Author: Emily Martin

Janelle Monáe Enters the World of Afrofuturist Literature and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 3, 2021

Sponsored by Penguin Random House & Underlined.

From Karen M. McManus, the bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying, comes a brand-new pulse-pounding thriller. Three old friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly—fatally—wrong. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it’s about to get worse. It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common . . . like a connection to the dead kid. And they’re all hiding something. Could it be that their chance reconnection wasn’t chance after all?

Hi Book People!

I’m still in Belfast, holding it down. And yes, we’re being as safe as possible. I hope everyone else out there is being safe as well. Seems like a good time to maybe stay inside with a warm cup of coffee or cider or mulled wine and read a few good books? I know I’ve got my mulled wine and a nice stack of reading to do. And if you’re wondering what books are coming to get excited about as we continue through these cold winter months and these weird times that are the 2020s, well, stick around. I’ve got Book Radar info for you.

Quick correction to Thursday’s newsletter: Sarah Gailey’s pronouns are they/them.

💚 Emily (it’s green for Ireland)

Book Deals & Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal for Josh Malerman’s upcoming novel Daphne, which is available for preorder right now.

Janelle Monáe has written a collection of short stories based on the Afrofuturistic world of her album Dirty Computer. The book is called The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories from Dirty Computer, and you can read all about it here.

OMG fellow Ghostbusters fans. In November 2022, we’re getting an awesome new book about the in-depth history of the Ghostbusters movies. It’s called A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, and here’s a cover reveal. I am nerding out right now.

Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches just got a series order and will join Interview with the Vampire on AMC.

Goodreads has revealed the cover of the upcoming novel from Christina Lauren, Something Wilder, which will go on sale on May 17th, 2022.

We’ve also got a cover reveal of Yassmin Abdel-Magied’s upcoming essay collection Talking About A Revolution, coming May 31st, 2022.

Jo Nesbo’s dark corporate thriller Headhunters, which was adapted in 2011 as a film starring Aksel Hennie and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is getting a TV series adaptation, set to premiere in 2022.

Poet, essayist and author Saeed Jones recently shared the title piece from his forthcoming book, Alive at the End of the World, which is hitting shelves in 2022.

Laverne Cox has joined the cast of the Netflix film Uglies, an adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s bestselling novel of the same name.

Here are the 51 most read books in the 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge. How many of them did you read this year?

Alice Sebold’s memoir Lucky is being pulled from shelves following the exoneration of Anthony Broadwater.

Oh, and it’s the beginning of December! So check out your horoscope and your book recommendations.

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!

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

Prepare Your Shelves!

Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho (Viking, January 4, 2022)

I’m a sucker for a good book about complicated, dynamic, and deeply felt female friendships. And as you’ve probably guessed by the title of this novel, the gorgeous book cover, and the introduction I just gave to this book, Jean Chen Ho’s Fiona and Jane is a really, really good book about a complicated, dynamic, and deeply felt female friendship.

Fiona Lin and Jane Shen have been best friends since the second grade. Both Fiona and Jane are Taiwanese American women growing up in Los Angeles with different but equally tumultuous family lives. As with most friendships, there are moments in time when Fiona and Jane grow closer to one another, and other periods of time where they drift apart. This is a novel told in short stories about these different moments in their friendship. And while each section of this novel works as its own separate story/vignette, ultimately the entire book works as a whole to paint a vivid portrait of friendship, love, loss, and coming of age in contemporary America.

Fiona and Jane comes out from Viking on January 4, 2022, so make space for this one on your shelves and on your TBR list right now. This is Jean Chen Ho’s debut novel/short story collection, and I’m already looking forward to seeing what this author will do next.

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

What I’m Reading This Week

No Exit by Taylor Adams

Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Murakami T by Haruki Murakami

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

Monday Memes

Did you miss memes last week? They’re back. This one is absolutely relatable. Do not talk to me while I’m reading. Or writing. Or just waking up. You know what? Just don’t talk to me.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

It’s December, which means this month, what’s making me the most happy is all the delicious Christmas foods I’m going to be eating. If you’re like me and you’re really annoyed that Starbucks got rid of their gingerbread latte, fear not! Last year, I discovered this recipe to make a delicious gingerbread latte at home, and it’s been getting me through the tough times.

