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Today In Books

Nicole Kidman Will Star in THE FEMALE PERSUASION Adaptation: Today in Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Instaread – Click the link and get 20% off your subscription.


Nicole Kidman Will Star In The Female Persuasion Adaptation

Nicole Kidman is now attached to star in a planned feature adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s novel, The Female Persuasion. Kidman is also producing the movie (her company, Blossom Films, produced the series adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies). The actress previously hinted on Instagram that she was adapting Wolitzer’s novel about a shy college freshman whose life is changed by a central pillar of the women’s movement.

TKAM Broadway Production Performed In Court?

In the ongoing saga of the To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway adaptation, the play’s producers have offered to stage the production–with a full cast–in court as evidence that it’s faithful to the book. The production company behind the play has filed a countersuit against Harper Lee’s estate. This is in response to the estate’s lawsuit claiming that the play deviated too much from Lee’s story, which allegedly broke a contract agreed upon by the two parties prior to Lee’s death.

Radical And Indie Bookshops Participate In Feminist Book Fortnight

Radical and independent bookstores in the UK will participate in a two-week long event highlighting books by diverse women writers. Feminist Book Fortnight, spearheaded by Five Leaves Bookshop in Nottingham, was created in response to the dearth of diversity in publishing. Five Leaves’ Jane Anger pointed to the 2016 VIDA statistics, which showed an ongoing bias against women writers, and the lack of diversity in children’s books. The event will be held June 16-30, and you can find more information on the FBF website.

 

And don’t forget to enter to win 15 of the year’s best mysteries so far!

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What's Up in YA

Essential Pulp YA Titles, Divorce in YA Lit, and Tons of Recommended New Reads

Happy Monday, YA Readers: Let’s dig into all of the book talk we can.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig.

Rufus Holt is having the worst night of his life. It begins with the reappearance of his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian. Just as Rufus is getting ready to move on, Sebastian turns up out of the blue, saying they need to “talk.”

Then Rufus gets a call from his sister April, begging for help. He and Sebastian find her, drenched in blood and holding a knife beside the dead body of her boyfriend, Fox Whitney.

April swears she didn’t kill Fox, but Rufus knows her too well to believe she’s telling him the whole truth. April has something he needs, though, and her price is his help. Rufus has one night to prove his sister’s innocence . . . or die trying.


Do you ever feel like your to-read list will literally never end? Because 1. so does mine and 2. this won’t help out the situation much.

 

Cheap Reads!

Because a good deal on YA is a good deal. Try one of these ebook steals:

Tiffany Schmidt’s Break Me Like A Promise is $2. You can read this without reading the first in the duology, and if you love romantic suspense, get on it.

A Tyranny of Petticoats, an anthology of short stories about “belles, bank robbers, and other badass girls” through history edited by Jessica Spotswood is $2.

Jeff Zentner’s The Serpent King is $2. This is for the YA readers who want their feelings punched.

 

Reading Recs!

A few quick picks from my recent reading worth mentioning. I’ve admittedly read a lot of female-led books lately, but I promise for readers itching to hear about boys in YA, there’s a special newsletter coming for you soon. In the mean time, let’s hear it for the girls (/rimshot).

First, I’ve just begun From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon, which comes out May 22, and I’m smitten. It’s a romantic comedy, and it’s told in a really compelling form: through letters from Twinkle to her favorite female filmmakers (her dream is to become like one of them). This is for those seeking some snort laughter and a lot of heart.

 

 

Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist might be one of my favorites of 2018 so far. This standalone is part Western, part zombie novel, and fully about one badass teen girl who has to find her father, as there’s a bounty out on him that could impact her and her siblings if not settled. The pitch for this is True Grit meets 28 Days Later and tbh, it’s a perfect pitch.

 

 

If you love a book about enterprising girls, then Siobhan Vivian’s Stay Sweet is out this week and absolutely worth picking up. What happens when a girl who is super likable is put into the position to be in charge of the legendary ice cream stand in her town? How does she keep the place afloat? How does she instill order? This book is sweet, it’s smart, and will appeal to readers who love Morgan Matson or Jenny Han.

 

Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis is out May 1, and it follows a girl who just lost her mother as she’s sent to live with a father she’s never met. And that father, who lives with his four other daughters and a new wife in southern California…is an adjustment from her life in Chicago. This book digs into race, colorism, into family, and it’s also a story about Tiffany’s decision to break some of the rules in her new family that allow her to build a powerful friendship with a “weird” boy who is an outcast at her new school. The pacing on this isn’t perfect, but the voice is pitch-perfect and the story so enjoyable that it’s easy to let go.

