Newsletters Dev – Page 35 – getting it done!

051524-EACInternalPushes-May2024-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date May 15, 2024

We’re teaming up with Dragons & Spaceships to give away $200 to Thriftbooks to one lucky winner!

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

Here’s a bit more from our sponsor: Dragons & Spaceships – For the Fans, By the Fans. We keep a close eye on the horizon of fantasy and scifi books, ensuring you’re the first to know about shifts in the genre, upcoming releases, and author interviews. Step into a realm where magic meets machinery, where dragons soar amongst the stars, and where every week is a new journey. Join the adventure!

True Story

Nonfiction Books You Won’t Want to Miss

Post author By Kendra Winchester
Post date May 14, 2024

Sponsored by

A new week means a whole new round of books! I spend a ridiculous amount of time scouring through book catalogs, listening to bookish podcasts, and reading author newsletters, always looking for new-to-me books. This helps me figure out what books I’m most excited to pick up.

Make this your most bookish summer yet with personalized reading recommendations from Tailored Book Recommendations! Our bibliologists (aka professional book nerds) are standing by to help you find your next favorite read. Get your recommendations via email, or opt to receive hardcovers or paperbacks delivered right to your door. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Get started today from just $18!

This year, we’ve seen a wide range of history, science, and memoirs hit the shelves. With so many new books hitting shelves, it can be easy to miss one. So later in the newsletter, I’ll be sharing some 2023 titles that you may have missed. But first, let’s check out 2024 titles and bookish goods!

Bookish Goods

Cozy Warm Aesthetic Tea Bookmark by BookmarksBySoleiaV

I have fallen down the clay modeling rabbit hole of TikTok and was delighted by this little cozy tea time bookmark. $27

New Releases

Another Word for Love: A Memoir by Carvell Wallace

Award-winning journalist Carvell Wallace has spent his career looking outward, profiling others, and reporting on events happening in the world around him. But now, Wallace turns his writing to himself. In Another Word for Love, Wallace describes what it’s like to grow up Black and queer in America. With this portrait of his own life, Wallace finds beauty in the simple things and shows gratitude for the people who made him who he is today.

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham

The author of Midnight in Chernobyl, Adam Higginbotham, returns to write about another disaster, but this time, it’s in America. Higginbotham delves into the history of the shuttle program that led to the disaster on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger fell apart and killed all on board. His in-depth look gives readers a new perspective on one of the worst disasters in the history of space exploration.

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

Riot Recommendations

Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear by Erica Berry, Performed by Lessa Lamb

Sometimes, the very concept of a book catches my eye and I have to read it ASAP. That’s what happened with Wolfish, a book where Erica Berry delves into societal ideas around wolves. What do wolves symbolize to human civilization? How has that perception impacted society today? These are just a couple of the big questions that Berry examines. Lessa Lamb deftly performs the audio edition, making the listening experience fly by, even in sections that I imagine might be a little dry to read in print. I loved every second of Lamb’s performance.

Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business by Roxane Gay

Opinions collects the work of Roxane Gay, and includes celebrity profiles, advice columns, cultural criticism, and opinion pieces. I have enjoyed Gay’s writing since I first read her essay collection Bad Feminist. But it can be hard to keep up with all of her pieces that have been published in different outlets over a decade. But now, the best of her published writing from across the internet is all in one place! She interviews artists like Janelle Monáe and writes about the legacy of Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of Black Panther. She strikes a beautiful balance of vulnerability and relatability, writing essays that have just the right amount of personal touch. This collection is perfect for stolen moments at holiday parties or family dinners.

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

Unusual Suspects

Readers’ Most Anticipated Summer Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date May 14, 2024

Sponsored by

Hello, mystery fans! I am late to the Bridgerton (Netflix) party, but I’m going with that I have arrived fashionably late and am now properly obsessed as a wonderful distraction from *frantically waves at everything*.