I guess I should also take this moment to say my Nespresso machine makes me very happy. Thanks, Dad, for the birthday present last year. Yes, my dad reads this newsletter.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

orange cat twisted around pole on cat house

Fun fact: my cat Murray is a skilled pole dancer.

And no, he won’t teach me his ways. I guess we just have to marvel at the wonder that is Murray and try not to ask too many questions about how or why he is the way he is.

Meow.

That’s all I’ve got for you today, friends! I hope you have a wonderful week. Be kind to yourself. Pet a cat.

💚 Emily

Today In Books

Read the New Poem by Saeed Jones: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 3, 2021

Riz Ahmed and Lulu Wang to Produce Comedy Series The Son of Good Fortune

Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films and Lulu Wang’s Local Time are partnering to develop the comedy series The Son of Good Fortune, an adaptation of Lysley Tenorio’s novel of the same name, for Amazon. The novel follows the story of an undocumented Filipino teenager in the Bay area who is working through his troubled relationship with his mother, a former B-movie action star, while also falling in love for the first time and trying to figure out how to pay back a massive amount of debt. Filipino and Korean writer, director, actor and stand-up comic Andrew Lopez will adapt the book for the screen and executive produce, alongside Riz Ahmed and Allie Moore of Left Handed and Lulu Wang and Dani Melia for Local Time.

This Black-Owned Bookstore is Delivering Books on Horseback

Harriett’s Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Philadelphia, has taken to delivering books on horseback. Jeannine A. Cook, the owner of Harriett’s Bookshop, says the idea started with her partnership with the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, a North Philly organization known for promoting horseback riding for inner city youth. “December 2020 I took my first ride on [horseback] in partnership with the Fletcher Street Riding Club. From there we’ve periodically found ways to bring together the world of horses and books. It is believed that Harriett Tubman stole a horse to deliver her elderly parents to freedom. There is a rich riding tradition among our ancestors and many indigenous cultures. That tradition continues with us,” Cook told Because Of Them We Can. To learn more about the bookshop, check out their website here.

Read the New Poem by Saeed Jones

Columbus poet, essayist, and author Saeed Jones recently shared the title piece from his forthcoming book, Alive at the End of the World, which is hitting shelves in 2022. The poem was released yesterday via the author’s Werk-In-Progress newsletter, but you can read the poem in full online. Jones said the poem emerged from a time when he was reflecting on the apocalyptic state of the world in 2020. “I think what I’ve learned is the apocalypse is a state of being, and it’s not a linear, one-time event,” Jones said in an interview with Alive. “Every time there’s a mass shooting, every time a cop shoots a kid and gets away with it, every time we learn about a sexual assault and it’s just paved over and someone becomes a Supreme Court justice. Those are all apocalyptic, world-ending events, or at least they should be, because that’s how meaningful they are to the people implicated.” Here is Jones’ full poem.

Why Police Shouldn’t Be in Libraries (and How to Help Change That)

Libraries are an essential public institution. They should be a safe, accessible space for everyone. So why are there police in libraries, compromising this very safety?

Today In Books

The Penguin Saves the World from Covid in Danny DeVito’s New BATMAN Comic: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 1, 2021

Joe Nesbo’s Headhunters is Getting a TV Series Adaptation

Jo Nesbo’s dark corporate thriller Headhunters, which was adapted in 2011 as a film starring Aksel Hennie and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is getting a TV series adaptation. Scandinavian actors Axel Boyum (Betrayed) and Martin Wallström (Mr. Robot) will star in the new Headhunters series, which is currently in production. The series will be set in 2002, before the events of Nesbo’s novel. “Headhunters will be a series in true Jo Nesbo spirit – a fast-paced mix of dark humor and thrills,” the series director Geir Henning Hopland said in a statement. Headhunters is currently shooting in Norway and set to premiere in 2022.

