Category: Book Radar

It’s the last Book Radar of 2019! WHAT A YEAR. Despite everything going on out there in the world, there was no shortage of amazing book adaptation news, beautiful cover reveals, and exciting book deals. It has been so much fun to see all the new ideas coming to life and headed our way in the future.

By the time you read this, I will be in my jammies, hanging with my cats, and eating book after book, while BR takes a week off. I wish you all the best rest of the year, and whatever it is you’re doing this week, I hope you have something good to read. Thank you so much for visiting with me each week. I’ll see you again in 2020! – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: This famous author grew up in Los Angeles, after being born in Jerusalem, Israel? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Seven more actors have been added to the Netflix adaptation of Shadow And Bone. (Including The Cleaner from Black Books!)

Stephen Graham Jones has two books coming in 2020: Here’s the cover reveal for Night of the Mannequins.

Here’s the first trailer for The Woman in the Window adaptation starring Amy Adams and Julianne Moore. (Related: Did I already show you this?

And here’s the trailer for To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, coming in February.

Tor.com has the cover reveal of Alexis Henderson’s The Year of the Witching.

You can watch the first episode of Megan Abbott’s Dare Me online now!

Here’s the cover reveal for Michael Ian Black’s new book, A Better Man.

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!

Loved, loved, loved:

The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig (Henry Holt and Co., April 14, 2020)

(CW: Self-harm) Iseult (think ‘insult’ without the ‘n’) Wince is a young woman on the verge of being branded a spinster. Iseult’s mother died giving birth to her, but she hasn’t left Iseult’s life completely: she lives in a scar on Iseult’s neck and talks to her. Iseult has always found her mother’s presence a comfort, but now Iseult wants to be independent, of both her parents. Her father wants her out of the house, but his attempts to marry her off have been unsuccessful, partly because Iseult likes to tell guests about her neck-mother. (Neck-Mother is the name of my new band, I called it first.) So her father is down to the last eligible bachelor for Iseult. He’s a man with silver skin, and Iseult wonders if he might be the answer she’s been waiting for. The Unsuitable is a fiercely feminist Gothic novel of manners and body horror, that portrays spinsterhood, self-image, and mental illness in Victorian times in fresh light.

What I’m reading this week:

The Vanishing Half: A Novel by Brit Bennett

Drifts: A Novel by Kate Zambreno

Administrations of Lunacy: Racism and the Haunting of American Psychiatry at the Milledgeville Asylum by Mab Segrest

Follow Me to Ground: A Novel by Sue Rainsford

Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage by Tori Amos

Pun of the week: 

I was hoping to steal some leftovers from the party but I guess my plans were foiled.

Here’s a cat picture:

sᴉɥʇ ǝpᴉs dn.

And this is funny.

Poor dinosaurs.

Trivia answer: Leigh Bardugo.

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

Hello, my Thursday friends! This is the last Thursday Book Radar of 2019, because Book Riot is on vacation next week. Which means, by default, I am on vacation next week. I’m excited. I plan to read books, play with my cats, and watch Stargate SG-1. So, like a regular week, only there are no newsletters to write or podcasts to record.

I already have a BIG list of books I want to read on vacation, except for the name of the first book I will read in the New Year. I always have a hard time deciding that one! I still have almost two weeks to figure it out. (I did manage to make a pretty picture of each of the books I read first in every year this decade.)

I hope that you are all well, and enjoying the last weeks of the decade with good books. Whatever you are doing or reading this week, please remember to be kind to yourself and others. I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! What is Stephen King’s middle name? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Jon H. Chu will direct an adaptation of Mary H.K. Choi’s YA novel Permanent Record for Warner Bros.

Uzo Aduba and Zackary Momoh will join Lupita Nyong’o in HBO Max’s Americanah series.

Here’s the cover reveal for Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram. It’s the sequel to Darius the Great is Not Okay.

The Root’s Michael Harriot has signed a two-book deal.

Tyler Feder also announced a new two-book contract.

Here’s the trailer for the second season of You on Netflix.

This week in Stephen King reboots: Firestarter.

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:

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas (Custom House, May 12)

I am a sucker for a Secret History comparison (even though I have still never found a book that earned it), so I NEED this book. It’s a Gothicky novel about a very selective school of higher learning hidden in the Pennsylvania woods, and a shocking secret about a group of its most elite students. MY BODY IS READY.

