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Book Radar

William Shatner to Publish Essay Collection and More Book Radar!

Hello Book Friends!

How has 2022 been for you so far? I have to say I’m trying to remain optimistic, but there have already been some stressful moments. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. So I’ve been trying to take time every day to breathe, to center myself, and to relax. If this is something you need to hear, try to remember that the moments you take to yourself to relax are just as important as the moments when you’re productive. And we always have books, right? Let’s talk about books.

❤️ Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

built to last book cover

Here’s the cover reveal of Built to Last, Erin Hahn’s new romance featuring two former childhood costars. This one’s out from Griffin/SMP/Macmillan in October.

William Shatner has sold his essay collection Boldly Go to Atria. The book is expected to release in fall 2022.

A new librarian-moderated author series is launching to celebrate AAPI voices.

Spider-Man: No Way Home has now passed Titanic’s original domestic gross to become one of the 10 highest-grossing films of all time.

Keanu Reeves is in negotiations to star in Hulu’s series adaptation of Erik Larson’s 2003 book The Devil In The White City. This project work mark the actor’s first television role.

Olesya Salnikova Gilmore’s debut novel The Witch and the Tsar sold in a two-book deal at auction to Berkley’s Jessica Wade. Wade says the upcoming novel “cleverly and compassionately reinvents a maligned mythological woman,” and compares it to Madeline Miller’s Circe and The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec.

Chernin Entertainment has won the rights to Erik Larson‘s audiobook original No One Goes Alone. The studio plans to adapt the audiobook as a feature film.

Employees of Politics and Prose have successfully unionized, making them the first bookstore in Washington, D.C. to do so.

Fight against censorship in our schools! The #FReadom campaign is asking you to write your school board with provided templates to support school libraries and access to information.

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

the storytellers death book cover

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal (Sourcebooks, October 4)

If you’ve been here for the past couple of months, you might have noticed a bit of a trend. I love a good mystery story mixed with a dramatic family saga (see: Black Cake, which I hyped just a few weeks ago). Here’s another must-read mystery/family saga coming out later this year. And I mean, much later. Like, we have to wait ’til October. Nearly the end of the year! But this one will be worth the wait, I think.

From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal, The Storyteller’s Daughter is the story of a young Puerto Rican teen with a special ability. After the death of Isla Larsen Sanchez’s grandmother, Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. Isla can see the tales of dead family storytellers brought back to life, replaying in front of her. When one of Isla’s visions reveals an old murder mystery, she realizes she must solve it, or these visions could become dangerous.

While you wait for this one to come out, now’s a great time to familiarize yourself with some of this author’s previous works. My suggestion? Read Five Midnights, a novel set in Puerto Rico that mixes mystery with horror.

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

Words of Literary Wisdom

“When you work in a convenience store, people often look down on you for working there. I find this fascinating, and I like to look them in the face when they do this to me. And as I do so I always think: that’s what a human is.”

— Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata

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.

Here’s a bit of news that I’m a little late on reporting here, but it’s worth mentioning. Author and YouTuber Lindsay Ellis has quit YouTube. If you want a thoughtful breakdown on what happened, I suggest watching Jessie Gender’s video about it. She also reads Lindsay Ellis’ statement in full.

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

If you’re like me and you’re catching up on a bunch of reading this weekend, you need music that’s going to gently but firmly say to you, “Hey, friend, keep going.” For me, that’s the Gone Girl soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Maybe give it a try and see if it works for you too!

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

orange cat cuddling

I don’t think I’ve ever shown you all just how cuddly this cat can be. Sometimes when I’m working in my office, Murray will just hop on up and cuddle in, which is great and all, but as you can see, he likes to take up at least one arm, which makes it much more difficult to write to all of you. So if you see any typos in these newsletters, I blame the cat. It’s not like I can tell this fluffy orange boy no.


And that’s it for Book Radar for the first week of 2022! I hope it was great for you! Talk to you soon.

❤️ Emily

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Book Radar

BRIDGERTON Season 2 Gets a Premiere Date and More Book Radar!

Happy 2022, Book People!

It feels like it’s been forever, but it really hasn’t. Time at the end of the year is always so weird. But I feel like this is what I say all the time, isn’t it? Maybe time is just weird. Anyway, somehow we’ve landed in 2022. The future is now. And we’ve got a lot of great books to look forward to this year, so let’s chat about them!

💚 Emily 

Book Deals and Reveals

the river of silver book cover

Here’s the cover reveal of S.A. Chakraborty’s The River of Silver, coming in March!

Amanda Gorman has written a new poem to mark the end of 2021.

Jeff VanderMeer revealed the cover for the upcoming paperback release of his novel Hummingbird Salamander. You can preorder this paperback, coming out in April, right now.

