Newsletters Dev – Page 45 – getting it done!

Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley Join THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date April 23, 2024

Sponsored by

Hello, mystery fans! The second I got my hands on Attica Locke’s final book in the Highway 59 trilogy, Guide Me Home, I started reading it, and as always, I love Locke’s books. I mention this because: 1. if you’ve been reading the series, you should pre-order the final book or tell your library you want it. 2. If you haven’t started the series, immediately go read Bluebird, Bluebird. 3. Even though I am working right now, the book is all I’m thinking about.

Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help with handpicked recommendations. Tell the Bibliologists at Tailored Book Recommendations about what you love and what you don’t. You can get your recommendations via email or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! Subscribe today.

Bookish Goods

Black Cat Sleeping in Books Sticker by KindGardenist

Reminder: stickers make great bookmarks! ($6)

New Releases

One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole

For fans of slow burn suspense with a thriller ending set on an island!

Kenetria (Ken) Nash was briefly taken from her parents as a child, leaving her traumatized, and she developed dissociative identity disorder. In college, she assaulted her boyfriend’s father and lost everything. Now Ken, who has a handful of “headmates” that take turns being in charge, is finally in charge after years of being dormant. She learns that she’s been evicted, the pandemic started a few years ago, and one of the headmates took charge by getting them a job — and most importantly, a place to live — as a caretaker of a historic home on an island. Ken is obviously incredibly confused by this new life of wearing a mask, catching up with everything the headmates have done — they keep a journal — and is really not thrilled about being a caretaker in a strange place, especially when she realizes that the place looks exactly like the place in her mind where the headmates reside. As she tries to situate herself, and the headmates catch her up on what has been happening, Ken can’t get past that something on the island is off…

(TW past suicide attempt, detail/ PTSD/ child abuse)

For backlist readers, pick up An Extraordinary Union if you want a historical spy romance and When No One Is Watching for a great suspense novel.

A Game of Lies (DC Morgan #2 ) by Clare Mackintosh

For fans of borders (between Wales and England), procedurals, reality TV show settings, missing person mysteries, and everyone-is-a-suspect murder mysteries!

Welsh Detective Ffion Morgan is called to a reality TV show set in the mountains when bones are found. It’s not an issue — they’re animal bones — but it introduces her to the set of a reality show that was pitched to contestants as a “survival” show and then revealed to the contestants — and audience — that, in fact, is not why they are there. This prompts a contestant to disappear, bringing Morgan back in for an actual case. The more she learns, the more obvious it is that the person in charge of this reality show is a garbage human, and she must find the missing contestant before he becomes a danger to himself or others. This is only the beginning of the case for Morgan, who is also dealing with a rambunctious dog she can’t handle, a personal life reveal from the first book, and another detective from a different department whom she started a relationship with but let fizzle out accidentally, because Morgan can’t help getting in her own way.

Between the great setting of the town — plus, the reality show set that dives into our society’s obsession with them — and the way Mackintosh creates mysteries around a despicable person so that everyone is a potential suspect with motive, this is a great series to keep you turning pages late into the night. May there be plenty more books in the series so Morgan can solve all the mysteries and slowly start to get her act together.

If you want to start at the beginning, pick up The Last Party.

(TW briefly recounts attempted suicide, mentions past suicide, details/ mentions past sexual assault by blackmail for sex, mentions of #MeToo without detailed stories)

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

Riot Recommendations

All about the eyes on the cover!

Penance by Kanae Minato, Philip Gabriel (Translator)

For fans of character-driven dark crime novels!

You get multiple points of view following four girls (Akiko, Sae, Yuka, and Maki) then and now. The now is 15 years after Emily, age ten, was murdered, and her mother threatened the four girls to either atone for the murder or find the murderer. The case is still unsolved, and the statute of limitations is almost up.

(sorry, I don’t remember TWs)

None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney

For fans of fictional serial killers, the 80s, and FBI procedurals!

This is a fun all-the-tropes thriller. Emma Lewis and Travis Bell are young adults whom the FBI is actually courting because of their background: Bell is a US Marshal candidate whose dad was murdered by a serial killer while on duty, and Lewis survived a serial killer. The FBI wants to use them to help catch an active serial killer. What could go wrong?!

