Keep your tootsies toasty in bookish style. All socks are $7 today, and we’re rocking free shipping on all US orders!
This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The House on Foster Hill by Jamie Jo Wright:
2017 Goodreads Choice Awards Winners
The winners are here! Some highlights: Best Fiction went to Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay won in Fantasy, and Lilly Singh’s How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life won for Nonfiction. Check out the full list for the winners in Mystery, Romance, Memoir, and more.
Fox To Adapt Turtles All The Way Down
John Green announced on YouTube that his most recent release, Turtles All the Way Down, will be adapted for film. Fox 2000 and Temple Hill will be behind the adaptation, and Green will executive produce. Turtles follows a 16-year-old girl with obsessive compulsive disorder who attempts to solve the mystery of a missing fugitive billionaire for a lofty reward. Fox and Temple Hill were also behind the adaptations of The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns.
NPR’s 2017 Book Concierge Is Go
For more of what to read next, take a look at NPR’s freshly-launched 2017 Book Concierge. Through the Concierge, NPR offers readers the ability to discover more than 350 titles the organization’s staff and critics loved this year. The titles are discoverable through filters for genre and more, including Eye Opening Reads, Book Club Ideas, and Tales from Around the World–you can even combine filters. If you’re a backlist reader, the Concierges for 2008-2016 are still available to view.
Hi fellow mystery fans! I’ve started reading galleys for 2018 mysteries because they’re stacked next to my bed chanting my name and who am I to say no? So this week I’m talking 2018 titles to put on your TBR now or to pre-buy!
Sponsored by Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman
To the world it seems obvious: Kaylene Adams killed her daughter and then was shot by police. Attorney Emilie Wesley believes Kaylene would never hurt anyone and was looking for a way out of an abusive relationship.
Reid Billings thought he knew his sister. He discovers a letter from Kaylene begging him to fight for custody of her daughters if anything should happen to her and tells him to get help from Emilie Wesley.
Thrown together in a race to save Kaylene’s surviving daughter, Emilie and Reid must find the truth—and maybe a future together in the process.
Down the River unto the Sea by Walter Mosley (February 20th, Mulholland Books): (TW: sexual assault) I’m still making my way through Mosley’s catalog, but you better believe I dropped everything to read this ARC the day it arrived. We’re introduced to a new detective, Joe King Oliver, a former cop-turned-PI. He’s a former cop because of a rape charge he denies, and the book focuses on him trying to find out who set him up while also taking on a case to find justice for a convicted cop killer. A good read that pits law vs. justice and I loved his relationship with his assistant, his teenage daughter.
Force of Nature
(Aaron Falk #2) by Jane Harper ( February 6th, Flatiron Books): The followup to The Dry is just as good, which is saying something. This time around, Federal Police Agent Falk is back home with a new case: 5 women went on a work retreat in the woods, but only 4 are accounted for. The missing woman was cooperating with a financial investigation, the woods she’s missing in once housed a serial killer, and witnesses stories aren’t adding up…Harper delivers another solid mystery from beginning to end.
Hollywood Ending (A Detective by Day Mystery) by Kellye Garrett (August 8th, Midnight Ink): I’ve been looking forward to this since I finished Hollywood Homicide because I loved the characters so much. I am here for more of this cozy mystery and look forward to seeing what Dayna Anderson and her friends get into. And it looks like this time around Dayna is a P.I.’s apprentice so I’m excited to see her evolution from amateur sleuth.
Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott (July 17th, Little, Brown and Company): Abbott has topped herself! The pages are electric as suspense builds between the “then” and “now” as one woman holds onto a secret she never wanted from her past while trying to grab the future she wants… And reminding me of my love for Abbott the “now” is mostly set in a research lab looking into PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). Already on the Best of 2018 list!
A Necessary Evil (Sam Wyndham #2) by Abir Mukherjee (April 3rd, Pegasus Crime): Another sequel for a 2017 release that I can’t wait for! The series follows a former Scotland Yard detective trying to not only solve crimes for the CID but to navigate British ruled Calcutta in the early 1900s. The sequel has him working again with Sergeant Banerjee (one of the only Indians working for the CID) and I’m excited for their new mystery in the wealthy kingdom of Sambalpore.
Sunburn by Laura Lippman (February 18th, William Morrow): I’ve seen a lot of authors raving about this one so I had to read it. And the buzz is warranted: It’s a great read that mixes lit fic, crime, a whudunit and the “unlikable” woman. In this case you have a woman with a past trying to secure her future–but at what cost? If you’re a fan of writers that can tap into the energy of a ruthless need for survival don’t miss this one.
A Treacherous Curse
(Veronica Speedwell #3) by Deanna Raybourn (January 16th, Berkley): A funny, feminist, historical fiction mystery series that I love. This one had me laughing from the first page as Speedwell and Stoker find themselves solving a mystery revolving around an Egyptian archaeological dig involving Stoker’s past. If you haven’t started this series yet now’s a perfect time to get caught up!
