Author: Vanessa Diaz

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In The Club

In the Club – November 21

Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow here in the states and I hope lots of tasty foodstuffs are in all of your futures! Funny story — as a kid I had to ask my mom why we always made turkey-related crafts in school for the holiday. My Mexican family ate pozole and ham back then. I was hella confused.

Wherever you are and whatever you dine on, whether with friends or family or just your super cute cat, I wish you all a very happy day of thanks. I’m grateful to all of you fantastic readers and the chance to bring you book club love each week.

Alright, moving on. I’ll keep it brief this week. To the books!

This newsletter is sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio. Keep up with your reading by listening to the audiobook – and never miss a book club meeting!

Keep up with your book club reading by listening to the audiobook. Audiobooks are the perfect complement to your busy schedule. Listen to new releases such as The Kennedy Debutante, by Kerri Maher and read by Julia Whelan, and you can enjoy a whole new book club experience. For more listening suggestions, visit Tryaudiobooks.com/BookRiot.

Issa Giveaway – I’m still recovering from my very first trip to Powell’s over my birthday weekend last month, yo. I may have blacked out for a moment somewhere in the gold room; all I know is that purchases were made. Get in on this action and sign up to win $250 to Powell’s here!

The Club that Cooks – The holidays approacheth and for a lot of us that means whipping up culinary masterpieces, or watching other people do so while we drink wine in the corner – amirite? Whether you’re cooking, gifting, or hosting Book Club: Cookbook Edition, check out this list of 2018’s best cookbooks.

  • Book Club Bonus: Not everyone has time to read over the holidays – I for one work in Retailandia and will probs set up a cot in the bookstore soon! If you still want to make time for your bookish pals, turn book club into a holiday gathering with help from your favorite cookbooks. Everyone pick a different title and prepare a dish from said cookbook. Gather, munch, and maybe have a casual wrap-up of this year’s favorite reads. Eggnog and buttered rum optional. Hold the optional.
  • Related: In more cookbook news, watching Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix has a) made me a solid fangirl for Samin Nosrat, and b) bumped Coming to My Senses up a few notches on my TBR. I’m so pleased to see this memoir by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame on this list of 20 of the best food books from 2018.

Give Us All the Prizes – The National Book Award Winners have been announced and y’all…. I am SCREAMING my congratulations for all of the women and authors of color who graced that stage! Can we start a petition to award Elizabeth Acevedo a prize for Most Poppin Curls?

  • Book Club Bonus: If your group read and loved The Poet X, do yourselves a favor and catch Pride by Ibi Zoboi. This reimagining of Pride & Prejudice is brilliant Latinx love + black girl magic on its own but is neeeext level fantastic on audio. It’s narrated by Elizabeth I’m-Just-Good-At-All-The-Things Acevedo and I can’t imagine a more perfect pick to do so. Discuss how the Bushwick setting and characters of color bring new depth and perspective to the classic.
  • with the fire on highRelated: While you’re at it, pre-order Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire On High. Have you seen that cover?? I die. I just die.

BRB, going to bust out my head scarves and hoops right quick before accepting that I will never recreate this glory.

Grateful for Great Reads – You love the books, we love the books. We all loves ze books! Rioter Olivia Páez shares a list of the books she’s thankful for and that have changed her life.

  • Book Club Bonus: Host Friendsgiving with book club! In between the stuffing of face and other traditions you partake in, take some time to talk about the reads you’ve been thankful for this year/life. I relate so much to Olivia’s excitement over finally reading a book that celebrated her Cuban culture. Share the stories that made you swell with pride, that taught you important lessons, or that simply shook your soul.

Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter for tips and latest listens and watch me booktube every Friday too!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

More Resources: 
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page

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Audiobooks

Michelle Obama, Welcome To Our Ears, and More in Audiobooks

Well hello there, audiophiles! Welcome back to Audiophilia, land of audiobooks, joy, and healthy amounts of snark. In addition to audiobook news and such, I’ll be reviewing some old faves with you today in the spirit of thankfulness. Let’s get right to it then, shall we?

Sponsored by Libby, the one-tap reading app from your library and OverDrive.

Meet Libby. The award-winning reading app that makes sure you always have something to read. It’s like having your entire library right in your pocket. Download the app today and get instant access to thousands of ebooks and audiobooks for free thanks to your public library and OverDrive.

Latest Listen

It’s finally here, friends: the inimitable Michelle Obama’s Becoming has finally hit shelves & eardrums! I haven’t decided whether this one will be my lullaby before bed or a morning listen to get the day started. All I know is that I have to catch this on audio; perhaps Michelle’s sweet words of hope and encouragement will help distract me from… well, you know. All the things.

Listens I’m Thankful For

Thanksgiving is… weird. Native Americans were minding their business when a bunch of pale people with big hats on a boat were like, “Hey girl, so this is our sh*t now thanks.” The pilgrims took the Natives’ things and killed their people but still were offered maize and hospitality, and now we celebrate with dead turkeys! Slight simplification here, pero… you get the idea.

