Categories
Kissing Books

Mountains of Men: Kissing Books for May Fourth (heh), 2017

Happy Star Wars day! Who’s your favorite Star Wars couple? I have a special place in my heart for Ciena and Thayne from Claudia Gray’s Lost Stars, but I totally betrayed them for a few months with aaaalll the Stormpilot (and maybe some of the Jedistormpilot) fanfiction after The Force Awakens came out. Of course I am all about OG Han and Leia, but I like to pretend their story ended in Episode VI. Let me have that. 

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Noble Servant by Melanie Dickerson.

New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson returns with The Noble Servant, a retelling of the fairtale classic, The Goose Girl. In this medieval tale, Lady Magdalen is on her way to join the Duke of Wolfberg in marriage when her maidservant betrays her, takes her identity, and sends her down to the lowliest household position—tending the geese. But while out in the field, Magdalen encounters a mysterious shepherd who reveals that not all is as it seems in the castle, and it is up to them—the lowest of the low—to regain all that is lost.

(For the uninitiated non-dweebs who read Kissing Books, you can read all about the silliness of May The Fourth Be With You here.)

In other news, how has your reading gone since we last chatted?

Romancelandia has been pretty quiet (they deserve a break from all the drama!), and right now they’re all busy at RT Convention, but there are always books!

Over on Book Riot, we’ve got romances that pass the Bechdel-Wallace test.

Amanda Diehl compiled diverse romances coming out in the next quarter.

And next: book recs!

I finally got around to reading The Thing About Love by Julie James and it was great fun. I’d (gasp!) only read one other Julie James novel before and hadn’t been bowled over the way others seemed to have been, and I discovered I just hadn’t found the right Julie James novel. This one, about two FBI agents with a history that—as with most histories—is remembered very differently by the pair, is fantastic, funny, and frustrating in the best ways. If you want all the interesting undercover work without the angst of a romantic suspense, this is the book for you.

I just (literally just) finished Rebekah Weatherspoon’s Haven and holy gee whiz. You’re gonna want to get your hands on this one immediately. When Shep hears screaming from his remote mountain home, he has no idea what’s going to happen to his life or that of the beautiful woman whose life he saves. Where’s that fire emoji when you need it? This book requires heat-resistant gloves just to turn the pages. And because YMMV, if the name of the series (Beards and Bondage) didn’t give enough of a hint, you’re gonna want to be prepared for bearded heroes. And kink, of course.

Both of these books include a mountain of a man as our hero, neither of whom tries to hide how much of a sweetheart they actually are. So if that’s your thing, you’ll want to mainline these back to back.

And per usual, some books out now and coming soon:

Concourse, Santino Hassell

Necessary Medicine, MK York

Seized by Seduction, Brenda Jackson

To Me I Wed, KM Jackson

The Librarian and the Spy, Susan Mann

Dating the Undead, Juliet Lyons

Bombshell, CD Reiss

Love Me Again, Jaci Burton

Crazy for You, Rina Gray (5/ 8)

Deadmen Walking, Sherrilyn Kenyon (5/9)

The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Amanda Quick (5/9)

Lethal Lies, Rebecca Zanetti (5/16)

 

Time to get back to reading (not even gonna lie about “getting caught up”). In the meantime, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

Until next time, m’loves!

Categories
Unusual Suspects

Mystery/Thrillers For Shakespeare Lovers, and More!

Hello fellow mystery fans! Family Councils Ontario has created a reading program for Long-Term Care Homes and if they pick their books wisely this could turn into some awesome mystery party events–just sayin’!

Nevertheless, she persisted!

Murder Between the Lines by (Kitty Weeks Mystery #2) by Radha Vatsal: I adore Capability “Kitty” Weeks and her persistence to live her life as she chooses. While she’s finally gotten the writing job she wants she’s always pushing for more, and to actually be treated as a proper journalist—something believed only men can be in the early 1900s. (Good luck getting Kitty to stand down!) After visiting an all girls school for a writing assignment Kitty finds herself needing to dig deeper into the death of one of the girls since she’s unable to accept the sleepwalking explanation. Set in N.Y. at the beginning of WWII the novel is filled with historical facts and puts Kitty into women’s suffrage events, visits from President Wilson, and even has her looking into Thomas Edison’s battery invention. I’m looking forward to more of this series!

