Happy Tuesday! Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend which involved lots of book reading. I have a few great titles to tell you about today, and as always, you can also hear about several more great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about amazing books we loved, such as When Dimple Met Rishi, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, and The White Road.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf.

When a tragic accident leaves nurse Amelia Winn deaf, she spirals into a depression that ultimately causes her to lose everything that matters—her job, her husband, David, and her stepdaughter, Nora. Now, two years later and with the help of her hearing dog, Stitch, she is finally getting back on her feet. But when she discovers the body of a fellow nurse in the dense bush by the river, deep in the woods near her cabin, she is plunged into a disturbing mystery that could shatter the carefully reconstructed pieces of her life all over again.

Dragon’s Green by Scarlett Thomas

This is the first children’s book from the amazing Thomas, and holy cats, is it fun. And it’s about – wait for it – BOOKS. When Effie’s grandfather becomes seriously ill, she must look after his library of rare and powerful books. But when one of the books falls into dangerous hands, Effie must travel to Otherworld to get it back. Did I mention this is all about books???? Purrrrrrrr.

Backlist bump: Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge

 

The Reminders by Val Emmich

When Gavin’s partner Sydney dies, he literally sets fire to their life together and flees Los Angeles for New Jersey, hoping to be reunited with old friends. There he meets Joan, a ten-year-old girl who has the rare ability to remember everything. Gavin agrees to help Joan win a songwriting contest in exchange for telling him her memories about Sydney. Told from alternating narrators, this is a sad, sweet story of the pain and joy of the past, the curse of remembering everything, and the importance of new friendships.

Backlist bump: Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman

 

Boundless by Jillian Tamaki

In this marvelous graphic novel, Tamaki delivers several stories: Jenny discovers a Facebook-type better version of herself; a mysterious file brings happiness – or is the end of mankind; Helen literally begins to shrink; humans can suddenly see into the minds of animals. Tamaki tackles self-image, perception, and social media in this wonderful send-up of our virtual lives.

Backlist bump: SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki

 

White Fur by Jardine Libaire

Eliza and Jamey are from very different backgrounds, but their attraction to one another is undeniable, and the couple decide to take a risk and move from New Haven to NYC together. But Jamie’s family disapprove of the relationship and try to intervene, turning their bliss into a struggle to stay together. White Fur is a ferocious 1980s Romeo and Juliet, crackling with sexual obsession and danger.

Backlist bump: Here Kitty Kitty by Jardine Libaire

 

Class by Francesco Pacifico

Ludovica and Lorenzo live in Rome – he’s a pretentious burgeoning filmmaker and she works in a bookstore. When Lorenzo gets a scholarship to Columbia, the couple move to Williamsburg, where they immerse themselves in the hipster culture and join up with other Italian expats – but will they be able to support themselves with their art long enough to achieve the American dream? Class is a funny, ambitious novel about art, love, and, well, class.

Backlist bump: Ciao, America!: An Italian Discovers the U.S. by Beppe Severgnini  (Author), Giles Watson (Translator)

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

Book time, book time, la la la la la la! First things first: Radiate, the third book in C.A. Higgin’s Lightless trilogy, is out today!!! I loved these books so much. So spacey and dark! Now I’ll tell you about a few new books not wrapping up awesome trilogies, and you can also hear about several more great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about amazing books we loved, such as Black Mad Wheel, Chemistry, and Augustown.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld.

Three years ago an event destroyed the small city of Poughkeepsie, forever changing reality within its borders. Uncanny manifestations and lethal dangers now await anyone who enters the Spill Zone. The Spill claimed Addison’s parents and scarred her little sister, Lexa, who hasn’t spoken since. Addison provides for her sister by photographing the Zone’s twisted attractions on illicit midnight rides. Art collectors pay top dollar for these bizarre images, but getting close enough for the perfect shot can mean death—or worse.

When an eccentric collector makes a million-dollar offer, Addison breaks her own hard-learned rules of survival and ventures farther than she has ever dared. Within the Spill Zone, Hell awaits—and it seems to be calling Addison’s name.

Wicked Wonders by Ellen Klages

Amazing oddities and fantastic flights of fancy dominate this fabulous collection of tales. A haunted penny arcade, faeries, and rebellious children are just part of the fun in these clever stories. Klages has been putting out incredible work for years and years – most recently The Green Glass Sea – and it would be wonderful to see her get a bigger audience and more recognition.

