Category: New Books

Hold on to your pumpkin spice-flavored hats – here comes fall reading! The season is kicking off with an AMAZING number of great books this first Tuesday new release day, and I can’t wait for you to see the big list below. Two words: WOW. ZA.

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Sponsored by LITTLE COMFORT by Edwin Hill

Follow a brilliant amateur investigator as she unravels the truth behind two grifters preying on Boston’s elite—perfect for fans of The Talented Mr. Ripley.

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You can hear about several of today’s new books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! María Cristina and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including Small Fry, Cats vs. Robots, Terra Nullius, and more.

(And like with each megalist, I’m putting a  next to the books that I have read and loved. But there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!)

Oh, and don’t forget that Book Riot wants to hear about the ins-n-outs of your reading life – come share them with us in our Fall Reader Survey!

The Wonder That Was Ours by Alice Hatcher 

All This I Will Give to You by Dolores Redondo, Michael Meigs (translator)

Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery by Mary Amato

The Rule of One (The Rule of One Series) by Ashley Saunders and Leslie Saunders

Ponti by Sharlene Teo

Gravesend by William Boyle 

The Accidental War: A Novel (Praxis) by Walter Jon Williams

The Girl in the Locked Room: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

In Her Bones by Kate Moretti

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King 

Mortals and Immortals of Greek Mythology by Françoise Rachmuhl and Charlotte Gastaut

24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling 

Hunting Houses by Fanny Britt and Susan Ouriou

Worlds Seen in Passing: Ten Years of Tor.com Short Fiction by Irene Gallo 

Black Queer Hoe (BreakBeat Poets) by Britteney Black Rose Kapri

Citizen Illegal (BreakBeat Poets) by José Olivarez

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Viviana Mazza (translator)

Tell Me You’re Mine by Elisabeth Norebäck

Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman 

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

The Wildlands by Abby Geni 

Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer

Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs 

Santa Bruce (Mother Bruce) by Ryan T. Higgins

Tales of Valhalla: Norse Myths and Legends by Martyn Whittock and Hannah Whittock

The Chrysalis by Brendan Deneen 

Monster City: Murder, Music, and Mayhem in Nashville’s Dark Age by Michael Arntfield

After the Winter by Guadalupe Nettel, Rosalind Harvey (Translator) 

The Parting Gift: A Novel by Evan Fallenberg

John Woman by Walter Mosley 

Leave No Trace: A Novel by Mindy Mejia

Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough 

The Songaminute Man: A Tribute to the Unbreakable Bond Between Father and Son by Simon McDermott

Three Little Lies by Laura Marshall

Hole in the Middle by Kendra Fortmeyer 

Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian by Jacob Sager Weinstein and Vera Brosgol

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike 

Dare You to Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch

I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel

The Boy at the Keyhole by Stephen Giles 

The Reincarnated Giant: An Anthology of Twenty-First-Century Chinese Science Fiction (Weatherhead Books on Asia) by Mingwei Song (Editor), Theodore Huters (Editor)

Lake Success: A Novel by Gary Shteyngart

Business Pig by Andrea Zuill 

Feminasty: The Complicated Woman’s Guide to Surviving the Patriarchy Without Drinking Herself to Death by Erin Gibson

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell 

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan

Call Them by Their True Names: American Crises (and Essays) by Rebecca Solnit

Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City by Albert Samaha

Sadie by Courtney Summers 

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling 

Good Rosie! by Kate DiCamillo and Harry Bliss

American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time by Tracy K. Smith 

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson (Editor), Cheryl Willis Hudson (Editor)

Vanishing Twins: A Marriage by Leah Dieterich 

Chicken by Lynn Crosbie

Still Life with Monkey by Katharine Weber 

Check Out the Library Weenies: And Other Warped and Creepy Tales (Weenies Stories) by David Lubar

Foe: A Novel by Iain Reid 

My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man. by Kevin Powell

I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan by Khalida Brohi

A Room Away From the Wolves by Nova Ren Suma 

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

The Cats Came Back (Magical Cats) by Sofie Kelly

Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker by Mara Rockliff and Simona Ciraolo

The Crossroads by Alexandra Diaz

And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness, Rovina Cai (Illustrator)

The Forbidden Place by Susanne Jansson

Two Dark Reigns (Three Dark Crowns) by Kendare Blake

Hilda and the Hidden People: TV Tie-In Edition 1 by Luke Pearson and Stephen Davies