James Patterson plans to write a true crime book about Aaron Hernandez, the former NFL star who took his own life while serving life in prison.

Even though I must solve everything I loved this quote in The New York Times article In Praise of Agatha Christie’s Accidental Sleuths by Radhika Jones: “I never tried to piece together the clues. I vastly preferred to hear it from Hercule Poirot or Jane Marple. Why spend time with such endearing, clever characters if you’re not going to let them do their job?”

Fun!

Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott: When I read too many disappointing or problematic books in a row I usually try to pick up a fun book to wash my brain clean and Pretty Fierce delivered! Kai’s parents are contract killers who’ve raised her around the world as they moved from job to job–that is until a job goes very wrong and Kai ends up orphaned and living with strangers. She’s also finally attending high school and has a boyfriend she loves to pieces, which is of course when the past comes back for her. It seems there are people out to kill (?) kidnap (?) clearly cause Kai harm and since she still doesn’t know what her parents last job was nor what happened to them she has to find out who is after her in order to stay safe. And her boyfriend is coming along for the action-packed ride because let’s just say those two haven’t been very honest with each other and they’ve got some stuff to work out while trying to stay alive. I can totally see this being adapted into a CW series starring Aimee Carrero kicking ass.

Emil Ferris’ unique and clever mystery graphic novel My Favorite Thing is Monsters created a four studio bidding battle for the screen rights. Sony won.

For Shakespeare Lovers:

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio: Ever wanted to solve a murder while being submersed in Shakespeare’s words? Have I got a book for you! Seven students attending Dellecher Classical Conservatory as Shakespeare actors have bonded and created a click as they eat, sleep, breathe Shakespeare–that is until a real life tragedy! The novel starts with Oliver being released from jail and a detective coming to ask if he’ll now finally reveal what really happened ten years ago at the Conservatory. As Oliver finally tells what led to the tragedy, and the roles each student played before and after, you’ll wonder how much is life imitating art and vice versa… This one had a type of ending that I love–but I can’t tell you.

And if you’ve been dying to get your hands on Paula Hawkins’ Into the Water it is now out in the wild! If you’re a must-read-before-the-adaptation reader DreamWorks Pictures is already working on the film so times a ticking.

 

 

On Book Riot: Since mystery fans are usually fans of plot twists here are 100 must-read novels with twists!

And Amanda Nelson, Jenn Northington, and Katie McLain did a special mystery/thrillers themed Get Booked podcast!

I have to go shopping now:

If you’ve always wanted a Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine bag dreams do come true!

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy— you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Level up your reading life with Book Riot Insiders! We’ve got exclusive content and goodness for subscribers, including a new releases calendar, an Insiders-only forum, and more. Join us! 

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Categories
In The Club

In The Club May 3

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read.

This newsletter is sponsored by The Widow of Wall Street by Randy Susan Meyers.

The Widow of Wall Street cover A provocative new novel by bestselling author Randy Susan Meyers about the seemingly blind love of a wife for her husband as he conquers Wall Street, and her extraordinary, perhaps foolish, loyalty during his precipitous fall.

When Phoebe learns her husband’s triumph and vast reach rests on an elaborate Ponzi scheme her world unravels. Her children refuse to see her if she remains at their father’s side, but abandoning him feels cruel and impossible.

From penthouse to prison, Randy Susan Meyers’s latest novel exposes a woman struggling to survive and then redefine her life as her world crumbles.

Books for your mama: Bustle breaks down how to put together a successful mother-daughter book club. We get questions about this so regularly on Get Booked, I felt like there might already be some of you trying this and many more interested. And section 5, on choosing your books, has some great methods that would work with any kind of book club — I had never heard the 5-3-1 Method before, but I dig it.

