Category: Book Radar

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Book Radar

The First Trailer for MOXIE and More Book Radar!

Happy Thursday, readers! I am writing to you from Maine, as usual, where we just received over a foot of snow. It has started to shift and slide off the roof, which is making the cats wild. They act as though it must be a giant mouse up there. (Maybe they know something I don’t.) Snow noises aside, it has been a quiet week. I have read a lot of good books and recorded a new episode of All the Books (which is coming up on its 300th episode.) These days, quiet is good—I will take it!

Today I have some exciting adaptation news, cover reveals, SO many awards, and book talk. Plus a picture of my little 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. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! Who wrote the Swallows and Amazons series? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Here’s the first trailer for Moxie with Amy Poehler.

Reese Witherspoon’s book club is now an app.

The 10 finalists for 2021 Evergreen Award have been announced.

Anna-Marie McLemore and Caleb Roehrig are the latest authors to be announced for the Remixed Classics series, joining Bethany M. Morrow and C.B. Lee.

Brandon Taylor announced his new book deal with Riverhead Books.

Here’s the first look at Stephen King’s upcoming novel Billy Summers.

A young adult edition of Michelle Obama’s Becoming is in the works.

An adaptation of Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks is in the works, and will be produced by and star Booboo Stewart.

Here’s the cover reveal of George M. Johnson’s next book We Are Not Broken.

Neve Campbell has joined the adaptation of The Lincoln Lawyer.

Aravind Adiga’s Amnesty is being made into a film for Netflix.

Stephen Chbosky will direct the film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen.

Eddie Izzard, Jo Joyner, and Andi Osho have joined the cast of the Harlan Coben Netflix drama Stay Close.

Here’s the cover reveal of As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter,

Here’s the trailer for season five of Queen Sugar.

LeVar Burton has been named the inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion.

Sonya Balmores has joined the cast of the new adaptation of Lois Duncan’s I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Here’s the cover reveal of June CL Tan’s Jade Fire Gold.

Jon M. Chu will direct the film adaptation of the Wicked musical, which is an adaptation of the novel by Gregory Maguire.

Here’s the cover reveal of The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel.

Zachary Levi will star in a live-action Harold and the Purple Crayon.

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: 

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling (St. Martin’s Press, October 19)

I don’t know about you, but I was a big fan of Starling’s last book, the claustrophobic thriller The Luminous Dead. I didn’t even know she had a new book on the way, so imagine my excitement when I 1) saw the announcement 2) read that it was called “Ninth House meets Mexican Gothic” and 3) read Linden Lewis’s blurb: “Starling’s gothic horror is a tale that haunts you even after you’re done. The Death of Jane Lawrence is Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell with sharp teeth and a Crimson Peak you’re scared to look in the eye.”

You’re already on board now too, right??! Well, wait, here’s more fun: The description makes it sound like a post-war England Gothic horror about a young woman who becomes engaged to a mysterious doctor. He’s dashing and wonderful, except he tells her never to visit him at his crumbling mansion. So you know she ends up at his doorstep, right? And it turns out, when he’s at home, he’s a completely different person. It’s got a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde/Bluebeard vibe going on. I want to read this right freaking now, please.

What I’m reading this week.

Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig 

Song stuck in my head:

Some Postman by The Presidents of the United States of America. (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 feel this, so hard.

Happy things:

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

  • Superstore. Mostly I’m watching this now for Myrtle. I loved the Halloween episode where she chased the Grim Reaper through the store.
  • Jigsaw puzzles! I have moved on to two-in-one puzzles, where you have to separate the pieces to make two entirely different puzzles.
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Farrokh and Zevon, watching for the upcoming snowstorm. (Well, technically looking at me while I take their picture, but you know what I mean.)

Trivia answer: Arthur Ransome.

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

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Book Radar

The Upcoming MIRACLE CREEK Follow-up and More Book Radar!

Holy cats, do I have a TON of fun book news for you today, readers! Which is fitting, because as I mentioned last week, tomorrow is a HUGE day for new releases. I don’t know if it’s the below-freezing temperatures here in Maine clearing out my brain fog or what, but I am feeling extra-excited about books lately. Like “make a big pile on the floor and roll around on them like a dog on the grass” excited. And I am leaning into this feeling—I freaking love books so much!

Moving on, I have a little book news for you today, including a look at the start of an awesome new YA Fantasy series and tons of book news, plus a terrible joke, a cat picture, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Which semi-historical novel was dramatized in an immensely popular TV miniseries that first aired in 1977 and went on to win nine Emmys? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Netflix is developing Min Jin Lee’s Free Food for Millionaires as an hour-long show.

