Riot New Media – Page 5

Why Bother Writing Books?

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date May 6, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’ve recently discovered the scrapbooking corner of TikTok, which has reignited my hyperfixation with junk journals. I think junk journaling is the perfect blend of Katie-interests – it’s an easy form of creative expression, but it’s also an excuse to create an elaborate organization system for my magazine clippings and ephemera! So…that’s how I spent my weekend.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

Why bother writing books?: Honest thoughts on the future of publishing.

AI is contentious among writers. So why are some feeding it their own writing?

Authors stand to lose so much from a potential TikTok ban.

New & Upcoming Titles

Rutgers University history professor David Greenberg is publishing a biography of John Lewis.

T.J. Newman has signed a two-book deal with Little, Brown.

Jill Santopolo will be publishing a sequel to The Light We Lost.

Wednesday is getting a YA novelization.

Yellowjackets actress Nicole Maines is publishing a memoir.

Cover reveal for Alan Moore’s novel, The Great When.

Cover reveal for Josh Brolin’s upcoming memoir, From Under the Truck.

Here’s a sneak peek at Rainbow Rowell’s upcoming novel, Slow Dance.

15 indie press books to read this spring.

The recent popularity of pop culture cookbooks.

Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, Parade, Wall Street Journal.

May picks from Alta, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kirkus, New York Times, People, Time, Washington Post.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Real Americans – Rachel Khong (Datebook, New York Times, NPR, Time, Washington Post)

The Ministry of Time – Kaliane Bradley (Guardian, Washington Post)

Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk – Kathleen Hanna (LA Times, New York Times)

Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire – Alice Wong (ed) (LA Times, People)

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War – Erik Larson (New York Times)

RA/Genre Resources

The New York Times is taking a page out of NPR’s book and has created a resource that compiles all of their best-reviewed fiction and nonfiction since 2000.

Edgar Award nominees gather for a round table discussion on the state of the crime novel.

Why Australia makes such a good setting for thrillers.

The essential Joan Didion.

The anti-romance novel reader’s guide to romance novels.

Exploring diverse representation of women in historical mysteries.

Cookbooks have always been political, whether readers knew it or not.

On the Riot

The best weekly releases to TBR.

New May releases for mysteries/thrillers, romance, SFF, horror, nonfiction, children’s books.

The best book club books out in May.

All Things Comics

On the Riot

8 of the best graphic novels and comics out in May 2024.

Audiophilia

“Audible will begin testing a new feature that recommends audiobook titles based on users’ Prime Video viewing activity.”

The best audiobooks of April.

The May 2024 Earphones Award winners have been announced.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

The best books for young birdwatchers.

Amazing children’s books by Arab and Arab-American authors.

10 authentic middle grade books about autism.

Adults

5 SFF mysteries you won’t be able to put down.

10 books to read after you finish watching Shōgun.

Strange, sad books about evil mothers.

Fiction about true crime.

The best fiction and nonfiction by Asian and Asian American authors.

Crime novels with a sense of place and manners.

5 of the best books about eating.

What to read after watching Fallout.

33 books for every type of mom.

On the Riot

9 memorable Mother’s Day books for kids.

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 close up of a brown tabby cat with the tip of its tongue sticking out

This is typically how I look by the end of the work week.

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

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Giveaways

050624-JustSomeStupidLoveStory-Presale-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date May 6, 2024

We’re giving away three copies of Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle to three lucky Riot readers!

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

In Just Some Stupid Love Story, Molly and Seth were best friends-turned lovers until Molly ghosted Seth on the eve of their high school graduation. Now, they reunite again at their high school reunion 15 years later and make a bet: whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is them.

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Patricia Elzie
Post date May 6, 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 new release by poet, essayist, cultural critic, and MacArthur Genius Hanif Abdurraqib.

There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, cultural critic, and MacArthur Genius but before he was any of these things he was, and will always be, an Ohioan. On the surface, this book is about basketball, Ohio, poverty, and incarceration; however, it only takes a couple pages for readers to realize that it’s about so much more. There’s Always This Year is about belonging and survival and connection and above all, love. It’s a blend of memoir and exploration that is bursting with love and told in such palpable earnestness that a reader doesn’t need to be from Ohio or know a thing about basketball in order to feel a flicker of love bloom in their own heart by sheer influence of Abdurraqib’s writing.

