Hi, Book Radar Readers!
Friends, it’s Monday, and honestly, last week was a long week, so I hope this week goes better. For everyone! Even if you had a good week last week, I hope your week is better this week. With lots of books, of course. Let’s talk books.
Book Deals and Reveals
Here’s a cover reveal and an exclusive excerpt from the upcoming YA novel When Mimi Went Missing by Suja Sukumar. This debut novel is out from Soho Teen this November.
Excited to read the latest from Rebecca Serle, author of One Italian Summer? Here’s an excerpt from Expiration Dates, which hits shelves on March 19.
Matt Haig has sold the rights to his new novel The Life Impossible to Viking. The publisher says the novel is “a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.” It will be out this September.
Sarah Pinborough has sold North American rights to her gothic thriller We Live Here Now to Flatiron Books. The book will be published in summer 2025.
Natasha Lyonne and Simon Baker have joined the cast of Klara and the Sun, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, directed by Taika Waititi.
Libby has announced their new book awards, along with the finalists. Winners will be announced on March 12th at 7 p.m. EST.
Speaking of awards, here are the finalists for the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards, presented by the Horror Writers Association.
Anything But You, the recent adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, has grossed $189 million globally, making it the second highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation ever. This movie comes in under Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet, which grossed $300 million when accounting for inflation.
Book Riot Recommends
Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!
2024 is the tenth year of the Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons and diversify our TBRs. To get book recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. We’ll also keep you informed about other cool reading challenges, readathons, and more across the bookish internet. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with a community of passionate, like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. Sign up today!
Prepare Your Shelves!
James by Percival Everett (Knopf, March 19)
Okay, it’s almost March, so that means it’s time to start looking forward to March releases. And I’m so excited about this one. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, have you seen the Academy Award-nominated movie American Fiction? Well, it’s based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett. And yes, it’s a favorite of mine. So, if you didn’t know it and/or you haven’t read it, I’m going to let you pause and take a second to add it to your TBR. Then come back here when you’re done.
Okay, you did it? Great. Welcome back. Percival Everett has a lot of bangers (23 so far, to be exact), and I always look forward to new releases from this author, but this one sounds especially good.
Everett’s 24th novel is a perceptive and often hilarious retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. Just as in Mark Twain’s classic novel, this novel follows Jim and Huck Finn’s journey by raft down the Mississippi River. But this version sheds new light on Jim’s character and his fight for agency.
What I’m Reading This Week
Thorn Hedge by T. Kingfisher
The Book of X by Sarah Rose Etter
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Codename: Sailor V by Naoko Takeuchi
Family Family by Laurie Frankel
Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
Monday Memes
Jane Austen fans, do y’all relate to this? Because I definitely remember this feeling.
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
Hey, you know what the best thing about having a cat is? Besides everything?
Cats are so good at knowing when you’re having a bad day and cuddling up and purring on you and making you feel better. Murray is always a velcro cat, but he was especially good at taking care of me this week. I really don’t know how people do life without animals. Y’all are stronger than I am.
Okay then! We’re coming into this week with positive energy, and I’m looking forward to every day of it. I hope you are, too. See you on Thursday, friends.