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, Gillian Flynn (Introduction), Patton Oswalt (Afterword) (February 27th, Harper): (TW: sexual assault) McNamara never forgot about an unsolved murder from her childhood neighborhood which ultimately led to her creating a website as an adult to try and solve unsolved cases. One of those, which became her obsession, was a rapist/murderer who preyed in California during the ’70s and ’80s. Her extensive research and work is this book, which sadly she won’t get to see published because she passed away while writing it. I’m almost finished and so far I’ve had nightmares, cried, and fiercely loved McNamara.
The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein (April 10th, St. Martin’s Press): There are books I want to read solely for the title. Others because Rioter Liberty Hardy told me to. And those because I’m interest/fascinated with the subject. This book hits all 3 reasons as Sarah Krasnostein followed and wrote about Sandra Pankhurst, a trauma cleaner with a hell of a life story who “bring order and care to these, the living and the dead…”
Links:
Book Riot:
How to Set up a Mystery Book Club
Rincey and Katie dedicated a Read or Dead episode to Agatha Christie.
10 Great Mystery Books for Teens
20 Best Historical Mystery Books
Muppet arms: The mystery comic Goldie Vance is being adapted by Kerry Washington (producing) and Rashida Jones (writing)!
Michael B. Jordan to star in adaptation of Just Mercy, social justice activist Bryan Stevenson’s memoir about his first legal case.
Netflix has renewed Mindhunter (fictional adaptation of Mind Hunter) for a second season.
(TW: sexual assault) How the Super Lawyer David Boies Turned a Young Novelist’s Sexual Past Against Her (Emma Cline, author of The Girls)
Kindle Deal
Caroline Carlson’s delightful The World’s Greatest Detective is $1.99 (review)
And the first in Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series Baltimore Blues is $3.49
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.
Until next time, keep investigating! And come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.
Hey YA Readers: Time to catch up on the latest and the greatest stuff in the world of young adult literature.
“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson from Wednesday Books.
Jennifer E. Smith meets The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy in this deliciously nerdy sequel to The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, inspired this time by The Importance of Being Earnest.
Elliot Gabaroche is packing up her determination, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and going to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. It’s going to be an epic summer.
Let’s dig into some of the most interesting and noteworthy YA news from the last few weeks. Don’t forget — if you haven’t shared your favorite YA title from 2017, fill out the survey ASAP.
Onto the news!
- Did you know there are not one, but two, YA adaptations being shown at Sundance? I didn’t know Walter Dean Myers’s Monster was happening, either.
- Riveted Lit is doing a “25 days of December” countdown of YA literature, offering up a free YA book each day through the 25th.
- Here are this year’s Morris award short listed titles. These are some of the best debut YA novels of the year — and I agree. Nice to see four out of five being authors of color.
- No surprise here: John Green’s Turtles All The Way Down has some movie news.
- The first full-length trailer for Love, Simon is out.
- Mortal Instruments author Cassie Clare is writing a new fantasy series. It’s not a YA series, but might be of interest to YA readers.
- There will be a YA Padme Amadala novel, Star Wars fans!
- The Wrath and The Dawn is getting the big screen treatment.
- I’ve seen the cover of Devils Unto Dust floating around. But since it’s been optioned for film, maybe that’s a sign to find out more about it.
- I’m not one to care too much about cover reveals, but I saw this one for MariNaomi’s first YA novel and had to share both the cover and description. MariNaomi has done a number of comics, so I’m eager for her foray into YA (“foray into YA” would be an awesome title for something).
- Why did a Katy, Texas, school pull The Hate U Give off shelves and skip the normal challenge process? I have some theories.
- Landscape With Invisible Hand by MT Anderson has been optioned for film.
- Gayle Forman has a new YA novel hitting shelves next spring.
- Robin Benway’s Far From The Tree won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. If you haven’t read it, y’all, get on it.
- This piece focuses on the adaptation of middle grade novel Wonder, but the beginning is about the film career of Stephen Chbosky. You may know him as author of The Perks of Being A Wallflower, but he’s made a ton of movies you likely know, too.
Cheap Reads!
Load up your ereader with some inexpensive and worthwhile YA.
CJ Redwine’s The Shadow Queen is only $2. Perfect for fantasy readers.
Speaking of fantasy readers, particularly those who like reimagined fairy tales, Robin McKinley’s Beauty is $2.
And those who’d like a contemporary love story, Emma Mills’s First & Then is $3.
Thanks for hanging out this week, and we’ll see you back here next Monday. We’ll reveal the top 2017 YA reads from “What’s Up in YA?” readers, as well as the titles they wish had seen more love this year (and we’ll shower that love!). Add your voice to the survey before Wednesday, December 13.
— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars
Categories
Deal of the Day $12 Totes
Whether you’re stocking up on stocking stuffers or looking for the best bookish way to get your stuff from Point A to Point B, you’ll love today’s deal. All totes are $12!
Wanna fill your tote with amazing gifts? Pick up our Best Books of the Year box, stocked with four rad reads and three literary items.
Bonus: free shipping on ALL orders in the US.
The Folio Society sent me their new boxed set of Antione de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, which includes an intro from Pulitzer Prize-winner Stacy Schiff, and the original illustrations restored to their intended colors. It’s beautiful and fancy, and one of you should have it. So I’m giving it away.
Go here to enter for a chance at it, or just click the image below:
Categories
120517-ImperfectJustice-Riot-Rundown
Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman.
To the world it seems obvious: Kaylene Adams killed her daughter and then was shot by police. Attorney Emilie Wesley believes Kaylene would never hurt anyone and was looking for a way out of an abusive relationship.
Reid Billings thought he knew his sister. He discovers a letter from Kaylene begging him to fight for custody of her daughters if anything should happen to her and tells him to get help from Emilie Wesley.
Thrown together in a race to save Kaylene’s surviving daughter, Emilie and Reid must find the truth—and maybe a future together in the process.
Categories
120517-InkInWater-The-Stack
Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by New Harbinger Publications.
“Compelling, funny, occasionally heartbreaking, and full of genuine hope in ways that most graphic memoirs never achieve artistically. … Don’t miss this one.”
—Library Journal Starred Review
As a young artist living in Portland, Lacy Davis’s eating disorder began with the germ of an idea: a seed of a thought that told her she just wasn’t good enough. And like ink in water, that idea spread until it reached every corner of her being. This is the true story of Lacy’s journey into the self-destructive world of multiple eating disorders.
Make your feed all the more bookish by following Book Riot on Instagram. Check us out here, or just click the image below:
Researchers Investigate What Makes A Poem Popular
Researchers from New York University and the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics found that vividness was the best predictor of the aesthetic appeal of a poem. The researchers were investigating what makes a poem aesthetically pleasing, and thereby higher-rated among readers. Four hundred participants read 111 haikus and 16 sonnets, rating the poems on vividness, emotional arousal, emotional valence, and aesthetic appeal, and poems where the reader strongly experienced images while reading ranked highest in their results.
Charlyne Yi Responds To Claims Of Defamation From Former Art Director at Penguin
Over the weekend, writer and actress Charlyne Yi responded to the resignation post Giuseppe Castellano published on his blog, which included a statement that Yi’s allegations of sexual harassment were “defamatory and false.” Giuseppe Castellano resigned from a position as Executive Art Director at Penguin Random House following Yi’s allegations. In response to Castellano’s statement, Yi posted on Twitter screenshots of correspondence related to the night in question, which included an apology for a weak moment, and details about the evening in question.
Bill Gates Recommends His Favorite 2017 Reads
Avid reader Bill Gates wrote about five of the best books he read this year. They included Thi Bui’s graphic memoir about life as a refugee and parent (The Best We Could Do), comedian Eddie Izzard’s memoir (Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens), and 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction recipient The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Check out the full list, and his thoughts on each, over at GatesNotes.
Welcome to the first Tuesday of December! I might do some wrap-ups in the coming weeks, but there were still enough awesome books out today that I had some recommendations, and you can hear about several more great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including Elmet, Roomies, The Last Black Unicorn, and more.
Sponsored by The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright
Weaving a tale of mystery and romance, this promising author’s critically acclaimed debut is a dual-time narrative about an abandoned house and two women, a century apart, changed by the deadly secrets it holds. Can they unravel its mystery and find a renewed hope before any other lives—including their own—are lost? “With sharp dialogue and plenty of scares, this is a gripping tale that never loses sight of the light.” –Foreword Reviews
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
I don’t often recommend sequels, mostly because I am an ardent fan of reading things in order, but this one is just as good as the first, of not better. I’m not going to spoil things by telling you the plot, just that this is a wonderful continuation of Arden’s magical Russian fairy tale story, with gorgeous descriptions and a kickass heroine.
Backlist bump: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Vanishing Princess: Stories (The Art of the Story) by Jenny Diski
Love dark, enchanting, honest short stories? Than look no further! This is a vividly imaginative collection about love, sex, loneliness, femininity, and more, perfect for fans of Mary Miller, Heidi Julavits, and Alexandra Kleeman. Sadly, Diski passed away in 2016, but this posthumous offering is perfect.
Backlist bump: Always Happy Hour: Stories by Mary Miller
The Years, Months, Days: Two Novellas by Yan Lianke, Carlos Rojas (Translator)
Lianke has the distinction of being China’s most banned author, but his works of satire are beloved all over the world. The two novellas here are prize-winning masterpieces about humanity and the universe, a dark but gentle look at love and man’s sense of survival in the face of loss and ruin. Quietly bizarre and powerful.
Backlist bump: Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
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