Categories
Today In Books

Shakespeare As Told By Women: Today in Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Disarmed by Izzy Ezagui, from Prometheus Books.

Margot Robbie Creating Female-Focused Shakespeare TV Series

Actor Margot Robbie is creating a television series based on Shakespearean works, told from female perspectives and led by an all-female creative team. Robbie is working with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to produce 10 standalone episodes, updated to both comment on modern society and highlight Australia’s cultural diversity.

Matt Bomer Buys Out Theater For Love, Simon

The actor posted an Instagram announcement that he and his husband had bought out a screening of the Love, Simon film adaptation in his hometown of Spring, Texas. Love, Simon follows a gay high schooler who falls for an anonymous classmate over email but struggles to come out.

An Edible Book Festival

The International Edible Books Festival “unites bibliophiles, book artists and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, documented then consumed.” The festival is held every year on the birthday of the French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Hopefully, they’ll step it up a notch this April 1st.

Categories
The Kids Are All Right

Shiver Me Timbers! Children’s Pirate Books!

Hi, Kid Lit friends!

Pirates! Why are they so irresistible to kids? I have no idea either, but these pirate books are sure to captivate readers young and old.

Sponsored by PRIDE WARS Book One: The Spinner Prince by Matt Laney

For fans of the Warriors series comes a new clan of super-evolved felines in a world rife with rebellion. Only Leo, prince of Singara, has the power to save-or destroy-his kingdom. But can he conceal  his curse, claim the throne, and protect his realm? A new fantasy series from debut author, Matt Laney!

Three picture books with pirate protagonists are How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long, illustrated by David Shannon; Pirate Princess by Supipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by Jill McElmurry; and Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman, illustrated by Ben Cort. In How I Became a Pirate, Jeremy Jacob joins Captain Braid Beard and his crew in this witty look at the finer points of pirate life. Jeremy learns how to say “scurvy dog,” sing sea chanteys, and throw food . . . but he also learns that there are no books or good night kisses on board.

Pirate Princess is about Princess Bea who isn’t like other princesses—she prefers pirate ships above tea parties, the salty sea over silly dolls. But what’s a landlocked princess to do? Ahoy, Captain Jack to the rescue! When the captain offers Bea a place aboard his ship, it’s a dream come true—until she’s put to work swabbing the decks and making dinner for the crew. Can a princess like Bea put her royal gifts to work and make the pirates see that she’s seaworthy after all—or will they make her walk the plank?

The silly story in Pirates Love Underpants is sure to please the picture book crowd. Check out this opening page:
These pirates SO love underpants,
They’re on a special quest
To find the fabled Pants of Gold,
For the Captain’s treasure chest.

The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters: The Jolly Regina by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Jen Hill, is an illustrated chapter book about two sisters who are patiently waiting for their parents to return home. One day, the Bland sisters are kidnapped by an all-female band of pirates. They’re unwillingly swept into a high-seas romp that might just lead to solving the mystery of what happened to their parents.

Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schultz is a pirate themed middle grade series about twelve-year-old Jocelyn who dreams of becoming every bit as daring as her infamous father, Captain James Hook. Her grandfather, on the other hand, intends to see her starched and pressed into a fine society lady. When she’s sent to Miss Eliza Crumb-Biddlecomb’s Finishing School for Young Ladies, Jocelyn’s hopes of following in her father’s fearsome footsteps are lost. So when Jocelyn receives a letter from her father challenging her to avenge his untimely demise at the jaws of the Neverland crocodile, she doesn’t hesitate-here at last is the adventure she has been waiting for.

Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eager is a middle grade story about eleven-year-old Fidelia Quail is racked by grief when her parents, the great marine scientists Dr. and Dr. Quail, are killed in a tragic accident. But Fidelia is forced out of her mourning when she’s kidnapped by Merrick the Monstrous, a pirate whose list of treasons stretches longer than a ribbon eel. Her task? Use her marine know-how to retrieve his treasure, lost on the ocean floor. But as Fidelia and the pirates close in on the prize, with the navy hot on their heels, she realizes that Merrick doesn’t expect to live long enough to enjoy his loot. Could something other than black-hearted greed be driving him?