This is a book about home, and home is sometimes the place where a person is born and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes home isn’t even an actual place, but instead the idea of home is personified in a sports team. The author writes about basketball in the way that basketball should be written about — the sport itself, especially in the Black community, is itself about love and connection and promise and hope. One cannot write about basketball in Ohio without diving into the sheer depth of hopes and dreams that folks had tasked LeBron James with fulfilling. The author writes about this in ways that are both beautiful and devastating. Abdurraqib also writes about his own history of struggle and incarceration in a place he loved so much but didn’t seem to love him back sometimes.

This book is a great read that pushed and pulled my heart with every page.

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.

What's Up in YA

A Fresh Orpheus and Eurydice + May’s YA Nonfiction: YA Book Talk, May 6, 2024

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 6, 2024

Sponsored by

Hey, YA Readers!

Some interesting new research into the habits of readers came out this week and much of it is around YA books. Dig into the data here—I think it’s a little doom and gloom in some sports and fails to acknowledge how much today’s teens are up against compared to data from 2012, but I found it especially interesting that most YA readers are under the age of 27. Sure, it’s a lot of adults but those are certainly young adults, for all of the grouches who like to say “only” adults read YA.

Moreover, I thought the three reasons why YA fiction readers enjoy YA books were great.

Looking for a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift? Go beyond the tried and true flowers and chocolate and give the gift of reading with Tailored Book Recommendations! Our bibliologists are standing by to help your mom find her next favorite read, delivered right to her inbox or doorstep. And with gifts starting at just $18, there’s something for any budget! Head to mytbr.co/gift to send the gift of reading to the book nerd in your life!

Bookish Goods

Read Sweatshirt by ThreadedbySabrina

It’s the time of year here where sometimes in the early morning or evening, all I want is a sweatshirt to toss on top of my warmer-weather clothing. This option tickles my book-loving heart. Grab it in several colors and up to a 3XL. $50.

New Releases

It’s a big release week, so instead of limiting the books highlighted below to two, I’ve exercised extreme restraint and only have three highlighted. You can grab the full list of new YA hardcover books out this week over here.

Blood At The Root by LaDarrion Williams

Malik’s life was upended 10 years ago: his mother disappeared and he discovered he had magical powers. But because mom was gone, Malik’s role was now making sure he and his younger foster brother survived. Malik’s 17 now and ready for his own life to start—and start it does when he discovers his magic has him connected to a long-lost grandmother who was not only a conjurer but has ties to a magical university. One that his own mother went to.

Now at Caiman University, Malik is excited to learn about his family’s history and the power of his own magic. He might even be able to reconnect with the first love of his life, Alexis. But it takes little time before Malik sees how dark and secretive the underbelly of the magic world could be.

Death’s Country by R. M. Romero

Andres and his family live in São Paulo, and Andres is a tighter. But one wrong move and he nearly drowns. Andres is alive only because he made a deal with Death for a new life. Now, he and his family are in Miami for a restart.

It’s here Andres quickly finds himself in a relationship with two other people: Liora and Renee. They’re a perfect triad, even if from the outside, people simply do not understand them.

So when Liora is in a car accident and lands in a coma, Renee suggests to Andres they do something radical. They’re going to travel to the underworld, retrieve Liora’s spirit, and reconnect it with her body. It’s too bad that there’s still a piece of Andres there, too, and it’s a piece he’s not eager to see again so soon.

Sink your teeth into a clever take on “Orpheus and Eurydice.”

This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed

Family upheaval leaves Noor to start the last part of her senior year of high school at a brand-new school. She plans to just plow through and not make a scene. Besides, it’s bad enough she’s had to move and her parents’ relationship is not great.

But then Noor discovers that more and more books in her new school are disappearing. They’ve been labeled “obscene” or “pornographic.” Noor cannot let it stand by. She needs to speak up and demand the books be returned and that student rights be respected. Of course, most of the books being banned are by or about LGBTQ+ people and people of color.

Except if she speaks up, she’ll no longer be able to simply plow through.

