Riot New Media – Newsletters

On the Radio: New YA Books and YA Radio-Themed Reads, August 15, 2022

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date August 15, 2022

Sponsored by

Hey YA Readers!

I’m kind of blown away that school is starting here already. It feels like summer just began and the school year is getting earlier and earlier — know for some folks, it begins even earlier than mid-August, but I don’t remember ever going back before, say, August 20 or so. Those of you preparing for the new year, whether as a student, educator, librarian, or parent, here’s to the best start you can hope for.

…and, of course, that you’re able to carve out valuable reading time.

Bookish Goods

Read Poster by Musable Prints

This cute Read poster featuring plenty of plants and books is one you can download and print to fit anywhere you’re looking for a little bookishness.

New Releases

Let’s look at two hardcover books hitting shelves this week. You can find the rest of this week’s new releases in the summer 2022 YA book release roundup.

the feeling of falling in love book cover

The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver

This is a queer grumpy-sunshine romance, wherein a date drafted for a wedding on the other side of a country ends up falling apart before it begins, and when Neil drafts a new date last-minute, it may be more than simply a date to the wedding. It might be something much more fiery.

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz

The lineup for this anthology is out of this world good, which doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the theme: Latin American monster stories! The collection is cross-genre and features something for every kind of reader, exploring the different shapes and stories behind monsters we know — and ones that may be new to us.

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

Riot Recommendations

Saturday this week is “National Radio Day,” celebrating the innovation of radio. It’s held every year on August 20. We know radio might be an antiquated medium, especially for younger people (I count my not-too-far-from-40 self in that), but radio helped lead the way to podcasts and other similar voice-focused story telling.

Let’s take a look at a few YA books where radio/podcasts play a role.

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

Prince Jones is 17, and he dreams of becoming a DJ and falling in love. He’s scored a segment on Detroit’s popular hip hop show “Love Radio,” where he shares love advice. In addition to pursuing those dreams and rocking his show, Prince is caretaker of his mother who has multiple sclerosis. Romance for him is a bit on the back burner…until he meets Dani Ford. Dani is passionate about getting good grades and making her way to New York City to pursue a career as an author. She gives Prince just three chances to convince her they’re meant to be. He won’t be wasting it.

Note: the ebook is on sale right now for $1.99 if you haven’t snagged it.

Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

Nina signs up for a radio broadcast class in high school thinking it is going to be an easy A. But it turns into a complete mess as the radio team she’s a part of has nothing in common. In addition to the show being anything but good, internet rumors are threatening to make the show a million times worse and Nina is caught up in some struggles at home.

Publishers Weekly called it a “bittersweet comedy of errors,” and I’m sad I haven’t picked it up yet!

Lethal Lit: Murder of Crows by K. Ancrum

This novel is inspired by the “Lethal Lit” podcast that really exists and takes place between seasons one and two. I kind of love that the books can introduce readers to the podcast and vice versa.

Tig Torres is a Cuban American teen detective in Hollow Falls, and in the first season of the podcast, tracks down a serial killer who stages their murders after scenes in famous books (thus dubbed the “Lit Killer”). This book follows as an armchair group Murder of Crows, who are obsessed with the dark history of Hollow Falls, as they attempt to unearth the dead body of the town’s founder.

Unfortunately for them, they end up dead themselves and Tig, along with her friends, are now on the case.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

This stand alone read from the author behind the phenomenon Heartstopper follows Frances, who always keeps her head down, working hard to get good grades. A guilty secret can’t derail her…until she meets Aled, the person behind her favorite podcast who begins to help crack open the real Frances. So once Aled’s podcast goes viral, now Frances finds herself in a position to be true to who she is and confess her secret or shut down further and miss the opportunity for true connection.

You can grab more titles at this nice little list focused on YA books with podcasts at the Arapahoe Public Library (note that their list is very white). Another great title to add to this collection is the backlist gem How To Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford.

I’ve got a little Regina Spektor stuck in my head now.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again later this week with your paperback releases.

Until then, happy reading!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter.

