Newsletters Dev – Page 40 – getting it done!

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date November 20, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, star bits! How was your 2023 reading year, now that it’s winding down? I am excited because I am headed into the biggest reading weeks of my year. We do round-up shows on All the Books! until the new year, so I have a little wiggle room. I use it to read a few backlist books that have caught my attention and also get a jump on my reading for the coming year. I *love* this time of year! This weekend, I read Penance by Eliza Clark. It was really good, but holy cats, it’s a really hard story to read. If you love true crime, you should pick up this novel. It was as stressful as any true crime book I have read!

For this week’s newsletter, I have three books out today that I am really looking forward to reading, including a book about pirates! You can hear about more fabulous books on this week’s episode of All the Books! Tirzah and I talked about books that make great gifts, including Snacking Bakes, Wizkit, and Fly.

And now it’s time for everyone’s favorite game, “Ahhh, My TBR!” Here are today’s contestants!

A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself by Katherine Howe

Katherine Howe is a master at historical fiction, going all the way back to her debut novel, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. This one is about pirates! (Pirates are really big right now.) It’s actually the story of two women: Hannah Masury and how she became the most notorious, feared pirate of the high seas. And Marian Beresford, a professor in 1930 who is studying Hannah’s own telling of the story of her life and trying to get to the bottom of a mystery involving the infamous pirate. It’s a look at two women yearning to get out from under the societal constrictions placed on women in their time. And did I mention there are pirates???

Backlist bump: Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

Critical Hits: Writers Playing Video Games by Carmen Maria Machado and J. Robert Lennon

This collection from the fabulous Graywolf Press is pretty self-explanatory: It rounds up some of today’s amazing writers to talk about their video gaming lives! Contributors to the book include Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Chain-Gang All-Stars), Alexander Chee (The Queen of the Night), Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky), Hanif Abdurraqib (They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us), and Elissa Washuta (White Magic).

Tone by Sofia Samatar and Kate Zambreno

This is a book I only just learned about, and I am already so excited to get it. (Probably the paperback version because it’s from a university press, so the hardcover is $80.) Sofia Samatar and Kate Zambreno are two unbelievably amazing writers, and the idea that they have done a book together makes me jump up and down. It’s about literary criticism with a specific examination of tone. From the publisher: “Tone is a collaborative study of literary tone, a notoriously challenging and slippery topic for criticism.” I’m not going to lie, just the description of this book was too smart for me, but I don’t care because I love the authors so much.

Backlist bump: A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar and O Fallen Angel by Kate Zambreno

We’re here to enrich your reading life! Get to know the world of books and publishing better with a subscription to The Deep Dive, Book Riot’s staff-written publication delivered directly to your inbox. Find a guide to reading logs and trackers, hear about why the bestseller list is broken, analyze some anticipated books, and more from our familiar in-house experts. Get a free subscription for weekly content delivered to your inbox, or upgrade to paid-for bonus content and community features connecting you to like-minded readers.

This week, I am reading Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander, Ice: Why I Was Born to Score by George Gervin and Scoop Jackson, and Burn by Peter Heller. In non-book things, I started rewatching Psych for the zillionth time. And thanks to a commercial — again — the song stuck in my head this week is that donut song from the new Dunkin’ commercial. IT WON’T LEAVE MY BRAIN. (It’s a really cute song, tho.) And here is your weekly cat picture: This is the face of a cat who wants to be fed again, after he just ate. (It doesn’t work on me.)

Thank you, as always, 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

The Stack

Decolonize Your Comics

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date November 20, 2023

Sponsored by

Welcome to another Tuesday, nerd friends! Today’s newsletter has a little of everything, from cute comics about cats to dark fantasies about justifiable (?) homicide. Which will you pick?

Bookish Goods

Personalised Superhero Enamel Mug and Coaster by TrudlesDoodles

I know this says it’s for kids, but I would also like to buy one for me. (Why is Batman palling around with the Avengers? Why not, I say?!) $6

New Releases

Team Phoenix Volume One by Kenny Ruiz and Osamu Tezuka

Osamu Tezuka passed away over 30 years ago, but his works and characters continue to inspire the creators of today. In this new series, follow a princess and her band of space pirates as they protect those most in need of help!