Here’s the cover reveal for Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon. (Surely the title comes from this amazing song.)

A new Enola Holmes book is on the way.

Angie Kim announced her follow-up to Miracle Creek.

Amanda Gorman will be the first poet to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show. And Penguin has already ordered a million copies of her upcoming books.

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag will now be an animated movie musical for Netflix, featuring original music by Haim.

Merriam-Webster added 520 new words to the dictionary.

Here’s the cover reveal of Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo.

Seth Rogen has a book of essays coming in May.

The legendary Cicely Tyson died just two days after the release of her memoir Just as I Am. Here’s a wonderful interview she gave about the book.

Tim Robbins has joined the adaptation of The Power by Naomi Alderman.

Talia Hibbert announced her next rom-com.

Ethan Hawke has joined the cast of the adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story The Black Phone.

Tian Richards will star in the Nancy Drew spinoff Tom Swift.

Here’s the cover reveal of A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow.

We may be getting an adaptation of Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis.

HBO Max acquired the rights to Lyla Lee’s upcoming YA novel I’ll Be The One.

Netflix’s Sandman cast has been revealed. The show will star Tom Sturridge and Gwendoline Christie.

There’s a dramatic reading with an all-star cast of All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson coming in February.

And HBO Max is reportedly developing an animated Game of Thrones series.

Noah Baumbach is adapting Don DeLillo’s White Noise for Netflix, starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig.

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!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard (HarperTeen, May 4,)

Oooh, what royal stabby fun! This is an action-filled YA fantasy novel about a ragtag group of humans—mortal and immortal—who are trying to stop an evil Immortal from destroying their world, just because he can. You know, like for funsies.

There’s an assassin, a squire, an Immortal, and the secret daughter of a pirate and an Immortal. Together they must fight undead armies, monsters, to keep the pirate daughter’s evil uncle from opening a Spindle and turning their realm into a world of ashes. A Spindle is a kind of portal thingy to other worlds, some of them scary. So think Buffy when she kicks Angelus to Hell, except the Spindle is super skinny like a needle and seven feet tall, like the center of the Eye of Hauron. (So much epic nerdiness in one sentence!)

This is the first in a new series, but don’t worry, it wraps up nicely at the end while leaving readers clamoring for more. I loved the characters in this story, especially the assassin, and I also loved how there was so. much. action. And I also REALLY loved—this could be considered a minor plot spoiler so heads up—the epic reveal in the middle of the book. I literally jumped up and cheered because I hadn’t expected it!

(CW for scads and scads and scads of fighting and violence, bloodshed, and death, as well as animal death.)

What I’m reading this week.

Brat: An ’80s Story by Andrew McCarthy

Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig 

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

Groan-worthy joke of the week: 

What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk.

And this is funny:

It’s funny because it’s true.

Happy things:

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

  • Superstore. Mostly I’m watching this now for Myrtle. I loved the Halloween episode where she chased the Grim Reaper through the store.
  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Okay, so this is in no way a happy thing, but it’s just what I need playing in the background while I do jigsaw puzzles. It’s interesting and easy to follow, but I don’t have to be looking at it every second. I am at the beginning of season three and so far, my pick for creepiest guest appearance goes to Chad Lowe. *shudders*
  • Jigsaw puzzles! I have moved on to two-in-one puzzles, where you have to separate the pieces to make two entirely different puzzles.
  • Numberzilla. Still not tired of this game.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Faux hawk or dinosaur ridges?

Trivia answer: Roots by Alex Haley.

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

Categories
Book Radar

A FACT OF A BODY Adaptation and More Book Radar!

Happy Thursday, readers! I am getting super-excited in anticipation of next Tuesday, which is an ENORMOUS day for new releases. You’re going to flip your lid when you see all the excellent new titles! You may want to just take the whole week off now, as a precaution, so your brainpan doesn’t overheat.

In the meantime, it’s time to enjoy some exciting adaptation news, cover reveals, SO many awards, and book talk. Plus a picture of my little puzzle snatchers, 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. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! Who created the character of amateur detective Father Brown? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

the fact of a body

HBO is developing an adaptation of Alex Marzano-Lesnevich’s memoir The Fact Of A Body.

Tarana Burke and Brené Brown have co-edited a book together and it’s coming in April.

Here’s the cover reveal for A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. (I heart this book.)

Jodie Turner-Smith will star in the Witcher prequel: The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Alyssa Milano will star in the Netflix adaptation of Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts—and Roberts doesn’t care if the haters won’t watch it.

Here’s the cover reveal for You Can Go Your Own Way by former Book Rioter Eric Smith!