These concerns aside, I am all for taking the time to express gratitude for one’s blessings and will throw down on some stuffing & aaaall the pumpkin things. Since it’s that time of year, I thought I’d mix it up and tell you about some past listens that I’ve been grateful for.

The Clancys of Queens by Tara Clancy – Tara Clancy’s childhood was not like yours or mine, that it unless you too were raised in a trifecta comprised of a boat shed in Queens, a mansion in the Hamptons, and a lively block in Brooklyn downstairs from your saucy Italian grandmother whose favorite way to end a sentence is “Fangul!”. Clancy has the ease of a natural storyteller, taking readers and listeners on an insightful, poignant, and raucously funny ride through her unconventional upbringing. This is perfect for audio; I can’t imagine reading these stories without Clancy’s Queens accent to charm my ears off.

born a crime Born A Crime by Trevor Noah – I didn’t know a heck of a lot about Trevor Noah when I listened to his book but was hooked by its very literal title: as the product of a union between a black woman and a white man during South African apartheid, Noah’s very existence was an actual crime. I knew his tales of the peril that such an entry into the world might bring would be riveting; I was wholly unprepared for how I’m-going-to-wet-myself-in-public hilarious many of them would be (see poop story and Hitler DJ anecdote for reference). Remember his Daily Show bit about the infamous “covfefe” incident? Think of the voice he does when he’s clutching that teddy bear and imagine an audiobook with lots more where that came from.

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae – Issa has blown up with the success of HBO’s Insecure and the hype is well deserved; the writing, the acting, the straight FIYAH soundtrack are all insane. Whether you’ve been rocking with Issa since the days of her Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl web series like me or are new to the Issa tribe, her book of the same name is to be enjoyed on audio post haste. Her musings on growing up the daughter of Senegalese immigrants, dating, body image, trying to make it in these streets and more kept me in stitches and affirmative head nods. There’s chapter on AOL chat rooms that opens with “At eleven years of age, I was a cyber ho.” I cannot!

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain – Anthony Bourdain was the inspiration behind so many of my foodie adventures and travels and his loss is one I felt profoundly. I’ve long loved Kitchen Confidential in print and decided to revisit this memoir/deep dive into the belly of the restaurant industry on audio. It was every bit as good the second time around, albeit infinitely more emotional with Uncle Tony narrating his own words into my ear holes. I hope he’s savoring a big ol’ hunk of bone marrow and a bold glass of red as he bashes ol’ Trumpy Pants from the big kitchen in the sky.

From the Internets

Canada Rising – A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned my lack of familiarity with Canada’s historically low audiobook availability. There’s good news on this front – according to a recent article in Forbes, Canadian audiobook production is up to 61%. While that figure is still pretty disappointing, it’s a huge step in the right direction considering it was a whopping 16% just two years ago. Let’s hope there’s more to come!

Over at the Riot

Appsolutely Awesome – You probably have an audio app of choice – I’m a big fan of Libby and Libro.fm myself. It’s always nice to get a refresher on what else is out there though, like these 13 apps for reading on the go. Several of these include audiobooks for your eager ears.

Most Shameless of Plugs – I recently joined Book Riot’s booktube family and posted my very first video on Friday! Learn a little about me, observe some gratuitous wand use, and hear my musings on audiobooks in the context of bookish imposter syndrome.

Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter for tips and latest listens and watch me booktube every Friday too!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

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In The Club

In The Club – Nov 14

Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read.

The midterms are over and though I’m still sore over Beto, I sure did raise a glass for all the amazing women and people of color elected to office. This is a club, after all. Let’s pour one out and do a little dance!

Oh and then talk about books.

Let’s commence.

This newsletter is sponsored by Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger.

The world remembers Elie Wiesel—Nobel laureate, activist, and author of more than forty books—as a great humanist. He passed away in July of 2016. Now, in Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom, we see him as never before—not only as an extraordinary human being, but as a master teacher. Written by Wiesel’s devoted protégé and friend, Ariel Burger, Witness takes us inside the classroom, where listening and storytelling keep memory alive. Witness provides a front row seat to these lessons in compassion, teaching us that listening to a witness, makes us all witnesses. In this book, Wiesel’s legacy lives on.

Don’t Forget to Enter the All The Books Giveaway! We’re celebrating 200 episodes of All the Books by giving a lucky reader a $250 Barnes & Noble gift card. Enter here!

Club Style Quiz – No, this ain’t a fashion consult, although TBH that skirt with those shoes is supes last year. Let us help you find your book club style with just a few simple questions. 

Picture Perfect Reads – Stressed at work? Dating life a bust? Feeling crushed by the weight of the patriarchy and of living in a country run by a pompous pile of Cheeto dust? Then make sure to get your self-care in wherever you can, like with these spirit-lifting picture books for quick and delightful reading.

  • Book Club Bonus: Set the Lit Fic and tear-jerker memoirs down for just a second and bring picture books to book club. Have every member pick one or two with a feel-good message and read them aloud at your meet-up. Pick ones with a solid storyline as opposed to just pretty colors, shapes, and rhymes. Use a sign-up sheet to avoid repeats among the group and agree to try and select books that aren’t super common (Corduroy, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, etc). In a mommy/daddy + me club? BYOB (bring your own baby) and make it a real party.