Frankie Comics by Rachel Dukes

The paperback edition of this adorable webcomic is now available! The expression “the cat adopted me” has never been more true than with Frankie, a kitten who turned up on Dukes’s doorstep one day and immediately became, like every cat before her, the undisputed ruler of the household.

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

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: colonialism. Before we go shoving turkey into our faces, it’s good to take a moment and remember that the history behind America and other colonized lands is not as rosy as Thanksgiving myths would have us believe.

Earthdivers Volume One: Kill Columbus by Stephen Graham Jones and Davide Gianfelice

After discovering a way to travel through time, Tad, an Indigenous linguist, decides that the only way to save the world from total destruction is to go back in time and prevent Christopher Columbus from ever crossing the Atlantic. But is the reward worth the price?

¡Ay, Mija! My Bilingual Summer in Mexico by Christine Suggs

When they were 16, Christine spent a summer in Mexico with their family. Among other things, the trip forces them to contend with how colonialism has shaped their family history — and how it’s okay to occupy the in-between spaces that mixed-race kids so often get lost in.

To close, please enjoy this photo of my dog Poppy looking adorable in her winter sweater and sitting weird. And please have a great week, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not!

~Eileen

Read This Book

Read This Book: ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date November 20, 2023

Sponsored by

Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!

Today, I am throwing it back with a book that was a Big Deal ten years ago when it came out because there’s a new Netflix adaptation. I was a bookseller when this book was released, and I sold so many copies. I bought a copy way back then, intending to read it, and never got around to it…until this past weekend when I was sick and scrolling through Netflix and spotted the adaptation. I turned off the TV, dusted off my copy off the shelf, and read it in a day. So, if you have somehow been living under a rock or just missed this book, consider this your nudge to give it a read!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

In Paris, a girl named Marie-Laure loses her sight as a young child. Her father, who works for the Natural History Museum, spends hours building her a scale replica of their arrondissement so that she can learn how to navigate her way through the world. But as war with Germany looms, Marie-Laure and her father flee to Saint Malo with the museum’s most precious artifact. Meanwhile, in Germany, a young orphan named Werner and his sister tune into radio programs from France and envision a better future for themselves. At first, the war seems to offer opportunities…but at what cost?

The writing in this book is masterful. The chapters at the beginning appear at first like vignettes, giving us glimpses into the parallel lives of Marie-Laure and Werner and the very different and tragic directions that war takes them. It becomes evident that their paths will cross, and you just have to sit back and trust that you are in good hands with Doerr’s storytelling. The prose is lyrical and spare at times, but it conveys such tremendous emotion and the feeling of utter helplessness as everyone, no matter their nationality, is swept up in the madness of WWII. Doerr also creates tension by inserting interludes that tell of the destruction of Saint Malo in 1944, coaxing readers along on a suspenseful ride to the fateful day that Marie and Werner will finally meet. This book doesn’t have plot twists or gimmicks, but the characters are all richly portrayed, and the emotions are deeply felt, and you’ll find yourself racing to the end to see how it all comes together. I inhaled this book and found myself a captive audience as I waited to see how it would all turn out. This is a book that reminds us of humanity’s capacity for violence and hatred but also the capacity for love and goodness.

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, Hey YA, All the Books, and Instagram. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Bookish Goods

Bookish Good of the Week: November 19, 2023

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date November 19, 2023

Bookish Holiday Greeting Card by ArtsByBooksnmae

Send this out to all your bookish friends for the holidays. You can get 1 for $3 or 4 for $10.

Giveaways

111823-Nov.EACPushes-2023-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date November 18, 2023

We’re partnering with Dragons & Spaceships to give away a Kindle Scribe to one lucky winner!

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

Here’s a bit more from our partner: Dungeons & 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!