This is an exceptionally timely and relevant work of fiction that, I’m sure, is going to see itself banned by the same bigots doing this outside the covers of a book. Too bad they don’t realize how many Noors there are in the world.

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

Riot Recommendations

It’s the first release week of the month, so let’s take a peek at the YA nonfiction hitting shelves throughout May. I usually use this space to tackle both nonfiction and graphic novels, but there are so many of each that I’m going to pull nonfiction out by itself. You can check out all of the YA comics hitting shelves in May here.

All of these YA nonfiction titles publish this week, save Ogle’s title, which hits shelves next week.

Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding by Maia Kobabe and Dr. Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD

This collection contains 25 different stories of trans and nonbinary folks who’ve elected to bind in an act of gender affirmation. In addition to the personal stories, Kobabe and Dr. Peitzmeier include research and resources to make this an accessible—and necessary—guide for young people.

Diary of a Dying Girl by Mallory Smith

This young reader adaptation of Salt In My Soul is a collection of diary entries from Smith about her life living with cystic fibrosis. It’s raw and challenging as it chronicles the disease but it’s also resonant with all teen readers who are simply trying to figure out who they are during a complicated time in their lives.

Rising From The Ashes by Paula Yoo

If you pick up just one book from this entire newsletter today, let it be this one. Yoo has done it again by telling a story from modern history about racial tension and making connections between that moment and our contemporary world.

This time, we go to 1992 Los Angeles in the moments before the Rodney King verdict. It’s a nuanced and layered look at that moment, its impact on the Black community, the ways in which the Korean American community was impacted, and about the associated uprisings and fires set about the city during those five long days.

Road Home by Rex Ogle

This is the third and last entry in a trio of memoirs from Ogle that are an unfiltered look into his challenging young life. In Road Home, we follow as he is kicked out of his house after telling his dad that he is gay. He was told after he graduated high school by dad he could stay at home and find a steady girlfriend, go to church twice a week, OR be gay—and it’s that last one that left him navigating abuse and survival on the streets of New Orleans.

The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté

Written in a mix of vignettes and poetry, this is a work of nonfiction celebrating—and being honest about—Black girlhood. This sounds like the kind of book that would pair so nicely with Black Girl, You Are Atlas.

Wall to Wall: Mural Art Around The World by Mary Ann Fraser

Why do people make murals on walls? It’s not a new thing, and it has happened across time and across the globe. Fraser explores the history of wall murals, offering colorful art throughout. There’s a nice section in this book, too, about preserving such art.

One of the trickiest things about YA nonfiction is that sometimes, the age range for them is 10-14, meaning that yes, they’re perfectly appropriate for younger teens but they might appeal more to middle grade readers. This book is shorter than the average YA nonfiction but I suspect it’s one that will have a lot of appeal to teen readers on all ends of the age range.

So! Many! Great! Books!

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again later this week. Until then, happy reading.

–Kelly Jensen

Bookish Goods

Bookish Good of the Week: May 5, 2024

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date May 5, 2024

Romantasy Girlie Sticker by shopstickermefancy

Romantasy is having a moment, and if you’re a romantasy girlie, this sticker is for you. $4

The Kids Are All Right

Amazing Teachers, Chickadees, And More Great Kids’ Books!

Post author By Margaret Kingsbury
Post date May 5, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Sunday, kidlit friends! I can’t believe it’s May. May is a busy month for us. I celebrate my birthday and wedding anniversary, plus we have kindergarten graduation, the last day of school, and there’s Mother’s Day. With all these reasons to celebrate, I definitely plan to hit up a bookstore and buy myself some bookish gifts. 🙂 I hope everyone has a lovely May!

Teacher Appreciation Week begins tomorrow, so today I share books with awesome teachers, plus two great new releases.

Bookish Goods

Literacy Sticker by AmandaHSLP

The literacy and reading specialists in your life will love this phonological awareness sticker. $3

New Releases

Fake Chinese Sounds by Jing Jing Tsong

This is a wonderful, slice-of-life middle grade graphic novel about a Taiwanese American 5th grader, Měi Yīng. In the first half, it’s the summer before 5th grade, and Měi Yīng’s Năi Nai has come to visit for the first time from Taiwan. Despite their language differences, the two bond, practicing Tai Chi together and cooking. The family also watches Měi Yīng excel at soccer. In the second half, Năi Nai has returned to Taiwan, and Měi Yīng experiences bullying at the start of 5th grade. She also finds friends at her Mandarin Chinese classes, which is unexpected for her since she’s previously hated the classes. Throughout both parts, Měi Yīng and her family experience lots of racist microaggressions.