Flying Lessons and Other Stories, edited by Ellen Oh, is collection of short stories by well-known and award winning middle grade authors. In particular, Grace Lin’s contribution “The Difficult Path” is the tale of a young Chinese servant girl who is captured by pirates, who save her from an arranged marriage to a horrible young boy from a wealthy family.

 

The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found by Martin W. Sandler was a finalist for the 2018 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. The book focuses on the 1650s to the 1730s, the golden age of piracy, when fearsome pirates like Blackbeard ruled the waves, seeking not only treasure but also large and fast ships to carry it. The Whydah was just such a ship, built to ply the Triangular Trade route, which it did until one of the greediest pirates of all, Black Sam Bellamy, commandeered it. Filling the ship to capacity with treasure, Bellamy hoped to retire with his bounty — but in 1717 the ship sank in a storm off Cape Cod. For more than two hundred years, the wreck of the Whydah (and the riches that went down with it) eluded treasure seekers, until the ship was finally found in 1984 by marine archaeologists. The artifacts brought up from the ocean floor are priceless, both in value and in the picture they reveal of life in that much-mythologized era, changing much of what we know about pirates.

 

New Releases!
All of these books release this Tuesday unless otherwise noted. The book descriptions are from Goodreads, but I’ll add a ❤ if I particularly loved a title.

Board Book New Releases

Animal Colors by Christopher Silas Neal (Little Bee Books)

When a blue whale and a yellow lion mix, it makes a . . .

Green Whion

In this delightful board book with bold, striking images, Christopher Silas Neal combines animals of different colors and species to form one unique creature! Children will have endless fun guessing what brand-new, made-up animal will appear next! This book will have them playing and guessing with each reread and features a list of color combinations from the book for kids to reference!

❤Animal Shapes by Christopher Silas Neal (Little Bee Books)

When a cozy cat meets a circle, they make a . . .

Purrrrrcle

In this delightful board book with striking images, Christopher Silas Neal combines animals and shapes to form a unique, inventive objective. Children will have endless fun guessing what brand-new, made-up animal will appear next! This book will have kids playing and guessing with each reread!

 

Picture Book New Releases

World Make Way: New Poems Inspired by Art from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins (Abrams)

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”
—Leonardo da Vinci
Based on this simple statement by Leonardo, 18 poets have written new poems inspired by some of the most popular works in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum. The collection represents a wide range of poets and artists, including acclaimed children’s poets Marilyn Singer, Alma Flor Alda, and Carole Boston Weatherford and popular artists such as Mary Cassatt, Fernando Botero, Winslow Homer, and Utagawa Hiroshige.

With My Hands: Poems About Making Things by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Lou Dancher and Steve Johnson (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Building, baking, folding, drawing, shaping . . . making something with your own hands is a special, personal experience. Taking an idea from your imagination and turning it into something real is satisfying and makes the maker proud.

Exoplanets by Seymour Simon (HarperCollins)

There are thousands of exoplanets scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy, and scientists are on a constant quest to find one just like Earth. In Exoplanets, Simon examines the planets outside of our solar system and uncovers what makes them habitable, our efforts to discover new life, and more. With clear, simple text and stunning full-color photographs, readers will explore the farthest reaches of space and explore the answer to the question: do aliens exist?

❤ Down By The River by Andrew Weiner, illustrated by April Chu (Abrams, 3/6/18)

One beautiful autumn day, Art sets out with his mother and grandfather for a fishing trip. Fishing days are Art’s favorite. He loves learning the ropes from Grandpa—the different kinds of flies and tackle and the trout that frequent their favorite river. Art especially appreciates Grandpa’s stories. But, this time, hearing the story about Mom’s big catch on her first cast ever makes Art feel insecure about his own fishing skills. But, as Art hooks a beautiful brown trout, he finds reassurance in Grandpa’s stories and marvels in the sport and a day spent with family, promising to continue the tradition with his own grandkids generations later.

Honey by David Ezra Stein (Nancy Paulsen Books)

Bear is ravenous when he wakes up from his winter sleep and has one thing on his mind: honey! Alas, it is too soon for honey, so Bear tries hard to be patient. The world around him is waking up, too, and he soon remembers all the other things he loves, like warm grass, berries, and rain. He’s almost content, until, one day, he hears a welcome buzzing sound . . . and finally it is time for Bear to delight in the thing he relishes above all others–and it is as warm, golden, sweet, and good as he remembered.

