Author: Emily Martin

Tomi Adeyemi Has Big News About CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 14, 2022

Sponsored by The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf, on sale January 25.

Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. It would be perfect, if not for that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered and a girl disappeared. As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls. Then she discovers a child in the snow. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought.

And so it goes. It’s Monday again.

Hi everyone! Welcome to another round of book news, book chatting, book contemplating, and cats. That’s what we’re all about here at Book Radar, and we’re so glad you’re here. “We” is just “me,” but I thought it sounded more official if I said “we.” I don’t know. It’s 2022. No one knows what’s going on anymore.

But I do know about books, so let’s talk about them.

❤️ Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

Paramount Pictures has landed the rights to Tomi Adeyemi’s best-selling YA series Children of Blood and Bone. Adeyemi announced on Instagram that she would be writing and executive producing the film adaptation. Furthermore, the author announced that she is nearly finished with the third book in the series. Readers should expect book 3 to be published in 2023.

Here’s the cover reveal for Berlin, the upcoming novel from Bea Setton. This one’s coming out from Doubleday Books in July.

Mahershala Ali has signed on to star in Disney’s Onyx Collective limited series adaptation of the novel The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

We’ve also got another cover reveal from Tordotcom Publishing: Self-Portrait with Nothing by Aimee Pokwatka. This debut novel is coming out in October.

Cindy Cheung has joined the cast of Loveboat, Taipei, an upcoming film based on the YA novel by Abigail Hing Wen.

Here’s the cover reveal for Tom Angleberger’s latest graphic novel Two-Headed Chicken, coming to bookshelves everywhere in September. This is the first graphic novel Angleberger both wrote and illustrated.

Shadow and Bone season 2 has started filming in Budapest, and four new cast members have been announced for the new season!

Harlequin has launched Harlequin Plus, a new multimedia subscription service offering subscribers monthly book bundles, access to an e-book library, and movies and games.

Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai have joined the cast of Batgirl, Warner Bros. and DC Film’s feature for HBO Max. The movie is currently in production in Glasgow.

Here’s the trailer for HBO Max’s The Girl Before. The limited series is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by JP Delaney, and it stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo.

The televised battle-of-the-books Canada Reads has announced its longlist of potential picks for 2022. Get all of the details here!

Book Riot Recommends

I’m a Contributing Editor at Book Riot, I write the Today in Books newsletter, and I’m a Bibliologist for Book Riot’s Tailored Book Recommendations subscription service. I also have a PhD in English, so I’m basically a doctor of books. Books are my life, in other words, so in this section of the newsletter, let me share with you some upcoming books I’m super excited about. And I think you will be too!

Prepare Your Shelves!

The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson (Del Ray Books, February 1)

Delilah S. Dawson is a comic book writer, a children’s/middle grade author, and she writes adult novels too. Like the author herself, The Violence, Dawson’s latest novel, is doing a whole lot of things. It’s science fiction, it’s dystopian, it’s social commentary, it’s a thriller, it’s horror… and as the title suggests, it’s very, very bloody and violent. So those who get a little squeamish when it comes to gore, proceed with caution. Trigger warnings for many things, including domestic violence, torture, and abuse. The author does include a note about the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, so maybe take a look at that before reading if you’re concerned this book might not be for you.

Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way. What is The Violence about? This book is set in a near future where the world is hit with an all new pandemic. The Violence is spread by mosquitoes, and once you’re infected, you’re filled will an unrelenting desire to kill. Once the infected have killed, they snap out of their trance and are completely horrified by the chaos they have caused.

For most people, this sounds like a nightmare. But for Chelsea Martin, The Violence might just be her only means of escape. From the outside, it appears as if Chelsea lives a perfect life with her perfect husband and two daughters. But her beautiful home is actually a prison. Her husband holds her captive and has taken away her every last freedom. Will she be able to use the spread of the violence to rescue herself and protect her daughters?