Tor Nightfire revealed the cover for the upcoming horror novel Black Tide by KC Jones. This one is out on May 10th.

Season 2 of Bridgerton has gotten a premiere date. We’re all heading back to the ton on March 25th!

Aria Mia Loberti, a student with no formal acting training who is registered blind, has been cast in the lead role in the upcoming adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s All The Light That We Cannot See.

Actor and activist Colton Haynes has sold his memoir Miss Memory Lane to Peter Borland at Atria.

Here’s a cover reveal for Invisible, a new comic by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriela Epstein, scheduled for release from Scholastic Graphix on August 2nd, 2022.

The New York Times has announced its readers’ picks for the best books of the past 125 years.

Here are the best books of 2021, according to podcasters.

2022 is here, so here are 15 books being made into movies and TV shows to look forward to this year.

Book Riot Recommends

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

Prepare Your Shelves!

notes on an execution book cover

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (William Morrow, January 25)

One thing I’ve realized about myself ever since I read (and loved) William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury in undergrad? I love stories that explore a character through the eyes of the people closest to that character. I know The Sound and the Fury is a polarizing book for a lot of people, so before you nope out on Notes on an Execution because of that comparison, let me just quickly say I think that’s the only thing these two books have in common. But it’s a really cool thing.

Notes on an Execution looks at the story of a serial killer on death road, told from the perspective of the women in his life who know him best. Ansel Packer’s story is told from the perspective of his mother Lavender, who gave birth to Ansel in a barn when she was only seventeen years old. And it’s told from the perspective of Hazel, the twin sister of Ansel’s wife. And it’s told from the perspective of Saffy, the homicide detective who has dedicated her life to bringing men like Ansel to justice.

This literary suspense novel is a character study, an examination of what it means to be a woman, a critique of the American justice system, and much more. I know I compared it to a Faulkner novel, and the publishers are comparing it to Long Bright River and The Mars Room, but Notes on an Execution is a unique read that has no direct comparison. And you’ll get a chance to pick this one up at the end of the month!

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

What I’m Reading This Week

convenience store woman book

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

A History of Wild Places by Shea Earnshaw

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham-Jones

Monday Memes

You must know that any time there’s a meme that combines High School Musical with book-reading, I’m going to share it. So you’re welcome if you’re into that. And if you’re not into that, then I guess just rewatch this, and change your mind.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

It’s 2022, which means I am starting all those new book logs (yes, I log my books in more than one place). But my absolute favorite? Book Riot’s 2022 Reading Log by the wonderful Tirzah Price! I love sharing mine with my friends and seeing theirs.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

black cat in a box

Look! It’s a black kitty in a box. That’s Phantom for you. He’s doing what cats do best: fit in boxes. And if you’ve got a shrewd eye, you probably noticed that next to Phantom, you’ll see a copy of Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid, which is a really great book, and if you haven’t read it yet, Phantom wants to know why not.

Thanks for the book recommendation, Phantom!


So that’s the first Book Radar of 2022. I hope you had fun. See you later this week for more book stuff!

💚 Emily 

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Book Radar

Reading Our Way Into 2022 and More Book Radar!

Happy Holidays, Book Friends!

Guess what? This is the last Book Radar of the year. So with that in mind, I do have a lot I want to say. I am so thankful that I have been given the opportunity to write this newsletter this year. Since I started writing the newsletter in August, I’ve gotten to chat with a lot of you, which has been great. And I just want to thank all of you for welcoming me and continuing to read. I hope I get to meet more of you in 2022.

I also want to say that New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day is my absolute favorite time of the year. I know time is a collective figment of our imaginations and that a new year doesn’t necessarily mean anything is going to change. But I love the hope and optimism that comes with starting a new year. I love looking back at what has happened over the last year and taking a moment to reflect. And I also love looking ahead and finding things to look forward to.

I know 2021 was not a kind year to a lot of us. I lost my sweet Maw Maw (my grandmother) to Covid this year. And I know many of you have lost people and have gone through difficult times this year too. I hope though when you think back on the year that you do have a few things that make you happy and/or make you proud of yourself. Heck, you should just be proud of yourself for surviving this year. We did it. We made it through. And while 2022 looks to be another year of uncertainty, I feel like we’re going to make it. And I do have some things I’m excited about.

For me personally, in 2022, I plan on getting back into yoga and meditation and taking more time to take care of myself. I tend to overwork myself and underestimate my own value, so I hope stick up for myself and give myself a bit more forgiveness and grace in this coming year. As far as reading goals, I want to read more while also giving myself permission to DNF any books that aren’t bringing me joy. What are your life/book goals in 2022? Feel free to let me know!