❤ Forever or a Day by Sarah Jacoby (Chronicle)

The seconds that count in catching the bus;
The idyllic hours that slip by so quickly during a perfect day on the lake;
The summer days that disappear into blissful happiness . . .

This beautiful picture book follows an unassuming narrator through a meditation on time through the course of a single day. Inviting comparisons to Virginia Lee Burton and Margaret Wise Brown, this book’s musings on time are at once simple, peaceful, and profound—the work of a truly genius picture book maker.

 

Middle Grade New Releases

❤ Bat and the Waiting Game by Elana K. Arnold (HarperCollins)

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life is pretty great. He’s the caretaker of the best baby skunk in the world—even Janie, his older sister, is warming up to Thor. When Janie gets a part in the school play and can’t watch Bat after school, it means some pretty big changes. Someone else has to take care of the skunk kit in the afternoons, Janie is having sleepovers with her new friends, and Bat wants everything to go back to normal. He just has to make it to the night of Janie’s performance. . . .

❤ Cilla Lee-Jenkins: This Book Is A Classic by Susan Tan, illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte (Roaring Brook Press)

Priscilla “Cilla” Lee-Jenkins has just finished her (future) bestselling memoir, and now she’s ready to write a Classic. This one promises to have everything: Romance, Adventure, and plenty of Drama―like Cilla’s struggles to “be more Chinese,” be the perfect flower girl at Aunt Eva’s wedding, and learn how to share her best friend. In Cilla Lee-Jenkins: This Book Is a Classic, author Susan Tan seamlessly weaves experiences as a Chinese American with universal stories about being a big sister, making friends, and overcoming fears. Cilla Lee-Jenkins will bulldoze her way into your heart in this winning middle grade novel about family, friendship, and finding your voice.

❤ Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi (Rick Riordan Disney Publishing)

This adventure by Roshani Chokshi is about twelve-year-old Aru Shah, who has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?

Elementals: Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman (HarperCollins)

So when twelve-year-old orphan Anders takes one elemental form and his twin sister, Rayna, takes another, he wonders whether they are even related. Still, whether or not they’re family, Rayna is Anders’s only true friend. She’s nothing like the brutal, cruel dragons who claimed her as one of their own and stole her away. In order to rescue her, Anders must enlist at the foreboding Ulfar Academy, a school for young wolves that values loyalty to the pack above all else. But for Anders, loyalty is more complicated than obedience, and friendship is the most powerful shapeshifting force of all.

King of the Bench: Kicking and Screaming by Steve Moore (HarperCollins)

Steve is King of the Bench. No brag. It’s just a fact. But this season, his soccer-loving pals Joey and Carlos—plus soccer superstar Becky O’Callahan—are dragging him off the bench to play for the Spiro T. Agnew JV soccer team, even though soccer doesn’t exactly fry his burger. Will Steve’s epic and hilarious weekend at an away tournament leave him hating soccer more than ever? Or will he finally discover what all the kicking and screaming is about?

The Train of Lost Things by Ammi-Joan Paquette (Penguin Random House, 3/20/18)

Marty cherishes the extra-special birthday present his dad gave him — a jean jacket on which he’s afixed numerous buttons — because it’s a tie to his father, who is sick and doesn’t have much time left. So when his jacket goes missing, Marty is devastated. When his dad tells him the story of the Train of Lost Things, a magical train that flies through the air collecting objects lost by kids, Marty is sure that the train must be real, and that if he can just find the train and get his jacket back, he can make his dad better as well.

 

Around the web…

John Oliver Challenges V.P. Pence Via Picture Book Showdown, via Publisher’s Weekly

4 Great Bilingual English Spanish Books for Toddlers, via Book Riot

Now Quick, Sleep Tight!: Short Bedtime Stories for Kids and Kids at Heart, via Book Riot

12 Kid-Approved Middle Grade Books That Tackle Mental Health, via Brightly

 

I’ve been busy reading a lot of middle grade books lately. Kwame Alexander’s prequel to The Crossover is coming out on April 2, 2018 with HMH Books for Young Readers. I didn’t think the author could pull off a book as great as The Crossover, but he did with Rebound.