OMG, so awkward. Sharifah talks about awkward book club moments, whether it’s you or the person sitting across from you, and she had me cracking up with this video. Be prepared for some realtalk!

Want to get more calendrical with your group’s choices? Here are 50 fictional literary dates to tie into, courtesy of Lithub.

Get out the popcorn: Casey has five great lesbian movies based on books for your consideration. Whether you’re doing a page-to-screen book club or just need some good books to discuss, she’s got you covered.

Every villain is the hero of their own story. And to prove it, the B&N blog has five (debatably delightful) disturbing narrators for you.

And now for this week’s Read Harder Challenge recommendations! Here are round-ups of themed lists for a couple tasks, plus a shout-out each to a personal favorite.

For: read an LGBTQ romance novel (courtesy of Sarah MacLean)

For Real by Alexis Hall– For Real by Alexis Hall, which is an incredibly sweet and incredibly dirty romance that made me cry and/or blush depending on the page. Talking points include May/December romances, BDSM, and how we recover when we get lost.
– 5 Authors To Get You Started in M/M Romance
– Romance beyond gay and lesbian
– A (Semi) Comprehensive Guide to LGBTQ+ Romance
– Lesbian Romance Novels

For: read a book published between 1900 and 1950.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin– We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, which came before 1984 and starts with the premise that happiness is more important than freedom. It’s a classic.
– Books That Shaped America: 1900 to 1950
– Best Children’s Books: 1900 to 1950
– Popular 1900s to 1950s books on Goodreads

 

 

More Resources: 
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page

Categories
The Goods

BR Collection 25% Off

Shimmy, shake, and do the last-chance dance. The 25% sale on all original Book Riot designs ends today. You know what to do!

Categories
Riot Rundown

050217-TheBattlemage-Riot-Rundown

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by The Summoner Series by Taran Matharu.

Fletcher can summon demons. But can he win a war? The action-packed bestselling Summoner Series continues with The Battlemage. Start reading from the beginning—get The Novice for only $2.99 for a limited time.

Categories
The Stack

050217-SpillZone-The-Stack

Today’s The Stack is sponsored by Spill Zone, a stunning graphic novel from bestselling author Scott Westerfeld.

Three years ago an event destroyed the small city of Poughkeepsie, forever changing reality within its borders. Uncanny manifestations and lethal dangers now await anyone who enters the Spill Zone. The Spill claimed Addison’s parents and scarred her little sister, Lexa, who hasn’t spoken since. Addison provides for her sister by photographing the Zone’s twisted attractions on illicit midnight rides. Art collectors pay top dollar for these bizarre images, but getting close enough for the perfect shot can mean death—or worse.

When an eccentric collector makes a million-dollar offer, Addison breaks her own hard-learned rules of survival and ventures farther than she has ever dared. Within the Spill Zone, Hell awaits—and it seems to be calling Addison’s name.

Categories
Giveaways

harry potter creature incredibuilds giveaway

We have a full set of Harry Potter Creature Incredibuilds to giveaway, courtesy of our friends at Insight Editions.

The prize pack includes buildable creature sets for Buckbeak, Niffler, Aragog, and Swooping Evil!

Each buildable 3D wood set also comes with a booklet about the design and backstory of each creature from the Wizarding World.

Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click on the image of the Buckbeak set below. Good luck!

Categories
New Books

First Tuesday in May New Books Megalist!

It’s the first Tuesday of the month, so you know what that means: IT’S A SPECTACULARLY GOOD NEW RELEASE DAY. And the warm weather is finally here, so I can look out my window and see the sun and green grass! (What, you thought I was going to say “read outside?” LOL. That’s where the bugs live, sillies.) There are a kitten-ton of great books out this week, including the last books in the Court of Thorns and Roses and Divine Cities trilogies! And you can hear about several of these books on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about a few amazing books we loved, such as Priestdaddy, One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, and This is Just My Face.