The End of the Moment We Had (Japanese Novellas) by Toshiki Okada and Samuel Malissa

Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World by Bruce Schneier

Human Hours: Poems by Catherine Barnett 

Patient X: The Case-Book of Ryunosuke Akutagawa by David Peace

When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica

Oh My Goth (Harlequin Teen) by Gena Showalter

Cats vs. Robots 1: This Is War by Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson 

The Piranhas: The Boy Bosses of Naples by Roberto Saviano, Antony Shugaar (translator)

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird 

The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony) by Ovidia Yu

Kickdown: A Novel by Rebecca Clarren

On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay Mckesson

The First Prehistoric Serial Killer and Other Stories by Teresa Solana and Peter Bush

Power to the Princess by Vita Weinstein Murrow and Julia Bereciartu 

That’s it for me today! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

Happy last Tuesday in August! Who is excited for new books??? I can’t wait to get French Exit by Patrick deWitt, and Ozy and Millie, a comic by Dana Simpson that came before Phoebe and Her Unicorn. I have some more wonderful books to recommend today, and you can also hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about City of Ghosts, Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Nothing Good Can Come from This, and more.

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Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.

Join America’s first Lady of Romance – bestselling author Janet Dailey – as she brings readers the lives and loves of a powerful ranching family, the Tylers, to life from their humble beginnings to their promising future in epic Texan saga that exemplifies the American Dream.  In the vein of her iconic Calder novels, long standing feuds, rustlers, and squatters, are constant threat to the Tylers and their beloved Rimrock Ranch and the land it stands on. But these passionate, strong men and women will stop at nothing to persevere their family’s legacy and flourish.

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PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away 16 of the great books mentioned on the Recommended podcast! Enter here by August 31st for a chance to win.

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson, the 2018–2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, returns to YA after Another Brooklyn with a powerful story about six students who meet once a week to discuss their lives. Without adult supervision, they are free to express their fears and anger over racial profiling, the deportation and incarceration of family members, and more. And they are also free of judgement, and come to depend on one another for support.

Backlist bump: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Mirage: A Novel by Somaiya Daud

I’m declaring this the big YA fantasy release of August. Inspired by the author’s Moroccan heritage, Mirage is about eighteen-year-old Amani, who is kidnapped and forced to appear as the body double for her country’s hated princess. Amani is torn between her glamorous new life in the palace and the real threat of death that hangs over her every time she appears as the princess in public. This is a wildly imaginative debut!

Backlist bump: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Dim Sum of All Fears (A Noodle Shop Mystery) by Vivien Chien

I am so delighted by this cozy mystery series, and the fact that they are being published so quickly! This time around, Lana Lee is left running the family restaurant business when her parents go to Taiwan, which she does begrudgingly and without any drama…until the owners of the souvenir shop next door are murdered! That totally counts as drama, right? At least it brings that handsome Detective Adam back around. (FYI: The third book is out in March!)

Backlist bump: Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chen

Housegirl: A Novel by Michael Donkor

A powerful debut about three adolescent girls growing up in different circumstances. Teen Belinda takes young Mary under her wing and teaches her the rules of being a housegirl. But then Belinda is sent from Ghana to London to clean for a family, with the hopes that she will be a good influence on their sullen daughter, Amma. Belinda hates to leave Mary behind and wonders if she will be able to get through Amma’s defenses. The writing in the novel is exquisite, and the story is both sad and charming.

Backlist bump: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

After her family is killed by the bloodthirsty warlord Aric Athair, Caledonia Styx forms a badass crew of women from similar situations, and sets out on her ship to seek revenge against Athair. Helping her get justice is a former crew member from Athair’s team. But can he be trusted? This is a rollicking high seas adventure!

Backlist bump: The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King

Everyday People: The Color of Life–a Short Story Anthology by Jennifer Baker

A wonderful anthology of short stories featuring new work by established and emerging writers of color, including Mia Alvar, Carleigh Baker, Nana Brew-Hammond, Glendaliz Camacho, Alexander Chee, Mitchell S. Jackson, Yiyun Li, Allison Mills, Courttia Newland, Dennis Norris II, Jason Reynolds, Nelly Rosario, Hasanthika Sirisena, and Brandon Taylor, curated by Jennifer Baker.