Bookish Goods

Pressed Flower Bookmark by JLSquare

Enjoy spring flowers without worrying about allergies or having to water them! ($14)

New Releases

Ash Dark As Night (Harry Ingram Mystery #2) by Gary Phillips

For fans of historical fiction (1960s), a photographer PI, and an L.A. setting!

Harry Ingram is a photographer and PI who finds himself somewhat famous when he photographs police shooting an activist during the Watts riots. This places him with a target on his back from police and also gets him a new client: Betty Payton can’t find her business associate who disappeared during the riots. Dodging all the unwanted attention coming his way, Harry finds himself following leads into robberies and conspiracies…

While you can read this as a standalone if you want to, for the introduction of the character, pick up One-Shot Harry.

Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo

For fans of YA mysteries, fictional missing persons cases, ex-best friends, and characters taking on rape culture.

Jo-Lynn Kirby lost her social standing in school after nude photos of her were leaked. Now her ex-best friend Maddie Price suddenly wants to talk to Jo, asking for help. But Maddie vanishes before Jo can find out what Maddie needed, and this forces Jo to find a way back into the inner circle to investigate, all while reckoning with the past she’s trying to forget…

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

Riot Recommendations

Here are two mystery novels with buildings on the cover!

The Ancient Nine by Ian K. Smith

For fans of secret societies, ’80s settings, and academic mystery novels!

Harvard student Spenser Collins finds himself invited to join the Delphic Club, an exclusive club shrouded in mystery — including that in the ’20s, a former student disappeared after trying to break into the club. This makes Spenser think there’s more to look into regarding this club, which obviously isn’t going to go without danger…

The Winterton Deception 1: Final Word by Janet Sumner Johnson

For fans of middle grade mysteries, competitions, fortune, and secrets!

Twins Hope and Gordon Smith live with their mom, who is struggling to make ends meet, when they learn their deceased father was son of the Winterton’s, a tycoon family. They’re holding a charity spelling bee which Hope would happily have nothing to do with — except they may soon be evicted and need the money that can come from winning, so Hope enters. Soon, she and her twin brother find themselves in a clue hunt at the Winterton’s manor, surrounded by unknown relatives and secrets…

News and Roundups

Lady in the Lake First Look: Natalie Portman Is a ’60s Housewife Turned Investigative Journalist

How To Prepare for Pride Month in Libraries 2024

Readers’ Most Anticipated Summer Books

Bodkin and the 3 best crime dramas to watch on Netflix in May 2024

Discover the Top Edgar® Award-Winning Mysteries of 2024

Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2024 releases and mysteries from 2023. 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.

Giveaways

051424-EACInternalPushes-May2024-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date May 14, 2024

We’re teaming up with Dreamscape to give away a 12-credit bundle to Libro.fm to one lucky winner!

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

Here’s a bit more about the Dreamscape Audiobook Newsletter: Sign up to learn about Dreamscape’s newest audiobook releases, hear about audiobooks deals, and be the first to know about our giveaways!

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Kendra Winchester
Post date May 14, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome to Read this Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that needs to jump onto your TBR pile! Sometimes these books are brand new releases that I don’t want you to miss, while others are some of my backlist favorites. This week, let’s talk about a novel set in a redwood grove in California.

The Red Grove by Tessa Fontaine

I first read Tessa Fontaine’s memoir, Electic Woman, back in 2019. I fell in love with her writing style, her beautiful descriptions and vibrant characters. Now she’s back with her debut novel, The Red Grove, which centers around a community in the California Redwoods that provides a sanctuary for women seeking a safe haven from domestic violence.

Luce is a teenager living at the Red Grove with her mom, Gloria, and her little brother, Roo. Luce’s whole world revolves around the Red Grove and its teachings. Luce knows all the statistics about women experiencing domestic violence from men. All of the stories, facts, and figures swirl around in her head, making her grateful that in the Red Grove, it’s said that it’s impossible for a man to hurt a woman.

