Newsletters Dev – Page 20 – getting it done!

More Queer Horror Recs for Pride!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 14, 2024

Sponsored by

Hi, Horror Fans! It’s Monday, which means it’s time to talk all things horror again. Surprisingly, nothing truly scary happened to me this week. No more crow attacks. But I did read some scary books. And, I have some exciting new releases and recs to share with you this week. So let’s chat about that.

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Bookish Goods

Ghost Mug by TheScaryGood

The best companion to a good scary book is a nice cup of tea or a cup of coffee in a cute lil scary mug. I love this one. It’s pink. It’s got ghosts all over it. It says “Boo!” on the inside, so as you drink your coffee down, you’ll get a little scare. And it’s only $9 until July 1.

New Releases

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima

This first book I’ve got for you this week is a collection of horror stories that are all connected by one interesting premise. It all starts in 1999 at a Halloween party, where a writer ends up going to bed with the devil. From then on, the devil returns to her throughout her life. As the title suggests, this writer keeps creating stories for the devil, stories that are chilling and strange while also delving into the very real fears and hopes of the Brazilian American immigrant experience.

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

This one is such a creepy, mind-bendy experience that’s truly hard to describe, but let me try! Charlie and Eve have just gotten a great deal on an old house and are working on renovating it. Then, one day when Eve is at the house by herself, she hears a knock at the door. It’s a family, and the father, Thomas, claims to have lived in the house three years ago. They say they want to have a look around and will only stay for 15 minutes, tops. But as soon as they enter the house, strange things start happening. And, well, needless to say, they stay for longer than 15 minutes.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

I’ve got more queer horror recommendations for you this week, and this one is one of my all-time faves! Picture it: 1902. Brookhants School for Girls. Two impressionable young students, Flo and Clara, establish their own private club called The Plain Bad Heroines Society, created in honor of the writer Mary MacLane. The club meets in secret in an apple orchard, and this is where their dead bodies are later found with Mary MacLane’s controversial memoir splayed out next to them. Now, over a century later, a controversial horror film is being made about the incident. But the terrors are not over.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

I do love a good ghost story, especially when it’s gothic and queer. Jade Nguyen’s father has one goal: to restore a French colonial house in Vietnam to its former glory. But the house has goals all its own. At night, Jade wakes up feeling entirely paralyzed, and she hears the voice of a woman telling her not to eat. Neither her father nor her sister believe Jade when she tells them there’s something strange about the house. But Jade knows the house will not rest until it destroys them all.

And with that, another week of horror talk is in the books. Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you here next week for another round of thrills and chills. Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!

Book Radar

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Renewed for Season 3 and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 14, 2024

Sponsored by

Dear Book Friends,

Hello, and HAPPY MONDAY! It’s the best day of the week, as I always say. You know why? I’ve been socializing all weekend, and as an introvert, I am sleepy. I am ready to crawl back into my cave and type type type on my computer to all of you. Not to say I didn’t have fun, but I need a few quiet days, you know? Anyway, let’s talk books. Have I got some news for you.

Book Deals and Reveals

I am obsessed (OBSESSED!) with the cover of Clay McLeod Chapman’s upcoming novel Wake Up and Open Your Eyes. The cover is designed by Andie Reid. It’s out on January 7, 2025.

Ahead of the premiere of season 2, House of the Dragon was renewed for a third season. Season 2 premiered this past Sunday, June 16.

Sophie Kinsella shared a cover reveal and a special note for readers on her Instagram last week. She writes, “To all my readers and friends around the world, I am so grateful for your incredible love and support following my [cancer] diagnosis. I want to share with you the UK and US/Canada covers for my new short novel, which will be published in October. What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. It tells the story of Eve, a successful novelist who is struck down by brain cancer, and who begins to put her life back together. Eve’s story is my story — and through her tough times, she laughs and cries and is upbeat, as am I. I hope you will enjoy it.”