You’ll Always Be My Chickadee by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Sarah Gonzales

This really sweet picture book follows a caregiver and child through nature with the recurring refrain of “You’ll always be my (chickadee, evergreen, sugar beet, forest friend, etc).” The child and caregiver garden, swim in the ocean, go on hikes together, and more. The lyrical words and soft, warm illustrations pair perfectly together. This would be a lovely gift for new parents.

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

Riot Recommendations

Tomorrow begins Teacher Appreciation Week, so I thought I would round up some of my favorite teachers in kidlit! I hope all of you teachers have a lovely week.

Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Who doesn’t love Miss Lila Greer, the teacher from The Questioneers series? I am so happy she now has her own picture book. It follows Miss Greer from infancy to the moment she becomes the famous classroom’s teacher. Born the youngest of five siblings and raised by a single dad, Lila Greer constantly had a case of the worries. She had trouble adjusting to school and missing her brothers and home, but thanks to an excellent teacher, she learned to love school. While her anxiety followed her, she learned techniques to calm her worries. Thanks to the wonderful teacher, she decides to become a teacher, too.

The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class: Emma Mckenna, Full Out by Kate Messner, illustrated by Kat Fajardo

I am so excited about this new chapter book series, The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class! Each book follows a different child in Mrs. Z’s third-grade class and is written by a different author. In this first book, written by Kate Messner, Emma McKenna can’t wait to start classes at a new school — Curiosity Academy. Emma loves cheerleading and celebrating special days. At her old school, a classmate bullied her, and she’s excited to start fresh in Mrs. Z’s class. However, her bully is at this new school, too! I love how Mrs. Z treats the students in class. The second book — Rohan Murthy Has a Plan by Rajani LaRocca — is also out this week, and my daughter and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book.

Eb & Flow by Kelly J. Baptist

This middle grade novel-in-verse switches perspectives between two narrators, Eb and Flow, after they get in a fight at school and are suspended for ten days. Both are struggling with anger and problems at home. There are two great teachers in this. The first is Eb’s grandmother, a retired teacher who is raising her. The second is the teacher who helps them when they return to school after their suspension. The two have to attend a class together before they rejoin the school and their regular classes. The author is a teacher, and you can really tell!

Cover of Samira's Worst Best Summer by Nina Hamza

Samira’s Worst Best Summer by Nina Hamza, releases May 14th

This is a charming middle grade novel about a summer that tween Samira spends at home while her parents and older sister are in India for a wedding. Samira is home with her grandmother and younger brother. She’s hoping she can hide in her room all summer, but several things thwart those plans: her house gets toilet papered and she suspects it’s her ex-best friend, a new girl her age moves in nearby, her brother joins a band, her grandmother makes friends with all the neighbors and even a nice guy at the grocery store, and Samira plans to enter a film contest at her art teacher’s encouragement. This art teacher is so supportive; I love her!

My daughter made this adorable and cat-tastic bookmark at a school library party. The back shows a cat chasing mice.

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

Giveaways

050424-BoundToTheShadowPrince-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date May 4, 2024

We’re giving away three copies of Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon to three lucky Riot readers!

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

In this steamy romantasy from bestselling author Ruby Dixon, Princess Candra is locked inside a tower for seven years in order to protect her kingdom from the wrath of a vengeful goddess. Shut inside the tower with her is a Fellian, a fearsome enemy warrior race complete with wings, claws and fangs. Nemeth is terrifying, cruel, and disturbingly magnetic. Candra should kill him for his supplies, but she’s desperate for his company…and his touch. As time inside the tower rolls on, Candra and Nemeth grow closer, but they’ll soon need to face an outside world that threatens their lives and their surprising love.

Kissing Books

Best Friend’s Sibling Recommendations

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date May 3, 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 to give this a read! I hope that this newsletter helps to brighten up your day just a little bit more.

