my favorite Shakespeare comedy, and there’s a MUSICAL SERIES based on it coming to our televisions and streaming devices. This version will have a protagonist who ends up being genderqueer because someone has been digging through my soul’s desires (though according to an Electric Literature article a while ago, I have strong feelings about bi erasure WHICH IS ALSO TRUE and I would love to read a retelling in which good ole Viola gets the Duke AND the Countess).

The Ripped Bodice is hosting a Great Big Romance Read in December, and When In Romance is totally participating, so listen up for more news about that!

Olivia Waite. F/F Regency Romance. Can’t. Wait.

Also. Also! Alexis Daria has a Dance Off Christmas novella coming out! It’s called Dance All Night and it’s available for preorder! (It’s out December 11.)

Deals!

Riven by Roan Parrish is 1.99 right now! Rend comes out in a couple weeks (and the bits of it I’ve been able to snatch are excellent) so now’s the perfect time to grab it!

Kendall Ryan’s The Room Mate is 1.99, if your looking for some raunchy fun.

I know it’s not Halloween yet, but if you’re ready to get into the Christmas spirit, Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert is 2.99.

Over on Book Riot

Westerns. Westerns that have protagonists who aren’t white. I know, right?

TBR worth toppling? Here are some “speed reading apps” to help you get through it.

Erotic poetry. Do you have favorites?

And of course, there’s still time to enter for a custom book stamp for your personal library!

Recs!

You know how we’ve been doing a “feature creature” for October? Well, today’s feature creature is The Patriarchy, and it’s time to crush it. Or something.

This has been some kind of week, and instead of our usual thing, how about some trans and enby authors to support?

Anna Zabo (they/them/their) writes primarily m/m romance featuring various kinds of kinky folks. They* write rock stars, like in Syncopation; vampires, like in Close Quarter; and businessmen, like in Takeover. Recently, I read Outside the Lines, which is an adorable installation of the Bluewater Bay series.

Kris Ripper (ze/zem/zir) writes romance featuring all kinds of people. The Queers of La Vista series (starting with Gays of Our Lives) features what’s on its way to an LGBT paradise—with a twist, since there’s a murder mystery involved. The Scientific Method series, on the other hand, is angsty and very much real world and just features people trying to figure their own shit out. Start with Catalysts.

Jay Northcote (he/him/his) writes m/m adult and new adult romances. His college romances like Helping Hand occasionally feature Gay For You type stories (so heads up if that’s not your thing). Looking for a sweet Christmas novella with a bonus fake relationship? A Family For Christmas is probably a good place to start.

Cole McCade/Xen (he/him/his) writes all kinds of things under multiple names, including contemporary erotic romance and urban fantasy. Basically all of his books are sex incarnate and you should check them out. If you’re down for some elf magic, check out Shatterproof. If you’d rather enjoy the hell out of a May/December romance, try Over and Over Again.

This isn’t exhaustive, but I don’t want to make this too long. If you’re curious, check out Austin Chant, EE Ottoman, Chace Verity, Xan West, or Francis Gideon. LA Witt, Vanessa North, and Courtney Milan aren’t #ownvoices writers, but they also write pretty interesting trans characters. Courtney Milan’s Hold Me is one of my favorite contemporary romances.

Who are your favorite trans romance authors? What are your favorite novels?

New and Upcoming Releases

Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale (I love purple. Don’t you love purple?)
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory (October 30) (FINALLY!!!)
Love in Catalina Cove by Brenda Jackson (October 30)
Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh (October 30)
Royally Yours by Emma Chase (October 30)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

*Corrected

Unusual Suspects

Backlist Mysteries That Have Great Audiobook Narrators

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 23, 2018

Hello mystery fans! This week I have for you three very different backlist titles that have great audiobook narrators.

Sponsored by The Kingfisher Secret from McClelland & Stewart

October 2016: In America, the election is a few weeks away. Journalist Grace Elliott has just landed a scoop that she believes will make her career. A porn star is willing to talk about her affair with the man some hope and many fear will become the next president of the United States. But no one will touch it. Not even Grace’s boss, the right-wing publisher of America’s leading tabloid. Instead, Grace is sent to Europe where she discovers a story so big, so explosive that it could decide the American election and launch a new Cold War. As long as she can stay alive long enough to tell it.