Spotify is testing adding audiobooks, starting with classic novels.

And speaking of audiobooks, a star-studded cast will narrate Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain.

Joel Fry will join Sarah Snook in the most recent adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

A Great Gatsby television series is in the works.

Here are the 2020 Nation­al Jew­ish Book Award winners.

The American Library Association announced the 2021 Youth Media Awards.

The Mystery Writers of America announced the 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award nominations.

And the National Book Critics Circle announced its 30 finalists in six categories for the best books of 2020.

Amy Adams and A24 will develop Anna North’s novel Outlawed for television.

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: 

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith (Random House, July 6, 2021)

I was excited to read this book from the very first sentence of its description: “Part puzzle, part revenge tale, part ghost story, this kaleidoscopic novel set in Vietnam spins half a century of history and folklore into the story of a missing woman.” PUZZLES AND REVENGE AND GHOSTS, OH MY.

It’s set in three different years and each focuses on a different event: an incident at a rubber plantation, a two-headed cobra, and a missing American in Saigon. There is a young woman at the center of each of these stories and over the course of the book, their narratives become interlocked. Eeeeee, I am even more excited to read it just writing about it. Someone get me this book, stat!

What I’m reading this week.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living by Robert A. Jensen

Let’s Talk About Hard Things by Anna Sale

The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers 

Song stuck in my head:

Halfway Home by TV on the Radio. (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:

Cats need to have Zoom meetings too.

Happy things:

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

  • Superstore. I feel like I am running out of half-hour comedies that I can tolerate. This one isn’t too bad.
  • Jigsaw puzzles! I have moved on to two-in-one puzzles, where you have to separate the pieces to make two entirely different puzzles.
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

These two sit like this when I do puzzles, just waiting for the moment I look away so they can eat the pieces.

Trivia answer: G.K. Chesterton.

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

Categories
Book Radar

The New Novel from Anthony Doerr and More Book Radar!

Happy Monday, readers! I am writing this on Friday, and once I finish, I will be starting a big weekend of reading. I hope you have been able to read something wonderful recently. This was a pretty hard week here in Maine, so I want to take a moment to remind you that things won’t always be this way. I really believe that. So take a second and take a breath if you need one, and know that I am rooting for you.

“Ew, gross, Liberty, enough sappy stuff.” Okay, okay. Moving on, I have a little book news for you today, including a look at a delightfully funny and sad new novel, and tons of book news, plus a terrible pun, a cat picture, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: The Fireman was a 1951 novella that was later expanded into what full-length novel? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Here’s the first look at Cloud Cuckoo Land, the new novel from Anthony Doerr since 2014’s All the Light We Cannot See.

Here’s more about Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet.

Netflix has renewed Bridgerton for a second season.

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham, has a new release date.

Brayden Harrington, the 13-year-old who spoke at the Democratic National Convention, has a book deal.

The Walter Dean Myers and Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards have been announced.

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman will be an eight-part series on Netflix.

Here’s the first look at Getaway by Baby Teeth author Zoje Stage.

You can listen to the first chapter of The Four Winds, Kristin Hannah’s upcoming novel.

A 13-foot Book of the Dead scroll was unearthed by archeologists in an Egyptian queen’s tomb.

AMC will air the British limited series The Beast Must Die, based on the novel by Nicholas Blake.

A new Game of Thrones prequel is in the works at HBO.

Lesley Manville will star in the upcoming adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders for PBS Masterpiece and Britbox UK.

Brie Larson will star in the Apple TV+ series Lessons In Chemistry, which is based on the upcoming debut novel from author Bonnie Garmus.

And here’s the trailer for the tenth—yes, the tenth—season of The Walking Dead.

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!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin (Atria Books, July 6)

Gilda is a twenty-something, atheist, animal-loving lesbian who often finds herself in awkward situations. She likes to live a quiet existence and she doesn’t like to put anyone out or make anyone feel bad. Because of this, she accidentally winds up working as a receptionist at a Catholic church, pretending to be interested in God and men, while secretly looking into the death of her predecessor, Grace.

She is also deathly afraid of dying (pun intended), and spends a lot of time wondering what happens after we are dead. As Gilda investigates the death of the previous receptionist while ruminating on her own mortal coil, her own life unravels more and more. She has a lot to unpack from a childhood spent with her repressive parents, and she has been neglecting her relationship with her girlfriend, choosing instead to spend time hiding in her apartment and posing as Grace in emails with Grace’s old friend. As all the events swirling around in her life come to a head, Gilda will have to face her fears and decide what makes life worth living.

This fantastic dramedy of errors gave me all the feels. It is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read (OMG the cast illustration—I cackled) and also one of the most sensitive and touching. I spent a lot of the book wondering how the author knew some of my innermost thoughts, and I have heard from other readers that they wondered the same thing, because Austin has done an incredible job giving anxious internal thoughts a voice. It was amazing to read a book that so perfectly captures anxiety and depression and its many manifestations. This book is a precious gem.

(Content warning for mentions of homophobia, mental illness, chemical abuse, suicide, self-harm, anxiety, murder, animal death, and a car accident.)

What I’m reading this week.

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen 

Hola Papi!: How to Come Out to Your Boyfriend in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Lessons on Love, Race, and Sexuality by JP Brammer 

The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois: a Novel by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers 

All’s Well by Mona Awad 

Pun of the week: 

Want to hear a joke about paper? Never mind—it’s tearable.

And this is funny:

This is my favorite of the “Bernie at the inauguration” memes.

Happy things:

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

  • Palm Springs: Yep, I’m back to my latest movie obsession.
  • Knights of Badassdom: Oh, yeah, and my old movie obsession too.
  • Jigsaw puzzles! I have moved on to two-in-one puzzles, where you have to separate the pieces to make two entirely different puzzles.
  • Numberzilla. Still not tired of this game.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

This is the cover image for the debut album from Millay and The Orange Monsters.

Trivia answer: Fahrenheit 451.

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

Categories
Book Radar

THE LUMINARIES Series to Launch on Valentine’s Day and More Book Radar!

Happy Thursday, star bits! The world feels a little brighter today, and I am excited to “spend” a little time with you, talking about bookish stuff. It has been hard to concentrate on reading this week, but I have been plugging away at it anyway, because I am loving The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. It is over 800 pages long, but so far, is entirely worth it. I’ve also been pecking away at about a dozen more titles. I can no longer remember what it was like when I used to practiced book monogamy!

Moving on, today I have exciting adaptation news, cover reveals, and book talk for you. Plus a picture of Farrokh, looking all regal. Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! What classic children’s novel has the alternate title of How Toys Become Real? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Here’s the first trailer for The Luminaries, which is premiering on Valentine’s Day.

American Spy author Lauren Wilkinson is working on the screenplay for the adaptation of Don DeLillo’s Libra.

Lambda Literary announced that applications are now open for four cash prize opportunities for LGBTQ writers.

The You show creators will reunite to adapt Providence by Caroline Kepnes.

Netflix is teaming up with Ibram X. Kendi to adapt his anti-racism books.

Rachel Givney’s novel Jane in Love, about Jane Austen, will be a film.

Queen Sugar has already been renewed for a sixth season ahead of its season five debut. And Snowpiercer has been renewed for a third season.

The US Postal Service Literary Arts series will release a stamp honoring Ursula K. LeGuin later this year.

Here’s the cover reveal for Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Pop Culture by Zeba Blay.

And the cover reveal for You’ve Reached Sam: A Novel by Dustin Thao.

And one more: Here’s the cover reveal for Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (Winner Bakes All) by Alexis Hall.

Here’s the first look at the upcoming Netflix adaptation of Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough.

A Willy Wonka prequel is in the works.

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: 

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen (Harper Perennial, August 3)

I attended a publisher event this week with several Harper authors who have novels coming this year, and this is the one that I was most excited about. It’s a horror novel about a young Black woman named Mira who returns to her southern hometown to attend a wedding for an old friend. The site of the wedding? Woodsman plantation. And while Mira is haunted by terrible memories from when she was young, the plantation is literally haunted by the spirits of slaves. It is supposed to be a creepy horror novel and a powerful indictment of the how this country still clings to parts its racist history.

I know that I REALLY want to read this because after the event, I went to mark it down on my “get this as soon as possible” list, and discovered I had already marked it down. I hope to get my hot little hands on it really soon.

What I’m reading this week.

All’s Well by Mona Awad

¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out to Your Boyfriend in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Lessons on Love, Race, and Sexuality by JP Brammer

The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois: a Novel by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy by Paul Myers 

Song stuck in my head:

Burn Down the Mission by Elton John. (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:

This tweet deserves an award.

Happy things:

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

  • She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: People have recommended this show to me a zillion times, so I am finally giving it a try.
  • Jigsaw puzzles! I got a puzzle caddy! It means I can now do puzzles and stop without finishing them and not have to worry about the cats eating pieces, because I can fold the caddy up and tuck it safely away.
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

My little glamourpuss.

Trivia answer: The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.

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

Categories
Book Radar

Tessa Thompson Tackles Book Adaptations and More Book Radar!