The audiobook has a great multi-voice cast: Christine Lakin (you’ll know if you watched Step by Step!), Maxwell Hamilton, and Zach Villa (American Horror Story: 1984)

(TW mentions past child abuse/ talks about serial killer cases/ briefly mentions past suicide, no details/ mentions past animal cruelty)

News and Roundups

10 Best ’70s Detective TV Shows That Still Hold Up

Paula Hawkin’s (The Girl on the Train) upcoming novel, The Blue Hour, had a cover reveal on GMA book club

Summer Adaptation Preview

Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley Join The Thursday Murder Club

Google Is Destroying Your Access to News

Apple’s new series Sunny pairs Rashida Jones with a mystery-solving robot

Hit Man Trailer: Glen Powell Is a Pretend Assassin in Richard Linklater’s Latest

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.

True Story

New Amy Tan Nonfiction? Yes, Please!

Post author By Kendra Winchester
Post date April 23, 2024

Sponsored by

This past spring, I traveled around working on my project Read Appalachia, which celebrates Appalachian Literature and writing. I grew up in Northern Appalachia and love sharing books from my home region. And of course, as someone from Southern Ohio, I adore sharing the incredible literature from writers from my home state. So today, I’m featuring a couple memoirs from Ohio writers that definitely are a must-read. But first, bookish goods!

Bookish Goods

Beautiful Birds Bookmarks by TheFatFinchShop

In honor of Amy Tan’s new book, I thought we’d have some bookmarks celebrating birds today. These are all so cute! $10

New Releases

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Literary powerhouse Amy Tan made her name with fiction, but this time she’s returning with a new foray into nature writing. Back in 2016, Tan withdrew from much of the world, finding solace in watching the birds that visited her in her backyard. Now, Tan shares that experience of slowing down and learning to better appreciate the world around her.

Water on Fire: A Memoir of War by Tarek El-Ariss

In this sweeping memoir, Tarek El-Ariss chronicles his life as a migrant fleeing war for a more hopeful future. El-Ariss lives through the Lebanese Civil War and immigrates to the US, only to experience xenophobia following the attack on 9/11. Full of heart and resilience, Water on Fire is a must-read memoir.

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

Riot Recommendations

Rust Belt Femme by Raechel Anne Jolie

Raechel Anne Jolie grew up as a working-class kid on the outskirts of Cleveland. When she was just a girl, her father was hit by a drunk driver, which ended their way of life forever. From there, her childhood was spent moving from home to home, never seeming to stay for long. She finds the alt scene downtown and begins to discover a whole new world that she feels irrevocably drawn to. This tiny memoir is a shining testament to a love of working-class people, the Midwest, and queer culture.

Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome

Brian Broome couldn’t wait to leave northeast Ohio. He spent his childhood as a queer, Black kid never fitting in. But no matter where he moved, he still faced racism and homophobia. He describes how he coped with sex and drugs, always trying to forget the trauma he’d experienced while searching for belonging. Broome’s prose is incredible, with every word chosen for a reason. His memoir is full of heart and a deep sense of longing.

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

Past Tense

Jewish Historical Fiction for Passover

Post author By Rachel Brittain
Post date April 23, 2024

Sponsored by

Hi, historical fiction fans!

I’ve been enjoying the spring weather this week and doing a bit of gardening. I even found some time to read outside, which is always a treat. Whatever the weather is like where you are, I hope you’re finding time to enjoy it.

Bookish Goods

Crocheted Fruit Bookmarks from POstudioBySHEN

These adorable crocheted fruit bookmarks are perfect for spring. Just imagine that little blackberry peeking out from the top of your book. $14

New Releases

Your Presence Is Mandatory by Sasha Vasilyuk (April 23, 2024)

Yefim Shulman was a celebrated Ukrainian WWII war veteran before his death. But when his widow discovers a letter to the KGB confessing secrets they knew nothing about, the entire family is forced to confront everything they thought they knew about Yefim and the country he served.