The Violence is a page-turning thriller that also offers up commentary on the politics of pandemics, which might hit too close to home for some at the moment. Especially because this book directly addresses the COVID-19 pandemic. But for me? It’s cathartic to read about this kind of thing. In addition to the social commentary and the thrilling story, Dawson’s characters are expertly drawn and felt incredibly real. Of course this makes the tense moments feel even more unbearably tense, and the character arcs feel earned. The Violence is a dark but rewarding read!

What I’m Reading This Week

Let’s Get Physical by Danielle Friedman

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne

Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body by Megan Milks

Miss Me With That by Rachel Lindsay

Wahala by Nikki May

Monday Memes

This Monday’s meme is from our very own Book Riot’s instagram page. You know, these folks might be onto something. And I relate to this so much!

Other Things That Make Me Happy

So if I haven’t made this clear already, one thing I love almost as much as books? Movies. Sundance Film Festival is entirely online this year, which I know is bad news because it means Covid has made it unsafe to hold the festival in person. But it is also good news for my dad and me, who now get to enjoy the festival virtually and spend some quality time watching some movies together online while we can’t be together in person! Tickets for the festival are on sale now, so if you also love movies, check it out!

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Here’s Cersei in one of her favorite places: in the window basking in the sunshine. Today was a beautiful day, and I’m so happy my sweet girl got to spend time enjoying the sun.

I hope you all get some time in the sun this week too! Take advice from Cersei and cherish the sunshine. Cats always have the best ideas.

And with that, we enter into another new week, friends! I hope it’s a good one for you. I’m rooting for you! Until next time!

❤️ Emily

Today In Books

Read Joel Coen’s Screenplay for THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 14, 2022

Mahershala Ali to Star in Limited Series The Plot on Hulu

Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali has signed on to star in Disney Onyx Collective’s limit series The Plot, which will air on Hulu. The series is an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Abby Ajayi (Inventing Anna) will adapt the novel and serve as the showrunner and executive producer. Mimi Valdés and Amatus Karim Ali will also executive produce through their Know Wonder production company. Tara Duncan, president of Freeform and Onyx Collective, stated, “I was captivated with Hanff Korelitz’s book The Plot…Having the creative genius that is Mahershala Ali at the center of this mystery, is just a dream.”

Read Joel Coen’s Screenplay for The Tragedy of Macbeth

Apple and A24’s The Tragedy of Macbeth opened in theaters on December 25th, 2021, and on January 14th, the film was released for streaming on Apple TV+. Now, Joel Coen’s screenplay is available to read online as a part of Deadline‘s Read the Screenplay series. Coen was inspired to adapt the Shakespeare play after watching Frances McDormand perform Lady Macbeth at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2016. “I kept thinking if I could get closer to this with a camera, it will be even more psychological and exciting,” he said. Coen’s screenplay keeps the majority of Shakespeare’s language from the original play in tact, and it plays up the noir elements. Coen said, “It seems to me The Tragedy of Macbeth prefigured many of the 20th century tropes of hardboiled fiction. It’s about a couple plotting a murder…And with all the witchcraft, it’s also a horror movie in its way. It has all these affinities with genre cinema, and it has some similarities to things I’ve done with my brother.”

Teens Come Out for Kuztown Banned Book Club

On January 12, a group of teens met at Firefly Bookstore in Kutztown, PA for the first meeting of the Kuztown Banned Book Club. The club was created by Joslyn Diffenbaugh, a 14-year-old Kutztown 8th grader, who was inspired to create the club after learning about the movement to ban books in schools nationwide and locally based on topics of race, gender identity and sexuality. Joslyn said, ““I wanted to make sure teens have access to books that they can personally relate to or have interest in and not to let groups in our community dictate what we can and cannot read.” Meeting will be held bi-weekly on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. The next book they will be discussing is Angie Thomas’ The Hate You Give. For updates on this book club and other events, follow Firefly Bookstore on Facebook.

