Category: Book Radar

Brandon Sanderson’s TRESS OF THE EMERALD SEA Comes to Bookstores in April and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date February 8, 2023

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Dear Book Friends,

Greetings from Atlanta. I hope your week has been going well. Mine has been a little bit hectic with all of the travel and getting ready for my friend’s wedding, but I’m so excited for this weekend! And I’m ready to take a quick break to chat books with you for a minute before I go shopping for a coat to wear to this wedding. So let’s do this.

Book Deals and Reveals

Tor Books has announced that it will publish Brandon Sanderson’s secret Kickstarter projects, starting with Tress of the Emerald Sea on April 4, 2023.

Here’s the cover reveal of Sarah Suk’s The Space Between Here & Now. Suk describes her new YA novel as “a story of a girl who time travels to her memories through scent.” This one’s out on October 31.

Check out the cute cover for this upcoming rom-com novel Betting on You by Lynn Painter. Betting on You is out from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in November.

Kiley Reid has announced the publication of her sophomore novel Come and Get It. Reid’s sophomore novel is set to be published in January 2024.

The series adaptation of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches has been renewed for a second season at AMC.

Entertainment Weekly is giving readers a sneak peek at the latest novel from Melissa Broder, author of Milk Fed and So Sad Today. Death Valley will hit shelves on October 24.

Abrams Children’s Books will be publishing a new collaboration between Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton. The duo’s new picture book,The Enchanted Symphony, will be published September 12.

Regina King’s Royal Ties Productions and Freddie Highmore’s Alfresco Pictures are producing a series adaptation of The Comedown. The series will air on Starz.

With her 2023 Grammy win, Viola Davis is the 18th person to achieve EGOT status, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

Barbra Streisand announced that her long-awaited memoir My Name Is Barbra will be coming out November 7, 2023 with Viking Books.

Book Riot Recommends

Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!

Can’t Wait for This One

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (Berkley, August 29)

Unless you lived under a rock for the whole of 2022, you probably heard people talking about Isabel Cañas’ debut novel The Hacienda. It made a lot of best-of lists for 2022, including mine, and now the author is back with her sophomore novel, a supernatural western set on the Texas-Mexico border in the 1840s.

Nena is the daughter of a rancher, and she’s seen her fair share of threats living so close to the border. She knows there are things much more dangerous than the Anglo settlers in the north. There’s something that lurks near the ranch at night, attacking people and draining them of their blood. Nena knows it’s there because she was once attacked.

Néstor thinks Nena is dead. Since the attack, he has been moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero, unable to shake the grief from losing his childhood love. When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, Néstor meets Nana again in a shocking reunion.

Gift Tailored Book Recommendations to your bookish boo this Valentine’s. Gift TBR today!

Words of Literary Wisdom

“A second chance doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. In many ways, it is the more difficult thing. Because a second chance means that you have to try harder. You must rise to the challenge without the blind optimism of ignorance.”

— Severance by Ling Ma

What’s Up in the Book Community?

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

Apparently the tide is turning on Colleen Hoover, who used to be a TikTok darling. According to a recent article in Slate, BookTok and BookTube have turned on the author for more reasons than just her recent (tasteless) coloring book announcement. Look up Hoover on BookTok or BookTube, and you’ll find a lot of negative reviews of the author’s works now, some of which have hundreds of thousands of views. Why the sudden change? Readers are starting to critique the messages of Hoover’s work, worrying that it’s worse than bad, but the depictions of domestic violence might actually might be harmful to readers.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

I hate leaving town because I miss my cats so much. The window beds continue to be a hit with the kitties. Look at Murray, keeping watch on the outside from the safety of his soft window bed. I can’t wait to be back home with him.

And that is all, friends. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Emily

Book Radar

New Little Mermaid Novel AGAINST THE TIDE Features Halle Bailey as Ariel and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date February 3, 2023

Sponsored by

Dear Book Pals,

Monday already? How did we get here? I know we say it every Monday, but the weekend just flew by. This week is going to be a little different for me because I’m heading back to Atlanta mid-week for a wedding! I’m excited to see my friends and family, yes, but also excited for all the reading I’m going to get done on the plane. Priorities! Okay, now for the book things.

Book Deals and Reveals

Fictional character Scott Lang from Marvel Studio’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has written a memoir, and the book is coming out in real life. Look Out for the Little Guy will be published by Hyperion Avenue on September 5.

Teen Vogue has unveiled the cover of a new Little Mermaid novel that features an Ariel modeled after Halle Bailey from the new live-action adaptation. J. Elle’s Against the Tide will be out in May.

Ashley Herring Blake has revealed the cover of her sapphic romance novel Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date. You can pick up this book on October 24.

