Newsletters Dev – Page 1185

Heartbreak, Viking Romances, and Upcoming Releases

Post author By Jessica Pryde
Post date November 14, 2017

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty stuff for you to read while trying to avoid big family gatherings by hiding in the upstairs bathroom.

But first, Romancelandia!

Kirkus has released their best of 2017, including their favorite romances.

Sponsored by Right Where We Belong by Brenda Novak.

A moving story about rebuilding your life when you’ve got nothing left to lose, from New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak. Savanna Gray’s “perfect” life unraveled when her husband was arrested for attacking three women. She seeks refuge in Silver Springs, at a farmhouse that needs a little TLC. Familiar with the struggle of starting over, Gavin Turner steps up when Savanna needs help fixing things—even when those things go beyond the farmhouse. Unwilling to repeat past mistakes, Savanna resolves to keep her distance. But it’s hard to resist a man whose heart is as capable as his hands.

Not to be outdone, Amazon has also listed their best romances of 2017.

And weirdly, Kirkus has the more diverse list :shrug emoji:

Did you know NPR has a romance column? Guess they’re joining in on the fun! And hey, I’ll support anyone who wants to talk about Hamilton’s Battalion.

Heroes and Heartbreakers, Macmillan’s romance vertical, is officially going dark in the very near future. We’ll be sad to see it go; they’ve been doing Good Work for a long time, and have made our lives a little brighter talking about everything from Alisha Rai’s favorite grand gestures to speculations about Olicity. While they’re shifting their focus to social media and other outlets, the people who write for the blog have also had to pivot as well. In the meantime, you can still find Wendy’s Unusual Historicals lists going up on her personal blog, The Misadventures of Super Librarian, and Suzanne (Cerestheories) is broadening the spectrum at Love In Panels to include romance coverage on top of the romance comics she’s been so lovingly and diligently reviewing.

In happier news, the RT Convention agenda has been posted! It’s not complete, but you can get a look at what they’ll be talking about in Reno. Are you heading up there next Spring? Or maybe you’re holding out for RWA in Denver—their schedule isn’t out yet, but they have announced their featured speakers list, and it is definitely nothing to sneer about.

Have you watched the most recent Fifty Shades Freed trailer?

Do you agree with Sarah MacLean’s WaPo picks for the month? (Shh. I’ve only read one of those…though one of the others is hanging out on my bedside table crying for me to pick it up.)

And speaking of Sarah MacLean: she’s announced the title for the first book in the Bareknuckle Bastards series! It’s so exciting (also, it’s coming out on my birthday)!

Have you read any books by #romanceclass authors? Here’s an interview with Jay E. Tria, who sounds like someone I’d love to be friends with. Also, her book, You Out Of Nowhere, is going on the TBR immediately.

Deals!

Lorraine Heath’s An Affair With a Notorious Heiress is 1.99!

Looking for some chilling romantic suspense? Kendra Elliot’s Hidden is 99c

Want to read more Rose Lerner after catching Hamilton’s Battalion? In For a Penny is 99c as well.

Rogue Affair, the follow-up anthology to Rogue Desire, is 99c right now, too!

Over on Book Riot:

Have you tried Audible’s new romance package? Erin’s got 6 reasons it’s awesome.

With Thor: Ragnarok now out will all those Asgardian pectorals and The Vikings still going strong, you know we had to start thinking about Viking Romance. Yeah, that’s a thing.

Want more lesbian romance? We’ve got some of those for you to try out, too.

I’m sure if you’ve read this newsletter long enough it will be no surprise that I think you need to read these books before the next one comes out. Soon. (Not included in that list? Illegal Contact, because Down By Contact isn’t out until January but HOO DOGGIE I just finished it and man will you want it. More on that later.)

And don’t forget about our bookstore giveaway! How many romances can you get with $500 to your favorite bookstore?

Book Recs!

I was in a particular mood recently, and noticed that two of the books I’d decided to pick up had a similar, but relatively uncommon, theme. They were both books that took place in an alternative now: it was still this day and age, but something had been changed in the past to make the laws of the land work a little differently. The way each author approached this was really interesting, and it was also the first time I’d read either of them, so bonus!