Excerpt and Cover Reveal from New Stephen Graham Jones Novel Don’t Fear the Reaper

Earlier this week, Crime Reads revealed the cover and an excerpt from Don’t Fear the Reaper, the upcoming 2022 sequel to Stephen Graham Jones’ bestselling novel My Heart is a Chainsaw. It’s December 12th, 2019, and Jade Daniels is released from prison when her conviction is overturned. Four years after her tumultuous senior year, she returns to the small town of Proofrock right at the same time serial killer Dark Mill South returns to complete his revenge killings. The novel is out from Saga Press in August 2022.

The Penguin Saves the World from Covid in Danny DeVito’s New Batman Comic

Danny DeVito, who played The Penguin in the 1992 film Batman Returns, has now written a new storyline for The Penguin in which he saves the world from Covid-19. Working with artist Dan Mora, DeVito has written the story “Bird Cat Love” for Gotham City Villains, an anthology celebrating Batman’s enemies published by DC Comics this past Tuesday in honor of the 80th anniversary year of the character’s creation. In this story, Penguin hatches up a plan to steal all the world’s vaccines from the pharmaceutical companies who are hoarding them. Then, he forcibly vaccinates everyone in the world. The Penguin does all of this with the help of Catwoman. “At first I was a little bit hesitant about doing the comic, but then I got into the fact that I’ve always been a big fan of Michelle Pfeiffer’s, and the Penguin obviously lusts after Catwoman. So I figured I’d put those two together, and then it was also in the middle of the pandemic, which we’re still fighting with. I thought it would be good if Penguin had a little bit of Robin Hood in him,” DeVito told Entertainment Weekly. “That’s what Oswald wants: Get everybody vaccinated and give science a chance to get ahead of this. The thing mutates, and if we don’t give the vaccine to people all over the world, it’s going to keep mutating.”

Alice Sebold’s Lucky Pulled from Publication Following Anthony Broadwater Exoneration

On Tuesday, Simon & Schuster’s Scribner imprint decided to pull Lucky from publication following the exoneration of Anthony Broadwater. Alice Sebold has also issued an apology to Broadwater, sixteen years after his conviction.

Book Radar

Sarah Gailey Announces Next Novel and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date December 1, 2021

Book Deals and Reveals

cover of Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

Crime Reads has got a cover reveal and an excerpt from Stephen Graham Jones’ upcoming novel Don’t Fear the Reaper, his sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw.

Sarah Gailey has announced her next novel. Just Like Home, which Gailey describes as “a story of obsession, reconciliation, and monstrosity,” is out on July 19, 2022.

Here’s the cover reveal for Kelly Robson’s High Times in the Low Parliament, a novel the autho describes as a “lesbian stoner buddy comedy with fairies — about Brexit.”

Little, Brown has purchased the world rights to Nathan Harris’s sophomore novel, The Rose of Jericho.

Author Adam Silvera announced that he would be expanding the universe created in his hit novel They Both Die at the End with two new books. The author wrote that the universe would be expanding into two interconnected novels, starting with The First to Die at the End, which will be out October 4, 2022.

Anchor has announced the four titles—three of which are debut novels—that will make up the publisher’s list of inaugural hardcover titles.

Netflix will no longer be making a film adaptation of Alice Sebold’s memoir Lucky.

Netflix might not be moving forward with Lucky, but they have ordered five new U.K. series, including a series adaptation of the novel One Day by David Nicholls.

The NPR staff has announced their favorite books of 2021, and some of their choices might surprise you.

Let’s talk about some literary real estate! Mary Shelley’s former London apartment is for sale. Additionally, if you’ve ever dreamed of owning a library, now might be your chance: this former Carnegie library is for sale!

Book Riot Recommends

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

Can’t Wait for This One

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas (Berkley, May 20, 2022)

Okay, buckle up, because if you love dark gothic suspense as much as I do, then you’re going to be in for a wild ride with The Hacienda. Set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, this story follows Beatriz, a young woman who accepts a proposal from the strikingly handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano, in spite of those who warn her against it. Sure, there are rumors about what happened to his previous wife, but Beatriz is more concerned with the life of luxury a marriage to someone like Don Rodolfo could afford her.