Paddington Bear is back in the new Paddington 3 movie. Here’s the trailer for Paddington in Peru, which is out on January 17, 2025.

Here’s the cover reveal of Karmen Lee’s The Relationship Mechanic, designed by Bo Feng Lin. This one’s out on January 21, 2025 from Afterglow Books.

More queer romance in 2025! Here’s the cover of Sonora Reyes’ The Broposal. This one is designed by Charlotte Gomez, and it’s out on January 21, 2025.

Ben Barnes and Mary Louise-Park are set to star in The Institute, an upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. The series will stream on MGM+.

Jennifer Anniston has written a children’s book! Clydeo Takes a Bite Out of Life, featuring illustrations by Bruno Jacob, will be published by HarperCollins Children’s Books this fall.

Coraline director Henry Selick has his eyes on another Neil Gaiman novel. Selick hopes to adapt The Ocean at the End of the Lane as a stop-motion movie.

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema shared a first look at their upcoming The War of the Rohirrim anime movie adaptation. This story is set more than 150 years before the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Here are Audible’s 24 best audiobooks of 2024 so far, with something for every kind of listener.

The 36th annual Lambda Literary Awards in 26 different categories of LGBTQ+ books were announced. Here are the winners.

Book Riot Recommends

Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!

Prepare Your Shelves!

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (Del Ray, June 25)

When Josh Malerman has a new novel coming out, horror fans everywhere stop and take notice. And Incidents Around the House, coming out in just a week, is going to be a good one. Do you like scary haunted house stories? Do you think kids (and their imaginary friends) can be super creepy? Do you like when horror novels give you literal nightmares? Then prepare your shelves with this one.

I will say Incidents Around the House does tap in to a lot of things I find scary. And I know “scary” can be a personal thing, but haunted houses? Isn’t that just a terrifying idea? Add a child into the mix who is talking to some sort of supernatural, evil entity…welp. I am terrified. How could you not be?

Incidents Around the House is told from the perspective of eight-year-old Bela, who loves her family very much. But then there’s “Other Mommy,” who asks Bela every day if she can go inside her heart. And the more Bela says no, the angrier Other Mommy starts to get. As strange things start happening around the house, Bela wonders if she’ll finally have to give in if she wants to protect her family.

What I’m Reading This Week

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

Here for the Wrong Reasons by Annabel Paulson and Lydia Wang

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

Family Family by Laurie Frankel

The Astrology House by Carinn Jade

Monday Memes

Are you a mood reader? Do you agree that sometimes it’s hard to even know what mood you’re in?

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

The weather has been so lovely, and all the cats have been enjoying their time in the window watching all the tennis players. Just look at how calm and pleased little Cersei is! We love to see it!

Fingers crossed the weather stays like this for many, many more weeks. I’ll check back in with you all on Thursday. Have a wonderful week!

Emily

Kissing Books

Contemporary Romantic Adventures

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date June 14, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome, or welcome back, to the Kissing Books newsletter. I’m PN Hinton, your guide to all things romance-related. Thanks for taking time from your day to give this a read! I hope this newsletter helps to brighten up your day just a little bit more.

Recently, I decided to rearrange one of my reading carts to try to dismantle the precarious tower of stacked books on top of it. My endeavor was successful, with some creative arranging and a fair amount of setting books aside to rehome. The entire process reminded me how many unread books I had, which prompted me to comment out loud that I needed to stop getting new books until a sizable dent had been made. Which then prompted my husband to go, “Who are you and what did you do with my wife?”

Which, hurt feelings aside, was a fair response.

I hope that you enjoyed that anecdote. Onto the rest of the newsletter!