Susan Lee, author of Seoulmates, has shared the cover of her upcoming YA contemporary romance The Name Drop. It will be out from Inkyard Press on September 12.

LGBTQ Reads has the cover reveal for The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson. This paranormal thriller releases on October 3 from Quill Tree.

Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions is developing a series based on the coming-of-age novel Long Division by Kiese Laymon.

Amazon Prime Video has released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming series The Power, based on Naomi Alderman’s novel of the same name.

Former first lady Michelle Obama has announced her new podcast from Higher Ground media, The Light.

James Gunn and Peter Safran announced the first 10 projects of the new DC Studios. Here’s the good, bad, and truly weird of the announcement.

Kerry Washington’s first memoir Thicker Than Water will be published this year in the U.S. and the U.K. simultaneously on September 26.

Prepare your TBR for some of the best YA comics and graphic novels hitting shelves between January and March 2023.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves

Chaos Theory by Nic Stone (Crown Books for Young Readers, February 28)

I’m unsure why, but one of the things YA novels are just better at than adult novels is sensitively covering topics like mental health. Nic Stone’s Chaos Theory does an excellent job of navigating its two main characters’ complex stories and issues with grief, loss, addiction, self-worth, and mental health. So go ahead and put this one on your TBR as soon as it comes out at the end of this month.

Shelbi is a certified genius who is living with a diagnosed mental health disorder. She enrolls at Windward Academy as a senior, and since she won’t be there long, she doesn’t really have any plans to make friends. But then she meets Andy, and when she sees him at his lowest point, she can’t help but want to reach out to him.

Andy has been through a lot. And rather than confronting his issues, he’s turned to drinking. A lot. Too much. But when he meets Shelbi, he no longer feels so alone. Together, the two help each other navigate their respective challenges and become an incredible support for one another.

What I’m Reading This Week

Witches by Brenda Lozano

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

Severance by Ling Ma

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

Uzumaki by Junji Ito

Gift Tailored Book Recommendations to your bookish boo this Valentine’s. Gift TBR today!

Monday Memes

Okay, this isn’t technically a meme. But if you love books (and you do because you’re here), I think you’ll understand this Instagram reel.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Look how cute!! Murray and Remy love sitting in this window, so my husband put some beds in the window for them. Look how cozy they look. This was such a good idea.

And that’s all for today, everyone! Next time you hear from me, I’ll be in Atlanta. How exciting for me. Talk soon!

Emily

Book Radar

New Gothic Horror Novel from Andrew Joseph White and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date February 1, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi Book Family!

As anticipated, February is here, and I know I’m not the only one who is excited. It feels like everyone I know had a chaotic January. This year is off to a weird start, y’all. Really hoping February is a little easier for all of us. I’m sending all the good vibes. Now let’s chat books.

Book Deals and Reveals

Paste has got the cover reveal for The Spirit Bares its Teeth, a new YA gothic horror novel from Andrew Joseph White. Guess what else? They’re throwing you a sneak peek of the first chapter. Check it out, then preorder it here.

Look at the beautiful cover of A.Y. Chao’s novel Shanghai Immortal. Hodderscape writes, “Get ready to meet Lady Jing, the sassy half-vampire, half-hulijing fox-spirit.” This one’s out in North America on October 31st.

Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan has wrapped Netflix’s Indian adaptation of Japanese author Higashino Keigo’s bestselling 2005 novel The Devotion of Suspect X.

Nicole Kidman and PEN-15 co-creator Maya Erskine have signed on to star in a limited series adaptation of The Perfect Nanny, based on the 2016 novel by Leïla Slimani.

Sailor Moon is set to return later this year with two new film adaptations of the final arc in the Sailor Moon manga, Sailor Moon Cosmos.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is teaming with author Claudia Lux to adapt her book Sign Here as an Amazon series.

The American Library Association has announced the 2023 Carnegie Medal winners. Julie Otsuka’s The Swimmers took home the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Ed Yong’s An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us won the medal for nonfiction.

Here are the best LGBTQ+ YA and children’s books of 2022, according to the ALA’s Rainbow Round Table.

Read an excerpt of Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni, a bisexual Armenian-American romcom about falling in love with your wingwoman.

Read an excerpt from the queer young adult mystery Into the Light by Mark Oshiro, the author of Anger is a Gift.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Pantheon Books, May 2)

At the end of last year, I already shared that this novel is one of my most anticipated books of the year, but I think it’s about time we got into more details about Adjei-Brenyah’s debut novel. Because I’m so so excited about this book, and I want you to be right there with me too.