The third book in the Book Scavengers series is a real treat. The Alcatraz Escape (Henry Holt & Co., 5/1/18) by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman is filled with puzzles, intrigue, and mystery, and I could not put it down!

I was happy to be a part of the cover reveal for Amal Unbound (Nancy Paulsen Books, 5/8/18) by Aisha Saeed over on the Book Riot main website. Amal Unbound is set in a Pakistani village. Amal has no complaints, and she’s busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Then the unimaginable happens–after an accidental run-in with the son of her village’s corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family’s servant to pay off her own family’s debt.

I’d love to know what you are reading this week! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at karina@bookriot.com.

Until next week!
Karina

Nala demonstrating how we all feel when we’ve finished a book series we absolutely loved.

*If this e-mail was forwarded to you, follow this link to subscribe to “The Kids Are All Right” newsletter and other fabulous Book Riot newsletters for your own customized e-mail delivery. Thank you!*

Categories
Today In Books

Charlotte Brontë’s Lost Manuscripts To Be Published: Today in Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Alfred A. Knopf, publisher of Madness is Better than Defeat by Ned Beauman, available now wherever books are sold.

Charlotte Brontë’s Lost Manuscripts To Be Published

The Brontë Society will publish two unpublished manuscripts by Charlotte Brontë, found in a book belonging to her mother and sold to the society in 2015. The manuscripts will be published in a book, along with annotations, a sketch by Charlotte Brontë’s brother, and contributions from four Brontë specialists who will “reveal important new information” relating to her mother.

Don Quixote Used To Make Banned Book Available Online

The Booksellers Guild of Madrid highlighted 80,000 words in Don Quixote to give readers online access to the text of a recently banned book about drug smuggling. The book is Nacho Carretero’s Fariña. The former mayor of O Grove in Galicia halted sales of the book and brought legal action against the author and his publisher over details in the book about his alleged involvement in drug shipping.

Short Story Dispensers Introduced to U.S. Libraries

The Public Library Association and community publisher Short Edition will introduce a Short Story Dispenser, allowing readers to print one-, three-, or five-minute stories, to four libraries. The partnership and project is being launched with the intention of promoting reading and literary joy through public libraries, and to encourage diverse writers to share their work through Short Edition’s digital content platform.

Categories
Insiders

I Read a Lot of Parenting Books, Apparently

Amanda Nelson here, back again with your Behind the Scenes shenanigans. As all of you know because I probably never shut up about it, I have a lot of kids. My twin boys are seven and my foster daughter is 17, and because kids are weird aliens taking over my space who I don’t know how to interact with, really, I’ve read a lot of books about it. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

Maggie Nelson is a brilliant poet and nonfiction writer, and this is a book about her romance with her gender-fluid partner, and her experience with pregnancy. It’s heavy on the literary theory and queer theory, and light on the “miracle of life” stuff that many (most?) nonfiction reads about motherhood are full of.

 

The Blue Jay’s Dance by Louise Erdrich

Again, this is a book about motherhood that isn’t about developmental milestones or play dates or even really about the baby at all. This is a slow-moving, introspective look at the life of a working artist who also happens to have a newborn. It’s thoughtful and lush, and affirms both the joys and difficulties of having an infant.

Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison

Harrison has three biological sons, two adopted daughters, and has fostered dozens and dozens (sometimes at one time, seemingly) of children in a New England foster system. I’m deeply critical of a lot of her choices as a foster parent (mostly of how she took in more children than she could handle because she felt guilty, which resulted in actual harm more than once to already traumatized kids), but it’s undeniable that she cares. I’m the only foster parent in my family or friend group, so this book satisfies both my voyeuristic need to see how other FPs do it, and also my need to know I’m not the only person out there who cares about these kids.

Instant Mom by Nia Vardalos

Nia Vardalos (of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame) and her husband adopted their three year old daughter out of the California foster care system after 13 rounds of failed IVF treatments and several years of not being matched with a private adoption agency, domestic or international. No one even told her adopting out of foster care was an option (it is!) and that it’s free (it is!), and that there are over 100,000 kids across the country in foster care who already have had parental rights terminated and are just waiting for a home. Vardalos signed up to be a foster parent, got the call one night, and found herself suddenly the mother of a three year old daughter. Vardalos is (unsurprisingly) hilarious, and tells stories about her kid that are just charming and lovely. I recommend this audiobook-she reads it herself and you can feel her frustration, love, and happiness coming out of the speaker.