The Fright Stuff

Harvest Season, Horror Season

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 17, 2023

Sponsored by

Horror fans, it’s me, Emily, your friend in all things frightful. Well, Thanksgiving is this week, and I am pretty vocal about how much I dislike this holiday. But even so, there are some excellent horror reads set around the harvest season. So those of you who are into the whole Thanksgiving thing, I got you. But first! Bookish goods and things!

Bookish Goods

Horror-Themed Guess Who by TheAtticFanatics

It’s that time of year when you might have a lot of family visiting and a lot of dead time between meals when you have to figure out how to fill the time without talking about politics. One go-to in my household? Board games. For the horror enthusiast family, there’s a horror-themed Guess Who, including plenty of bookish-themed horror icons. Check it out! It’s $70.

New Releases

Just A Little Snack by Yah Yah Scholfield

We’ve got some exciting indie releases coming out in November! First up: Here’s an excellent new horror short story collection that’s out this week. Yah Yah Scholfield’s stories incorporate Southern Gothic and Afro-Gothic elements to tell spine-tingling stories that explore nature, religion, and the body.

Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker

Caroline Hardaker’s Mothtown mixes horror and literary fiction with truly chilling illustrations from bestselling illustrator and political cartoonist, Chris Riddell. No one would tell David what was going on. They told him it was to protect him. But even as a child, David knew something was wrong. Children kept going missing, and there were rumors of nests of bones spread across the mountains. Now, at 26, David lives on his own and tries to forget the horrors of his past. But then a strange package shows up on his doorstep…

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

Riot Recommendations

Harvest of Bones by S.B. Fates

Feeling the Thanksgiving spirit? Here are some horror short stories you should put on your TBR this week! First up, S.B. Fates has a full-on Thanksgiving horror anthology. You heard right. Here are seven horror stories celebrating the harvest season, including titles like “Giblets of Wrath,” and “Pilgrim’s Regress,” and “Stuffing the Void.”

Horror You Crave: The Thanksgiving Monster by Julio Miranda

Julio Miranda’s short story “Thanksgiving Monster” is a quick but enjoyable Thanksgiving read to get you in the spirit this season. Grab this ebook for a quick read on your Kindle today. I think you’ll be shocked by how enjoyable, heart-warming, and, yes, scary this story is. Even if you’re not a Thanksgiving person (like me), this is fun.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, for those of you in the US who celebrate Thanksgiving. Until next time, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!

Giveaways

111723-Nov.EACPushes-2023-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date November 17, 2023

We’re partnering with Cearnach Grimm to give away a $250 gift card to Powell’s Books!

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

Here’s a bit more from our sponsor: Cearnach Grimm is the creator of the hilariously captivating world of The Runebreakers which garners more than one million social media views per week. He writes fantasy and sci-fi, and revels in D&D. Join and dive deep into the behind-the-scenes of Cearnach Grimm’s writing process and discover new artifacts and characters for your D&D party.

What's Up in YA

More-Than-Friendly Bets, Queer Power, and More YA Book Talk: November 20, 2023

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date November 17, 2023

Sponsored by

Hey YA Readers!

If you’re in the US, it’s likely you are preparing for a big meal sometime this week. As such, this newsletter will not be hitting your inboxes on Thursday. I encourage you to, if you have not been already, to pick up some books by and about Native and Indigenous folks with your time off—and beyond, of course. We Need Diverse Books just created a wonderful resource for finding these titles, no matter where you are in the world, and you can also spend some time with this 2020 piece I put together on the history and future of Native literature for children and teens.

This week, let’s dive into some new releases, as well as some more new releases from the last month or so in nonfiction and graphic formats.

Bookish Goods

Book Lover Library Card Ornament by AdventureDadGifts

Though this is described as a customizable due date card ornament, you could use this for so many different things other than hanging it up during the holidays. Since it’s customizable, how about creating yourself a sweet reminder of some of your favorite books of the year? There are so many options! $25 and up.

New Releases

We’re barreling on into a holiday week here in the US, which is the top of the slide into the December series of holidays (that is a very bad but also visually interesting metaphor). That means the lists here are going to get shorter for a bit before the publishing world comes back in full force in the new year.

