Riot New Media – Page 49

Gothic Fantasy Romance, New and Old

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got new releases and a couple gothic fantasy romance recommendations. It’s been a weekend of absolutely wacky weather in Colorado, with lots of slushy snow providing good excuses to snuggle with my cat and read. What an excellent April, is all I can say. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!

Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here are two places to start: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, which provides medical and humanitarian relief to children in the Middle East regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation; and Ernesto’s Sanctuary, a cat sanctuary and animal rescue in Syria that is near and dear to my heart.

Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help with handpicked recommendations. Tell the Bibliologists at Tailored Book Recommendations about what you love and what you don’t. You can get your recommendations via email or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! Subscribe today.

Bookish Goods

Gothic Lacy Corner Bookmark by ADKDPublications

Gothic romances deserve wonderfully gothic bookmarks. This one comes in spiderweb or bat lace patterns. $5

New Releases

Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho

Ocean has always felt like a misfit who isn’t quite Korean enough, and that was even before a mission went awry and turned her into persona non grata with Korea’s space agency. But when her best friend is framed for a murder, she and her crew — all of them as much misfits as she is — try to help him…and quickly find themselves in the middle of an ideological conflict accompanied by very real bullets.

The Sky Was Ours by Joe Fassler

At 24 years old, Jane has nothing to look forward to except a miserable job, crushing debt, and a world hurtling toward climate disaster. Feeling she has nothing to lose, she abandons her entire life and goes on the road. There, she meets a charismatic recluse named Barry, who is obsessively trying to build working wings for humans, certain that this invention would revolutionize society and bring about a utopia.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I love a good gothic romance, and most of them tend to default to fantasy anyway, what with the ghosts and all. Here’s a new gothic fantasy romance and an older one that both sound utterly delightful to me.

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

Xue is a talented young musician who was orphaned at an early age; the only life she’s known is being indentured at the House of Flowing Water, the premiere entertainment house in the kingdom. She has little hope for her future as an artist until she’s called to privately perform for Duke Meng, who soon takes her away to his estate, his kind awkwardness becoming increasingly suspect. Xue soon learns the duke is no ordinary man: he is the Duke of Dreams, and he needs her to unlock long-forgotten memories to save the Six Celestial Realms from destruction.

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

Wren’s reckless use of her magic has brought about her dismissal from the Queen’s Guard, which in turn has separated her from the girl she loves. So when a reclusive lord with a crumbling estate asks her to come cure his servant, she takes the rather suspect job in the hopes it will be a path to redemption. Instead, she discovers the person she’s supposed to heal is the infamous Reaper of Vesria, her kingdom’s greatest enemy — and the estate is filled with secrets that may well end them both if they don’t join forces.

See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.

New Books

Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, star bits! I hope you all had a delightful weekend. It was pretty nice here in Maine. Things are finally settling down and I’m able to take more time to stop and eat the roses. And read books! There are so many I want to read that I can’t seem to settle on just one. I want to have all of them in my brain right this very minute! To help you break your TBR, today I have a collection of essays from a talented artist; new YA noir from a Book Riot favorite; and the sequel to one of the best vampire novels of the last few years!

As for other new releases, at the top of my list of today’s books that I want to get my hands on are Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta, A Body Made of Glass: A Cultural History of Hypochondria by Caroline Crampton, and Officer Clawsome: Crime Across Time by Brian “Smitty” Smith and Chris Giarrusso. (Much like The Investigators and Fry Guys, this series has so. many. puns.)

You can hear about more of the fabulous books coming out today on this week’s episode of All the Books! Patricia and I talked about books we are excited about that are out this week, including The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Ocean’s Godori, and Knife.

I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays by Nell Irvin Painter

Painter first turned up on my radar with Old in Art School, her memoir about, well, going to art school in middle age. This book collects Painter’s critical thinking and personal writing from her decades-long career in one place. Painter has been documenting her interests, research, and opinions about people, politics, race, and the Black experience in America for half a century and is a smart, incisive writer, no matter her subject. The book also includes original works of art throughout by the aptly named Painter. It’s a great book to enjoy at your leisure, or read cover to cover in one sitting.