Hit me with your faves, if you’ve got them! I’m especially interested in memoirs of single parents, queer families, foster parents, parents of color, and dudes! Dudes need to write more parenting books.

-Amanda

Categories
True Story

New Memoirs and Memoir News

As I started to pull together this week’s newsletter, I discovered that most of the books and news I wanted to share with you all fit into a theme – memoirs! Rather than fight fate, I decided to go all in with an all memoirs edition of True Story. Let’s get started!

New Memoirs

The Gospel of Trees by Apricot Irving – Apricot Irving grew up as the daughter of a missionary in Haiti, an agronomist who shared the “gospel of trees” to anyone who would listen. This is a coming-of-age memoir about a young woman trying to understand the demands of her faith, the choices of her family, and “the complicated legacy of those who wish to improve the world.”

Sponsored by Prometheus Books

Combining refreshing candor with self-deprecating wit, this inspiring memoir encourages readers to reach their aspirations despite seemingly impossible odds. Disarmed is the moving story of a young American who volunteered to fight in the Israel Defense Forces, lost his arm in combat, and then returned to the battlefield as the world’s only one-armed Special Forces sharpshooter.

Izzy Ezagui wrote Disarmed with fellow millennials in mind–not necessarily those with military ambitions, but everyone facing life’s battles. His message is universal: if a self-described “nerd” like him can accomplish what he did; anyone can become a hero in their own life.

Would You Rather? by Katie Heaney – In her first book of essays, Katie Heaney wrote about being in her mid 20s and never having been on a second date. In this book, she writes about realizing, in her late 20s, that she’s gay, and then entering into her first serious relationship with another woman.

 

I Found My Tribe by Ruth Fitzmaurice –This book is a memoir about a marriage and the friendships that can help save a marriage. Ruth Fitzmaurice’s husband, Simon, has ALS, and can only communicate with his eyes. To help her cope with this impossible situation, Fitzmaurice regularly swims in the ocean with a group of friends who call themselves the “Tragic Wives’ Swimming Club” and battle the waves as a way of fighting through challenges.

Memoir News 

Malala Yousafzai is writing a new book! Five years after the publication of her memoir, I Am Malala, the young Nobel Laureate is publishing a new book on displacement and “what it means to lose your home, your community, and the only world you’ve ever known.” The book will include her experiences, as well as those of other young refugees. We Are Displaced will be out September 4.

Lisa Brennan-Jobs, daughter of Steve Jobs, is writing a memoir about “her childhood and her turbulent relationship with the legendary Apple cofounder.” I think this one sounds fascinating, and honestly? I’m much more likely to pick up this book than a straight Jobs biography. Small Fry will also be out on September 4.

Bustle has a collection of 11 new memoirs we’ll all be talking about this spring. While the title on the list that’s going to get the most buzz is James Comey’s A Higher Loyalty (April 17), there are a bunch of others on that list that seem exciting. Grow your TBR, friends!

This isn’t explicitly books related, but I want to call your attention to it anyway. On March 8, International Women’s Day, the New York Times launched a project to write obituaries for women in history “who left indelible marks but were nonetheless overlooked.” They’ve shared some amazing stories so far, and while it’s certainly not the only fix needed to address the lack of women’s stories, it’s a really encouraging step. And if you want a bookish connection, I’d suggest finding Marilyn Johnson’s The Dead Beat, a memoir of her time as an obituary writer.

Over at Book Riot, Danika wrote a bit about the five most outrageously fake memoirs ever written, based on a dig through Wikipedia’s list of fake memoirs and journals. Read the post, and then head to Wikipedia – they’re both a fun dive into lies and lying liars who write books.

Memoir Deals and Steals

And finally, a few memoirs you can find for cheap this month on Amazon:

That’s all for this week! As always, find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and happy reading! – Kim

Categories
Swords and Spaceships

Swords and Spaceships Mar 21

Happy Friday, jumbies and Jaegers! Today I’ve got reviews of Beasts Made of Night and the Paradox series, The Kitchies shortlist, Harry Potter cakes, historical fantasy, and more.

This newsletter is sponsored by Epic Reads.

Flamecaster

From bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima comes a fantasy series full of dark magic and unforgettable characters.

Ash has a gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. He’s on a quest to kill the cruel king of Arden. Jenna Bandelow was told that the magemark on her neck would make her a target. But when the king launches a search for a girl with a mark like hers, she assumes its due to her role as a saboteur. As their paths collide, Ash and Jenna are united by their hatred of the king. But the hidden truth of Jenna’s mysterious magemark could risk not only their mission, but their lives.

Need to wear your love of genre? We made a shirt for that. I’ve already ordered mine!

Love history AND fantasy? We’ve got a list for you! And here I thought I knew them all; glad to have Bohemian Gospel to add to my stack.

In awards news: The Kitschies (which is tentacle-themed, in case you didn’t know) have announced their shortlist, and personal fav The Black Tides of Heaven has made the cut!

Not just for kids, not just for grown-ups: I’ve been reading more SF/F kids’ books, possibly because of all the buzz over A Wrinkle in Time (it’s as good an explanation as any) and Priya has an interesting take in this short story round-up.

Here’s a deep cut: A firefighter contemplates the best way to fight dragons. This is my kind of nerdery, y’all.

Eat your fandom with Harry Potter-inspired cakes! BRB I need to make some Snitch cakepops.

Find your fairytale avatar with our handy quiz (also, everyone go read The Merry Spinster). I got the Little Mermaid and I am still not sure how I feel about it.

Today in reviews, we’ve got sins made manifest and space mercenaries.

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

Do you love scrappy, snarky teenagers with magical powers? How about royalty and their power struggles? How about fantasies inspired by Nigerian culture? Have I got a book for you!

Our hero Taj is a disillusioned street urchin, who also happens to be the best aki (sin-eater) in the city of Kos. The upper classes hire mages to manifest their sins, which are then battled and eaten by aki like Taj, and he’s survived longer than any other in memory. When he gets called to the palace, he thinks maybe he’ll actually get a decent payday. What he actually gets is landed smackdab in the middle of a struggle for the throne, and no one is to be trusted.

While plot and action rule the day in Beasts Made of Night, it’s also a detailed, immersive reading experience. Onyebuchi gives us cuisine, adventures through the many different sections of the city, and a look at the daily lives of its citizens. Readers of Nnedi Okorafor and/or familiar with Nigeria will recognize many elements, and Onyebuchi plays with them in fun and magical ways.

Fair warning: this book ends mid-battle, on one doozy of a cliff-hanger, and the sequel Crown of Thunder isn’t out until October of 2018.

The Paradox series by Rachel Bach (Fortune’s Pawn, Honor’s Knight, Heaven’s Queen)

Fortune's PawnFor all y’all also feeling snow-bound and brain-dead, I’ve got your escapist sci-fi right here. It’s a military space opera whodunit with a romance and lots of mech-armor-enhanced punching!

Deviana Morris is a mercenary, and a good one at that. She’s been climbing the ranks as quick as she can, aiming at a coveted position as body guard to the Emperor. To further her ambitions, she takes on a job on one of the most dangerous ships in the galaxy, to load herself up on experience and cred. But (SURPRISE) the crew of the Glorious Fool are not who they appear to be, and Devi has to reconsider what she knows about her world. And shoot/stab/punch/kick a lot of people while doing it!

To tell you anything about the plot of Honor’s Knight and Heaven’s Queen would be to spoil things, so I won’t. Instead I will say that those who have drawn parallels to Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and other found-family space opera are not far off. There’s a reason this trope is so popular, and Rachel Bach clearly loves it as much as the rest of us. I lost a weekend to this series, and I wasn’t sad about it.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

So say we all,
Jenn

Categories
Check Your Shelf

Celebrity Book Club News, Tattoo Readers’ Advisory, and a New Book From Malala Yousafzai

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by PRIDE WARS Book One: The Spinner Prince by Matt Laney.

For fans of the Warriors series comes a new clan of super-evolved felines in a world rife with rebellion. Only Leo, prince of Singara, has the power to save-or destroy-his kingdom. But can he conceal  his curse, claim the throne, and protect his realm? A new fantasy series from debut author, Matt Laney!