CAPE (Criminal Action Penal Entertainment) is as popular as it is controversial. Most importantly, the project is a major profit-raiser for America’s private prison industry. In the program, prisoners compete as gladiators and fight each other in death-matches to win the ultimate prize: their freedom. Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of the program. They are teammates, lovers, and major fan favorites. Thurwar is just a few matches away from her freedom. But that fight to the finish comes with heavy consequences.

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s bestselling short story collection Friday Black was inventive, thought-provoking, and completely brutal. It’s a book that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, and I’m so excited to see what the author does with a full-length novel. I’m fully prepared to be devastated.

Gift Tailored Book Recommendations to your bookish boo this Valentine’s. Gift TBR today!

Words of Literary Wisdom

“To live in a city is to live the life that it was built for, to adapt to its schedule and rhythms, to move within the transit layout made for you during the morning and evening rush, winding through the crowds of fellow commuters. To live in a city is to consume its offerings. To eat at its restaurants. To drink at its bars. To shop at its stores. To pay its sales taxes. To give a dollar to its homeless.

To live in a city is to take part in and to propagate its impossible systems. To wake up. To go to work in the morning. It is also to take pleasure in those systems because, otherwise, who could repeat the same routines, year in, year out?”

— Severance by Ling Ma

What’s Up in the Book Community?

It’s February, which means it’s time for the 5th Annual Blackathon on BookTube. There’s sooo much fun stuff going on this month to go along with the readathon. There’s merch. There are daily reading sprints. There’s going to be a viewing of Black Panther. There’s a Blackathon Live Party. A 48-hour readathon will happen on Thursday Feb 9 – Saturday Feb 11th. And there will be a week-long Instagram challenge February 12 – 18th. Events are happening all month. Check it out! And big thanks to Bowties & Books for organizing.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

tuxedo cat posing with Heartstopper Vol 4 book

So I know I’ve officially announced I’m in my Heartstopper era. Well, I’m not alone. Clearly, Remy is very into Heartstopper as well. He was such a good reading buddy while I was reading Vol. 4 earlier this week, and he even cuddled me when I cried!

Aaaand… that is all, Book Friends. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. And a wonderful February! Sending all my love <3

Emily

Book Radar

DAISY JONES AND THE SIX Releases Teaser and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 27, 2023

Sponsored by

And just like that… it’s Monday again.

Hope you had a good weekend, book friends. Somehow, we’re at the end of January and it feels like it’s lasted a whole year while at the same time it feels like it zipped by. January is the weirdest time. Anyway, let’s make the last Book Radar of the month a good one. I’ve got quite a lot of book stuff to share with you today.

Book Deals and Reveals

Are you as obsessed with this book cover as I am? Here’s the cover reveal of Kat Dunn’s Bitterthorn. You can pick up a copy of this one from Andersen Press on May 4.

Yes, I’ve got more cover reveals for you. Here’s the cover reveal of The Princess of Thornwood Drive by Khalia Moreau. The author tweeted, “Get ready for sisterly bonds, Trinidadian folklore, one hell of an adventure and a fight for justice!” It’s coming on September 19.

Better late than never! Christine Yu’s Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes is out May 16, and the author has finally shared the cover.

And we’ve got a new Nghi Vo novel coming! Tordotcom Publishing has shared the cover for the upcoming standalone adventure in Vo’s Singing Hills Cycle. It’s called Mammoths at the Gates, and it’s out on September 12.

Here’s the cover reveal of Damned if You Do by Alex Brown, a new novel pitched as a queer Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a touch of Filipino folklore. It’s out from Page Street on September 5.

We have another cover reveal! Check out Eric Smith’s With or Without You, a new YA novel “about two lovestruck teens working in rival cheesesteak trucks.” It’s out on November 7 from Inkyard Press.

Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming series adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six has released its first teaser trailer. The series will premiere on March 3.

Vanity Fair is giving us a first look at the upcoming series adaptation of The Power by Naomi Alderman. The series, starring Toni Collette, is coming out on Amazon Prime in March.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been cast as Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid in the upcoming adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel It Ends With Us.

Never-before-seen photographs taken by Paul McCartney during the rise of Beatlemania in 1963 and 1964 are to be published in a new book this summer. The book is entitled 1964: Eyes of the Storm and will be published by Penguin Random House.

These ten moments from Spare are among the weirdest in this bestselling and highly anticipated memoir from Prince Harry.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

The Spite House by Johnny Compton (Tor Nightfire, February 7)

I have been excitedly awaiting this book for a while now, and it’s finally out next week. So prepare your shelves, because this debut novel is going to be a good one.