And while we’re talking about book news: Wanna learn about new book deals, adaptation news, and upcoming must-read books? I’m writing the new Book Riot newsletter, Book Radar, which will give you all those things! You can sign up here, and check out the most recent one here.

Now, let’s get down to business.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Nix by Nathan Hill, new in paperback.

Samuel hasn’t seen his mother since she abandoned the family. Now she’s re-appeared, having committed an absurd crime that electrifies the nightly news and inflames a politically divided country. To save her, Samuel will have to embark on a journey, uncovering long-buried secrets that stretch back across generations, from 2011 to 1960s America and to WWII Norway, home of the mysterious Nix. As he does so, Samuel will confront not only Faye’s losses but also his own lost love, and will relearn everything he thought he knew about his mother, and himself.

the dinner partyThe Dinner Party: Stories by Joshua Ferris

The Storied City: The Quest for Timbuktu and the Fantastic Mission to Save Its Past by Charlie English

Deep Water (Simon True) by Katherine Nichols

The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey

Priestdaddy: A Memoir by Patricia Lockwood

The Farm in the Green Mountains (NYRB Classics) by Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer (Author), Ida H. Washington (Translator), Carol E. Washington (Translator)

One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter: Essays by Scaachi Koul

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn

Ugly Prey: An Innocent Woman and the Death Sentence That Scandalized Jazz Age Chicago by Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi

Genevieves by Henry Hoke

triple threatTriple Threat (Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond

This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare by Gabourey Sidibe

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

Beach Lawyer by Avery Duff

My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward: A Memoir by Mark Lukach

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu

Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee by Wayne Flynt

Cutting Back: My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto by Leslie Buck

moving forward sidewaysMoving Forward Sideways Like a Crab by Shani Mootoo

Posted by John David Anderson

The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Before We Sleep by Jeffrey Lent

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig  

Fen: Stories by Daisy Johnson

Said Not Said: Poems by Fred Marchant

The History of the Future by Edward McPherson

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don’t Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up by Emilie Wapnick

a court of wings and ruinA Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses) by Sarah J. Maas

The Supernormal Sleuthing Service: The Lost Legacy by Gwenda Bond and Christopher Rowe

American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6′ 4″, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian by W. Kamau Bell

Hooper’s Revolution by Dennie Wendt

Built on Bones: 15,000 Years of Urban Life and Death by Brenna Hassett

Time’s a Thief by B.G. Firmani

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool: A True Love Story by Peter Turner

i'll eat when I'm deadI’ll Eat When I’m Dead by Barbara Bourland

Firstborn by Tosca Lee

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft by Geraldine DeRuiter

Borrowed Souls: A Soul Charmer Novel by Chelsea Mueller

Dreamfall by Amy Plum

Bubble by Stewart Foster

Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times edited by Carolina De Robertis

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin (Author), Bonnie Huie  (Translator)

the leaversThe Leavers by Lisa Ko

The Trials of Apollo Book Two The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

And We’re Off by Dana Schwartz

Milena, or The Most Beautiful Femur in the World by Jorge Zepeda Patterson (Author), Adrian Nathan West (Translator)

You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women’s Friendships by Deborah Tannen

Mid-Life Ex-Wife: A Diary of Divorce, Online Dating, and Second Chances by Stella Grey

The Scattering (Outliers) by Kimberly McCreight

My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul

astrophysicsAstrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

The Gathering Edge by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

The Weekend Effect: The Life-Changing Benefits of Taking Time Off and Challenging the Cult of Overwork by Katrina Onstad

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky

Trajectory: Stories by Richard Russo

Soupy Leaves Home by Cecil Castellucci  (Author), Jose Pimienta (Illustrator)

The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness by Jill Filipovic

the end of eddyThe End of Eddy by Édouard Louis (Author), Michael Lucey (Translator)

City of Miracles (The Divine Cities) by Robert Jackson Bennett

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Inheritance from Mother by Minae Mizumura

He Calls Me By Lightning: The Life of Caliph Washington and the forgotten Saga of Jim Crow, Southern Justice, and the Death Penalty by S Jonathan Bass

