Riot New Media

FYI: IT’S STILL SUMMER! I know it’s hard to remember, because advertisers are cramming back-to-school and Halloween stuff down our throats already, but there’s still more lovely weather for outdoor reading. I have been enjoying reading outside this super-hot Maine summer (from the safety of the shade, of course.) Whether you like to read inside or out, on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I talked about Behold the Dreamers, The Couple Next Door, and more new releases. BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Gentleman by Forrest Leo.

A funny, fantastically entertaining debut novel, in the spirit of Wodehouse and Monty Python, about a famous poet who inadvertently sells his wife to the devil–then recruits a band of adventurers to rescue her. Lionel and his friends encounter trapdoors, duels, anarchist-fearing bobbies, the social pressure of not knowing enough about art history, and the poisonous wit of his poetical archenemy. Fresh, action-packed and very, very funny, this debut novel The Gentleman by Forrest Leo is a giddy farce that recalls the masterful confections of P.G. Wodehouse and Hergé’s beautifully detailed Tintin adventures.

The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time by Keith Houston

This is the most epic of nerdpurrs: an image-filled exploration of the history of books! From the papyrus scrolls and tablets of ancient history to the beautiful bound books we hold in our hands today, this is the perfect gift to give a book lover. And by “book lover,” I mean “yourself.” (You’re not even still reading this description, are you? I know I was totally sold on the title alone.)

Backlist bump: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books by Nicholas A. Basbanes

Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson

I have been fascinated by the story of the prison uprising since I was little and saw Al Pacino chanting “Attica!” in Dog Day Afternoon. Despite being a famous event, it has taken over forty years for some of the documents on Attica to be unsealed. Thompson has collected all that information and written a definitive account of the bloody uprising, from the perspectives of both the prisoners and the law enforcement. It is a horrifying, fascinating read on the historical mistreatment of inmates, and how some victims are still searching for justice.

Backlist bump: Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better by Maya Schenwar

We Eat Our Own by Kea Wilson

Okay, I will admit that this might not be for everyone, but if you are a lover of 1970s Italian horror (like I am) or horror movies in general (me again), you are the perfect audience! An unnamed actor flies to the Amazon to shoot a film, only to find upon his arrival that the director is mad, the script is missing, the film is over budget, the crew is on the verge of losing their minds, and the town itself is out to get them. Loosely based on events surrounding the filming of Cannibal Holocaust, this is a dazzlingly written, shocking exploration of violence and art.

Backlist bump: Night Film by Marisha Pessl (If you want another feeling of 1970s Italian horror film directors.)

YAY, BOOKS! That’s it for me. If you want to learn more about books (and see lots of pictures of my cats), or tell me about books you’re reading, you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad!

Liberty

New boooooooooooks! There are GREAT new books out today. The Amy Schumer memoir, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, is out, and I am so excited to get my hands on Riverine, which has thus far escaped my clutches. And on this week’s episode of the All the Books! Rebecca and I… well… let’s just say the heat got to us this weekend (SO HOT) so we talked about whatever we wanted, including One-in-a-Million Boy, Geek Love, and Golden Years.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson.

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda, and the path before them is winding and dangerous–what will happen now? This third and final book in the Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed. New York Times-bestselling author Mary E. Pearson’s combination of intrigue, suspense, romance, and action makes  this a riveting page-turner that you won’t be able to put down!

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

From the author of The Sherlockian comes another delightful 19th-century tale involving real-life historical figures! This time it’s Thomas Edison. On the brink of getting electric lights into every household, Edison sues his remaining rival, George Westinghouse, to hopefully bankrupt him. But Westinghouse’s young lawyer will prove to be a match for the electric tyrant. Based on real events, Moore once again wonderfully brings history to light. Er, life.

Backlist bump: The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt

The Greatest of Marlys by Lynda Barry

A legendary comic figure, Marlys is Barry’s stand-out star, an eight-year-old freckled, bossy, bucktoothed young girl in glasses that Barry debuted to great acclaim in 1986. This is a brilliant retrospective on Marlys over the last thirty years, and a fantastic trip down memory lane. If you love Roz Chast, be sure to check it out.

Backlist bump: What It Is by Lynda Barry

A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi

Zeba has always been the perfect wife and mother, but when her husband is found brutally murdered, she is jailed for the crime, much to the astonishment of her children. As Zeba awaits trial, she gets to know the other women in her cell, who have also suffered great misfortunes and violence at the hands of men. To these women, jail is more of a haven than a punishment, a safe place away from a world where women are treated so cruelly. A necessary, moving look at the lives of Afghan women and the power of sisterhood, The House Without Windows will lift your spirits and shatter your heart.

Backlist bump: When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi

The Gentleman by Forrest Leo

Due to an enormous book-buying habit, poet Lionel Savage is broke. (Sound familiar?) To help his finances, he marries for money – only to find after the wedding that he is no longer able to write. Many miserable months later, after chatting with the Devil at a party (like you do), Lionel’s wife goes missing. It is then Lionel realizes not only does he actually love his wife, but that he may have inadvertently given her to Satan, and he must get her back immediately. Plenty of charming slapstick ensues. A lighthearted comedy of errors that never takes itself too seriously, The Gentleman is a delight.

Backlist bump: The Most Of P.G. Wodehouse by P.G. Wodehouse

Uproot: Travels in 21st-Century Music and Digital Culture by Jace Clayton

I’m so glad I picked this one up! Clayton (aka DJ Rupture), a musical sensation, explores the connections in music that have been forged from the relatively-new use of the internet. He offers a fascinating look at the different ways people are making music in the digital age, and spins the future of music in a positive light, explaining why there’s no need to fear – music isn’t going anywhere.

Backlist bump: How Music Got Free: A Story of Obsession and Invention by Stephen Witt

YAY, BOOKS! That’s it for me. If you want to learn more about books (and see lots of pictures of my cats), or tell me about books you’re reading, you can find me on Twitter at MissLiberty, on Instagram at FranzenComesAlive, or Litsy under ‘Liberty’!

Stay rad!

Liberty