What I’m reading this week.

The Missing American by Kwei Quartey

Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage by Tori Amos

Follow Me to Ground: A Novel by Sue Rainsford

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained by Colin Dickey

And this is funny.

Doesn’t leave a lot of options.

Song stuck in my head:

“Archive” by Mal Blum.

Trivia answer: Edwin.

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

Mappy Honday! We are so close to finishing 2019, which is good, because the news cupboards are bare. Everyone is busy getting ready for the holidays and taking vacations, so there’s not a whole lot of exciting book news going on right now. I have searched high and low, and found you a few things, at least, and of course there’s a cat picture. Priorities, etc.

Unrelated: Have you seen Knives Out yet? I go to the movies once a year, maybe longer, and I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a film in the theater. But this was a delight, especially for a big Agatha Christie fan. Be sure to check it out!

Whatever it is you’re doing this week, I hope you have something good to read. Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What is the subtitle of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Trust Exercise, Susan Choi’s 2019 National Book Award-winning novel, is being made into a film.

Here’s the first peek at Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon in Hulu’s adaptation of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.

And here’s the first look at To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, coming to Netflix in February.

Neal Shusterman’s Game Changer is being adapted for Netflix.

Jennifer Weiner shared the cover of her new novel, Big Summer, coming in the summer of 2020.

Danielle Evans announced a two-book deal with Riverhead.

Rick Riordan is in discussions with Disney about adapting Percy Jackson.

Paste has the exclusive first look at This Is My America by Kim Johnson.

Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash is being adapted for HBO.

Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona is being adapted into a film.

Kathy Hepinstall’s The Book of Polly is being made into a feature titled The Life of Polly.

The 1984 National Book Award finalist Tapping the Source by Kem Nunn is also being adapted.

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!

Excited to read:

The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata by Gina Apostol (Soho Press, August 4, 2020)

GRABBY HANDS. I looooooved Apostol’s last novel, Insurrecto, so I am very excited to hear that we are going to get our hands on this Philippine National Book Award–winning novel. It’s about a visually impaired member of an anti-Spanish Philippine revolutionary society, told in the form of a memoir. It involves him and the unfinished third novel of José Rizal, a real historical figure, who is considered the revolutionary father of Philippine independence. Rizal was executed by the Spanish for his revolutionary activities.

What I’m reading this week:

Mimi And The Wolves – Volume One by Alabaster Pizzo

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained by Colin Dickey

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

A Burning: A Novel by Megha Majumdar

Pun of the week: 

I accidentally handed my friend a glue stick instead of a chapstick. She still isn’t talking to me.

Here’s a kitten cat picture:

Zevon says, “HELLO, GOOB MORNING.”

And this is funny.

It’s funny because it’s true.

Trivia answer: The Modern Prometheus.

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

Happy Thursday! How is everyone doing today? Book news is slow, but I am getting really excited for the new year. Mostly because I love starting a new reading spreadsheet. And speaking of which, have you seen Book Riot’s 2020 reading tracker? It’s an epic nerdpurr! And we also announced out 2020 Read Harder Challenge. So many fun bookish things await us in the new year! In the meantime, whatever you are doing or reading this week, please remember to be kind to yourself and others. I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! What character wore a magic ring or magic slippers of gold, silver, or fur, before her most famous footwear appeared in 1697? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon will be a series at Showtime.

Esmé Weijun Wang has signed a two-book deal with Riverhead Books.

And Alix E. Harrow will release two novellas with Tor.com.

Jasmine Guillory announced her new novel, Party of Two, coming in June of 2020.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas is also being adapted.

Here’s the cover reveal for Meg Elison’s upcoming young adult book.

There’s a new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, The Dark Half.

Pierce Brosnan has joined the new adaptation of Cinderella.

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:

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Vol. 2 by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics Books, September 15, 2020)

Okay, I’m trying not to get too excited, because they’ve moved the release date several times, and I have been burned before. But it looks like this might actually happen this time which would be AMAZING, because hoooooooo-ly cats, I loved the first volume. Ferris’s art is some of the most incredible pen-and-ink work I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to find out more about the mystery and Karen’s life in Chicago.

What I’m reading this week.

A Peculiar Peril (The Misadventures of Jonathan Lambshead) by Jeff VanderMeer

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

A Burning: A Novel by Megha Majumdar

Why the Ramones Matter (Music Matters) by Donna Gaines

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

And this is funny.