Hello, friends! I hope this is going to be a wonderful week and that you are able to find some calm and read amazing books, despite everything going on. I have a little book news for you today, including a look at a great upcoming thriller and tons of book news, plus a terrible pun, a cat picture, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What was Eric Arthur Blair’s pen name? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Tessa Thompson’s new production company will produce adaptations of Who Fears Death and The Secret Lives Of Church Ladies.

Here are Book Rioter’s most anticipated books of 2021!

The Tradition by Jericho Brown has been selected for One Book One Philadelphia.

Here’s the cover reveal for Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond.

The Queen’s Gambit creator Scott Frank’s next project is a limited series adaptation of Mary Doria Russell’s novel The Sparrow.

Barbie announced that the latest historical icon to be honored in its inspiring women series will be Dr. Maya Angelou.

Emma Thompson and Alisha Weir have joined the Matilda musical.

Solaris announced a second New Suns anthology from editor Nisi Shawl.

Here’s the first look at We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman.

Here is Tom Holland in the trailer for Cherry.

Bad Robot is getting into animation. John Agbaje will lead the department and the company will will adapt Oh, The Places You’ll Go! and The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.

And here is the trailer for the adaptation of Kristen Hannah’s Firefly Lane.

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!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 20)

It has been a while since I recommended a thriller, but this gritty debut knocked my socks off! It’s about the host of a popular true crime podcast who uses her air time to help with cold cases.

Elle Castillo used to work for Child Social Services, but after an incident at work, she quit her job. Now she spends her time trying to help find missing children, using her keen detections skills and the popularity of her podcast to amplify her voice.

But there’s one huge cold case that has haunted her—The Countdown Killer, who kidnapped and murdered young women two decades earlier. So she decides to make him the subject of her next show, in the hopes that something will jog someone’s memory after all this time. But then a girl is kidnapped and it has all the hallmarks of the Countdown Killer. Is he back in the game or is there a copycat out there? And can Elle and her listeners figure it out before it’s too late?

This book is INTENSE. I thought the story was fantastically plotted, and pretty believable, while being quite terrifying. It also did a great job portraying trauma and PTSD. Elle wants to solve all the cases so badly, she doesn’t quite know how to let herself rest, which is a very real problem, and the guilt she feels over taking any time for herself, even to sleep, is heartbreaking.

(Just a note that this is about child abduction and murder cases. Content warning for child endangerment, abuse, abduction, and murder; mentions of sexual assault, violence, chemical use, poisoning, fire deaths, and physical abuse.)

What I’m reading this week.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell 

Patience & Esther: An Edwardian Romance by SW Searle

The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy by Paul Myers 

Blue-Skinned Gods by SJ Sindu 

Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond

Pun of the week: 

I’ve got a great joke about construction, but I’m still working on it.

And this is funny:

You want a piece of me?!

Happy things:

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

  • Psych: I am now on season five and I must say, I am less invested in the characters and more chuffed by all the references and actors from classic 1980s movies. Ally Sheedy, Jonathan Silverman, Thomas F. Wilson, Cybill Shepherd, Corbin Bernsen—the list goes on and on. I also love the weird pineapple appearance in every episode. 🍍
  • Jigsaw puzzles! I got a puzzle caddy! It means I can now do puzzles and stop without finishing them and not have to worry about the cats eating pieces, because I can fold the caddy up and tuck it safely away.
  • Numberzilla. Still not tired of this game.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Zevon is doing the back float on land.

Trivia answer: George Orwell.

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

Categories
Book Radar

The Final TO ALL THE BOYS Trailer and More Book Radar!

It’s Thursday—that means it’s time for another Book Radar! I am so delighted to “spend” this time with you this week. Related: What is Thursday known for? I mean, everyone hates Mondays; Tuesdays are when all the new stuff comes out; Wednesday is hump day; and on Friday, everybody’s working for the weekend, i.e. Saturday and Sunday. But what is Thursday’s deal? It is the most innocuous day of the week. We should give it a name, like Silent Reading Day or Put Pajamas on Animals Day. (Why, yes, I have spent a lot of time alone in quarantine this week, why do you ask?)

In other news, the number of people who have emailed/messaged/tagged me to let me know they read The Orchard on my recommendation and loved it is now up to 46! This makes me ridiculously happy. Will you be number 47?

Moving on, today I have exciting adaptation news, cover reveals, and book talk for you. Plus a kitten throwback picture! And probably some Psych references, because I’m in the middle of the fifth season now.🍍 Whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! How many volumes are there in Marcel Proust’s novel À la Recherche Du Temps Perdu (In Search of Lost Time)? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Lashana Lynch will play Miss Honey in Netflix’s Matilda remake.