I know this introduction has been a little long-winded, friends. But I’m not going to see you again until next year! (Sorry, it’s a New Year’s requirement to make that joke at least once) Because this is the last Book Radar of the year, this one’s going to be a bit different, but I hope you enjoy it.

💚 Emily 

Book Deals and Reveals

monsters born and made

Here’s the cover reveal of Tanvi Berwah’s upcoming novel Monsters Born and Made. This South-Asian inspired fantasy featuring sea monsters (yes!) will be out on September 6th, 2022.

Madeline Miller has announced on Instagram that her current novel-in-progress is a retelling of the myth of Persephone.

The Princess Bride meets You’ve Got Mail in Megan Bannen’s upcoming novel The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. Check out the cover reveal here!

And here’s the stunning cover reveal of Tanya Guerrero’s upcoming middle grade novel Adrift. This one’s also out on September 6th, 2022. What a good day for books that will be!

Solaris has announced their acquisition of The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu, a queer, locked-room sci-fi mystery inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This one’s also coming out in September of 2022, so maybe it’s just going to be a great month.

AMC Studios has snagged the rights to Rebecca Roanhorse’s pre-Columbian fantasy saga Black Sun. The show is being adapted for TV with Roanhorse and The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang executive producing.

Here’s a first look at Ingrid Rojas Contreras’ upcoming memoir The Man Who Could Move Clouds, which will be hitting shelves in July.

The African Speculative Fiction Society has announced their 2021 Nommo Award Winners

The 2021 Hugo Award Winners have been announced! Check out the full list of winners and finalists!

Here are the New York Public Library’s top checkouts of 2021.

Book Riot Recommends

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

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

Favorite Books of 2021

Since this is the last newsletter of the year, instead of highlighting one book for you, I’ve got 10. I’m recommending 5 of my favorite books of 2021, and then I’m going to tell you the 5 books I’m most looking forward to in 2022. Fire up those TBRs.

in the event of contact book cover

In the Event of Contact by Ethel Rohan — An incredibly moving collection of short stories all about the struggles of creating human connections. A perfect read for these strange pandemic times.

This is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey — This one is an incredibly fun genre-bending YA novel that’s perfect for us millennials who are feeling nostalgic for My So-Called Life and all things 90s.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward — Such a unique, dark horror/thriller novel with surprising twists that felted earned. It was also funny! And it part of it was narrated by a black cat who reminds me a lot of my little Phantom.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia — How do you write a moving family saga that brings readers to tears in under 300 pages? This. Exactly like this. I can’t stop thinking about this one.

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson — This is YA horror done 100% right. I loved everything about this chilling haunted house novel/social thriller. Now I need everyone else to read it so we can talk about it.

Most Looking Forward to These Books in 2022

I’ve chatted about a lot of these books already. And if I haven’t said enough about them yet, then you’ll probably hear a lot more about them soon, so for now, I’m just listing 5 of the books I’m most excited to read in 2022 (in no particular order) along with their release dates.

just like home book cover

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey — July 19th, 2022 from Tor Books

How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix — July 12, 2022 from Berkley

You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi — May 24, 2022 from Atria Books

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow — February 8, 2022 from Dutton

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James — February 15, 2022 from Riverhead Books

2022 Book Challenges

As 2022 approaches and you’re setting your reading goals, you’re probably also considering what reading challenges you might take on. I’ve already talked to you about the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, but if you want even more challenges for yourself (I know I do), here are some other ones you might want to check out!

Reading journals are another great way to find fun reading challenges or come up with ways to challenge yourself. The American Library Association has teamed up with Sourcebooks to create reading journals to challenge you in 2022: 52 Award-Winning Titles Every Book Lover Should Read, 52 Diverse Titles Every Book Lover Should Read, and 52 YA Titles Every Book Lover Should Read. These are great journals to include to supplement your other reading goals for the year.

For me, there are books on each of the American Library Association lists that I’ve already read, but there are other books on the list that I know I definitely need to get to. And there are others I hadn’t even heard of before. So I’m going to be using these to see how many I can get to throughout the year. I know the point is to finish the list by the end of the year, but I see myself using them throughout the years, slowly checking things off as I work my way through other challenges as well. And that’s the great thing about journals. You can use them however you want.

What challenges are you taking on in 2022? Or are you more of a mood reader? Let me know!