Smart and Entertaining Cozy Crime I Should Have Read Years Ago (TW rape mentioned/ alcoholism/ suicide)

Blanche on the Lam cover image Blanche on the Lam (Blanche White #1) by Barbara Neely: This is one of those series that was groundbreaking at the time it first published (early ’90s) but doesn’t read outdated. It is literally what the title states–Blanche White is on the lam! She’s a middle-aged African-American housekeeper who after some issues with an employer ends up going on the lam. But soon she’s “employed” again as she pretends to be a white family’s housekeeper while she figures out her next move. Except, she picked the wrong family to pretend to be the housekeeper with… I loved Blanche so much, she’s open, and insightful–especially a keen observer when it comes to race and class issues–and ends up making a great amateur sleuth. For fans of having the mystery on the first page, the actual murder mystery doesn’t start until halfway through, the first half of the novel is a crime novel where Blanche is on the run while planning how to get out of her trouble. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series and loved the audiobook narrator Lisa Reneé Pitts.

For Tana French Fans! (TW rape/ suicide)

The End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina The End of the Wasp Season (Alex Morrow #2) by Denise Mina: This series has an excellent balance for me between procedural solving the case, character focus, and it also follows the criminals. Plus, the lead is a Scottish detective with a criminal family she needs to hide and, in this book, is pregnant. I really like being in Morrow’s head as she’s both sensitive and tough and very intuitive. It’s also interesting to watch her try to solve the case of a woman beaten to death while having to prove that a woman being pregnant doesn’t suddenly make her useless. If you’re a fan of procedurals, character driven novels, and getting behind the “why” people do things, I really recommend Denise Mina. If you’re an audibook listener I really enjoyed having Jane MacFarlan in my ears.

Delightful!

Beastly Bones by William Ritter Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2) by William Ritter: This series is such a treat and I love it to pieces. Imagine if Sherlock had a young woman assistant who had run away from home to join a dinosaur dig. Then add in some “fantastic beasts” and you have this highly entertaining series. Abigail Rook and her boss Jackaby have their hands full with shape shifting monsters that can look like wittle innocent kittens, and recently discovered dinosaur bones that have been stolen! Fun and delightful, if you have yet to discover this series do yourself a kindness and get on that! Also the narrator, Nicola Barber, has the loveliest most soothing voice if that’s what you like in audiobooks.

Recent Releases

Dead Ringer cover image Dead Ringer by Kate Kessler (Currently reading: FBI agent/serial killer.)

The Midnight Witness by Sara Blaedel (TBR: A Danish author I always pick up.)

Pulse by Michael Harvey (TBR: 1970s detective mystery set in Boston.)

Black Diamond Fall by Joseph Olshan (On my TBR after reading this article.)

Paper Gods cover image Paper Gods by Goldie Taylor (TBR: Political thriller I’m looking forward to reading.)

Go to My Grave by Catriona McPherson (TBR: Sounds like a for-Clue-fans read.) (TW child sexual assault)

And don’t forget we have a custom book stamp giveaway because who doesn’t want to stamp all their books?!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own you can sign up here.

Today In Books

Kolkata Law Students Offered A Harry Potter Class: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 23, 2018

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of Be The Person Your Dog Thinks You Are.

I Mean Wizards Need Lawyers Too, Right?

An interface between Fantasy Fiction Literature and Law: Special focus on Rowling’s Potterverse will be an available course for 4th and 5th year law students at the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkota. “Students will learn to apply legal principles in a completely new scenario, and understand how things will work through insights into a wizarding world constantly under government surveillance.“–Fun and educational!

Turns Out John Carpenter’s The Thing Was Based On A Novel

An unpublished novel-length manuscript has been discovered and a small press wants to publish it. Read more about the Kickstarter campaign to get it published and about the discovery. I’ll just be hiding under the covers.

Wonder Woman Wait Is Now Longer!

Originally set to release in fall of 2019 Wonder Woman 1984 has now made us all wait longer to see some rocking ’80s fashion: It will now be in theaters June 5, 2020. Yay for getting the summer blockbuster treatment but, I mean, can we have good things sooner, please?!

Remember to enter our giveaway for a custom book stamp for your personal library!

What's Up in YA

📚Let’s Pile Up Your YA TBR

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date October 23, 2018

Hey YA readers: Let’s catch up on YA book talk from around Book Riot this month.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Easy Prey by Catherine Lo, from Amulet Books and PiqueBeyond.