Backlist bump: Old In Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Painter

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

Stacey Lee has been a Book Riot favorite since her first YA novel, Under a Painted Sky. Lee’s books are consistently great, and she’s an auto-buy author for me, for sure. She excels at historical fiction, and this is no exception. Kill Her Twice is a noir set in 1930s Chinatown. When Hollywood starlet Lulu Wong is found dead by her former classmates, they think it’s suspicious. Lulu may have been out of their orbit, living a supposedly glamorous life of fame, but they knew the real her. And something isn’t right. So Lulu’s friends take it upon themselves to find out what happened to her, and how she ended back up in Chinatown. But if their instincts are correct, and Lulu was murdered, that means a killer is still out there. And they are putting a big target on their backs by seeking answers.

Backlist bump: The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

First Light (Night’s Edge, #2) by Liz Kerin

This is the sequel to one of my favorite vampire novels of the last few years! The first book was Night’s Edge, and it’s a great short and nasty vampire tale, with a very 1980s-vampire novel feel. I’m not going to spoil anything here by telling you about First Light, but I will tell you a bit about the first book. It involves a young woman named Mia. In this world, vampires are real, and they are registered and regulated by the government. Meaning, they’re locked away. Mia’s mother Izzy was turned into a vampire when Mia was young, and she has grown up helping her hide mother her vampirism from the world. But this means that Mia never left home, never had friends over, never got to have a life of her own. And her mother isn’t even that grateful, as her condition makes her frequently aggressive and unpleasant to live with. Then, Mia meets a young woman who has her questioning her dedication to her mother and her own lack of a social life. Can Mia find happiness out in the daylight, or will she spend her life at her mother’s side in darkness?

Backlist bump: Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin

orange cat lying in a carboard flat on top of cases of soda; photo by Liberty Hardy

This week, I am reading Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham and We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado. I am two seasons into rewatching The X-Files for the twelfth time. And by “watch” I mean “leave on in the background while I do work.” It has been a few years since I rewatched it, and I feel like I have a new appreciation of it. The last few times, I have been very critical of it. But while it certainly has its flaws, this time I am struck anew by how creepy and messed up it is. (Related: Did you know that before he took on college students cheating Las Vegas and the creation of Facebook, Ben Mezrich wrote an X-Files tie-in novel?) The song stuck in my head this week is “My Home is the Sea” by Bonnie Prince Billy. And here is your weekly cat picture: Look at this little orange soda jerk. (Related: Do people even know what a soda jerk is anymore?)

That’s all for this week! I appreciate you more than I can say, friends. Thank you for joining me each Tuesday as I rave about books! I am wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week, whatever situation you find yourself in now. And yay, books! See you next week! – XO, Liberty

“Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.”—Diane Duane

The Kids Are All Right

Financial Literacy, Golems, And More Great Kids’ Books!

Post author By Margaret Kingsbury
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! It’s hard to believe May is just around the corner, though Nashville’s record-breaking heat this month sure does make it seem like it’s almost summer! My daughter only has a month left of kindergarten, which just seems impossible.

Today, I review four books for Financial Literacy Month as well as two excellent new releases.

Bookish Goods

Anne of Green Gables Wallet by WellReadCompany

I love it when I can find the perfect bookish item for the newsletter’s theme. This one is a little coin wallet based on Anne of Green Gables. $19

New Releases

Too Many Golems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Maya Shleifer

This is such a fun Jewish picture book retelling the legend “The Rabbi Loew and His Golem.” A rabbi’s son, Abi, has a tendency to get into trouble. He takes a bagel from a store without paying, he says a bad word in Hebrew school, and, worst of all, he takes an old scroll from the synagogue’s basement to practice his Hebrew at home. As he chants and sings the words on the scroll again and again, something rather terrible happens — he calls ten golems to his house! He serves them kindly as strangers and learns they need to help him with something. He enlists their help with Hebrew. This is a really charming and fun read. Yolen describes the original legend that inspired the book at the end.