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

Got New Year’s Eve plans? We’re having a couple of friends over for champagne cocktails and board games. Keeping it chill, trying to keep it to a small gathering. But we still need our New Year’s Eve getting ready soundtrack, because I’m still wearing a cute dress and doing my hair and make-up. This is my favorite holiday, after all. Feel free to pop this one on while you’re getting ready for New Year’s Eve night, while you’re hanging out on New Year’s Eve, while you’re finishing up your last few books to meet your goals for 2021, or, you know, whenever. I hope you enjoy.

And Here’s a Cat Picture!

orange cat in sink

Is… this where cats go?

Murray seems to think so. Every morning (and only in the mornings), Murray likes to hop in the sink and make it his bed while I’m making my coffee and breakfast. I know I should tell him no, but it’s so cute? I’m the worst.


And with that, we say goodbye to Book Radar for 2021. I can’t wait to see you again in 2022. Sending you all so much love and good wishes for your holiday season and the new year!

💚 Emily 

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Book Radar

Leigh Bardugo’s Got a New Grishaverse Treat Coming in 2022 and More Book Radar!

Dear Bookland Residents,

I hope you are all having an okay day and that you’re planning to take some time off this week. As for me? I’m going to try my best, but I’m one of those people who thrives on being busy, so we’ll see! I definitely want to sneak in a Home Alone viewing at some point this week. I haven’t watched it this season yet, and everything just feels off. Anyway, we’re not here to talk about Home Alone. We’re here to talk about books. So here are some book things for you.

💚 Emily 

Book Deals & Reveals

Demon in the Wood

Last Thursday, Leigh Bardugo announced some big news on Good Morning America and on Instagram: “A little Grishaverse treat coming next year! This morning I got to announce Demon in the Wood, a Darkling prequel and the first ever Grishaverse graphic novel.” This one’s out in September 2022.

Francine Pascal’s young adult series Sweet Valley High is getting a TV adaptation from Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, the duo that turned the Gossip Girl books into a hit show.

Here’s the cover reveal for Rebel Skies, the first novel in a new YA fantasy series, written by Ann Sei Lin. Expect this one out on May 5th, 2022.

On Instagram, Sarah Grunder Ruiz revealed the cover of her upcoming romance novel Luck and Last Resorts, out from Berkley Romance on August 9th, 2022.

Amazon has won the small-screen rights to fantasy novel Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six, which went viral on TikTok earlier this year. Now, the streaming platform is adapting the novel as a series with London-based production company Bright Star.

Penguin Teen’s got a cover reveal and a sneak peek of The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen, a new novel by Isaac Blum that’s described as “The Chosen meets Darius the Great.”

YA thriller author Karen M. McManus is back with a new dark campus thriller entitled Nothing More to Telland here’s first look at the cover and first chapter of the novel.

The editors over at Buzzfeed News have chosen their picks for the best books of 2021

Reading Rainbow Live, the new version of the beloved Reading Rainbow series, has announced details of their premiere live event, which will take place early 2022.

Former president Barack Obama has announced his favorite books of 2021.

The K-pop band BTS is creating a webcomic and webnovel called 7Fates: CHAKHO, and the teaser trailer has just been released.

Acclaimed author, critic, and feminist bell hooks died last week, surrounded by her loved ones. She was 69 years old.

Book Riot Recommends

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

Prepare Your Shelves!

violeta

Violeta by Isabel Allenda (Penguin Random House, January 25, 2022)

This one is a no-brainer, but it case you’ve somehow made it this close to 2022 and still haven’t added this to your TBR list, here’s your wake up call. Award-winning/New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende has got a new novel coming your way at the end of January, and you won’t want to miss out on it.

This sweeping novel is the life story of Violeta del Valle, who was brought into the world on a stormy day in 1920. Her life, which spans one hundred years, is marked by many extraordinary events. Through letters Violeta writes to her grandson, she looks back at a life spent living through World War II, the Spanish flu, the Great Depression, the tragic loss of friends and family members, and much more.

Like many readers, I came to this author first through her novel House of the Spirits, a magical realist story in which Allende explores her family’s own personal history through the fictional family of the Truebas. Allende is uniquely gifted at weaving personal history with big historical moments in time and imbuing these important moments with a hint of magic. Yes, Violeta is a very different novel from House of the Spirits. But this is a novel that feels very much in the spirit (forgive my pun) of Allende’s classic. If you love those qualities about Allende’s writing and you love House of the Spirits, you will love Violeta too.

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

What I’m Reading This Week

everyone knows your mother is a witch

Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen

Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

A History of Wild Places by Shea Earnshaw

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

Monday Memes

Okay, so this isn’t a bookish meme, but this is big meme news, so I felt like I should share. Keanu Reeves has finally spoken out about the Sad Keanu meme. What’s his explanation? Well, read to find out.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

Recipe December continues. This seems like a simple enough thing to make, but it’s really not. My husband’s birthday was last week, and he always wants me to make an apple pie. Here’s the recipe I used, and I think it turned out pretty great!