No One Can Pronounce My Name by Rakesh Satyal

‘Round Midnight by Laura McBride

Beyond the High Blue Air: A Memoir by Lu Spinney

Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan

hadrianaHadriana in All My Dreams by René Depestre (Author), Kaiama L. Glover (Translator)

The Nix by Nathan Hill (paperback)

The Assistants by Camille Perri (paperback)

Why We Came to the City by Kristopher Jansma (paperback)

The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan (paperback)

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (paperback)

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee (paperback)

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

Categories
This Week In Books

Is The Handmaid’s Tale a Feminist Show? (Yes): This Week in Books

The Handmaid’s Tale is Feminist, Obviously

At the Tribeca Film Festival, star of Hulu’s Handmaid’s Tale adaptation Elisabeth Moss said the show was “not a feminist story, it’s a human story, because women’s rights are human rights.” The comment irked think piece writers everywhere, as the book and adaptation are very obviously about feminism and reproductive rights. She’s since walked backed her comments, saying “I wanted to say ― and I’ll just say it right here, right now ― OBVIOUSLY, all caps, it is a feminist work. It is a feminist show,” and Margaret Atwood herself has weighed in as well.

You’re Not a Bad Book Person If You Can’t Get Into Book Clubs

I love my book club, probably because there isn’t a book industry person in it at all and it’s refreshing to talk about books with people who have no stake in any aspect of the conversation outside of their love for reading, but book clubs aren’t for everyone. If you’ve found yourself trying and failing to start/join/successfully attend/at all care about the book club scene, you are not alone! Go forth and read in solitary splendor.

Good News Corner

PHRYNE FISHER IS GETTING A MOVIE TRILOGY, REPEAT, PHRYNE FISHER IS GETTING A MOVIE TRILOGY. The excellent TV show Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (based on the Kerry Greenwood books) follow the crime-solving shenanigans of Phryne, a wealthy woman in 1920s Australia who carries a gold-plated gun and refuses to get married. I will watch all these movies until the end of time, forever and ever amen.

Also, Tahereh Mafi is returning to the Shatter Me universe with three new books in the series! Inspired by a recent re-read of the books in preparation for an adaptation, Mafi realized she has more places to take the characters. A+ will read.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by TarcherPerigee, publisher of Adult-ish by Cristina Vanko and Adulthood for Beginners by Andy Boyle.

Ready for #RealLife?

Whether you’re a newly minted “adult” navigating your first job and paying rent for the first time—or are just about to graduate and join the “sophisticates” in the real world, Adult-ish and Adulthood for Beginners provide the tools and advice for Millennials seeking to ease the transition from dorm room to cubicle life.

Adult-ish, an illustrated, interactive journal encouraging self-reflection, is a celebration (and keepsake) of your first years as an “adult.”

Adulthood for Beginners is the hilarious—yet useful—guide for avoiding years of awkwardness, mistakes, bad dates and more that older Millennials and Gen Xers wish they’d had when they were younger.

Categories
Giveaways

Weekend Giveaway: Adult-ish By Cristina Vanko & Adulthood For Beginners By Andy Boyle

 

We have 10 copies each of Adult-ish by Cristina Vanko and Adulthood for Beginners by Andy Boyle to give away to 10 Riot readers.

Here’s what they are all about:

Ready for #RealLife?

Whether you’re a newly minted “adult” navigating your first job and paying rent for the first time—or are just about to graduate and join the “sophisticates” in the real world, Adult-ish and Adulthood for Beginners provide the tools and advice for Millennials seeking to ease the transition from dorm room to cubicle life.

Adult-ish, an illustrated, interactive journal encouraging self-reflection, is a celebration (and keepsake) of your first years as an “adult.”

Adulthood for Beginners is the hilarious—yet useful—guide for avoiding years of awkwardness, mistakes, bad dates and more that older Millennials and Gen Xers wish they’d had when they were younger.

Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the cover image below: