Happy Tuesday! I am so happy that Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman is finally out! It is set in the same universe as her amazing Seraphina series. (If you haven’t read those, you should. Like, right now. I’ll wait here.) And at the top of my to-buy list for today is The Sea Beast Takes a Lover: Stories by Michael Andreasen. THAT COVER. And don’t forget the the Jeff VanderMeer story, The Strange Bird, comes out today. It’s set in the Borne universe and is super rad!
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I have a few awesome books for you below and you can hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including Don’t Call Me Princess, All the Names They Used for God, Baby Monkey, Private Eye, and more.
A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena
WARNING: This book will break your heart. I am not spoiling anything by telling you the main character will die. It doesn’t change the fact that you should read it! A Girl Like That is a very powerful, complex story of racism, rape culture, religion, bullying, love, and more. So many serious issues tackled in one book! Zarin is a wonderful character, a sixteen-year-old girl full of life and promise, and the story of how she comes to die in a car accident in Saudi Arabia is a heart-wrenching tale, but an important one. Add Tanaz Bhathena to the top of the list of new voices to watch.
Backlist bump: All the Rage by Courtney Summers
A Princess in Theory: Reluctant Royals by Alyssa Cole
WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! A new series from Alyssa Cole! I know you don’t even need me to tell you it’s the cat’s pajamas. BUT IT IS. Naledi is a doesn’t have time for nonsense, especially emails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. But when that very prince shows up, he decides to win her over without revealing his royalty. This is a delightful Cinderella-slash-Prince and the Pauper tale from one of the most wonderful writers in the biz.
Backlist bump: An Extraordinary Union (The Loyal League) by Alyssa Cole
The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington
My 2018 goal of reading more nonfiction led me to this horrifying yet fascinating book, about two men who spent a combined three decades in prison for a crime they didn’t commit, based on the testimony of two appointed professionals, who turned out to be not just bad at their jobs but bad at being decent humans. This is a (sadly unsurprising) tale of racism and prejudice that will leave you stunned.
Backlist bump: Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!
Stay rad,
Liberty