And Here’s a Cat Picture!

a black cat perched between the top of a fridge and a cabinet. On the fridge is a kitten-theme calendar, and next to the fridge is a tabby cat resting on a cat tree

Did you know that December is National Cat Lover’s Month? It’s our month, people!! Well, every month in this house is National Cat Lover’s Month, but now the rest of the nation is recognizing us! If you’re wondering, yes I have already ordered my Kitten Lady calendar for 2022. And if you haven’t gotten one yet, you totally should! Murray and Phantom love Kitten Lady and think you should too!


Thanks for tuning in on this fine Monday, book friends! I hope you have a wonderful week. I hope you read good books. Pet soft cats. Cuddle sweet pups. Do what makes you happy.

💚 Emily 

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Book Radar

Alice Feeney Announces New Novel DAISY DARKER and More Book Radar!

Hi Book Friends!

I’m back in the US at last, but I’m keeping the green heart for a bit because it’s holiday appropriate, and it’s just a reminder to myself that I got to go to Ireland. Now that I’ve got my Christmas decorations up, and I’ve finished all the books I started on vacation, I’m ready to bring you more Book Radar! So here’s all the book news and extras that I want to share with you this Thursday.

💚 Emily 

Book Deals and Reveals

daisy darker cover

If, like me, you devoured Alice Feeney’s 2021 novel Rock, Paper, Scissors, then you’ll be excited to know she has a new novel coming out in 2022 from Flatiron Books. Earlier this week, Alice Feeney took to Instagram to announce her new book Daisy Darker. She wrote, “Books are like children for authors, we’re not really allowed to have favourites, but this is mine.”

John Legend is joining Zando as a publisher with his own imprint, Get Lifted Books.

LGBTQ Reads has an exclusive cover reveal of Roan Parrish’s upcoming queer holiday romance, The Holiday Trap, which releases from Sourcebooks on September 6, 2022!

Here’s the cover for Walking Dead star Norman Reedus’ debut novel, The Ravaged. It’s coming out April 5, 2022.

Holly Black’s debut adult novel is coming out May 3, 2022! And earlier this week, the author shared the cover for The Book of Night on Buzzfeed.

Here’s the cover reveal for Danielle Jackson’s upcoming romance novel The Accidental Pinup, which is coming out in July 2022 from Berkley.

Can’t wait for Jennifer Egan’s new companion novel for A Visit from the Goon Squad? Entertainment Weekly has an excerpt of the upcoming novel The Candy House that you can read right now!

Mike Flanagan has announced 20 new cast members for his upcoming series Fall of the House of UsherNew cast members include Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Henry Thomas, T’Nia Miller, Kate Siegel, Sauriyan Sapkota, Zach Gilford, Katie Parker, Michael Trucco, Malcolm Goodwin, Crystal Balint, Kyleigh Curran, Paola Nuñez, Aya Furukawa, Matt Biedel, Daniel Jun, Ruth Codd, Robert Longstreet, Annabeth Gish and Igby Rigney. 

The mystery of who wrote the fantasy novel A Broken Blade has taken over BookTok. Before the answer is revealed, let’s take a look at the clues.

Take a look at the top 10 books of 2021 as selected by the New York Times. Find out what they picked and how their list compares to other best of lists this year.

Book Riot Recommends

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

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

Can’t Wait for This One

cherish farrah book cover

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow (Dutton Books, February 8, 2022)

So I’m setting up my cute little reading journal for 2022, and one of the spaces in the beginning of the journal asked me to list 10 of my most anticipated books of 2022. I know what you’re thinking: how the heck does one narrow down their most anticipated list to list 10 titles? Well, somehow I did it, and yes, as you’ve probably guessed by now, Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow made my top 10 list of the most anticipated books of 2022.

It’s YA. It’s being described as “social horror.” And it’s from an author who I’ve read and enjoyed not once but twice before (specifically, Mem and A Song Below Water). I haven’t read this one yet, but based on the description alone, I feel like this might end up being my favorite from Bethany C. Morrow yet. Also just look at this cover. I love it.

This novel is told from the perspective of seventeen-year-old Farrah Turner, who is the only Black girl at her country club that also has Black parents. The other Black girl at the country club is her best friend Cherish Whitman, but she was adopted by white parents. Farrah called her best friend WGS (that stands for White Girl Spoiled). When Farrah’s family is hit with money problems, she sees this as her opportunity to get an inside look at how Cherish’s family lives. So she goes to stay with the Whitmans, and the longer she stays there, the more she becomes obsessed with their way of life and doing whatever she can do to stay as long as possible. Despite her parents warnings that something is terribly, terribly wrong a the Whitman house.