Johnny Compton’s The Spite House has been compared to The Babadook and Head Full of Ghosts. Eric Ross has left his wife, his house, and his mysterious past behind and is on the run with his two daughters. Leaving everything else behind in Maryland, Eric is desperate to find work and a safe space for himself and his daughters. No easy feat when you can’t provide references and you’re constantly worried your past is going to catch up with you.

So when Eric comes across an ad for a caretaker for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, he thinks he and his daughters might have finally found refuge. But there’s one big catch: the Masson House is thought to be one of the most haunted places in Texas. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they have to do is stay in the house and keep record of everything they witness there. But Eric is not afraid. In fact, he feels drawn to the secrets of the house. If it is as haunted as people say it is, maybe exploring it will help him uncover his own secrets and the dark power that seems to cling to his family.

What I’m Reading This Week

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

Severance by Ling Ma

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

Spare by Prince Harry

Gift Tailored Book Recommendations to your bookish boo this Valentine’s. Gift TBR today!

Monday Memes

Okay, I love these playlists. I would love to see people do this same thing for other books. Let’s go.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

This picture looks so sad, but it’s not what it looks like. We got Murray a new cat carrier, and he just loves sleeping in it. So now we’re just leaving it out and letting him curl up in there when he wants to. It’s actually pretty cute.

Anyway, I hope your January was great. I’ll catch you back here on Thursday… which is February. Wild.

Emily

Book Radar

Phenomenal Media Launching Imprint with Hachette and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 25, 2023

Sponsored by

It’s Thursday, Book Friends!

Time for another Book Radar. How has your week been? I have to say I’m kind of deep in the Sundance Film Festival right now, so I’ve been slacking on my reading this week. Right now, I’m watching the film adaptation of “Cat Person.” Because I had to, right? Okay, but let’s talk books.

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal of Flower and Thorn, a new Indian YA fantasy from Rati Mehrotra. This one’s out from Wednesday Books on October 17.

Tordotcom Publishing has revealed the cover of Martha Wells’ upcoming book System Collapse, the latest in the Murderbot Diaries series. You can preorder now, and the book comes out on November 14.

Phenomenal Media, a company launched by Kamala Harris’ niece Meena Harris to celebrate underrepresented women, is launching a new book imprint in partnership with Hachette Books.

Atlantic staff writer and 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist Sophie Gilbert sold North American rights to Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned A Generation of Women Against Themselves to Penguin Press. Penguin calls the book, “a reconsideration of how mass media and culture — from ‘Thong Song’ to The Bachelor — have shaped women’s self-perception over the past two decades.”

Cosmopolitan has the exclusive cover reveal of Stephanie Garber’s upcoming novel A Curse for True Love. The final book in the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy comes out on September 12.

Author Tressie McMillan Cottom has been selected as the 2023 winner of the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize by Brandeis University.

Z2 Comics is releasing a career-spanning anthology of the comedian “Weird Al” Yankovic’s songs as rendered by cartoonists and illustrators. The graphic novel, The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic is now available to order and features more than 20 songs interpreted by artists including Bill Plympton, Michael Kupperman, Felipe Sobreiro, Fred Harper, Jeff McClelland, Hilary Barta, and Bob Fingerman, among many others.

Xosha Roquemore is the most recent addition to the ensemble cast of Marvel’s Captain America: New World Order, starring Anthony Mackie. The film is scheduled to release on May 3, 2024.

The 2023 PEN American Literary Award Longlists have been announced! This year’s awards will confer $350,000 to more than 100 writers.

Harper Collins hiked the price of their YA paperback books upwards of 25% this year. Is this happening in other publishers, too?

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

The Guest by Emma Cline (Random House, May 16)

The Guest is Emma Cline’s first book since her 2016 debut novel The Girls, and, yes, readers have plenty of reason to be excited about her sophomore novel. This one promises to be just as propulsive and thought-provoking as her first. I can’t wait for this one to come out in May, and I think you’ll be excited about it too, especially because scammer stories have been all the rage lately.

This is the story of a young woman pretending to be someone she isn’t. The summer is coming to a close, and Alex has been abandoned by the older man she’s been kinda dating after a misstep at a dinner party. Now she’s been dismissed from the Hamptons with a ride to a train station and a one-way ticket back to the city.

But Alex isn’t ready to give up that easily. Convinced she can change her quasi-boyfriend’s mind, she decides to stay in Long Island and find a way into his Labor Day party the following weekend. She doesn’t have many resources, but she does have an innate ability to navigate the desires of others. And so she spends the week leading up to the party drifting from one place to the next, leaving disaster in her wake.

Gift Tailored Book Recommendations to your bookish boo this Valentine’s. Gift TBR today!