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Patricia Elzie
Post date August 15, 2022

Sponsored by

Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that should absolutely be put at the top of your TBR pile. Recommended books will vary across genre and age category and include shiny new books, older books you may have missed, and some classics I suggest finally getting around to. Make space for another pile of books on your floor because here we go!

Today’s pick is historical fiction about an actual person that I think book-lovers should know about. I am ashamed, as a person who is Black and a librarian, that I had never heard of this woman and I am desperate to know more.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Belle Marion Greener was a Black woman and J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian. Belle was very light-skinned and passed as white. She went by Belle da Costa Greene, saying the da Costa was from a Portuguese grandmother of hers, which is why she was slightly olive-skinned.

Belle’s mother and siblings were also very light-skinned. Her father was too, but he was a prominent Black man, Harvard University’s first Black student and Black graduate, and an attorney who was dean of the Howard University School of Law. He fought loudly and openly for equal rights for Black people. He’s also the one who gave Belle an appreciation for books and fine art. Belle’s mother, Genevieve, had different ideas. She decided that she and the children would pass as white to gain access to things they could not if they stayed being perceived as Black. They moved up to New York (they were from Washington, D.C.) and Belle’s parents, having very different views on what was best for them and the children, separated from each other.

Belle got a job as a librarian at Princeton University, where she met and intellectually dazzled the nephew of J. P. Morgan. J. P. Morgan already had an extensive rare books collection and had a library built to house the collection he had in hand as well as to supply a place for the collection to grow. His nephew insisted he interview Belle to be the librarian.

Needless to say, she got the job and was thrust into the world of fine art auctions and rare book dealers, which was at the time, for the most part, the realm of men. Not only was she so incredibly careful with every single thing she did so that people would not find out her true heritage, but she was also trying to make a name for herself in a world where the expectations and respect for women were so incredibly low.

The book is full of extravagance and secrets. There’s definitely some anti-Semitism and racism, so be aware of that. I really loved this book. Belle is an absolute force to be reckoned with. There’s a great historical note at the end where the authors talk about where some of the largest liberties were taken and I appreciate that.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

That’s it for now, book-lovers!

Patricia

Find me on Book Riot, the All the Books podcast, Twitter, and Instagram.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

Today In Books

Meet the Teens Fighting Book Bans with Banned Book Clubs: Today in Books

Post author By Caitlin Brehm
Post date August 14, 2022

Sponsored by A PASSION MOST PURE, available now on Kindle Unlimited

Meet the Teens Fighting Book Bans with Banned Book Clubs

In response to the Leander Independent School District’s Community Curriculum Advisory Committee in in Austin, Texas banning over 15 books, two students at Vandegrift High School, Ella Scott and Alyssa Hoy, have founded the Vandegrift Banned Book Club. Arguing that although the committee claims these books contain material that can be harmful, students actually actually need to be able to read and discuss the themes in these books in order to prepare to address these issues in adulthood, the book club meets in the school library once per month to choose books from the district’s list of currently banned books and discuss how the themes from each book connect to students’ lives, why the book was banned, and how that ban affects students. Book club members then prepare a statement together arguing for the book’s reinstatement.

School Librarians in Missouri Pull Books as New Law Allows Charges for ‘Explicit’ Material

School librarians are now facing the potential of criminal charges for not pulling books from shelves under a new state law going into effect on August 28 which bans “explicit sexual material,” defining explicit sexual material as any visual (not written word) depiction of sex acts or genitalia, with exceptions for artistic or scientific significance. Defying this law is considered a class A misdemeanor, carrying a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of $2,000.

San Antonio’s North East ISD Banned More Books Than Any Other Texas School District

San Antonio’s North East ISD lead the state in reviewing whether or not books are appropriate for students, reviewed 431 books and removing 119 of those. 1,057 of these book reviews took place during the 2021-2022 school year after conservative Texas Rep. Matt Krause demanded that districts review the books on a list of 850 titles he circulated, claiming the reading material “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish.”

Back to School 2022: 10 of the Best Picture Books to Read on the First Day of School

Whether you are a caregiver preparing a child or an educator preparing a learning environment, here are some back-to-school picture books to transition from summer to school and ease some nerves about the school year.

