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Riot Rundown TestRiotRundown

090418-TearMeApart-Riot-Rundown

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison from MIRA Books.

Competitive skier Mindy Wright is a superstar in the making until a spectacular downhill crash threatens her racing career and her life. During surgery, doctors discover she has leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope. But when her parents are tested, a frightening truth emerges. Mindy is not their daughter. The race to save Mindy’s life means unraveling years of lies. Was she accidentally switched at birth or is there something more sinister at play? The search for the truth will tear a family apart…and someone is going to deadly extremes to protect the family’s deepest secrets.

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The Stack

090418-GhostMoney-The-Stack

Today’s The Stack is sponsored by the Magnetic Collection from Lion Forge.

When Chamza, a young Arab woman, rescues Lindsey, a young London student, a friendship begins. Before she knows it, Lindsey is drawn into a world of vast wealth and intrigue; her new friend seems to have ties to political movements and revolutionaries throughout the Islamic world, but it is not clear what their agenda might be, or where her great wealth comes from. Could it be the fabled legendary lost treasure of Al-Qaeda, supposedly amassed through insider trading prior to 9/11? The political thriller Ghost Money: Death in Dubai is in stores now from Lion Forge!

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Kissing Books

Sweet Summer Love and New Releases

How is it September? It was just June, I swear. But I am happy for Fall release season. As someone who doesn’t leave near many deciduous trees, it’s really the best way to watch the seasons change—well…that and pumpkin spice.


Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.

Bridesmaids meets Magic Mike in Stripped, a hot contemporary romance set in New York City from exciting new Latinx voice Zoey Castile. Skilled, sculpted, and sexy, the men of adult entertainment are the kind of guys a woman reserves for her fantasies, not her reality. But is there more to these professional hotties than meets the eye?  Robyn Flores is about to find out when she discovers a sequined thong in her laundry and her upstairs neighbor Zac comes to collect. The next time he turns up unexpectedly? He’s the stripper at her best friend’s bachelorette party!


News and Useful Links

Heard about Romance Class but not sure what it is? Check out their new website! (And here’s a nice rundown of what’s there by resident RC author Mina V. Esguerra.)

Are you a writer? Anna Zabo is giving an online workshop on worldbuilding.

Alyssa Cole’s most recently announced novella looks like everything I’ve been waiting for. Forreal. Is it 2019 yet?

Another LA Review of Books essay! This time, it’s by Cat Sebastian. (They’ve got a whole romance-themed issue out, FYI. They’ve put a few of them up on the site.)

Did you know Alexis Daria used to be a cosplayer?

Learn more about Talia Hibbert, including the fact that she’s going to be expanding her author name pool for different subgenres what.

And I haven’t done a lot of digging on this new app, but it looks like there might be a new way to read romance (and other things).

Deals

cover of beautiful lawman by sophie jordanHave you read Sophie Jordan’s contemporary romance? If you’re looking to try one out, Beautiful Lawman is 99 cents right now.

If you’re looking for a fun mystery with an element of romance, Denise Grover Swank’s Deadly Summer is 1.99.

TJ Klune is one of those authors whose names I know but whose books I keep not reading. Well, Wolfsong is 1.99 and someone on Amazon called it the best shifter book they’ve ever read. So I bought it.

And if you’re looking for some good romantic suspense, Piper J. Drake’s Hidden Impact is 1.99 right now.

Over on Book Riot

What’s your romance audiobook match?

I don’t have a KU membership, but I might consider it for these books (many of which are already on my to-read list anyway).

Have you voted on a book for the first When In Romance book club?

And come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!

Recs!

As we pass Labor Day and the joys of summer, now is a good time for some summer nostalgia, right? It’s not too late? I hope not, because I’ve got some recs that are great for the Dying Sighs of Summer (she says from Arizona, where it’s finally dropped to the low nineties).

cover of feels like summer by six de los reyesFeels Like Summer
Six de los Reyes

While this book opens at a summer music festival, Summer Storm, the majority of the book takes place in Manila. But that’s okay, because the real meaning of summer is acted out in that part of the book: three months of making the wrong choices for yourself and taking advantage of a situation that is only supposed to be temporary. Then, the days get shorter, the nights longer, and you yearn for those days.

Okay, Feels Like Summer isn’t quite that maudlin. Sorry.

Jett is a woman who gets what she wants. And after taking a deal to be an up-and-coming lead singer’s girlfriend for five minutes (a far too brief fake relationship, in my opinion!), she and said singer, Adrian, hit it off and spend the night together. It’s…not a great night. But when Adrian shows up to apologize, they decide to endeavor on a no-strings sex-only relationship to help him get over his ex, the reason Jett was needed at Summer Storm in the first place. She doesn’t do dating, and Adrian is pretty great in bed, so this is perfect for her. And it’s going to end, which is always good. Right?

cover of heat wave by elyse springerIf you finish that one and are looking for another intense, sexy book about a summer rebound fling, check out Elyse Springer’s Heat Wave.