But when she arrives at their home in Hacienda San Isidro, Beatriz soon realizes that her home is not the place of luxury and comfort she’d anticipated it being. And after Rodolfo leaves her alone in the house while he tends to work at the capital, Beatriz starts seeing visions and hearing voices in her head. Is the house haunted by the spirits of Rodolfo’s past? And what really happened to his first wife?

If you’re reading this and getting serious Rebecca vibes, you’re not wrong. But where Rebecca remains squarely in the atmospheric and slightly chilling area of gothic fiction, The Hacienda is not afraid to get straight up creepy. This book has all the things you would expect from a creepy haunted house story, and yet… that’s not all this is. “But what do you mean?” you ask. Well, you’ll have to read to find out!

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

Words of Literary Wisdom

“All of us experience loss in our lives. We will cry until we have no tears left and then we will hurt even more. Even for the luckiest of us, life is mostly pain, with moments of happiness thrown in just to keep us vertical. But the Denises of the world don’t understand that. They say things like ‘Everything happens for a reason,’ and they believe it because it comforts them, the idea that people like me must have deserved what they got.”

— The Collective, Alison Gaylin

In Loving Memory

Friends, I am writing this on the fourth anniversary of my brother’s death, and so it’s a hard day for me. And probably why I chose the quote above for this week. I know it’s dark, but it resonated with me, and for those of you who have lost someone dear to you, I hope it might speak to you as well. I just wanted to take a moment this week to remember my brother Adam and tell you some of the bookish things about him. For instance, Adam’s favorite book was Catch-22.

He was a huge fan of Game of Thrones—both the books and the show—but was not above critiquing it. After one particular episode of Game of Thrones, he texted me this, “Westeros approximately 3,000 miles from the Wall to Sunset Sea. Dragonstone to the Wall is approximately 2/3rd the distance of Westeros. That’s 2,000 miles. A crow can only fly 16-19 MPH. At 19 MPH it would take a crow 105.26 hours or 4.4 days to fly that distance. That’s if a crow could fly that distance at full speed nonstop. Then calculate however fast you think a dragon can fly with a rider and how long it would take to make the return trip. Yeah, I don’t think Daenerys would have made it there in 16 hours or whatever it was. And that’s not even counting Gendry running back to the wall in the first place.

Wait. Recalculate for raven. Max speed 28 MPH. It would take 2.98 days to fly from the Wall to Dragonstone.”

And that… was just the way my brother was, readers. I will forever miss him!

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

Time to get nostalgic! Around this time of year, back when I was a kid, we used to decorate the Christmas tree and break out the Muppets Christmas album. I cannot stress this enough. The Muppets… they hold up. If you’re doing some decorating this weekend, this is great for reading or decorating.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

I’m missing my cats so much right now! Thankfully my kind neighbor is taking care of them. She sent me this picture today. Here we see Murray wondering why I left him and this beautiful stack of books behind while I went on a trip.

Look at the sad eyes.

That’s a wrap, everyone! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I will see you on Monday, when I will, yes, still be in Ireland. Until then, I hope you do good things. Even if that good thing is taking a nap. That can be a very good thing.

❤️ Emily

Today In Books

Adam Silvera Announces New Books in THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END Universe: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 30, 2021

Sponsored by Penguin Random House & Underlined

Film Adaptation of Alice Sebold’s Lucky Scrapped After Rape Charges Overturned

Netflix has scrapped its plans to adapt Alice Sebold’s memoir Lucky into a film after the rape conviction at the heart of the author’s memoir was overturned last week. Originally the film was set to starYou star Victoria Pedretti, but now the actress is no longer attached to the project, and according to a source close to the project, it was abandoned after “losing its financing months ago.” Neither Alice Sebold nor the memoir’s publisher Scribner have released a statement.