Today is Beverage Day! As a self-proclaimed beverage goblin, this gives me a giddy thrill because it’s just a fun day that recognizes the importance and joy that beverages of all kinds bring to us. I know I can’t start my day properly without some form of caffeine and my insulated tumbler stays full of water all day. So, if you happen to be drinking something while reading this, be sure to give it a lift in honor of today.

Bookish Goods

“My Book Buying Shirt” by MorallyGrayandCo

This shirt genuinely made me laugh out loud, especially the smaller print. Because seriously, when I’m on a mission for a book and a little treat, I detest any type of determent. Prices start at $20.

New Releases

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pies by Jackie Lau

Emily’s mother is determined to set her up with Mark, the son of their family’s friends. Feeling like she has no other choice, Emily convinces the somewhat reluctant Mark to agree to fake dating until her mother leaves her alone. When friends begin unexpectedly showing up to their “dates” though, they’re forced to put in overtime to make the ruse believable. The extra time spent together helps Emily see Mark in a different light and has her questioning if she still wants this relationship to be fake.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

When baseball player Eddie is forced to give a series of interviews to reporter Mark, neither man is happy with the situation. However, being well aware they have no other choice, they agree. Soon, the two men find themselves drawing closer to one another. But Eddie’s profession doesn’t allow the luxury of coming out, and Mark refuses to be kept a secret. Will they be able to face the prejudice of the world together or will their love story come to an abrupt end?

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

Riot Recommendations

Are you in the mood for some best friend’s sibling romances? If so, then today’s recommendations are for you!

Down to Ash by Melissa Blue

Victor returned from his stint as an Army bomb tech a broken and dangerous man. Only his best friend kept him from going completely over the edge. So, when he develops an attraction to Ashley, said friend’s sister, he tries to ignore it. But when the temptation proves to be too great to overcome, Victor is left having to decide if the feelings she ignites in him are worth the loss of the friendship.

Driving Her Wild by Mariah Ankenmann

Due to having a crush on the younger Josie, Bex is having second thoughts about picking the woman, her best friend’s sister, up from the airport. What she doesn’t know is that Josie also feels the same way about her. And, when a series of circumstances on the two-and-a-half-hour ride home result in the two women having to stay the night in a motel, she sets out to show Bex that she is all woman now and more than just Max’s little sister.

Check out this round-up of some of the best Vanessa Riley books.

And that’s all she wrote for today. I’ll be back in your inboxes on Thursday, and in the meantime, you can find me on Instagram under @pns_bookish_world. Until then, happy reading and stay hydrated!

The Fright Stuff

It’s Been a Scary Week, Horror Fans

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date May 3, 2024

Sponsored by

It’s Monday, horror fans, which means it’s time to talk all things scary!

Welcome to the Fright Stuff. As always, I am Emily, and I’m probably way too excited to share all the things that scared me in the past week since we last spoke. Like, for instance, last Tuesday there was a woman screaming outside of my window at midnight. And, just now at my bus stop, there was a person whose face was completely obscured by a strange mask made of cloth. And it’s not even October, friends. But I also read some scary books this week, so let me tell you about it!

Bookish Goods

Coffin Bookmark by BookishHeaux

Want your reading life to be a little bit scarier? Stick a coffin bookmark in your book. This one is even on sale until June 1st, so order now! It’s $9, and it’s super cute.

New Releases

The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller

The Z Word is like Zombieland, if Zombieland were really, really queer. It’s the story of Wendy, a bisexual woman living in San Lazaro, Arizona. She wants to get over her ex-girlfriend Leah, but that’s hard to do when she keeps hooking up with her friends. On top of that, people all around them are turning into zombies. In order to survive, Wendy will be forced to team up with a rag-tag group of friends (and frenemies) — including Leah!

Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda

Also out this week: this debut collection of 12 short stories, set in a supernaturally charged version of Lagos, Nigeria. Each story starts familiarly enough — a visit to the market, a mother trying to feed her newborn child. But, that makes every dark, uncanny turn all the more frightening. On May 7th, see why Lauren Groff called Aguda’s work “elegantly balanced with the gorgeous fullness of human emotion.”