Gloria works as a psychic to help support the household, but when one of her clients collapses and dies while visiting her house, the man’s family believes that she might have had something to do with his death. When Gloria disappears, Luce starts to try to track down where she went. She talks to Grove elders, calls back a mysterious journalist, and begins uncovering secrets that all of the adults around her never told her.

The Red Grove is this immersive story that takes the reader into this community that seems so perfect on its surface. They have their own history and traditions, all set against the peaceful backdrop of California’s giant redwoods. As Luce’s world unravels, we learn more and more about the characters around her and the role they play in the community. Underneath all of that is the thrum of a quiet power that the reader keeps wondering about; is it magic, or do these hints of the fantastical have a scientific reason behind them?

That’s it from me 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

051424-NotFinishedYet-KidlitGiveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date May 14, 2024

We’re giving away three copies of Not Finished Yet by Sharon Garlough Brown, illustrated by Jessica Linn Evans to three lucky Riot readers!

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

Win a Copy of Not Finished Yet, the First Children’s Book by Bestselling Author Sharon Garlough Brown!

Gran’s art studio is a special place. Not only is it where Wren and Gran paint, but it’s also where they talk about all the good and hard stuff of life—to each other, and to God. In this gentle story by bestselling Christian novelist Sharon Garlough Brown, young readers will join Wren as she explores her feelings and discovers that God welcomes our honest prayers.

Past Tense

Remembering Genocide Through Literature

Post author By Rachel Brittain
Post date May 14, 2024

Sponsored by

Hi, historical fiction fans,

I’m still sick this week after a brief respite over the weekend, and I’m just so ready to feel better. At least I’ve had lots of good library books and audiobooks to keep me company. My 60-pound dog, who is not the world’s best nurse, has decided that lying on my chest is the best way for her to help me feel better. I’m not sure it’s working as well as she seems to think it is.

Bookish Goods

Bedside Book Holder from The Art of Engraving

If you’re anything like me, you’ve always got a stack of books on your nightstand and this little bedside book holder is the perfect way to organize them. $80

New Releases

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis (May 14, 2024)

A gothic mystery set in 19th-century Paris, Spitting Gold sees two sisters reunited years after they fooled the elite by pretending to be spirit mediums. Now, the estranged sisters are united once more to pull off one last con with their elderly father unable to pay off his bills. But are they really pulling one over on this rich family? Or is something supernatural going on?

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur (May 14, 2024)

June Hur is one of my favorite historical fiction writers. Her novels bring Joseon-era Korea to life in incredible detail, and I never want to put them down. In A Crane Among Wolves, Hur depicts one of the most hated tyrants in Korean history as a girl attempts to save her sister, who was kidnapped to be a part of the emperor’s harem at any cost.

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

Riot Recommendations

This week, I wanted to highlight historical genocides that I think may be less well-known. In the American school system (at least in my experience), the genocide against Native Americans in this country is glossed over. That, along with the United States’ systems of oppression against Black Americans, is not highlighted as a precursor to Nazi Germany, even though Hitler used them as blueprints for his own genocide. This history is so important to understand and acknowledge because if we’re taught to gloss over genocides of the past, what will stop us from ignoring—or missing—genocides of the present and future?

The Armenian genocide, the Khmer Rouge Cambodian genocide, and the Bosnian genocide are just a few examples of how war and conflict can be used to target a specific ethnic, religious, or sociopolitical group. Sadly there are many others.

According to the UN, there are “reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide…has been met” in Gaza. If you’d like to help the Palestinian people currently facing genocide, I highly recommend donating to Save the Children or checking out Operation Olive Branch, which verifies and highlights Palestinians using GoFundMe campaigns to try to escape the ongoing violence. It can feel impossible to help in the face of such overwhelming violence, but those are small ways you can make a difference. Educating yourself and others is another.