Backlist bump: You Have Never Been Here by Mary Rickert

A Good Country by Laleh Khadivi

Alireza Courdee has always been a straight-A student, working to make his Iranian immigrant parents proud. But he’s also a fourteen-year-old boy, and he has begun engaging in normal teenage behavior: experimenting with drugs, sneaking out to parties, surfing, sex. But what begins as a time of carefree experimentation for Reza slips into dangerous territory when he joins a group of boys who share his background and soon finds himself on his way to Syria. A Good Country is a timely and powerful read that questions how big a role we play in our destinies.

Backlist bump: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Murder In Matera: A True Story of Passion, Family, and Forgiveness in Southern Italy by Helene Stapinski

Stapinski grew up in a family of thieves in Chicago – but they weren’t the only relatives who may have broken the law. Growing up, she heard that her Italian grandmother had murdered someone before moving to America. Stapinski’s interest in her grandmother’s story only deepened as an adult, and over the years and several trips to Italy, she uncovered long-buried secrets that she then turned into this wonderful historical whodunit/family memoir. Makes you wonder about your own grandmother…

Backlist bump: Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History by Helene Stapinski (One of my favorite memoirs!)

Shake It Up: Great American Writing on Rock and Pop from Elvis to Jay Z: A Library of America Special Publication by Jonathan Lethem (Editor), Kevin Dettmar (Editor)

A fantastic anthology of important music writing comprised of fifty pieces covering pretty much every genre. Featuring discussions on Axl Rose, heavy metal, Elvis, Prince, emo, Sam Cooke, and more. Contributors include Chuck Klosterman, Lester Bangs, Amiri Baraka, Eve Babitz, and John Jeremiah Sullivan. A beautiful gift for a dad, grad, or any other music lover in your life!

Backlist bump: Let it Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America’s Greatest Rock Critic by Jim Derogatis

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’!

And ICYMI, I’m writing the new Book Riot newsletter, Book Radar, which will give you all those things! You can sign up here.

Stay rad,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday, and welcome to another great day for books! I know what I’m picking up first: Things to Do When You’re Goth in the Country and Other Stories by Chavisa Woods.Because WOW, THAT TITLE. And in case you hadn’t heard, there’s a new book in Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen’s Thief series! It’s called Thick as Thieves and it is A++++. And it’s just one of the many awesome books making its debut today. You can hear about several more great books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, such as York: The Shadow Cipher, An Awkward Age, and The Push.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Widow of Wall Street by Randy Susan Meyers.

A provocative new novel by bestselling author Randy Susan Meyers about the seemingly blind love of a wife for her husband as he conquers Wall Street, and her extraordinary, perhaps foolish, loyalty during his precipitous fall.
When Phoebe learns her husband’s triumph and vast reach rests on an elaborate Ponzi scheme her world unravels. Her children refuse to see her if she remains at their father’s side, but abandoning him feels cruel and impossible.

From penthouse to prison, Randy Susan Meyers’s latest novel exposes a woman struggling to survive and then redefine her life as her world crumbles.

Grace and the Fever by Zan Romanoff

Grace is a recent high school graduate who is holding on to a secret: she’s still a huge fan of Fever Dream, the boy band everyone loved in middle school. For Grace, the band is still an important part of her life. (She spends a lot of time squealing over it with strangers online.) Then she gets the chance to meet her idol, and she learns the truth about celebrity. A smart coming-of-age story about learning how to move on when you realize the things you think define you are no longer important.

Backlist bump: A Song to Take the World Apart by Zan Romanoff

Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Ohhhhhhhh, my friends, get ready for this one. It’s a Commonwealth Prize-winning story about the Kintu Kidda’s clan in Uganda and the centuries-long history of the family’s “cursed bloodline,” starting in 1750. Makumbi breaks the book up into six parts and details the lives of Kintu’s descendants and what it means to live in the shadow of the curse a they try to carve out their own futures. What a fantastic read!

Backlist bump: I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (Another amazing Commonwealth Prize winner.)

 

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

I mention this on the podcast several months ago, but I just want to reiterate how amazing this book is. Marzano-Lesnevich went to Louisiana to help work with prisoners on death row, and instead found herself questioning her opposition to the death penalty when she came across a particularly heinous crime. Her investigation into the case led to reopened memories of her own childhood trauma and forced her to face some painful truths. (This book is fascinating and beautifully written, but please be aware that there are some really brutal, possibly triggering things discussed in it as well.)

Backlist bump: No bump, just advice to mark down After the Eclipse: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Search by Sarah Perry now, because WOW.

Florence in Ecstasy by Jessie Chaffee

Hannah, a young woman from Boston, is trying to recover from an intense episode with an eating disorder. Seeking something new, she travels alone to Italy to soak up the beauty and culture. Drawn into the city’s seemingly insatiable lust for life, Hannah – with the help of the natives – sets off down a path of drinking, sex, and food. But will the appearance of a face from the past threaten to upend her present? A vivacious, intelligent novel about the female body, pleasure, and the turmoil of trying to find your way back to yourself.