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

Riot Recommendations

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow, June 11)

I told you all that this one was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, and guess what? It lived up to and even beyond the hype. And oh my gosh, it was so creepy. You’ve probably read horror novels about cursed films before (you’re here, after all), but trust me when I say you’ve never read anything like this. This is the story of a horror movie that was filmed in 1993, but never released. Still, the hype around this cursed film is real, and 30 years later, it’s time to try again. This one is out in June.

The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

I picked this one up not realizing how horror-y it was going to be. I just thought, “Oh, a book about a language school. Love!” But yes…this is horror. I don’t want to give anything away, but basically, this is about The Centre, a place where you can go and learn a language in only two weeks. And when I say learn, I mean…completely fluent. Sound too good to be true? Guess what. It probably is.

What a week I had since the last time we spoke! I hope yours was scary (in a safe, fun way) as well. Let me know what you’ve been reading? Message me on Instagram at emandhercat and tell me everything. Sweet dreams, horror fans!

Book Radar

QUEENIE is Heading to Hulu and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date May 3, 2024

Sponsored by

Dear Book Friends,

Welcome to Monday, and thanks for checking out this Monday’s Book Radar. It’s the first full week of May, and reflecting back on last month, I had such a great reading month. I even read some new faves. How did your April go? Are you excited for this month? Either way, it’s here, so let’s do this.

Book Deals and Reveals

cover of cover of Trang Thanh Tran's They Bloom at Night

Check out the cover of Trang Thanh Tran’s They Bloom at Night. This new novel from the author of She is a Haunting is out on March 4, 2025

Here’s the trailer for Queenie, the new series based on the best-selling novel by Candice Carty-Williams. Queenie premieres June 7, only on Hulu.

Colleen Hoover’s Verity is in development to be adapted as a film at Amazon MGM Studios. Hillary Seitz is currently writing the script. Eat the Cat’s Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund will produce.

And here’s the cover reveal of Christian J. Collier’s Greater Ghost. It’s out from Four Way Books on September 15.

Another cover reveal! This one’s for The Empire Wars, a debut fantasy from Akana Phenix. It’s out on August 6.

If cute lil romcoms are more your speed, here’s the cover of Charlotte Stein’s My Big Fat Fake Marriage. This one’s coming out on March 11, 2025.

The sexy erotic fiction podcast Dirty Diana, starring Demi Moore, is going to be a book! The book is written by Jenn Besser and Shana Feste, and it’s out from Dial Press on November 19.

Here are the 2024 Edgar Award Winners for best mysteries. This is the 78th annual award.

Book Riot Recommends

Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!

Prepare Your Shelves!

The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry (Berkley, May 14)

Love horror stories about horror movies? Look, same, which is why I’m so excited for Christina Henry’s latest, The House that Horror Built. Christina Henry has already proven herself to be a master of horror and dark fantasy (Near the Bone? Chilling). Trust me, she keeps the horror party going in her latest. This one is out NEXT WEEK, so you’d better get that shelf prepared. This one is coming so soon!

Javier Castillo was an award-winning horror movie director who had audiences at the edge of their seats with every new film release. But after his family was hit with tragedy and scandal, the director was forced to step away from the spotlight. Now, he spends his days hidden away in his Chicago mansion, Bright Horses. No one ever visits him, and he lives all alone…or does he? More on that later.

Now single mom (and horror film aficionado) Harry Adams has accepted a job cleaning Javier’s home. Javier values discretion over everything else, and Harry promises not to ask questions. Frankly, she’s a little starstruck and in awe of all the horror movie props and costumes that fill the house. But when Harry hears a voice behind a locked door calling for help, she’s not so sure she can keep her promise to stay silent.

What I’m Reading This Week

cover image for How to Solve Your Own Murder

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Roland Rogers Isn’t Dead Yet by Samantha Allen

Codename: Sailor V, Volume 2 by Naoko Takeuchi

Monday Memes

I really love reading books I love, but you know what I love even more? Recommending those books to others and getting others to love them. I’m sure many of you relate.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

writer Emily and her orange cat Murray showing off their chins

Just a girl and her cat, showing off their chins. Murray absolutely wins the chin contest though. So orange! So fluffy! Good job, Murray!

That’s all I have for you today, book family. You’ve made it to the end of this week’s Book Radar. I hope your May is beautiful! Talk to you on Thursday!

Emily