Right Wing Group Demands Censorship Action from Attorney General: This Week’s Book Censorship News

Here’s this week’s look at what books are being challenged across the US, and more book censorship news.

Today In Books

SHADOW AND BONE Welcomes New Cast Members for Season 2: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 13, 2022

Cindy Cheung Joins Cast of Loveboat, Tapei

Cindy Cheung, the actor known for her roles in 13 Reasons Why and The Sinner, has joined the cast of the film Loveboat, Tapei. The movie is an adaptation of Abigail Hing Wen’s 2020 young adult novel of the same name. The story follows 18-year-old Ever, who becomes part of a love quadrangle at a summer cultural camp in Taiwan. Cheung will play Ever’s aunt, who owns an artists’ co-op in Taipei. The film is currently in production, but if you need more Loveboat, Taipei sooner, you can preorder the companion novel, Loveboat Reunion, coming out later this month.

New Barbie Honors Journalist Ida B. Wells

Famous Black journalist Ida B. Wells has now been immortalized as a new Barbie as the latest addition to Barbie’s “Inspiring Women” series. “When kids learn about heroes like Ida B. Wells, they don’t just imagine a better future — they know they have the power to make it come true,” Barbie said in an Instagram post. The doll should be available at major retailers starting on January 17th.

Shadow and Bone Welcomes New Cast Members for Season 2

New season, new cast! Shadow and Bone, the Netflix series based on Leigh Bardugo’s YA fantasy Grishaverse novels, is filming their second season right now in Budapest. And earlier today, the cast welcomed a few new members that have joined for season 2! Anna Leong Brophy joins the cast as Tamar Kir-Bataar, Patrick Gibson as Nikolai Lantsov, Lewis Tan as Tolya Yul-Bataar, and Jack Wolfe as Wylan Hendriks. Additionally, Danielle Galligan (who plays Nina Zenik), Daisy Head (Genya Safin) and Calahan Skogman (Matthias Helvar) have been elevated to series regulars. The series is expected to return to Netflix later this year.

The Canada Reads 2022 Longlist Has Been Announced

The televised battle-of-the-books Canada Reads has announced its longlist of potential picks for 2022. Get all of the details here!

Read Harder

Read Harder Task #9: Read A Book That’s Been on Your TBR The Longest

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 13, 2022

Sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life.

Tell TBR about your reading likes AND dislikes and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Give your Bibliologist feedback, update your requests to stay in line with your reading goals and expanding horizons, and basically have your own personal book concierge. TBR is also available as a gift! Just select the plan you want to give, and you can schedule the gift to be delivered any day you want! Visit mytbr.co to sign up today or to start your holiday shopping.

I currently have 999 books on my Goodreads TBR and the list keeps growing, but no matter what, there’s always a brand new shiny book that catches my eye that I reach for first. That’s why this specific Read Harder task is the perfect one for me, and I’m guessing a lot of you reading this are thinking the same thing too. This is your opportunity to finally read that book you’ve been meaning to read. If you’ve just been waiting for a sign that the time has come, here’s your sign.

So with 999 books, there are a lot of older books on my TBR. How did I personally narrow down my potentials for completing this challenge? I tried to stick with books that I currently own, because if I don’t have it already, I don’t feel like it’s a true part of my TBR list. I also tried to stick with books that I’m still excited about reading, because you know and I know that not all of the books on our list would hit the way they would have hit if we’d read them way back when.

Surprisingly, my TBR list on Goodreads wasn’t as old as I thought it was, so all of these books are ones I added circa 2017. As of 2022, that’s… 5 years ago. How? I don’t know. But here we are. These are the books from my oldest part of my TBR that I’m still down to read today.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

I’m going to do something a little different for these descriptions since these are clearly books I haven’t read yet, and I like to be surprised when I read. I’m going to tell you why I’m excited to read it and what little I know about it without having read it. After I read it, I’ll come back here and see how accurate I was.