Cats sing Christmas songs too.

Song stuck in my head:

“Father Christmas” by The Kinks.

Trivia answer: Cinderella.

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

Happy Monday! It feels like déjà vu as I’m writing this. It’s snowing in Maine again, and I plan to spend the weekend reading in between shoveling and napping. Is this Groundhog Day?!? Oh! But I’m also planning on doing my Twitter countdown of my 150 favorite books of 2019, too. So you should be able to find it on there today!

So I have a little bit of fun for you today. News slows down for the holiday, unfortunately. But at least there’s a cat picture! And whatever it is you’re doing this week, I hope you have something good to read. Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again next Monday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What is Eloise’s dog named? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

The rights to Eloise have been bought for stage, film, and television. (“Remember at the plaza that time? That kid who kept calling her Heloise and I almost got in a fight with her?” – Meadow Soprano)

Sona Charaipotra announced her upcoming 2021 title.

Orbit has purchased Andrea Stewart’s epic fantasy trilogy.

Here’s the first trailer for HBO’s adaptation of The Outsider by Stephen King.

A new book claims Albert Camus was murdered by the KGB.

Finn Jones and Pico Alexander have joined the second season of Dickinson.

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!

Excited to read:

The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained by Colin Dickey (Viking, July 21, 2020)

YESSSSSSSSSSSS a new Colin Dickey book is on the way!!! If you’ve never read him, I highly recommend it. He writes about fascinating stuff with a twist of strange and unusual. His last book was about ghosts, and this one is about Bigfoot and UFOs. Basically, he’s so smart that he’s bored by what we understand, so he’s looking into things we don’t understand. I am here for it.

What I’m reading this week:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Lobizona: A Novel (Wolves of No World Book 1) by Romina Garber

The Heap: A Novel by Sean Adams

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

Transcendent Kingdom: A novel by Yaa Gyasi

Pun of the week: 

I’ve started sleeping in our fireplace. Now I sleep like a log.

Here’s a kitten cat picture:

Zevon is a master lounger.

And this is funny.

Science!

Trivia answer: Weenie.

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

Happy Thursday! I have a bit of fun bookish news (and a Baby Yoda link, of course because my whole life is Baby Yoda now.) I’ve also rounded up my 100 favorite books of the decade, which was a lot of fun. I am chomping at the bit to start a new decade of reading! In the meantime, whatever you are doing or reading this week, please remember to be kind to yourself and others. I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! The Fallon Blood by Reagan O’Neal is the first novel, written under a nom de plume, by which famous fantasy author? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

AMC Studios will be adapting Jeff VanderMeer’s Borne universe novels.

Casey McQuiston announced a queer Kate & Leopold novel.

Brina Starler announced a modern-day version of Anne of Green Gables.

Netflix’s adaptation of Joe Hill’s Locke & Key starts February 7, 2020.

Anna-Marie McLemore has a fairy tale coming in 2021.

There’s an adaptation of Stephen King’s From a Buick 8 in the works.

David Tennant will play Phileas Fogg in the new Around The World In 80 Days adaptation.

The Wheel of Time cast has grown by four.

Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning will play sisters in adaptation of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

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:

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry (Redhook, June 23, 2020)

I loved The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, so I am doubly-excited to read this new book about the early world, but with magic. Everything is always better magic, right? There will also be revolution, intrigue, and – wait for it – more magic. (The blurb doesn’t actually say that, I am saying it, because MAGIC.

What I’m reading this week.

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

The Heap by Sean Adams

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay

And this is funny.

Baby Yoda loves Lizzo.

Song stuck in my head:

“Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude” by Yo-Yo Ma, Johann Sebastian Bach

Trivia answer: Robert Jordan. (Which is also a nom de plume. Jordan’s real name was James Oliver Rigney, Jr.)

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

Happy Monday! As you are reading this, we are currently being buried under a lot of snow in Maine. I enjoy the snowfall because it is so pretty and quiet, but I am not a fan of shoveling every two hours. (Putting the ‘no’ in ‘snow’.) I am already ready for spring to get here!

In between naps and shoveling this weekend, I have been enjoying reading books, of course! (Even though my last couple of choices have been real stinkers, lol. But better now than when I am on deadline.)