Backlist bump: Sister Golden Hair by Darcey Steinke

Give a Girl a Knife: A Memoir by Amy Thielen

A delightful memoir about Thielen’s journey from her hometown in Minnesota – home of America’s largest French fry factory – to the kitchen’s in the finest restaurants in NYC. It’s a charming story about how hard work and perseverance still help some people achieve their dreams, and how Thielen’s roots helped her realize her goals – and ultimately brought her back home.

Backlist bump: Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson

Everywhere Home: A Life in Essays by Fenton Johnson

A collection of personal essays about Johnson’s travels and the things he encounters, covering such topics as Burning Man, basketball, the AIDS epidemic, monasteries, and Oscar Wilde. These are wonderfully thoughtful and intelligent pieces that fit together with frank introspection to make a remarkable book.

Backlist bump: Small Fires: Essays by Julie Marie Wade

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’!

And ICYMI, I’m writing the new Book Riot newsletter, Book Radar, which will give you all those things! You can sign up here.

Stay rad,

Liberty

 

Welcome back, race fans. It’s another Tuesday, and another great week for books. For example, for all you Robin Hobb fans: the third book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy is out now! And you can hear about several great books out today on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, such as Lives of the Monster Dogs, Ramona Blue, and Binti.

(P.S. I was having the worst time narrowing my choices down today, so I’m giving you a mini-round-up. Enjoy!)

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki.

High in the Hollywood Hills, writer Lady Daniels has taken a break from her husband. Left alone with her children, she’s going to need a hand taking care of her young son. In response to a Craigslist ad, S arrives, a magnetic young artist who will live in the guest house, care for Lady’s toddler, Devin, and keep a watchful eye on her teenage son, Seth. But in the heat of the summer, S’s connection to Seth takes a disturbing, and possibly destructive, turn. Darkly comic, twisty and tense, this mesmerizing new from Edan Lepucki novel defies expectation.

That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Kerim: A funny and heartwarming novel about Shabnam, her summer crush, and how love can be confusing and overwhelming one day and amazing and beautiful the next.

House of Names by Colm Tóibín: A brilliant retelling of the story of Clytemnestra by a master storyteller. And like the original, full of murder, betrayal, and revenge.

We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson: Science! Nerdy goodness! Cute illustrations! Big questions about the universe that we still can’t answer! … Did I mention the cute illustrations?

D’Arc (War with No Name) by Robert Repino: It’s the sequel to Mort(e)! *MUPPET ARMS* This one picks up shortly after the first one ended, with Mort(e) and Sheba, with cults, amphibious creatures, and a serial killer!

Deadmen Walking: A Deadman’s Cross Novel (Dark-Hunter: Deadman’s Cross Trilogy) by Sherrilyn Kenyon: Pirates, and immortals, and a sea witch, oh my! This was my first Kenyon (I know, I know) and I thought it was great fun.

A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee: A Scotland Yard detective investigates the murder of a British official in India in this marvelous new historical crime series.

Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan, George Miller (Translator): This massively successful French novel about friendship, rivalry and obsession – think Single White Female – is now available in English!

Among the Lesser Gods by Margo Catts: A young woman who believes she leads a cursed life heads to the woods of Colorado to gather her thoughts. But what she finds there leaves her with a better understanding of cause and effect. This is a remarkable debut.

Typewriters, Bombs, Jellyfish: Essays by Tom McCarthy: I am a huge fan of McCarthy’s novels and I quickly gobbled up all these smart essays about pop culture and more. Includes thoughts on Patty Hearst, David Lynch, Ulysses, and yes, typewriters, bombs, and jellyfish.

The Gift by Barbara Browning: Browning is one of the most refreshing, unusual novelists I have read, and this book is no different. It’s about a woman who begins spamming people with ukulele songs. Awkward encounters ensue.

Shtum by Jem Lester: A beautiful, heart-squeezing debut novel of a couple and their ten-year-old autistic son, written from Lester’s own experiences as a parent to an autistic child.

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’!

And ICYMI, I’m writing the new Book Riot newsletter, Book Radar, which will give you all those things! You can sign up here.

Stay rad,

Liberty

It’s the first Tuesday of the month, so you know what that means: IT’S A SPECTACULARLY GOOD NEW RELEASE DAY. And the warm weather is finally here, so I can look out my window and see the sun and green grass! (What, you thought I was going to say “read outside?” LOL. That’s where the bugs live, sillies.) There are a kitten-ton of great books out this week, including the last books in the Court of Thorns and Roses and Divine Cities trilogies! And you can hear about several of these books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, such as Priestdaddy, One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, and This is Just My Face.