For this one, I want to read it because I’ve read Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones and I really liked it. This book is apparently influenced by The Odyssey and Toni Morrison and William Faulkner and the Old Testament which just seems like an interesting combination to me. I also know it involved a family journey cross-country.

The Fact of A Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

I have a signed copy of this book, so I especially feel like this is one I have to pick up and read at some point. Right? This one is a true crime story and a memoir, a combination that is fascinating to me. The author Alexandria Marzo-Lesnevich starts a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder. At the time, they are staunchly ant-death penalty. When they start looking into a specific case, it brings back memories of their childhood and complicates everything they thought they believed.

What’s Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi

This is another one that makes my shortlist because Helen Oyeyemi is an author I’ve read and enjoyed in the past. This one is a collection of short stories, which means it’s hard for me to really tell you without reading it how the general feeling of the collection is going to shake out. But I love the idea of picking up a short story collection. It feels like a commitment, but not too much of a commitment. And if it’s anything like Oyeyemi’s other work, this book is going to be thought-provoking and strange.

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson

Admittedly, I don’t pick up as many comics compared to other kinds of books, but that’s part of what would make this one good for the challenge, and I’m interested in a Muslim teen superhero. I’ve heard really great things about Kamala Khan as a character, and this seems like a comic I could be really into. Also, Ms. Marvel is going to be a TV series from Disney+, so I’ve got to pick up this one before then!

Yesterday by Felicia Yap

This one is one I just picked up at a bookstore because the premise seemed interesting. And five years later? Still sounds interesting. This is a sci-fi murder mystery in which people are divided by how much they can remember. Monos, the majority, are only able to remember one day into the past. Duos are the elite class because they have two days of memory. But… how do you solve a crime when you can only remember one or two days in the past? I don’t know yet because I haven’t read this book!

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sànchez

I have heard nothing but good things about this one, and I love a good YA novel. I’m especially interested in this particular YA novel because it’s a book about grief. My brother died a few years ago, so I feel like I would have a pretty strong emotional response to this story about a girl whose older sister has died. I find reading stories about grief very cathartic. So even though this is an older book on my list, it remains a must-read.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Speaking of must-reads, all of Nnedi Okorafor’s books are on my must-read list. I have read the Akata Witch series, but I have yet to read any of Okorafor’s other works. And that seems like something I need to remedy quickly. I love stories that take place at schools, and this one is a sci-fi story that takes place at a university? Sign me up! This is another one that’s a nice short novella, so while it’s the first in a series, it feel very conquerable.

beasts of extraordinary circumstance book cover

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

Okay, so everyone I know personally who has read this book says it’s freaking amazing. This book is a fabulist story about Weylyn Grey, an orphaned boy who was raised by wolves and has a pet pig named Merlin (I love pigs). Weylyn’s story is told through the perspective of the people who knew him, which I’m guessing probably makes this story feel like a fable. Sounds super good to me!

And there you have it! That’s my list! I’m not sure which one I’m going to pick just yet, but I can’t wait to read at least one of these. Of course, your list will probably be totally different from mine, and your criteria might be different too. But that’s the fun part of this particular Read Harder challenge! Happy reading!

—Emily

Click here for the full Read Harder 2022 task list, and for previous recommendations, click here.

Book Radar

Vote for Your Fav X-Men Character and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 12, 2022

Book Deals and Reveals

Tordotcom Publishing has revealed the cover of Nghi Vo’s novella Into the Riverlands, the third book in Vo’s The Singing Hills Cycle.

FX has ordered Kindred to series. The show is based on the novel by Octavia Butler and will star newcomer Mallori Johnson. The cast also includes Micah Stock (The Right Stuff), Ryan Kwanten (The Oath), Gayle Rankin (GLOW), Austin Smith (Random Acts of Flyness), Antoinette Crowe-Legacy (Godfather of Harlem) and David Alexander Kaplan (Creepshow).

Here’s the cover reveal of Sweeney Boo’s new graphic novel Over My Dead Body. You can preorder it now, and it’s out on August 30th, 2022.

In a six-figure acquisition, Liz Pearsons at Thomas & Mercer bought the thrillers Hollow Beasts and Blood Mountain by Alisa Lynn Valdés, author of best-selling books The Dirty Girls Social Club, Playing with Boys, and The Three Kings.

Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway will star in the new crime drama film Eileen, based on the novel by Ottessa Moshfegh.

New year, new book club picks. Publisher’s Weekly has rounded up all the new picks from all of the major celebrity/online book clubs for the month of January.

For the second year in a row, Marvel has announced an X-Men fan election.

Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie will be starring opposite newcomer Aria Mia Loberti in the upcoming adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See.

Roxane Gay is launching a new podcast talk show with Luminary. The Roxane Gay Agenda will release on January 25th, with new episodes premiering weekly.

Alyson Sinclair is the new owner of online literary publication the Rumpus. Alysia Li Ying Sawchyn has been named editor-in-chief. Here’s what’s in store for the literary publication now.

Many know Maya Angelou as the iconic activist, poet, and performer. Now she will also be known as one of the new faces on U.S. currency.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

cover of The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings (Amistad, August 9)

Oh boy. I have been WAITING for this one. And now that we’ve finally got a cover and a firm release date, I am so excited to share it with you. Did you read Megan Giddings’ 2020 literary horror/sci-fi/thriller Lakewood? It left me feeling strange and unsettled. I also felt like I’d just read something truly original, a story that seemed so important and yet had not been told before. At least, not like that.

So last year, I heard whispers that Giddings was coming out with a new book and that it was going to be witchy and it was going to be called The Women Could Fly. Obviously, without even having a cover or a release date or even a synopsis, I was already like, yep, sign me up. Every day since, I’ve been watching the Goodreads page for The Women Could Fly like a hawk, waiting for more information to drop. A release date. A cover. A bat signal. Anything. And, well, as you know… it’s finally here!

So here’s what we know now. Like Lakewood, Giddings’ latest promises to be a novel that mixes speculative genres with literary fiction and social commentary, and this one’s being compared to the works of Margaret Atwood, Shirley Jackson, and Octavia Butler.

The Women Could Fly is set in a dystopian world where witches are real and The State mandates that all women are married by the age of 30. If they are not married by then, they must enroll in a registry that allows for their every move to be monitored. 27 year-old Josephine Thomas has never known why her mother mysteriously disappeared. But now as Josephine nears 30 and still has no interest in getting married, she feels like she understands her mother more than ever. When Jo is offered the opportunity to honor one last request from her mother, Jo will leave behind the life she’s always known to feel a connection to her one last time.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Word of Literary Wisdom

“Horror’s not a symptom, it’s a love affair.”

— My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

What’s Up in the Book Community?

My iPhone is constantly telling me I spend too much time staring at my screen, which is honestly so rude. But this means I spend a lot of time scrolling around the online book community: BookTube, Bookstagram, BookTok, BookLinkedIn (JK. That’s not a thing… I don’t think). You get the idea. Don’t have the time, energy, or the will to do all of that yourself? No problem. I got you. In this weekly section of Book Radar, we’ll take a look at something cool, interesting, and/or newsy that’s going on in the book community.

The 2021 wrap-up videos are still underway all over YouTube, and y’all. I’ve been watching so many of them. So, so many. I just love seeing what other people read, what they loved, what they hated, what they were surprised by, what they were disappointed by, and all the stuff in between. Here are some good ones you should check out.

Do you have a fave BookTuber? Let me know about it.

