Holy cats! I don’t know about where you live, but the weather has finally turned warm and lovely here in Maine – it’s perfect for reading! And there are so many good books out today, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it. YAY, NATURE! YAY, BOOKS! I have a few great books to tell you about today, and you can hear about more wonderful books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few awesome books we loved, including Locking Up Our Own, How to be Married, and Imagine Wanting Only This. And exciting news: One of my very favorites from last year, One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood, is out in paperback today!
This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Post Grad by Caroline Kitchener.
What really happens in the first year out of college? When Caroline Kitchener graduated from Princeton, she began shadowing four of her female classmates, interviewing them as they started to navigate the murky waters of post-collegiate life. Weaving together her own experience as a writer with the experiences of these other women—a documentarian, a singer, a programmer, and an aspiring doctor—Kitchener delves deeply into the personal and professional opportunities offered to female college graduates, and how the world perceives them.
The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam
A gorgeous, sad novel about love and secrets set in Pakistan. A widow, who is being pressured to forgive her husband’s killer, must also fear that her secrets will be shared with the town, when someone starts broadcasting people’s secrets from the minaret of the local mosque. When the speaker reveals a forbidden romance, chaos erupts in the community. This is a fantastic book about religious intolerance and the resilience of the human spirit.
Backlist bump: The Blind Man’s Garden by Nadeem Aslam
The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch
A speculative fiction reimagining of the life of Joan of Arc, set in the near future. Earth is a toxic nuclear wasteland, so its inhabitants have had to leave the planet. Still in the midst of war and chaos, one woman will rise to lead a rebellion to overthrow the oppressors and seal the destiny of mankind. This is a wonderful, wildly imaginative book about gender, love, and war.
Backlist bump: Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch) by Ann Leckie
Entropy in Bloom: Stories by Jeremy Robert Johnson
If you’re like me, and you love scary/gross stories, this is the perfect book for you, now available for the first time in hardcover and featuring a never-before published novella! Johnson infuses his stories with equal amounts of compelling and disturbing, to make up a fun batch of horror that will have you eewing and aahing. Sit back and enjoy the ride as people take things that aren’t theirs, pierce things they shouldn’t, and a whole lot more!
Backlist bump: Skullcrack City by Jeremy Robert Johnson
Ararat by Christopher Golden
When an earthquake reveals a hidden cave, two daring adventurers think they have found the rumored location of Noah’s Ark and their shot at fame and notoriety. But the team of explorers that go in search of the Ark are not prepared for the horrifying horned creature that awaits them inside of the mountain. And as a blizzard cuts off their escape, they must use their wits to stay alive. Monsters + religious history + adventure = FUN.
Backlist bump: Snowblind by Christopher Golden
The Lights by Brian McGreevy
Another wonderful title from Rare Bird Books! The creator of Hemlock Grove returns with an intense look at people behaving badly. When Lena sets off for school in Austin, she thinks she has a new life on the gifted path of higher learning ahead of her. But she quickly learns that you can’t leave your problems behind, and The Lights reveals itself as a study of how people in close quarters behave much like animals, and how romance and love can lead to destruction. A wild read!
Backlist bump: Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy
YAY, BOOKS! That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! As always, it has been a delight to share recommendations with you. And if you want to hear more about books, old and new, you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!
Liberty