Category: Book Radar

Hey there, book nerds! Happy September! I hope your week so far is great, and that you’re reading something excellent. I’m excited for all the new books hitting shelves this month, but a little concerned about my ability to actually read them all. I’m ever the optimist, though!

I’ve got tons of news and excitement, and some new book love below! Here we go!

Trivia question: In what year was the first New York Review of Books published?

Deals and Squeals

I am so thrilled to see Amazon is adapting Kacen Callender’s Felix Ever After into a TV series.

I forgot to mention it earlier this week, but John Green’s next book is coming next year and it’s a work of nonfiction!

Nic Cage is voicing the dragon in the adaptation of Eoin Colfer’s High Fire.

In the category of “awwwwww” Channing Tatum has written a picture book! The One and Only Sparkella will be out next May.

The next LibrariesTransform pick has been chosen!

The Three-Body Problem is being adapted into a Netflix TV series by the same duo who brought Game of Thrones to the small screen.

Emma Roberts has signed a deal with Hulu to adapt books for the streaming service, and her first pick is Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering.

Johnny Depp is filing to delay the defamation trial that’s ongoing against his ex-wife, so he can continue filming the third Fantastic Beasts movie in London.

Alyssa Cole talks with the New York Times about her switch from romance to the thriller genre.

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Want to read: When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

I just got my copy of Alyssa Cole’s new thriller earlier this week and I am so excited to dive in! When Jamie, our resident mystery expert and Unusual Suspects newsletter writer, says it’s one of the best mystery/thrillers she’s read all year, I pay attention! This is the story of Sydney, a Black woman who lives in Brooklyn and is mad when a local history tour guide offers tours of her neighborhood, but doesn’t acknowledge the contributions of its Black residents. She offers her own counter-tours, and even takes on a research assistant in Theo, a white man, but when she begins noticing that her Black neighbors aren’t just moving to the suburbs, but disappearing, they are on to a chilling case.

Books I’ve Acquired This Week:

Transcendant Kingdom by Yan Gyasi

Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce (I love Bunce’s YA novels, and this middle grade book looks so fun!)

A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore

Trivia answer: 1963

That’s it for me, book nerds! I leave you with this photo of a sticker that reads “Let’s Taco Bout Books,” which delights me to no end. Do you collect bookish stickers or other swag? You can buy this one here.

Happy reading!

Tirzah

Hey there, book nerds! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. The weather is cooling off in the Midwest and I spent a delightful couple of days reading, prepping for fall, and getting crafty all at a high of 68 degrees! I am here for it.

As you get ready to dive into a new week (and a new month!), remember to wear a mask, keep hydrated, and don’t forget your book!

Trivia question: Which famous American novel had the working title Baa! Baa! Black Sheep?

Squeals and Deals

Get a load of this fantastic trailer for the Enola Holmes movie adaptation! It’ll be on Netflix September 23.

Beverly Jenkins’ Bring on the Blessings novels are in development to become a TV show called Hopetown and we can’t wait!

The trailer for the movie adaptation of I’m Thinking of Ending Things has landed. It’ll be on Netflix later this week!

Some bookstores have learned that the first printing of Michael Cohen’s tell-all will be released to Amazon first, which is worrying to many indie bookstores.

The first book to star a Sikh character published by a major publisher has just been released. Fauja Singh Keeps Going is about the oldest person to ever run a marathon!

Michael Crichton’s Sphere is being adapted into a TV show for HBO by a Westworld producer.

Get a load of this amazing preorder campaign for Leigh Bardugo’s The Lives of Saints and the collector’s edition of Shadow and Bone.

We’re getting a sequel to Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton!

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Must read: Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon

I had this book on my TBR for a year before finally diving in this previous week. It’s about Autumn Spencer, a Black woman living in New York City who is alarmed when one night her twin sister Summer walks to the roof of their building and disappears completely. Months later, the police still haven’t located her, people seemed to have forgotten her, and Autumn finds herself at a loss for what to do next. I went into this novel expecting a mystery, but instead you get a deep character dive about Autumn, her childhood and her relationships, and the months leading up to that fateful night on the roof. The audiobook narrator for this one, Karen Chilton, was excellent, and I was totally absorbed into the sometimes convoluted but always fascinating storyline.