Backlist bump: The Best American Short Stories 2017 (The Best American Series) edited by Meg Wolitzer

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

Raise your hand if you saw either To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before or Crazy Rich Asians this weekend. Or maybe both? I saw them both, and I cannot recommend them enough! I love it when adaptations are wonderful. And the soundtracks are fantastic! Now back to books: I have some wonderful books to recommend today, and you can also hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! María Cristina and I talked about Small Animals, Underbug, Tragedy Plus Time, and more.

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Sponsored by Little, Brown and Company

Bound together by shared experience but pulled apart by their changing fortunes, four young friends coming of age in the postindustrial enclave of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, struggle to liberate themselves from the legacies left to them as black men in America. With potent immediacy and bracing candor, this provocative debut follows a decade in the lives of Dub, Rolls, Rye, and Gio as they each grapple with the complexity of their family histories, the newfound power of sex and drugs, and the ferocity of their desires.

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PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away 16 of the great books mentioned on the Recommended podcast! Enter here by August 31st for a chance to win.

Pieces of Her: A Novel by Karin Slaughter

I have mentioned before that I was late to the Karin Slaughter party, but I am so glad I finally made it, because she is AMAZING. This new one is fantastic, about a daughter who learns a secret about her mother’s previous identity. The rights have already been snagged, so we also have that to look forward to. (Does anyone else see Fairuza Balk when they look at the cover? No? Just me then?)

Backlist bump: The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

The Air You Breathe: A Novel by Frances de Pontes Peebles

Dores and Graça are two girls from different backgrounds living on a sugar plantation in 1930s Brazil. But their youth and their love of music brings them together and forms a friendship that will ultimately turn to a rivalry and test the bonds of their relationship. The Air You Breathe is a beautiful, luscious ode to the lasting friendships that shape our lives.

Backlist bump: My Brilliant Friend: Neapolitan Novels, Book One by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein (translator)

How Are You Going to Save Yourself by JM Holmes

This one was a tremendous punch in the feels, about four twenty-something friends who are at a crossroads in their friendships. As the paths in their lives begin take them to different places, readers get a look at their shared experiences of being young black males in America, both the good and the bad. It is an frank, riveting story, and the writing made me feel like I was there actually listening to the characters talk. This is a sometimes brutal but also fabulous and necessary debut.

Backlist bump: Loving Day by Mat Johnson

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday, book dragons! The weather has been disgusting in Maine this past week, just really muggy and raining all the time. But it’s perfect reading weather! (I know all weather is perfect reading weather, but let me pretend.) I got a lot of reading done inside my house, away from the mosquitoes, so I have some wonderful books to recommend today. You can also hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about Severance, She Begat This, His Favorites, and more.

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This edition of New Books is sponsored by Tyndale House Publishers.

A girl with a deadly lung disease . . .

A boy with a tragic past . . .

A land where the sun never sets but darkness still creeps in . . .

A bargain that brings life, but may cost more than anyone can imagine . . .

When a mysterious stranger appears to Madeline Oliver and offers to heal her in exchange for one year of service to his people, Madeline and her friend Jason Wu are swept into a strange land where they don’t understand the rules or the far-reaching consequences of their decisions.

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PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away 16 of the great books mentioned on the Recommended podcast! Enter here by August 31st for a chance to win.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Kya Clark was left alone in the marsh as a young girl, abandoned by her family. Resilient and self-sufficient, she takes care of herself as her existence becomes the stuff of legend. But when a body turns up in the swamp under perplexing circumstances, the local police have no suspects. So their attention turns to the town’s “Marsh Girl.” This is not just a mystery, but a beautiful and sad novel about nature and loneliness.

Backlist bump: Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

Fresh Ink: An Anthology edited by Lamar Giles

A fantastic YA anthology from thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors writing today including Nicola Yoon, Jason Reynolds, Melissa de la Cruz, published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. The tales in this collection leave the ending up to the reader, encouraging imagination and a love of reading.

Backlist bump: Flying Lessons & Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh 

Flights by Olga Tokarczuk,‎ Jennifer Croft (Translator)

Winner of the Man Booker International Prize, this is a gorgeous collection of interwoven tales about leaving your house, leaving your country, and leaving your body. It is a reflection on lives constantly in transit, what it means to belong to a certain place, and how we use the space we occupy. It’s a truly remarkable book.