Adam Silvera Announces New Books in They Both Die at the End Universe

Earlier today on Instagram, author Adam Silvera announced that he would be expanding the universe created in his hit novel They Both Die at the End with two new books. The author wrote that the universe would be expanding into two interconnected novels, starting with The First to Die at the End: “THE FIRST TO DIE AT THE END follows new star-crossed lovers as they’re put to the test on the very first day of Death-Cast’s fateful calls, seven years before THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END. In this book, you’ll get to see familiar faces alive and well (!!) AND meet the family behind Death-Cast as they’re launching this new life-changing service. That’s all I can say for now!!” The First to Die at the End is now available for preorder, and it hits shelves on October 4th, 2022.

Small Business Owner Launches Banned Book Subscription Series

Small business owner Ariel Hakim has just launched Banned Books Box, a new monthly subscription box service to “stand with banned authors, express a love of reading and justice, and support small business.” Each month, subscribers will receive two banned books that have been published within the past decade, an enamel pin inspired by one of the books, and other bookish items. The December box will feature Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel Gender Queer, including an enamel pin designed by the author. Sign-ups for the December box close on December 12th.

Mary Shelley’s Former London Apartment For Sale

If you’ve ever wanted to own your own piece of literary history, now is the time. Mary Shelley’s former residence on London’s Marchmont Street is for sale.

Today In Books

Nathan Harris’ Sophomore Novel to be Published by Little, Brown: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 29, 2021

Shortlists for the Costa Book Awards Announced

The shortlists for the Costa Book Awards, sponsored by the U.K. coffee chain Costa, have been announced. Among the finalists are Elif Shafak for the novel The Island of Missing Trees, which was recently named this month’s pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club. Claire Fuller was also named a finalist for her fourth novel Unsettled Ground. The Costa Book Awards were established in 1971. Previous winners include Jeanette Winterson for Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Salman Rushdie for The Satanic Verses, and Sally Rooney for Normal People. You can see the full list of finalists here. The winners will be announced on January 4th, 2022.

Little, Brown Buys the Rights to Nathan Harris’ Sophomore Novel

Little, Brown has purchased the world rights to Nathan Harris’s sophomore novel, The Rose of Jericho. Harris’s debut novel The Sweetness of Water was an Oprah Book Club pick and a New York Times bestseller. It was also longlisted for the Booker Prize. The publisher describes Harris’ new novel as “a sweeping saga following siblings Coleman and June three years after they have been freed from slavery.” The Rose of Jericho is set in 1868 and loosely based on the fact that some Confederate supporters fled to Mexico after the Civil War.

Anchor Reveals Inaugural Hardcover Titles

Anchor has announced the four titles—three of which are debut novels—that will make up the publisher’s list of inaugural hardcover titles. “Expanding our paperback publishing program with a carefully curated hardcover list is a very exciting opportunity,” Suzanne Herz, publisher of Vintage and Anchor, said. The list’s lead title, which is slated for a February 1st release, is Brendan Slocumb’s debut novel The Violin Conspiracy. Next up is Taylor Hahn’s debut novel, The Lifestyle, which is described as “the most fun retelling of Emma since Clueless.” Then the publisher will release The Lost Kings, a psychological thriller from Tyrell Johnson, in August 2022. Finally, slated for a May 2022 release is Amy McCulloch’s debut thriller, Breathless.

5 Ways to Support Booksellers This Holiday Shopping Season

Booksellers are going through a lot this season, between a pandemic, supply chain issues, and the seasonal holiday rush. But as a customer, you can help! Here’s how.

Today In Books

Vote for the Best Book of the Past 125 Years: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 27, 2021

Sponsored by Harper Perennial, Publisher of THE CITY OF MIST by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Reese’s Book Club Opens Up First Pop-Up Shop

Reese’s Book Club pop-up shop, Book It LA, is now open! Shelves are stocked with previous Reese’s Book Club picks, the new Cozy Gift of Reading box, and a some must-haves from local businesses. Reese’s Book Club posted on their Instagram, “This holiday season, we’re giving you a bright spot to discover and share in all the book joy while supporting The Readership, our collection of efforts to benefit literacy.” The bookish pop-up shop is open through December 31st.