Nature-Happy Book Pairs – Nothing feeds my soul like curling up with a good book, except perhaps a little forest bathing among big beautiful trees. Treat yo self to the best of both worlds with these five books to read in some of nature’s masterpieces.

  • Book Club Bonus: Pick a book on nature and take book club outside! If you don’t live near a national park or have time to get to one, fret not. That Terry Tempest Williams you’ve had your eye on pairs just as well with a nice brisk hike or walk in whatever nature spot is near you. If it’s feasible, hold book club at said nature spot – pack a picnic and some blankets and talk nature in nature.

Post-War Crime Reads – November 11th, 2018 marked the 100 year anniversary of Armistice Day, the end of World War I. LitHub recommends these nine titles from the Golden Age of mystery; set in the half decade immediately post-war, they speak to the “lingering desire to see the destructive intrusion defeated and the world made right again.”

  • Book Club Bonus: I confess I’d never given much thought to how mystery fiction changed from before the war to after. Pick two mysteries for book club: one pre-war and one post. Discuss the changes in content, tone, character development, etc. as informed by their place in the war’s timeline.

5 books bearing witness to America’s carceral state – Last month the National Book Foundation launched Literature for Justice (LFJ), a three-year campaign that seeks to encourage  the reading of literature that “contextualizes and humanizes the experiences of incarcerated people.” This initiative includes the curation of a 15-book list of titles about the American prison system, five of which are highlighted by LitHub here.

  • Book Club Bonus: There is so, so much to learn from reading up on the American prison system, from the school-to-prison pipeline to for-profit prisons and everything in between. Pick these important reads, then do a little good afterwards by donating your past reads to a local prison. Check with the prison to see if they accept direct donations or if it’s best to go through a charitable organization, and also check to see which types of books are accepted.

Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter for tips and latest listens and watch me booktube every Friday too!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Categories
Audiobooks

Frankenstein, Caldo de Pollo for the Soul, and More in Audiobooks

Buenos dias, audiophiles! It’s November and still I’m sitting in 80 degree weather because I live in San Diego. My boots and scarves are feeling very disrespected, shoved in the lonely back of my closet when all they want to do is come out and play. PORQUEEEE????

But my fall longing has nothing to do with audiobooks, does it? It’s the heat, it’s frying my brain. Let’s talk audio!

Sponsored by the FLIGHT OR FRIGHT audiobook, a terrifying new anthology edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent.

Listen to the FLIGHT OR FRIGHT audiobook – a terrifying new anthology edited by STEPHEN KING and BEV VINCENT. Narrated by Stephen King and an all-star cast, the FLIGHT OR FRIGHT audiobook features brand new stories by King (The Turbulence Expert) and Joe Hill (You Are Released) as well as classic tales from the likes of Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and many more.

Latest Listen

So listen, I’m a big ol’ mentirosa (liar). I didn’t listen to one red hot second of either of the audiobooks I mentioned last week (Nic Stone’s Odd One Out and Ruth Goodman’s How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England). They both sound so great but life just gets in the way sometimes! Ya know?

While I fully intend to get to those listens, reader Kimberlee (hey girl hey!) wrote in with another awesome suggestion. Since 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, celebrate by catching this classic on audio. There are several versions out there, but we’re pretty jazzed about this unabridged version narrated by Gildart Jackson of Charmed fame. Hurray for a strong accent/voice game and a riveting listen!

Listens on Deck

I know I just said I gots lots of catching up to do but I am really excited about American Like Me, an amazing collection of essays edited by America Ferrera all about what it’s like to grow up between cultures. It boasts a seriously impressive list of contributors (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Uzo Aduba, Jeremy Lin, Issa Rae, Wilmer Valderrama, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes and SO many more) and sounds like caldo de pollo for my first generation American soul.

From the Internets

Libro’s Best – The vast majority of Libro.fm’s October 2018 bestsellers are either titles on my TBR or ones I’ve recently read/listened to. Leading the packs for fiction and nonfiction are Tana French’s The Witch Elm and Tara Westover’s Educated, both of which get the hardest of cosigns by me. One is a delicious slow burn with an ooooh SH*T reveal at the end and the other is the best time I’ve had feeling like an underachiever in some time.

Page to Screen in November 2018 – Audiobooks.com has a quick list of listens whose adaptations are hitting the big screen in November. I can barely keep up with all of this news coming out of Adaptation Nation!

I’m super intrigued by The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: The Secret of the Realms by Disney Book Group, narrated by Nicole Barber. I’ll admit I knew nothing about it until watching the adaptation’s weird and twisty trailer, but they had me at Misty Copeland.

Over at the Riot

Audiophile Favorites – I know I’m generally the one with the recommendations here but PLOOOOT TWIIIIIST! We rioters recently asked readers you to tell us about great audiobooks for book club. Here are some of the favorites you shared!