The Future Chosen
Mina V. Esguerra

In this alternate now, laws have been written so that no two members of the same family can be politicians. And it’s not even “at the same time”…it’s while any other member who has been a politician is alive. This doesn’t work in the eyes of Lourdes and Andres, who have been groomed since birth to be rising star politicians in each of their families. But from the time they meet in the school program designed for future leaders, they know there is something special between them. They still hide, because they should be studying, but they won’t be doing anything illegal until one of them gets elected. It’s when they’re both running for office that things get dicy. The love between Lourdes and Andres is sweet, and you can see it as it evolves through school and adulthood. And man, the tangles they get themselves in. (TW for mass shooting early in the book.)

I Love You Subject to the Following Terms and Conditions
Erin Lyon

This hilarious, frustrating book takes place in a US where people don’t get married; they sign. Partner contracts are for seven years, and couples can decide to re-up or just let it run out. Or they can breach, which is a lot of what Kate has to deal with when she ends up taking a job in Signing Law at her uncle’s firm—the last thing she ever wanted after coming out of law school, but beggars can’t be choosers. Kate had been in a loving relationship, ready to just let her contract roll over, when her partner pulled a fast one on her, leaving her alone and in need of a better paying job. Now, he wants to try again, which is fine and dandy, except she’s also got this friend—a “contract killer” who only dates signed women, who she also might have a tiny crush on—and this other friend, who has a pretty big crush on her. Drowning in men, Kate just wants to move on with her life, but all kinds of things get in her way.

As I said, this book is hilarious and compelling. It’s also not a standalone which I didn’t know when I started. So maybe save this one for after the New Year, when you’ll be closer to the release of Unconditionally.

Read Harder Bonus: Debut Novel

How about some new and upcoming releases?

Citywide, Santino Hassell

Snow Falling, Jane Gloriana Villanueva (Yes, that’s what it says on the cover)

Highland Dragon Rebel, Isabel Cooper

Anyone But You (Best Friends Sibling Anthology)

Bodyguard, CD Reiss

Set the Stage, Karis Walsh

A Hope Divided, Alyssa Cole (11/28) (!!!)

Wrong to Need You, Alisha Rai (11/28) (!!!)

That’s plenty, right? 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!

Today In Books

CA Will Be First to Use LGBT-inclusive Textbooks: Today in Books

Post author By Sharifah Williams
Post date November 14, 2017

CA Will Be First To Use LGBT-inclusive Textbooks

California will become the first U.S. state to use LGBT-inclusive history textbooks in primary schools. The California State Board of Education approved 10 textbooks for kindergarten through eighth-grade, and rejected two. The two rejected books didn’t meet the state’s 2011 FAIR Education Act, which requires that schools teach about historical figures who were LGBT or who had disabilities. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which published the two rejected textbooks, didn’t address the sexual orientations of historical figures who were, or were widely speculated to have been LGBT. The publisher told the commission that while LGBT people are “central to both United States history and culture,” they felt that “the terms lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer are contemporary terms that may not map well on past lives and experiences.”

The Handmaid’s Tale Returns To Hulu In April

Brace yourselves. Hulu announced that The Handmaid’s Tale will return for a second season in April, and Glamour gave us a first look at the season 2 teaser. The adaptation based on Margaret Atwood’s classic dystopian novel earned Hulu its first outstanding series Emmy. Also on the Hulu horizon, an adaption of Lawrence Wright’s Pulitzer-winning 9/11 exposé, The Looming Tower, will premiere as a 10-episode limited series on February 28.

The Most Popular Kindle Books Of All Time

Mashable published a list of the most popular Kindle books of all time, according to new data pulled from Amazon Charts. Kindle sales in fiction and nonfiction determined popularity. The chart toppers include E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games in fiction, and in nonfiction Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Cheryl Strayed’s Wild are listed. Mashable noted that the top 10 in fiction star female protagonists, and nine out of 10 were written by women (John Green was the sole male author on that list).

Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Home Sweet Home by April Smith, new in paperback from Vintage Books.

This riveting epic drama follows the Kusek family from New York City to America’s heartland, where their dream life turns into a nightmare, as they are caught up in the panic of McCarthyism, a smear campaign, a sensational trial, and, ultimately, murder. From the widely praised author of the FBI Special Agent Ana Grey series and A Star for Mrs. Blake.

Swords and Spaceships

Swords and Spaceships Nov 17

Post author By Jenn Northington
Post date November 14, 2017

Happy Friday, friends! Today we’ve got reviews of Future Home of the Living God and Jade City, plus a Slytherin reading list, more LOTR news, cozy fantasy, and more.

This newsletter is sponsored by Renegades by Marissa Meyer.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone . . . except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.

First! You have until November 26th to enter our giveaway for a $500 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Some of my best friends are Slytherins! (Actually true.) For all you green-and-black-identifying folks, here’s a reading list.

That rumored Lord Of The Rings TV adaptation? It’s real, and they’ve established that they’re going to be pulling from previously unadapted stories. I am sure somewhere there is already a betting pool about exactly which material they’ll be drawing from; my money’s on Beren and Lúthien.

G. Willow Wilson’s next book has been announced! I’ve been recommending Alif the Unseen for years, so I’m delighted that we’re getting a new genie-tastic story from her.

Need some magic and some romance in your YA? This post has got you covered.

I am not currently watching Dirk Gently or The Tick, but I deeply appreciated this piece on what they’re doing right with mentally ill heroes.

Need more super in your heroes? Here are some suggestions for those of us who are looking around for more caped adventures while we wait for Thor: Ragnarok to make it to streaming.

Cozy up with some cozy fantasy! These books are exactly what I want to be reading this winter.

Today’s reviews include a terrifying possible future and magic-using, warring gangs!

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

This book was the one that convinced me I did, in fact, have to write this post about parenting in sci-fi/fantasy, because boy did we have a lot of it this year! And while Erdrich is not generally considered a genre writer, Future Home can be considered nothing else.

Cedar Songmaker is pregnant and on her way to meet her biological family for the first time, to find out about potential genetic issues. In the meantime, the world is falling apart around her. All around North America, children are born who appear to be genetic throwbacks to pre-Homo sapiens: different brain structures, impaired speech and social abilities, different physiology, you name it. The reasons are unclear, and lots of theories ranging from plausible to completely wack-a-doodle are offered throughout the book. Cedar is fully aware of what could happen with her baby, but also fully invested in her pregnancy. Her adoptive white parents and her Native biological family have very different responses to her state, and then of course there’s the part where the world is going mad. Pseudo-religious ad-hoc governments are rounding up pregnant women, racial tensions are rising to the surface, and oh yeah, there might be a pteranodon in the backyard? Cedar ends up on the run and on a journey that is as horrifying as it is gripping.

I’m a huge fan of Erdrich’s work, and am so excited to see her playing in the speculative fiction sandbox. If you love near-future stories, particularly ones that focus on changes to the environment and how that affects humanity, get this one post-haste. If you’re looking for a super-scientifically plausible story, give this one a pass; same for if you’re trying to get or are currently pregnant, unless you have a very strong stomach and are resistant to disaster scenarios.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

I have been telling everyone that Jade City is an Asian The Godfather plus magic, and I stand by it. Centered around an escalating feud between two gang families in the island nation of Kekon, it’s the first installment in a trilogy that is off to a page-turning, action-packed start.

Kekon is the only source of “bioreactive” jade, a stone that grants the right wearer supernatural abilities. Only some people can harness the powers of jade, and the Green Bone warriors that do are feared, respected, and unofficially run the country. The grown Kaul siblings are each doing their best to make a life — Hilo and Lan as the newest leaders of the family and operation, and Shae as a person an entirely separate from her family’s activities. But when the other major clan starts pushing into the Kaul’s territory, Lan’s negotiating skill and level head might not be enough to keep the peace. In the meantime, other nations around the world are developing drugs to help them create their own jade-sensitive warriors. Can peace be maintained, and at what cost? It’s not just the fate of the clans that rides on the outcome — it’s the fate of the jade trade and the country itself.

Lee has created a rich second world that feels familiar enough to be comprehensible, but different enough to house its magical system — she wrote about the process here. The family interactions are complex and emotionally resonant; the fights are well-paced and gorily entertaining; in short, Jade City delivers on its promises. And the ending! Just enough resolution to keep me from throwing the book across the room, just enough questions unanswered to have me eagerly awaiting the next installment.

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.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn

Unusual Suspects

Big Little Lies is Getting a Second Season

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date November 14, 2017

Hello mystery fans! Unusual Suspects is officially a one-year-old–and I never had to change a diaper! Thank you for reading, sharing, and being awesome mystery fans!

In The Club Nov 15

Post author By Jenn Northington
Post date November 14, 2017

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Today, I rounded up some easy-but-great reading options for the busy holiday season. Let’s dive in!

This newsletter is sponsored by Unbound Worlds.

Build your library with a collection of classic science fiction and fantasy novels from Unbound Worlds! Fall is in full swing, and it’s the perfect time to cozy up with some classics. Unbound Worlds is giving away thirty-two books from timeless sci-fi and fantasy authors like Philip K. Dick, T.H. White, Anne McCaffrey, and Samuel R. Delaney, plus some bookish swag from Out of Print! Enter for a chance to win.

Speaking of giveaways! If you won our $500 bookstore giveaway (open ’til Nov. 26), you could get a whole bunch of books for your group! Or a lot for yourself; we’ll never tell.

Philadelphia has picked its One Book, One Philadelphia read, and it’s Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson! Does your city have a read and a pick announced? I’m going to be rounding up all the ones I can find, so hit reply and let me know!

The holidays are a good time for a laugh — here’s some YA that will help. I love picking up YA and MG titles in the winter; they’re good for compressed amounts of reading time if you’re running around, they’re distracting and not too hard on your brain if you’re stressed, and they’re just so fun.

Speaking of things that are just so fun: do you need some Viking romance in your life? Here’s a great list. If anyone wants to invite me to their paired Viking romance/Vikings viewing party, I am there.

Craving some short nonfiction? Here are some great essay collections. I love discussing essays in a group because never once have we all agreed on which was the best one. Big love for Samantha Irby’s We Are Never Meeting In Real Life in particular (and you can hear her recommending her own favorite book from this year on Recommended!).

I have several friends doing NaNoWriMo, and know a few more who have specific groups set up for the writing challenge. For those who are participating and/or might just be interested in thinking about the craft of writing, here’s a list.

Can’t keep up with group reading at all for the holidays? Do a BYOB/any-book for your December (and/or January!) meeting. Here’s how one group did it.

For those of you who have more time and mindshare during the holidays, some options:

If you’re feeling contemplative about the past political year in politics, here’s an election-related reading list.

Does your group often end up yelling at characters for their poor life choices? Here are some sensible heroines to ease your frustrations.

And that’s a wrap: Happy discussing! 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 (including the occasional book club question!) you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn

More Resources:
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page

The Stack

111417-Superfail-TheStack

Post author By Devin Service
Post date November 14, 2017

Today’s The Stack is sponsored by SUPERFAIL by Max Brunner, illustrated by Dustin Mackay.

Laser vision isn’t so hot when you’re cross-eyed. Just ask Marshall Preston, a twelve-year-old with superhuman abilities that are restricted by some very human setbacks. While other kids are recruited to superhero teams, Marshall’s stuck with a team of young Defectives: super speedy but can’t turn corners, radioactive Hulk allergies, and supersonic flight hindered by motion sickness. They aren’t exactly superhero material, but when Marshall uncovers a plot to destroy one of the greatest superhero teams of all time, he and his less-than-super friends set out to prove that just because you’re defective doesn’t mean you can’t save the day.

Riot Rundown

111417-Renegades-Riot-Rundown

Post author By Devin Service
Post date November 14, 2017

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Renegades by Marissa Meyer.

Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

Today In Books

DC Comics Editor Fired Following Sexual Harassment Claims: Today in Books

Post author By Sharifah Williams
Post date November 13, 2017

DC Comics Editor Fired Following Sexual Harassment Claims

DC Comics fired longtime editor Eddie Berganza after BuzzFeed News reported on years of sexual harassment allegations made against him. BuzzFeed published the accounts of female employees at DC Comics who alleged that Berganza tried to forcibly kiss or grope them, and wrote about how he was promoted despite multi-employee complaints about his behavior to Human Resources. He was later demoted to group editor after another woman said he kissed her without her consent. One day after the BuzzFeed News report was published, DC announced that the company was suspending Berganza and launching an investigation; he was fired two days later. Berganza’s DC Comics career spanned 25 years.

