Category: Book Radar

Keke Palmer and Jasmine Guillory Team Up and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date October 15, 2021

Book Deals and Reveals

Ryan La Sala’s new YA horror novel The Honeys got a cover reveal over on Entertainment Weekly’s website. This book is about Mars, a genderfluid teenager who is investigating the death of his twin sister.

Here’s the cover reveal fo The Woven Kingdom, the start of a new trilogy by Tahereh Mafi, inspired by Persian mythology.

Rachel Howzell Hall’s latest novel What Never Happened has been sold as part of a two-book deal with Thomas & Mercer. The novel is the story of an obituary writer who investigates the mysterious deaths of Catalina Island residents.

LGBTQ Reads has got a cover reveal of Cinder the Fireplace Boy and Other Gayly Grimm Tales by Ana Mardoll!

Netflix’s You, starring Penn Badgely, has been renewed for a second season.

Queer romance cover reveal alert! Here’s the cover for A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy. This book comes out on May 31st, 2022.

Keke Palmer and Jasmine Guillory have collaborated on a short story collection exclusively for Amazon Original Stories.

Uzo Aduba will be hosting a book club series on Netflix called But Have You Read the Book?

Get ready to meet Annalie and Margaret in Xixi Tian’s new novel This Place is Still Beautiful, coming out from Balzer and Bray on June 6th, 2022. Here’s the reveal of its stunning cover.

Sally Rooney has turned down publishing her new novel Beautiful World, Where Are You in Israel on political grounds.

Daily Wire is launching a conservative book publishing imprint. The imprint will release books by Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, actor Gina Carano, and a book by one of the officers who murdered Breonna Taylor.

Barnes & Noble has announced its Top 10-ish books 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!

Prepare Your Shelves!

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw (December 7, Atria Books)

Remember when December 2021 seemed, like, a really long time from now? That’s how I felt when I first found out Shea Ernshaw’s adult debut A History of Wild Places was coming out in December of that year. “Darn,” I thought to myself. “That’s basically so far away that it’s never.” Well guess what? The future is here, my friends, and it’s time to start preparing ourselves for December releases.

If Shea Ernshaw’s name looks familiar to you, there’s a reason for that. Earnshaw is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels The Wicked Deep and Winterwood. If you like dark (but fun) gothic fantasies, these books should be must-reads for you. A History of Wild Places is Ernshaw’s first foray into adult fiction, but this one is also going to be one you don’t want to miss when in comes out in December. So you know the deal. Make room on your shelves.

This book is about a reclusive commune called Pastoral, which was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people who were all looking to find a simpler way to live their lives. The commune has become the stuff of legends, and as far as anyone knows, it no longer exists. But then Travis Wren is hired to look into the disappearance of Maggie St. James, an author of dark, macabre children’s books, and his investigation leads him to Pastoral. Where he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.

Meanwhile, Theo is a member of the Pastoral commune, and he believes it to be a safe haven, protecting him and his family from the horrors of the outside world. It’s a place they’d never want to leave. And they couldn’t if they wanted to anyway. Then he stumbles upon Travis’s truck, and he starts to wonder if their isolated world is really as safe as he’s always believed.

What I’m Reading This Week

A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib

A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan

Goblin by Josh Malerman

Ophie’s Ghost by Justina Ireland

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton

Monday Memes

It’s Monday, so that means it’s time to share another meme about reading or books or life or whatever.

I really identify with this one any time I try to recommend Earthlings by Sayaka Murata to people. But like. That book is very good.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

As promised, I’ve finished The Baby-Sitters Club season 2, and yes, I cried. But also it did make me very, very happy. Everyone should watch it.

This section of this newsletter is brought to you by Purrli. It’s a cat in your computer!

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

ginger cat and calico cat share a cat tree

Here’s a rare sight. Cersei and Murray. Chilling on the cat tree. Together. These two don’t normally hang harmoniously, unfortunately, so when it does happen, I have to document it.

You’ve been seeing cat trees a lot, I know, and I’m sorry. My cats love cat trees, and we do have two of them (cat trees, that is… we have three cats).

Now it’s time to say goodbye. I hope you have a wonderful week. Be productive, but remember to protect your free time.

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

Akwaeke Emezi’s First Romance Novel is Coming Soon and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date October 13, 2021

Sponsored by Sankofa, an Amazon Books Editors' Pick.

If you read just one book this month, the Amazon Book Editors recommend Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo. With wit, humor, and heart, Onuzo spins a page-turner of a woman in search of her past. Searching through her mother’s belongings one day, Anna finds clues about the African father she never knew. Anna discovers that he eventually became the president—some would say dictator—of a small nation in West Africa. And he is still alive. Now to discover herself, she must find him. Read what happens next, order it now on Amazon.

How are things going, Book Friends?

Me? I’ve been watching the latest episodes of The Baby-Sitters Club, so I’m in a pretty good mood. Seriously, if you haven’t watched this show yet, yes, it’s good. I know everyone’s talking about Squid Games, but I’m here to tell you about The Baby-Sitters Club season 2. Yes, it’s for everyone.

Now, I’ve got tons of other book things to share with you.

But before we get into that, correction to Monday’s newsletter: Emery Lee’s pronouns are e/em/he/him.

❤️ Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

Inheritance Games book #3 is on its way! Here’s the cover reveal for The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Expect to see it on shelves in August 2022.

Jon Kent, son of Clark Kent, is coming out as bisexual in November’s Superman: Son of Kal-El #5.

Ovidia Yu’s Crown Colony series, a historical murder mystery series set in 1930s Singapore, has been optioned for television by international production company Poisson Rouge Pictures.

Here’s the cover reveal of Boys, Beasts, and Men, the debut short story collection from Nebula Award-winning Sam J. Miller, featuring an introduction from Amal El-Mohtar.

We’ve also got a cover reveal for Phil Stamper’s Small Town Pride, a new middle grade novel about 12-year-old Jake, who throws his rural town’s first pride festival.

A Misfit City television series, based on the graphic novels of the same name, is in the works at HBO Max.

The BBC has given us a first look at the highly anticipated adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Conversations with Friends.

