Happy Tuesday, readers! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend (and Monday.) Did you see the northern lights? If you heard a loud, high-pitched sound on Sunday, it was just me spotting baby foxes scampering around my backyard. (It’s possible only dogs could hear the sound I made.) You will not be surprised to learn that they were SO CUTE. I may have missed seeing the northern lights, but seeing kits more than made up for it. Now, moving on to books: for today, I have a family drama surrounding the concept of heir property; a powerful YA about a teen headed for rock bottom while trying to get to the top; and a fantasy novel about dragons from a legendary author of the genre!
As for other new releases, at the top of my list of today’s books that I want to get my hands on are The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson, The Witches of Bellinas by J. Nicole Jones, and All Fours by Miranda July.
You can hear about more of the fabulous books coming out today on this week’s episode of All the Books! Vanessa and I talked about books we are excited about that are out this week, including Oye, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, and Woodworm.
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Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris
When King Solomon dies, his last wish is that his four children keep their family home from falling into the hands of developers. The Kingdom, as it’s called, is heir property, which is property held and passed down in a family without a will and often subject to seizure or sale due to its lack of formal paperwork. (Harris wrote this novel about learning of the problem of thousands of people with heir property who couldn’t get assistance rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina because they couldn’t prove they owned their homes.) To stop developers from acquiring the Kingdom, the Solomon siblings return to North Carolina, each carrying their own baggage. They must overcome obstacles and let go of the problems and hurts of the past if they want to save their home for their futures. It’s an emotional tale of family, love, and injustice.
Backlist bump: One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris
Thirsty by Jas Hammonds
Hammonds has hit another home run with this YA novel exploring addiction and acceptance. It’s the summer before college, and Blake Brenner desperately wants to get into the prestigious Serena Sorority on campus with her girlfriend, Ella. As the daughter of a Serena alum, Ella is guaranteed a spot. But Blake doesn’t have those connections, so she must work harder to find a way in. Alcohol seems to be the answer — Blake discovers that she’s a different person when she drinks, one who is the life of the party and a viable Serena candidate. But as Blake’s drinking spirals out of control, she begins to wonder how far she will go to achieve what she wants. Is the acceptance of these strangers worth the price of addiction?
Backlist bump: We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
And last (unicorn) but not least, this is a comical fantasy about fairy tale tropes from the prolific author of the classic The Last Unicorn. When Robert’s father dies in the kingdom of Bellemontagne, Robert inherits his job: dragon exterminator. But Robert likes dragons and doesn’t want to destroy them. (Not to mention, while many dragons are small, some of them get to be REALLY big.) But with Prince Reginald — a royal marriage prospect — soon to visit the castle, Princess Cerise needs Robert to get rid of the kingdom’s dragon infestation. And it turns out, Prince Reginald needs Robert’s help in slaying a big dragon so he can impress his father. It seems like no matter what, Robert is going to have to kill dragons. How can he get out of his seemingly destined role as a dragon exterminator and attain the job he has always wanted, that of a royal valet?
Backlist bump: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
This week, I am reading an older novella, The Least of My Scars by Stephen Graham Jones, and In Defence of the Act by Effie Black, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize this year. For viewing, along with the NBA semifinals, I have been watching trivia shows and episodes of season five of The X-Files. (Related: I just got a copy of the upcoming tie-in novel, The X-Files: Perihelion by Claudia Gray, and I am so excited.) I also rewatched The Crow for the zillionth time to celebrate its 30th anniversary on Saturday. The song stuck in my head this week is “Dead of Night” by Orville Peck. And here is your weekly cat picture: Zevon is the cutest basket case.
That’s all for this week! I appreciate you more than I can say, friends. Thank you for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week! – XO, Liberty
“You try to keep life simple but it never works, and in the end all you have left is yourself.”—Sue Grafton, “A” is for Alibi