Hello, readers! I hope you have all had a wonderful week since the last time we got together. And that with so many amazing books coming out this year, you have had a chance to read one or two that are now new favorites. Or maybe you read amazing backlist—there’s a ton of that, too! Now, moving back to new releases: for today, I have a wild debut about a fierce, foul-mouthed kid; a queer sophomore novel about art and lust; and a historical fantasy retelling about a goddess!
As for other new releases, at the top of my list of today’s books that I want to get my hands on are Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann, The Great State of West Florida by Kent Wascom, and Coexistence: Stories by Billy-Ray Belcourt. You can hear about more of the fabulous books coming out today on this week’s episode of All the Books! Emily and I talked about books we are excited about that are out this week, including The Worst Ronin, One Perfect Couple, and The Talk.
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Kittentits by Holly Wilson
I had to include this one because, on top of having that amazing cover, I know many of you are curious about it based on the title alone. Well, y’all know how I don’t like to say a book isn’t for everyone—and can be said of every book—but this one definitely requires a special audience. It’s about a 10-year-old named Molly in 1992, who lives with her father and some nuns in a home for people down on their luck. Molly lost her mother when she was young, and she’s experienced more trauma since, including a fire that restored her father’s vision. She’s a pretty tough, feral child. When a badass ex-con named Jeanie moves into the house, Molly is smitten. And when Jeanie fakes her own death, Molly runs away to find her. And the story only gets more bananapants from there. It’s wild, funny, and often uncomfortable. If you’re in the mood for an unhinged novel about a crass child trying to find friendship and love, then this is the book for you. (CW for just about everything, including fatphobia, body shaming, ableism and ableist slurs, child endangerment, harm, abuse, and assault.)
Backlist bump: Cruddy by Lynda Barry
Exhibit by R. O. Kwon
I haven’t read this one yet, but I am very excited to get to it because I loved Kwon’s last novel, The Incendiaries! This one is supposed to be an incendiary (sorry not sorry) story of sex and art and desire. Jin is a photographer feeling stuck in her career and her marriage. Lidija is an intriguing ballerina on leave from her dance company for mysterious reasons. During a night of talking, Jin finds herself telling Lidija everything, including secrets she’s not supposed to spill involving a family curse. Irresistibly drawn to one another, the two become enmeshed in a relationship that ignites desires, fuels work, and just might be the ruin of them both.
Backlist bump: The Incendiaries by R. O. Kwon
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
And last but not least, a retelling of the Mahābhārata and the story of Ganga, the goddess of the river. Ganga is beloved by most everyone, but when she upsets a sage, she is cursed to become a mortal. And unfortunately, when Ganga is just getting the hang of being human (what’s that like lol?), she is turned back to a goddess and must leave her human son. That son, Devavrata, will be pulled into a terrible fate when he grows up, one that will bring tragedy to their land. Like Kaikeyi, this is a story of mothers, love, and fate, and a moving, smart retelling of the life of a fascinating woman from mythology. (CW include sexism, child harm and death, injury, violence, war, murder, and death.)
Backlist bump: Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
This week, I am reading The Most by Jessica Anthony and Beholder by Ryan La Sala. For viewing, along with the tail end of the NBA semifinals, I just wrapped up season five of The X-Files and the first feature film, both of which continue to deliver a vast array of famous character actors. (I can’t tell you who any of the new famous actors are anymore, but I still know all the old ones, lol.) The song stuck in my head this week is “Run Runaway” by Slade. And here is your weekly cat picture: Farrokh looks like he’s an alien who has just landed in his flying saucer.
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
“This, friend, is the way the world always ends, has always ended since we have watched it together: with those who Have choosing demise—always demise—for everything but themselves.”—Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Lost Ark Dreaming