LGBTQ Reads revealed the cover of The Romantic Agenda. It’s coming out from Berkley on April 12, 2022.

Tales of the Walking Dead, an anthology spin-off based on the Walking Dead comic book series, has been picked up to become a series at AMC.

After taking a break for over three years, the comic book series Saga is set to return in January 2022.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty book cover

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

I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for this cover reveal, and Entertainment Weekly gave us the goods earlier this week. So of course, I had to feature this book as this week’s “Can’t Wait for This One.” I enjoyed Freshwater, but Emezi’s sophomore novel The Death of Vivek Oji cemented them as an author who’s a must-read. So when I heard Emezi was diving into romance novel territory with their next book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I’ve been counting down the days. And now with this cover reveal, we’re a few steps closer.

“After spending most of my teenage years buried in romance novels, I always wanted to write one myself,” Emezi said about their new book, coming out in May 2022. “You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty [is] a love letter to the brave choices we make in the name of love, the costs we pay for it, and the glory of the reward at the end.”

The story follows Feyi Adekola, an artist who lost the love of her life in an accident five years ago. Since her lover’s death, she has opened up her own studio, lives in a fabulous brownstone apartment with her best friend, and has found ways to find joy in her life once again. And now it’s time for that final step: getting back into the dating scene. This book is a love story about a person searching for her next great love, but it’s also about Feyi finding herself and learning what makes her feel fulfilled in her life.

Words of Literary Wisdom

“It occurs to me now that this was the real joy of dancing: to enter a world unlike the one you find yourself burdened with, and move your body toward nothing but a prayer that time might slow down.”

— A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

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.

In honor of Indigenous People’s Day on Monday, October 11, a lot of people on Bookstagram shared some of their favorite books by indigenous authors. Here are some examples of some book stacks I saw on Instagram that you might want to check out: indigenousbookshelf, capitalbooksonk, comptonlibrary, phoenixpubliclibrary, poorrichardsbooks. And here’s a list of Indigenous-owned bookstores to support!

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

Sooo… yesterday was my birthday, and we’re celebrating for the rest of the week, obviously. So this week we’re doing a fun birthday-themed play list. Put it on while you’re reading or put it on while you’re drinking birthday cake sparkling water. Yes, I bought myself birthday cake-flavored sparkling water.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Little black cat spooning bigger orange cat

This one is a few months old, but it came up on my featured pictures, and I wanted to share.

I love this one because I love seeing tiny Phantom spooning Murray, who as you can see is a bit larger. We love to see a little big spoon and a big little spoon.

That’s all I’ve got for you today! Thanks for reading this all the way to the end, all the way to these final sentences at the very, very end of the newsletter. You are a good person.

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

Josh Malerman Reveals Title for Upcoming Novel and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date October 8, 2021

Sponsored by The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery.

Guilted into being bridesmaids at their parents’ vow renewal ceremony, sisters Reggie and Dena Sommerville come together for the holiday wedding, only to find love in the most unexpected of places–in their small hometown.

Monday again? Then let’s do this.

Book friends, I think it’s important that I stay honest with you. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump for the past week. I know what you’re thinking. “But it’s October! It’s your time to thrive!” I know, I know. I don’t know what’s going on either. In my mind, I’d envisioned October as this magical month where’d I’d be drinking hot teas and coffees and reading scary books under the comfort of a nice cozy blankie, but that’s not really how things have been going. So I’m thinking this week, I might abandon my current reads and start from scratch? How do you all deal when you get caught up in a reading slump? Let me know your tips and tricks.

Anyway, in spite of any personal hang-ups I might be having, the book world rolls on. And I’ve got a bunch of book things to share with you today, so let’s go.

❤️ Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

We’ve got a title reveal for Josh Malerman’s upcoming novel. It’s called Daphne, and it’s coming for you in summer 2022.

Here’s the cover reveal for Joya Goffney’s Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl, coming in summer 2022 from Harper Teen.

Fun, wizard-y book deal announcement! Callie C. Miller’s debut novel The Hunt for the Hollower is been acquired by Jessica Smith at Aladdin. Expect the middle grade wizard adventure to be published in summer 2023.

Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Kinsey Millhone Alphabet book series is getting a television adaptation from A+E Studios, but this decision contradicts the late author’s wishes.

Scout Comics is launching a Latinx imprint in partnership with Mucho Mas Media.

Here’s the cover reveal for All the Secrets in the World, the new novel from Steve Almond and the first novel from independent publisher Zando. You can read an excerpt of the novel right now too!

Apple is renewing the sci-fi series Foundation for a second season. The series is based on Isaac Asimov’s trilogy of novels.

Emery Lee has revealed the covered for her upcoming foodie romcom Café Con Lychee. This one’s out May 10th, 2022.

Here’s the cover reveal of Rochelle Hassan’s upcoming middle grade fantasy debut The Prince of Nowhere. Hitting shelves May 3, 2022.

Geraldine Viswanathan is joining the cast of Cat Person, a new psychological thriller film based on the short story by Kristen Roupenian.

Book Riot has released their round-up of the best books we read in July-September 2021. And the best comic books too!

And the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature goes to novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah!

Oh, and our hero LeVar Burton has been named grand marshal of the 2022 Rose Parade.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (Random House, November 2, 2021)

When you were a kid, did you pretend you were a mermaid any time you went swimming in an ocean, lake, swimming pool, or, heck, even the bathtub? Don’t lie to me. Of course you did. We all did. It’s fine. Anyway, if you did (you did), this one’s for you.

Skin of the Sea is a fantasy debut inspired by West African mythology. Simi is a Mami Wata, a mermaid who collects the souls of those who die at sea and blesses their journey to Olodumare. But she wasn’t always like this, and memories of her past life as a human still haunt her. When a living boy is thrown from a slave ship, Simi goes against the ancient decree of the Mami Wata and saves the boy’s life. Of course, she knows after doing this, she must face the consequences. As she journeys to the Supreme Creator to face her punishment, Simi begins to feel as if something isn’t right. For one, the boy she rescued knew more than he should have. And something is shadowing her. Something that wants to see her fail.

