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A World-Saving Pickpocket, This Year’s Best YA, and More YA Book News and Talk: December 1, 2022

Hey YA Readers!

Welcome to December. Let’s dive right on in to this week’s new books and YA book news.

Bookish Goods

I'd Rather Be Reading sweatshirt

I’d Rather Be Reading Bookish Sweatshirt by AriellaSkyDesigns

Looking for the perfect ugly sweatshirt for your next holiday party (or because you like them)? This bookish take is perfect. $35 and up, sizes up to 5XL.

New Releases

You likely know the drill by now: usually on Thursdays, I highlight two new paperback releases. This week, and likely in future weeks through the end of the year, we’ll see fewer and fewer books hitting shelves, but more, we’ll see fewer paperbacks among them. Wrestling up two to talk about that aren’t titles within a series is challenging this week, so I’m sharing one paperback and one hardcover (that wasn’t shared on Monday).

You can grab the full list of paperback books out this week over here!

Note that you may need to toggle to the paperback edition of Master of One from the link.

master of one book cover

Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett

Described as Six of Crows meets The Cruel Prince, this fantasy adventure follows a pickpocket named Rags captured by a sorcerer who wants to take over the world. Rags is tasked with capturing ancient relics of the fae world…but come to find out, those “relics” are people. Rags and his newfound allies will need to work their magic in order to take down the sorcerer. Sinister sorcery + queer romance.

We Deserve Monuments cover

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

I try not to highlight titles here that are also being advertised in the newsletter — the more titles you get to know about the better — but this one sounds so good that it’s getting a shout out here, too.

Avery’s been forced to move from her home in DC to the home of her ailing grandmother in small town Bardell, Georgia. Avery’s mother and grandmother have a challenging relationship, but every time Avery tries to learn about why, she’s met with hostility herself. As Avery begins to befriend two locals, she starts to learn about the dark racist history of the community…and how her family is connected to it. She’s got to decide how much she pushes to learn about the secrets her family is suppressing and whether or not it’s worth upsetting the community. It’s a story about racism, trauma, coming out, and so much more.

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

YA Book News

With the slowdown in publishing, both in new books and book news, I hope you’re taking some time to get cozy and settle into that massive TBR. I know I am!

We’ll see you on Saturday with some rad YA book deals. Until then, happy reading!

— Kelly Jensen, currently reading The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros