Category: Book Radar

A New Book from Mary Roach and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date April 14, 2021

Sponsored by Mad Cave Studios' Young Adult Imprint Maverick.

Azarie wants to be able to show her true self. Noah wants his dream to be accepted. They find out that their paths intersect when it comes to one thing: Cosplay. Needle & Thread by David Pinckney, Ennun Ana Iurov, Micah Myers launches September 2021.

Hello, Thursday friends! I hope you are having a pleasant week. I know I am! I am eyeballs deep in a Columbo-viewing marathon and it is delighting me to no end. It’s my first time watching it, with the exception of a couple of episodes. I find it very relaxing to see all these actors I watched when I was a child in roles I have never seen them in before. And then after I watch all of Columbo, I think I’ll do a big 180 and watch The Nanny. But don’t worry, I am still reading books, too! (Who needs sleep?)

Which brings me to today’s newsletter: I have exciting news for you. (Two words: Mary Roach.) There’s adaptation news and book talk, plus I’ve included a picture of one of my naughty orange monsters, some trivia, and more! Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. I’ll see you again on Monday. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! In Rosemary’s Baby, what is Rosemary’s last name? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix will be a movie with Elsie Fisher, Amiah Miller, Cathy Ang, and Rachel Ogechi.

Jason Reynolds will serve as the inaugural Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week.

Here’s the finalists for the 2021 Hugo Award awards.

Here’s the first look at Noor, the upcoming novel from Nnedi Okorafor.

Brandy Colbert announced her next book: Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Becky Albertalli’s The Upside of Unrequited will be adapted into a film.

And speaking of Becky Albertalli, here’s the cover reveal of Here’s to Us by Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

Bridgerton has been renewed for seasons 3 and 4 by Netflix.

The 1993 movie The Crush, which starred Alicia Silverstone, is getting a YA novel sequel.

Natalie Portman will star in HBO’s adaptation of The Days of Abandonment, based on the novel by Elena Ferrante.

Here’s the first look at the cover for Sally Rooney’s next novel Beautiful World, Where Are You.

Gabriel Bump’s Everywhere You Don’t Belong will be adapted for television.

Jane Smiley’s Perestroika in Paris will be made into a film.

Hulu released the trailer for the final season of Shrill.

Hugh Laurie to adapt Agatha Christie’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?

Here’s a look at early images from Apple TV+’s upcoming adaptation of Lisey’s Story, based on the Stephen King novel.

Alice Feeney’s upcoming novel Rock Paper Scissors is being adapted for Netflix.

Dracula‘s Renfield is getting his own film.

Ron Howard and his brother Clint Howard are releasing a memoir: The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family.

Book Riot Recommends

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Excited to read:

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach (W. W. Norton & Company, September 14)

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SCREEN. You are indeed reading that right—there’s a new Mary Roach book headed our way in the fall! Nerds, rejoice! If you are not familiar with Roach, she is a hilarious science writer who has tackled such interesting subjects in past books as death, the supernatural, and space. Not much is known about this book—I accidentally stumbled upon it while looking something else up—but the blurb says she investigates what happens to “bad” wildlife, such as animals who attack people, bears that break into cabins, and more. According to the blurb, it’s “an irresistible investigation into the unpredictable world where wildlife and humans meet.” I cannot wait!

But wait! I don’t want to get your hopes up too high yet. For a book that is supposed to be out in September, I find it odd that there’s no mention of it in the catalogs yet. So I wouldn’t be surprised if the date gets pushed back. That’s right, I built you up just to knock you back down. But please know that I am every bit as hopeful it really comes out in September as you are. Until then, keep your fingers crossed, and go back and read over Roach’s backlist.

What I’m reading this week.

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

We Light Up the Sky by Lilliam Rivera

Bath Haus by PJ Vernon

Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo

The Maid by Nita Prose

Song stuck in my head:

Souvenir by boygenius. (Also, I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)

And this is funny:

I would like a Tyrannoborkus Rex for my birthday, please and thank you.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

Columbo: The other day I saw a picture of Peter Falk on Instagram, and I wondered, “Is Columbo streaming anywhere?” The answer was yes! (Peacock!) So I decided to have a marathon viewing this week. I’m about 1/3 of the way through the whole series, which involved 68 episodes spread out over almost 35 years when it originally aired. I know I saw a couple of the episodes in the 1980s, but for the most part, these are all new to me, and I must say, it’s a delight. They’re so low pressure, low violence, just a lot of fun. Plus the jolt of nostalgia that always comes with watching old shows.
This is a Robbery and Made You Look: I am completely immersed in these stories. Please give me all your recommendations for art heist and forgery documentaries.
Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Zevon had a very important business meeting with the ghosts up close to the ceiling around 3 a.m. yesterday morning.

Trivia answer: Woodhouse.

You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L

Book Radar

The New Mythic Heroes Anthology from Rick Riordan and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date April 9, 2021

Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publisher of Ariadne by Jennifer Saint.

Hypnotic, propulsive, and utterly transporting, Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne forges a new epic, one that puts the forgotten women of Greek mythology back at the heart of the story, as they strive for a better world.

It’s Monday!!! Wow, that was fast. I hope everyone had a successful weekend of reading. I managed to get a few new books under my belt, and I watched a couple of documentaries on Netflix. (Why didn’t anyone tell me there was a He-Man documentary???) My plans for the week are to read more books (of course), find more wild documentaries to watch, and to keep watch on the burrows under the bushes in my yard to see if there are any baby woodchucks yet!

Before I jump into today’s newsletter, I want to thank you for joining me each week. Wring Book Radar is so much fun, and I appreciate everyone who reads it. (Socially distanced hugs for you all!) And if you’re so inclined, it would be a great help if you shared the sign up link with other people you think would enjoy it too. Your support means a lot to me, and I thank you.

Moving on: I have some exciting book news for you today and a look at a fun space opera, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, a naughty orange gremlin, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Who wrote the ten-volume novel Jean-Christophe? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

The cover of The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

Stacey Lee’s The Downstairs Girl to be developed as a series.

Here are the 2021 Young Lions Fiction Award finalists.

And here are the winners of the 2021 PEN America Literary Awards.

Here’s the first look at I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness, the new novel by Claire Vaye Watkins.

Two books by Kennedy Ryan are going to be made into limited series.

Here’s the cover reveal of The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories About Mythic Heroes edited by Rick Riordan.

Here’s the final trailer for The Woman in the Window with Amy Adams.

Here’s the cover reveal of People from My Neighborhood: Stories by Hiromi Kawakami and translated by Ted Goossen.

Here’s the trailer for the new adaptation of The Mosquito Coast.

Tom Holland will star in a new series based on The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes.

And Benedict Cumberbatch will star in a remake of The 39 Steps.

Book Riot Recommends

Loved, loved, loved:

You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo (Tor Books, September 7)

I had been trying to get my hands on this for months, ever since I read that it was like “Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off.” And now I have read it, and it is indeed great! But I would say it is more like Farscape meets the movie Big Night.

Niko Larson is a former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind. She now runs a restaurant, The Last Chance, with several others who had been under her command at the TwiceFar space station on the edge of the galaxy. When the book opens, the restaurant is getting ready to receive a very important food critic, whose glowing recommendation could launch their restaurant into the stratosphere. So of course, it’s going to be one of those days. While trying to get the foods needed to impress the critic, Niko also receives a mysterious package, and a huge party including Niko’s former boss requests a last-minute reservation that she can’t turn away. Could anything else go wrong?

Yes, it can! Because just as dinner gets underway, the space station is attacked and Niko and her crew wind up on a sentient spaceship called You Sexy Thing. The ship thinks Niko and her crew are stealing it, so it charts a course for the galactic prison. Niko and her crew have four days to convince the ship not to take them to jail, while also dealing with the contents of that mysterious package AND an evil space pirate. Will they ever get back to their restaurant?

This book is a lot of fun. It wasn’t quite as silly as I was expecting from the description, and the plot was a lot more intricate, but it was still plenty funny and fun! There’s lots of wisecracks, action, ghosts, pirates, aliens, politics, and foodie talk. Niko’s crew is comprised by beings from other worlds, including a 12-tentacled alien, a Jawa-like little priest with a big prophecy for Niko, and rambunctious twin brothers who shape-shift into lions. There’s also a lot of backstory involving Niko and her time in the Hive Mind, and a particular incident.

If you like space operas, talking ships, and lots of outer space action, this is a perfect read to mark down on your TBR now!

(CW for space violence and action, war, and death.)

What I’m reading this week.

Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford

Bath Haus by PJ Vernon

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

The Maid by Nita Prose

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

Groan-worthy joke of the week:

Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they use a honeycomb.

And this is funny:

I wish my cats would do this.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

This is a Robbery and Made You Look: I am completely immersed in these stories. Please give me all your recommendations for art heist and forgery documentaries.
Star vs. the Forces of Evil: This has my favorite theme song of any show ever.
Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

There is no place in my house that Zevon hasn’t conquered.

Trivia answer: Romain Rolland.