If you’re looking for a fresh new YA fantasy to read this November, this is it. Skin of the Sea is being compared to The Little Mermaid and Children of Blood and Bone, but it’s truly a fresh and unique fantasy experience. Simi is such a compelling and strong main character. And if you love fantasy novels with thoughtful world-building, this is it. Plus, this is a standalone novel! And you know how I feel about fantasy standalones. Well, maybe you don’t. I love them.

In conclusion, make room on your shelves for this stunningly beautiful (inside and out) book.

What I’m Reading This Week

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib

A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan

Goblin by Josh Malerman

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

Monday Memes

We’re doing it. We’re calling it Monday Memes now. I know change is hard, but we’re all going to have to learn how to adapt.

If this ain’t me. Happy fall, everyone!

Other Things That Make Me Happy

Ooooh, I watched that LuLaRich documentary series this week. Have you checked it out yet? Yikes.

Also lots of fun new horror/thriller movies coming out right now. I just watched There’s Someone Inside Your House. I read Stephanie Perkins’ novel back when it came out, and a lot has happened since 2017, so it was fun watching this movie and getting surprised by all the things I forgot.

And most importantly!!! Season 2 of The Baby-Sitters Club is out today! So if you find yourself wondering, “I wonder what Emily’s doing today?” This is your answer. I’m watching this.

And then there’s Purrli. It’s your very own purring cat on your computer.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Today I’ve got an action shot of Murray playing with the cats’ new favorite toy. Yes, it’s Halloween-themed. That’s a pumpkin with the word “Boo” on it.

Many thanks to my neighbor and friend Mary for gifting this to my kitties. They love it very much!

And that’s all I’ve got for today! Hoping your week goes well. Remember to take breaks, take breaths, and say no to things you don’t want to do sometimes.

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

GAME OF THRONES Prequel Gets a Teaser Trailer and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date October 6, 2021

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal for Crystal Maldonado’s upcoming novel No Filter and Other Lies, a book about “Kat Sanchez: an IG-obsessed, charmingly messy, fat brown bi photographer.”

Game of Thrones fans, HBO has finally given us a teaser trailer for the upcoming prequel series House of the Dragon.

Sterling K. Brown has been cast to star in Hulu’s adaptation of the novel Washington Black by Esi Edugyan.

We’ve got a cover reveal for T. Kingfisher’s upcoming book What Moves the Dead, a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” This one’s coming out in July 2022.

HBO Max is developing a series adaptation of Stacy Willingham’s upcoming novel A Flicker in the Dark. The adaptation is produced by Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s Fruit Tree and A24.

Here’s the cover reveal for Kacen Callendar’s latest middle grade book Moonflower. In a tweet, Callendar said, “Moonflower is one of my most personal stories, about depression, spirituality, and inner healing.”

Disney+ is giving a straight-to-series order for an action-comedy series based on the 2006 graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

NYC Public Libraries are ending late fees! And they’re waiving all previous late fees and fines.

Shang-Chi is the first film of the pandemic era to make over $200 million domestically.

Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, has won the rights to Nicole Walter’s upcoming memoir, set to be released in 2023.

Harper Collins has removed a short story from David Williams’ The World’s Worst Children after the story was criticized for displaying casual racism.

Shipping delays, printer backups, and worker shortages mean publishers are being forced to postpone new book releases.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

Sundial by Catriona Ward (Macmillan, March 2022)

A twisty psychological horror novel centering mother/daughter relationships and strange, unsettling sci-fi-like experimentation? Yes. And then when this cover was revealed? Yes, times infinity.

Catriona Ward’s Sundial is the story of Rob, a woman who is trying desperately to escape the strangeness of childhood, living in Sundial, deep in the Mojave desert. She’s now far away from that place, and she lives in the suburbs with her husband and her two kids. But still her past refuses to let go. She can see it reflected in her oldest daughter Callie, who spends her days collecting bones and whispering to imaginary friends. It all feels too familiar, too much like the life she’s desperately trying to leave behind. But the things that happened at Sundial can’t remain a secret forever.

I read Catriona Ward’s 2020 novel The Last House on Needless Street a few months ago. It was unforgettable and unlike anything I’ve ever read. And while it was the first book I’ve ever read from Catriona Ward, it was so unique and chilling and, well, fun. So much so that I already feel like no matter what Ward writes next, I’m going to be excited about it. Ward introduces a unique voice and perspective to the horror genre unlike anything else authors are writing today (or ever). Needless to say Sundial is going to the top of my TBR stack as soon as it comes out. And you should check it out too!

Words of Literary Wisdom

“You’re not like other girls, he says, and I wind the word tight around me, a cape. The world is full of other girls—shiny-haired, giggle-glowing, simultaneously pure and sex-enthralled, groups of them, worlds of them, walking in community, writhing under club lights, running through parks. But if he says he doesn’t like other girls, if I am not an ‘other girl,’ he will be mine, not theirs.

Except that I know deep down I am other girls. They spin in me and around me. I am of them: my coworker who has been wearing the same lipstick shade, Barely Legal, every day since some guy leaned over the counter and complimented her on the color. My mother who buys and buys, sure she hasn’t found the right cream the right needle the right dress to win a man back, so she keeps trying. She keeps buying. Sasha who is no longer my best friend, because her boyfriend told her he thought she should dress more like me (clarified: more sexy) and so she realized I was not an other girl to him or that she was not a special girl, a chosen girl, or that all the categories collapse at the behest of the men who make them and that is just easier to pretend that we have any control in the first place.”

— Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

What’s Up in the Book Community?

Big news in the online community this week? Well, Instagram and Facebook were down for a whole day! How could I make it through a newsletter without bringing up this momentous news. Yeah, we had to go a whole day without Bookstagram. It was a dark day. Here are some of the best memes about the outage. Which one is your favorite? For me, it’s actually this Spirit Halloween one.

See? Mercury is in retrograde.

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

This week, take a break from reading and listening to music and watch the new season of SNL. The first episode of the season last weekend was actually funny. And since Halsey is the musical guest, you can listen to her new album—which has the best name ever: If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power—while you read during the day on Saturday to get excited about the episode. Though let’s be real. I never watch SNL on Saturday night cause that’s past my bedtime. #oldlady

And Here’s a Cat Picture!

It’s Cersei appreciation day. Yes, I just decided that’s an official holiday, and it’s October 7th.

As I’m writing this, Cersei is actually sitting here right next to me, being fluffy and cute and cheering me on as I write the final words of this newsletter,

We’ve done it. That’s all we’ve got for Book Radar today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH by Sarah J. Maas Gets a Cover Reveal and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date October 1, 2021

Book Deals and Reveals

cover of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

In her column for The Bookseller, author Lizzie Damilola Blackburn has been taking readers through the process of publishing her debut novel Yinka, Where’s Your Huzband? The most recent column is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the US and UK covers of Blackburn’s book, and she reveals her UK cover.

Damyanti Biswas has signed a two-book deal with Thomas & Mercer: a literary crime thriller entitled The Blue Bar, and its untitled sequel.

Indya Moore (Pose) has landed a major new role in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. They are playing Karshon, a shark with superpowers.

Here’s the cover reveal for House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas, the latest book in the Crescent City series.

Clarissa Goenawan’s debut novel Rainbirds is being adapted into a feature film, directed by Anshul Chauhan.

Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga are starring in a production of Macbeth, coming to Broadway in March 2022.

Here’s the first chapter of one of fall’s buzziest thrillers, All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris.

John Benjamin Hickey, recent Tony nominee for The Inheritance, has joined the cast of New Line’s feature adaptation of The Stand by Stephen King. Hickey will be playing Father Callahan.

Alice Waddington has signed on to direct the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation of the comic book series Dept. H.

Michael B. Jordan’s production company Outlier Society will be producing the Sony TriStar Pictures adaptation of N.K Jemisin’s The Broken Earth.

Here’s an exclusive cover reveal and excerpt from Game of Strength and Storm by Rachel Menard.

Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and David Alexander Kaplan are joining the cast of FX’s Kindred pilot, based on the novel by Octavia Butler.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

Cover of Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood (Wednesday Books, October 19 2021)

Another book I’m excited about that’s coming out on October 19th. Further proof that October 19th is a magical day when all good things happen. Right? Anyway.

Let’s talk about things that either really, really work or really, really don’t. Jane Eyre adaptations. I’m a really big fan of Victorian literature. Especially the Brontës. Especially Emily Brontë. Wuthering Heights is my favorite novel of all time. On that note, I have yet to read a Wuthering Heights adaptation that has excited me, but I’m open to it. If you think I’ve missed a good one, hit me up. But let’s back up. We’re talking about Jane Eyre adaptations today.

Jane Eyre is a great novel. It’s atmospheric and emotional, with strong characters and stunning plot turns. For a Jane Eyre retelling to work, it’s got to get all of that stuff right and do something new and interesting that adds to the Jane Eyre conversation rather than detracting from it. That’s a tall order, but Lauren Blackwood’s eerie YA fantasy retelling Within These Wicked Walls does all of that.

In this Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy novel, we follow Andromeda, a debtera. Debteras are members of the Ethiopian church who are able to perform exorcisms to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. But when Andromeda takes on a job for the handsome young heir Magnus Rochester, she quickly realizes this is a horrifying manifestation unlike anything she’s ever encountered. And Magnus seems to be hiding something.

What I’m Reading This Week

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

Goblin by Josh Malerman

We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz

Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Mercury Boys by Chandra Prasad

Monday Memes

We’re doing it. We’re calling it Monday Memes now. I know change is hard, but we’re all going to have to learn how to adapt.

It’s October now, so no one can judge us for diving into our witchy Halloween books. Get off our backs, people.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

Oh boy, we’ve got a brand new post from Book Riot with more Halloween costume ideas for kids and adults!

Since it’s Halloween time officially and no one can stop me, it’s time to watch Halloween movies and make Halloween snacks. In this quiz, you can pick your favorite Halloween characters and get a fun Halloween treat to make. I got Halloween Jalapeño Peppers, which tracks because I love spicy.

And then there’s Purrli. It’s your very own purring cat on your computer.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

a black cat and an orange cat resting on a large pillow

Since this is now a Halloween appreciation newsletter, we have to feature everyone’s favorite black and orange duo, Murray and Phantom!

This will be Phantom’s very first Halloween with us. We got him in November of 2020. I feel so much more prepared for Halloween season with a black cat by my side.

You’ve made it to the final sentences of the first Book Radar newsletter of October 2021. I hope your October is joyous, and we’ll speak soon!

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

Gina Atwater is Adapting YA Fantasy Novel RAYBEARER and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 29, 2021

Sponsored by The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros.

Chicago, 1893. For Alter Rosen, this is the land of opportunity, and he dreams of the day he’ll have enough money to bring his mother and sisters to America. But when Alter’s best friend, Yakov, becomes the latest victim in a long line of murdered Jewish boys, his dream begins to slip away. Alter is now living a nightmare: possessed by Yakov’s dybbuk, he is plunged into a world of corruption and deceit, and thrown back into the arms of a dangerous boy from his past.

Happy Thursday, Readers!

It’s rainy outside, and I’m wearing the biggest sweatshirt I own, so that’s the vibe here today. I hope you’re doing well and that this week has been going great for you.

A lot of you have been messaging me about more upcoming readathons that are worth shouting out. Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out. Since this seems to be a popular topic, I’ll be doing a second round up this week of more fall readathons that aren’t horror/Halloween themed. So you’re welcome!

Anyway, a lot has happened over the past few days. Lots of book news to share lots of book things to dive into, so let’s just get into it, shall we?

— Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

Writer, director and producer Gina Atwater has just signed a multi-year deal with Netflix. Her first project with the streaming platform? An adaptation of the YA fantasy novel Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko.

Scholastic Book Clubs and James Patterson are launching “The United States of Readers” to provide book access to 32,000 students in 1,500 classrooms.

Here’s the cover reveal for This is A School, John Schu’s debut picture book, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison.

Mara Brock Akil is adapting Judy Blume’s Forever as part of a 4-show Netflix deal.

Tor Books has acquired Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six and the two follow-up novels planned for a trilogy.

Here’s the cover reveal for Meet Me in Mumbai, a new YA novel by Sabina Khan.