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

Surprise! This is what I’m listening to these days, so now you have to listen to it too. (it’s the Weeknd’s Dawn FM)

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

white cat being pet on the head while sitting in someone's lap

We haven’t gotten to feature the beautiful Cersei in a while (she’s a shy baby), so here she is! So Cersei likes to do this thing where she waits until we’re about to get up to jump in our laps. We watched an entire football game yesterday (gooooo Dawgs), and this girl waited until AFTER the game was over to jump into my husband’s lap. Of course, then Ben had to stay there until she was ready to leave. That’s just the rule of cats.

And that’s all for today, friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I can’t wait to talk to you all on Monday! Happy weekend reading!

❤️ Emily

Today In Books

Series Adaption of Octavia Butler’s KINDRED is Coming to FX: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 12, 2022

Harlequin’s New Subscription Service Debuts

Harlequin has launched Harlequin Plus, a new multimedia subscription service offering subscribers monthly book bundles, access to an e-book library, and movies and games. Romance lovers can enjoy this subscription for $14.99 per month and can access the service through the Harlequin Plus website and/or the app.

Joelle Taylor wins TS Eliot Poetry Prize for C+nto & Othered Poems

Joelle Taylor has won the TS Eliot Poetry Prize for C+nto & Othered Poems. The poetry collection is a look at butch lesbian counterculture in the 1990s and the judges described Taylor’s collection as “a blazing book of rage and light.” Joelle Taylor is a former UK slam champion. In 2001, she founded the UK’s youth slam championships SLAMbassadors. Taylor says her winning poetry collection is intended “both to acknowledge the crimes against the LGBT community and reflect back to a time when we had a greater sense of unity, of self.”

Series Adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Kindred is Coming to FX

FX has announced that it has ordered its adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Kindred to series. The eight-episode series will be written and executive produced by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Watchmen). Newcomer Mallori Johnson will star as Dana, a young black writer living in Los Angeles who suddenly finds herself transported through time, confronting her ancestors at a nineteenth century plantation. Also starring in the series will be Ryan Kwanten, Micah Stock, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and David Alexander Kaplan. Nick Grad, President of Original Programming at FX, said, “Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has done a phenomenal job of adapting Kindred for FX and honoring the legacy and timeless value of Octavia Butler’s groundbreaking novel.” The premiere date for the series has yet to be announced.

Most Anticipated Books of 2022

Get your TBR list ready! Here are Book Riot contributors’ picks for the most anticipated books of 2022.

Today In Books

Here are the Book Club Picks for January 2022: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 11, 2022

Sponsored by Harper Paperbacks, Publisher of JUST LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS

Here are the Book Club Picks for January 2022

New year, new book club picks. Publisher’s Weekly has rounded up all the new picks from all of the major celebrity/online book clubs for the month of January. Some highlights? Roxane Gay’s The Audacious Book Club has chosen Noor by Nnedi Okorafor; the Belletrist Book Club has chosen Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho; Megan Rapinoe’s The Call In Book Club has chosen The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio; Jesmyn Ward’s Gathering of Voices Book Club has chosen Lot by Bryan Washington; and Reese’s Book Club has chosen Honor by Thrity Umrigar.

Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie to Star in Adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s Eileen

It’s been several years since we first learned that an adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s psychological thriller Eileen was being adapted into film, but then the project appeared to go dark. Until now that is! Metuchen, New Jersey Major Jonathan Busch recently confirmed that the film has been shooting in the city for weeks. The adaptation will feature Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho, Jojo Rabbit) and Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire, Joker) and was originally set to be adapted by The Girl On The Train screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson, but it now appears that author Luke Goeble will write the script. Eileen follows a troubled 24-year-old woman working in a boys’ prison outside Boston in the 60s when she’s pulled into a very strange crime. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize (now the Booker Prize) in 2016.

Tordotcom Publishing Reveals the Cover of Nghi Vo’s New Novella

Earlier today, Tordotcom Publishing tweeted the cover reveal of Nghi Vo’s upcoming novella Into the Riverlands, the third fantasy novella in the Singing Hills Cycle. The cover art is by Alyssa Winans and was designed by Christine Foltzer. You can expect Into the Riverlands—which follows the story started in The Empress of Salt and Fortune and When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain—to hit shelves in October of this year.