____________________

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you back here next week!

–Kelly Jensen, on Twitter and Instagram as @veronikellymars.

 

 

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In The Club

In The Club April 18

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.


This newsletter is sponsored by No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert, published by Penguin Random House.

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district–and in their lives.


Announcing the 2018 Pulitzer winners! Here’s the list; the Fiction pick was a HUGE surprise to most of us.
Book group bonus: Has your group ever read a Pulitzer winner? If yes, do you think it deserved its award? If not, pick one!

It’s National Poetry Month! And we’ve got some recommendations for you because of course we do. Here are 15 female poets of color, and here are picks that cover both Arab American Heritage Month and Poetry Month.
Book group bonus: In addition to picking a collection to read, have everyone bring their favorite poem and read it aloud to the group! Yes, haikus count.

Reading in the Animal Kingdom: Animal characters aren’t just for kids! Here’s a round-up of Heather’s favorite fiction for grown-up that focuses on our furry friends. And may I add Tania James’s The Tusk That Did the Damage to your options? It includes the elephant narrator you never knew you wanted.
Book group bonus: This is a golden opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and compare/contrast your favorite kids’ books with animals.

More jazz hands! Daisy has five recommendations of books about the women of Golden Age musicals for you, and I too would love a biography of Cyd Charisse while we’re asking.
Book group bonus: Fall down a YouTube rabbithole of Ginger Rogers and Cyd Charisse clips. I recommend starting here (that ENTRANCE).

Not just Circe: If you love books that adapt Greek and Roman mythology in interesting ways, I hope that Circe by Madeline Miller is on your radar — but wait, there’s more!
Book group bonus: Pair a reading of an adaptation with the source material, naturally. And if you’re going to do something related to The Odyssey, I recommend Emily Wilson’s new translation!

YA is killing it with new voices lately: There’s a great surge of Asian/Asian-American representation in YA, and here are two lists that prove it. This one features South Asian authors, and this one East Asian. Related: Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is coming to Netflix this summer!
Book group bonus: I’m personally rooting for y’all to do a Jenny Han page-to-screen discussion, and none of you are surprised.

And don’t forget! You can enter our excellent mystery giveaway to win 15 excellent books, and Book Riot Insiders is doing a special promotion for a two-week free trial of the Novel level.

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

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Riot Rundown TestRiotRundown

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Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by The Gods of Winter

Bob Daniels, against all odds, becomes a noted psychologist. In unlikely fashion, he meets Gloria Hopkins, a noted stage performer. A rare and daring love ensues, but it’s thwarted by an inexplicable force of madness. The two are pulled into a harrowing journey to save their love, and as they interlock with a range of vibrant characters, in desperation they face the impossible. The stuff of legend. Fiction based on fact. A story to behold. Its humor, laughter, strife, sadness, and tragedy are the stuff of legend. The Gods of Winter: A story of pondering gasps, ending in deep awe.

 

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Giveaways

Win a Copy of MY LADY’S CHOOSING by Larissa Zageris and Kitty Curran!

 

We have 10 copies of My Lady’s Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel by Larissa Zageris and Kitty Curran to give away to 10 Riot readers!

Here’s what it’s all about:

My Lady’s Choosing is the romance novel that lets you pick your path, follow your heart, and find happily ever after. As a plucky but penniless heroine in the center of 19th-century society, courtship season has begun, and your future is at hand. With more than 20 possible storylines, your love interests include a handsome, Mr. Darcy-like baronet, spirited “traveling companion” Lady Evangeline, a rugged Scotsman with a dark past, and the mysterious (and possibly supernatural) master of a manor. Make choices, turn pages, and discover all the daring delights of the multiple (and intertwining!) storylines.

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

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Today In Books

Andrew Sean Greer Wins Pulitzer for Fiction: Today in Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Squared Away by Annabeth Albert.


The 2018 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Books

The 2018 winners of the Pulitzer Prize were announced, including six books in the categories of Fiction, Drama, History, Biography, Poetry, and General Nonfiction. Andrew Sean Greer won the Fiction Pulitzer for his novel Less, and James Forman Jr. took the General Nonfiction prize for Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America.

“Talk To Books” Answers Any Question By Reading Thousands Of Books

Google announced a new search tool that answers any question by reading thousands of books. Talk to Books scans 100,000 books in Google Books to come up with likely answers to the questions asked in the search field. Ask it the meaning of life, or why your cat is a jerk, and your answers will arrive bolded in book excerpts.