What I’m reading this week:

A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore

The Wrong End of the Table: A Mostly Comic Memoir of a Muslim Arab American Woman Just Trying to Fit In by Ayser Salman

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Trivia answer: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

I leave you with a photo of the Halloween themed face masks I made this weekend while listening to my audiobook. I never thought I’d reach the point where making seasonal face masks would excite me, but here we are!

Happy reading!

Tirzah

Hi there, book nerds! I hope you’re making it through the week all right! We’ve seen a resurgence of summer heat in Michigan that makes it hard to believe that next week is September, but I am so ready for cool breezes and fall leaves.

Here’s this week’s round up of book news and excitement! Stay safe out there in the big world, and keep wearing those masks!

Trivia question: What kind of sandwich does Charles Wallace make Mrs. Murry in the first chapter of A Wrinkle in Time?

Deals and Squeals:

Silvia Moreno-Garcia talks about what she hopes to see in the Mexican Gothic limited series adaptation at Hulu.

Noughts + Crosses by Malorie Blackman has been made into a TV series by BBC, and it’ll be available in the U.S. through Peacock TV!

Audible users will now have the opportunity to access Audible’s exclusive content for just $7.95 per month.

A new series starring Batman as a Black man is in the works!

Check out the trailer for Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices, a new Netflix show from Marley Dias!

Courtney Milan has a new romance hitting shelves in September!

New book deal alert: Ayana Grey’s Beasts of Prey looks amazing!

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Want to Read: A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore

Last fall I listened to Bringing Down the Duke because everyone was talking about it and I fell so hard and fast for the characters in the League of Extraordinary Women series. The series is set in 1870s England, and it follows a group of fierce feminists fighting for their rights and for love. Book two is out next week, and I’m so excited to read about Lady Lucie, who must go head to head with Lord Ballentine if she’s to secure a London publishing house to promote the suffragists’ cause! Elizabeth Jasicki narrates both books in the series and I can’t wait!

Book Acquired This Week: 

You Have a Match by Emma Lord

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

Trivia answer: Liverwurst and cream cheese. Yum?

I leave you with my most triumphant acquisition as of late: the limoncello flavored La Croix! It’s my new favorite but I’m already worried that I won’t ever be able to find it again, it’s been so scarce! I would love to know what your favorite La Croix flavor is (and what you’re reading!), so hit me up on social media!

Happy reading!

Tirzah

Hey there, bookish friends! I can’t believe it’s the last week of August already–I know summer isn’t technically over until late September, but it always feels like the end once Labor Day hits–even this year, without  the usual structure of outside the house life. I hope you’re enjoying your week and wringing the last bit of summer goodness out of the season. For me, that includes freezing a lot of garden produce and then relaxing in my reading hammock at the park–a safe distance away from others!

We’re heading into fall, which is bursting with new releases and bookish fun, and it seems like the bookish news has gotten a head start on all the fun! There are so many excellent cover reveals and announcements to get to–but first, remember to wear your masks, hydrate often and well, and stay safe out there.

Trivia: What was the name of Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas’s dog?

Deals and Squeals:

Leigh Bardugo has a new fantasy coming in 2021, and it’s the sequel to King of Scars! Get a look at the cover of what Bardugo is calling “the finale for the Grishaverse.”

Emily Henry is the author of Beach Read, one of the year’s biggest romances, and her next rom-com cover, title, and first chapter were revealed! I cannot wait!

Speaking of romance, Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White, and Royal Blue, has a new book and the cover is adorbs!

A new picture book about Kamala Harris is hitting shelves this week!

Disney is releasing a YA novel about Nebula and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy, written by Mackenzi Lee.

Marvel is releasing a comic special written by and celebrating Indigenous voices!

The Bloggess is releasing a new book! Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson will release in April 2021!

Kenneth Branagh strikes again as Poirot! Watch the trailer for the adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic, Death on the Nile.

Can someone invent a pill for human longevity ASAP? Because Ocean Vuong is the latest author to submit an original work for the Future Library, to be locked away until year 2114.

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Must-Read Book: Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner

I inhaled this fantastic novel over the weekend! It’s about Raina and Millie, two very different teen girls who find themselves burned by the same guy and his mock trial team. They decide to get revenge (and pursue their own dreams) by forming an all-girls mock trial team to take on the guys, and they assemble a team of six girls who are angry and fed up with the sexism in their school and lives. This is a really funny, heartfelt, and political read that includes political knitting, yarn bombing, and lots of very excellent arguments. If you need something to give you some political hope moving into this election season, then grab this book!

What I’m Reading This Week:

Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (finally!)

Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper

Mad & Bad: The Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch

Trivia answer: Basket

I leave you with a snapshot of my weekend–reading in my hammock with the river in sight! I don’t normally read on my ereader but with so many printing shortages, publishers are turning to digital review copies. It’s not the worst thing in the world! Take me back there, please!

Happy reading!

Tirzah

Happy Thursday, book nerds! I hope the week is treating you kindly and that you’re enjoying a great book or three. We’ve got some great news this week, including cover reveals, lots of new book announcements, and more exciting developments. Read your hearts out, and don’t forget to keep wearing your masks!

Trivia question: How many unique words are in the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham?

Deals and Squeals:

Reese Witherspoon is launching a YA version of her book club, and her first pick is You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson!

Mindy Kaling has a collection of essays coming in October, but there’s a catch: they’re available exclusively on Amazon.

In happy romance news, Courtney Milan has a new book coming out this fall, and Adriana Herrera also announced new books!

New York governor Andrew Cuomo is releasing a book about the COVID response in his state.

Bob Woodward has written another book about Trump.

Look for another book by Rhonda Byrne, bestselling author of The Secret, out later this year.

Ruby Bridges has written a children’s book!

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Want to read: Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez

Look for this book hitting shelves next month! It’s Mendez’s YA debut, and it follows an Argentinian teen named Camila, who is a dutiful daughter at home, but a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field. She doesn’t tell her family that she plays, because they’d never approve, but when she gets the chance to qualify for an important tournament with her team, which might even lead to a North American college scholarship, Camila is torn between family loyalty and her own dreams and ambitions.

On my radar this week:

Smash It! by Francina Simone

Body Talk edited by Book Riot’s own Kelly Jensen!

If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier (that cover!)

Trivia answer: Only 50!

And here’s your cute cat pic of the week–Oliver can be of so adorable when he wants to be, and now that it’s finally cooling off, he’s way more lovey and cuddly!

Happy reading!

Tirzah

Happy Monday, book nerds! I hope you spent the weekend reading something amazing. I deep-cleaned my apartment while listening to an audiobook, and while I’d much rather spend the afternoon in a hammock with my book, audiobooks make unpleasant tasks at least a bit more palatable!

I’ve got a lot of exciting deals and fun news so you can start this week off on the right foot. That said, I know it’s a stressful time right now as so many decide whether or not to send kids back to school (or maybe the decision was forced upon you), so I hope you’re taking care of yourselves, wearing your masks, and remembering to hydrate!

Trivia time: Which bestselling YA fantasy writer posted an early version of her debut series on the Internet for free, years before publication?

Deals and Squeals: 

Andy Weir has a new novel coming out next year! Look for Project Hail Mary, a deep space adventure, coming May 4, 2021!

Fonda Lee’s The Jade City is going to be adapted to TV!

Classic books previously published under male pseudonyms are being released under their authors’ real (female) names. While the move seems like a step to reclaim women’s voices, it’s important to note that none of these writers have had a say in this change, and for all we know, some of them might not have identified as female.

Roxane Gay’s comic series The Banks is being adapted into a movie and Gay is writing the screenplay!

Midnight Sun sold a million copies its first week, and Stephenie Meyer has two more Twilight novels planned.

The Upper World by Femi Fadugba is coming to Netflix! The book won’t be available in the U.S. until 2022, but look for it in the UK next year.

AppleTV has ordered an animated series of Harriet the Spy from the Jim Henson Company!

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus is being made into a Peacock TV series!

The trailer for Unpregnant (based on the YA novel by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan) has landed! The film will stream on HBOMax in September!

Spooky season is upon us, which is why it’s awesome that the adaptation of The Devil All the Time now has a trailer, and it looks amazing. It’ll premiere on Netflix next month!

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Reading Recommendation: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

I know I highlighted this book a few weeks back as my want-to-read pick but I finished it last week and oh my gosh, I have to tell you how much I loved it and how it’s one of my favorite books of 2020! Cara is a traverser of the multiverse in a future where a brilliant inventor and his company control all multiverse travel. You can only travel to worlds where your counterpart is dead, which is no problem for Cara–she’s had a rough life and most of her counterparts in other worlds haven’t survived. But when she’s sent to a new world where her other self has recently been murdered, Cara realizes that she’s a pawn in the middle of a vast conspiracy–and she has to decide if she wants to stay complicit, or fight back, even if it means death. THIS BOOK! The plotting is tight and relentlessly unexpected, with twists and turns I didn’t see coming and developments I could sense but when they finally showed up, I was swept away by how clever they were. The world-building (worlds-building?) here was also really excellent, and you can see clear parallels to our own times where billionaires profit off the backs of people of color who live in extreme poverty. Oh, and it has a slow-burn will-they-or-won’t-they queer romance–enough said! I can’t recommend it enough!

What I plan on reading this week:

Unpregnant by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan (it’s been on my shelf for forever!)

Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner

Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon

Trivia answer: Sarah J. Maas

That’s it for now! I leave you with a photo of tiny, sweet peaches I stole off my parents’ peach tree. I hope that you’re grasping onto whatever goodness you can find in these last days of summer!

Happy reading,

Tirzah

Hellooooo book nerds! Happy Thursday! I am excited to share more fun bookish news and excitement of the week, but first, how’re you? Are you reading something great? I’ve been immersed in a book I love, The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, and it’s one of those “I wanna ignore my day job and read all day!” books! I love those, but also, they make the work week hard. #booknerdproblems

Let’s dive into the excitement, shall we?

Trivia: What year was the book 1984 published?

Deals and Squeals:

We’re getting a Mexican Gothic limited run series! The series will run at Hulu and is being adapted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, and I am so excited to be terrified by this adaptation!

The Roommate by Rosie Danon isn’t even out in the U.S. yet but it’s already been optioned for film! The book stars two unlikely roommates whose feminist start up could disrupt the adult film industry, and it looks steamy!

Preview Weird Al’s new book, and some of the photos included!

If you grew up with Love You Forever by Robert Munsch but thought that some parts were a little creepy, then rest easy knowing that a writer has revised the book to model appropriate boundaries.

John Legend and Nic Long are adapting Paper Gods by Goldie Taylor into a TV show for ABC!

EW reveals the cover of John Densmore’s new book, The Seekers: Meetings with Remarkable Musicians.

Well, this link has quite a headline, but…if you liked Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, particularly if you were intrigued by the sex scenes, then check out Sittenfeld’s new short story.

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Want to Read: The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg

This book has been on my radar for a while, and I promise I’m finally going to get to it! It’s about a double murder of two young women hitchhiking to a music festival in West Virginia in 1980, and how the author moved to the area and began investigating the case–and observed the impact of the case on the small town she lived in. I’ve heard nothing by amazing things about this book, especially in how sensitively the writer talks about Appalachia and the women who were murdered, so I can’t wait to finally read it.

Books I Acquired This Week:

Mad & Bad: The Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant (this one is out early next year and I am so excited!)

Before She Was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney (just downloaded an advance audio copy–I loved Cooney’s books when I was in middle school!)

Trivia answer: 1949

I hope you’re well stocked for weekend reading ahead! I leave you with this photo of my cat Oliver, whose favorite perch is in this window, so he can watch over my container garden–and the squirrels that run across the neighbor’s privacy fence.

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Happy Monday, book nerds! I hope you had a splendid weekend full of bookish goodness. My partner and I wrapped up watching the HBO documentary I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, which is based off of the book by the same name by Michelle McNamara. It was fantastic, and I loved that it brought out new dimensions to the book and put a face to some of the victims of the Golden State Killer, allowing them to tell their stories in their own words. If true crime doesn’t scare you too much, I highly recommend it!