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

A wealthy American woman volunteering with the Boston-based Friends of Armenia travels to Aleppo to help deliver aid and medical care to the recent refugees of the Armenian genocide. There, she meets Armen, an Armenian engineer who has lost his wife and infant daughter. Neither are expecting to fall in love in the wake of all this violence. Decades later, a novelist with Armenian heritage looks into her family’s past, uncovering shocking truths and secrets, long forgotten and left buried.

In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

Raami’s childhood in Cambodia is upended when her father brings home news of civil war. Soon, the 17-year-old’s guarded home is swapped for a forced labor camp, and she faces violence, starvation, and death. Remembering is a death sentence, but Raami’s memories of the stories her father told her are all she has to cling to during this never-ending fight for survival.

Girl at War by Sara Nović

A 10-year-old girl growing up in the Croatian capital of Zagreb in the early 1990s watches her life turn upside down as civil war breaks out in the country. Now playground games are forgotten in favor of war games as she becomes a child soldier, forced to take up a gun to defend herself from violence. A chance to escape to America offers her the only possibility of survival. But 10 years later, as she confronts the life and people she left behind, Ana wonders if going home is the only way to confront the ghosts that still haunt her.

That’s it for now, folks! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.

If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on most social media, including Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy.

Right now I’m reading The Titanic Survivors’ Book Club by Timothy Schaffert. What about you?

Swords and Spaceships

I’M AFRAID YOU’VE GOT DRAGONS

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date May 13, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and with May continuing its massive release of new books, you’re getting a double dose to check out today. Did you get a chance to see the aurora over the weekend? We got to see it very faintly here on Friday…and then the rest of the time it was super cloudy near where I live. Boo. Hopefully, you had clearer skies! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday.

Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here are two places to start: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, which provides medical and humanitarian relief to children in the Middle East regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation; and Ernesto’s Sanctuary, a cat sanctuary and animal rescue in Syria that is near and dear to my heart.

Bookish Goods

Bird Bookmarks by TheFatFinchShop

Since there’s a bit of an accidental bird theme in the titles of the recommendations, I went looking for book things that are bird related. Here’s a sampling of a set of really cute bird bookmarks I found! $10

New Releases

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee

Jin-Lu is a magebike courier, taking messages and packages between domed cities on a magic-powered motorcycle — exhilarating, but also the most dangerous possible job in the wastelands. But her most precious cargo might be her last — first, she takes a prince’s love letters to a princess desperate to escape her family and her horrible betrothed, and then, in love with both the prince and princess herself, she helps the woman flee directly into the wasteland and the coils of a brewing, deadly storm.

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

The backwater kingdom of Bellemontagne is famous (or perhaps infamous?) for its immense population of dragons, which come in sizes ranging from vermin to “say goodbye to your castle.” Unsurprisingly, such a place has dragon exterminators; Robert (who has a much longer name he hates) has inherited his father’s position as just that when he’d really just rather be a valet. He likes dragons and would very much prefer a career change. What fate has in store for him is something much more exciting.

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

Riot Recommendations

Because May continues its assault of awesome new books unabated, here are two more to check out!

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

In 16th century Joseon, the tyrant King Yeonsan makes his people suffer, stealing, kidnapping, and abusing at his pleasure. Iseul sets off on an impossible mission to rescue her older sister, Suyeon, after she is taken to the king. At his court, she crosses paths with the tyrant’s half-brother, Daehyun, who would depose his brother and save their people…if he can. While these two unlikely allies despise each other, they hate Yeonsan far more, and together they will take the riskiest gamble anyone in the kingdom has ever seen.

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

Dymitr’s family have long been hunters who are called on to sacrifice their souls to destroy the monsters they track. But he’s been given perhaps the greatest monster of all to hunt: Baba Jaga. And if he wants a chance to defeat her, he will have to ally with a lesser monster. But his true motives and the secrets he carries might be a far greater enemy than their quarry.

See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.

The Kids Are All Right

Protests, Justice, And More Great Kids’ Books!

Post author By Margaret Kingsbury
Post date May 13, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! Last newsletter I posted a picture of a cicada. There weren’t enough yet for their song to be too prevalent at that point, but as I’m writing this—with my window open—their cicada song is flooding inside.