Only three students had access to a teacher’s racy photos before they went viral. There’s Mouse, a brainy overachiever so desperate to get into MIT that he would do almost anything, legal or not. There’s Drew, the star athlete with a history of passing private photos around. And there’s Jenna, a good girl turned rebel after her own pictures made the rounds last year. All three deny leaking the photos, but someone has to take the fall.

Before diving into a round-up of recent YA book talk over on Book Riot, there’s this worth dropping in:

Jennifer Aniston wearing a crown is how the world should always be. Here's your first look at her new film, Dumplin', set to come out on December 7th. pic.twitter.com/H58IzDjVFD

— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) October 23, 2018

Dumplin’ will be airing on Netflix beginning December 7. I don’t know about you, but I’m grabbing my tiara and preparing for it.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, a Judy Blume classic, is getting adapted.
Reflections on The Princess Diaries as it celebrates its 18th birthday.
Audrey Coulthurst’s Inkmistress presents a necessary and powerful look at bisexuality.
Hankering for a YA revenge thriller? Here you go!
Continue being inspired to resist and act with these quotes from A Wrinkle in Time. Technically middle grade, but y’know. It’s worth including.
Why I’ll let my daughter read Twilight.
Itching for a YA subscription box? Here are 7 of the best.
Add these YA audiobooks narrated by the authors to your to-listen pile.
A response to yet another bad think piece about YA lit.
An interview with author Taran Matharu on “The Summoner” series and more.
25+ new collective biographies about rad women and non-binary people through history.
A couple of fun YA quizzes: discover your next romantic read and discover your next fantasy series read.
Add some UK YA to your Instagram feeds.
Cameron Post, coming out, and me.
Queer teens offer insights into how to better create an inclusive library.
30 YA horror novels from 2018 that are worth reading.
Must-read YA books by Native American authors.
20 of your favorite YA psychological horror novels.

Two new episodes of Hey YA have dropped, too. Tune in for discussion of YA friendships and recent/upcoming reads for your TBR, as well as talk about YA anthologies and small/indie press YA books.

____________________

Recent Book Mail

I just got back from a YA lit conference, so the top few books are things I bought while there. From top to bottom!

500 Words or Less by Julia Del Rosario

Hope Nation edited by Rose Brock

Kens by Raziel Reid

We Regret To Inform You by Ariel Kaplan

Cold Day In The Sun by Sara Biren

The Dysasters by PC and Kristin Cast

Wind Rider by PC Cast

Snow In Love by Nic Stone, Melissa de la Cruz, Kasie West, and Aimee Friedman

That’s Not What I Heard by Stephanie Kate Strohm

____________________

Cheap Reads

Grab these YA books while they’re available for just a few bucks or less. Deals current as of Tuesday, 10/23.

Looking for a haunted twin story? Into The Grey by Celine Kiernan is $2.

Laurie Devore’s How To Break A Boy (that cover!) is $3.

Want to revisit or pick up The Princess Diaries for the first time? It’s only $3.74.

Speaking of classics in YA, Louise Rennison’s Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging is $2.

____________________

Thanks for hanging out & we’ll see you again next week!

–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

The Goods

Matilda

Post author By Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Post date October 23, 2018

“All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen.”

Celebrate Matilda’s bookish spirit with our new collection, featuring tees, a tote, a sweatshirt, and more!

Riot Rundown TestRiotRundown

102318-FridayBlack-Riot-Rundown

Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date October 23, 2018

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Mariner Books

“The edge of the stories in Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s debut collection Friday Black is razor sharp, ready to cut deep. This book is dark and captivating and essential. This book is a call to arms and it is a condemnation. Adjei-Brenyah offers powerful prose as parable. The writing in this outstanding collection will make you hurt and demand your hope. Read this book. Marvel at the intelligence of each of these stories and what they reveal about racism, capitalism, complacency and their insidious reach.”—Roxane Gay

The Stack

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Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date October 23, 2018

Today’s The Stack is sponsored by Timothy Top Book 1: The Green Pig by Gud

Timothy is having a tough time. His parents are always quarreling, and he’s starting at a new school with no friends. When a crooked businessman decides to “reinvent the local park” into a concrete monstrosity, Timothy sets out to save a famous tree from the bulldozers. He doesn’t know how he’ll accomplish his mission until one night he discovers he’s been given the power of a magical green thumb! Can he use this power to save the park? Timothy Top Book 1: The Green Pig is in stores now from Caracal, an imprint of Lion Forge!

Audiobooks

LOLs, Listens, and an Introduction

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date October 23, 2018

Hola, audiophiles!