Bookish Goods

Bookish Good of the Week: August 14, 2022

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date August 14, 2022

Minimalist Wall Art by ALCANDESIGNPROJECT

This set comes with three minimalist reading figures and is great for those of us who want a little something, but not too much. $40+ depending on dimensions.

Today In Books

Elizabeth Taylor Gets Her First-Ever Authorized Biography: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date August 13, 2022

Sponsored by Libby, the library reading app from OverDrive

Emily Henry’s Happy Place Cover Revealed on GMA

Earlier this week, GMA revealed the cover of Emily Henry’s highly anticipated upcoming novel Happy Place. The romcom book tells the story of a couple that breaks up, but they don’t tell their friends for months. So when it’s time to go on their annual vacation with their friend group, they have to pretend to still be together. Happy Place comes out in April 2023.

Elizabeth Taylor Gets Her First-Ever Authorized Biography

Entertainment Weekly has debuted the cover of Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon by Kate Andersen Brower. This is the first biography to tell the actress’ story with the full cooperation of the Trustees of her estate: Barbara Berkowitz, Tim Mendelson, and Quinn Tivey. “We are proud to announce the first-ever, authorized written biography about Elizabeth,” said the estate in a statement. “Because she was the most famous woman in the world, everyone thinks they know her. We can assure you that they don’t. Kate Andersen Brower will lean into her journalistic background and curiosity to delight readers and introduce them to an Elizabeth only those closest to her knew.” The biography hits shelves on December 6th.

Michael K. Williams’ Posthumous Memoir Details Fight That Led to His Facial Scar

In Michael K. Williams’ upcoming posthumous memoir, the actor shares details about the fight that led to his facial scar. It all happened one night at a club in Queens when Williams was out celebrating his 25th birthday. In an attack outside the club, Williams was cut across the face with a knife. Eventually, “the cut healed into one big swollen line and I never felt more ugly,” he writes. But in the world of acting, his scar made him stand out. “Strangers would stop me on the street and say they found my scars striking. I began to get gigs in music videos, not even to dance,” Williams writes in his memoir. “I guess the scar gave me an ‘edge.’ It made me look like the tough guy I wasn’t.” Williams’ memoir Scenes from My Life is available everywhere books are sold on August 23rd.

What the Heck is Going on with DC and Warner Bros.?

It has been a bad week for Warner Brothers and DC when it comes to their upcoming releases. Here’s the rundown.

Kissing Books

Embrace the Clinch

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date August 12, 2022

Sponsored by

Hey y’all and welcome (back) to the Kissing Books newsletter. I hope that the weekend was kind to you and was as productive, or unproductive, as you wanted it to be. I spent a lot of last week clearing off the dining room table, which had become the furniture equivalent to a junk drawer, so that there would be another surface to work on laptops and, oh I don’t know, maybe eat on. Crazy thought, that.

I also used this surprise but not unwelcome energy to go through a mini-purge and get rid of a lot of other unnecessary things including some books I will never read or re-read. So, all in all I’m satisfied with the last few days.

Enough chit-chat; let’s move on to the rest of the newsletter.

Bookish Goods

Gothic Manor Candle by BriarWick

I’ve mentioned before that I love a pleasant smelling candle. I always have, but I recently got back into buying and burning them again since I’m very much in a “treat yourself” mentality after the last couple of years. And the combination of these three scents are sure to stir up images of a Gothic domicile. $5.00+

New Releases

For You I Will by Cheryl Barton

After years of being unhappily married, Kasey has had enough and files for divorce. When her ex-husband threatens to take her to court for sole custody if she doesn’t take him back, she turns to attorney Darren for help. While they both know they need to keep their minds on the task at hand, they also are unable to deny their mutual attraction as it draws them closer to one another.

Breakaway by E.M. Lindsey

Between the constantly bloodthirsty press and the public eye, Ravi is not having much luck overcoming a past mistake. Even worse is that his community service is being supervised by professional figure skater Adrien, who seems to despise the very air Ravi breathes. However, despite what he says, Adrien seems to be drawn to Ravi until both men are forced to admit their connection and have to focus on what to do about it.