And yeah, this very paragraph is a carryover from one of my In The Club newsletters, which you’re totally signed up for, si? It’s kinda perfect for both newsletters and I do what I want!

Listens for Writers – A lot of us writer folks love to read but don’t always have a lot of time to do so. In comes this list of great listens on the craft of writing.

Nonfiction November – Since the month o’ nonfiction is upon us, now’s a great time to bring back this list of 50 Must Read Nonfiction Audiobooks.

Thanks for hanging with me today! You can find me on the Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com if you have any feedback or questions, and don’t forget to sign for In The Club for book club tips & tricks.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

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In The Club

In the Club – Nov 7

Bonjour, book lovers! Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. 

Happy November! By the time you read this newsletter, the midterm elections will have taken place and there will hopefully be lots to celebrate! If not, I’m letting you know now that next week’s newsletter will be brought to you by tequila. *casts spells, burns palo santo, prays frantically in Spanish* 

For now, let’s have a little bookish fun and talk Nonfiction November, lady monsters, how the US’s hands are a lot o’ bit dirty and more. 

To the books!

This newsletter is sponsored by The Man She Married by Cathy Lamb.

a photo of a white daisy floating in very blue waterA woman whose memory is shattered must piece together her husband’s secrets and reevaluate her life, love, and relationships, in this gripping and thought-provoking novel.

Have you entered our All The Books Giveaway? Enter here to win a $250 Barnes & Noble gift card as the podcast closes in on its 200th episode. That’s a lot of books!

November Rain – It’s raining themes, dates and causes, yo! We’ve got National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), midterm elections, Thanksgiving, Movember… all the things! It’s also Nonfiction November and Bustle has a list of twelve rad reads that fit the bill. One of them is by a little someone named Michelle Obama… no big deal.

Monstress, Inc – Oh look! A giant pile o’ Vanessa Catnip: “From Circe to Carrie: 9 Literary Female Monsters You Don’t Want to Mess With.” Go on, get it on this. Catnip courtesy of Off the Shelf.    

  • Book Club Bonus: I’ve already told you all how much I love it when a female villain is given nuance and depth, and suggested a book club discussion of how a fleshed-out backstory might change our previous perceptions of her. This week, I challenge you all to analyze what it is about lady monsters that make them such a terrifying force. Are they truly monsters? Are we just afraid of women’s anger? Of our power? Of our anger’s power?

Trauma, A Memoir – Recovery from trauma is an intensely personal process and no two people’s experiences are the same. Take these nine memoirs about trauma: each moving and heart wrenching in distinct ways.

  • Book Club Bonus: These are all undoubtedly very difficult reads. For those comfortable taking them on, memoirs like these would make for some seriously inspirational reading. More importantly, I think they’ll provide some invaluable perspective on these difficult subjects for folks who’ve never been through them or don’t know anyone who has.

We’re Not Not to Blame – All this fear-mongering talk of caravans reminds me that a lot of people either aren’t aware of, don’t understand, or flat out don’t care about the extent of the United States’ role in destabilizing the countries these migrants come from. It feels like the right time to read this list of books on this very subject from Rioter Romeo Rosales.

  • Book Club Bonus: Even the most progressive among us could probably still use a crash course in our government’s problematic involvement in Central and South America. Consider reading one of these titles for book club, especially if one or more of your members have a blindspot when it comes to our treatment of immigrants. A little bit of education and a meaningful conversation among friends could go a long way.

Thanks for hanging with me today! You can find me on both the Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com if you want to say hola or if you have any book club questions, and sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter to get more bookish content by yours truly.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends!
Vanessa

Categories
Audiobooks

Latest Listens and New Audiobooks

Hola, audiophiles! Welcome to November! It’s Dia de los Muertos which means I *will* be watching Coco through my tears at some point. It also means it’s time for new audiobook releases! Let’s not waste any time. To the books!

Just for Book Riot readers: sign up for an Audible account, and get two audiobooks free!

Latest Listen

I’m about 75% through with The Library Book by Susan Orlean and have so many library loving feelings. Seriously: the fact that the most devastating library fire in U.S. history isn’t more widely known about is bananas! That is of course what happens when your library fire happens at the same time as Chernobyl.

In April 1986, an arson caused the Central Library branch of the Los Angeles Public Library to burn for over seven hours. Hundreds of thousands of books were either damaged or destroyed. Yep, I said it: hundreds… of thousands… of books. I’d have been one of the hysterical crying people on the sidewalk, yelling “MURDERER!” in my most dramatic telenovela Spanish at anyone who even looked like they might enjoy a cigarette.

This lovely listen is not only a riveting history lesson but also a love letter to libraries. Written and narrated by the acclaimed author of The Orchid Thief, it’s a perfect read for history buffs, true crime lovers, and anyone with a serious case of bibliophilia.

Listens on Deck

odd one outEek! My audiobook queue is getting un poquito out of hand. I’m still trying to decide what to listen to next, but the two top contenders are Nic Stone’s Odd One Out and How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England: A Guide for Knaves, Fools, Harlots, Cuckolds, Drunkards, Liars, Thieves, and Braggarts by Ruth Goodman. One is YA fiction about friendship, love, and self-discovery told from three perspectives and one is a history of the “offensive language, insolent behavior, slights, brawls, and scandals” of Elizabethan England. Super different, super interesting. Will report back.