Maya Angelou Becomes First Black Woman to Appear on US Quarter

Many know Maya Angelou as the iconic activist, poet, and performer. Now she will also be known as one of the new faces on U.S. currency.

Today In Books

Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie Join the Cast of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 10, 2022

Marvel Announces Second X-Men Fan Election

For the second year in a row, Marvel has announced an X-Men fan election. This election will allow readers to democratically vote on whom they’d like to see take a spot on Krakoa’s premier superhero team. Last year’s winner was Polaris, the magnetically-powered super hero. For this year’s election, fans can choose from Armor, Avalanche, Bling!, Firestar, Gentle, Gorgon, Micromax, Penance, Siryn, and Surge. Who do you want to see join the X-Men? Fans can cast their votes here through Thursday, January 13th. Election results will be revealed as part of the second annual Hellfire Gala event this June.

Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie Join the Cast of All the Light We Cannot See

Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie will be starring opposite newcomer Aria Mia Loberti in the upcoming adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See. The story follows Marie-Laure (Loberti), a blind French teenager who meets a young German soldier named Werner and fights to survive during World War II in occupied France. Ruffalo will play Marie-Laure’s father Daniel LeBlanc, Marie-Laure’s father and the principal locksmith at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Laurie will play the role of Etienne LeBlanc, an eccentric, reclusive World War I hero who suffers from PTSD. Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment is producing the four-part series.

PEN Prize-Winning Ugandan Author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija Illegally Detained and Tortured

Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has been illegally detained and tortured for criticizing the president and his son. Rukirabashaija was named International Writer of Courage by PEN last year. The author was arrested after posting a series of tweets about the Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni, including one calling him a thief and his son and presumed successor “an incompetent pig-headed curmudgeon.” Rukirabashaija remains in jail without charge, and PEN America is calling for the author’s urgent release. “Kakwenza Rukirabashaija is no stranger to the Ugandan authorities’ systematic suppression of dissident views, yet he has courageously continued to speak out,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of PEN America’s Free Expression at Risk programs. “These rights violations demonstrate a vindictive abuse of the law and demonstrate the truth of many of the critiques Rukirabashaija himself is being targeted for making in his writing.”

13 Deadly Cozy Mysteries for the First Half of 2022

Looking for a murder, mystery, and amateur sleuthing to kick off your 2022? You’re in luck, because there are a bunch of great deadly cozy mysteries coming out in the first half of 2022.

Today In Books

Ali Hazelwood Announces Her Next STEM-inist Rom Com: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 8, 2022

This New Work of Public Art is Based on Eric Carle Children’s Book

A public art piece inspired by the work of famous children’s book author Eric Carle will be up in Flushing until the end of January. American artist Adam Eddy’s 12-foot-tall sculpture “Please Get the Moon For Me” is a reference to Carle’s book Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, a 1986 picture book about Monica, a young girl who wants to play with the moon. “It is about love, generosity and selflessness but also about loss and change,” Eddy said in an official statement. “In the story, the father gets the moon for his daughter, but it slowly vanishes and becomes a tiny crescent moon, which eventually disappears. It then slowly reappears in the sky. In the holiday season, the installation is all about love and giving but also about the transition and hope for a New Year.”

Ali Hazelwood Announces Her Next STEM-inist Rom Com

If you loved 2021’s The Love Hypothesis, get excited, because author Ali Hazelwood has just announced her next “STEM-inist” rom com novel Love on the Brain. In this new romance novel, a scientist is forced to work with her nemesis, “with explosive results.” Hazelwood said in a tweet that the cover reveal would be coming next week, “courtesy of the incomparable @lilithsaur.” So stay tuned!