Bookish Goods

Dark Romance Tarot Card Lightbox by KnitAndPrintbyTia

I love this so much! Not only is it a Tarot card, which we all know is totally my jam, BUT it also LIGHTS UP! I know that this would transfix me for hours and would be a welcome addition to any bookshelf. $25+

New Releases

Ella Gets the D by Tanvier Peart

When Ella finally decides to leave her cheating husband, she’s left with almost nothing. So when her best friend offers her family’s townhouse rent-free, she jumps at the offer. The only thing Morgan left out was that her handsome younger brother Julian was also in residence. However, Ella isn’t sure she’s ready to jump back into another relationship while in the middle of a divorce, no matter how fine Julian is.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

While on the road to her book club’s annual trip, Elsy’s car breaks down in the small town of Eloraton, which is the fictional setting for her favorite unfinished romance series. After reconciling herself to her situation, Elsy decides she’s here to help the town reach its satisfying conclusion. But the handsome but grumpy bookstore owner is equally as determined to stop her from finishing the story. The more the two interact, the more Elsy suspects that their respective happily ever afters are interwoven, and she becomes even more determined to see this story through to its end.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Quick correction to last week’s rec before we jump into today’s. I mentioned rumors of another Mummy movie last week, and that it would be the third. While it would be the third with Rachel, it would actually be the fourth in the series. In my defense, I wasn’t overly fond of the third one, so I could have just blocked it out. But, it was still an error and I wanted to correct it.

Last Thursday, I mentioned how adventure romances were on the rise, something that Jessica Pryde predicted would happen a couple of years ago when she wrote this piece here. While I’m not one for being on an adventure myself, as I’m far too cautious, I do like to read about them, regardless of the time period.

That said, I did promise y’all contemporary adventures for today’s recommendations. While it could be argued that these are more in the “heist” hemisphere, I argue that they are still adventure romances. Both have high stakes, usually involve a treasure hunt of some kind, and death is always a real possibility. So, the overlap is there. Enjoy!

To Have and To Heist by Sara Desai

After Simi’s best friend is accused of stealing a multimillion-dollar diamond necklace, she sets clear her friend’s name by recovering it. When the charismatic Jack offers his assistance, she accepts it, along with the task of transforming a motley crew into a heist team, ready to steal the necklace back during a high-society wedding. Between a secretive bride, a handsome detective, and charming Jack, this soon proves easier said than done, leaving Simi to wonder if her heart and freedom are at risk.

Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai

Successful account Mira has it all, except for a stable romantic partner. Much to her matchmaker’s chagrin, no one is the perfect match she is looking for, including lawyer Naveen. When he ends up being the lawyer designated to settle her late aunt’s affairs, they resolve to keep it professional. That is, until they find themselves having to solve the mess her aunt’s death left behind, all while being chased all over Vegas by all sorts of nefarious characters. As the adrenaline builds, so does the sexual tension, leading them to wonder if they should give each other a second chance. That is, provided they survive the night.

If you’re looking to add more to your Pride reading list (although you should be reading LGBTQIA+ books all year round), then check this list out.

I always find it interesting to discover what authors like to read themselves. If you’re like-minded, then check out this list of recs from the duo that is Christina Lauren.

I enjoyed this quiz that let me know my Bridgerton personality, and it’s not just because I got my favorite heroine.

Exciting news for fans of Beverly Jenkins and her Blessings series!

And that’s all she wrote for today. If you’re ever interested in what I do between the sends, you can always give me a follow over on Instagram under @pns_bookish_world. Until then, happy reading and stay hydrated!

The Kids Are All Right

Oceans, Insects, And More Great Kids’ Books!

Post author By Margaret Kingsbury
Post date June 14, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Sunday and happy Father’s Day, kidlit friends! Since I’ve already reviewed books with great dads, today I’m rounding up ocean-themed children’s books, plus two great new releases.

Bookish Goods

Gnome Magnetic Bookmarks by TheNerdyButterfly

I don’t know why, but I just love gnomes. $3+

New Releases

A Song for Nolan by Rushie Ellenwood, illustrated by Sally Chen

Nolan, who is nonbinary, is so excited to attend their friend Chole’s birthday party at a skating rink. They pick out a perfect outfit, but when they arrive, they run into a problem. The DJ at the rink calls out for the boys to skate and then the girls. But neither identity describes Nolan and they feel uncomfortable and wonder if they belong. But skating rinks are for everyone, and a chat with the DJ sets things right. This picture book would be a great conversation starter about how many things are gendered that shouldn’t be.