New Audiobooks: November

Gah, so many new books! Here are just five new releases to check out now.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty, narrated by Caroline Lee, release date 11/6/18

“Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amid all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these 10 days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next 10 days are going to be.” The bestselling author of Big Little Lies is back with another twisty, turny, and smart piece of fiction.

Becoming by Michelle Obama, narrated by author, release date 11/13/18

“In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her – from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world’s most famous address.” What else is there to say? We heart you, Michelle.

Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom i Howard Hughes’s Hollywood by Karina Longworth, narrated by the author, release date 11/13/18

“In this riveting popular history, the creator of You Must Remember This probes the inner workings of Hollywood’s glamorous Golden Age through the stories of some of the dozens of actresses pursued by Howard Hughes, to reveal how the millionaire mogul’s obsessions with sex, power, and publicity trapped, abused, or benefited women who dreamt of screen stardom.”

Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, narrated by Simon Vance, release dat 11/20/18

Brace yourselves. In this 26+ hour listen, “the thrilling history of the Targaryens comes to life in this masterly work by the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the inspiration for HBO’s Game of Thrones. With all the fire and fury fans have come to expect from internationally best-selling author George R. R. Martin, this is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros.”

Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny, narrated by Robert Bathhurst, release date 11/27/18

In Louise Penny’s latest Chief Inspector Gamache audiobook, a cryptic letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse – totally normal, right?! “The former head of the Sûreté du Québec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still on suspension, and frankly curious, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder.” The will’s bequests are bizarre so the woman must have been delusional… or was she? When a dead body turns up, the will starts to make unsettling sense.

Over at the Riot

21 Incredible and Prolific Audiobook Narrators – My hardcore audiophiles know all too well that even the most beautifully written stories can lose their luster is their narration is off. Here are some narrators who got their narration game on lock.

6 Romances Coming to Audiobook in November – I know what you’re thinking: how the %#*^ is it November already?! Know what’ll make you feel better about the whirlwind passage of time? This list of romance audiobooks to get cozy/sexy/cool with this month.

10 Canadian Audiobooks – I had no idea that a lot of Canadian books aren’t available in audio format! Look on the brightside, Canadian friends: you have Justin Trudeau, healthcare that doesn’t suck AND these 10 audiobooks by Canadian authors out now.

Thanks for hanging with me today! For tips and tricks for all of your book club needs, make sure to subscribe to the In The Club newsletter edited by yours truly. You can find me on the Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd or by email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com. Say hola and give me your feedback and questions!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends,
Vanessa

Categories
In The Club

In the Club – October 31

Greetings, gals and ghouls! Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read.

It’s Halloween at last and my favorite month is drawing to a close! I’ve so enjoyed spending the whole month watching Hocus Pocus on repeat, devouring witchy reads, and busting out my “Brujeria Supplies” tote to freak out passersby. Now if only the orange monster in on oval lair in the house of white stone on Pennsylvania Avenue would leave us alone… that’d be swell.

Also, now all I can think about it this guy from Looney Tunes.

Enough of that mess. Let’s talk audiobooks, America’s favorite read, crime awards and more.

Onward!

This newsletter is sponsored by Mariner Books.

“The edge of the stories in Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s debut collection Friday Black is razor sharp, ready to cut deep. This book is dark and captivating and essential. This book is a call to arms and it is a condemnation. Adjei-Brenyah offers powerful prose as parable. The writing in this outstanding collection will make you hurt and demand your hope. Read this book. Marvel at the intelligence of each of these stories and what they reveal about racism, capitalism, complacency and their insidious reach.”—Roxane Gay

Audiophile Favorites – I know I’m generally the one with the recommendations here but PLOOOOT TWIIIIIST! We recently asked you to tell us about great audiobooks for book club.

That’s right folks: I managed to sneak in a Golden Girls reference yet again. Also, here are some of your fantastic suggestions. 

Volume Up in this Club! – Speaking of audiobooks: if you’ve been clubbing with me for a bit now, you know I heart the idea of integrating audiobooks in book group. Need help getting started? Check out this piece on six ways to host an audiobook club.

  • Book Club Bonus: While there are thousands of new/new-to-you titles to listen to out there, give some thought to listening to a book you’ve read in print previously. Hearing it narrated – especially if it’s by the author – can add a whole new layer of meaning, nuance, and oftentimes hilarity. I have done this with Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime and David Sedaris’ Calypso. Holy crap, yo. Hearing their stories in their voices hit me smack in the feels and almost made me wet myself at least 5 times, even though I’d already read them once before.

To Read a Mockingbird – The people have spoken! The voting results for The Great American Read are in and Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird took the top spot.