Here’s your latest batch of new book news and excitement! Remember to hydrate and wear a mask this week, friends!

Trivia time: Which famous American writer kept pet peacocks?

Deals and Squeals:

Hey Ken Liu fans, get excited! Liu’s short stories are being adapted into an animated series at AMC, and two whole seasons have already been ordered!

We’ve got a new Oprah pick! Caste by Isabel Wilkerson explores the origins of racial injustice. Wilkerson is also the author of The Warmth of Other Suns, about the Great Migration.

Universal and LeBron James are adapting the graphic novel New Kid by Jerry Craft, which won the Newbery Award earlier this year!

In sad news, Hulu has canceled High Fidelity, which is adapted from High Fidelity by Nick Hornby.

But in majorly exciting news, Megan Abbott has a new book, and TV rights have already sold! The Turnout will be out in summer 2021, and it dives into the ballet world.

The Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards shortlist was announced on Twitter last week.

Former president George W. Bush has a new book of portraits, this time focusing on immigrants.

Thanks to COVID-19, it’s been difficult for debut authors to launch careers, but Library Journal has rounded up 35 debut books coming out between summer and January 2021 for your reading pleasure.

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Recommended Reading: Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisely

I love diving into a good graphic novel, and believe it or not, this was my first Lucy Knisely pick (but certainly won’t be my last!). It is a not-so-veiled fictional account of Lucy’s own childhood, and it follows Jen, who’s grumpy about being forced to move from the city to a farm with her mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Not only are the chores completely unfamiliar and messy, she also has to contend with two new step-sisters who only visit the farm part-time, and seem to be perfect in ways Jen is not. I love the rural setting, and the farming misadventures and farmer’s market scenes. This is a book for kids, but I read it in a single sitting and loved it!

What I’m reading this week:

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong (my copy finally arrived and OH MY WORD THE COLORS ARE GORGEOUS!)

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (my copy finally came, YAY!)

Trivia answer: Flanney O’Connor!

Here’s a photo of my orange monster, looking deceptively peaceful and demure next to my copy of The Space Between Worlds. Now that it’s getting cooler, he’ll come looking for snuggles while I’m reading, and it’s kinda cute.

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Hey there, book nerds! Happy Thursday! I hope you’re having a great week, full of wonderful reading. I’ve been hopping around between a few different books, watching more Perry Mason on HBO, and plotting out the month’s new book acquisitions. You know, just living my best bookish life.

Here’s more great new deals and excitement! I hope you’re staying safe out there, and wearing your bookish mask when you need to leave your house!

Trivia time: What was Stephen King’s debut novel?

Deals and Squeals:

Jasmine Guillory revealed on Today with Hoda and Jenna that Reese Witherspoon has optioned her first three romance novels—The Wedding Date, The Proposal, and The Wedding Party. About time these amazing books got some film traction!

Are you excited for Elena Ferrante’s new novel, The Lying Life of Adults? Are you an audiobook reader? You’ll want to pick up the audio edition, which will be narrated by Marisa Tomei! It’ll be Tomei’s audiobook debut but she’s a big Ferrante fan and we’re certain she’ll do a fantastic job.

Publication of John Bolton’s The Room Where It Happened couldn’t be stopped in the courts, but now the Department of Justice is looking to sue for Bolton’s earnings–which are in the millions.

Stephenie Meyer is celebrating the long-awaited release of Midnight Sun by going on tour–but she’ll only be physically present at one stop, and it’ll be held at a drive-in theater, with social distancing measures in effect.

John Boyne has come under fire for his research (or lack thereof) in his books, but this latest incident is a cross between hilarious and cringe-worthy: his new historical novel, A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom, lists fictional ingredients for red dye, apparently taken from a simple Google search that presented results from a Legend of Zelda game.

Do you love Stephen King’s ventures into the hardboiled crime genre? Then you’ll be happy to hear he has a new crime novel out in March 2021 called Later.

Accidentally Wes Anderson began as an Instagram account that shared photos that looked like they were plucked from a set of one of his movies, but now it’s a book, authorized by Anderson himself. You can catch a sneak preview ahead of the October release date.

