Do your last-minute back to school shopping the Book Riot way! Get adult, kids’, and baby tees for $20 and a free pouch with any order over $50 this weekend only!
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It’s a new week with new book news! As always, there’s lots of exciting stuff going on. I hope you find something below that brightens your day and manage to get in a little reading, too. Be excellent to each other. – xoxo, Liberty
Sponsored by A KIND OF FREEDOM by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, published by Counterpoint Press
At the height of WWII, Evelyn, a Creole woman, comes of age in New Orleans. In 1982, Evelyn’s daughter, Jackie, is a single mother grappling with her absent husband’s drug addiction. Post-Katrina, Jackie’s son, T.C., is fresh out of a four-month stint for drug charges and decides to start over―until an old friend convinces him to stake his new beginning on one last deal. For Evelyn, Jim Crow is an ongoing reality, and in its wake new threats spring up to haunt her descendants: “A poignant, deeply emotional and timely exploration of systemic racism in America” (PureWow).
Deals, Reals, and Squeals!
Sarong Party Girls by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan is coming to the small screen!
More additions to the Dumplin’ cast!
Beyoncé will release a $300, 600-page coffee table book.
The Discovery of Witches series has found its Matthew and Diana.
Issa Rae has joined the cast of The Hate U Give!
Common is set to star in a new series based on the Black Samurai book series.
Elizabeth Debicki and Isabella Rossellini have joined Vita & Virginia, based on the love letters of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West.
Will Ferrell to star in The 100-Year-Old Man adaptation.
David Oyelowo has joined the cast of Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness.
And speaking of Patrick Ness, he’s writing the screenplay for the film adaptation of Anya’s Ghost.
Netflix announced the premiere date of Gerald’s Game, the film based on the novel by Stephen King.
Cover Reveals
Luis Alberto Urrea announced his next novel and revealed the cover: The House of Broken Angels. (March 6, 2018)
Jamie Quatro revealed the cover for Fire Sermon, her next novel. (January 9, 2018)
The cover for Tara Sim’s Chainbreaker, her Timekeeper sequel, is out. (November 7)
Sneak Peeks!
The trailer for Netflix’s adaptation of The Punisher is up.
The trailer for the second season of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency looks bonkers!
Book Riot Recommends
At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week!
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, November 14): This is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy set in the 18th century Middle East. And wow-ow-owza! Nahri has never believed in real magic – until she accidentally summons a mysterious djinn warrior, who tells her the tale of the legendary City of Brass. Determined to see this city for herself, Nahri embarks on a dangerous journey, one of dark court politics and deadly schemes. But what fun! The City of Brass is a stunning debut that will charm your pants off.
Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press, October 3): Want to read the most blisteringly brilliant story collection of the fall? This is it! Plagues, prom dresses, houseguests, ghosts, and girls with bells for eyes are just a few of the things you’ll find on these pages. Machado’s genre-bending stories about women’s lives and the violence visited upon their bodies is a “how is this a debut??!” book, for sure, and perfect for fans of Karen Russell and Kelly Link.
And this is funny.
There was a little scandal in the YA community last week. And Preeti Chhibber made the best gif for it.
Penguin’s Clothbound series designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith have quickly become reader favorites. They’re eye-catching and beautiful, and just look plain fancy on the shelves. We’re giving away three books from the line–classics of the mystery genre–to promote our weekly mystery/thriller newsletter, Unusual Suspects!
Entries are open worldwide and will be accepted until 11:45pm, Tuesday, August 29th. Winners will be randomly selected.
Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below!
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Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by 2023: A Trilogy by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu.
Well we’re back again,
They never kicked us out,
twenty thousand years of
SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT
Down through the epochs and out across the continents, generation upon generation of the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu have told variants of the same story – an end of days story, a final chapter story. But one with hope, even if the hope at times seems forlorn.
The story contained in this trilogy is the latest telling. Here it is presented as a utopian costume drama, set in the near future, written in the recent past.
Read with care.
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Boo White Nationalism!
Hello audiobook lovers, how’s your week going? Last week, I was still reeling from the tragedy in Charlottesville and subsequent appalling, dangerous rhetoric from that guy who had a really small crowd at his inauguration. So this week I did what I always do when I’m feeling angry and sad: I turned to books. Because, despite what those khaki wearing, tiki torch wielding, hate spouting individuals were shouting, there’s ample textual evidence that reflects the inherent cruelty and racism of white nationalist movements. So this week, I’m giving y’all a list of books I call BOO WHITE NATIONALISM!
Sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio
Help your children keep up with their reading by listening to audiobooks. Visit TryAudiobooks.com/Family-Travel for suggested listens and for a free audiobook download of MY FATHER’s DRAGON!
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
I’ve often spoken about this book and how it’s one of the titles that has a permanent place in my collection. This short book, written as a letter to his son, is an incisive commentary on race in America and how it’s been used to enslave, exploit, and marginalize black Americans. It’s painful but essential reading (and listening).
Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America by Patrick Phillips
I love when authors narrate their own audiobooks *if* they can pull it off. Phillips’ book is a winner, both in terms of content and his narration. National Book Award finalist Patrick Phillips’ book centers around Georgia in 1912, when “three young black laborers were accused of raping and murdering a white girl. One man was dragged from a jail cell and lynched on the town square, two teenagers were hung after a one-day trial, and soon bands of white ‘night riders’ launched a coordinated campaign of arson and terror, driving all 1,098 black citizens out of the county.” Phillips weaves this into his own memories of growing up in the 1970s and ’80s and the history of racialized violence that endures in the United States.
A Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes
I’ve long been a fan of Chris Hayes’ show on MSNBC but I was still skeptical about the idea of a white cable news host penning a book about race relations in the U.S. Maybe that makes me a jerk, I don’t know. I do know that my skepticism was unwarranted. The short book is incisive, well-researched, and thought provoking. Hayes sounds just as comfortable in the recording booth as he is in front of a camera; his narration of the book is excellent.
The Diary of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Because it’s 2017 and Nazis are still a thing. Selma Blair narrates (!).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Honestly, this book is a must-read (or listen) no matter what the list. Starr Carter is 16 years old and bounces back and forth between two worlds: the poor neighborhood she’s lived her whole life, and the fancy prep school she attends during the day. She’s managed to keep her two worlds separate from each other, but that changes after her best friend from childhood is shot and killed by a police officer. Starr is the only witness to the shooting. This book appropriately has rave reviews from pretty much everyone who has read it. I read the print version but I’ve heard excellent things about the audiobook and might listen to it because the book is just that good (and sadly, just that relevant).
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Alexander describes how the legacy of the Jim Crow era is perpetuated in our current criminal justice system. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the U.S.A.’s penal system and the notion of a “post-racial” era of colorblindness is more rhetoric than reality. A difficult, but important listen.
They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery
Washington Post reporter Lowery travels to neighborhoods and communities which have been disproportionately impacted by racially biased policing. He looks at the communities as a whole–-how they’ve have been neglected in so many crucial ways and suffered enormous tragedy as a result.
They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Combing through oral histories, Congressional reports, and news reports, Bartoletti describes how the Ku Klux Klan went from six racist dudes to one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the United States.
Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother’s Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South by Beth Macy
“The true story of two African-American brothers who were kidnapped and displayed as circus freaks, and whose mother endured a 28-year struggle to get them back.”
Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File by John Edgar Wideman
“John Edgar Wideman searches for Louis Till, a silent victim of American injustice. Wideman’s personal interaction with the story began when he learned of Emmett’s murder in 1955; Wideman was also 14 years old. After reading decades later about Louis’ execution, he couldn’t escape the twin tragedies of father and son, and tells their stories together for the first time.”
New Release of the Week
Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat by Patricia Williams
The New Release of the Week is a twofer for me: I love when comedians narrate their audiobooks, and I love books about people with tough childhoods who break a destructive cycle. Patricia Williams offers up both in her new book. One of five children being raised by an alcoholic mom, Williams was “targeted for sex by an older man when she was 12.” By the time she was fifteen, she was a mother of two. With only an eighth grade education, Williams had to learn skills that would allow her to build a life and survive. The best weapons at her disposal? Humor, and a fierce determination to build a life for herself.
Book Riot Audiobooky Post Round-up
40+ of Your Recommended Audiobooks for Kids
Got kids? Read this.
My unexpected journey to a happier life
Be still my heart! One rioter talks about how audiobooks made her a happier person
Links for Your Ears
Books Where Eclipses Loom Large
Can’t get enough of that eclipse? Audible’s got you covered.
I just really love the idea that there’s a rock star of audiobooks.
Hey YA Readers!
This week’s edition of “What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Body Parts by Jessica Kapp, from Diversion Books.
While kids wait for their ideal adoptive parents at an elite foster center, they believe their trainers’ refrain, that being in top physical condition will lead to their being matched with the perfect forever family. But Tabitha learns the terrifying reality when she’s told she’s been paired with a family, but wakes immobile in a hospital bed, about to be sliced open to have her organs harvested. Rescued by a group of renegade teens, we follow Jessica and her friends through their race to uncover the secrets of the center and the shocking truths behind the foster program.
As August — and summer — roll to a close, let’s catch up on the latest in YA news from the last month or so.
Let’s start with a host of adaptation news first:
- Nick Jonas is hopping on board the adaptation of Chaos Walking.
- Check out the incredible casting news for Dumplin’. Also? I love that it’s being described as a comedy, which gives me a lot of hope that it’ll be a really fabulous adaptation.
- Common is joining the adaptation of The Hate U Give.
- Lauren Kate’s Fallen hit theaters overseas already, but there’s now been a date set for its US debut. It’s not that far away.
- And news about a CW adaptation of Lesley Livingston’s The Valiant.
- How about Ridley Scott being attached to a YA project for Amazon? I’ve seen The Beast Is An Animal floating around but haven’t picked it up yet.
- Can’t say that Twilight nor Hunger Games theme parks are high on my must-see places, and yet, they’re going to exist.
- Here’s a really great piece about the sorts of hard-hitting, timely, realistic YA that’s being picked up for adaptation and what that might say about the future of YA and YA on the big/small screen.
For some non-adaptation related YA links of note. Seems like the big news at this time of the year is always centered around adaptations, as the summer season is slow in the publishing world:
- Jen Lancaster, who might be best known for her adult memoirs, has a YA novel hitting shelves this fall.
- An excellent round-up of 42 diverse YA titles all libraries should have. This would be a wonderful reading list, for sure.
- The sneak peek of the graphic novel take on Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak is making me so excited.
- The New York Times rounds up some recent and forthcoming children’s and YA books about Muslim refugees.
- I love a book list from outside the US, since it can often highlight titles that wouldn’t see much attention in the states. This one from the Toronto Star has some good-sounding YA picks for the fall (I’ve read the Reed book and it’s *fire emoji here*).
- And let’s round this out with a look at some excellent YA reads for those who are politically engaged.
Great Ebook deals for you this week…
As always, you might need to toggle over to the Kindle edition from these links.
Jenna Evans Welch’s debut Love & Gelato is $1.99. A summer road trip across Tuscany? Sounds like an excellent read for the dwindling days of beach season.
If you’e looking for something a little heavier, Patty Blount’s Some Boys is $1.25 and explores rape culture.
Genius: The Game by Leopoldo Gout is $2.99. I haven’t read this, but know the sequel just came out, so you could start the series on the cheap.
Thanks for hanging out & we’ll see you again here next week.
-Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars
PS: There should be some exciting news coming soon about, oh, Book Riot and YA and a project that’ll be underway in less than a month. Get excited!
We have 10 copies of The Hormone Myth by Robyn Stein DeLuca PhD to give away to 10 Riot readers!
Here’s what it’s all about:
“In this breakthrough book, Robyn Stein DeLuca fearlessly exposes and debunks pervasive myths about women’s hormones, and reveals how flawed, outdated research and sexism have joined forces throughout history to keep women “in their place.” With a revolutionary exploration of women’s hormonal lives—from menstruation to childbirth to menopause—DeLuca shines a much-needed light on the lies that have impacted women.
Now more than ever, it’s time to resist the myth that women are ruled by their hormones. It’s time for women to take charge of their lives and own their emotions in a healthy and realistic way.”
Go here for a chance to win, or just click the cover image below:
Hi my fellow mystery fans! We are once again at the newsletter issue where I recommend you pop some popcorn and watch some mysteries. (Don’t worry, plenty of book-talk too, including must-read upcoming mysteries and Kindle deals!)
Sponsored by The Dire King by William Ritter
In the epic conclusion to the bestselling Jackaby series, the Sherlockian detective of the supernatural and his indispensable assistant, Abigail Rook, face off against their most dangerous, bone-chilling foe ever. EntertainmentWeekly.com calls the series “fast-paced and full of intrigue.” The Dire King is filled with everything fans could hope for: new mythical creatures, page-turning action, surprising plot twists, romance, and an apocalyptic battle that will determine the fate of the world.
Streaming on Netflix:
Shimmer Lake: This isn’t a book adaptation but because of the unique structure of the film I have a book recommendation for fans of it: All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. (Or if you read and liked the book, here’s a movie rec.) First the film: a small town bank (owned by a judge) is robbed and the police are looking for the robbers. Being a small town, things are a bit sensitive in that everyone grew up together, and the sheriff and one of the robbers are brothers. Adding to the mix are two non-local FBI agents who are there to do the bare minimum (Not that I would expect anything more from Berger–the guy who broke up with Carrie Bradshaw on a post-it.). This is a crime film, with humor, where you watch the criminals plot and carry out their heist while also watching the police and FBI try to catch them. The unique part is that it’s told backwards. It starts on Friday, after the robbery has taken place, as the criminals are hiding and the police and FBI are after them, and works its way back to how it began.