Words of Literary Wisdom

“Love can’t cure a mental illness. There are lots of ways to help him, you can just be there. To listen. To talk. To cheer him up if he’s having a bad day. And on the bad days you can ask what to could do to make things easier. Stand by his side, even when things are hard. But also knowing that sometimes people need more support than just one person can give.”

— Heartstopper Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman

What’s Up in the Book Community?

Yes, the HarperCollins Union is still on strike, and on their Twitter account, they’re offering more information about how you can support the strike. Yes, the strike applies to all HarperCollins imprints.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Look at Murray, the tiny angel! I know this is a close-up, so you can’t see where he’s sleeping, but he’s on the reading chair, the cats’ favorite location to snooze. Cats and reading just go together, don’t they?

And that’s it for Book Radar for Thursday! I hope you have a great weekend. Happy weekend reading! (and/or movie-watching if you’re also watching the Sundance Film Fest.

Emily

Book Radar

Queer Horror Anthology Coming in August and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 20, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Monday, Book Friends!

How was your weekend? Mardi Gras is coming, which means it’s king cake season. And now that I’m no longer in a place that celebrates Mardi Gras, I am so thankful that my friend sent me a cake from Gambino’s. It was so good, and a fond reminder of my childhood. Who else here celebrates Mardi Gras? What’s your favorite king cake? Friends, let me know, and in the meantime, let’s talk books.

But first, are you looking for the perfect Valentine’s gift for your bookish boo? Gift Tailored Book Recommendations. Your boo will tell our professional booknerds about what they love and what they don’t, what they’re reading goals are, and what they need more of in their bookish life. Then, they sit back while our Bibliologists go to work selecting books just for them. TBR has plans for every budget. Surprise your bookish boo with Tailored Book Recommendations this Valentine’s and visit mytbr.co/gift.

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal of the upcoming YA horror anthology Night of the Living Queers. This one’s out from Wednesday Books on August 29th.

Literary Hub has the cover reveal for Nishanth Injam’s debut short story collection The Best Possible Experience. It’s out from Pantheon on June 11th.

What happens when the world’s most popular cat video star gets accused of a crime she didn’t commit? She becomes a Cat on the Run. Here’s a look at the cover of Aaron Blabley’s first book in a new series, out from Scholastic on September 5th.

Another fun cover reveal: check out the cover of Wrecker, Carl Hiaasen’s seventh book for young readers. This one’s out on September 26th from Alfred A. Knopf Books.

Mystery Writers of America have announced the nominees for the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2022.

Stephen Colbert’s production company Spartina is developing Roger Zelazny’s beloved The Chronicles of Amber into a drama series. The production company is working in partnership with Skybound Entertainment and Vincent Newman Entertainment.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, actor Channing Tatum revealed that he is working on a romance novel with writer and social commentator Roxane Gay. Gay later confirmed the news on Twitter.

Ken Follett’s new novel The Armor of Light will conclude the eight-volume Kingsbridge series that follows 1,000 years of Western civilization, from “Ethelred the Unready to the election of President Obama.” It’s being published on September 23rd.

Read an excerpt from How to Sell A Haunted House, out from Berkley Books now!

Wondering what book should I read? We’ve got your answers, stocked with new-to-you titles and reads for the new year.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

i have some questions for you book cover

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (Viking, February 21)

If you read The Great Believers, then you’re probably already hyped for this book. If you haven’t read The Great Believers, then you should know that I Have Some Questions for You is written by Rebecca Makkai, the bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist for The Great Believers. And people are pretty excited about it. And you should be too.

Bodie Kane is a successful film professor and podcaster who has done her best to leave her past behind. She’s more than happy to forget her traumatic family tragedy, her miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year.

But then the Granby School invites Bodie back to teach a course, and Bodie is subsequently drawn back into the past she’s so desperately tried to leave behind. Looking back at the murder case, glaring issues with the conviction start to become apparent. Did the police get the wrong guy? And does that mean the killer is still out there?

What I’m Reading This Week

How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

Spare by Prince Harry

Monday Memes

I honor of Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday last week (January 19), here is a fun collection of Poe-specific memes.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

I’ve got more pics of cats cuddling for you! I hope these precious cats help get you through your week. They love you.

Emily

Book Radar

Molly Ringwald’s Memoir THE PARIS YEARS Coming Soon and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 18, 2023

Sponsored by

Dear Book Friends,

Welcome to Thursday’s Book Radar! I hope this week has been a good one for you. If it hasn’t been good yet, you’ll be happy to know Mercury is no longer in retrograde, so things might be looking up soon. Here’s hoping, because I feel like so far this month has been a little wild for everyone. Anyway, I’m hoping for the best for you (and me), and now let’s talk books.