Bridgerton has released a teaser of season 2, featuring a new character: Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley.

We’ve also finally got a teaser trailer for the highly anticipated series adaptation of The Sandman.

Jennifer Hillier has shared the cover for her new book Things We Do in the Dark, coming July 2022 from Minotaur books!

Marvel has issued a series of lawsuits to retain ownership of Avengers characters such as Spider-Man and Iron Man.

Here’s a peek at footage from the upcoming season of The Witcher, including a first look at Kristofer Hivju.

And here are the recipients of this year’s MacArthur “Genius Grants.” Congrats to these MacArthur fellows!

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

The Fervor by Alma Katsu (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, April 26, 2022)

Did I mention it’s going to be October tomorrow? Because it’s going to be October tomorrow. Am I excited? Maybe a little. Why am I saying all of this? Because October means I’m back on my horror BS. And I’m already looking towards 2022 to all the horror fiction I can’t wait to get my hands on.

High on the list for horror in 2022? Alma Katsu’s latest The Fervor. Katsu has built a reputation as an author who is able to masterfully meld the horrors of real-life history with supernatural terror. 2018’s The Hunger looked at the real-life tragedy of the Donner Party and imagined a paranormal cause behind the terrible things that happened to these travelers. 2020’s The Deep reimagines the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic as a ghost story.

In 2022, Alma Katsu returns to horror and history with The Fervor. Inspired by the Japanese yokai and the jorogumo spider demon, Katsu writes a supernatural story about Japanese internment camps during WWII. Meiko Briggs and her daughter, Aiko, have been taken from their home in Seattle and sent to an internment camp in the Midwest. The mother and daughter desperately want to return home and back to their normal lives, but a strange illness is spreading among those interned. It appears as if something sinister and demonic is threatening them, and they must stop the spread of this demonic disease before it’s too late.

Words of Literary Wisdom

“Without a name for it, it’s just something I am, a part of life. Once it’s got a name, I know that means someone has studied it, dissected it, pulled it apart. When something has a name, they can say it’s bad.”

— Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

What’s Up in the Book Community?

I got some great recommendations for other readathons that are non-Halloween/scary themed that you might want to check out this fall. Here are a few good ones:

Stuck in a Book is hosting the 1976 Club, from October 11-17.
The Latinx Book Bingo Readathon is happening right now, and it’s not too late to join in!
The Off the Grid Quarterly Readathon is kicking off on October 8th.
The October Page-A-Thon is open for sign ups right now!
Little Book Owl keeps track of all the readathons on a Readathon Calendar, so you don’t have to miss out on any!

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

I’ve got a lot of writing to do this weekend, actually. So this is more of a writing soundtrack rather than a reading soundtrack. But whenever I put on music for writing, I love a good soundtrack with sorta creepy/ambient music. And yeah, the soundtrack for It Follows seems perfect for right now, because IT’S OCTOBER THIS WEEKEND, y’all! I’m so excited.

And Here’s a Cat Picture!

I can’t with this goober.

Whenever Phantom wants to play with his cat toy and we’re ignoring him, he just plays with it on his own. And then sometimes you get moments like this where he entangles himself in his toy. And it’s incredible.

We made it to the end of September everyone! I don’t know how. It was rough going sometimes, but we did it. Now on to the best month of the year! I’m so excited for October. Until next time.

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

Lena Waithe and Gillian Flynn Start Book Imprints and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 24, 2021

Sponsored by Hold Me Down, dark psychological suspense by Clea Simon, October 5, 2021

Gal, a onetime rock star, is back in Boston to play a benefit when she sees a familiar face in the crowd. When that man is found dead the next day and a friend charged, Gal starts an informal investigation, and as the memories flood back she finds she must reexamine her own wild life, her perceptions of the past, and an industry that monetizes dysfunction. In her Massachusetts Book Award “must read” World Enough, Clea Simon explored the dangers of nostalgia. In Hold Me Down she follows the beat to a darker, deeper tale of love, music, and murder.

Dear book friends,

It’s officially Libra season, and I don’t know about you, but I am thriving. Living my best life. Reading all the books. Wearing all the sweaters. Buying all the pumpkin spice. My husband says I should use this good energy during Libra season to get rid of some of the books that won’t fit on my shelves. You can probably guess how I responded to that. I don’t need this kind of negativity in my life. I need more shelves. Not fewer books. I’m glad we’re all on the same page.

Anyway, it’s fall. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and I’m so excited to be here today. Let’s get into all the Book Radar goodness.

❤️ Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the cover reveal for The Obsidian Butterfly, the third and final novel in Lani Forbes’ The Age of the Seventh Sun series. You can also read an excerpt from the first chapter too!

Read an excerpt of the next big fantasy debut, Lizz Huerta’s The Lost Dreamer, out next spring.

Lena Waithe and Gillian Flynn are starting their own book imprints with Zando, an independent publishing company.

Simon & Schuster has announced a new series of virtual author events, AuthorFest. It all starts with Bob Woodward and Robert Costa discussing their new book Peril.

Eva Longoria is developing a new sci-fi series based on Carlos Hernandez’s award-winning book Sal & Gabi Break the Universe for Disney Branded TV.

Here’s the cover reveal for Casey McQuiston’s upcoming mystery romance novel I Kissed Shara Wheeler.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is going to be adapted as a limited series on Netflix.

Elsie Chapman’s young-adult novel Caster is getting a film adaptation from Paramount.

Netflix has now acquired the rights to all of Roald Dahl’s works. This is the streaming company’s biggest content deal to date.

Author Sara Gran is launching a new independent publisher Dreamland Books.

We’ve got some pretty exciting trailers this week! First up, here’s the trailer for the upcoming Netflix film Passing, based on the novel by Nella Larsen.

Also, here’s the trailer for the upcoming A24 film The Tragedy of Macbeth, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab (William Morrow, October 19 2021)

You know, thanks to Community, I can’t see the date October 19th without thinking to myself, “That’s October 19th.” If you’re unaware, October 19th is more than a date. It’s a feeling within us all. “Whenever a kitten tried to crawl into a box on YouTube, that’s October 19th. Whenever a stranger reaches out his hand to another stranger and says, ‘hello, brother,’ that’s October 19th.” And when a brand new historical fiction novel about chess set during WWII is released, that’s also October 19th.