Keegan-Michael Key will star in the show August Snow, based on the series by Stephen Mack Jones.

Here is the cover reveal for A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee.

And here’s a peek at On Freedom: Four Songs of Care and Constraint, the upcoming book from Maggie Nelson.

Netflix’s The Kissing Booth and To All the Boys franchises will end in 2021.

And speaking of To All the Boys, here’s the trailer for the final film.

The Duchess of York has written a romance novel.

Sarah McKnight has started a No F*cks Given podcast to go along with her guides.

Netflix is making a series based on Michael Connelly’s legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer.

Netflix has also announced that its adaptation of Moxie with Amy Poehler will start streaming on March 3.

MTV is relaunching its book imprint.

FSG announced a new Sally Rooney novel.

Ben Hardy, Dexter Fletcher, Rob Delaney, Sally Phillips and Jameela Jamil have joined Haley Lu Richardson in The Statistical Probability of Love.

And here is more casting news for the Dexter revival.

Here’s a new teaser trailer for the second season of Snowpiercer.

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: 

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow (Feiwel & Friends, September 7)

It is always so interesting to me how people come to books. Some of us were assigned certain classics in school, or were gifted a great book, or were just curious on our own and picked it up. But as much as we read, there are gaps in our book education. (Which is why we need to figure out how to stop time!)

I myself read a lot of what were considered classics during my days hanging around the library while my mother worked. But somehow, I never read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and I am not even sure why. So I was very excited to hear that the amazing Bethany C. Morrow has a remix of the book coming in the fall, because I think it might be fun to learn the story from a newer perspective. I already know the basics of the original book (I saw the Friends episode), and I am looking forward to reading it with fresh eyes. (There’s also a Treasure Island remix coming from C.B. Lee! You can see the cover reveal above in the news section.)

What I’m reading this week.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Blue-Skinned Gods by SJ Sindu 

Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

Intimacies: A Novel by Katie Kitamura

Song stuck in my head:

Within Your Reach by The Replacements. I’ve had it stuck in my head since I watched the last episode of S3 of Psych. (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:

He needs a lot of recipes to make second breakfast.

Happy things:

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

  • Psych: I am now on season five and I must say, I am less invested in the characters and more chuffed by all the references and actors from classic 1980s movies. Ally Sheedy, Jonathan Silverman, Thomas F. Wilson, Cybill Shepherd, Corbin Bernsen—the list goes on and on. I also love the weird pineapple appearance in every episode.
  • Jigsaw puzzles! Still on a HUGE puzzle kick. Several of you have asked how I do puzzles with destructive felines in the house, and the answer is: very carefully. I only do 500-piece puzzles, because I cannot leave them unattended or the cats will destroy them. So once I start a puzzle, I am committed to finishing it.
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

This week was the second anniversary of Farrokh and Zevon’s arrival at our house. Here they are, about an hour after they moved in, and about an hour before they unleashed a never-ending swath of destruction. To celebrate their anniversary, they smashed a ceramic statue, chewed through a cord on the blinds, and chased their sister around. So…it was a regular day.

Trivia answer: Seven. (Related: Some of my trivia questions lately have been coming from The Great Literature Trivia Quiz Book: 500 Quiz Questions and Answers about Books by Book Riot contributor Sarah S. Davis!)

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

Categories
Book Radar

From BRIDGERTON to BOND and More Book Radar!

It’s tiiiiiiiiiiiiime for book news! I hope you are all safe and well as we roll into the third week of 2021. The year is off to a bananapants start, so thank goodness we have books to help us get through it. I have a little book news for you today, including details about one of my favorite feminist Westerns, a look at one of my new favorite books, and also great round-ups of 2021 titles, a groan-worthy joke, a cat picture, and trivia! Let’s get started, shall we?

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Sir Walter Scott is known for his historical novels about which country? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Heresy by Melissa Lenhardt is being made into a series.

Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page is currently favored to be the next James Bond.

Good Housekeeping has started a book club.

Ausma Zehanat Khan announced a new series.

Alyssa McClelland, the 6-year-old who published a book over the summer, is now 7 and writing more books.

R.O. Kwon published her annual list of books by women of color to read in the coming year.

Here’s Lit Hub’s most anticipated books of 2021.

Crime Reads published a list of the most anticipated crime books of 2021.

The Undoing star Noma Dumezweni has joined The Little Mermaid live-action cast in a brand-new role.

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!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews (Little, Brown and Company, March 2)

Fans of Patricia Highsmith, listen up! This is a deliciously nasty debut novel worthy of the comparison. Florence Darrow is misanthropic low-level publishing employee who dreams of being a famous writer. After things go south at her job, she is surprisingly offered a dream position. Maud Dixon—THE Maud Dixon—wants her to be her assistant.

Dixon isn’t just any author—years ago, she published a highly acclaimed bestselling novel, and readers have been clamoring for more from her ever since. ‘Maud Dixon’ is a pseudonym for Helen Wilcox, but no one actually knows that, except Helen’s editor. She’s kind of like Elena Ferrante, only not as prolific.

If Florence takes the position, she will have a chance to be the second keeper of a great secret and also study Helen in order to be a better writer. So she jumps at the chance, of course, and moves into Helen’s secluded home right away. Helen is hard at work on her second book, but things aren’t progressing the way she wants, so shortly after Florence’s arrival, she flies them to Morocco to do more research. But within a couple of days, there is a horrible car accident, and Florence wakes up in the hospital with no memory of what happened, and Helen has disappeared…

I loved this book! It moves at a whiplash pace, and it’s funny and suspenseful at the same time. Florence is a wonderful main character, because she is deeply flawed and makes terrible decisions, but you still want everything to turn out okay for her anyway. Think The Talented Mr. Ripley meets The Devil Wears Prada. I can’t wait for everyone to read this!

(Content warning for mentions of infidelity, murder, physical violence, car accidents, and chemical use resulting in overdose.)

What I’m reading this week.

Intimacies: A Novel by Katie Kitamura

Reel Bay: A Cinematic Essay by Jana Larson

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel

A Shadow on the Lens by Sam Hurcom

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

Pun (joke) of the week: 

Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself? It was two tired.

And this is funny:

I am a sucker for a blooper reel. (Heads up, this video contains swear words and spoilers for The Good Place.)

Happy things:

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

  • Psych: One of superpowers is watching shows a decade or two after they came out. For instance, I just started the first season of this show which premiered in 2006, and it is exactly the right kind of dumb that I need right now. Plus, I had no idea Timothy Omundson was in it! I love him and now I want to rewatch Galavant. (I SUPER BELIEVE IN YOU, TAD COOPER.)
  • The Good Place: I rewatched the whole series last week and this hilarious, weird, heartsqueezing show was exactly the balm I needed for my soul.
  • Jigsaw puzzles! Still on a HUGE puzzle kick. Several of you have asked how I do puzzles with destructive felines in the house, and the answer is: very carefully. I only do 500-piece puzzles, because I cannot leave them unattended or the cats will destroy them. So once I start a puzzle, I am committed to finishing it.
  • Numberzilla. Still not tired of this game.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Where is Millay? A Hide-and-Seek Adventure.

Trivia answer: Scotland. (Related: Some of my trivia questions lately have been coming from The Great Literature Trivia Quiz Book: 500 Quiz Questions and Answers about Books by Book Riot contributor Sarah S. Davis!)

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

Categories
Book Radar

BRIDGERTON Breaks Netflix Records and More Book Radar!

Happy Thursday, my little book fiends. I hope your reading in 2021 is off to a great start! I have certainly found a million things I hope to read this year, including a book described as “Golden Girls meets The Expanse with a side of Babylon Five.” Um, yes please. Now I totally want a Golden Girls in space special television event. “Picture it: Jupiter, 2216.”

For today, I have exciting adaptation news, cover reveals, and book talk for you. Plus a picture of a boneless cat! Whatever you are celebrating or doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! Which of these ingredients does not appear in the Witches’s “Double, double toil and trouble” speech from Macbeth: eye of newt, lizard’s leg, tongue of dog, or wing of bat? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Lashana Lynch will play Miss Honey in Netflix’s Matilda remake.

Lil Nas X has a children’s book out now.

Here’s the first look at Bethany Morrow’s retelling of Little Women.

Duchess Camilla is starting her own book club.

Tordotcom Publishing announced a five-book deal with Andrea Hairston.

Bridgerton delivered Netflix a record-breaking December.

Clancy Brown will be the main villain in the Dexter revival.

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: 

Wayward by Dana Spiotta (Knopf, July 6, 2021)

Dana Spiotta is one of those authors who doesn’t release a lot of books, but her work is so amazing that you sit up and take notice when she has a new one coming out. I am a big fan of Stone Arabia and Eat the Document, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into this one.

From the publisher’s description, it sounds like it’s about a woman, who is dealing with life as a middle-aged woman as well as new problems with her teenage daughter, and on a whim buys a house in a new town and flees her life and family. Whatever the story, I bet it will be amazing. She writes really amazing, realistic characters!

What I’m reading this week.

An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi 

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep by Andrew Kelly Stewart

Yellow Wife: A Novel by Sadeqa Johnson

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe 

Song stuck in my head:

Down with the Sickness by Disturbed. I’ve had it stuck in my head since I watched S6 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Mostly because it’s fun to make the monkey noise. And ready to feel old? This album came out 20 years ago. (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:

“What’s in the fridge?” “Jin and juice.”

Happy things:

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

  • The Perry Mason reboot. But WHOA is it violent and gruesome. Not for the faint of heart.
  • The Good Place: I rewatched the whole series last week and this hilarious, weird, heartsqueezing show was exactly the balm I needed for my soul.
  • Jigsaw puzzles! Still on a HUGE puzzle kick. Several of you have asked how I do puzzles with destructive felines in the house, and the answer is: very carefully. I only do 500-piece puzzles, because I cannot leave them unattended or the cats will destroy them. So once I start a puzzle, I am committed to finishing it.
  • Numberzilla.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Sure, that looks comfy.

Trivia answer: Wing of bat.

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

Categories
Book Radar

THE GREAT GATSBY Goes Public and More Book Radar!

Happy new year, star bits! It’s the first Monday of 2021 and it’s time for a bit of bookish excitement. The book world was quiet over the holidays, but I still have a few fun things to share with you, including a delightfully nerdy video, a cat collage, and one of my new favorite books coming in 2021! I can’t wait to share another bookish year with you. I think it will be one for the books. (Sorry, not sorry.)

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: How many acts are there in Romeo and Juliet? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Here’s what is entering the public domain in 2021, including The Great Gatsby.

Epic nerdpurr alert: Start your first full week of 2021 off with warm fuzzies by watching this video about a book blogger who chose this year’s Goodread’s Challenge color.

Here are 25 book-to-movie adaptations to watch for in 2021.

Cynthia Erivo will star in and produce a film about the enslaved Yoruba girl who became a gift to the Queen of England, who was the subject of the book At Her Majesty’s Request by Walter Dean Myers.

First Lady Jill Biden will speak at the 2021 ALA Virtual Midwinter meeting.

HBO Max revealed the new characters from the Gossip Girl reboot.

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!)

Loved, loved, loved: 

Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey (William Morrow, April 27)

Holy cats! I thought I had already talked about this book in this newsletter, but it turns out I was wrong, and now I am sad I have been keeping it from you for so long, because it’s so freaking good! Fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife—this is the book you have been waiting for!

There’s a lot I can’t tell you about this book without ruining it, so I’m going to try and give you a brief summary using non-spoilery things that you can also learn from the jacket copy. If you want to jump in without learning anything, this is where you get off the train.

Okay, the rest of you, meet Thora and Santi. They are two strangers who meet in a foreign city, and really hit it off. Sadly, something is going to happen to one of them shortly after. But fear not, because they’re going to meet again in the next life. And the next, and the next, and the next… Over the years, Thora and Santi are reunited in new lives, with new roles. And over their lifetimes, they are girlfriend/boyfriend, father/daughter, doctor/patient, teacher/student, etc. And with each new life, they begin to remember a little bit more about their past lives. How many lives will they have to live to get the answers to why the universe keeps them together?

This is such a luxurious, immersive read. I loved the premise, I loved the reveals, and I loved Thora and Santi, especially all their different roles in their new reincarnations. Meet Me in Another Life is a beautiful story of life, death, family, friendship, love, and beliefs. And it asks the question: can anyone ever really know someone else completely? Mark this one down now, kittens, it’s going to be HUGE.

(Content warnings for discussions of illness, death, car accidents, drowning, fire, physical violence, murder, chemical use, and animal cruelty.)

What I’m reading this week.

Caul Baby by Morgan Jerkins 

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters 

The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. 

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

Pun of the week: 

I don’t trust stairs. They’re always up to something.

And this is funny:

I love that people have this much time on their hands.

Happy things:

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

  • The Good Place: I rewatched the whole series last week and this hilarious, weird, heartsqueezing show was exactly the balm I needed for my soul.
  • Jigsaw puzzles! Still on a HUGE puzzle kick. Several of you have asked how I do puzzles with destructive felines in the house, and the answer is: very carefully. I only do 500-piece puzzles, because I cannot leave them unattended or the cats will destroy them. So once I start a puzzle, I am committed to finishing it.
  • Shudder, the streaming service for horror, thriller, and suspense genres. I treated myself to a subscription as my Christmas present and it’s amazing. First movie I watched? The Lost Boys.
  • Numberzilla. Still not tired of this game.
  • Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.

And here’s a cat picture!

Yes, these are pictures of Zevon captured mid-yawn, but I like to think he’s laughing.

Trivia answer: Five.

Remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you EXTRA 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