Dear Book Friends,
It’s Monday, and I’m recovering from a weekend of watching Sundance movies. I hope you had a great weekend. I hope you stayed warm. And, of course, I hope you’re ready to talk about books, because here we go.
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!
Book Deals and Reveals
Cosmopolitan shared the cover of Dustin Thao’s When Haru Was Here. It’s out from Wednesday Books on September 3.
Former *NYSNC singer Lance Bass shared a sneak peek of his upcoming children’s book Trick or Treat on a Scary Street. “Writing a children’s book about my love for Halloween was an absolute blast,” Bass says. The book is out on July 23.
Carnegie Medalist Ruta Sepetys and Newbery Honor-winning author Steve Sheinkin are joining forces for the new middle grade novel The Bletchley Riddle. It’s out from Viking on October 8.
Cale Dietrich has shared the cover for his upcoming novel, The Rules of Royalty. It’s a queer spin on The Princess Diaries about two princes who fall in love. The cover was designed by Olga Grlic with art by Petra Braun.
Here’s the 2024 longlist for the Dylan Thomas Prize. The list recognizes 12 titles, including A Spell of Good Things by Ayòbámi Adébáyò, Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson, and Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein.
The finalists for the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Awards were announced. Nominees include I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito, Blackouts by Justin Torres, and more.
New year, new books to read in 2024! Which books are you most excited to read in the new year? Here are our top picks!
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!
Prepare Your Shelves!
This American Ex-Wife by Lyz Lenz (Crown, February 20)
I’m married, so obviously, I don’t want to burn marriage to the ground or anything. Not yet, anyway. But I have also been through a divorce and I have done a lot of (too much) reading about the history of marriage and considering how marriages (specifically heterosexual relationships) are complicated by the patriarchy. So, this kind of nonfiction is perfect for me, and I will absolutely be reading this when it comes out. I mean, what a perfect post-Valentine’s Day read.
But enough about me. You want to hear about the book. This American Ex-Wife is part memoir, part sociological study, part history book about the patriarchal institution that is marriage. In this book, journalist and proud divorcée Lyz Lenz shares research, interviews, and personal experiences to break down the power imbalances built into heterosexual marriage. Lenz argues that women have long been forced to define themselves based on their relationships with men, and it’s time to change that narrative.
What I’m Reading This Week
One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy
Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin
Out There Screaming, edited by Jordan Peele
Rouge by Mona Awad
The Book of X by Sarah Rose Etter
Bookish Memes
The awards season book memes keep coming, and I love them. All of them.
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
I left my AirPods at home the other day, which was sad because I couldn’t listen to my audiobook on the bus. But when I came home, Murray was taking good care of them for me. Such a sweetie! He looks so proud of himself.
Okay! I’m exhausted after all of this book talk. I’m going to go to bed. Have a wonderful week!