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee (April 23, 2024)

The author of The Downstairs Girl and Luck of the Titanic returns with another historical fiction novel about a murdered movie star and the sisters determined to uncover what really happened. May, Gemma, and Peony know the Los Angeles Police Department won’t investigate the death of a Chinese woman fairly, so they take matters into their own hands. But while their investigation may help save Chinatown from demolition, it will also put them in the crosshairs of a murderer.

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

Riot Recommendations

Earlier this month, I featured Muslim historical fiction to coincide with Ramadan, and now with Passover taking place this week, it seems like the perfect opportunity to highlight some Jewish historical fiction as well.

City of Laughter by Temim Fruchter

A Jewish woman recovering from her first big heartbreak begins looking into her family’s past, uncovering secrets about her great-grandmother no one speaks about. Shiva’s search may bring her answers, but it also complicates her understanding of the past and present.

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Exploring the tight bonds between the Jewish and Black community in a 1970s neighborhood, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store shows how marginalized communities come together and protect each other. When a dead body is found in a well, the residents of Chicken Hill are forced to reckon with the secrets they’ve kept to protect each other and themselves.

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 Beyond the Door of No Return by David Diop. What about you?

Giveaways

042324-AprilEACGiveawayPush-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date April 23, 2024

We’re teaming up with Dragons & Spaceships to give away AirPods Pro to one lucky winner!

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

Here’s a bit more from our sponsor: 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!

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Kendra Winchester
Post date April 23, 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, we’re looking at a fine art photography book helping to bring to light one of the worst industrial disasters in American history.

Appalachian Ghost by Raymond Thompson Jr.

In the 1930s, when work was scarce, roughly 5,000 people — the majority of them African American — found employment working on the Hawk’s Nest tunnel project, which would divert the New River in West Virginia. But disaster struck when faulty drilling techniques caused silica dust to fill the air, permanently harming the lungs of hundreds and hundreds of workers inside the tunnel. Over 700 of them died of lung damage that resulted from exposure to the powdered silica.

Photographer Raymond Thompson Jr. strives to highlight, in particular, the Black men who worked on the Hawk’s Tunnel who are all too often left out of the history of the tunnel’s construction. While thousands of Black men worked on the tunnel, there is little visual documentation that they were ever there. As historian Catherine Venerable Moore says in her introduction, Appalachian Ghost is a “photographic reimagining of the Hawk’s Nest story.”

In some of the images, we see archival photos of the work camp, the gravesite, and the tunnel itself. In some, Thompson has edited in enlarged images of Black workers, as if putting them back in the recorded history where they belong. Other photos reflect Thompson’s background in photojournalism as we see photos of the gravesite, powerlines, and other details many would ordinarily miss.

Throughout the books, Thompson has recreated images of Black models covered in white powder. One of the images — a Black hand covered in white dust and reaching upward — is featured on the cover of the book. Thompson’s reimagining these images of Black men in work gear covered in dust brings history to life in such a stark and completely arresting way.

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

Unusual Suspects

Here’s The Scoop: 8 News Reporters and Journalists Solving Crime

Post author By Samm Saxby
Post date April 23, 2024

Sponsored by

This post is written by Jamie Canavés.

There are so many great tropes in mystery and thrillers books that you can spend your life reading the genre and never get bored: one last heist, closed circle mystery, amateur sleuth, PI, procedural, legal, archeologist sleuth — and the reason you’re here: a journalist or reporter sleuth! You may immediately think of the blockbuster adaptation and series The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which stars Lisbeth Salander and Swedish journalist Mikael Blomkvist. It’s a thriller with a pairing of opposite strangers at the beginning and just one example of the many ways the trope can unfold.

Keeping with the vastness that is the mystery and thriller genre, I wanted to find books that first had the trope of a reporter or journalist investigating and then hit multiple subgenres and mixes with other tropes — something for as many reading tastes as possible. You’ll find leads from a local news reporter to a desperate-for-a-big-break journalist — plus a true crime reporter. And there are historical mysteries with the fun inheritance trope, a remote mystery set on a mountain (the eighth-highest peak in the world!), a thriller with a journalist at a struggling newspaper stumbling into a crime, a family mystery, and a historical mystery with a divorced-her-husband-to-be-a-reporter lead that is currently being adapted (starring Natalie Portman).

Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head

For fans of past and present storylines with alternating points of view, a newspaper reporter lead, and a family mystery!

In the late 1920s, Robert Lee Harrington is a carpenter starting a new life in Birmingham, Alabama with his young daughter and his pregnant wife.

In the present, Meghan McKenzie is a Detroit Free Press reporter who pitches her own family mystery — her great-grandfather’s murder — as an article she wants to write. The only information she has is that he died a woodworker at the age of 28, so Meghan travels to Birmingham to find the answers she’s looking for. Both Robert and Meghan’s stories slowly unfold, increasing in danger, as what happened to Meghan’s great-grandfather is uncovered.

The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger

For fans of dual POVs and a journalist who won’t let the story go!

Marina Tourneau is a journalist who is recently engaged to a man in a political family who wants her to quit her job — good luck with that! Annabel is an ex-NY socialite who is now living in Switzerland when her husband dies in a plane crash, leading her to question if his work at Swiss United may not have been what she thought…

Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang

For fans of sibling POVs (one a journalist!), historical fiction, and solving the murder to get the inheritance!

In the early 1900s, Sir Lawrence Linwood’s three adopted children return home from their lives around the world: Alan (archeologist), Roger (engineer), and Caroline (journalist). Their mother greets them by informing them their father was murdered and a detective will speak with them in the morning. Welcome home! What they learn is that their father’s will states that if he’s murdered, the children must find the killer — and whoever does gets the estate and can null the previous will!

Breathless by Amy McCulloch

For fans of remote mysteries and a writer taking what they think is their last shot to have a career!

Cecily Wong needs a high-profile interview to get a chance at the journalist career she wants. A world-famous mountaineer will let Cecily interview him, but only if she summits Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world with him. So Cecily sets out with the group to get her interview, except she’s not an expert climber, and people start dying along the way…

Some Die Nameless by Wallace Stroby

For fans of thrillers, multiple POVs, assassin stories, action, and an investigative reporter who stumbles into a crime!

Ray Devlin is living the retired life, but his past as a mercenary comes to get him, literally: he’s almost murdered and needs to find out why a fellow mercenary is after him. Reporter Tracy Quinn is trying to keep her job by uncovering a big story for a newspaper that is struggling between the print and digital age when her path crosses with Devlin’s…

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

For fans of stories about cults, past mysteries, true crime reporters, and novels written in messages, interviews, recordings, screenplays, and diary entries!

Years ago, three members of a cult died by suicide, and the baby they believed to be the Antichrist disappeared with its mother. Now the baby will be turning 18, and a literary agent thinks their story will be a great sell, so she assigns the case to a true crime reporter for a book deal. The problem is that no one knows who the baby is, so Amanda Bailey has a massive investigation ahead of her. Plus, Amanda will soon find out that she’s not the only person on this assignment — the guy she blames for ruining her career is also writing a book on this case!

As the Wicked Watch (Jordan Manning #1) by Tamron Hall

For fans of news reporters working as an amateur sleuth in a case that doesn’t feel right!

Jordan Manning is a Chicago reporter who starts off by looking into a missing girl case, which ends up turning into a murder case, with suspects immediately named. But Manning doesn’t agree with the police’s story and goes into overdrive to find the truth herself. You get a behind-the-scenes of a reporter’s daily life, along with community activism and politics, and you see a case play out from beginning to end.

Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman

For fans of historical mysteries, murder mysteries, and undertones of noir.

In 1960s Baltimore, Maddie Schwartz leaves her husband to become a journalist. She’s not getting much respect as a newspaper journalist, has to keep secret that she’s sleeping with a Black police officer, and is obsessed with a dead woman case that police and journalists are ignoring.

Bonus: this is currently being adapted by Apple TV+ with Natalie Portman as the lead.

Love work by journalists? Check out 6 Books to Remind Us Why Journalism is Important, Why I’ve Started Reading Books of Investigative Journalism, and True Story: The Best Journalistic Nonfiction!