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the very adorable cover of Jennifer Chen’s debut novel Artifacts of an Ex. This book is out from Wednesday Books on November 14th.

Molly Ringwald has sold North American rights to her memoir The Paris Years to Penguin Press. According to the publisher, the actor shares intimate details about “the transformational years she spent living and working in Paris in her 20s” in this memoir. No release date has been announced yet.

The WandaVision spinoff Agatha: Coven of Chaos began production on Tuesday, January 17th, in Atlanta, GA.

Everything Everywhere All at Once stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan are reuniting in Disney+’s American Born Chinese, a series adaptation of the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang.

Blacula, the star of the 1970s classic Blacula and Scream, Blacula, Scream, is back in a new graphic novel, and io9 has a giant preview.

Academy Award-nominee Aunjanue Ellis is set to star in Ava DuVernay’s feature adaptation of Caste. The adaptation is inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson’s best-selling book Caste: Origins of Our Discontent.

John Paul Brammer, author of ¡Hola Papi!, is working on a new graphic novel, and he’s giving fans over at Substack a sneak peek at a scene

From “fauxhawk” to “vaxxed” and “embiggen”, here are some of the hundreds of new words that have been added to the Scrabble dictionary.

Read an excerpt from Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto, the author of Dial A for Aunties.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

brother and sister enter the forest book cover

Brother & Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella (Catapult, March 14)

Okay, here’s the deal. The book I want to share with you in this week’s “Can’t Wait for This One” is Richard Mirabella’s debut novel. It’s a queer coming-of-age novel that deals with some extremely dark issues, but I think you’re all going to love it. It’s coming out this March, so it’ll be available in only a few short months.

Justin and his sister Willa have not been in communication for several years. As children, Willa was her brother’s protector. Now, Justin has shown up on her doorstep looking for that protection, an escape from his own tumultuous home life. Uncertain of what chaos Justin might bring into her life, Willa is reluctant to let him in.

This book goes back and forth between two timelines. Mirabella explores the story of two siblings trying to navigate years of trauma and separation in the present. In the past timeline, the mystery of what happened years earlier when Justin was in high school and left their family behind for a violent, older boyfriend. When Justin’s boyfriend commits a terrible act, the couple are forced to go on the run, destroying Justin and his family’s lives.

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

Words of Literary Wisdom

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

— BrainyQuotes.com (IYKYK)

What’s Up in the Book Community?

I feel like this has been talked about to death at this point, but I couldn’t help but bring it up here, because it is truly, truly wild. Colleen Hoover announced last week that It Ends with Us was being turned into a coloring book. Unsurprisingly, other people didn’t seem to think that was such a good idea. TikTok responded swiftly, and needless to say the book has since been canceled. But, phew, what a journey that was. And if you missed all the fuss, you’re welcome.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

I have loved watching Murray and Remy become close friends. And you’ve been here for the whole journey as well, which is so cool. Look at how cuddly they are. It truly warms my heart.

And that’s all for now, friends. Have a lovely weekend!

Emily

Book Radar

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME MARGARET Gets Movie Tie-In Edition and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 13, 2023

Sponsored by

Hello Book Friends!

Happy Monday. How was your weekend? Looking for something fun to make for breakfast to spice up your week? I tried this over the weekend and I really loved it: Miso Oatmeal with Kale and Avocado. This might be a new breakfast fave. And yes, I find oatmeal exciting. If you want more exciting oatmeal suggestions, let me know. I’m sure I can come up with something. In the meantime, let’s chat books.

Book Deals and Reveals

Judy Blume’s classic novel Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret now has a movie tie-in edition. Publisher’s Weekly has a behind-the-scenes look at film and the cover creation.

Clay McLeod Chapman posted news of his next book on Instagram. What Kind of Mother is a supernatural horror novel about a fortune teller who connects with a former flame to help him find his missing son. The novel is set to publish in September.

Crime Reads has an exclusive cover reveal of Eric LaRocca’s upcoming novel Everything the Darkness Eats. LaRocca’s first full-length novel will be out in June.

And Paste has the exclusive cover reveal for Cassandra Clare’s debut adult fantasy novel Sword Catcher. This one will be out on October 10 and is available for preorder now.

Another cover reveal from Crime Reads: here’s the cover of The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi. This one comes out from Gillian Flynn books in July.

Prince Harry’s memoir Spare sold 1.4 million copies in the U.S., U.K. and Canada on its first day of sales. Penguin Random House says the memoir has crushed all previous records for any first-day nonfiction book sales from the publisher, even overtaking Barack Obama’s memoir A Promised Land, which previously held the record.

Speaking of record sales… The results are in! Romance author Colleen Hoover dominated the bestsellers lists in 2022. The author had the top three books of the year. At outlets that report to NPD BookScan, Hoover’s book made up eight of the 25 top titles. It Ends with Us and Verity sold more than two million copies each.

It’s time for the new books of 2023! Here are 23 great books to read in 2023 (plus more titles because you deserve it).

Now’s your chance to vote for the best LGBTQ books of 2022 for the Reads Rainbow Awards! Voting opened on January 11th and will close on January 25 at 10AM GMT. Results will be announced on January 31st.

Book Riot Recommends

New Year, new intro. Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!

Prepare Your Shelves!

cover of tell me I'm worthless by alison rumfitt

Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt (Tor Nightfire, January 17)

Prepare your shelves right away, because this sapphic horror read is coming out… TOMORROW! And I’m so excited to share it with you.

It all started three years ago, when our protagonist Alice spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends Ila and Hannah. Since then, nothing has been the same. Memories of that night continue to torment her, and she hasn’t spoken to either Ila or Hannah since they left the house. So when Ila asks Alice to return with her to the house to rescue Hannah, Alice knows she must go. Now Alice and Ila must come together, confront the past, and put their differences aside in order to save their friend, whom the house has claimed as its own.

Tell Me I’m Worthless is a literary gothic novel that uses both supernatural horror and the horrors of real life to explore the devastating effects of trauma. And yet, while confronting such a heavy topic, this novel also manages to balance the darkness with a fair helping of humor as well.

What I’m Reading This Week

never ever getting back together book cover

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

Spare by Prince Harry (yes, just like everyone else)

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

Monday Memes

Okay, my ghost lovers out there. Do you love ghosts, or do you love ghosts?

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

This was my vibe this weekend: reading Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley while hanging with these cats. I feel like it’s set me up for a good week ahead. Are you feeling that?

Hopefully, your week is fabulous, and I’ll catch you on Thursday!

Emily

Book Radar

THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END Series Adaptation Coming to Netflix and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 11, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi Book Friends!

How has your January been going so far? Mine has been quite busy, but not necessarily in a bad way. I’ve already read some pretty amazing books, and I finally started watching Heartstopper on Netflix (I wanted to read the books first). But enough about me. Let’s talk about the rest of the book world.

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal for Gone Wolf by Amber McBride. Read all about Imogen and her watchful wolf Ira on October 3, 2023.

Here’s a first look at the upcoming film adaptation of Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, the classic YA novel by Judy Blume.

Colby Wilkens has announced that her debut novel If I Stopped Hating You will be published by SMP Romance in Fall 2024. The novel follows two enemy Indigenous horror authors who attend the same writers retreat at a haunted Scottish castle. Together, they are forced to confront the castle’s ghosts and their developing feelings.

Netflix is releasing a series adaptation of They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen will serve as co-writer and executive producer.

Paramount+ has landed an eight-episode series based on the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. Red Notice filmmaker Rawson Marshall Thurber wrote the pilot script and is set to direct the first episode.

Netflix has released the first official trailer for You season 4. Season 4: Part 1 will be released on February 9 and Part 2 will be out on March 9.

Apple TV+ has unveiled the trailer for the third season of Truth Be Told, a series based on Kathleen Barber’s novel While You Were Sleeping.

Disney+ is set to greenlight an adaptation of CJ Sansom’s bestselling Shardlake novels, which tell the story of an unlikely detective working under Henry VIII’s reign.

Want to take part in a good readathon or reading challenge in 2023? Here are some excellent options, including short and long events.

We’ve got your 2023 bookish planners and reading trackers right here. Start the year off right with your planning and book journaling!

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!

Can’t Wait for This One

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward (Tor Nightfire, August 22)

It’s this simple: when Catriona Ward has a new book out, I must read it. Ward writes psychological horror that gets in your brain, rearranges it, and then leaves you thinking, “I don’t know what just happened to me, but I think I loved it.” Later this year, we’ll all be blessed with a new Catriona Ward novel called Looking Glass Sound, and I seriously can’t wait for this one.

Looking Glass Sound is a horror story about a writer trying to come to terms with the horrors of his past. Years ago when Wilder Harlow was young, there was a summer that changed everything. A killer stalked his small town in Maine, and a tragedy bonded Wilder to his friends Nat and Harper in ways that would forever change them.

Now, decades later, Wilder has returned to the town in the hopes of making sense of that summer’s events as he writes his memoir. But the longer he spends in the town and the more he writes, the more Wilder feels like he’s losing his grip on reality. And it feels as if the book is somehow writing itself.