And if the brief time at the music festival puts you in the mood for more of that setting, well the first thing you should do is read more of the Summer Storm books, including Sounds Like Summer (the first book in the Summer Storm series) and Summer Crush (which features novella by Reyes, Jay E. Tria, and Tara Frejas).

Then, once you’ve read those, check out Body Rocks by AM Arthur. The whole Off-Beat series is darling AF, but this one takes a lot of advantage of the music festival setting.

cover of a summer for scandal by lydia san andresConversely, if you want some sweet summer love between childhood sweethearts with some nice beach action, definitely pick up Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert. It says “Ravenswood 1.5” but it’s a whole damn book. (I say “sweet summer love” like it’s not angsty as all getout. It’s angsty as all getout. but so darling and precious.)

And if you’re looking for writers going at it with their words and people getting dumped intp bodies of water, look no further than A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres.

What are your favorite books of summer?

New and Upcoming Releases

cover of undue influence by jenny holidayUndue Influence: A Persuasion Retelling by Jenny Holiday
Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Stripped by Zoey Castile
Kiss the Girl by Tara Sivec (and yes, it’s named after a Disney song for a reason)
Bastard Prince by Nana Malone
Made to Hold You by Elle Wright
Second Time Sweeter by Beverly Jenkins
Sugar Vol 1 by Matt Hawkins, Jenni Cheung, and Yishan Li
Intercepted by Alexa Martin (Sept 11) (Yes, that one is finally coming out)

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!

Categories
In The Club

Bookish Holidays for Your Book Club to Celebrate

Hola, libro lovers! Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read.

It’s September! Fall is almost here… kinda? I live in San Diego so it might just be 90 degrees through Halloween. *shrug emoji* Guess I should put these boots and scarves away.


Sponsored by Epic Reads

Growing up in a conservative African American family in Texas, Taja struggles with her family expectations, a changing body, and a handsome new boyfriend as she tries to discover her own identity. Lyrical and literary, Tamani’s debut is a strikingly honest and genuine exploration of family, religion, sexuality, and how we define self-worth. Now available in paperback, Calling My Name is a must-read for fans of Jacqueline Woodson.


More importantly, it’s that time of year when book releases start to rain down from the sky at a pace almost too dizzying to keep up with. But we wouldn’t be true bookworms if we didn’t try, would we? So let’s get started!

Book Riot wants to hear from you! Click here to take our super-fast Fall Reader Survey and be entered to win a $100 gift card to the Book Riot store!

Holiday! Celebrate! – Did you know that September is National Library Card Sign Up Month and Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month? Huzzah! Wondering what other bookish holidays exist throughout the month and year? Check out this sweet calendar of bookish holidays to maximize your celebratory fun.

  • Book Club Bonus: Plan your book club around one of these festive days/weeks/months. Some of them are perhaps too wide/general for book club, but some would make for awesome inspiration. Read a comic for National Comic Book Day on the 25th of this month, or read a mystery in October for one of my faves: Mystery Series week.

Alternative Prizes – The New Academy has announced the alternative Nobel Prize in Literature shortlist for 2018! Four finalists were chosen from the original list of 47 authors and the winner will be announced on October 12th.

  • Book Club Bonus: Pick a work by of the four shortlisted authors for your book club. While any of the four authors’ works would certainly spark some healthy book chat on their own, discuss the works within the framework of #metoo. These writers were after all selected by an organization whose very existence was necessitated when allegations of sexual misconduct brought about the collapse of a major literary institution. I’d love to hear some deep book club chat on Murakami’s Men Without Women, for example. Discuss!

A Few Coins for Jane Austen – A first edition of Pride and Prejudice is going up for auction and I totally want it!

Me: What was that? It’s almost $24,000? Cool cool cool. I’ll get right on that.
Narrator: She did not get right on that.

  • Book Club Bonus: Consider a classics remix for book club. Take a classic that you love and look for a modern retelling. If you have the time, maybe read both the original and the remix, or just the remix – you do you, boo. There are so many good ones to choose from! I would love to get my girlfriends together to compare and contrast Jane Eyre vs. Jane Steele – what we loved, what we hated, what was oddly distorted or creatively updated.

Book Club Gets Lit – Oooh snap. Guess what? I’ve got a second giveaway for you! Ten lucky Book Riot Readers will peach won a copy of our bookish conversation game, Lit Chat. Enter here to win!