Vote for the Best Book of the Past 125 Years

Right now on the New York Times website, you can vote for your pick for the best book of the past 125 years. In October, editors at the New York Times Book Review asked readers to help choose the nominees. From thousands of nominations from readers across the world, the editors narrowed the submissions down to a list of 25 books total across several genres. Now it’s time to choose a winner! You can pick up to three, and the New York Times will announce the winner in December.

PRH Education Promotes Inclusive Curriculum via #DisruptTexts Partnership

Penguin Classics is joineing forces with #DisruptTexts to support more equitable literacy across all grade levels. This collaboration includes a series of initiatives, such as programming, online events, and educator resources for guided student reading, which are all set to roll out in 2022. The partnership stemmed from previous collaborations between Penguin Random House Education has done with #DisruptText, a crowdsourced, grassroots organization orchestrated by and aimed at teachers. PRH Education marketing manager Spenser Stevens said, “we knew that [#DisruptTexts’] work to create more inclusive and representative curriculums would pair perfectly with Penguin Classics’ goal towards bringing in new voices into the canon. What better way to bring Penguin Classics into the classroom than to partner with experienced educators?”

How to Prepare for 2022 Book Challenges: This Week’s Censorship News

You can expect fewer stories of book censorship through the end of the year. But in 2022, prepare for a wave of anti-CRT, anti-SEL legislation and more.

Today In Books

Tolkien Estate Blocks JRR Token Cryptocurrency: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 26, 2021

Sponsored by Sponsored by Amazon Original Stories

Libro.fm is Giving Out Free Audiobooks

Libro.fm wants you to support your local bookstore. Every time you spend $15 or more at an independent bookstore from Wednesday, November 24th through Tuesday, November 30th, you’ll get to choose from one of this year’s bestselling audiobooks from Libro.fm. Only one audiobook per person. You can get the full details right here!

The Washington Post Announces the Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror of 2021

As the best-of lists start to stack up, here’s one from The Washington Post that’s perfect for fans of sci-fi fiction, fantasy, and horror. Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar have picked out their favorite sci-fi, fantasy, and horror of the year, featuring some bestselling titles and some that may have fallen under the radar. Some highlights from the list? Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, Goddess of Filth by V. Castro, and many more.

Tolkien Estate Blocks JRR Token Cryptocurrency

JRR Token, a Lord of the Rings-themed cryptocurrency, with the tagline “The One Token That Rules Them All,” has been blocked by the JRR Tolkien estate. The cryptocurrency launched in August with a video endorsement from Billy Boyd, who played Pippin in the films. The Tolkien Estate immediately took action via the World Intellectual Property Organization’s arbitration procedure. The estate argued that JRR Token infringed the Tolkien Estate’s trademark rights to JRR Tolkien’s name. Furthermore, the estate claimed that the domain name was “specifically designed to mislead internet users into believing that it and the website to which it resolves have some legitimate commercial connection” with Tolkien. The Tolkien estate has now recovered the domain name JRRToken.com, and the developer is no longer operating under that name.

The Tangled Web of Spider-Man Movies

There are a bunch of movies about Spider-Man out there, but why? And do any of them have the real Spider-Man in them? We’ve got your answers here.

Book Radar

Vote For Your Fave Book From the Past 125 Years and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 26, 2021

Book Deals & Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal of Kereen Getten’s upcoming middle grade novel If You Read This. This one’s out in the US on August 2022 and the UK September 2022.

Dipo Faloyan’s book Africa is Not A Country, which aims to break stereotypes about contemporary Africa, is hitting shelves this summer, and here’s a cover reveal.

Do you love dark academia and enemies-to-lovers storylines? Then you’ll want to check out Katie Zhao’s upcoming novel The Lies We Tell. Get all the info here, including a cover revel.

Tordotcom Publishing has revealed the cover of Tade Thompson’s next book The Legacy of Molly Southborne!