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s First Netflix Project an Adaptation of From The Maiko House

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda is adapting popular comic Maiko in Kyoto: From the Maiko House into an eight-part Netflix TV series. This will be the filmmaker’s first project under his deal with the streaming platform. Aiko Koyama’s comic Maiko in Kyoto has sold almost 2 million copies worldwide and won the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award. Kore-eda won the Palme d’Or in 2018 for his film Shoplifters.

24 Must-Read 2022 Books in Translation

There are so many books to be excited about in 2022. Here are 24 must-read books in translation coming out in 2022 that you won’t want to miss!

Book Radar

Get Ready for The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 7, 2022

Book Deals and Reveals

Seanan McGuire is publishing the third new novel in the Up-and-Under series under the pseudonym A. Deborah Baker, and Tordotcom has the cover reveal. It’s called Into The Windrwracked Wilds, and it’s out October 25th, 2022.

Courtney Summers has announced that her new novel I’m The Girl will be out in September 2022.

Netflix has released a trailer for The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, a new series that parodies thriller novels like The Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window. The series stars Kristen Bell, and it’s coming to Netflix on January 28th!

Adrian Martinez has signed on to star alongside Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, and Ben Schwartz in Renfield, a film directed by Christ McKay. The movie is based on the character of Renfield from Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula.

Black authors of banned books are speaking out amid national challenges.

Authors often champion independent bookstores, but where do they really want you to buy their books?

It’s that time of year. Publications are coming out with lists of their most-anticipated books of the year. Vulture has named 49 of the most anticipated books of 2022.

Cosmopolitan UK has got a list of 25 titles they’ve named the best of 2022.

The thief who’d been seeking—and successfully acquiring—pre-published manuscripts of big books and debuts has been arrested.

These LGBTQ and anti-racist books are being review bombed by book banners on Amazon. You can help change that!

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier

This book is just good fun, and I’m excited it’s out so soon so I can share it with all of you! As the title and the cover design suggests, this book is about rich people and how weird wealth makes people. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg in this unsettling psychological thriller.

This is the story of Lyla who has always seen life as a game she is destined to win. She and her husband Graham are extremely wealthy, and what do wealthy people do to entertain themselves? Play games with the less fortunate. So Lyla and Graham decide to invite self-made success stories to live in their guesthouse and then conspire to ruin these people’s lives. One of those people is Demi. But Demi’s not like some of the other people the rich couple has toyed with in the past. Demi knows what it means to struggle, and she refuses to give up the game without a fight.

Good Rich People is a twisty and surprising thriller that will have people talking. If you want a book club pick that’s going to spark wildly different opinions and interesting conversations, I think this book could be a really great pick for book clubs in 2022 as well.

What I’m Reading This Week

Wahala by Nikki May

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by Jonn Boyne

A History of Wild Places by Shea Earnshaw

Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition 6 by Naoko Takeuchi

Monday Memes

We’ve got a whole new season of Queer Eye to make us feel good and to make us cry. And Sparknotes wasted no times coming out with the bookish Queer Eye memes. My favorite one is the Heathcliff one obviously.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

At the beginning of each year, I try to get back into meditation and yoga, and you know what? This year, I’m sticking with it. So I’m doing the 30 Day Yoga Challenge with Yoga with Adriene. I feel like everyone knows about Adriene and her free yoga videos, but if not, you should check her out here. If that’s your thing. If you’re like “ew, yoga,” hey, that’s okay too.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

It’s Monday, which means it’s time for a cat meeting. What do you think cats talk about when they meet like this? Toy sharing? Ways to get more treats? General cat uprising strategies? Let me know what you think. Caption this meeting photo.

Hope your Monday meetings are as adorable as this one. Who am I kidding? That’s impossible. ANYWAY!

And that’s all for Book Radar for today. I hope you have a wonderful week. Stay safe out there. Wear a mask. Get boosted. Drink lots of water. Pet your cats. Hug your friends. Talk to you soon.

❤️ Emily