And while we’re talking about book news: Wanna learn about new book deals, adaptation news, and upcoming must-read books? I’m writing the new Book Riot newsletter, Book Radar, which will give you all those things! You can sign up here, and check out the most recent one here.

Now, let’s get down to business.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Nix by Nathan Hill, new in paperback.

Samuel hasn’t seen his mother since she abandoned the family. Now she’s re-appeared, having committed an absurd crime that electrifies the nightly news and inflames a politically divided country. To save her, Samuel will have to embark on a journey, uncovering long-buried secrets that stretch back across generations, from 2011 to 1960s America and to WWII Norway, home of the mysterious Nix. As he does so, Samuel will confront not only Faye’s losses but also his own lost love, and will relearn everything he thought he knew about his mother, and himself.

The Dinner Party: Stories by Joshua Ferris

The Storied City: The Quest for Timbuktu and the Fantastic Mission to Save Its Past by Charlie English

Deep Water (Simon True) by Katherine Nichols

The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey

Priestdaddy: A Memoir by Patricia Lockwood

The Farm in the Green Mountains (NYRB Classics) by Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer (Author), Ida H. Washington (Translator), Carol E. Washington (Translator)

One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter: Essays by Scaachi Koul

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn

Ugly Prey: An Innocent Woman and the Death Sentence That Scandalized Jazz Age Chicago by Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi

Genevieves by Henry Hoke

Triple Threat (Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond

This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare by Gabourey Sidibe

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

Beach Lawyer by Avery Duff

My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward: A Memoir by Mark Lukach

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu

Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee by Wayne Flynt

Cutting Back: My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto by Leslie Buck

Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab by Shani Mootoo

Posted by John David Anderson

The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Before We Sleep by Jeffrey Lent

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig  

Fen: Stories by Daisy Johnson

Said Not Said: Poems by Fred Marchant

The History of the Future by Edward McPherson

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don’t Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up by Emilie Wapnick

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses) by Sarah J. Maas

The Supernormal Sleuthing Service: The Lost Legacy by Gwenda Bond and Christopher Rowe

American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6′ 4″, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian by W. Kamau Bell

Hooper’s Revolution by Dennie Wendt

Built on Bones: 15,000 Years of Urban Life and Death by Brenna Hassett

Time’s a Thief by B.G. Firmani

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool: A True Love Story by Peter Turner

I’ll Eat When I’m Dead by Barbara Bourland

Firstborn by Tosca Lee

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft by Geraldine DeRuiter

Borrowed Souls: A Soul Charmer Novel by Chelsea Mueller

Dreamfall by Amy Plum

Bubble by Stewart Foster

Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times edited by Carolina De Robertis

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin (Author), Bonnie Huie  (Translator)

The Leavers by Lisa Ko

The Trials of Apollo Book Two The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

And We’re Off by Dana Schwartz

Milena, or The Most Beautiful Femur in the World by Jorge Zepeda Patterson (Author), Adrian Nathan West (Translator)

You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women’s Friendships by Deborah Tannen

Mid-Life Ex-Wife: A Diary of Divorce, Online Dating, and Second Chances by Stella Grey

The Scattering (Outliers) by Kimberly McCreight

My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

The Gathering Edge by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

The Weekend Effect: The Life-Changing Benefits of Taking Time Off and Challenging the Cult of Overwork by Katrina Onstad

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky

Trajectory: Stories by Richard Russo

Soupy Leaves Home by Cecil Castellucci  (Author), Jose Pimienta (Illustrator)

The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness by Jill Filipovic

The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis (Author), Michael Lucey (Translator)

City of Miracles (The Divine Cities) by Robert Jackson Bennett

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Inheritance from Mother by Minae Mizumura

He Calls Me By Lightning: The Life of Caliph Washington and the forgotten Saga of Jim Crow, Southern Justice, and the Death Penalty by S Jonathan Bass

No One Can Pronounce My Name by Rakesh Satyal

‘Round Midnight by Laura McBride

Beyond the High Blue Air: A Memoir by Lu Spinney

Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan

Hadriana in All My Dreams by René Depestre (Author), Kaiama L. Glover (Translator)

The Nix by Nathan Hill (paperback)

The Assistants by Camille Perri (paperback)

Why We Came to the City by Kristopher Jansma (paperback)

The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan (paperback)

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (paperback)

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee (paperback)

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