Backlist bump: Bird Cloud: A Memoir of Place by Annie Proulx 

Alien Virus Love Disaster: Stories by Abbey Mei Otis

Aliens pay to watch kids fight. A sex robot crashes to Earth. A woman avoids reality by living in a video game. These stories and more make up this wonderful collection. Each story is about aliens and alien concepts, about power and control, but the reader knows that WE are really the aliens. (The humans, I mean. In case I needed to clarify for any cats, or vampires, or other creatures reading this newsletter.)

Backlist bump: Tender: Stories by Sofia Samatar 

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

It’s time for another big first Tuesday of the month list! There are SO many books on this list I want to read. And there are more coming in the next few weeks – August has an amazing number of great new releases this year. Let’s hear it for August!

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Get Warren Adler’s latest novel THE NORMA CONQUEST for $1.99 exclusively with this link: https://amzn.to/2JKRgc0

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You can hear about several of today’s new books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Jenn and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including Temper, If You Leave Me, The Third Hotel, and more.

(And like with each megalist, I’m putting a  next to the books that I have read and loved. But there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!)

PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away 16 of the great books mentioned on the Recommended podcast! Enter here by August 31st for a chance to win.

If You Leave Me: A Novel by Crystal Hana Kim 

Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine: Stories by Kevin Wilson 

Tiffany Blues by MJ Rose

The Last Hours by Minette Walters 

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Open Me by Lisa Locascio

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

The Fifth Woman by Nona Caspers

Smothered: A Novel by Autumn Chiklis

Temper by Nicky Drayden 

Becoming Belle by Nuala O’Connor

Absinthe: A Thriller by Guido Eekhaut

The Third Hotel: A Novel by Laura van den Berg 

Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon

This Mournable Body: A Novel by Tsitsi Dangarembga 

Before She Sleeps by Bina Shah

The Drama Teacher: A Novel by Koren Zailckas

If They Come for Us: Poems by Fatimah Asghar

The Reservoir Tapes by Jon McGregor 

A Short Film About Disappointment by Joshua Mattson

Our House by Louise Candlish 

Good Luck with That by Kristan Higgins

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis

These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders) by Sara Raasch

The Court Dancer: A Novel by Kyung-Sook Shin

Rust and Stardust by T. Greenwood

Marrakech Noir (Akashic Noir Series) by Yassin Adnan

This Story Is a Lie by Tom Pollock

Rogue Protocol: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells 

Horse by Talley English

A Deal with the Devil: The Dark and Twisted True Story of One of the Biggest Cons in History by Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken

Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach 

She Begat This: 20 Years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Joan Morgan

Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

Certain American States: Stories by Catherine Lacey 

Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen by Merrill Wyatt

Nothing Good Can Come from This: Essays by Kristi Coulter 

Be Everything at Once: Tales of a Cartoonist Lady Person by Dami Lee

Under a Dark Sky: A Novel by Lori Rader-Day

Sister of Mine by Laurie Petrou

The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization by Vince Beiser

99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown

The Bucket List by Georgia Clark

The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell

Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons Series) by Sarah J. Maas

Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris

Ticker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart by Mimi Swartz

Terrarium: New and Selected Stories by Valerie Trueblood

So Much Life Left Over: A Novel by Louis de Bernieres

Perennial by Kelly Forsythe

Baghdad Noir (Akashic Noir Series) by Samuel Shimon

Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert

Improper Cross-Stitch: 35+ Properly Naughty Patterns by Haley Pierson-Cox

#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil

Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy

Babylon by Yasmina Reza, Linda Asher (Translator)

Smoking Kills by Antoine Laurain, Louise Lalaurie Rogers (Translator)

Girls Resist!: A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution by Kaelyn Rich and Giulia Sagramola

Judas: How a Sister’s Testimony Brought Down a Criminal Mastermind by Astrid Holleeder

The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time by Nell Stevens

With You Always by Rena Olsen

Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World by Maryanne Wolf

The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé

The Distance Home by Paula Saunders

The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer

Alternate Routes by Tim Powers

Mr. & Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel

The Crescent Stone (The Sunlit Lands) by Matt Mikalatos

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser (paperback)

How Fiction Works (Tenth Anniversary Edition): Updated and Expanded by James Wood (paperback)

Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology by Ellen Ullman (paperback)

Safe by Ryan Gattis (paperback)

Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution by Jonathan B. Losos (paperback)

That’s it for me today! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday! I just returned from Print: A Bookstore in Portland (Maine) where I recorded this week’s episode of All the Books live! in! person! with Rebecca. We also ate donuts and looked at books. It was great fun! I have some wonderful books to recommend today and you can hear about several more great titles that we discussed on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about Brother, No One Tells You This, A Gentleman’s Murder, and more.