My name is Vanessa Diaz and as you may have read in last week’s newsletter, I’ll be stepping in for Katie to bring you the scoop on all things audiobook. Thank you so much to Katie for the sweet words and warm hand-off – I wish her the best of luck in her sweet new gig and can’t wait to talk audiobooks with all of you fine book-listening people!

A little about me: I’m a Contributing Editor and have been Rioting for just over a year. I also edit our In The Club newsletter and am so excited to be co-hosting the Read Harder podcast in 2019! I’m a native San Diegan, a chatty Latina, and a super duper nerdy Agatha Christie nut. I may occasionally lapse into Spanish. Like I said to all my In The Clubbers – you’ve been warned.

So! Let’s get to the listens, shall we?

Just for Book Riot readers: sign up for an Audible account, and get two audiobooks free!

First – we gots a giveaway! Here’s your chance to win a 12-month Audible subscription.

Latest Listen

I’ve been in major need of some LOLs lately in the middle of this garbage fire news cycle. And really – who hasn’t!? Enter Phoebe Robinson’s Everything’s Trash, but It’s Okay. I’m a big fan of Robinson from the 2 Dope Queens podcast and hollered my way through Robinson’s first book You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Have to Explain. Her second book is every bit as filled with her signature pop culture references, endless hashtags and unabashed Bono thirstiness. Now there’s a string of words I never thought I’d write…

Why it’s so great on audio: only Phoebe can deliver those Phoebeisms in that Phoebeistic way. Her narration of personal anecdotes will keep you in stitches (and maybe make you cringe a little, any by that I mean a lot), but it’s her cultural criticism and musings on feminism, politics, body image, and dating that’ll have you yelling a very Phoebe “yaaaasss.” Her tangents sometimes go a little haywire and she’ll stretch a joke out for a tad longer than it probs needed to go. Honestly though- that’s just Phoebe: a little extra with a lot of laughs.

Line that made me howl: “For instance, I’m anti-misogyny, but that hasn’t stopped me in the past from basically busting out a rhythmic gymnastics routine complete with ribbon work when Jay Z’s Big Pimpin’ comes on.” I CAN’T.

Listens on Deck

Up Next: Susan Orlean’s The Library Book. Did you know that in 1986, a terrible fire at the Los Angeles Public Library raged for 7+ hours and wiped out (deep breath here) over 400,000 books?! Oh you didn’t? Know why? Because Chernobyl happened and there went the library’s headline. I can’t wait to listen and get sucked into this library love letter & real-life mystery.

From the Internets

The Bold and the Buzzy – Audiobooks.com shared their pics for the buzziest audiobooks of the season. I’ll just be over here poppin’ my collar for having six of these already downloaded / wringing my hands at the growing size of my TBL. Gulp.

1. All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung, narrated by Janet Song
2. An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminsky
3. Beautiful Country Burn Again by Ben Fountain, narrated by Ron Butler
4. Heartland by Sarah Smarsh, narrated by Sarah Smarsh
5. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, narrated by Dion Graham
6. Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth, narrated by Tavia Gilbert
7. On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay Mckesson, narrated by DeRay Mckesson
8. The Caregiver by Samuel Park, narrated by Cassandra Campbell
9. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, narrated by Richard Armitage

Catch the whole article with descriptions of each title here.

Over at the Riot

Three Writers Reading – In last week’s 3 on a YA Theme, Tirzah shared three YA audiobooks narrated by the author. I caught The Poet X in print but did just have my ears blessed by Elizabeth Acevedo’s narration of Pride. I may or may not have been Twitter stalking her shamelessly ever since. Anyway: cosign!!

1. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
2. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
3. Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak

How Do You Audio? – We’ve all heard of Audible, sure. But did you know there are a few other fantastic options for listening to audiobooks? Check out this guide to the best audiobook service options. I’m a recent Libro.fm convert myself and love it so much!

Thanks for hanging with me today! You can find me on the Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com if you have any feedback or questions!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date October 22, 2018

How is it already Tuesday again??! Good news for us, I guess–it means it’s time for more new books! I can’t wait to get my hands on Everything Under, the new Daisy Johnson. Graywolf moved the pub date up because it was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. I also kinda want to read the biography about Friends. (Don’t @ me.) I’m going to share a few great books I did read below, and you can hear about more exciting new reads on this week’s episode of the All the Books! María Cristina and I talked talked about Marilla of Green Gables, Little, Friday Black, and more great books.