Happy Tuesday, shipmates — and happy Boxing Day, at that. I wish you luck in whatever boxing (I guess???) you take part in to blow off the post-holiday steam. It’s Alex, and since we don’t have much in the way of new releases right now, I want to call attention to some excellent standalone books that came out this year. It’s too late to make Christmas presents of them, but I advocate starting the tradition of New Years’ presents, because what better way to start things than with a book? Stay safe out there, space pirates. I’ll see you on Friday!
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here are two places to start: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, which provides medical and humanitarian relief to children in the Middle East regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation; and Ernesto’s Sanctuary, a cat sanctuary and animal rescue in Syria that is near and dear to my heart.
Another option for New Years presents: TBR! Whether you (or a reader you know and love) hate carrying around bulky hardcovers, you’re on a budget, you want a wider range of recommendations or all of the above, you can now get a paperback subscription from TBR, curated just for you by one of our Bibliologists. We’ve got three different levels for gifting (to yourself or others) to suit every budget. Get all the details at mytbr.co.
Bookish Goods
Merry Critmas T-shirt by CoolTshirtStoreShop
The pun is obvious, but still funny. And I’m not saying there’s an overlap between D&D nerds and book nerds, but I’m not NOT saying it. $26+
(Not) New Releases
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
Lin Chong has kept her head down and just done her job, which is training the Emperor’s soldiers in a multitude of weapons. But then she is caught up in a powerful man’s vendetta and ends up tattooed as a criminal and on the run…straight into the arms of the Bandits of Liangshan. They’re criminals and murderers — but they also believe in justice for the downtrodden.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
Kyr has trained her entire life in the depths of Gaea Station, preparing to avenge the murder of Earth at the hands of the majoda and their reality-altering weapon called the Wisdom. But when she gets assigned to bear children until it kills her and her brother is sent to certain death in her place, she takes vengeance into her own hands and emerges into a more complicated universe than she could have ever foreseen.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
And two more 2023 standalones to check out!
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
A transmasc nonbinary teen pirate named Mar gets an unexpected visitor to their home on their sixteenth birthday: el Diablo. And rather than bringing a questionable gift, el Diablo has come to take his due in the form of the soul of Mar’s father and every other member of the crew. Mar is faced with the choice of giving up their own soul to save their father — or find a different way against all odds.
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Prospera is an archipelago paradise, hidden from the disintegrating societies of the outside world. The residents live wonderful lives until the monitors implanted in their arms drop to 10%. Proctor is a Ferryman, who escorts those whose monitors have dropped too low into retirement… but now he’s having dreams — supposedly impossible — and his monitor percentage is dropping very fast.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.