Book friends, hello!
I’m back in Seattle. The Austin trip was so fun, and yes, I did get to pop into a couple of bookstores. I came home with a suitcase heavy with books. Not gonna lie. I also saw a few movies (I highly recommend I Saw the TV Glow). But again, we are here to talk books, so let’s do it.
Book Deals and Reveals
YA book picks are back at Reese’s Book Club, and they’re kicking it off with Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth! Check out the announcement on Instagram now.
Here’s the trailer for My Lady Jane, a new series based on the novel by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. The show will stream on Amazon Prime Video starting on June 27.
Paste has the exclusive cover reveal and an excerpt from the upcoming horror novella Pocketknife Kitty by Shannon Riley. The book is out from Ghoulish Books on June 24.
And here’s the cover of the latest novel from Sally Rooney, Intermezzo. Rooney’s highly anticipated novel hits bookstores everywhere on September 24.
Abigail Hing Wen, author of Loveboat, Taipei, has a new book coming, and here’s an excerpt! Kisses, Codes, and Conspiracies hits shelves on August 13.
Alice Oseman has shared a big update on the final chapter in the Heartstopper series! In their Instagram stories, the author wrote, “I think I have a first draft of vol 6. (Just the writing, haven’t started the drawing yet). I think it’s probably too long [right now] but maybe I can make it work… but mostly feeling pretty good about it. Gonna share with some friends and colleagues and get some opinions, then make some tweaks probably.”
George R.R. Martin’s latest series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be coming to HBO next year, but the author says fans can expect a very different tone from Game of Thrones. Martin says the new spinoff series “will be a lot shorter than Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, with a much different tone. But it’s still Westeros, so no one is truly safe.” The show is slated to premiere in June 2025.
The winner of the 2024 International Booker Prize has been announced! And it’s Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann.
Summer is almost here! Get ready by adding some of these 120 summer reads to your TBR list.
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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Can’t Wait for This One!
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (Berkley, January 14, 2025)
This is probably one of my favorite Grady Hendrix covers of all time, and that’s really saying something because Grady Hendrix has quite the history of cool book covers. I can’t wait to have this stunner on my shelf, but more importantly, I can’t wait to read it. Not just because I will look super cool while I read it on the bus. But also because Grady Hendrix is one of the best horror authors of all time, and I’m always excited about his books.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is set in a maternity home in Florida in 1970. It follows five young women living in the home who come across a guide to witchcraft. And yeah, as you can imagine, everything goes haywire from there. According to the publisher, Berkley, Hendrix’s new book is like “Rosemary’s Baby set in a home for unwed mothers in 1970,” and it will “deliver fresh takes on traditional horror tropes with [Hendrix’s] signature voice full of humor, heart, jump scares and a bit of a wink.”
In the early 1970s, these types of homes for unwed mothers were popping up all over the United States. Hendrix told People he took inspiration for his novel from the real-life terrors young women went through when entering these homes. They were meant to be safe havens, but they often turned out to be anything but. It sounds like a lot of research and thought went into constructing this story, and with Hendrix’s ability to always find fresh ways to explore horror tropes, I’m excited to see what he does with this material.
Unfortunately, we are going to have to wait until 2025 for this one, but I’m certainly counting down the months!
Words of Literary Wisdom
“Freddy never uses a gun, does he? Ghostface? Michael? Jade can’t even imagine Michael Myers using a gun. They’re so impersonal, so ‘all at once’ instead of ‘one at a time.’ Jason Voorhees? C’mon. He’ll use a speargun, sure, but that’s just for a 3-D gag. No, any self-respecting slasher finding a pistol in his hand, what he’s supposed to do is look down at it like it’s a strange bug, then shake his hand until this bitey, attention-drawing thing is gone again.”
— Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Bonus Thursday Book Meme
Since we didn’t get a Monday meme this week, here’s a Thursday meme to get you through. I think I need to start asking my booksellers for notes. This is genius.
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
Today, I leave you with a picture of the most beautiful girl cat, Cersei Anne. She wants me to tell you that she hopes you have a wonderful weekend, and we’ll see you back here on Monday for more book talks.