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Want to read: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

It’s been a while since I read a great science fiction novel, and this new release (out just this week!) leapt to my attention thanks to someone I follow on Twitter saying that it stars an LGBTQ+ character! This is the story of Cara, who lives in a highly stratified society where multiverse travel is possible–but only if your counterpart there is dead. Cara’s other selves are great at dying, which makes her the perfect candidate to become a traveler, but when one of her counterparts dies unexpectedly, she’s drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. I just got a copy and I can’t wait to dive in!

My (other) book acquisitions this week:

Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne

Mayhem by Estelle Laure

Never Look Back by Lillian Rivera

Trivia answer: Carrie

That’s it for me, book nerds! I leave you with this photo of my fledgling romance shelf, which I turned into a rainbow while I was shuffling a few things around. I am now accepting recommendations for romance novels with orange, purple, and blue spines, please and thank you!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Hey there, book nerds! Happy Monday! I hope your weekends were restorative and full of great books. I got in tons of great audiobook and print reading, and I even started watching Perry Mason on HBO, which is a new adaptation of the 1930s-set mystery series by Erle Stanley Gardner, starring Matthew Rhys. I’m super intrigued, so it’s nice to know there’s a second season to look forward to!

Whatever you’ve got going on this week, I hope you remember to take time for yourself and enjoy a good book!

Trivia time: What was the initial print run of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen?

Deals and Squeals:

One nice thing to come out of pandemic life is Together, Apart, which is a YA anthology of romantic short stories that take place during COVID lockdown. Contributors include Rachael Lippincott, Brittney Morris, Erin A. Craig, and Bill Konigsberg. The anthology will be out in October.

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman, a YA book that comes out this week, has been optioned by Sydney Sweeney’s new production company! Sweeney plans on starring in the TV adaptation.

It’s looking like Michael Cohen can write his tell-all after all.

If you’re a fan of Tess Sharpe’s thrillers, then good news–her 2021 release The Girls I’ve Been has been optioned by Jason Bateman and Millie Bobby Brown!

Tor reports that Jason Peele is teaming up with Issa Rae to adapt the short story “Sinkhole” by Leyna Krow for film! Rae plans on starring in the film. You can read the short story here.

Disney+ is releasing a contemporary, American adaptation live action of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and Black Beauty will be voiced by Kate Winslet.

Matthew McConaughey is releasing a book in October called Greenlights, but he promises you it’s not the typical celebrity memoir.

#BlackLivesMatter and so does Black art! Check out this incredible coloring book highlighting and celebrating Black artists, called #BlackArtMatters.

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Recommendation: No Judgments by Meg Cabot

I went to the beach this past week, and naturally I needed a beach read. I grabbed this romance from Meg Cabot because she has been a reliable author for me for over 15 years, and I was not disappointed. This is the first in her new adult romance series set on the fictional Little Bridge Island, the tiniest in the Florida Keys. It follows Bree, who is living low-key as a waitress and painter with her rescue cat after running from her problems in New York City. When the hurricane of the century swerves for her island, she decides not to evacuate–and it’s a good thing, because the storm wipes out the bridge to the island, separating evacuees from their pets. She goes on a mission to rescue and look after as many animals as possible, aided by her boss’s sexy nephew–and maybe finds her calling along the way. This was such a fun read (that made me glad that my beach is far, far away from tropical storms) and an immersive and welcoming setting. I can’t wait for the second in the series, No Offense, out next week!

What I plan on reading this week:

Once You Go This Far by Kristen Lepionka

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg

Trivia answer: 1,500 copies!

Looking for a fun sewing project with all your fabric scraps that isn’t making face masks? Check out these easy fabric square bookmarks! I’m going to whip up a few the first chance I get!

This Kickstarter for a Reader’s Advisory card deck has already been fully funded, but look at how cool it is! You can still contribute and score a deck for yourself.

I’ll leave you with this photo I took of one of my fave summer reads of this year, and maybe all time, Beach Read by Emily Henry, at its setting–Lake Michigan! As you can see, Lake Michigan beaches are legit, plus there are no tropical storms, no sharks, and no saltwater! (Although they do come with some wicked lake effect snow in winter, so I guess no beach is perfect!)

Happy reading!
Tirzah