Hello and welcome to this fun new newsletter format. Behold! As we journey through the lands of bookish goods, new releases, and some other stuff I recommend. Have a splendid day!
Bookworm Knowledge Poster
You love facts, so why not lean into that by displaying a poster about bookworm knowledge? I love info posters with different SECTIONS, so this is A+. Plus this artist has a bunch of different subjects, including guinea pigs! Guinea pig knowledge poster!
New Releases
His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Robert Samuels, Toluse Olorunnipa
Just in time for the two year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd is this new biography, written by two Washington Post reporters. It is described as a “poignant and moving exploration of George Floyd’s America, revealing how a man who simply wanted to breathe ended up touching the world.”
River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard
A nineteenth century quest! Two grumpy Englishmen set out to find the source of the Nile and then argued about whether one of them found it. Historian Millard shares the story of another man whose name has mostly been left out of the story: Sidi Mubarak Bombay, an African guide who was enslaved and sent to India, was emancipated, returned to Africa, and became a guide for these expeditions.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Let’s look at some 2021 memoirs! Who doesn’t love a memoir?
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Be cautious with this if you’re grieving a parent, but it’s a NYT Notable Book of the Year for a reason. Zauner deals with her mother’s diagnosis of terminal cancer and her own “reckoning with her identity” as a Korean American.
Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson
This 2021 memoir came out two days before Cicely Tyson passed at age 96. It covers Tyson’s iconic career, tumultuous relationship with Miles Davis, and her self-care routine (meditation!) that she says helped her live into her nineties. Remember when there was a supply chain issue and this book was sold out at a lot of places because everyone bought it? I do. Anyway, acclaimed memoir of ’21!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
For more nonfiction reads, check out the For Real podcast which I co-host with the excellent Kim here at Book Riot. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @itsalicetime. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.