What is going on with the Whitmans? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to read and find out!

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

Words of Literary Wisdom

“In my early twenties, it had never occurred to me that the women who gained their power from beauty were indebted to the men whose desire granted them that power in the first place. Those men were the ones in control, not the women the world fawned over. Facing the reality of the dynamics at play would have meant admitting how limited my power really was—how limited any woman’s power is when she survives and even succeeds in the world as a thing to be looked at.”

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

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.

Soooo… you know how people turn to BookTok for book recommendations these days? Well. Earlier this week, author Rebekah Weatherspoon tweeted an interesting thread. Rather than summarizing, I’m going to let the words speak for themselves.

Weatherspoon tweeted: “I’m hesitant to tweet about this for a couple reasons. But a couple months ago a few people on booktok mentioned that they felt that people were recommending books they hadn’t actually read just to keep up with the algorithm. Last night I saw a Tiktok hyping up a book, using points that didn’t actually apply to that book. In the comments people were raising questions, like baby did we read the same book??? Turns out the person who made the video hasn’t read the book.”

Check out the rest of the thread to read more about what happened. But Weatherspoon ends by saying there’s no easy solution to this problem. Social media has become a huge part of the book promotion process. Publishers can’t ignore BookTok. And people on BookTok are going to respond to algorithms so that they get the most viewers possible. But what does this mean for the book industry and what authors get attention? If you have thoughts/feelings, I’d love to hear them!

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

Can you believe I haven’t put together a holiday playlist for y’all yet? (yes I say y’all) Well it’s time. Pop this bad boy on when you’re decorating or making cookies. And yes, it’s the perfect soundtrack for when you’re reading your holiday rom coms. A couple of personal favorites from 2021? The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo (which, yes, is a different book than The Holiday Swap, but I’ve also heard this one is good), and The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer. And if you’re like, “Ew, romance,” well. This isn’t a book from 2021, but Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer is super fun holiday horror set in a publishing company. Whatever you’re reading, this playlist will work for you. Probably. IDK.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

orange tabby on a grey blanket

I’m back with my cats, y’all! And they’ve been so cuddly. I don’t know if they’ve always been this cuddly or if they just missed me extra. Or maybe it’s just cold outside. Anyhow, I’ll take it. Here’s a pic of Murray because it was his birthday earlier this week. I tried to get him to look alive, but he wasn’t into it. Trust me, he’s living his best life. We got him treats and catnip bubbles and a remote control mouse toy. He is spoiled rotten.


That’s all I’ve got for you today, friends! Thank you for making Book Radar a part of your day today. You’re all wonderful. Have the best weekend.

💚 Emily 

Categories
Book Radar

Paul Tremblay’s THE PALLBEARERS CLUB Gets a Cover Reveal and More Book Radar!

Dear Folks of Bookland,

I’m coming at you from Ireland one more time. And in case you were wondering, I have made it through all of the books I packed in my suitcase, so I do feel vindicated in packing more than one book. Whenever I go on a trip and read a book, I always remember details of the trip when I think of that book. Are you the same way? All of this is to say I love reading on vacation. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to slow down when I get home. What are you reading to finish out the year? Let me know! And without further ado, here’s your Book Radar for Monday!

💚 Emily 

Book Deals & Reveals

the pallbearers club

Here’s the cover reveal for Paul Tremblay’s upcoming novel The Pallbearers Club. The first edition of this one is going to have some fancy extra stuff, so you might want to preorder now!

Ruth Ware’s latest book The It Girl is a chilling murder mystery set in Oxford University, set to release on July 12, 2022. And here’s the cover reveal and an excerpt from the novel!

Here’s the cover reveal of the anthology Screams from the Dark, edited by Ellen Datlow. This book includes “29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous” featuring authors like Stephen Graham Jones, Cassandra Khaw, and many others. This one’s out from Tor Nightfire on June 7, 2022.

Mara Wilson is narrating the audiobook version of One For All by Lillie Lainoff. You can get it in March, 2022.

Angie Thomas has tweeted images from the set of On the Come Up, an adaptation of her novel by the same name.

Chris Cuomo’s upcoming book has been pulled by HarperCollins, following his termination from CNN this past Saturday.

Here are the winners of the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards, including Amanda Gorman, Michelle Zauner, Grady Hendrix, Sally Rooney, and Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Henry Golding is starring in a series adaptation of Dean Koontz’s Nameless books. The series will be produced by SK Global in partnership with The Mazur Kaplan Company and Golding’s Long House Productions.

Malcolm X’s former prison cell is being transformed into a Freedom Library.