The Door Is Open edited by Hena Khan

I love all the themed middle grade anthologies that have been released lately. These 11 interconnected short stories center South Asian American experiences at a community center in the fictional town of Maple Grove, New Jersey. Authors include Aisha Saeed, Rajani LaRocca, Veera Hiranandani, Mitali Perkins, and more. It’s a delightful anthology.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Did you know April is National Financial Literacy Month? I thought I would round up four newer children’s books that address financial literacy.

Rebel Girls Money Matters: A Guide to Saving, Spending, and Everything in Between by Alexa von Tobel, illustrated by Morgan Goble

I love the Rebel Girls series, and their newest middle grade release is a nonfiction that addresses financial literacy. Alexa von Tobel, who is the founder and CEO of LearnVest.com, a personal finance website, addresses a range of topics: savings accounts, starting a business, budgeting, credit cards, and more. The illustrations and short chapters make this really accessible and a great conversation starter, too. I needed this as a kid!

Gigi Shin Is Not a Nerd by Lyla Lee

This is the first book in a new middle grade series about a young artist who decides to start her own business. Gigi wants to raise money to go to an art summer camp, but her immigrant parents can’t afford it, and she doesn’t think they would approve. They want her to focus more on her academic studies. She and her friends decide to start a tutoring business to help younger kids with math and raise money. But it’s hard to run a business and keep up with art, school, and friends! This is a charming, relatable novel. I’m looking forward to reading more in the series!

Dollars to Doughnuts: Birthday Bling by Catherine Daly, illustrated by Genevieve Kote

This is the first book in a new early fictional chapter book series centering financial literacy. It’s Lucy’s birthday, and she receives a card from an aunt as a gift. She and her best friend Julian have noticed another wealthier girl at school who has a card her parents gave her who buys fun things with it — like a glittery sweater that Lucy loves. Lucy decides to buy the same sweater with her card, but it’s too expensive. Lucy and Julian ask their babysitter to explain the difference in cards, and they learn the difference between debit cards, credit cards, and gift cards. The second book, Batter Splatter, has Julian setting a budget for a bake sale to raise money for a school banner. These are really fun and informative reads for ages 6-9 ish.

A Dollar’s Grand Dream by Kimberly Wilson, illustrated by Mark Hoffmann

This is a really funny picture book told from the perspective of a one-dollar bill named Big Bill. Bill is enjoying his life of constant use when he meets a one hundred dollar bill, who makes Bill a bit jealous. He makes a wish on Penny for more zeroes and becomes a one thousand dollar bill! But it turns out that the life of luxury is kind of boring. Also check out Wilson’s equally delightful A Penny’s Worth.

a photo of the book Kitten Ninja with a stuffed animal beside it with a similar mask on

My daughter goes through phases where she becomes super into different cat characters. Lately, it’s been the cat from Kitten Ninja, a precursor to the Cat Ninja books (which she’s also been reading). She asked if I could turn one of her stuffed animals into Kitten Ninja, and with a some extremely rudimentary sewing skills and scrap fabric, I was able to come up with this iteration of Kitten Ninja! She’s been sleeping with him every night.

If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom.bsky.social, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.

All the best,

Margaret Kingsbury

Check Your Shelf

Honey Badger Don’t Give a Shift

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It’s a somber start to the week over here – Blaine and I attended a funeral on Sunday for a friend of his family who passed away far too young. It put a lot of things into perspective, and reminded me again of how important it is to make memories with the people you love.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

Viola Davis and her husband have launched a new publishing venture.

The problem with BookTok. Plus, love, hate, or fear it, TikTok has changed America.

How Congress is regulating AI, plus Rep. Adam Schiff (CA) newly introduced bill that would require tech companies to reveal which copyrighted works were being used to train their generative AI systems.

Amazon is filled with garbage eBooks. Here’s how they get made.

Publishers are scouring the world of fan fiction to find the next hit author.

On the myth of the middle-class writer.

On independent publishers and small press practices.

New & Upcoming Titles

Nancy Pelosi is publishing a new book about her tenure as Speaker of the House, called The Art of Power.

Marisha Pessl is publishing a YA novel this fall, her first novel in 6 years.

Venus Williams announces a new health & wellness book being published this fall.