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Sponsored by Doubleday Books

In a dingy office, the door bears the names of A. Kimrean and Z. Kimrean. Private Eyes. Behind the door there is only one desk, one androgynous PI. A.Z., as they are collectively known, are brother and sister. He’s pure misanthropic logic, she’s hedonistic creativity. The Kimreans have been locked in mortal battle since they were in utero…which is tricky because they, very literally, share one single body. This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us is a brilliantly subversive and comic thriller celebrating noir detectives and action movies, that can only come from the mind of Edgar Cantero.

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PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 of the year’s best YA fiction and nonfiction so far! Enter here by the end of today, July 31st!

Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

This is the story of seven-year-old Chula, who lives a carefree life with her sister in a gated community in Bogotá. But when a young woman from the guerilla-occupied section of the city is hired as her family’s live-in maid, Chula begins to learn about privilege and the encroaching violence, crime, and conflict that is taking place beyond the walls. Set during the height of Pablo Escobar’s reign of crime and inspired by the author’s own experiences, this is a wonderful debut novel.

Backlist bump: Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea

The Descent of Monsters (The Tensorate Series) by JY Yang

The third book in the Tensorate series is here! And it is as wonderful as the first two books. (Actually, as much as I loved the first two, I love this one even MORE.) This time there’s an escaped experiment (MONSTER!), a lot of carnage, and an investigator who must figure out what really happened. I love these wildly imaginative stories so much! And unlike a lot of series, you don’t have to have read the first books to follow the story. (But I HIGHLY recommend them as well.)

Backlist bump: The Black Tides of Heaven (The Tensorate Series) by JY YAng

The Shortest Way Home by Miriam Parker

A charming novel about a woman taking control of her own story. Hannah thought she had her perfect life planned out with her boyfriend, set to begin right after  they finish grad school. But then she is offered a marketing job during a visit to her family’s winery – and realizes she kinda wants to take it. Suddenly she’s questioning what it is she thought she wanted from life and forging a new path for herself. The Shortest Way Home is a delightful debut about taking chances and making your own happiness.

Backlist bump: Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday! I had a ton of fun participating in the 24-in-48 readathon this past weekend. I read a lot of great books, and I look forward to the Dewey’s Readathon this Friday. Whether you make it one hour or the full 24 hours, any amount of time spent reading is time well spent! I have some wonderful books to recommend today (maybe for the readathon?) and you can hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about How To Love a Jamaican, I Can’t Date Jesus, Jell-O Girls, and more.

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Sponsored by How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs.

Tenderness and cruelty, loyalty and betrayal, ambition and regret—award-winning author Alexia Arthurs navigates these tensions to extraordinary effect in her debut collection. Bestselling author Zadie Smith calls it “thrilling” and says “Alexia Arthurs is all too easy to love.” These intimate tales take on today’s important topics—race, class, immigration, teenage pregnancy, and gay culture. Sweeping from close-knit island communities in Jamaican to the streets of New York City and Midwestern university towns, these eleven stories—most never-before-published—form a portrait of a nation, a people, and a way of life. How to Love a Jamaican, available now.

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America for Beginners by Leah Franqui

A mother from India takes a cross-country tour across America to find out what has happened to her beloved son in this heartsqueezing tale. Pival was devastated to hear her son had died suddenly in California, but now she’s on a mission to discover the truth, and she’s learning a lot about him through her journey across his adopted country with her bus companions, some immigrants themselves.

Backlist bump: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

City of Islands by Kali Wallace

Mara is a servant for the Lady of Tides, spending her time searching for treasures to please her. Her discovery of the unusual skeletons of ancient creatures leads the Lady of Tides to assign her a mission: sneak into the Winter Blade fortress. But what Mara discovers on her dangerous mission will change everything she knows about her home and its history.

Backlist bump: The Voyage to Magical North by Claire Fayers

Silent Hearts by Gwen Florio

An American aid worker and her local interpreter form an unexpected friendship amidst the increasing violence in Afghanistan. As they both work through the war, and later attempt to rebuild Kabul, their friendship grows even as the marked differences in their lives creates complexities in their relationship. Silent Hearts is a moving, hard-hitting novel of war, friendship, and loyalty.