The Stack

In the Gutter, Looking at the Stars

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome back! Allergy season is well and truly upon me now. I hope your nose is coping with it better than mine is!

Bookish Goods

Batman VHS Tumbler by DarkRoseDesignsandCo

Take a trip down memory lane every time you take a sip out of this tumbler! $30

New Releases

My Gemini by Yuu Morikawa

John’s best friends are semi-appropriately named Jekyll and Hyde: while these twins have very different personalities, they look identical, and when they decide to swap places (as they often do), only John can tell which is which. But when one of the twins dies, determining which one is left might not be so easy…

The Harrowing by Kristen Kiesling and Rye Hickman

Rowan’s mother, now murdered, always wore gloves and insisted that Rowan wear them too. When she comes of age, Rowan finds out why: by touching another person’s hand, she can see what crimes they will commit in the future. The more she learns about her “gift,” the more concerned Rowan becomes about its application. How do you punish someone who hasn’t done anything yet?

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

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: written by celebrities! The stories in these comics were told by some very familiar names.

Bash! by Rudy Gobert, Hellef Bay, and Vince Serrano

NBA star Gobert writes this sci-fi tale about a poor boy, also named Rudy, whose only goal and interest in life is to become a professional BASH player. BASH is like basketball, only much rougher, and it’s the most popular sport in the universe. And getting noticed for your talent at the game is not necessarily a good thing.

Mother Nature by Jamie Lee Curtis, Russell Goldman, and Karl Stevens

A screenplay by Oscar-winning actor Curtis forms the basis of this graphic novel. When an Indigenous teen, Nova, tries to stop a fracking company from destroying her family’s land, a freak accident turns her into the spirit of Mother Nature — who is not happy about how the humans have been treating her…

Hang in there till Thursday, nerd friends!

~Eileen

Swords and Spaceships

Gothic Fantasy Romance, New and Old

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got new releases and a couple gothic fantasy romance recommendations. It’s been a weekend of absolutely wacky weather in Colorado, with lots of slushy snow providing good excuses to snuggle with my cat and read. What an excellent April, is all I can say. 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

Gothic Lacy Corner Bookmark by ADKDPublications

Gothic romances deserve wonderfully gothic bookmarks. This one comes in spiderweb or bat lace patterns. $5

New Releases

Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho

Ocean has always felt like a misfit who isn’t quite Korean enough, and that was even before a mission went awry and turned her into persona non grata with Korea’s space agency. But when her best friend is framed for a murder, she and her crew — all of them as much misfits as she is — try to help him…and quickly find themselves in the middle of an ideological conflict accompanied by very real bullets.

The Sky Was Ours by Joe Fassler

At 24 years old, Jane has nothing to look forward to except a miserable job, crushing debt, and a world hurtling toward climate disaster. Feeling she has nothing to lose, she abandons her entire life and goes on the road. There, she meets a charismatic recluse named Barry, who is obsessively trying to build working wings for humans, certain that this invention would revolutionize society and bring about a utopia.

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

Riot Recommendations

I love a good gothic romance, and most of them tend to default to fantasy anyway, what with the ghosts and all. Here’s a new gothic fantasy romance and an older one that both sound utterly delightful to me.

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

Xue is a talented young musician who was orphaned at an early age; the only life she’s known is being indentured at the House of Flowing Water, the premiere entertainment house in the kingdom. She has little hope for her future as an artist until she’s called to privately perform for Duke Meng, who soon takes her away to his estate, his kind awkwardness becoming increasingly suspect. Xue soon learns the duke is no ordinary man: he is the Duke of Dreams, and he needs her to unlock long-forgotten memories to save the Six Celestial Realms from destruction.

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

Wren’s reckless use of her magic has brought about her dismissal from the Queen’s Guard, which in turn has separated her from the girl she loves. So when a reclusive lord with a crumbling estate asks her to come cure his servant, she takes the rather suspect job in the hopes it will be a path to redemption. Instead, she discovers the person she’s supposed to heal is the infamous Reaper of Vesria, her kingdom’s greatest enemy — and the estate is filled with secrets that may well end them both if they don’t join forces.