Disgusting Critters by Elise Gravel

Gravel sure does know how to turn disgusting into adorable. This anthology collects three of her previous books about creepy crawlies—The Worm, The Fly, and The Spider. These nonfiction children’s books are so fascinating and fun. Gravel manages to pack a lot of bite-sized information in here. If you have elementary school kids who love bugs, this is a must.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Are you planning to visit the beach this summer? If so, I’m jealous. I will visit the ocean through these four new children’s books.

In the Tide Pool by Will Millard, illustrated by Rachel Quiqi

This is a neat board book with flaps to lift that reveal some of the wonders you’ll find in a tide pool. A starfish mends, a hermit crab finds a new shell, an anemone hides from a seagull, and more. What makes this unique is that there are flaps within flaps. Toddlers will really enjoy playing with this one.

Yaya and the Sea by Karen Good Marable, illustrated by Tonya Engel

This is a lovely picture book based on the author’s experiences. Young Yaya dreams of being a mermaid before her mother awakens her early on the first day of spring. She and her mom take the A train and pick up her aunties along the way, all of whom dote on their little mermaid. The five go to the beach and present offerings to Mama Ocean in a ritual to celebrate and honor the changing seasons.

Good Night, Good Beach by Joy Cowley and Hilary Jean Tapper

This simple picture book with gorgeous, warm illustrations reminds me of my own trips to the beach. Children awaken in a beach cabin and peek out the windows at the ocean. A young girl hides seashells under her pillow, adults chat in the kitchen and put together a puzzle, and sand gets everywhere. At the end of the day, the children fall asleep with the moon shining through their window. It’s a super sweet read.

Illuminoceans by Barbara Taylor, illustrated by Carnovsky

This is a fascinating, large interactive nonfiction picture book in which kids can look through a three-colored lens at each intricate illustration and discover different types of ocean life. The red lens reveals fish, the green lens reveals aspects of the habitat, and the blue lens shows other ocean critters. The book examines ten ocean environments. This is part of a series that looks at different habitats, and they’re all so cool.

A friend of mine was out of town at the beach this week, so she gave us her CSA box! Mmmm. Even though I most likely will not be going to the beach this year, at least I’m reaping the rewards of other people’s travels.

If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom.bsky.social, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.

All the best,

Margaret Kingsbury

What's Up in YA

Silkpunk, Mermaids, and Drive-Ins: YA Book Talk, June 17, 2024

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date June 14, 2024

Sponsored by

Hey, YA Readers!

The solstice draws ever closer. I hope you’ve got a meaty book ready for the longest day of the year. Maybe one of this week’s new releases will be the one. Let’s dive into that, plus a topic that is surprisingly rare to see in YA.

Bookish Goods

Mermaid Reader Enamel Pin by EmmaCarpenterStudio

‘Tis the season of all things mermaids reading on the beach. Scoop up one of these adorable enamel pins for $12.

New Releases

I’m pulling out three very different new releases to highlight this week. You can, as always, grab the full list here. Note that we’re entering into the slow season in publishing, so the options will become fewer over the next month or two before going full force back into fall. I put the finishing touches on the mega roundups for summer and already see how busy the end of August through all of September will be. Lucky us!

Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley

I am not entirely sure the cover conveys that this is a magical thriller, but that’s the genre we’re in. Liv Whitlock has lived in several foster homes and has never found a place where she feels fully herself. She’s a bit (a lot?) self-destructive. She knows she needs to turn her life around, and the way she’ll do it is by stealing her sister’s identity.

That works. Liv scores an amazing internship on a film set in Alaska. Before she can even blink, she’s on a luxury yacht with some of the most famous names in the business and Liv cannot believe her luck.