Rebecca Yarros has a standalone novel coming out this fall.

Clay McLeod Chapman has a new horror novel coming out in January 2025: Wake Up and Open Your Eyes.

Julianne Hough is publishing her first novel this summer.

Check out the description for Nat Cassidy’s When the Wolf Comes Home: “This book is a little bit IT & FIRESTARTER, a little bit TERMINATOR 2, a little bit Le Guin, a little bit Koontz, a little bit Grimms, a little bit Twilight Zone, & a lotta bit gonna rip yer face off.” Sign. Me. Up.

And this one! “If you like suburban horror, enjoyed Midsommar or The Other Black Girl, you’re going to love this!” We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado.

Here’s the cover for Paula Hawkins’ upcoming novel, The Blue Hour.

And here’s the cover reveal for Alafair Burke’s The Note, out in January 2025.

Another cover reveal: Eric LaRocca’s At Dark, I Become Loathsome.

2024 is a year of literary true crime.

5 new mysteries & thrillers for spring.

The best books of 2024 so far.

Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.

April picks from Reactor (YA SFF), Vanity Fair.

Barnes & Noble has their May picks for adults, teens, and children.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder – Salman Rushdie (Atlantic, Guardian, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)

My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me – Caleb Carr (LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post)

When I Think of You – Myah Ariel (NPR, People)

Muse of Fire: World War I as Seen Through the Lives of the Soldier Poets – Michael Korda (New York Times, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

Why Tom Ripley continues to fascinate readers.

On the Riot

The best new weekly releases to TBR.

The best new fantasy books for your book club.

All Things Comics

Marjane Satrapi talks about her upcoming graphic nonfiction book Woman, Life, Freedom, about the women’s liberation movement in Iran.

On the Riot

YA graphic novels & comics for Spring 2024.

Audiophilia

Enthralling historical fiction audiobooks for tweens.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

Queer YA romance novels.

Adults

A reading list for The Tortured Poets Department.

What to read next for Arab American Heritage Month.

7 books about unconventional situationships.

20 books that will redefine your relationship with food and the planet.

4 books to make you fall in love with poetry.

5 of the best books to understand modern China.

19 great books about Hollywood you may have missed.

13 books about Passover.

15 charming Southern small town romances.

8 late bloomer romances.

20 true crime books to tease your curiosity.

Is your TBR built by shame? Kirkus has a list for you: 20 books you really should have read by now.

On the Riot

Books about reading.

8 useful books on how to increase your attention span.

The strangest romance novels you’ll ever read.

Horror poetry collections that are both engaging and eerie.

7 books by autistic authors to pick up for Autism Acceptance Month.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in Library Reads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen has a guide to discovering upcoming diverse books, and Edelweiss has a new catalog dedicated to diverse titles, which is managed by Early Word Galley Chatter Vicki Nesting. Check it out!

a brown tabby cat and a black cat pawing at each other

Are these two titans engaging in an epic battle for dominance? Or two knuckleheads taking out their afternoon hunger on each other while they wait for their snack?

Well, that’s it for today. I’ll be back on Friday.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Giveaways

042224-AprilEACGiveawayPush-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date April 22, 2024

We’re teaming up with Crime & Chocolate to give away a $250 gift card to Powell’s Books to one lucky winner!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

Here’s a bit more from our sponsor: Immerse yourself in the gripping world of mystery, crime, and unexpected sweetness with our exclusive newsletter, Crime & Chocolate. Tailored for the discerning aficionado of intrigue and supense, this newsletter is your monthly gateway to the latest and greatest in crime, mystery, and thriller novels. Join us on a journey through the shadows, where every page turned is a step deeper into the unknown.

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Patricia Elzie
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that should absolutely be put at the top of your TBR pile. Recommended books will vary across genre and age category and include shiny new books, older books you may have missed, and some classics I suggest finally getting around to. Make space for another pile of books on your floor, because here we go!

Today’s pick is a retelling of an American classic that I never knew I needed, but now that I’ve read it, I don’t know how I lived without it.