I hope that whether you’re soaking up sunshine or shoveling up snow, you have something good to read. Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again next Monday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: Which US president was said to have read one book a day? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Candice Carty-Williams’ debut novel, Queenie, is being made into a show for Channel 4.

Here’s the trailer for the new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, which looks like it has been given the Favourite treatment. (Fun fact: the novel was adapted this time around by Eleanor Catton!)

E.K. Johnston has written a new Star Wars novel.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Ikenga, Nnedi Okorafor’s middle-grade debut coming in 2020.

Anyone by Charles Soules, out tomorrow, is being adapted for television.

Christopher Brown shared the amazing cover for his new novel, Failed State, coming in the fall of 2020.

Tor.com has a giant list of sci-fi and fantasy novel adaptations currently in the works.

The First Wives Club series adaptation has been renewed for a second season.

Killing Eve director Shannon Murphy is adapting The Strays by Emily Bitto.

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!

Excited to read:

I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir by Val Kilmer (Simon & Schuster, April 21, 2020)

“Legendary actor Val Kilmer shares the stories behind his most beloved roles, reminisces about his star-studded career and love life, and reveals the truth behind his recent health struggles in a remarkably candid autobiography.”

I thought you needed to know that this is a real thing that is happening. You’re welcome.

What I’m reading this week:

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay

A Song Below Water: A Novel by Bethany C. Morrow

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

Pun of the week: 

A police officer just knocked on my door and told me my dogs are chasing people on bikes. That’s ridiculous. My dogs don’t even own bikes.

Here’s a kitten cat picture:

Zevon was showing off his baby corn teeth the other night.

And this is funny.

I will never tire of Baby Yoda jokes.

Trivia answer: Theodore Roosevelt.

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

It’s Monday! We have to treasure the time we have together today, because I will not be paying your inbox a visit this Thursday, because of Thanksgiving. So today I have several fun book-related things for you, and, of course, a cat picture.

Please enjoy the rest of your week, and the holiday if you’re celebrating, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again next Monday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: How much did Tom Clancy get from the Naval Institute Press in 1984 for his debut novel, The Hunt for Red October? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

Mackenzi Lee’s The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice & Virtue is being made into a film for HBO Max.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia talks about her upcoming book. No, the other one. (Yep, she has two out next year!)

Here’s the first look at The Down Days by Ilze Hugo, which is already leading the race for my favorite cover of 2020.

Showtime is making a series from Jacob Tobia’s memoir Sissy.

C.L. Polk announced her third novel, coming in the fall of 2020.

Here’s the first teaser of Michael B. Jordan in the adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows, and forthcoming People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd, have been picked up for series development.

Scholastic will develop three movies for the Hallmark channel.

Here’s the latest cast updates for HBO’s adaptation of I Know This Much Is True.

David Tennant will play serial killer Dennis Nilsen in a three-part series, based on Brian Master’s book, Killing for Company.

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!

Excited to read:

Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford (Grove Press, July 14, 2020)

One of my goals for next year is to read more Native voices, because they are woefully underrepresented in the arts. So I am excited to pick up this book to help me with that goal. It’s about four generations of Cherokee women in the 1970s and 1980s in Oklahoma and Texas.

What I’m reading this week:

Deacon King Kong: A Novel by James McBride

Stay and Fight: A Novel by Madeline ffitch

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe

Pun of the week: 

Two antennas got married last Saturday. The reception was fantastic.

Here’s a kitten cat kitten picture:

Here’s a flashback to Zevon and Farrokh when they were four months old.

And this is funny.

I cannot get enough of Baby Yoda.

Trivia answer: $5000.

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

Happy Thursday! I am back once again to talk about all things books. I have started thinking about my annual 150 favorite books list that I do each year on Twitter, and I am still considering a favorite books of the decade post. I don’t know that I can even pick my 100 favorites – there are so many great books to choose from!

I am doing this all in between reading, of course. I am halfway through Firewatching by Russ Thomas and I did not want to put it down – I hope the second half holds up when I return to it after I finish this newsletter! Whatever you are doing or reading this week, please remember to be kind to yourself and others. I’ll see you again on Monday! – xoxo, Liberty

Trivia question time! What does the ‘T.S.’ in ‘T.S. Eliot’ stand for? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, will star in the adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six.

The winners of the National Book Awards were announced last night!

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins is going to be adapted by Sony Pictures!