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. Please be safe, and be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. xoxo, Liberty

Book Radar

Dave Grohl’s Memoir Coming in October and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date April 7, 2021

Sponsored by What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson with Fierce Reads.

“A chilling footpath of love and loss.”—Ruta Sepetys, #1 New York Times bestselling author. Cory Anderson’s stunning debut novel, What Beauty There Is, tells the story of broken people trying to survive. This beautiful and brutal story is perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Laura Ruby, and Meg Rosoff.

Happy Thursday, star bits! I hope you all had a chance to check out all the absolutely fabulous new releases that dropped on Tuesday. One could just read April 6th releases for the rest of the year and never run out! I’m giddy just thinking about it. WELL DONE, AUTHORS!

Moving on to today’s newsletter: I don’t have a lot of news for you today, but what I do have is exciting. There’s adaptation news and book talk, plus I’ve included a picture of one of my sassy orange monsters, some trivia, and more! Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I hope you good bob and we same place again very now. I’ll see you again on Monday. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! How many times does the word “castle” appear in the text of We Have Always Lived in the Castle? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Deesha Philyaw’s The Secret Lives of Church Ladies has won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

Elin Hilderbrand’s Summer of ’69 is being made into a series.

Dave Grohl is publishing a memoir.

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine has joined the cast of The Lincoln Lawyer.

Here’s the first look at Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

Queen Sugar season 6 adds new cast members.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout.

Blindness by José Saramago has been adapted for Broadway.

The Walking Dead‘s final season will premiere in August.

Four more actors have been added to the cast of Killers of the Flower Moon, including singers Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.

Book Riot Recommends

Excited to read:

Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events by Brent Spiner with Jeanne Darst (St. Martin’s Press, October 5)

A noir novel based on actual events that happened to Brent Spiner, aka Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, written by the actor himself, was not something I knew I wanted until I learned about it.

It’s a fictionalization of a series of disturbing letters and a mysterious package that Spiner received in 1991. It ended up involving Paramount Security, the LAPD, and even the FBI. And the book supposedly features appearances by all his beloved costars. I am first and foremost glad that nothing bad happened to him. And now I am wildly curious to find out all the details!

What I’m reading this week.

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

The Rock Eaters: Stories by Brenda Peynado

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Gutter Mage by J.S. Kelley

A Calling for Charlie Barnes by Joshua Ferris

Song stuck in my head:

On the Radio by Chip Taylor. This Regina Spektor cover has broken my brain. (Also, I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)

And this is funny:

Someone has been adding Paddington to movies.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

Nailed It! The fifth season of this baking competition show is up on Netflix now and I can feel my blood pressure dropping just writing about it.
3rd Rock from the Sun: I have spent the last few years rewatching shows from when I was younger. But I am now starting the fourth season of 3rd Rock, of which I had only seen the first season previously, and I’m delighted. It isn’t that it’s a great show—because it isn’t—but it’s fun to see all the young actors (Baby Jim Beaver! Baby Linda Cardellini! Younger Garry/Jerry/Larry/Terry/Barry from Parks and Recreation!) and the pop culture references, many of which make no sense now if you weren’t alive in the 1990s. Nostalgia has a scientifically proven calming effect on your brain. I’m having so much fun, I may only watch old shows I haven’t seen for the next several months.
Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Strike a pose.

Trivia answer: One.

You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L

Book Radar

It’s HOT PINK for Sarah Michelle Gellar and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date April 2, 2021

Sponsored by Oni Lion Forge Publishing Group.

Marjorie Glatt’s life hasn’t been the same ever since she discovered ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. Now in the eighth grade and finally fitting in at school, Marjorie begins to distance herself from her ghost friend Wendell. Wendell isn’t the only one pushed to the outside, though. Marjorie’s classmate, Eliza Duncan, is beginning to feel like a ghost herself. Is Marjorie’s newfound popularity worth excluding both Wendell and Eliza? Following the events of Brenna Thummler’s first graphic novel, Sheets, Delicates tells a powerful story about the importance of being seen and bringing light to those who need it most.

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Can you tell that I am typing this even faster than normal? That’s because I am racing to finish my work so I can start reading You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo! I have been clamoring for this book since I first learned of its existence eight months ago. It’s being called “Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off” and I could not be more excited if I swallowed a cat and broke out in kittens! If it is as amazing as it sounds, I’ll be sure to tell you about it in next Monday’s newsletter.

Moving on: I have some exciting book news for you today and a look at a delightfully demented thriller, plus cover reveals, a terrible pun, an upside-down orange monster, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Who was the historical figure who inspired the poet Percy Shelly to write his poem Ozymandias?(Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)