Book Riot Recommends

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

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

Prepare Your Shelves!

medusa book cover

Medusa by Jessie Burton (Bloomsbury, January 11, 2022)

Are you complete trash for a good retelling like I am? Well, here’s one that I think you’re going to want to read. Plenty of myths have been told and retold in many different ways, but I don’t feel like I’ve read that many about Medusa. Medusa: the Girl Behind the Myth is a YA retelling of (you guessed it) Medusa, and it’s coming out on January 11th, so prepare your shelves!

Perfect for fans of Circe and The Silence of the Girls, Jessie Burton’s Medusa is a feminist retelling that debunks many of the preconceptions about Medusa as a character. After the gods exile Medusa to a solitary island, she has no one to provide her company aside from her snakes. That is, until Perseus arrives. Perseus is a charming, beautiful boy who completely upends Medusa’s life and awakens love and desire within her.

But this isn’t a love story. It’s a journey of self-discovery and self-actualization. Medusa’s journey includes full-color illustrations from award-winning artist Olivia Lomenech Gill.

What I’m Reading This Week

Razorblade Tears cover

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

No Exit by Taylor Adams

Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

Monday Memes

This one is all about my aspirations for the future. Thank you for letting me get personal with you today. i’m dreaming big.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

I know I’ve been sharing a lot of Christmas recipes, so I thought I should also share where a lot of my sides come from. If you’re a vegetarian and you’re looking for delicious comfort food to get you through the holiday season, you need The Grit Cookbook. The Grit is a vegetarian restaurant in my hometown Athens, GA, and their food is the best comfort food for vegans and vegetarians. Make sure to make a big bowl of the Grit’s yeast gravy for your Christmas dinner. I know it sounds weird, but it’s the total showstopper every Christmas season. I basically just pour it over everything. Even my family members who aren’t vegetarian love it, especially my late stepfather Neil. Every time I make it, I think about him now. We miss you, Neil. 💙💙💙

Do you have any holiday recipes that always make you think of a certain family member?

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

calico cat with pink nose

I’ve been missing my cats so much while I’ve been away! I’m so excited to see them tomorrow. Here’s a picture of my sweet girl Cersei that my neighbor sent me. Every day she’s been sending me so many good pictures of my cats to help keep me from missing them too much! So if you’ve enjoyed the pictures from the last few newsletters, you have my neighbor to thank. Thank you Mary!


And that’s all for today! Next time I see you, I’ll be back in the US. I hope you’re doing well. I hope you have a wonderful week. Talk soon!

💚 Emily 

Categories
Book Radar

Shang-Chi Gets A Sequel and More Book Radar!

How are we nearly halfway through December, book friends?

The year has just flown by at an unsettling rate, but I am enjoying all of the end-of-year book roundups. And I’m loving seeing everyone post about their reading goals/expectations for 2022. We’ve also got so many great books to look forward to in this coming year. There’s Ocean Vuong’s upcoming book of poetry, Hanya Yanagihara’s latest novel, a memoir from Viola Davis, and much more. I’ve got some exciting new 2022 news to share with you today, and some other fun stuff, so let’s hop to it.

💚 Emily 

Book Deals & Reveals

the black girls left standing cover

Author Juliana Goodman tweeted the cover of her debut YA novel The Black Girls Left Standing, coming out June 28, 2022, from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan.

If you loved The Love Hypothesis, you’ll be excited to know author Ali Hazelwood has revealed the covers of her upcoming romance novellas, Stuck With You, Under One Roof, and Below Zero. These are coming out starting in February in audio, and then later in ebook format!

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton is returning to write and direct the sequel.

Reading Rainbow is returning to your TV screens after a 15-year hiatus.

A feminist retelling of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four has been approved by the Orwell’s estate.

In a competitive auction, Sally Kim for Putnam won The Three of Us, the debut novel by Ore Agbaje-Williams. Agbaje-Williams is an editor at the Borough Press imprint of HarperCollins UK.

Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III sold his memoir, Surviving Washington, to Amar Deol at Atria Books.

Crowdfunding in the UK is offering a lifeline to independent bookstores during the pandemic.

Battle Chasers, an independent comic from the turn of the century that briefly outsold established titles from Marvel and DC, is being adapted for television.

Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy are teaming up again with a whole new group of Spider-related characters in the Into the Spider-Verse sequel. And if you can’t wait to see the new movie, be sure to check out the first-look footage!

A trailer was recently released for the new Harriet the Spy television show.

Here at Book Riot, we’ve chosen our favorite books of 2021. You can browse the books by genre or take a look at the whole list here.

Book Riot Recommends

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

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

Can’t Wait for This One

just like mother book cover

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel (Tor Nightfire, May 17, 2022)

I think in the past I’ve mentioned my love for cult stories, and on Monday, I mentioned my love for books about female friendships. So Anne Heltzel’s upcoming novel Just Like Mother—hitting shelves on May 17th—is an instant must-read for me. I feel like there are a lot of Book Radar readers who are going to be excited about this one as well.

Just Like Mother is about Maeve, who has struggled to build a normal life for herself after escaping a cult that left her traumatized through violence and by stealing away her cousin, Andrea, the only true friend Maeve has ever known. Decades later, when Andrea reappears, Maeve is thrilled. And despite the fact that Andrea is involved in a mysterious start-up business that has made her extremely wealthy, Maeve feels comforted and more at-home in her cousin’s presence.

So when Maeve’s life starts to fall apart in New York, it only seems to make sense that she would move in with Andrea. But the more she gets wrapped up in Andrea’s life, the more Maeve finds herself being pulled into the lifestyles and ideals that were pushed upon her in the cult she’d thought she’d escaped. This psychological thriller sounds like one that will keep you guessing and wondering who to trust at every turn.

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

Words of Literary Wisdom

“I have always found peace among books.”

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

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.

As we start planning ahead to 2022, it’s time to start thinking about how we’re going to challenge ourselves to read more diversely, read more widely, and maybe even just read more. Enter Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge.

If you’re new to the challenge, the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge is a set of 24 tasks that invite readers to expand their worldview through books. If you’ve joined us before, we’ve got a little something new. This year, you can sign up for our new Read Harder newsletter to get recommendations for each task delivered straight to your inbox. And if you’re looking to join a community of fellow challenge participants, check out the Read Harder Challenge Goodreads group. For a downloadable and editable PDF of the 2022 Read Harder Challenge, click here.

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

Not a reading soundtrack this week, but a sincere Christmas song question. How do we feel about “Last Christmas” by Wham? I think it’s my favorite Christmas song, but my husband says it’s terrible. Please weigh in on this debate! Do I have really bad Christmas music taste or does my husband hate joy?

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

black cat resting on a wooden chair

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Phantom, the sweetest, bravest, strongest little mini-panther you’ve ever seen. I love this picture because his magic eye and his little white tuft are on full display. My neighbor (and friend) is still watching over my cats this week. We head back to the US tomorrow (Friday), so I’ll get to see this dude soon! But I miss him so!


That’s it for today, book friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Stay warm. Buy yourself presents. Don’t forget a coat.

💚 Emily 

Categories
Book Radar

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

Hi Book People!

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

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

💚 Emily (it’s green for Ireland)

Book Deals & Reveals

daphne book cover

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films and Lulu Wang’s Local Time are partnering to develop the comedy series The Son of Good Fortune, an adaptation of Lysley Tenorio’s novel of the same name, for Amazon.

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

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

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

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

Book Riot Recommends

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

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

Prepare Your Shelves!

cover of fiona and jane by jean chen ho

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

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

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

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

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

What I’m Reading This Week

no exit by taylor adams cover image

No Exit by Taylor Adams

Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Murakami T by Haruki Murakami

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

Monday Memes

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

Other Things That Make Me Happy

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

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

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

orange cat twisted around pole on cat house

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

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

Meow.


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

💚 Emily

Categories
Book Radar

Sarah Gailey Announces Next Novel and More Book Radar!

Greetings from Ireland, Book Friends!

I’ve been traveling for about 24 hours and I am very, very tired, but of course I had to send you some Book Radar before I fall out for the day. Especially because I feel like a lot has happened since the last time I wrote to you. So let’s see what’s going down in the book world!

❤️ Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Riot Recommends

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

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

Can’t Wait for This One

the hacienda book cover

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

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

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

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

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

Words of Literary Wisdom

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

The Collective, Alison Gaylin

In Loving Memory

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

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

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

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

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

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

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

orange cat with books

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

Look at the sad eyes.


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

❤️ Emily

Categories
Book Radar

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

Hi Book People!

Greetings from Washington D.C. where I am currently for the Thanksgiving holiday. If you celebrated Thanksgiving this past week, I hope you had a wonderful time and ate lots of delicious mashed potatoes. Whether or not you celebrate, I’m thankful for you, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to share some good Book Radar stuff with you today.

❤️ Emily

Book Deals & Reveals

if you read this cover

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Riot Recommends

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!

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Prepare Your Shelves!

Cover of Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

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

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

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

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

What I’m Reading This Week

The Collective cover image

The Collective by Alison Gaylon

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett

Will by Will Smith

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

Other Things That Make Me Happy

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

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

white cat

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

She says meow.


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

❤️ Emily