Let’s look at two hardcovers hitting shelves this week. You can see the entire list of this week’s releases right here.

Betting On You by Lynn Painter

If you’d like a sort-of-enemies-to-lovers rom-com with a fake dating trope tossed in, this sounds like it’ll be 100% up your reading alley. Bailey just took a job at a hotel waterpark, and she’s discovered her coworker is Charlie. The Charlie she sat next to on a flight after her parents divorced and she moved to Omaha. He annoyed her then, and he’s annoying her now.

Or at least he was annoying her. She’s actually enjoying working with him, and the two of them are engaged in friendly conversation about the types of people frequently visiting the hotel waterpark. They make a bet on whether or not a pair of coworkers will begin to date, as they’ve been heavily flirting. But now Charlie cannot deny his feelings for Bailey and the fact the two of them need to fake date in order to hedge off some annoyance between Bailey and her mom and new boyfriend.

Perhaps the real bet isn’t on their coworkers but on the future of their own relationship.

The Queer Girl Is Going To Be Okay by Dale Walls

Dawn wants queer love so bad. It’s senior year of high school in her Houston community, and she’s realizing if she cannot have those feelings herself, perhaps she could use her skills as a burgeoning filmmaker to document queer love in other ways. Perhaps that could help her even get a scholarship for college.

Armed with a camera and her two besties, Dawn is ready to take down the obstacles to her dreams—those of film school and those of love.

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

Bonus New Releases

November has had a nice mix of new YA releases that go beyond the traditional novel or even the short story collection. I try to highlight those as much as possible, but I can’t get to them all in each issue of the newsletter. So today, in part because it’s been a month full of compelling graphic novels and nonfiction and in part because we’re gearing up for a short week here in the US, let’s look at a few additional new titles published recently.

The Boy From Clearwater by Pei-Yun Yu, illustrated by Jian-Xin Zhou, and translated by Lin King (November 28)

This is a work of graphic nonfiction—as in a comic—that is also a work in translation and this particular book is volumes one and two of what will ultimately be a four-volume work (the expected publication of that is May 2024). It is the story of the history of Taiwan, followed in two timelines.

In 1930s Taiwan, Tsai Kun-lin grew up first with his innocence intact, even with Japan’s occupation of the country. But then war hits, and his memory becomes one flush with military parades, air raid sirens, and more. A teenager when the war ends, he works to learn Mandarin and create a strong, solid future.

Then we move to 1950s Taiwan, and while enrolled at Taichung First Senior High School, Tsai is arrested for becoming part of a book club. This leads to ceaseless torture behind bars, and he does not see freedom again until 1960. He’s lost ten years of his life to prison, and Tsai is ready for so much more.

The Denim Diaries by Laurie Boyle Crompton

If you’re looking for a YA memoir, look no further than this one, written partially in verse and partially through illustration. This is Laurie’s coming-of-age story through the 1970s and 1980s in rural Pennsylvania and New York City, following her as she lives through several challenges. This book explores disordered eating, sexual assault, family alcoholism, and more, so know going in this is not going to be easy reading. That said, it includes a nice balance of joy and humor, too. (This looks like an excellent read-alike for Phoebe’s Diary, which came out earlier this fall).

Gender Rebels by Katherine Locke, illustrated by Shanee Benjamin

This full-color, bold, and bright collection highlights 30 must-know people who explode the gender binary. It is a groundbreaker in highlighting trans stories, gender nonconforming stories, and intersex stories of real people and real lives.

As always, thanks for hanging out. We’ll see you on Saturday for YA book deals.

In the meantime, happy reading!

– Kelly Jensen, who you can follow over on her personal Substack.

Kissing Books

In Fact, We Do Need Bookish Patches

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date November 17, 2023

Sponsored by

Greetings and salutations! Welcome, or welcome back, to the Kissing Books newsletter. I’m PN Hinton, here to give you the rundown on the world of romance, including new releases, recommendations, and other entertaining ways to pass your time.