Backlist bump: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

Happy Tuesday! I’m changing things up a bit today because I had several books I wanted to tell you about but not enough for a megalist. (GREAT BIG ENTHUSIASM, itty bitty newsletter space.) So you can check out a bunch of awesome books below, and you can hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Amanda and I talked about The Mere Wife, Blood & Ivy, What We Were Promised, and more. (PS – Apologies in advance: I also sang a song.)

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Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas.

New from the author of the highly acclaimed The Resurrection of Joan Ashby – set over the course of a single weekend, this provocative novel reckons with the nature of the stories we tell ourselves and our family and the price we pay for second chances.

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Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott

ALL HAIL THE QUEEN. Believe me when I tell you this is her best and since she’s already awesome, you KNOW it’s good. This is about two former friends who become rivals a decade later at a science lab when they are competing for the same position.

The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas

The Tabor family is gathering together in honor of their father, who is receiving an award. They appear to be the perfect family, but they each have secrets, and over the course of the weekend, a lot of ugly truth is going to come out. I love a messy family novel!

The Secret Habit of Sorrow: Stories by Victoria Patterson

These stories are tremendous, but what I have to say about them can’t top the publisher’s blurb: “…has a Denis-Johnson refiltered-through-Raymond-Carver-vibe, along with the emotional depth and density of Elena Ferrante.”

Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie

Girls! In! Space! This is a kickass story of a girl who volunteers to become a mechanically enhanced space soldier in order to make the money to save her ill brother. But there’s a rebellion coming, and she may have to fight.

Tacky Goblin by T. Sean Steele

I’m so happy that Unnamed Press is putting an edition of this out, because I loved this weird little book about a slacker renting an apartment with his sister and trying to get his life together.

Condomnauts by Yoss (Author),‎ David Frye (Translator)

Warning: This book is not going to be for everyone. It’s about sexual ambassadors in the galactic community. It’s a weird space adventure with technology and sex that is also a satire about Communist Cuba. But damn that Yoss can write.

When Life Gives You Demons by Jennifer Honeybourn

Shelby Black is training to be an exorcist, but she doesn’t want the cute boy she has a crush on to know that. But she soon discovers it’s a hard thing to hide… The title cracks me up!

Kill the Farm Boy: The Tales of Pell by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson

An ordinary farm boy becomes the Chosen One, and must rescue a princess in her tower. Along his journey, he’s going to meet some WEIRD people. This is a funny adventure by way of Terry Pratchett and Monty Python.

Apocalypse Nyx by Kameron Hurley

An ex-government assassin turned bounty hunter manages a ragtag group of misfits as she takes on missions.

A Sloth’s Guide to Mindfulness by Ton Mak

An adorable book about slowing your life down and breathing, with cute illustrations. It would make a great gift and also a perfect book for young people who want to learn about meditation.

The Mere Wife: A Novel by Maria Dahvana Headley

A retelling of Beowulf set in the suburbs! MDH has done a fantastic, fascinating job with a super old tale in a contemporary setting. And it’s feminist as all get out.

Blood & Ivy: The 1849 Murder That Scandalized Harvard by Paul Collins

A true crime set at Harvard Medical School, featuring several of the day’s famous authors, and a gruesome murder. If you like The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or Devil in the White City, this is your jam.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

Sometimes Hanna’s mom wishes she hadn’t been born. With good reason. HANNA IS EVIL. She torments her mother (and others) for fun but her mother is determined not to let Hanna get the upper hand. If kids creep you out, you will be doubly upset in this domestic horror novel.

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

It’s Tuesday – time for new books! I never get tired of telling you about books, and I appreciate you joining me here every week. (GROUP HUG.) What’s everyone interested in this week? I have a few awesome books for you below and you can hear about several more great titles on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Jenn and I talked about Indianapolis, An Ocean of Minutes, Spinning Silver, and more.

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Sponsored by Flatiron Books and I’m Not Missing, the YA debut from Carrie Fountain.

Miranda’s best friend, Syd, is missing, suddenly and inexplicably, leaving behind nothing but a pink leopard print cell phone with a text message from the mysterious HIM.

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PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 of the year’s best YA fiction and nonfiction so far! Enter here by July 31st!

