Happy Tuesday, book fans! We had some wild, loud thunderstorms here in Maine over the weekend. I found them to be quite impressive! My cats were not as impressed. Thunder boomed, and the felines went scrambling, knocking stacks of books all over the place. In the chaos, they did manage to unearth a book I had been searching for, so that was helpful, at least. I really need to reorganize the stacks in my house, but that would cut in on my reading time, lol.
Today, I have an excellent fairytale-inspired novel, another fantastic fairytale-related novel but YA, and a horror involving a young girl and “Other Mommy.” As for this week’s other new releases, at the top of my list of today’s books that I want to get my hands on are Practice by Rosalind Brown, Ricky: & Other Love Stories by Whitney Collins, and The Tyranny of Flies by Elaine Vilar Madruga, Kevin Gerry Dunn (translator). 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, including All the Colors of the Dark, The Eyes Are The Best Part, and Dancing on My Own.
Learn something new, sharpen your skills, and expand your horizons with our Better Living Through Books newsletter. Better Living Through Books is your resource for reading material that helps you live the life you want. From self-help to cookbooks to parenting to personal finance, relationships, and more, Better Living Through Books has got you covered. If it’s part of life, it can be part of your reading life. Sign up for your free subscription to Better Living Through Books today, or become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year and get unlimited access to members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies knowing you are supporting independent media.
Bear by Julia Phillips
This was one of my most anticipated novels of 2024, and it did not disappoint! Inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairytale Snow-White and Rose-Red, Bear is the story of two sisters who live on a Northern Pacific island with their mother. Sam and Elena have only ever lived on the island, and their lives have been hard, with resources and money always in short supply. They long to leave the island and start new lives. When a bear is spotted swimming in the waters near their home, they respond differently to its presence. Sam is sure it is a sign of danger and that they should leave the island, while Elena is completely delighted by the bear turning up in their world. But does the bear’s arrival signify danger, and should Sam leave everything behind, including her sister?
Backlist bump: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron
Kalynn Bayron tackles another classic fairytale with this exciting take on Snow White! Princess Eve only knows one existence, that in which she was raised to destroy the evil sorcerer, the Knight. Trained to use her magic specifically for this goal from a young age, Eve is set to turn 17 and is ready to take him on. But weird things start happening. Her mother, the Queen, has begun talking to herself in the mirror. And then a mysterious stranger appears, telling Eve shocking things about her past he says were kept from her. Torn in two over what she is supposed to do now, Eve must carry on into battle, but now she’s unsure who it is she must fight to save herself and the queendom.
Backlist bump: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
And last but not least, why not get a little scared this summer? And there isn’t much scarier in horror than little kids talking to invisible things! Eight-year-old Bela lives with her parents and her grandmother…and with her Other Mommy, a hostile presence in their home only Bela can hear. Other Mommy keeps asking Bela if she can go in her heart, which doesn’t sound like a good time to Bela. But only Bela’s loving, stable home is keeping Other Mommy at bay, and now her parents are having problems in their marriage. Bela must decide if she should let Other Mommy have what she wants, as the entity grows stronger and more vicious, before she just takes it anyway, and everyone Bela loves has to pay the price. Can this horror book go inside your heart?
Backlist bump: Bird Box by Josh Malerman
This week, I am reading Dynasty Restored: How Larry Bird and the 1984 Boston Celtics Conquered the NBA and Changed Basketball by Thomas J. Whalen, The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani, Sam Bett (translator), and another re-read of the complete collection of Bone by Jeff Smith. How has there not been an adaption made of Bone yet? I know they’ve tried, many times. I say give it to the people who made the adaptation of Nimona. That was *chef’s kiss*. (Also, Bone has been out for almost 35 years, which seems impossible!) The song stuck in my head this week is “The One Thing” by INXS (which is over 40 years old now!) And here is your weekly cat picture: All hail the queen. Millay was supervising as I read books in my office last week. Probably in case I got a paper cut or something.
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
“What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books.” ― Thomas Carlyle, On Heroes, Hero Worship and the Heroic in History