  • Book Club Bonus: A round of Lit Chat is the perfect book club meeting activity! You’re all book lovers, obvi. Use this as in ice breaker if it’s your first time meeting, or just add a fun little interlude to your book discussion with this bookish conversation starter.

Book Recs Written in the Stars – We’ve all been there: you’ve searched your soul, your book club and your TBR for what to read next and you can’t just decide on a title. Did you ever think to let your astrological sign do the picking for you? Maybe it’s time you do! I’m loving the Scorpio pick and can’t wait to get into it!


That’s all for today, book people. Stay tuned for recs for Hispanic Heritage month in next week’s newsletter – I can’t wait to spread the Latina bookworm love!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Categories
Riot Rundown TestRiotRundown

090218-13Minutes-Riot-Rundown

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of 13 Minutes by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pinborough.

A psychological thriller with a killer twist … They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart.

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Giveaways

Win the 10 Best Books About Books of 2017!

 

To mark the start of the second season of our podcast series, Annotated, we are giving away 10 of the best books about books of 2017.

Annotated is our audio documentary podcast series about books, language, and reading. If you are a fan of podcasts like This American Life, Planet Money, or 99% Invisible, then I think there is a great chance you are going to like Annotated.

If you haven’t yet tried Annotated, here are the three episodes that I think are the best introduction to the show:

The World’s Most Glamorous Librarian

Is it 1984 Yet?

How to Hack The New York Times Bestseller List

 

You can subscribe to Annotated in any of the usual ways: through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Overcast, RSS, or your favorite podcatcher of choice. Search and you shall find.

Now as for the giveaway. Go here to enter for your chance to a great stack of books about books, or just click the image of the stack you could win below. Good luck!

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Giveaways

Win a Copy of ELIZABETH WARREN: HER FIGHT, HER LIFE, HER WORK!

 

We have 10 copies of Elizabeth Warren: Her Fight. Her Work. Her Life by Antonia Felix to give away to 10 Riot readers!

Here’s what it’s all about:

Elizabeth Warren’s rise as one of America’s most powerful women is a stirring lesson in persistence. From her fierce support of the middle class to her unapologetic response to political bullies, Warren is known as a passionate yet plain-speaking champion of equity and fairness. In the wake of one fellow senator’s effort to silence her in 2016, three words became a rallying cry across the country:

Nevertheless, she persisted . . .

In this breakthrough biography, bestselling author Antonia Felix reveals how Warren brought her expertise to Washington to become an icon of progressive politics in a deeply divided nation.

Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the cover image below!

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Today In Books

Han Kang’s Next Novel Won’t Be Printed Until 2114: Today In Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison from MIRA Books


Han Kang’s Next Novel Won’t Be Printed Until 2114

Han Kang has joined artist Katie Paterson’s Future Library project: Patterson has chosen an artist a year, since 2014, for work for her project, which won’t be seen by the author until 2114 when it’ll be printed using trees also planted in 2014 around Oslo. Art be arting! Gotta say, as cool as this sounds, I’m a bit bummed because I love Kang’s work and I will not be alive in 2114. Other authors who have previously been selected are Margaret Atwood, David Mitchell, Elif Shafak, and Sjón.

Claims That Ex Members Of Nobel Literature Are Returning “Was Erroneous”

Quick recap: the Nobel literature prize body had members quit amid a sex-abuse scandal and the prize was cancelled. Recently the Svenska Dagbladet daily newspaper reported that three members who quit were returning, but former members have already “dismissed reports they were returning to the Swedish Academy.”

There’s A New Sherlock In Town

The first Japanese series to premiere on HBO Go is officially here and it’s Miss Sherlock. And yes, it’s a gender bent Sherlock adaptation. Being that Sherry Thomas’s Lady Sherlock series is my favorite Sherlock, this is a must-watch for me so gotta go make popcorn byyyeeeeee! (Watch the trailer here)

And have the need to opine? Come tell us about your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey.

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Today In Books

Indie Bookstore Fights Back: Today in Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by CubHouse, an imprint of Lion Forge.


Indie Bookstore Fights Back

James Jenkins and husband Ryan Cagle, co-founders of Valancourt Books, have filed a lawsuit in federal court, “arguing that the Copyright Office’s demand violates the publisher’s right to free speech and its right to ‘just compensation’ for taken property.” The independent, print-on-demand publisher specializes in reprinting long-lost works, including queer literature. But the U.S. Copyright Office demanded one copy of 240 different books from the publisher’s collection for free. “If we don’t send the books, the Copyright Office says they will fine us out of existence,” said Jenkins.