But then a storm destroys the yacht and the entire crew is stranded on island. It’s not only the starvation and the worries about not being prepared for long term survival that cause chaos. It is also the predator who lives there. When the survivors of the wreck find themselves injured on the island, weird things begin to happen in their bodies…and they begin to see how much more like the strange predator they are than they are not.

This one is pitched as Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow.

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

Are you looking for a silkpunk fantasy? Here’s one for the TBR.

Aihui Ying is 18 and looking forward to following in the footsteps of her father, a world-class engineer. But when he’s murdered, Ying is left with nothing but a journal of his engineering secrets and a jade pendant that she grabbed from his murderer. She needs to know what happened, and so she takes off to the prestigious and mysterious Engineers Guild. That’s where the father’s past has been hidden.

To get into the Guild, Ying disguises herself as her brother and infiltrates their apprenticeship trials with the help of Aogiya Ye-yang, a prince. Ying has to keep herself quiet since the murder of her father means her safety is also at significant risk. Her father’s murderer still wants to get their hands on his journal.

Inside the Guild, there are not only secrets but deadly weapons. Despite early trust in the prince, Ying begins to wonder what secrets he might be harboring and how they might hurt her plans. Can she get the closure—and, perhaps, revenge—that she needs?

Rules for Camouflage by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Evvie just wants to get through the last month of high school and graduate, but that’s not going to be easy. She’s got to write a final biology report on foxes, and despite the fact she knows she’d do a better job writing about the octopus she works with while volunteering at the zoo, her teacher, Mrs. Dearborn, won’t have it. Mrs. Dearborn has been far from helpful or accommodating to Evvie at all throughout high school, despite knowing about Evvie’s neurodiversity.

So Evvie finds solace in the Lair, a place for people like her who need time away from the chaotic and unaccommodating world around them. But as Mrs. Dearborn becomes more difficult to manage and a class bully begins upping his harassment of the students who hang in the Lair, things come to a head in an act of violence that forces Evvie and her friends to make a change in the world around them in order to create spaces that are safe and meaningful to them.

This is a book about being true to yourself and standing up for yourself exactly as you are.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

At The Drive-In

There’s an image that pops up in media when trying to evoke a sense of innocence, nostalgia, and youthfulness when it comes to teenagers. That’s the drive-in movie theater. I just recently rewatched my all-time favorite movie Twister and the scene at the drive-in is one I know I’ve seen repeated several times in other movies and TV shows. It’s kind of a perfect, if dated, trope: teen freedom for so long is connected to the ability to drive and where would teens go when able to drive? The movies. Of course, this is more accessible and meaningful for some teens over others, namely those with privilege and who do not need to fear what happens when they’re able to get behind the wheel of a car.

What’s especially notable about this kind of scene is that it’s not necessarily meant to be referencing teens today but a bygone idea of teen-ness (and/or a space where teens who love history or film find themselves drawn to). Drive-ins themselves are far less common than they used to be. And as far as teens at the drive-in or connected to drive-ins in books written for teens, it’s not a very common setting at all.

One of the elements that strikes me as so teen about the drive-in is that it’s one of the few places where it’s understood that teens will be out late at night. During the summer, the first of a double feature might not even begin until 9 or 9:30! Certainly, there’s a thesis-length research paper here on the role of the drive-in and teenagers, but it gets me thinking because the drive-in occupies in my mind the same kind of space that summer camp in YA does.

Here are three YA stories where the drive-in plays a major role in the story. If you know of others, I’d love to hear about them because certainly, my knowledge isn’t comprehensive. I don’t want a quick mention of a drive-in, but am interested in books or short stories where the drive-in is a significant part of the narrative. Perhaps the teen works at one, and it’s a workplace-style drama, or there is some kind of alien visit that happens at the drive-in.

Interestingly, two of these stories involve ghosts.