Libraries & Librarians

#MeToo: Sexual Harassment Updates From the Publishing World

(Trigger warning for sexual harassment and assault)

Book Adaptations in the News

Books in the News

By the Numbers

Award News

All Things Comics

Audiophilia

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Book Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? Whether or not you read and nominate titles, we’ll end every newsletter with a few upcoming titles worth reading and sharing (and nominating for LibraryReads, if you so choose!). Links here will direct to Edelweiss digital review copies.

  • Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova (June 5, 2018)
    When a bus crash kills Lula’s classmates and her beloved boyfriend, Maks, she knows she can bring Maks back from the dead with the help of her magical sisters. But defying Death is a dangerous proposition and Maks isn’t the only one brought back…
  • The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong (June 5, 2018)
    The Talented Mr. Ripley meets The Bad Seed in this psychological thriller from a novelist known as “Korea’s Stephen King.”
  • A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond A. Villareal (June 5, 2018)
    Part socio-political satire, part international mystery where a virus turns people into something other than human.
  • Call Me American: A Memoir by Abdi Nor Iftin (June 19, 2018)
    The true story of a boy in Somalia who falls in love with America through movies, and then through a miraculous green card.

 

Check back in two weeks for another issue of Check Your Shelf. Thanks for hanging out!

–Katie McLain, currently reading My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris

Categories
Riot Rundown TestRiotRundown

032218-Disarmed-Riot-Rundown

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Prometheus Books.

Combining refreshing candor with self-deprecating wit, this inspiring memoir encourages readers to reach their aspirations despite seemingly impossible odds. Disarmed is the moving story of a young American who volunteered to fight in the Israel Defense Forces, lost his arm in combat, and then returned to the battlefield as the world’s only one-armed Special Forces sharpshooter.
Izzy Ezagui wrote Disarmed with fellow millennials in mind–not necessarily those with military ambitions, but everyone facing life’s battles. His message is universal: if a self-described “nerd” like him can accomplish what he did; anyone can become a hero in their own life.

 

Categories
Today In Books

Pottermore Sacks Editorial Staff: Today in Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater by Alanna Okun, from Flatiron Books.

Pottermore Sacks Editorial Staff

The Wizarding World website sacked both senior and junior editorial staff who were creating original content for Pottermore, according to BuzzFeed. A source said editorial writers struggled with writing freely about the Potter universe, especially when Johnny Depp was cast for the Fantastic Beasts films. The casting was controversial among fans due to domestic abuse allegations against Depp.

Netflix Acquires Rights to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

The streaming service has acquired global rights to the adaptation of Jenny Han’s bestselling YA novel, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. The story follows Lara Jean Song Covey whose love letters are mysteriously mailed out to all of her crushes. The film stars Lana Condor, who played Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse, and is directed by Susan Johnson. Netflix will release the film this summer.

Richard Dawkins Targets Islamic Countries With Free Atheist eBooks In Translation

The atheist and scientist plans to make ebook versions of his works available in Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and Indonesian, free for download. Dawkins said he was encouraged by the news that the unofficial Arabic version of his book had been downloaded 13 million times, describing it as a “stirring towards atheism.” Dawkins has called Islam “the most evil religion in the world.”

Categories
Today In Books

Amazon’s $500M LORD OF THE RINGS Series: Today in Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Penguin Teen, publisher of If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson.

Amazon’s LOTR Series Reportedly Costs $500 Million

This, according to Reuters. The rights alone cost $250 million. A production and marketing costs estimate for Amazon’s two-season deal makes up the other $250 million. If they actually spend as much as predicted, The Lord of the Rings series will be the most expensive TV series ever made. Smaug would be jealous of that coin.

314 Items Stolen From Carnegie Library Rare Books Room

Detectives are on the case, and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America has alerted its members. Rare book dealer Michael Vinson valued the missing items at a total of $5 million, and called the theft an “immense cultural crime.” Vinson believes that the thief may have been one or more employees of the library. You can filter the full list of more than 300 stolen items here.

Booksellers Support University Press Under Threat of Defunding

In light of Governor Matt Blevin’s proposal to cut the University Press of Kentucky’s entire $672,000 allocation from the state budget, the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers issued a joint statement in support of the press. The $672k covers the salaries and benefits of almost half of UPK’s 16 employees, and the cut would force the closure of the press, which is actually a consortium of scholarly presses in the state.