A Harry Potter-Themed Mixology Course

Please, someone in New York, attend the Harry Potter-themed mixology class for me. The Cauldron, a pop-up bar and mixology course, is opening in NYC in September. The Kickstarter-funded London pop-up was so successful back in March, that the organizers took it to the states. Here’s hoping it spreads across the country.

The Guardian’s “Unimpressive” Alt Nobel Coverage

The Guardian has come under fire for its coverage of the alternative Nobel Prize in Literature shortlist released this week. Two women–Maryse Condé and Kim Thúy–and two men–Haruki Murakami and Neil Gaiman–are on the shortlist. But The Guardian focused on the two men, pushing the women to the bottom of the piece and mentioning them as “completing the shortlist.” The New Academy Prize in Literature was created in the wake of a sex abuse scandal that postponed the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018.

Categories
Audiobooks

End-of-Fummer Audiobooks Week Special Edition

Heya audiophiles,

As the summer comes to a close (*sob*), we at Book Riot want to make sure you’ve got all the audiobooky content you could want. If you haven’t had a chance to check out what’s been happening in Book Riot audiobooks world for this week’s End-of-Summer Audiobooks Week, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered:


Sponsored by Macmillan Audio

Macmillan Audio records the best fiction and nonfiction available for both adults and children from Macmillan’s publishers, in addition to publishing original productions and titles from other publishers.


Mary Kay McBrayer wrote about SOUTHERN AUDIOBOOKS WITH NARRATORS WITH DECENT ACCENTS. No fake twang here: the narrators of these Southern audiobooks are the real deal.

Because we are not ready to say goodbye to poolside fun just yet, Rioter Ashley has 8 GREAT POOLSIDE AUDIOBOOKS.

Audible has a giant sale right now: until September 2nd, members can purchase over 200 titles for $5.95 each. With so many titles available, how do you know where to start?  Rioter Alex is here to help you navigate the best of their massive selection: THE BEST OF AUDIBLE’S “AS YOU WISH” SALE.

There are few things more awkward than hopping in the car with the whole family only to realize the audiobook you selected is not exactly…family friendly. Spare yourself uncomfortable road trips with Emily Martin’s list of all-ages audiobooks that you can play in the car without worrying about that terrifying experience of listening to a sex scene with your parents/kids. 12 ALL-AGES AUDIOBOOKS.

Want some true crime? A classic? Want to learn something new? There’s a Robin Miles audiobook for that (and everything else). Check out Rioter Laura’s post, A ROBIN MILES AUDIOBOOK FOR EVERY MOOD.

Eventually, you’ll have to swap the beach bag for the school bag and Holly Genovese has a list to help soften the blow. Here are campus novels and fall-tastic audiobooks to get you back in the mood for back-to-school. HIT THE (AUDIO)BOOKS: BACK-TO-SCHOOL LISTENS.

Rioter Aimee has your middle-grade needs covered with twelve middle-grade audiobooks written and read by own voices authors and performers for when you want to hear own voices as well as read them. Check them out here: 12 OWN VOICES MIDDLE-GRADE AUDIOBOOKS.

There are some books that are just better on audio and if you are mystery or thriller fan, Jamie has the list for you. These books are absolutely better on audio, so get them in your ears. MYSTERY AND THRILLERS THAT ARE BETTER ON AUDIO.

If you didn’t get into Moby-Dick when you read it in school, try it again in Anthony Heald’s sardonic audiobook narration. Check out the best classics on audio here: 5 CLASSICS THAT GAIN NEW MEANING WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK.

Still waiting for your Hogwarts letter (WHO ISN’T?!)? Rioter S.W. Sondheimer has good news: there are plenty of other magical mystery sci-fi and fantasy schools to choose from. Take a look (and then a listen) here: MAGIC, MYSTERY, AND MATH: 5 AUDIOBOOKS ABOUT SCI-FI AND FANTASY SCHOOLS.

Love true crime? Looking for your next great listen? Beth put together just the list for you! Here are ten awesome true crime audiobooks that will keep you on your toes: 10 OF THE BEST TRUE CRIME AUDIOBOOKS.

Rioter Ashlie is an elementary librarian and devoted bookish mother. So she knows what she’s talking about when she shares her tips for using audiobooks to pad out family reading time during lazy summer days. BONDING WITH MY SONS OVER AUDIOBOOKS.

And up just today: a quiz to help you find your next romance audiobook, 12 great YA audiobooks from this year, and short nonfiction audios for your next roadtrip!

I hope you find some new favorites in this plethora of audiobook lists and recommendations. Summer may be on it’s way out, but being magically transported through the power of audio is here all year around.

As always, you can say hello and let me know what you’re listening to or anything else audiobook related on twitter at msmacb or email at katie@riotnewmedia.com.

Until next week,

~Katie