James: A Novel by Percival Everett

This book is a retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of James, also known as Jim, the runaway enslaved man and Huck Finn’s companion during his adventures down the Mississippi River. If you have read any of Everett’s other work, then you know you are in store for a hilarious, clever, gut-wrenching, punch-in-the-face book.

When this book starts, you immediately know what the character James is about. He is intelligent and knows how to read, illegally consuming books from the Judge’s library. James is astute enough to know not to show any of his hand, carefully speaking to white folks in the manner in which they expect a simple enslaved person to speak. He teaches this to his children, not only the correct “incorrect” grammar but also the ways in which to speak according to social structure.

It’s clear that James has a soft spot for Huck. When James catches wind that he (James) may be sold to another enslaver, he runs away. He doesn’t really have a plan, and while understandably more than a bit panicked, he’s confident he can figure something out. Huck Finn comes along, and so now James is navigating a situation where he’s constantly having to keep himself and Huck safe while also doing the extreme code-switching he has perfected and formulating a plan to somehow liberate his wife and children.

While it is not necessary to have read Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before reading this book, if you want an absolutely sublime reading experience, I suggest you read (or reread) it and then read James immediately after. I never thought I’d be suggesting that anyone read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, yet here we are.

Content warnings for racist violence (isn’t it all violence?), murder, other violence, and a host of other things that come along when talking about slavery without romanticizing it. This book also contains perhaps the funniest exchange I have ever read, an exchange that is the pinnacle of comedy, and it rendered me speechless for a good ten minutes after reading it.

That’s it for now, book-lovers!

Patricia

Find me on Book Riot, the All the Books podcast, Bluesky, and Instagram.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

Bookish Goods

Bookish Good of the Week: April 21, 2024

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date April 21, 2024

Nightstand Book Holder by COLwoodCraft

Upgrade your bedside table game with this nightstand book holder — available in several finishes. $40+

Giveaways

042024-Saving6-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date April 20, 2024

We’re giving away three copies of Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh to three lucky Riot readers!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

Taming 7 is an epic and unforgettable love story in the international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon The Boys of Tommen series, from Chloe Walsh.

Tommen’s cheekiest lad, Gerard ‘Gibsie’ Gibson, has always been a comedian, but inside he is haunted by events of the past and he uses humor to cope, hiding his true self from the world.

Claire Biggs, the epitome of sunshine, has always loved Gibsie, her brother’s friend and her favorite neighbor. She has always seen a side to him that no one else seems to notice. She becomes determined to tame her wild-at-heart childhood best friend.

Kissing Books

Ranch-Style Love

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date April 19, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome, or welcome back, to the Kissing Books newsletter. I’m PN Hinton, your guide to all things romance-related. Thanks for taking the time from your day to give this a read! I hope that this newsletter helps to brighten up your day just a little bit more.

This weekend is Independent Bookstore Day! All book dragons rejoice! I had a blast last year celebrating and I’m looking forward to it. This year’s plans are nowhere near as ambitious. I’m only planning on visiting a handful of stores with a cap of only one book at each stop. Will I stick to this? Only time will tell, but I’ll update y’all next time on the outcome.

Bookish Goods

I Want a Cowboy Sticker by BlissfullyBookedCo

I’ve been reading romances for a long time, but I’ve always had a soft spot for cowboys. It could be due to being a Southern girl — there’s just something about someone who knows how to work a ranch that is just oh-so-attractive. The price for this sticker starts at $3.

New Releases

Fake It Till You Make It by Siera London

When bubbly Amarie ends up stranded in a small town, her only work option is with the local and grumpy veterinarian Eli. When Eli names Amarie as an investor to keep the practice from going into foreclosure, the two set aside their differences to save the clinic while also trying to ignore the connection that is rapidly developing between them.

Finders Keepers by Sandra Kitt

Olivia never expected to find millions of dollars hidden in the walls of the house her late aunt left her. While this money would bring a welcomed change to her life, she wants to be sure it’s on the up and up. When FBI agent Sloan shows up to question her about the money, there is an instant mutual attraction. But, both are aware that they need to solve the mystery of the money before anything permanent can happen.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

In keeping with today’s bookish good theme, I’m recommending some cowboy/rancher romances. Enjoy!

A Thorn in the Saddle by Rebekah Weatherspoon

When Lily-Grace meets Jesse for the first time, she is instantly at odds with him. Not only is he trying to prevent her widowed father from dating his grandmother, but he is also extremely hot-tempered. However, when she sees a more vulnerable side of Jesse at a community date auction, she begins to see him with different eyes. Soon, the two find themselves drawing closer to one another and a happily ever after neither expected.

Tipping the Barrel by BA Tortuga

When an accident leaves barrel racer Cheyenne without her horse, she returns home to tend to her external and internal scars. This also brings her into contact with first love and cowgirl Evie, and she wonders if this unfortunate accident will lead to a second chance with her. However, Evie hasn’t forgotten the heartbreak she felt when Cheyenne left her behind and isn’t sure she’s willing to risk her heart again.

Just for the Summer is one of my current reads because I can’t seem to get enough of Abby Jimenez. If you’re also looking for some read-a-likes, check out this list here.

Plan a vacation and get your BookTok trope.

A mobile romance only bookstore? Yes, please!

And that’s all I have for y’all this fine Monday. I’ll be back in your inboxes on Thursday with a fresh newsletter, and in the meantime, you can find me posting over on Instagram under @pns_bookish_world. Until then, happy reading and stay hydrated!

The Fright Stuff

Remember 2020? It Was a Scary Year

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date April 19, 2024

Sponsored by

Hello, horror fans! Welcome to another Monday, which means it’s time for another new Fright Stuff newsletter. Let’s talk scary stuff today and every Monday, yeah? No real theme for you today; we’re just talking scary stuff in general. Hooray.

Bookish Goods

Frankenstein Planter by DolittleDorks

Yes, I know this version of Frankenstein is totally invented by the movie and is not representative of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. But this planter is still bookish, and so cool. And it’s spring, so it’s time for us to make our horror lives a little more plant-y, don’t you think? $26 for just the planter. $38 for the planter + succulent. I’m in love.

New Releases

Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro

From V. Castro, the author of The Haunting of Alejandra, comes a horrifying new tale of an ancient Aztec vampire who travels the modern world avenging conquered peoples, reclaiming their stolen artifacts, and returning them to their homelands. Malinalli’s travels take her to Dublin, where she searches for stolen Aztec skulls that are connected to her own past. But in this city, she finds something unexpected — two mortal men who speak to Malinalli’s other desires in different ways.

All Things Seen and Unseen by RJ McDaniel

Alex Nguyen is a chronically ill college student whose life is quickly unraveling. Following a recent suicide attempt and a long hospitalization, Alex finds herself without a job, without a romantic relationship, without money to pay for school, and without a place to live. Then, she’s offered a lifeline in the form of a job housesitting for the summer at a mansion on a gulf island. But the mansion — surrounded by a mysterious (and possibly magic) forest and an unsettling, insular community — brings back traumatic memories Alex has long repressed.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

plain bad heroines by emily a danforth cover

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

2020 was a year, wasn’t it? It feels like yesterday and yet…it feels like another world entirely. That year, I was so thankful for people who were still creating art. So this week, I wanted to highlight books that came out that year. This one is an all-time fave. Brookhants School for Girls is an old boarding school with a troubled and mysterious past, which includes many mysterious deaths. One hundred years have passed since the horrors that befell the school took place, and writer Merritt Emmons has written a book celebrating the queer, feminist history of the school that was so cursed. Her book inspires a horror film adaptation of the story.

The Deep by Alma Katsu

A book about the Titanic, but make it ghosts. Yes, really. On the Titanic’s maiden voyage, several of the passengers are convinced the ship is haunted. Years later, one of those passengers — Annie Hebbley — survives but cannot remember the details of what happened on the Titanic. Now, she’s working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic’s sister ship, the Brittanic. And suddenly, all of the memories are coming back to haunt her.

And that’s it for this Monday of random horrors collected and delivered straight to your inbox. I hope you have a wonderful week, and I will see you very soon. Yes, that was ominous on purpose. Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!