“A Brief Intermission” by Sara Farizan in Night of the Living Queers

If you’ve read Farizan’s work before, you know there’s a layer of humor within it, even when the stories tackle heavy topics. In “A Brief Intermission,” we meet two movie lovers who work at a drive-in. They’re there on Halloween and their guests are quite ghoulish indeed. It is, of course, pretty queer.

Freaky in Fresno by Laurie Boyle Crompton

This one takes the Freaky Friday concept and runs with it. Ricki and Lana are cousins who could not be more different. Ricki’s big goal is to save the local drive-in movie theater from closing. Lana wants to grow her online makeup channel and influencer presence. So when their aunt gifts them a rad vintage pink convertible, there’s one stipulation: they have to share it.

Ricki knows it’ll be perfect for the drive-in’s grand reopening, but that is the same day as a major convention that Lana knows will help boost her online presence. This leads the girls to have a huge fight…and a minor electric shock that turns them into each other. Now Ricki is Lana and Lana, Ricki. Can the two of them sort out what happened and figure out how to become themselves again? Can they do it before the events they’re looking forward to start?

We Speak in Storms by Natalie Lund

Lund’s story takes some inspiration from the 1967 Belvidere, Illinois, tornado, which killed 24 people. The timing of the storm was right at school dismissal so many young people were among its victims.

The book follows three teenagers on the 50th anniversary of the tornado in their small town of Mercer, Illinois. That tornado killed dozens of teenagers who were at the drive-in and unprepared for the storm. On the anniversary, another tornado hits town in the same place that the prior one did. Everyone is, understandably, shaken.

Told through the voices of Brenna Ortiz, Joshua Calloway, and Callie Keller, the three teens share the stories of their very different lives. But though they themselves aren’t necessarily connected, the connections among them are the story—and more, they come together as a trio over the shared experiences they’re having that relate to the teens whose lives were cut short 50 years prior.

For readers who like a bit of fantasy in their realistic fiction, this one scratches the itch.

My research shows that maybe Queens of New York by EL Shen might fit here but I cannot confirm with any reviews.

Thanks, as always, for hanging out. We’ll see you later this week with your paperback releases and YA book news.

Until then, happy reading!

–Kelly Jensen, currently reading Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren

Giveaways

061424-HachetteAudio-Q2/Q32024-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date June 14, 2024

We’re giving away three audiobook downloads of The Queen of Fourteenth Street by Barrie Kreinik to three lucky Riot readers!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

An original audio drama with a full cast!

New York City, 1932: Eva Le Gallienne is trying to save her theatre company from the jaws of the Depression by mounting an innovative new production of Alice in Wonderland. She agrees to give a radio interview for the sake of publicity, but while revisiting the moments that shaped her career, she struggles with the need to keep a significant secret: she and her leading lady are in love. As Eva’s work careens toward catastrophe, she fights to preserve her dream of a people’s theatre—but will she destroy the people she loves in the process?

Unusual Suspects

Goodreads Readers’ Hit New Books of the Year (So Far)

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date June 13, 2024

Sponsored by

Hi, mystery fans! I watched and really enjoyed American Fiction (Prime), the adaptation of Percival Everett’s Erasure. I think fans of Yellowface will also really enjoy it.

Bookish Goods

Read with Pride Tote Bag by BookishlyUK

Lovely tote bag. ($27)

New Releases

One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

For fans of utopias, social thriller/horror, and books that examine the wellness industry!

Nicola Yoon is a popular YA author (Everything, Everything; The Sun Is Also A Star) who now jumped into writing adult books in the mystery genre.

Liberty is an all-Black community near L.A. which sure sounds like a utopia, especially with its wellness culture. To the Williams family—pregnant Jasmyn, husband King, and son Kamau—it sounds like exactly what they need, so they naturally move there. But can a utopia actually exist? Jasmyn starts to have questions, finding herself investigating the place they’ve moved to…

Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart

For fans of retired assassins, cat-and-mouse thrillers, and action!