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.

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, star bits! I hope you all had a delightful weekend. It was pretty nice here in Maine. Things are finally settling down and I’m able to take more time to stop and eat the roses. And read books! There are so many I want to read that I can’t seem to settle on just one. I want to have all of them in my brain right this very minute! To help you break your TBR, today I have a collection of essays from a talented artist; new YA noir from a Book Riot favorite; and the sequel to one of the best vampire novels of the last few years!

As for other new releases, at the top of my list of today’s books that I want to get my hands on are Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta, A Body Made of Glass: A Cultural History of Hypochondria by Caroline Crampton, and Officer Clawsome: Crime Across Time by Brian “Smitty” Smith and Chris Giarrusso. (Much like The Investigators and Fry Guys, this series has so. many. puns.)

You can hear about more of the fabulous books coming out today on this week’s episode of All the Books! Patricia and I talked about books we are excited about that are out this week, including The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Ocean’s Godori, and Knife.

I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays by Nell Irvin Painter

Painter first turned up on my radar with Old in Art School, her memoir about, well, going to art school in middle age. This book collects Painter’s critical thinking and personal writing from her decades-long career in one place. Painter has been documenting her interests, research, and opinions about people, politics, race, and the Black experience in America for half a century and is a smart, incisive writer, no matter her subject. The book also includes original works of art throughout by the aptly named Painter. It’s a great book to enjoy at your leisure, or read cover to cover in one sitting.

Backlist bump: Old In Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Painter

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

Stacey Lee has been a Book Riot favorite since her first YA novel, Under a Painted Sky. Lee’s books are consistently great, and she’s an auto-buy author for me, for sure. She excels at historical fiction, and this is no exception. Kill Her Twice is a noir set in 1930s Chinatown. When Hollywood starlet Lulu Wong is found dead by her former classmates, they think it’s suspicious. Lulu may have been out of their orbit, living a supposedly glamorous life of fame, but they knew the real her. And something isn’t right. So Lulu’s friends take it upon themselves to find out what happened to her, and how she ended back up in Chinatown. But if their instincts are correct, and Lulu was murdered, that means a killer is still out there. And they are putting a big target on their backs by seeking answers.

Backlist bump: The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

First Light (Night’s Edge, #2) by Liz Kerin

This is the sequel to one of my favorite vampire novels of the last few years! The first book was Night’s Edge, and it’s a great short and nasty vampire tale, with a very 1980s-vampire novel feel. I’m not going to spoil anything here by telling you about First Light, but I will tell you a bit about the first book. It involves a young woman named Mia. In this world, vampires are real, and they are registered and regulated by the government. Meaning, they’re locked away. Mia’s mother Izzy was turned into a vampire when Mia was young, and she has grown up helping her hide mother her vampirism from the world. But this means that Mia never left home, never had friends over, never got to have a life of her own. And her mother isn’t even that grateful, as her condition makes her frequently aggressive and unpleasant to live with. Then, Mia meets a young woman who has her questioning her dedication to her mother and her own lack of a social life. Can Mia find happiness out in the daylight, or will she spend her life at her mother’s side in darkness?

Backlist bump: Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin

This week, I am reading Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham and We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado. I am two seasons into rewatching The X-Files for the twelfth time. And by “watch” I mean “leave on in the background while I do work.” It has been a few years since I rewatched it, and I feel like I have a new appreciation of it. The last few times, I have been very critical of it. But while it certainly has its flaws, this time I am struck anew by how creepy and messed up it is. (Related: Did you know that before he took on college students cheating Las Vegas and the creation of Facebook, Ben Mezrich wrote an X-Files tie-in novel?) The song stuck in my head this week is “My Home is the Sea” by Bonnie Prince Billy. And here is your weekly cat picture: Look at this little orange soda jerk. (Related: Do people even know what a soda jerk is anymore?)

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

“Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.”—Diane Duane

The Kids Are All Right

Financial Literacy, Golems, And More Great Kids’ Books!

