Dear Book Friends,
Welcome to July! It’s hot as heck, and all anyone can do at a time like this is stay indoors and read all the books. So let’s talk about all of the books. Stay cool out there.
Book Deals and Reveals
Is youth a blessing or a curse? This is the question asked in Renee Schaeffer’s genre-bending novel Ageless, which hits shelves on December 3. And Nerd Daily has given us a cover reveal!
SciFiNow has a cover reveal and an exclusive sneak peek at the dark fantasy The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig. This one’s out on September 24.
Emmy-award-winning actress Uzo Aduba is publishing a memoir called The Road is Good, which will reflect on Aduba’s relationship with her mother. This one is also coming out on September 24.
Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire has been renewed for a third season on AMC. The season 2 finale aired on June 30.
Chris McKay, director of The LEGO Batman Movie, is set to direct the film adaptation of Brynne Weaver’s bestselling serial killer romance Butcher and Blackbird.
Director Osgood Perkins says his upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Monkey might be funnier than people are expecting. “[My] next movie is called Stephen King’s The Monkey, and it’s a comedy,” Perkins told IGN. “I will play the asshole uncle who adopts the kids, and I have a couple scenes and it’s fun.” The Monkey is scheduled to release in February 2025.
Arundhati Roy has been awarded the PEN Pinter Prize, which celebrates writers whose work display an “unflinching, unswerving” look at the world.
Looking for some good summer reads? These are the books that are popular on BookTok this summer. And a few that should be.
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!
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Prepare Your Shelves!
Hum by Helen Phillips (Marysue Rucci Books, August 6)
Friends, did you read Helen Phillips’ book The Need? If not, I need you to jump on that right away because, wow, it was such an incredible brain teaser of a book. Think home invasion story…but also not? You’ll see. Anyway, Phillips has a new book coming out next month, and you’d better believe I’m lining up to get my hands on this one. And you should, too!
Hum follows May, who has just lost her job to AI (I know, horrifyingly relatable). The city in which May lives has been completely transformed by AI, climate change, and intelligent robots called “hums.” Desperate for money and hoping to help resolve her family’s debt, May agrees to undergo an experiment that would change her appearance, making her unrecognizable to surveillance.
Now, looking for an escape, May decided to take her family on what should be a relaxing trip to a beautiful Botanical Garden. But her family doesn’t share her desire to unplug, and the Botanical Garden doesn’t end up being the calming place May anticipated. When all hope seems lost, help comes to May from an unexpected source: a hum.
What I’m Reading This Week
Portrait of a Shadow by Meriam Metoui
Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen
A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon
Here for the Wrong Reasons by Annabel Paulson and Lydia Wang
I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
Monday Memes
I love that 2024 has brought us “This is going to ruin the tour.” “What tour?” “The World Tour!” So here are some bookish world tour memes. Enjoy.
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
I love how cats go through phases where they just constantly nap in the exact same place. And then after a while, they tire of that spot and then move on to somewhere new. Right now, Remy is all about this little hammock area in the cat tree. He pretty much lives there. Must be nice.
That’s all for today, friends! Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you Thursday!