  • Book Club Bonus: We all know America’s favorite read is pretty much a staple in high school classrooms – but should it be? Give it a read in book club and see if you feel any differently about it now than you did when you first tackled it, or share your impressions as a first time reader. I for one think it might be high time to move on from the white savior thing, ya know? Discuss some more contemporary reads that you might suggest in its stead. There. Are. Lots.
  • Related: The top 50 and top 10 finalists for The Great American Read were woefully lacking in diversity, a non-surprising but still disappointing side affect of the whiteness of the Western canon. Another book club tip: research overlooked reads and come up with suggestions for new entries into the canon. Go.

Book Clubs All the Way Down – Looking for a book club? Already in one but need a replacement because Karen didn’t read the damn book and watched the movie instead AGAIN? Consider joining Life’s Library, a new book club by John Green and his longtime friend Rosianna Halse Rojas.

  • Book Club Bonus: My indie recently read Claire Fuller’s Swimming Lessons for book club and promoted it on social media. Fuller then reached out to thanks us for picking her book and offered to provide and/or answer any questions for our book group. Before you select your next read, try contacting the author and see if they’d be willing to participate similarly. I’ve been so pleasantly surprised at how receptive many authors are to communicating with their readers. Show them some love and maybe get them chatting about the books they’ve written.  

Bringing Books to a Knife Fight – Sort of. Except the knives are daggers and the fight is an award ceremony. Two lessons here: 1) My bookish metaphors don’t always work out. 2) The Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards have been announced.

  • Book Club Bonus: As a lover of mystery books, I love me the Dagger Awards but lawd! #daggerssowhite. I’m thrilled to see Attica Locke take the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger but the nominees overall were not at all diverse. Read Attica Locke and give her her flowers, but also look for other persons of color writing mystery. Need some suggestions? Walter Mosley, Kellye Garrett, Alexia Gordon, Vaseem Khan, Maria Angelica Bosco, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sujata Massey… I could go on. 

Trans People Won’t Be Erased – We love and support our trans brothers and sisters. Full stop. Here is a piece from Rioter Christina on 15 trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming writers to get to know right now.

  • Book Club Bonus: Please, please support the work of trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming writers and then consider writing them a letter from your book group. Thank them for their books and remind them that they are seen and valued, in spite of so many efforts from nefarious parties to make them feel otherwise. Then call every damn elected official you need to to voice your opposition for the attempted erasure of the trans community. And of course VOTE. 

Thanks for hanging with me today! You can find me on both the Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com if you want to say hola or if you have any book club questions, and sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter to get more bookish content by yours truly.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

More Resources: 
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page

Categories
Audiobooks

LOLs, Listens, and an Introduction

Hola, audiophiles!

My name is Vanessa Diaz and as you may have read in last week’s newsletter, I’ll be stepping in for Katie to bring you the scoop on all things audiobook. Thank you so much to Katie for the sweet words and warm hand-off – I wish her the best of luck in her sweet new gig and can’t wait to talk audiobooks with all of you fine book-listening people!

A little about me: I’m a Contributing Editor and have been Rioting for just over a year. I also edit our In The Club newsletter and am so excited to be co-hosting the Read Harder podcast in 2019! I’m a native San Diegan, a chatty Latina, and a super duper nerdy Agatha Christie nut. I may occasionally lapse into Spanish. Like I said to all my In The Clubbers – you’ve been warned.

So! Let’s get to the listens, shall we?

Just for Book Riot readers: sign up for an Audible account, and get two audiobooks free!

First – we gots a giveaway! Here’s your chance to win a 12-month Audible subscription.

Latest Listen

I’ve been in major need of some LOLs lately in the middle of this garbage fire news cycle. And really – who hasn’t!? Enter Phoebe Robinson’s Everything’s Trash, but It’s Okay. I’m a big fan of Robinson from the 2 Dope Queens podcast and hollered my way through Robinson’s first book You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Have to Explain. Her second book is every bit as filled with her signature pop culture references, endless hashtags and unabashed Bono thirstiness. Now there’s a string of words I never thought I’d write…

Why it’s so great on audio: only Phoebe can deliver those Phoebeisms in that Phoebeistic way. Her narration of personal anecdotes will keep you in stitches (and maybe make you cringe a little, any by that I mean a lot), but it’s her cultural criticism and musings on feminism, politics, body image, and dating that’ll have you yelling a very Phoebe “yaaaasss.” Her tangents sometimes go a little haywire and she’ll stretch a joke out for a tad longer than it probs needed to go. Honestly though- that’s just Phoebe: a little extra with a lot of laughs.

Line that made me howl: “For instance, I’m anti-misogyny, but that hasn’t stopped me in the past from basically busting out a rhythmic gymnastics routine complete with ribbon work when Jay Z’s Big Pimpin’ comes on.” I CAN’T.

Listens on Deck

Up Next: Susan Orlean’s The Library Book. Did you know that in 1986, a terrible fire at the Los Angeles Public Library raged for 7+ hours and wiped out (deep breath here) over 400,000 books?! Oh you didn’t? Know why? Because Chernobyl happened and there went the library’s headline. I can’t wait to listen and get sucked into this library love letter & real-life mystery.