Mark was a top assassin until he had a change of heart on the profession, quit, and now is in a 12-step program where other ex-assassins live a life without killing. The problem? Someone is after Mark, and as he tries to keep himself alive, without killing anyone, he finds himself on the run needing to uncover who wants him dead!

Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Here are two books essentially told backward!

The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei, Jeremy Tiang (Translator)

For fans of procedurals and puzzle mysteries!

This tells the story of detective Kwan Chun-dok, who had a thirty-year career with a hundred percent success rate(!). It starts in the present day and goes backward in time. The first case is intricate: a comatose detective is solving a murder case in his hospital room, where one of the victim’s family members, also in the room, is the murderer!

(TW rape/ suicide)

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

For fans of knowing the what but needing the why and how!

The book begins with Jules, a woman who appears to be on the run and is worried she’s been found. Then we go back in time to see Jules and Imogen during their friendship, slowly revealing each woman’s life…

News and Roundups

Yahya Abdul-Mateen ll to Lead Man on Fire Series at Netflix

10 Book Club Picks For June 2024, From Mocha Girls Read to GMA Book Club

Three Parents Sue Florida Over Book Bans

Baby Reindeer, Shogun, Ripley lead TCA Award nominations

How the Hidden 1940s Noir Gem The Dark Corner Parallels Richard Linklater’s Use of Time in Hit Man

How to Have Sex Star Mia McKenna-Bruce to Lead Netflix Agatha Christie Series The Seven Dials Mystery With Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman

Line of Duty and Happy Valley stars unite for return of hit BBC drama — see first look

Queering Crime Stories: Establishing a New Order in Mysteries and Thrillers

Max Cancels Crime Series After Season 2

CBS New York Book Club meetup with author Kellye Garrett

How Murdle’s creator turned his crime puzzles into a global hit

Readers’ Hit New Books of the Year (So Far)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2023 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 13, 2024

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Welcome to Read This Book, your go-to newsletter if you’re looking to expand your TBR pile. Each week, I’ll recommend a book I think is an absolute must-read. Some will be new releases, some will be old favorites, and the books will vary in genre and subject matter every time. I hope you’re ready to get reading!

I read this book over a month ago, and I’ve been chomping at the bit to finally recommend it to all of you. Now that it’s finally out this week (with its beautiful red sprayed edges and everything), I’m excited to say this is the best horror novel of 2024. So if horror is your thing, make sure you don’t miss out on this one!

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

This super creepy book takes readers through two timelines. Back in 1993, a group of young filmmakers spent four weeks making an art-house horror film that would become a cult classic. Not because everyone watched it and loved it—in fact, the movie was never released to the public. But the weird events that occurred during the filming of the movie became infamous. And years later, a few scenes from the movie were released on YouTube, only fueling the public’s obsession with the film that never was.

Now, three decades later, a major Hollywood reboot is in the works, and one person from the original film is back to help recreate the “magic” of the original. The man who once starred in the film as “The Thin Kid” has vivid memories of just how strange the filming process was. And just how dangerous. As he attempts to help the big-budget remake get underway, memories of the original filming and all of its mysteries and secrets come flooding back. What was real? What was the stuff of urban legends? And does he even remember the difference?

If you’ve read Paul Tremblay before, then you might have noticed that the author is not afraid of experimenting with form. For example, just look at The Pallbearer’s Club, which was fully annotated. In Horror Movie, we get to read about the filming of both horror movies (the original and the flashy remake). But we also get what appears to be the FULL SCRIPT of the original horror movie. Does the script read the way an actual screenplay would? Absolutely not, and that’s kind of the point. Instead, reading the script made me feel like I was actually watching the notorious horror movie that has everyone talking. And I really got it. There are images from that movie that truly terrified and disturbed me. By the time I got to the end of it, I felt like just maybe I’d actually watched the movie. And maybe it was one of the top five horror movies of all time.