Post author By Margaret Kingsbury
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! It’s hard to believe May is just around the corner, though Nashville’s record-breaking heat this month sure does make it seem like it’s almost summer! My daughter only has a month left of kindergarten, which just seems impossible.

Today, I review four books for Financial Literacy Month as well as two excellent new releases.

Bookish Goods

Anne of Green Gables Wallet by WellReadCompany

I love it when I can find the perfect bookish item for the newsletter’s theme. This one is a little coin wallet based on Anne of Green Gables. $19

New Releases

Too Many Golems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Maya Shleifer

This is such a fun Jewish picture book retelling the legend “The Rabbi Loew and His Golem.” A rabbi’s son, Abi, has a tendency to get into trouble. He takes a bagel from a store without paying, he says a bad word in Hebrew school, and, worst of all, he takes an old scroll from the synagogue’s basement to practice his Hebrew at home. As he chants and sings the words on the scroll again and again, something rather terrible happens — he calls ten golems to his house! He serves them kindly as strangers and learns they need to help him with something. He enlists their help with Hebrew. This is a really charming and fun read. Yolen describes the original legend that inspired the book at the end.

The Door Is Open edited by Hena Khan

I love all the themed middle grade anthologies that have been released lately. These 11 interconnected short stories center South Asian American experiences at a community center in the fictional town of Maple Grove, New Jersey. Authors include Aisha Saeed, Rajani LaRocca, Veera Hiranandani, Mitali Perkins, and more. It’s a delightful anthology.

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

Riot Recommendations

Did you know April is National Financial Literacy Month? I thought I would round up four newer children’s books that address financial literacy.

Rebel Girls Money Matters: A Guide to Saving, Spending, and Everything in Between by Alexa von Tobel, illustrated by Morgan Goble

I love the Rebel Girls series, and their newest middle grade release is a nonfiction that addresses financial literacy. Alexa von Tobel, who is the founder and CEO of LearnVest.com, a personal finance website, addresses a range of topics: savings accounts, starting a business, budgeting, credit cards, and more. The illustrations and short chapters make this really accessible and a great conversation starter, too. I needed this as a kid!

Gigi Shin Is Not a Nerd by Lyla Lee

This is the first book in a new middle grade series about a young artist who decides to start her own business. Gigi wants to raise money to go to an art summer camp, but her immigrant parents can’t afford it, and she doesn’t think they would approve. They want her to focus more on her academic studies. She and her friends decide to start a tutoring business to help younger kids with math and raise money. But it’s hard to run a business and keep up with art, school, and friends! This is a charming, relatable novel. I’m looking forward to reading more in the series!

Dollars to Doughnuts: Birthday Bling by Catherine Daly, illustrated by Genevieve Kote

This is the first book in a new early fictional chapter book series centering financial literacy. It’s Lucy’s birthday, and she receives a card from an aunt as a gift. She and her best friend Julian have noticed another wealthier girl at school who has a card her parents gave her who buys fun things with it — like a glittery sweater that Lucy loves. Lucy decides to buy the same sweater with her card, but it’s too expensive. Lucy and Julian ask their babysitter to explain the difference in cards, and they learn the difference between debit cards, credit cards, and gift cards. The second book, Batter Splatter, has Julian setting a budget for a bake sale to raise money for a school banner. These are really fun and informative reads for ages 6-9 ish.

A Dollar’s Grand Dream by Kimberly Wilson, illustrated by Mark Hoffmann

This is a really funny picture book told from the perspective of a one-dollar bill named Big Bill. Bill is enjoying his life of constant use when he meets a one hundred dollar bill, who makes Bill a bit jealous. He makes a wish on Penny for more zeroes and becomes a one thousand dollar bill! But it turns out that the life of luxury is kind of boring. Also check out Wilson’s equally delightful A Penny’s Worth.

My daughter goes through phases where she becomes super into different cat characters. Lately, it’s been the cat from Kitten Ninja, a precursor to the Cat Ninja books (which she’s also been reading). She asked if I could turn one of her stuffed animals into Kitten Ninja, and with a some extremely rudimentary sewing skills and scrap fabric, I was able to come up with this iteration of Kitten Ninja! She’s been sleeping with him every night.

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