From the Internets

The Bold and the Buzzy – Audiobooks.com shared their pics for the buzziest audiobooks of the season. I’ll just be over here poppin’ my collar for having six of these already downloaded / wringing my hands at the growing size of my TBL. Gulp.

    1. All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung, narrated by Janet Song
    2. An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminsky
    3. Beautiful Country Burn Again by Ben Fountain, narrated by Ron Butler
    4. Heartland by Sarah Smarsh, narrated by Sarah Smarsh
    5. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, narrated by Dion Graham
    6. Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth, narrated by Tavia Gilbert
    7. On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay Mckesson, narrated by DeRay Mckesson
    8. The Caregiver by Samuel Park, narrated by Cassandra Campbell
    9. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, narrated by Richard Armitage

Catch the whole article with descriptions of each title here.

Over at the Riot

Three Writers Reading – In last week’s 3 on a YA Theme, Tirzah shared three YA audiobooks narrated by the author. I caught The Poet X in print but did just have my ears blessed by Elizabeth Acevedo’s narration of Pride. I may or may not have been Twitter stalking her shamelessly ever since. Anyway: cosign!!

    1. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
    2. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
    3. Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak

How Do You Audio? – We’ve all heard of Audible, sure. But did you know there are a few other fantastic options for listening to audiobooks? Check out this guide to the best audiobook service options. I’m a recent Libro.fm convert myself and love it so much!

Thanks for hanging with me today! You can find me on the Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com if you have any feedback or questions!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Categories
In The Club

In The Club – October 24

Greetings, Book Folk! Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. 

Today I’m giving you a dose of YA-related snark, some Obama reads, hexes, costume ideas, and more! And if that don’t sound like a poppin’ kind of club you, I really don’t know how to help you.

Here we go.

This newsletter is sponsored by HMHTeen.

Not Even Bones cover imageDexter meets This Savage Song in this dark fantasy about a girl who sells magical body parts on the black market — and seeks revenge when she is betrayed.

Everest or GTFO – Another day, another terrible take on YA, and another hilarious takedown. Read Annika’s brilliant rebuttal to the latest bad opinion piece that we read so you wouldn’t have to. A snippet of the brilliance: “Collect anything? God help you if it is four-inch Star Wars figures, you absolute infant. You should be collecting frown lines, real estate, and income tax returns like an adult.” DEAD. 

  • Book Club Bonus: I (clap) CAN (clap) NOT (clap) with all of these stuffy I’m-too-good-for-YA types. Go sit down somewhere and congratulate yourself for reading Crime & Punishment in its original Russian, bruh, but keep your snobbery to your damn self. For the rest of us who know better, we really need to make a bigger push for including YA titles in book club. I’d love to read Children of Blood and Bone and then break down how the story is a commentary on racism, classism, colorism… but sure, tell me again how YA is just fluff?!

Read Like Obama – I would personally love to see an “Oh HELL no. MICHELLE! Hold my beer!” Twitter rant from my boy Barry going aaaaall the way off on the GOP, or even a Facebook or Instagram Live dragging 45 to absolute Cheeto dust filth. Sigh. Barack is of course classier than that and prefers to serve his shade – and calls to action – in the form of a well-curated reading list. I’m here for that too.

  • Book Club Bonus: What I love about the idea of Obama Book Club is that it offers some variety in reading experience; you could read the books he suggests in traditional book club format, or could also read and discuss the articles he links to in this post. If you find yourself strapped for time but want to engage in civic discourse with a book-club feel, this is a great way to do so.

Paris Review, Je T’Aime – Last week in Critical Linking, Kelly linked to an installment of Feminize Your Canon, a new column in The Paris Review dedicated to lesser-known female writers.

    • Book Club Bonus: I mean… this is like book-club-in-a-box, n’est-ce pas? Reading inspiration is served up on a fine and prestigious platter with a side of feminism and a history lesson too. Get to know female writers that you might not otherwise have ever discovered like Olivia Manning, who as Kelly points out is someone I think I’d like to have spent time with. 
    • Related: If your book group likes to open or close the discussion with a quote for inspiration, here’s a great round up of empowering feminist quotes that you might find handy. 

Hex in the City – The good people at Catland Books in Brooklyn hosted an event to hex Brett Kavanagh and “all rapists and the patriarchy which emboldens, rewards and protects them.” Some people were real in their feelings about this. Oh, you have a problem with hexing rapists but not with… actual rapists? Let’s have a moment of silence for all of the f*cks we don’t give…

If you missed the event, fear not, witches! There is indeed a Hex Part II on the books for November 3. If you can attend the event or just want to support the cause, click here to buy tickets or make a donation. Fifty percent of the event proceeds will be donated to charity: 25% to the Southern Poverty Law Center and 25% to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. Hex yeah! (I’m sorry I just HAD TO.)

  • Book Club Bonus: Whether or not your club is learned in the art of brujeria, I love the idea of dedicating space & time to rid ourselves of bad energy. Pick a deliciously indulgent read, then pick some kind of ritual to either kick off or wrap up your meeting. Light candles. Burn some palo santo. Break out the crystals. Write down the things that ail you on a small piece of paper and then burn that thing in a blaze of symbolic glory. Find empowerment in small acts of resistance.