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

Riot Recommendations

Apart from whether or not a romance needs an HEA (it does), another discourse that regularly makes the rounds in the romance world is whether or not there should be, *gasp*, half-nekkid people on the cover. And it grates oh so many levels because, at its core, it’s driven by the toxic purity culture that the U.S. thrives on.

Now, look, on the one hand I do get it; there is a certain stigma and assumption people make when they see you reading a romance novel with a clinch cover. That’s a topic for another time. But this cry for covers to stop doing it entirely is what sets me off, since not everyone feels this way. You want flowers, benches, and beaches on the covers of your romances? Have at it and do you. Just don’t presume to speak on what others want on the covers.

As I said above, I’m all for it, which leads to the recommendations I have for today; some of my favorite clinch covers where I also happen to enjoy the story.

Tall, Dark, & Deadly by Kharma Kelley

I had the fortune of seeing this author speak in person a few years ago at my library’s Romance Social and snagged a few of her books after. This was one of them, a cover which was gleefully referred to as the NSFW cover. My friend opted to get the milder version while me, chaos demon that I am, went for this one. When you factor in the story is about vampires, shifters, and other paranormal creatures in a paranormal world that exists alongside ours? It’s winning all around. And Kelley has a wonderful sense of humor in her novels that is always welcome.

Tender Rebel by Johanna Lindsey

Yes, I did have to do some internet sleuthing for this specific cover, since the current edition is much tamer. But look at this clinch and all that hair!! I love it. This is a delightful addition to the Malory series, which is the series that most people know this author for. Plus, I love a reformed rake story and Tony stands out amongst his peers since he purposefully stepped away from that life when he decided to marry Roslynn. You have to read it to find out more on the why and how. Also bear in mind this is “old school’ romance and, while it is arguably better than some of its peers content wise, there may still be some CW to be mindful of.

Speaking of clinch covers, I am confident I’ve mentioned the Daily Clinch Twitter account before, but if not, you really should check it out. All the throwback stepbacks can be found there.

I’m already on pins and needles waiting for this conversation between Rebekah Weatherspoon and Beverly Jenkins!!!

The latest Trope Tuesday from Love’s Sweet Arrow was all about those Stern Brunch Daddy vibes.

Good news for fans of The Spanish Love Deception; it’s going to be made into a movie.

Here is a list of some Persuasion read-a-likes, if you’re in the market for that.

And that’s all I have for you today. I’ll be back Thursday with a fresh newsletter for you. In the meantime, I can be found posting over on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until then, happy reading and stay hydrated!

The Fright Stuff

Hi Ho, Scary Books! Away!

Post author By Jessica Avery
Post date August 12, 2022

Sponsored by

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

Welcome to another week of horror goodness, I hope your weekend treated you well, and that Monday finds you hydrated and ready to haunt. I’ve got some lovelies for you this week, from a beautiful bit of classic horror to bedeck your walls, to a creepy new middle grade haunted house story, to some wild and weird westerns to fill out your end of summer TBR.
So let’s get scary.

Bookish Goods

Dracula Literary Print by BeyondtheShelfShop

I love gorgeous prints, but I also have to confess that I’m in desperate need of wall art so you’ll probably be seeing a lot of horror-themed prints in the near future. Of all the classic horror novels, Dracula has to be my favorite. There’s something so compelling about Stoker’s novel even after 125 years. This subtle print on cream, with its beautiful Gothic illustration and accompanying quote from the novel, comes in a variety of sizes and multiple finishing options.

$16–$100 depending on size and material choices.

New Releases

This Appearing House by Ally Malinenko

I can already tell that Malinenko’s new middle grade horror is going to be one of those books that hits you right in the heart. It’s about a strange house that appears suddenly at the far end of a dead end road, and the young girl who finds her way inside. Jac’s only days away from the five year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis — only days away from finding out if she’s finally in the clear — when the mysterious house appears at the end of Juniper Drive. After a classmate dares Jac and her friend Hazel to enter the house, the girls find themselves trapped inside and it quickly becomes clear that, though she might not yet know what it wants, the house is there for Jac. And whatever it wants, it’s determined to get before Jac and Hazel can find their way out again.

Anybody Home? by Michael J. Seidlinger

I am both intrigued by and terrified to read this book. I’ve seen amazing reviews from some of the biggest voices in the horror community, so there’s no doubt that this is going to be harrowing at the very least. Told from the perspective of a seasoned home invader recounting their own dark deeds while also trying to tutor the next generation of would-be criminals, the POV of Anybody Home? is a really disconcerting headspace to sink yourself into for the length of an entire book. And we’re all familiar with the home as a common and meaningful setting in horror, and with the violation of the home as a trope in a variety of forms from physical invasion to demonic infestation. But from everything I’ve heard, it sounds like Seidlinger has taken that feeling of violation and lack of safety and made it the heart of an entire book. Hello paranoia, my old friend.

Also, I think certain content warnings are kind of a given, considering the topic, so as always: readers proceed with caution.

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

Riot Recommendations

The Magpie Coffin by Wile E. Young

So first of all, a quick plug for the publisher here, because The Magpie Coffin is actually one of a whole series of splatter westerns by Death Head’s Press, and they all have these gorgeously graphic, pulp-esque covers. Now splatter horror isn’t always my thing, but some stories just wouldn’t be the same without simply massive quantities of blood and gore. The Magpie Coffin is a historical horror western set in 1875 about outlaw Salem Covington, whose wartime exploits have earned him the nickname The Black Magpie. When his mentor is murdered, Salem vows to take revenge and sets out to find Dead Bear’s killers. Revenge is a classic trope of the western genre, and Salem’s is a particularly brutal, violent quest for vengeance.

A Book of Tongues by Gemma Files

This next book is a bit of a genre blend — which of course I love. Gemma Files A Book of Tongues is the first in the Hexslinger series, and a historical western that also blends in elements of horror and fantasy. And it’s queer, which is always a plus! In an alternative post-Civil War America, the outlaws of the West work dangerous magics, and one — Rook, a “hexslinger” — has come up with a desperate plan to unleash a pantheon of sleeping, bloodthirsty gods through whatever bloody means necessary. Hidden among Rook’s men is Ed Morrow, a Pinkerton in disguise whose mission is to discover the degree of Rooks power. He finds himself forced to team up with Rook’s lover and second-in-command, Chess, if he hopes to stand a chance of surviving whatever Rook has planned for himself, for Chess, and for the world.

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

This week’s last recommendation is another blend of genres, mixing elements of horror, sci-fi, and the western. The Good Luck Girls is set in the fictional country of Arketta, rather than the American West, but its roots are undeniable. It combines familiar genre tropes to create a story about a group of outlaws on the run, in pursuit of freedom, justice, and vengeance that is quintessentially western. The Good Luck Girls were sold as children to a “welcome house” where they were branded with cursed markings and destined for a life of prostitution, but when one of their number murders a man, the girls risk escape for a chance to finally be free.

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

Publishers Weekly has a Q&A with author Katherine Arden to celebrate the release of Empty Smiles, the final book in her middle grade horror quartet, Small Spaces.

Gwendolyn Kiste will be on the Talking Scared Podcast on the 23rd of this month for a conversation about intertextuality (my favorite thing), vampires (also my favorite), hippies, and more!

Speaking of podcasts, Gemma Files sat down with the Losers Club Podcast to talk all things found footage, haunted temporary spaces, and Cliver Barker.

As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Book Radar

Emily Henry’s Next Book is for Fans of the Fake Dating Trope and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date August 12, 2022

Sponsored by

Dear Book Friends,

Welcome back to another fantastic Book Radar Monday. I’m your host, Emily, here will all the book news, hot gossip, and general book randomness you’ve come to expect from this here newsletter. As always, the cats are here too and they say hello. Yes, I am currently surrounded by cats. I’m nothing if not a complete parody of myself. Anyway! Let’s do the book thing.

Book Deals and Reveals

Jennette McCurdy’s memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died came out last Tuesday and sold out on Amazon, Target, and Barnes & Noble in the same day. If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, find it, friends! It was so good.

GMA revealed the cover of Emily Henry’s forthcoming book Happy Place. If you’re a fan of the fake relationship trope, this one’s for you and it’s out in April of next year.

BOOM! Studios is giving comic fans a first look at R.L. Stine’s upcoming comic series Stuff Of Nightmares #1. This four-issue limited series will be a fresh take on iconic horror creatures and will feature art by A.L. Kaplan (Maw, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller), colors by Roman Titov (Eat the Rich), and letters by Jim Campbell (Black Badge). The first volume will be available this fall.

And Penguin Teen as got a cover reveal for an exciting new YA romcom, Last Chance Dance by Lakita Wilson. Coming February, 2023!

More fake dating. More YA romance. Here’s the cover reveal for Amanda Woody’s debut novel They Hate Each Other, out May 9, 2023, from Penguin Teen.

Here’s the cover reveal of Simon Curtis’ debut graphic novel, The Witches of Silverlake, with artwork by Stephanie Son.

Kalena Miller’s middle grade novel Shannon in the Spotlight is about OCD, messy friendships, and musical theatre. It’s out on April 25, 2023, and here’s the cover reveal!

Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry will be starring in the Apple TV drama series Sinking Spring, an eight-episode drug ring drama based on Dennis Tafoya’s book Dope Thief.

The family of the late Shirley Jackson has authorized a novel inspired by The Haunting of Hill House. This is the first time the estate has approved an original narrative based on Jackson’s work. Elizabeth Hand’s A Haunting on the Hill is scheduled for a fall 2023 release.

The adaptation of Zakiya Dalila Harris’s The Other Black Girl has officially nabbed a series order at Hulu.

Ayesha Curry has signed a deal with upstart book publishing company Zando to publish books under the Sweet July Books imprint.

Book Riot Recommends

I’m a Contributing Editor at Book Riot, I write the Today in Books newsletter, and I’m a Bibliologist for Book Riot’s Tailored Book Recommendations subscription service. I also have a PhD in English, so I’m basically a doctor of books. Books are my life, in other words, so in this section of the newsletter, let me share with you some upcoming books I’m super excited about. And I think you will be too!

Prepare Your Shelves!

Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory (Berkley, September 20)

Jasmine Guillory’s work is well-known and well-loved at this point, so she probably needs no introduction. And she certainly doesn’t need my help selling this book, because this is surely going to be a favorite when it comes out. Still, I can’t help but tell you to get excited about it, just in case you missed the memo on Jasmine Guillory. Or in case you didn’t know she had a new one coming out.

And just a little note on the cover. As much as I’ve been digging the cute cartoony romance novel covers that have been all the rage for the past several years, I do enjoy that this one is doing something a little different. Like, it’s sexy, right?

Okay, but onto what’s inside the book. Drunk on Love is set in Napa Valley wine country. Margot Noble and her brother run the family winery and, phew, it’s a lot of pressure. Enter Luke Williams. Luke has recently quit his high-salary tech job in Silicon Valley and moved to Napa to help a friend out at his winery. When he first rolls into wine country, he has a hot one-night stand, only to find out the next day that the woman he thought he’d never see again is actually his new boss…Margot. Despite the chemistry between them, Margot is determined to keep things professional. But the attraction on both sides is hard to deny.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

What I’m Reading This Week

The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones

We Spread by Ian Reid

You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

Monday Memes

So I’m not in school anymore. And even when I was in school, I haaaated the summer and couldn’t wait to get back into the routine of fall. I love the cool fall weather. I love the academia vibes. I love, love, love scary movies on TV and creepy books on our TBR. And yes, I also love football season. So I can’t say I fully identify with this meme, but I couldn’t NOT share a book-related Our Flag Means Death Meme. So here it is for those of you who are sad about going back to school.

And for us fall kings/queens/non-binary royalty, here’s one for you. Y’all know what’s up. Counting down the days!

And Here’s a Cat Picture!

We bought some new furniture for the new apartment, and hands down my favorite piece of furniture is this reading chair. It seems like I’m not the only one who loves the chair. Murray was getting comfortable in it this morning, and other kitties have taken their turn on the beloved chair as well. Hopefully they’ll make room for me tonight so I can read!

And with that, I hope you have a wonderful week, and we’ll talk Thursday, besties.

Emily

The Kids Are All Right

City Stories, a Library Book Nook, and More!

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date August 12, 2022

Sponsored by

Hey Kid Lit friends,

I am writing this newsletter in advance, because currently I am in the beautiful state of Maine either 1) hiking 2) hanging out with my kids 3) eating a lobster roll. At least, I hope I am. You never know what will happen these days that will disrupt the best laid plans, but I am going to be optimistic and continue writing this newsletter ahead of time in anticipation of my vacation.

Now for some new releases, a bookish good, and books about urban life!

Bookish Goods

Library Book Nook by BStylishCo

Have you seen these little book dioramas lately? They are so adorable, and I love the idea of having a little peek into a miniature magical space right on my bookshelf. $306

New Releases

Tumble by Celia C. Perez

When 12-year-old Adela “Addie” Ramírez finds a photo among her mom’s things, it leads her to a New Mexico ranch where she meets her paternal grandparents and former professional wrestlers as well as Manny, her biological father, who’s in the midst of a career comeback. Addie is thrilled to meet this family she never knew, but she soon discovers that family is much more complicated than she ever imagined.

50 Things to Do in the Urban Wild by Clare Gogerty

In keeping with today’s book theme of books about cities, check out this practical urban activity guide that teaches readers how to explore the wild land, waters and sky in the city with illustrated, step-by-step activities.

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

Riot Recommendations

Have lived in a major city for over half my life now, I have a deep appreciation for what urban life has to offer. Here are four picture books about cities or set in the city.

City Streets Are for People by Andrea Curtis, illustrated by Emma Fitzgerald

I love this book, which reimagines city streets as being places where public transportation is easy and cheap to access and where living in a city is sustainable, healthy, accessible, and safe. This is a great book for budding architects and urban designers.

Saturday by Oge Mora

A mom and her child are looking forward to spending a Saturday together in the city they call home, but when their carefully laid plans go awry it feels like everything is ruined. Can they salvage their special day?

The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Leo Espinosa

City streets come alive in the summer as kids spend the day outside jumping Double Dutch, opening the fire hydrants for a cool down, and chasing ice cream trucks.

Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael Lopez

A muralist arrives with a bucket of paint and brushes, and slowly a gray city transforms as color takes over. Based on the true story of the Urban Art Trail in San Diego, California, Maybe Something Beautiful reveals how art can inspire transformation

What are you reading these days? Let me know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.

Until next time,
Karina

Close up of a tri-color corgi's face. — Lalo loves getting up close to the camera 🙂

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Today In Books

Jennette McCurdy’s Memoir Sells Out One Day After Release: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date August 12, 2022

Oprah Daily Reveals the Cover of Mariana Enriquez’s Our Share of Night

Oprah Daily has revealed the cover of Mariana Enriquez’s upcoming novel Our Share of Night. Enriquez is the author of acclaimed short story collections Things We Lost in the Fire and The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. Her new novel, which hits shelves on February, is the first novel from the author to be translated in English.

Jennette McCurdy’s Memoir Sells Out One Day After Release

iCarly and Sam and Cat star Jennette McCurdy’s memoir sold out on Amazon, Target, and Barnes & Noble a day after its release. McCurdy’s memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died focuses on the author’s abusive mother and the manipulative, inappropriate treatment of child stars at Nickelodeon. Currently, the book is #4 on Amazon’s best-seller charts and #2 in memoirs.

Le Petit Nicolas Illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé Dies Aged 89

Jean-Jacques Sempé, the French cartoonist who illustrated the children’s book series Le Petit Nicolas and produced more covers for the New Yorker magazine than any other artist, has died aged 89. His wife, Martine Gossieaux Sempé, announced the death to Agence France-Presse. “Jean-Jacques Sempé had the elegance to always remain light and he had an eye for everything,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a tweet.

How to Find and Develop a Local Anti-Censorship Group

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