The backwards storytelling has a thin line to walk to be successful: it has a lot of unexplained things, but can’t be confusing or frustrating. Both Shimmer Lake and All the Missing Girls achieve this tightrope walk successfully.
All the Missing Girls
is a thriller, the kind where a woman goes back to the hometown she left years ago–in this case to help her brother sell the family home. Nic left after her best friend went missing (still an unsolved case) and everyone in their group of friends, including Nic’s brother, were suspects. Nic isn’t back very long before another girl goes missing… You get a mystery, thriller, and a novel mostly told backwards, which is a refreshing change in the genre. My favorite part of the novel was the exploration of how Nic reviewed her childhood friendships now through adult eyes.
Both film and novel look at the relationship in small towns, play with structure, and are twisty. While the novel has more depth and thriller tension, the film sets out to entertain and succeeds.
Riverdale: Confession time: I was not expecting to like this as much as I did because I was honestly never a fan of the Archie comics growing up (sorry, love triangles have just never been my thing), and I will forever be mad at The CW for cancelling the amazing show No Tomorrow (s1 on Netflix). Yet, here I am recommending Riverdale for anyone looking for a bingeable show because it sucked me in.
This isn’t really an adaptation of Archie, but rather a very loose reimagining of the characters mixed with some semi-woke 90210 and Twin Peaks murder/mystery darkness (not weirdness) overlaid on top. For starters, this isn’t original Archie so much as Mark Waid and Fiona Staples a bit hotly drawn Archie in the recent comic reboot (no murder/mystery in the comic). And in Riverdale, their families are steeped in drama and criminal activity. Oh, and most importantly, there’s been a murder! Yup, one of the students has been found dead and the more his death is looked into, the more this “idyllic” small town looks anything but. And there are so many options when it comes to possible suspects. So while Betty, Veronica, Archie, and Jughead (and friends) are trying to navigate teen life and all the social issues that comes with it. they’re also turning into those meddling kids who just won’t stop investigating this murder. My favorite part was that they steered mostly away from the love triangle–although the whole teacher/student plot was gross and not handled well. so I’m glad that went away rather quickly. I’m looking forward to season two, which will bring in Mark Consuelos to play Veronica’s father and have my fingers-crossed that season two will also gives us more Josie and the Pussycats and Barb storylines!
If You Like To Pre-Buy or Be First In Your Library Hold Line, Here Are Upcoming Books I Loved That Are A Must-Read!
Bluebird, Bluebird
by Attica Locke (Mulholland Books, Sept 12) : My Best-Read pick for June!
A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock, #2) by Sherry Thomas (Penguin, Sept 5): My Best-Read pick for July!
Force of Nature by Jane Harper (Flatiron Books, Feb 6, 2018): If you loved The Dry and are anticipating the sequel you won’t be disappointed it is as good!
I Poked Around The Kindle Deals and Found You These!
One Kick
(Kick Lannigan #1) by Chelsea Cain for $1.99 (Perfect timing for my I-must-read-all-the-Chelsea-Cain!)
The Boy in the Suitcase (Nina Borg #1) by Lene Kaaberbøl, Agnete Friis for $1.99
And I’ll Leave You With Some Interesting Links:
BBC One tweeted this trailer for the adaptation of The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (really J.K. Rowling) which will premiere on the 27th in the UK–when can we see it in the U.S.?!?!?!
In stranger than fiction news: Chinese crime writer arrested for four cold-case murders.
Over on Book Riot Emily Martin makes a case for Why We Should Stop Searching For the Next Gone Girl.
Rincey and Katie talk cozy mysteries (and more) in the latest Read or Dead: Murder at a Chippendales. (A+ show title!)
Watch the season 2 trailer for Good Behavior. (TNT’s adaptation of Blake Crouch’s Good Behavior.)
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.
Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.
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Book Mail back promo
We’re clearing off our shelves in order to fill yours! Treat yourself to a Book Mail box packed with great reads and bookish gifts, and get a tote free.
That’s just $60 (including shipping!) for two books, a bunch of rad items, AND a tote! Shop now.
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Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare.
Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury has continued to seek justice, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. But now he is needs an heir – and a wife to produce one. When seamstress Emma Gladstone appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides immediately that she’ll do. His terms are simple: they will be husband and wife by night only, and once she’s pregnant with his heir, they never need share a bed again. But Emma is no pushover, and once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love.