Gonna Dress You Up in My Club – With Halloween just around the corner, it feels like a good time to revive this piece from last year on 31 awesome literary costumes. Aaaaah that teeny tiny Dobby costume kills me!

  • Book Club Bonus: Dress up for book club (duh) BUT don’t tell anyone what you’re coming as. Choose a literary character and then take turns guessing what each other’s costumes are, and try to make it challenging! I’ve thought about dressing up as a calendar with the word “death” written on a random Tuesday. You know, like an Appointment with Death?

Thanks for hanging with me today! You can find me on both the Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com if you want to say hola or if you have any book club questions!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Categories
In The Club

In The Club – October 17

Hey there, word nerds! Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read.

Today on the agenda for book club talk, I’ll start us off with some creepy + cozy reads. I’ve also got some thoughts on Narco Lit, a lot of love for National Coming Out Day, then some fangirling & feminism to bring it on home. I may have even thought up the scariest Halloween costume to rule them all… 

Onward!

This newsletter is sponsored by Epic Reads.

a gold-hilted dagger is front and center, stabbing into water. coins fly through the air around it, and in the background is a ship sailing against a sunsetThe sequel to Sword and Verse follows Soraya as she attempts to rebuild a nation after the slave rebellion destroyed the capital city. On the new ruling council, she finally holds the political power she always wanted—but over a nation in ruins. When a slave ship arrives in the city, full of Arnathim captured before Qilara fell, the civil unrest that has been bubbling since the rebellion erupts. With the threat of attacks high, Gelti, a former guard captain, trains Soraya in self-defense. As the two grow close, tension within the city ramps up, with danger, betrayal, and deception meeting Soraya everywhere she turns.

I’ll Have the Creepy Read, Hold the Horror – I am such a weenie when it comes to straight-up cue-the-Pyscho-soundtrack horror. If you too are in that weenie tribe, fear not (ha). Tirzah Price had our kind in mind when she put together this sweet list of Atmospheric Non-Horror Novels to read in October.

  • Book Club Bonus + Shameless-but-Related Plug: I filled in for Amanda on last week’s episode of Get Booked where I recommended a non-horror novel that still packs a creepy, unsettling punch. Explore this idea: what is it about quieter, less violent stories that often make them terrifying? Is it the dark side of human nature that’s creepy AF? Do they just feel more real? 
  • Related Weenie Anecdote: The last scary movie I saw was The Ring. I was so #%@& freaked that I screamed when I saw my reflection in the mirror as I toweled off my hair after a shower. That’s right: I thought I was seeing Somara. Nope. nuh-uh. No quiero.

Murder + Machismo – On the last episode of Read or Dead, Katie and Rincey highlighted some Latinx authors writing crime/mystery/thrillers.  

  • Book Club Bonus: One of the books Rincey picked is a piece of Narco Lit, i.e. books whose plots are centered around the drug/cartel culture in Latin America. She discussed how difficult it was to ignore the gross misogyny in the physical descriptions of women. *sighs in Spanish* Let’s talk about whether we have the stomach and/or head space for this kind of talk, even if it “make sense” for the genre.  

Out, Proud, and Well Read – October 11th was National Coming Out Day and we celebrated by featuring all content by LGBTQIA+ Rioters and guests. Here are just a few of those pieces:

Interview with V.E. Schwab –  “Women are not allowed to be ambitious for the sake of ambition. They’re not allowed to want in that way for themselves.” Read Rioter Emily Wenstrom’s interview with V.E. Schwab as she talks female anger, ambition, and lessons from her early career. I am a very jealous heart-eyed emoji.

  • Book Club Bonus: Read both Vicious and Vengeful for book club. Examine the progression in Schwab’s writing of her male and female characters. Discuss women’s anger and ambition. Talk about the villains you couldn’t help but kinda root for. There is SO much to unpack here.

Worse Than What’s Happening in the Handmaid’s Tale and Other Words to Keep You Up At Night– That terrifying line is from this New York Times piece about feminist dystopian fiction channeling women’s anger and anxiety. It gave me many feelings, like anger and anxiety. The buzzkill here: there’s not enough diversity in these books and most of them lean towards the super gender normative. Let’s do better here, people. It’s 2018.

  • Book Club Bonus: I cannot wait to get my hands on The Water Cure. I mean seriously: literal toxic masculinity?! Brilliant! I’m kinda scared! Put this on your lists for it’s January U.S. release and read another of the titles mentioned in this piece in the meantime if you haven’t already. Then compare, contrast, and come with wine; you’re gonna need that shit when you talk about the ways in which this stuff feels a little too real.
  • Related: I am most surely not the first person to come up with this, but someone puh-lease dress up as toxic masculinity for Halloween. I’m envisioning a can or box with a biohazard logo and the word “masculinity” in giant writing. BOOM. Instant horror.

Thanks for hanging with me today! If you want to be friendly on the innanets, you can find me on both el Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com if you have any feedback or just to say hola.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

More Resources: 
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page