Got questions about what to expect from Diana Gabaldon’s next Outlander novel Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone? Well, Diana Gabaldon has answers!

Libro.fm has announced their best-selling audiobooks of 2021!

And more end-of-year roundups: The New York Times has announced a list of 100 notable books of the year.

Also right now on the New York Times website, you can vote for the best book from the past 125 years.

Emmy Award-winning stand-up comedian Hannah Gadsby is releasing a memoir about her childhood and the creation of her special Nanette.

Have you dreamed of owning your own library? A former Carnegie library in Kendallville, Indiana is up for grabs!

Book Riot Recommends

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

Prepare Your Shelves!

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes (Tor Nightfire, January 25, 2022)

When you watched Titanic for the first time, did you think to yourself, “Wow, this would be so much better if only it had about, say 65% more ghosts. And if it was set in space.” Honestly, same. That’s where Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes comes in.

Okay, Dead Silence is not literally the story of the Titanic. There are already a few of those floating around out there already (no, I will not apologize for the pun). But this is the story of a wrecked ship. Only it’s set in space. And there are ghosts. Just like you’ve always wanted.

Claire Kovalik is exploring space with her beacon repair crew with absolutely zero interest in heading back to Earth. That’s when she receives a strange distress call from a surprising source: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system over twenty years ago. But when she arrives on the ship, it’s clear right away that something is not right. Hints of the supernatural are everywhere (whispers in the dark, words scribed in blood… you get the idea). Now Claire must uncover what happened on the Aurora before her crew is doomed to the same fate.

What I’m Reading This Week

The Collective by Alison Gaylon

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett

Wil l by Will Smith

The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Other Things That Make Me Happy

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite Christmas recipes this month. Because food makes me happy. First up, my all-time fave (as of last year): Cranberry lemon bars. The key to getting those nice layers? Make sure the cranberry cools all the way before pouring the lemon on top.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Here’s a picture of little Cersei Anne meekly hiding under the table. She’s thankful everyone is so interested in seeing pics of her, but she’s also very scared. It’s okay, Cersei. Book people are good people.

She says meow.

Friends, I hope the rest of your Monday is wonderful and I hope you have time to get into some good books and we’ll meet again same time same place on Thursday!

❤️ Emily

Today In Books

Barack Obama Receives Third Grammy Nomination for Best Spoken Word Album: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date November 24, 2021

Authors Back Sally Rooney’s Boycott of an Israeli Publisher

Several major authors, including Kamila Shamsie, Monica Ali, and China Miéville, are backing Sally Rooney’s decision not to sell translation rights to an Israeli publisher. Sally Rooney refused to sell translation rights for her new novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You to Israeli publisher Modan, stating that she did not feel it would be right to collaborate a company “that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people.” Rooney’s decision has now been backed by 70 writers and publishers.

Texas Mother Organizes Transgender Story Time

A Texas mother organized a Transgender Story Time after her local public library canceled their Rainbow Storytime on Transgender Day of Remembrance over threats of violence. The event was held this past Saturday with the help of a local church and brewery in Denton, Texas. “I want trans kids to know they’re perfect as they are and that they’re worth fighting for,” said Amber Briggle, the mother of a young trans child and the organizer of Saturday’s event. “We have to celebrate these children. Reading a book with a transgender theme does not make kids transgender, but it does make transgender kids feel empowered.” The three-book story time included the following books: Michael Hall’s Red: A Crayon’s Story, Jessica Love’s Julián is a Mermaid, and Vanessa Ford and J. R. Ford’s Calvin.

Barack Obama Receives Third Grammy Nomination for Best Spoken Word Album

Former president Barack Obama was nominated for his third Grammy Award on Tuesday in the Best Spoken Word Album category for his audiobook version of A Promised Land. If Obama wins in this category, this would be the third Grammy win for the former president. In 2006, Obama won for Dreams from My Father, and two years later, he won again for The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.

12 Highly Anticipated Book Festivals and Conventions in 2022

Book festivals are the ultimate book lover’s experience, and there are a bunch to look forward to attending in 2022!