With so many college students protesting across the U.S., I thought it would be a good idea to round up a few children’s books about protests. I also review two great new releases.

Bookish Goods

Empowered Women Bookmark by ZellaAndCo

This would be a great bookmark for kid activists and protestors. $4

New Releases

We Care: A First Conversation About Justice by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli, illustrated by Sharee Miller

The First Conversation board book series is one of my favorite series to collect. The newest addition discusses justice and community. “Justice is how we work on a problem together as a community to make things right again for everyone,” the authors explain. The first half of the book describes how everyone has a place in a community and can contribute in their own unique ways. The second half delves into what a community does when there’s a problem and when someone makes a mistake. The authors explain that punishing people for problems that happen repeatedly within a community can make problems worse. Illustrations depict a young girl making lunches for an unhoused community, a protest for housing, and a town hall meeting. It’s a gentle, straightforward discussion of a complicated topic. More conversation starters are included in the back matter.

Insha’Allah, No, Maybe So by Rhonda Roumani and Nadia Roumani, illustrated by Olivia Aserr

This is a lovely and sweet mother-and-daughter picture book about the Arabic word Insha’Allah. It seems like Ranya’s mother says “Insha’Allah” all the time, and mainly when she means “No.” She says it when Rayna asks if they can go to Disneyworld and to the park, and when Rayna wants to make cookies on a busy day. When Rayna asks what it means, her mother explains that it means that Allah sometimes has other plans. Mama admits that maybe she should be more clear when she uses the word. Warm illustrations accompany the story.

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

Riot Recommendations

With so many protests happening on college campuses nationwide, I thought I would review four newer children’s books centering protests.

A Hero Like Me by Jen Reid & Angela Joy, illustrated by Leire Salaberria

This picture book is inspired by real events, specifically when a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down during an antiracist protest. Co-author Jen Reid was one of the protestors and, like on the cover, climbed onto that empty space, fist raised. The picture book follows a child who sees so many statues on walks of historical figures some claim to be “heroes” but who actively harmed people who looked like her. She wonders where the real heroes are, and then she realizes that she can help to make a difference by making her voice heard. Back matter includes more details about the events shown in the book as well as discussion questions.

Barrio Rising by María Dolores Águila, illustrated by Magdalena Mora

This powerful picture will be released in one month. Set in 1970, it’s a fictionalized account of how San Diego’s Chicano Park came to be. A young girl and her mami live in Barrio Logan, a Chicane neighborhood. When the two see construction beneath the bridge, Mami sighs in relief, explaining that the city is finally building a much-promised park. However, it turns out that the city is building a police station, not a park. The community rallies together to protest at the construction site. They protest for 12 days before the city grants their request for a park at a town meeting. This is a wonderful picture book about the power and importance of protests.

Frankie and Friends: The Big Protest by Christine Platt, illustrated by Alea Marley

This is the second book in the Frankie and Friends chapter book series, one of my favorite new chapter book series. Frankie’s mom is a news reporter. When a protest for justice sweeps the news, Mama is called in to report. In her absence, Frankie wonders what a protest is and why people are protesting. To get to the bottom of it, she decides to do her own journalistic investigation with the help of her toys. She interviews her father and sister—learning about racial injustice and activism—and then her toys participate in their own protest. This is an engaging introduction to protests, activism, and journalism. A glossary is included at the end.

Jamie by L. D. Lapinski

This heartwarming middle grade novel releases in two weeks. Jamie, who is nonbinary, and their friends are entering secondary school in Nottingham, England. When it’s time to choose schools, Jamie realizes the schools are divided by gender. There’s a boy’s school and a girl’s school, neither of which applies to Jamie. Many of the adults in Jamie’s life don’t understand their problem and encourage them to just pick. But thankfully Jamie has supportive friends and family who help them protest the unfair binary division of students.

Lately, we’ve had more great blue herons visit our backyard. I love seeing them! They fish in the creek behind the treeline.

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

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date May 13, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, readers! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend (and Monday.) Did you see the northern lights? If you heard a loud, high-pitched sound on Sunday, it was just me spotting baby foxes scampering around my backyard. (It’s possible only dogs could hear the sound I made.) You will not be surprised to learn that they were SO CUTE. I may have missed seeing the northern lights, but seeing kits more than made up for it. Now, moving on to books: for today, I have a family drama surrounding the concept of heir property; a powerful YA about a teen headed for rock bottom while trying to get to the top; and a fantasy novel about dragons from a legendary author of the genre!

As for other new releases, at the top of my list of today’s books that I want to get my hands on are The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson, The Witches of Bellinas by J. Nicole Jones, and All Fours by Miranda July.

You can hear about more of the fabulous books coming out today on this week’s episode of All the Books! Vanessa and I talked about books we are excited about that are out this week, including Oye, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, and Woodworm.

Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris

When King Solomon dies, his last wish is that his four children keep their family home from falling into the hands of developers. The Kingdom, as it’s called, is heir property, which is property held and passed down in a family without a will and often subject to seizure or sale due to its lack of formal paperwork. (Harris wrote this novel about learning of the problem of thousands of people with heir property who couldn’t get assistance rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina because they couldn’t prove they owned their homes.) To stop developers from acquiring the Kingdom, the Solomon siblings return to North Carolina, each carrying their own baggage. They must overcome obstacles and let go of the problems and hurts of the past if they want to save their home for their futures. It’s an emotional tale of family, love, and injustice.

Backlist bump: One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris

Thirsty by Jas Hammonds

Hammonds has hit another home run with this YA novel exploring addiction and acceptance. It’s the summer before college, and Blake Brenner desperately wants to get into the prestigious Serena Sorority on campus with her girlfriend, Ella. As the daughter of a Serena alum, Ella is guaranteed a spot. But Blake doesn’t have those connections, so she must work harder to find a way in. Alcohol seems to be the answer — Blake discovers that she’s a different person when she drinks, one who is the life of the party and a viable Serena candidate. But as Blake’s drinking spirals out of control, she begins to wonder how far she will go to achieve what she wants. Is the acceptance of these strangers worth the price of addiction?

Backlist bump: We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

And last (unicorn) but not least, this is a comical fantasy about fairy tale tropes from the prolific author of the classic The Last Unicorn. When Robert’s father dies in the kingdom of Bellemontagne, Robert inherits his job: dragon exterminator. But Robert likes dragons and doesn’t want to destroy them. (Not to mention, while many dragons are small, some of them get to be REALLY big.) But with Prince Reginald — a royal marriage prospect — soon to visit the castle, Princess Cerise needs Robert to get rid of the kingdom’s dragon infestation. And it turns out, Prince Reginald needs Robert’s help in slaying a big dragon so he can impress his father. It seems like no matter what, Robert is going to have to kill dragons. How can he get out of his seemingly destined role as a dragon exterminator and attain the job he has always wanted, that of a royal valet?

Backlist bump: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

This week, I am reading an older novella, The Least of My Scars by Stephen Graham Jones, and In Defence of the Act by Effie Black, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize this year. For viewing, along with the NBA semifinals, I have been watching trivia shows and episodes of season five of The X-Files. (Related: I just got a copy of the upcoming tie-in novel, The X-Files: Perihelion by Claudia Gray, and I am so excited.) I also rewatched The Crow for the zillionth time to celebrate its 30th anniversary on Saturday. The song stuck in my head this week is “Dead of Night” by Orville Peck. And here is your weekly cat picture: Zevon is the cutest basket case.

That’s all for this week! I appreciate you more than I can say, friends. Thank you for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week! – XO, Liberty

“You try to keep life simple but it never works, and in the end all you have left is yourself.”—Sue Grafton, “A” is for Alibi