HarperCollins Children’s Books has announced the debut of Heartdrum, an imprint devoted to publishing books by Native creators.

The trailer has been released for season four of The Expanse.

The Lord of the Rings series has been renewed for a second season ahead of the release of its first season.

Eragon author Christopher Paolini announced his first science fiction novel.

Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany has joined Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley adaptation.

A limited series adaptation of The Man In The Rockefeller Suit is in the works.

Dracula‘s Renfield is getting his own time to shine.

Here’s the first trailer for the new Call of the Wild adaptation with Harrison Ford.

Maid by Stephanie Lands is being turned into a Netflix series.

Joan Allen is the latest to join the cast of the adaptation of Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story.

Viacom has lined up remakes of Oliver Twist and How Green Was My Valley.

Here’s the trailer for V Wars, the Netflix series based on Jonathan Maberry’s book.

An adaptation of Scott Westerfield’s Midnighters series is on the way.

Here’s the first full-length trailer for the upcoming adaptation of Cats.

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:

A Peculiar Peril (The Misadventures of Jonathan Lambshead) by Jeff VanderMeer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), July 7, 2020)

It’s a young adult novel from Jeff VanderMeer. I REPEAT: A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL FROM JEFF VANDERMEER. We are only a couple weeks away from the release of his next novel for grownups, and now I have learned we are getting another book from him next year. It’s the first of a two-volume fantasy about a teen boy who inherits his grandfather’s mansion, discovers three strange doors, and learns his grandfather did not die of natural causes.” YES YES TAKE MY MONEY. 

What I’m reading this week.

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig

Firewatching by Russ Thomas 

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (Reread because OMG it’s so good.)

And this is funny.

I love Baby Yoda.

Song stuck in my head:

“Hot Girl Bummer” by Blackbear

Trivia answer: Thomas Stearns.

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

Happy Monday!!! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I feel like my year is finally calming down. I hope to coast through the last six weeks, reading books and watching Elementary. (I really think I might be a detective in an alternate timeline.)

Also, can we talk for a minute about how it’s the last year of the decade?!? I feel like no one was prepared. Suddenly, everyone is like, “WHOA LAST YEAR.” Myself included! Perhaps I will do a round-up of my favorite books of the decade somewhere. More likely, my head will explode from trying to narrow the list down, LOL.

(TL;DR: Boooooooooooooooks!)

Please enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to be excellent to each other! I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty

Here’s Monday’s trivia question: What are the only two Spike Lee films to receive a PG-13 rating? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reels, and Squeals! 

The adaptation of Alexa Martin’s Intercepted will be penned by Power screenwriter Heather Zuhlke.

Here’s the trailer for the new adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing on PBS.

Spike Lee will direct an adaptation of Ron Wimberly’s graphic novel, Prince of Cats.

Zoe Saldana will star in Netflix’s adaptation of Tembe Locke’s memoir, From Scratch.

Here’s the first look at the cover of The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning.

Chris Morgan has signed a deal with Sony Pictures to adapt The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell, The Ripleys by Duane Swierczynski, and If I Die Tonight by Allison Gaylin.

Carolina De Robertis announced her upcoming novel, The President and the Frog, coming in 2021.

And Robin Wasserman shared the cover of her upcoming 2020 book, Mother Daughter Widow Wife.

And Arvin Ahmadi announced his next book, scheduled for a fall 2020 release.

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!

Excited to read:

The Sprawl: Reconsidering the Weird American Suburbs by Jason Diamond (Coffee House Press, August 11, 2020)

Jason Diamond is one of the first people I started following on Twitter, because we seem to have the same sense of humor and esoteric taste in micro-histories and pop culture. So I am excited to see what he has to say about the suburbs, since from reading his memoir, Searching for John Hughes: Or Everything I Thought I Needed to Know about Life I Learned from Watching ’80s Movies, that we did not grow up in the idyllic suburb fantasy that movies and television pitched us.

What I’m reading this week:

The Deep by Alma Katsu

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Will Haunt You by Brian Kirk

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao

Pun of the week: 

I’m an archaeologist, so my life is in ruins.

Here’s a kitten cat picture:

Look at this beautiful picture my friend Emily took of Farrokh!

And this is funny.

So many Disney jokes this week with the release of Disney+.

Trivia answer: Malcolm X and Crooklyn, 

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