Sponsored by Solaris, an imprint of Rebellion Publishing.
The highly anticipated sequel to Beneath the Rising, named one best SFF books of the year by The Washington Post. It’s been over a year since the Anomaly, when They tried to force their way into the world from the shapeless void. Nick Prasad is piecing his life together, and has joined the secretive Ssarati Society to help monitor threats to humanity—including his former friend Johnny. The unveiling of Johnny’s latest experiment sees more portals opened to Them, leaving her protesting her innocence even as the two of them are thrown together to fight the darkness once more…
Happy Tuesday, star bits! Can you believe all the exciting book news that has been announced in the last week??! Personally, I am most excited to hear that Elizabeth Acevedo is releasing her first novel for adults, that Knopf VP and editor Jenny Jackson has a novel coming (she has worked on some of my favorite books), AND that Hanya Yanagihara has a new novel coming in early January. These announcements had me dancing at my desk!
Moving on to books: I’m looking forward to a lot of today’s new releases and I hope that very soon I’ll be able to get my hands on Dustborn by Erin Bowman, Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner (I read and loved this but I want a finished copy!), and The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur.
And speaking of today’s great books, for this week’s episode of All the Books! Tirzah and I discussed some of the wonderful books that we’ve read, such as Witches Steeped in Gold, Girl, 11, and She Drives Me Crazy.
And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:
Goodbye, Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations by Jonny Sun
All of today’s picks are heartsqueezers! This is another wonderful collection of essays, stories, poems, and illustrations from the multitalented Sun. The book covers topics such as mental health, happiness, and what it means to belong with lots of heart and humor. This is a great book for you or to give as a gift—Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and graduation are all coming up, if you can believe it. (And for more inspiration, be sure to pick up the book Sun illustrated with Lin-Manuel Miranda called Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You.)
Backlist bump: Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too
Little Matches: A Memoir of Grief and Light by Maryanne O’Hara
This one will make you cry a lot, and that’s okay. But it’s really a celebration of the life of O’Hara’s daughter, Caitlin. Caitlin was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of two, and the doctors told her parents she wouldn’t live another year. Instead, she lived over another thirty years. O’Hara examines what it’s like to have a child with this kind of diagnosis, and the joy and sorrows of their life with their daughter. The book is also peppered with entries from Caitlin’s own writing, about her life and her illness. O’Hara also talks about all the ways she still feels Caitlin in the world. And as sad as this memoir sounds, this is an inspiring memoir too about joy and love.
Backlist bump: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker have been best friends for so long, they are almost like one person. They have all the same interests, including musical theater. And they have the same taste in boys, which is a problem when they both start crushing on Matt, who gets the lead in the musical opposite Kate. Kate thinks Matt might be feeling the same about her, but that would mean hurting her bestie Anderson, which she doesn’t want to do. And Anderson is beginning to suspect that Kate’s brother’s best friend, Noah, has joined the cast because he’s interested in Kate. This is a delightful comedy about the complications of high school relationships. It’s a hilarious love letter to theater lovers and it’s full of so much heart about staying true to your friends and yourself.
Backlist bump: What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! I am wishing the best for all of you in whatever situation you find yourself in now. – XO, Liberty