If you’re not following my extended and obscure Community reference, what I’m trying to say is The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab comes out on October 19th, and you should prepare your shelves. Saab’s debut novel is the story of Maria, an avid chess player and a member of the Polish underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. After she is captured by the Gestapo, they imprison her in Auschwitz and her family is sent to their deaths. The camp guards are amused by Maria’s chess abilities and they start playing against her as a means of entertainment. Maria knows they’re only keeping her alive until she is no longer of interest to them, so she plays chess against them as if her life depended on it, because it does. But Maria is smart, and she has a plan to take down the sadistic camp deputy Fritzsch.

The Last Checkmate is a heartbreaking story that isn’t an easy read; however, it is beautifully written, thoroughly researched, and ultimately inspiring. While Maria herself is not based on a real-life historical figure, Saab’s fictional story was inspired in part the very real Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, a group of women who were forced to use their musical talents to entertain camp guards. If you’re a history buff, you’ll recognize other real historical figures, places, and moments in this story too. The Last Checkmate is the perfect mix of historical accuracy and imagination. Exactly what you want from historical fiction.

What I’m Reading This Week

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition 5 by Naoko Takeuchi

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Mercury Boys by Chandra Prasad

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Bookish Meme Corner

I always post this on Monday, so why don’t I call this “Monday Memes”? Still unclear.

I can’t help myself. I love Great Gatsby-themed memes.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

I don’t know if I’ve made it clear yet. But the general fall vibes everywhere are making me extremely happy. And even though I have zero Halloween plans, I’m starting to think about what book-related Halloween costumes I can wear while I sit at home at watch Beetlejuice with my cats.

Here are a few Halloween costume ideas I’ve found on Book Riot to get us thinking. And here are a few more. I’ll keep searching over the next few weeks and report back.

Keep checking out Purrli. It’s there for you even when your own cat refuses to snuggle.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Welcome to Top Bunk/Bottom Bunk with Murray and Cersei!

I think this is probably standard for cats all around the world, but 1pm-4pm at my house is cat nap time. So as I’m writing this, the cats are sleeping. Yes, I am super jealous.

How often do I wish I could be a cat? On a daily basis. Especially when they’re sleeping like this.

Well, that’s all! Happy Monday and HAPPY FALL!

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

New Becky Chambers Cover Reveal and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 22, 2021

Sponsored by Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.

Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction. The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant robots that battle the aliens beyond the Great Wall of China, even though the girls die in the process. When Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But it becomes clear that she is an Iron Widow, a female pilot who can sacrifice males to power up Chrysalises instead. Four hundred pages of feminist rage.

Hello Book Friends.

I got some really great responses from some of you about what you’ve been reading and how you’ve been doing on your reading goals, so thanks for reaching out. It seems like 2021 has been a great reading year for a lot of you, which is good to hear. And, you know, if it’ hasn’t been a great reading year for you, that’s okay too. There’s more to life than reading. I know. I can’t believe I said that either.

Anyway, I’ve got book things for you, so let’s do this.

— Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

Tordotcom has unveiled the cover of Becky Chambers’ new novel A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, out on July 12, 2022.

Penguin Random House Publisher Services will be distributing IDW comics to direct market comic shops and bookstores starting on June 1st, 2022.

The highly-anticipated film Dune has opened up overseas to a $36.8M debut.

Marina Lostetter tweeted the cover reveal for The Cage of Dark Hours, her sequel to The Helm of Midnight. This one’s out August 2, 2022.

Pillow-Cat Books, a bookshop focused on titles about animals, opened up shop recently at 328 E. 9th St. in the East Village in New York.

The first edition of Frankenstein recently sold for a record-breaking $1.17 million.

The Guardian Review section is bidding farewell after almost 20 years of book coverage. In a Twitter thread, they explained, “From next week you can find even more agenda-setting literary journalism in the exciting new Saturday magazine where there will be new columns as well as long-standing favourites in the new Books section.”

Here’s the cover reveal for Jamie Wesley’s Fake It Til You Bake It, a new romance novel about a reality star, a cupcake-baking football player, and my personal favorite romcom trope: fake dating.

Betty Gilpin has been announced as one of the stars of the upcoming series adaptation of Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women.

LGBTQ Reads has an exclusive cover reveal for Dahlia Adler’s latest contemporary f/f YA romance, Home Field Advantage.

Here’s the cover reveal for Priscilla Oliveras’ novel West Side Love Story, coming out May 2022. Oliveras promises mariachi bands, feuding Shakespearean families, and sisterhood.

Surprising no one, Marvel has the top two movies at the box office so far in 2021: Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle (Atria Books, March 1, 2022)

I have now read and enjoyed two Rebecca Serle novels: The Dinner List and In Five Years. Personally, I think once you make it to three, you’re officially all in on an author. So Rebecca Serle’s 2022 novel One Italian Summer will be a big decider for me: is this book going to live up to her two previous novels for me? Will this end up being an author I’m going to trust no matter what? Based on the premise of this one, I’m leaning towards yes.

Katy’s mother Carol is everything to her: a best friend, the first person she calls when she needs anything, her support system. So when Carol dies, Katy is left feeling unmoored. To make matters worse, the two were set to go on a vacation to the Amalfi Coast, where her mother met her father years ago. Now Katy is facing potentially going on that trip without her best friend. But when Katy arrives in Italy, she feels her mother’s presence everywhere. And not just in a spiritual way. Like, her mom Carol is actually there. But she’s not the Carol Katy knew. The younger, 30 year-old Carol who traveled to Italy long before Katy was born. Now Katy must reconcile the version of her mother that is with her now with the mother she knew before Carol died.

What I’ve loved so much about Serle’s novels that I’ve read so far? Serle crafts heartbreakingly honest love stories, but they’re never about the kind of romantic love you typically get in contemporary fiction. One Italian Summer looks to be continuing in that tradition. In this book, she’s exploring a beautiful love story between mother and daughter.

Words of Literary Wisdom

“If we lived in a world in which we were being properly taken care of, would self-care have the same appeal?”

— Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson

What’s Up in the Book Community?

October is ALMOST HERE (yes, I’ve been counting down the days to my favorite month), which means it’s time to read some Halloween-type books and maybe participate in a readathon. BookTubers love hosting readathons throughout the year, and October seems like a great time to jump into one. So here are a few you might consider joining.

This Halloween Readathon already kicked off at the beginning of September, but you have until the end of October 31st to get all of your reading in.

Here’s an October Readathon co-hosted by a bunch of BookTubers that’s also going on for the entire month of October.

The Scaredy-Cat Readathon is the PERFECT readathon for people who want in on all the Halloween reading fun, but are maybe not so into reading super scary stuff. You also get the whole month of October for this one.

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

If you’re not listening to Lil Nas X’s new album MONTERO this weekend while you’re reading, cleaning, cooking, shopping, petting your cats, and whatever else you’ve got going on, you’re doing it wrong. Listen to it!

And Here’s a Cat Picture!

The time has come to say goodbye until next week. But before you go, have a cat picture.

Cersei is my shy girl, which is why you haven’t seen as many pictures of her yet. But she is so, so sweet. Last night, she cuddled up next to me and we caught up with season 3 of What We Do in the Shadows together. Anyway, here she is living her best shy girl life, peeping out between the curtains. Hello, little girl.

Thanks so much for making it all the way to the end and for hanging out with me this Thursday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe. Read a good book. See you Monday.

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

Young Reader Version of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS Coming in Fall 2022 And More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 17, 2021

Sponsored by Gilded by Marissa Meyer, with Fierce Reads.

In Gilded, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.

Hello, and welcome to Book Radar Monday.

I hope you had a great weekend. I hope you had fun. And most importantly, I hope you read lots of books. It’s Monday, and we’re already halfway through September somehow. I feel like people say this every year, but I really feel this in my soul this time. I have no idea where the time has gone. I’m in reflection mode right now. I’ve been sitting back and looking at what I’ve accomplished and what I’ve read over the past 9 months. And, sure, I haven’t accomplished even half of what I’d hoped for in 2021. But you know what? I’m 20 books ahead of schedule for my reading challenge this year. Really, who needs to do actual things with your life when you have books?

How are your reading goals for the year going, friends? I hope well. Feel free to reach out and tell me about it. I meant it.

And with that, I bring you all the Book Radar stuff.

❤️ Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

braiding sweetgrass by robin wall kimmerer

Lerner Publishing has announced that they will be collaborating with Milkweed Editions to create a young readers adaptation of botanist and Citizen Potawatomi Nation member Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Expect the new version (with brand new illustrations) out in fall 2022.

Take a peek at this stunning cover reveal for Lizzie Pook’s debut novel Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter, out with Mantle Books in March 2022.

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s HiddenLight production company has optioned the Maisie Dobbs series of novels.

LeVar Burton and Aja Naomi King will be narrating the audiobook version of Jocelyn Nicole Johnson’s My Monticello, from Macmillan Audio & Henry Holt.

Here’s the cover reveal for Mason Deaver’s upcoming novel The Feeling of Falling in Love, and it’s literally fire. This one’s out on May 17, 2022.

Kathy Park Hong has made TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2021.

Gregory Maguire’s got a new book coming out. Here’s the cover reveal for Cress Watercress, Maguire’s middle grade novel, illustrated by David Litchfield. It’s out on March 29, 2022.

Last year, books on antiracism topped the bestsellers list. Publishers took notice, and now the books that were signed in 2020 are entering the world. Everyone is anxious to see how they do.

Netflix has announced that season 2 of Locke and Key will premiere on October 22nd.

Here’s the 2021 National Book Awards longlist for poetry. And here’s the longlist for nonfiction. And translated literature. And young people’s literature.

Book Riot Recommends

Prepare Your Shelves!

The Falling Girls by Hayley Krischer (Penguin, October 5 2021)

You know I’ve been all about thrillers set in schools lately, and while there are plenty of dark academia/mysteries set in schools coming out around this time of year, The Falling Girls definitely stands out as one of the better fall thriller offerings. This one’s coming soon, friends, so make space on your shelves and on your TBR for it right now.

The Falling Girls is a new young adult thriller from Hayley Krischer, author of Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf. Shade and Jadis are two best friends who share everything—from clothes to toothbrushes. So when Shade joins the cheerleading team without so much as a warning, Jadis is shocked and feels betrayed. As Shade begins to fall in with the cheerleading crowd, the tension between Jadis and Shade’s new group of friends (the Chloes) mounts. Then one of the Chloes dies under mysterious circumstances, and Shade wonders just how far Jadis would go to get her best friend back.

The Falling Girls is a dark and unsettling novel that understands the intensity of female friendships (especially during the teenage years). This novel works on so many levels: as a page-turning thriller perfect for the fall, and as an excruciatingly accurate study of adolescent girls and their friendships. Krischer clearly understands the psyche of teenage girls and feels deeply for the characters she writes.

What I’m Reading This Week

Mercury Boys by Chandra Prasad

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Bookish Meme Corner

I always post this on Monday, so why don’t I call this “Monday Memes”? Who knows?

Anyway, have you been paying attention to the “Wow, okay, unfolllowing now” meme? Here’s a round up of literary versions of said meme. And yes, there’s also an explanation of the meme if you’ve missed out somehow.

Other Things That Make Me Happy

I’ve been doing a rewatch of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix to prepare for season 2, which as I mentioned last week is coming out in October. If you haven’t watched it yet because you’re thinking, “I’m adult and The Baby-Sitters Club is for kids,” think again. This is a feel-good show that’s wholesome without being too saccharine sweet. Watch season 1 along with me and let’s get ready for S2!

It’s also that time of the week where we revisit Purrli. It’s the purring cat that lives in your laptop. Thanks as always to Liberty for sharing! No, they’re not sponsoring this newsletter.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

Oh hey would you look at that? It’s a cat picture.

Murray the orange angel is giving me real Falcor the Luck Dragon vibes in this picture. Yes? No? Are we seeing it?

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s time to read/watch The Neverending Story already.