J.K. Rowling Bolsters Aspiring Writer

When a frustrated aspiring writer sent a sorrowful tweet into the void where one imagines tweets from random people to J.K. Rowling exist, something miraculous happened: the author responded. Not only did she respond, she did so with encouragement. “I want to write like @jk_rowling or @StephenKing but it’s too hard for me. I’m demotivated. I’ll never finish my book,” tweeted the writer. In response, Rowling advised, “Write like you,” and told her to finish the book. What a perfect story for NaNoWriMo season.

Wonder Woman 2 Gets Earlier Release Date

Happy news for Wonder Woman fans impatient for the second film: Wonder Woman 2 will be released November 1, 2019, a month and half earlier than originally announced. Patty Jenkins will direct and Gal Gadot will reprise her role as Wonder Woman. If that’s still too long a wait, you can catch Diana Prince at the theater in Justice League this weekend.

Thanks to Unbound Worlds for sponsoring today’s newsletter.

Giveaways

Win $500 To Spend At Your Favorite Bookstore!

Post author By Jeff O'Neal
Post date November 13, 2017

We were trying to think of what the BEST giveaway we could host this November, and we came up with this: $500 to spend at your favorite bookstore. If you win, you tell us what your favorite bookstore when, and we’ll get you $500 to spend there.

This is open world-wide and will be open until November 26th. We will then randomly select a winner and notify them by email. And that’s it.

So quit dreaming about what books you will buy and go here to enter, or just click the fancy image below. Good luck!

New Books

November New Books Megalist: The Sequel!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date November 12, 2017

Look around, look around… SO MANY GREAT NOVEMBER BOOKS. I am in NYC this week on many bookish adventures, but I had the opportunity to read a bunch of amazing titles out today. You can hear about a few of these books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Jenn and I talked about amazing books we loved, such as The City of Brass, Into the Drowning Deep, and The Wild Book.

SUPERFAIL by Max Brunner, illustrated by Dustin Mackay

(And like last time, I’m putting a next to the books that I have read and loved. There are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!)

mean Mean by Myriam Gurba

Hardcore Twenty-Four: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich

End Game (Will Robie Series) by David Baldacci

Blackbird by Michael Fiegel

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

No Saints in Kansas by Amy Brashear

The Last Sheriff in Texas: A True Tale of Violence and the Vote by James P. McCollom

Don’t Save Anything: Uncollected Essays, Articles, and Profiles by James Salter

Goldeline by Jimmy Cajoleas

Mother of All Pigs by Malu Halasa

The Book of Formation by Ross Simonini

The Inside Out Man by Fred Strydom

The Art of Misdiagnosis: Surviving My Mother’s Suicide by Gayle Brandeis

On Power: My Journey Through the Corridors of Power and How You Can Get More Power by Gene Simmons

Thousands by Lightsey Darst

Fragments of the Lost by Megan Miranda

Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler

Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden

artemis Artemis by Andy Weir

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

Adult Fantasy: searching for true maturity in an age of mortgages, marriages, and other adult milestones by Briohny Doyle

Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson

I Don’t Want to Know Anyone Too Well: Collected Stories by Norman Levine

The Ghost of Christmas Past (Molly Murphy Mysteries) by Rhys Bowen

The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen

The Book of Resting Places: A Personal History of Where We Lay the Dead by Thomas Mira y Lopez

The Imagined Land by Eduardo Berti, Charlotte Coombe (Translator)

Debriefing: Collected Stories by Susan Sontag

Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales by P. D. James

The Savage by Frank Bill

Future Home of the Living God: A Novel by Louise Erdrich

Creatures of Will & Temper by Molly Tanzer

The Night Language by David Rocklin

The Wild Book (Yonder) by Juan Villoro (Author), Lawrence Schimel (Translator)

A Beautiful Young Woman by Julian Lopez

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Improvement: A Novel by Joan Silber

After the End of the World (Carter & Lovecraft) by Jonathan L. Howard

Strangers in Budapest by Jessica Keener

The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News by Kevin Young

Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi

Fates and Traitors by Jennifer Chiaverini (Now in paperback.)

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Now in paperback.)

We’re giving away $500 to spend at the bookstore of your choice! Click here to enter.

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or L itsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty