Sponsored by Del Rey.
From Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes Velvet was the Night, a stylish noir about crime, passion, and murder set against the backdrop of protest and political drama in 1970s Mexico. When the neighbor of a daydreaming secretary disappears under suspicious circumstances, she finds herself searching for the missing woman, meeting up with a lonesome gangster, and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents. Kirkus calls Velvet was the Night “a noir masterpiece.”
Happy Tuesday, book lovers! Who is excited for new books? *raises arms and gesticulates wildly* It is a five-Tuesday month this month, which means a whole extra day of new releases! In today’s exciting releases by Book Rioter’s favorite authors, there’s a new Stephen Graham Jones (which you can hear about on today’s All the Books!) a new Rachel Howzell Hall, and a new Helen Hoang! And The Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins has a new book called A Slow Fire Burning.
And speaking of today’s great books, for this week’s episode of All the Books! Patricia and I discussed some of the wonderful books that we’ve read, such as My Heart is a Chainsaw, Fast Pitch, Revelator, and more.
And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:
In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu
This is a wildly imaginative Asian-inspired novella set in the future. In the city of Ora, the citizens are watched over by a complex living network called the Gleaming and cloistered extrasensory humans. When a stranger comes to Ora, Anima, one of those extrasensory humans, discovers there’s a whole wide world of wonders outside of Ora. Is the city keeping its citizens safe by hiding things from them? What is the point of the Gleaming, if it hinders as much as it helps?
CW for on-page suicide and self-harm.
Backlist bump: The Tensorate Series by Neon Yang
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
The third book in the Kiss Quotient series is finally here! After violinist Anna Sun’s longterm boyfriend tells her he wants an open relationship, she decides she’s going to pursue other partners as well. Anna is already stressed from new-found fame, and she thinks maybe a series of one-night stands might be just what she needs to let off some steam. When she decides tattooed bad boy Quan Diep will be perfect for the job, their attempts at casual sex keep failing, possibly because they subconsciously realize they both deserve more. And when tragedy strikes in Anna’s life, she’ll learn who really has her back. This is a heavier book than the first two in the series, but it’s still full of heart, charm, and emotional depth, and—of course—sexy times. And like most romance series, you don’t have to have read previous books to enjoy this one.
CW for illness, loss of a loved one, bullying, suicidal ideation, and emotional abuse.
Backlist bump: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson
A shy librarian is forced to find her voice when the library where she works is threatened with closure. June Jones has been happily hiding behind the stacks in the library in the small English village where she grew up. And she’s sure this is where she’ll always stay, having taken the role after the loss of the town’s previous librarian, June’s mother. But when it looks like the library might be shut down, June realizes she’s going to have to fight to keep the library open. Helping June is her old school friend, Alex, who is now a lawyer, and is happy to help June fight the closure. Especially since he’s soooooo into her. This is a charming ode to books and book lovers, as well as a sweet story with some good chuckles about standing up for what you believe in.
CW for illness and loss of a loved one.
Backlist bump: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
On your mark…get set…add to your TBR!
The Caretakers by Amanda Bestor-Siegal
This is going to be one of the big book club books of 2022. I cannot stress enough how bewitching I found this brilliantly plotted novel about au pairs in Paris. If you enjoyed Big Little Lies, you will doubly love this novel! At the beginning of the book, we learn that a child has died and his au pair has been arrested. But what really happened? The story then goes back in time with several different characters over the course of a few months, as well as diving deep into their pasts. And as we hear from one character after another, we get a sense of events from several perspectives.
This isn’t a thriller, or even really a mystery novel. It is an intricate tale of six women searching for happiness and love, and working hard for their families and to achieve their dreams. Some are running from their past, some are trying to find their way, and some are stuck in the present. We hear from three au pairs, as well as the mother of the child who died, his older sister, and the woman who teaches French to the au pairs. It’s an absolutely stunning debut novel about class and identity, and so expertly executed. It’s devastating and captivating.
CW for chemical use and abuse, illness, loss of a loved one, infidelity, partner abuse, terrorist violence, vehicular accident and injuries, suicidal thoughts, child endangerment and death.
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This week: I’m currently reading Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi and I’ve moved on to The Long Walk in my Stephen King reread. Outside of books, I’m enjoying the latest episodes of Ted Lasso (Roy Kent is the BEST and that phone gag might be the best thing I’ve seen in a long time), and the song stuck in my head is Camel Walk by Southern Culture on the Skids. And as promised, here is a cat picture! One giant bowl of Zevon, coming right up!
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. And yay, books! – XO, Liberty ❤️