You made it to the end. Congrats. Happy Monday. Do all the good things this week, and don’t forget to nap as necessary.

❤️ Emily

Book Radar

There’s A Killer On the Loose in THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE And More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date September 15, 2021

Sponsored by Remixed Classics with Fierce Reads.

In the Remixed Classics series, authors from diverse backgrounds take different literary classics from centuries past and reinterpret them through their own unique cultural lens. This collection will serve YA readers as both a series of fun, engaging reads as well as a subversive overall look at what our society has deemed “classic”—works that are overwhelmingly cishet, white, and male. In A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix, two intrepid girls hunt for a legendary treasure on the deadly high seas. In So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix, you’ll meet four young Black sisters—Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy—as they come of age during the American Civil War.

Welcome to Thursday, Book Friends!

So this week has been strange. All week long, I’ve been thinking it was Friday, and now that we’re nearing the end of the week, I’m wondering where the week has gone. I understand that time is just a construct, and since that is the case, a day of the week is more of a state of mind than an actual measurable time. But still. The way time works in our brains is odd, isn’t it?

And with that little confession out of the way, let’s get on to what you’re really here for: book news, book hype, and of course cats.

— Emily

Book Deals and Reveals

There's Someone Inside Your House movie poster

Not a cover reveal to start, but a movie poster reveal! Stephanie Perkins posted the movie poster for the upcoming Netflix film adaptation of her novel There’s Someone Inside Your House, out October 6th. See more details about the movie here.

The National Book Foundation is presenting a lifetime achievement award to author Karen Tei Yamashita.

Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society is adapting Charlie Jane Anders’ sci-fi novel Victories Greater than Death into a series for Amazon Studios.

Here’s the American cover reveal for Nadifa Mohamed’s The Fortune Men, out from Knopf on March 1, 2022.

The 2021 Booker Prize shortlist has been announced!

Netflix has ordered a series adaptation of Helen Wan’s Partner Track, starring Arden Cho.

Another exciting cover reveal: check out the stunning cover of I Own My Magic: Self-Talk for Black Women by G. Michelle Goodloe, LCSW.

Here’s the cover reveal of Natalie Wee’s Beast at Every Threshold, a poetry collection that “deconstructs ‘otherness’ via folklore and myth, pop culture and memory.”

We’ve got a new trailer for the upcoming Hawkeye series, coming to Disney Plus on November 24!

Here’s the cover reveal for Say Her Name, a new thriller from Dreda Say Mitchell and Ryan Carter, out in April 2022.

In January 2021, book influencer Zibby Owens is launching Zibby Books, a publishing company with “a commitment to diverse literary voices.”

HBO Max is adapting 30 Rock alum Maulik Pancholy’s YA Novel The Best At It into a half-hour comedy series.

If you’re planning on buying books for your loved ones this holiday season, get your orders in now! Expect major shipping delays on books this fall and winter season.

Book Riot Recommends

Can’t Wait for This One

Tracy Flick Can’t Win by Tom Perrotta (Scribner, June 7, 2022)

Earlier this week, I saw that Entertainment Weekly interviewed Tom Perrotta about Tracy Flick Can’t Win, the author’s upcoming sequel to Election. And I recently finished reading For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing, another novel that gave me some serious Election vibes. So now I’m extra hyped to revisit the world of Tracy Flick, and I wanted to make sure this book was on your radar as well!

If you somehow missed out on the novel Election and the film adaptation of the novel, directed by Alexander Payne and starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, here’s the deal. This is a darkly humorous story about a small town high school and the politics surrounding a school election. Tracy Flick is an ambitious and over-achieving young high school student who will stop at nothing to be elected school president.

In Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Perrotta fast forwards to a middle-aged Tracy. She’s still hard-working, but now she’s the assistant principal at a suburban New Jersey high school. This wasn’t the path Tracy had imagined for herself, and she’s more than a little disappointed with how her life has turned out. But then an opportunity for a promotion suddenly arises…

Reflecting on the character of Tracy Flick in his interview with Entertainment Weekly, Perrotta said, “People think of her as a person of unstoppable ambition, and she’s often compared to almost any successful female politician, from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin. But over all these years, I’ve run into women who say, ‘I was Tracy Flick,’ and they are not famous politicians. They’re just ordinary women who clearly had this drive to succeed when they were in high school, but then found themselves in much more ordinary circumstances. I was really interested in that. It’s fascinating to plumb the psychology of ambitious people who have to put their ambitions aside.”

As I was just saying earlier this week, books with academic settings are always appealing to me, and Tom Perrotta’s humor and unique perspective on suburban lives never disappoints. This one’s going to the top of my anticipated books list.

Words of Literary Wisdom

“We all fall…We fall and we rise. Bones and tissue heal. But sometimes we want to hold on to the pain. Sometimes we have our reasons for not being able to let go.”

— All’s Well by Mona Awad

What’s Up in the Book Community?

If you’re like me, you like to log your reading. If you’re exactly like me, you log your reading in multiple ways: there’s Goodreads, there’s Tirzah Price’s fabulous online book spreadsheet, there’s Bookly, and then of course, I also have a good old fashioned pen-and-paper book journal.

Maybe you haven’t heard, but 2021 is almost over, which means it’s time to start looking into what you’re going to be using to track your reading in 2022. That’s where these YouTube videos come in. If you’re looking for the best pen-and-paper old school book journal, then check out BooksandLala’s video reviews of several different journals. She just released a new one earlier this week, and if you want to see the first one, you can check it out here.

Your Weekend Reading Soundtrack

This weekend? I’m just listening to Normani’s “Wild Side” featuring Cardi B on repeat. And yes, this song is totally reading (or doing anything) appropriate. Just patiently waiting for her debut album.

And Here’s a Cat Picture!

As a reward for making it all the way to the end of Book Radar, I give you…

Phantom the cat. Apparently no one ever taught Phantom how to sleep in a cat bed, so this is how he’s doing it. Anyway, he says hello and hopes you have a wonderful weekend.

That’s all I’ve got for you today, friends. Stay safe. Remember that a good night’s sleep can make all the difference. So can water. So drink lots of water (I say as I chug another iced coffee).

❤️ Emily