Previously, Spotify announced that they would be including 15 hours of audiobook listening as part of the Premium subscription. This wasn’t projected to happen until early 2024, so I was super excited to hear it went live earlier than anticipated. I selected That One Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf after recommending it last week and listened to it all in one day because I just couldn’t not finish it.

Bookish Goods

Book Lover Patch by PatchShopLtd

It’s getting to the cooler part of the year for some of us and denim jackets also appear to be making a comeback. This patch would make a perfect addition to one because, not only does it announce your love of reading, but it’s tots adorable! $5

New Releases

Luv Under Starlight by N.M. Patel

After her father died by suicide, Meera dedicated her life to taking care of her mother and brother and trying to pay off the debt he left behind. She doesn’t have time for anything else or the inclination to make it. To help make ends meet, she agrees to let Luke rent her extra room because she could honestly use the extra cash. What she didn’t need was the ball of sunshine that Luke was and the happiness he tried to bring into her life. After all, he’s only going to be there for three months, so there’s no need to get attached. Now, if only her heart would get on board with that sentiment.

Inheritance by Nora Roberts

Neither Sonya nor her late father knew he had a twin. So when her Uncle Collin leaves her everything in his will, including a Victorian house in Maine, she is more than a little surprised. She is also somewhat unnerved at the stipulation that she has to live in it for three years. When she arrives, she meets lawyer Trey, who is upfront about the house being just a little haunted. As Sonya explores the house, she learns more about the history of the place, including Astrid, the legendary “first lost bride,” and works to solve the mystery of her dad and uncle as well as work to break the curse the house seems to be under.

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

Riot Recommendations

The Goodreads Choice Rewards opened up last week, and the romance nominees were, well…overwhelmingly white and straight. Harsh, but let’s be honest; there’s no way to soften that blow, and the truth hurts.

I was a bit disappointed in what was there. With that in mind, I’m going to be recommending other romance novels released this year that could have and probably should have been contenders. Because, and I genuinely say this with no maliciousness to the books that were nominated, we all know that the list there is not a great reflection of the romances that were released this year.

Now, there may be repeats for some books previously mentioned in the newsletter, although I will endeavor to avoid that when possible.

Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron

Jana has always been a loner, closed off from those around her, especially since the one time she let someone in, and she ended up pregnant and heartbroken. So, she resolves to stay single. Five years later, she’s a bridesmaid at her sister’s destination wedding, surrounded by almost everyone she knows, including Anil, her ex. Determined to keep him at arm’s length as well as show she’s not a complete stick in the mud, she lets her walls down to join in on all the pre-wedding events. However, this also lowers her walls with Anil, who may or may not be wanting a second chance.

Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey

Pop star Eden has had a 20-year career that seems to be in danger of ending. When her recording company suggests doing a collaboration with up-and-coming Anna, she initially balks but eventually gives in, knowing she has little choice. Anna is overjoyed with the prospect of performing with Eden, hoping that it will also be a chance to break out of the “pop” mold. As the two women rehearse, an attraction develops between them, which leaves them wondering if they are willing to risk it all for love.

The Washington Post put together their picks for the best romances of 2023, and it goes without saying that I’m happy with the diversity displayed here.

I was excited to see this cover reveal for Karmen Lee’s upcoming Sapphic bowling romance.

Exciting news for Talia Hibbert fans!

And that is all I have for y’all today. There will be a send on Thursday, so you will hear from me again then. In the meantime, you can still find me occasionally poking my head out on the bird app under @PScribe801. Until then happy reading and stay hydrated!

The Fright Stuff

(don’t use)Harvest Season, Horror Season

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 17, 2023

Sponsored by

Bookish Goods

Horror-Themed Guess Who by TheAtticFanatics

New Releases

Just A Little Snack by Yah Yah Scholfield

Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker

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

Riot Recommendations

Harvest of Bones by S.B. Fates

Horror You Crave: The Thanksgiving Monster by Julio Miranda

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, for those of you in the US who celebrate Thanksgiving. Until next time, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!