Somali-British Poet Named Young People’s Laureate For London

Momtaza Mehri has been chosen as the new young people’s laureate for London. Mehri, who has a background in biochemical science, wrote the poetry chapbook sugah. lump. prayer. She will be amplifying the voices of Londoners aged 13 through 25, “to let them lead conversations, to be as inspired by them as hopefully they can be inspired by me.”

 

And don’t forget to enter to win 15 of the year’s best mysteries so far!

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New Books

Villainous French Bulldogs, Multigenerational Sagas, and More New Books

Happy Tuesday, book lovers! Once again, it’s time to add titles to your TBRs! I have a few awesome books for you below and you can hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Jenn and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including How To Write an Autobiographical Novel, Before Mars, Acid West, and more.


Sponsored by What Are You Afraid Of? by Alexandra Ivy.

In New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy’s gripping thriller spiced with romantic tension and diabolical twists, a true crime writer is targeted by a sinister psycho. She knows all about killers, but will he be the one to teach her how to die? “Ivy deftly charts a course between gruesome suspense and sudden romance as Carmen and Griff race to solve the whodunit before the predator kills again.” – Publishers Weekly


P.S. Don’t forget that Book Riot is giving away 15 of the year’s best mysteries so far! Enter to win here.

atomic frenchieAtomic Frenchie: Sit. Stay. Rule. by Tom Sniegoski (Author), Tom McWeeney

Tom Sniegoski has an awesome French bulldog named Kirby, and Tom Sniegoski is a cool writer. Ergo = Tom Sniegoski wrote an adorable book about his pet dog. In Atomic Frenchie, Kirby is determined to be the world’s greatest supervillain. But how can anyone take a dog this cute seriously??? The majority of this book is text, but there are also colorful illustrations that add to its charm. (There is a little violence, but it’s Looney Tunes-ish.) I heart Kirby.

Backlist bump: The Amazing Hamweenie by Patty Bowman

the comedownThe Comedown by Rebekah Frumkin

A darkly comedic, multigenerational novel of love, family, and drugs in (mostly) 1980s-era Cleveland, richly told in linked chapters, each featuring a different character. Reggie and Leland are dealer and client, but through a series of unfortunate events, their lives are forever entwined. Each chapter of this book is so beautifully written, and the way Frumkin chooses to tell each person’s tale is touching and bold.

Backlist bump: A Doubter’s Almanac by Ethan Canin

miss ex-yugoslaviaMiss Ex-Yugoslavia: A Memoir by Sofija Stefanovic

Stefanovic’s delightfully interesting story of how her family left their war torn homeland, the former Yugoslavia, and moved to Australia, as well as her coming of age and adjustment to the different culture, and her rise as an artist. Her storytelling is charming, heartfelt, and funny, and I enjoyed reading about a time and place I know so little about.

Backlist bump: A Mountain of Crumbs: A Memoir by Elena Gorokhova

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 Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

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The Goods

Card-Carrying Book Lover

Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card, and now you can wear your library love on your sleeve. These limited-edition tees are available in 5 styles for just $19.99. Order by 4/27!

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Giveaways

Win a Copy of EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS by Meg Little Reilly!

 

We have 10 copies of Everything That Follows by Meg Little Reilly to give away to 10 Riot readers!

Here’s what it’s all about:

Three friends take their partying from bar to boat on a misty fall evening. Just as the weather deteriorates, one of them suddenly goes overboard. Is it an accident? The result of an unwanted advance? For fans of Megan Abbott and Chris Bohjalian comes a novel of moral complexity about friends who must choose between self-preservation and doing the right thing in the wake of a fatal boating accident. Set in the moody off-season of Martha’s Vineyard, Everything That Follows is a plunge into the dark waters of secrets and flexible morals. The truth becomes whatever we say it is…

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

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Riot Rundown TestRiotRundown

041518-ANecessaryEvil-Riot-Rundown

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Pegasus Books’ A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee. 

India, 1920: When the heir to the throne of Sambalpore is assassinated in the presence of Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant “Surrender-Not” Banerjee, they discover a kingdom rife with suppressed conflict. Prince Adhir’s modern attitudes may have upset the religious elements of his country, while his brother, now in line for the throne, appears to be a feckless playboy.

As Wyndham and Banerjee desperately try to unravel the mystery behind the assassination, they become entangled in a dangerous world where those in power live by their own rules—and those who cross their paths pay with their lives.