The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams

The weather is perfect for reading this book! It’s a delectable historical novel full of romance and mystery, set on a secretive island where the very wealthy love to play. Miranda Schulyer has moved to the island to live with her mother, her new stepfather, and her icy stepsister. She soon meets Joseph, the son of a local, and learns about the divide between the island’s locals and its elite residents. When tragedy strikes, Miranda leaves the island, until eighteen years later, when she returns a successful actress and seeks the answers to what really happened all those years ago.

Backlist bump: The Secret Life of Violet Grant (The Schuler Sisters Novels) by Beatriz Williams

Suicide Club: A Novel About Living by Rachel Heng

Set in future NYC, this is a family drama wrapped up in sci-fi ribbons. Lea Kirino lives in a future where everyone has the potential to live forever and death is illegal, but when she runs into her estranged father on the sidewalk and becomes drawn into the Suicide Club, she learns just how precarious and implausible forever can be. This is a refreshingly original debut. And that cover! (In case you couldn’t tell from the title, trigger warnings for discussion of suicide.)

Backlist bump: Everything Belongs to Us by Yoojin Grace Wuertz

The Marginalized Majority: Claiming Our Power in a Post-Truth America by Onnesha Roychoudhuri

A powerful discussion about identity politics in an increasingly progressive and diverse society. Journalist Roychoudhuri talks about racism, history, how the direction of America has been dictated by privileged males for centuries, the possibilities for new voices to step up and lead, and how she became an activist.

Backlist bump: Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism by L.A. Kauffman

That’s it for me today – time to get back to reading! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty

Happy July! It’s time for another big first Tuesday of the month list. I feel like publishing has been releasing more great books in the summer over the last few years. It used to be a slower time, but now there are so many. Which is a win for readers!

You can hear about several of today’s new books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, including Can You Tolerate This, Eagle & Crane, The Ruin, and more.

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Sponsored by One Small Thing, new from Erin Watt, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Royals series and When It’s Real

Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. So, when she sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, Beth is thrilled to make a secret friend. Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is…

Fresh out of juvie and looking for a second chance, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get. Now Beth has a choice to make—follow her parents’ rules, or risk tearing everything apart…again.

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(And like with each megalist, I’m putting a  next to the books that I have read and loved. But there are soooo many more on this list that I can’t wait to read!)

PS – Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 of the year’s best YA fiction and nonfiction so far! Enter here by July 31st!

Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls: Stories by Alissa Nutting 

Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga

Heroine’s Journey (Heroine Complex) by Sarah Kuhn

Lost Gods by Micah Yongo

Eagle & Crane by Suzanne Rindell 

The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fifth Annual Collection by Gardner Dozois

The Intermission by Elyssa Friedland

The Book of Hidden Things by Francesco Dimitri

Smoke and Iron (The Great Library) by Rachel Caine

Caught in Time: A Novel (Kendra Donovan Mysteries) by Julie McElwain

Dear Mrs. Bird: A Novel by AJ Pearce 

Shadow State by Elyse Brayden

We Are The Clash: Reagan, Thatcher, and the Last Stand of a Band That Mattered by Mark Andersen and Ralph Heibutzki 

The Dying of the Light by Robert Goolrick

The Moment Before Drowning by James Brydon

Brood (Quarternote Chapbook Series) by Kimiko Hahn

Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum by Jennifer O’Toole

How to Be Famous: A Novel by Caitlin Moran

Can You Tolerate This? by Ashleigh Young

The Bear and the Paving Stone (Japanese Novellas) by Toshiyuki Horie and Geraint Howells

It All Falls Down: A Novel by Sheena Kamal 

Idiophone by Amy Fusselman

Resistance: Reclaiming an American Tradition by Jeff Biggers

Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin

City of Lies by Sam Hawke

White River Burning: A Dave Gurney Novel: Book 6 by John Verdon

City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai by Paul French

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

Space Unicorn Blues by TJ Berry

Black Chamber (A Novel of an Alternate World War) by S. M. Stirling

Empire of Silence (Sun Eater) by Christopher Ruocchio

The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Ruin: A Novel by Dervla McTiernan 

Don’t Let Them See Me Like This by Jasmine Gibson

Made for Love by Alissa Nutting (paperback) 

Out in the Open by Jesús Carrasco (paperback) 

That’s it for me today! If you want to learn more about books new and old (and see lots of pictures of my cats, Millay and Steinbeck), or tell me about books you’re reading, or books you think I should read (I HEART RECOMMENDATIONS!), you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad,

Liberty