This book was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, and it did not disappoint. This horror novel gave me nightmares. I don’t think I’ll be able to stop thinking about it for quite some time. As of right now, it’s my favorite book of the year, and I’m so excited it’s out now so that all of you can experience it for yourself!

Happy weekend reading, bibliophiles! Feel free to follow me on Instagram @emandhercat, and check out my other newsletters, The Fright Stuff and Book Radar!

True Story

Perfect Summer Reads!

Post author By Kendra Winchester
Post date June 13, 2024

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I recently discovered a new-to-me local coffee shop, and I’ve been loving spending hot Southern afternoons in the chilly air conditioning. They make the most perfect London Fogs that I’ve ever had in my entire life. The whole experience is perfect for reading, writing, or just sitting alone with your thoughts while sipping the world’s most perfect beverage. Today, we’re going to be looking at two of my nonfiction favorites, but first, it’s time for bookish goods!

Bookish Goods

Beach House Summer Bookmark Set by EmilyCromwellDesigns

It’s that time of year! Beach reading is upon us, and I thought these bookmarks set the mood perfectly. $3+

New Releases

Going Fast and Fixing Things: True Stories from the World’s Most Popular DIY Repair Expert and Car Aficionado by Rich Benoit

YouTube sensation Rich Benoit shares stories from his experiences working on upgrading and repairing cars. Benoit loves everything about cars, and that joy fills this book to the brim with fun facts and nerdy car details.

I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman’s Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris by Glynnis MacNicol

After spending 16 months alone in her Manhattan apartment during the height of the pandemic, Glynnis MacNicol sublets a friend’s apartment in Paris. There, she spends her days living life to the fullest, making the most of a Paris that is mostly empty of tourists.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes

As my first book of 2024, I picked up Divine Might by Natalie Haynes, which I originally thought was a short story collection. But instead of short stories, I found it to be a brilliant essay collection about Greek goddesses and the stories society has told about them. Six months later, I felt it was time to pick up Haynes’ first essay collection, Pandora’s Jar, which looks at some of the most prominent mortal women featured in Greek myths. She discusses figures like Jocasta, Helen, and Medusa, detailing the different versions of their stories and how these women have been featured in popular culture. With each woman, Haynes has this masterful way of highlighting how much of these women’s stories have been constructed through a sexist patriarchal lens. Haynes challenges those ideas and encourages readers to think outside of these constraints. Plus, her prose is engrossing and incredibly funny. In particular, the audiobook, which she reads herself, showcases her wit and charming sense of humor.

In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri, Translated from Italian by Ann Goldstein

Jhumpa Lahiri is one of my favorite authors, so when I heard she was learning to write in Italian, I felt incredibly sad that I couldn’t read it. But I shouldn’t have worried. Elena Ferrante’s translator, Ann Goldstein, translated In Other Words into English. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering why Lahiri didn’t translate the text herself, but Lahiri has stated that she wants readers to get a more accurate perception of her skills in Italian. This book is cleverly formatted to include the English translation on one side and the original Italian on the other. The topics of the essays mostly focus on Lahiri’s relationship with the Italian language and her motivation for learning it. This book is perfect for any language nerd.

That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy reading, Friends!

~ Kendra

Kid Lit Giveaways

061324-MattSproutsAndTheCurseOfTheTenBrokenToes-KidlitGiveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date June 13, 2024

We’re giving away three copies of Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes by Matthew Eicheldinger to three lucky Riot readers!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

After accidentally injuring his neighbor, Matt Sprouts thinks he has “the Curse,” a hometown myth that ruins middle schoolers’ lives. To defeat the Curse, Matt decides he needs to solve the mystery, but that’s not easy to do when you’re entering middle school, keeping track of your little brother, trying to defeat the best soccer team, and oh yeah, not breaking any more toes.

“Matt Sprouts is the next star of middle-grade comedy! Matt Eicheldinger expertly draws from his life to create this heart-warming and fun illustrated series.” – Jarret Krososzka, New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award Finalist