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

Words of Literary Wisdom

“Romance may be the world’s oldest cult. It hooks you when you’re vulnerable, scares the shit out of you, hold your deepest fears as collateral, renames you something like ‘baby,’ brainwashes you, then makes you think that your soul will wither and die if you let go of a person who loved you. So you better have a good goddamn reason for saying ‘nah, not enough.’ The love lobby is worse than the fun lobby. More misery, more addiction, more heads on spikes. And for what?”

— Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

What I’m Watching This Weekend

I know I’m behind the times, but I’m fully leaning into this being my Heartstopper era. I read all of the graphic novels and I cried my eyes out because they were so sweet, and now I’m loving the show. I know I’m almost done, so I’m trying to make these last few episodes last. I can’t wait for the new season!

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

We’re ending with a picture of Cersei posing in front of all of the books I’m planning on reading this weekend. Just kidding. I’m not going to read all of them. But maybe, like, five? I’ll report back on Monday. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and we’ll talk again soon!

Emily

Book Radar

Is it Cake or a Cover Reveal? And More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date January 6, 2023

Sponsored by

Dear Book Friends,

I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve had a Monday Book Radar with all of the holidays and things. So welcome to Monday! As this is the second week of the new year, I feel like this is the week we really get our act together. Last week was a trial run. Now we’re in it for real. I’m excited for what this week is going to bring, and I have a feeling it’s going to be good. We’re back in the swing of things and I’m back with another Book Radar for you to read and enjoy. So let’s do this thing.

Book Deals and Reveals

The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will Book Cover

LGBTQ Reads has the exclusive cover reveal of The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will by Maya MacGregor. This book releases on July 18 from Astra Books for Young Readers.

Okay but…Shouldn’t all cover reveals secretly be cake? I’ve been wondering this ever since I watched Michaela Loach’s cover reveal for It’s Not That Radical. You’ll see what I mean when you watch!

Barnes & Noble has announced the first-ever BookTok Festival. The festival will be held at the B&N flagship store in New York City’s Union Square on February 4.

First Second has purchased the debut graphic memoir Until We Meet Again by Lily Kim Qian. The book is slated for a spring 2025 and, according to First Second, it “tells the story of a young girl growing up in a loving but dysfunctional family in which an immigrant father struggles to play the role of sole caregiver and a mother grapples with her mental health.”

Apple’s Books service recently introduced audiobooks narrated by a text-to-speech AI. Apple says the aim of the new “digital narration” is making “the creation of audiobooks more accessible to all.”

Disney+ has announced that the newest Black Panther film, Wakanda Forever, will be available to stream on the Disney+ streaming platform starting on February 1.

Here’s the trailer for the upcoming comedy adaptation Renfield, based on the classic novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. The film, directed by Chris McKay, will come to theaters on April 14.

Netflix has released the first look at young Lady Agatha Danbury in its upcoming Bridgerton prequel, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The young Lady Danbury is played by Arsema Thomas.

The stars of 1968’s Romeo and Juliet have sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million for a nude scene shot when they were underaged.

Filippo Bernardini, a former Simon & Schuster UK employee who was arrested last year, is expected to plead guilty to wire fraud.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

cover of Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez; image of red hand with long pointed yellow-painted fingernails that are on fire

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (Hogarth, February 7)

Mariana Enriquez’s Our Share of Night is, as I mentioned a few newsletters ago, is one of my most anticipated books of 2023. And it’s going to be out soon, friends! At 600+ pages, this one is probably going to be one of the longest books I read this year (I don’t normally gravitate towards super long books personally), but I am so ready for it.

Our Share of Night is Mariana Enriquez’s first novel to be translated into English, but English-speaking readers have already had the pleasure of experiencing two of her short story collections, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and Things We Lost in the Fire. These books are incredibly good. This novel is going to be so good. I just trust it.

In Our Share of Night, a father and his son are grieving the tragic death of the wife and mother they both loved. Now, they travel together to the mother’s family home, where they learn of the strange, centuries-old secret society to which she belongs. The Order is a vampiric cult that will stop at nothing in their hunt for eternal life. And now they’re after Gaspar, the son.

What I’m Reading This Week

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stephens

Heartstopper: Vol. 3 by Alice Oseman

Want to read books from this newsletter? You can, for free! Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

Monday Memes

IMHO, there aren’t enough Jane Eyre memes out there in the world. So here’s one for you today. I hope you enjoy!

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Awww, look Cersei loves you. I hope you take this cute cat and this giant heart into your week, and I hope you have the best week ever. If you want. We still don’t do toxic positivity in 2023. I’m just personally feeling pretty good about this week. But you’re allowed to do you!

Farewell, friends!

Emily