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On Monday, the Corgis and I went outside to enjoy the eclipse, which for them meant rolling in the grass without a clue what was going on above them. But I enjoyed sitting in the gazebo, not staring directly into the sun. It was prime time for audiobook listening. So, today I’m sharing a memoir and a collection of personal essays on audio, both of which are performed by their authors. But first, bookish goods!
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.
Have someone pull a card for you and get a stylish bookmark. What’s not to love? $4
In his memoir, David Martinez describes his life growing up as a mixed-race Morman kid in Idaho. Martinez tries to be “good” by going on a mission while his brother, Mike, finds himself in and out of prison. When Mike dies behind bars, Martinez is forced to reexamine his life, his faith, everything that made him who he thought he was.
When Simone Gorrindo’s husband joins an elite Army unit, she finds herself moving from New York to Columbus, Georgia. While her husband is deployed, she is left in a new town with the other military wives. Her memoir follows her experience building relationships with these other women, and how her husband’s absences impacted their marriage.
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy writes about her life as a child star, a job she never really wanted, but her mother insisted that she did. What’s more, McCurdy shares how her mother was incredibly abusive, forcing McCurdy to submit to intimate inspections of her body, even into her teen years, and restricting McCurdy’s diet to keep her looking younger longer. McCurdy’s reflection on her mother can be very clinical, removed from the emotions of the event, which reflects how she kept herself from thinking too deeply about her and her mother’s relationship. But, after her mother dies from cancer, McCurdy must confront the trauma from her childhood if she is ever to truly move on.
In both her prose and her audiobook performance, Jia Tolentino has an excellent narrative voice. In every essay, I feel like I’m sitting with her in a cafe listening to her talk to me about her time on a reality show, or about how expensive yoga pants represent some key issues with capitalism. While I may not have been interested in these topics if I had heard about them any other way, Tolentino’s writing makes me fascinated in whatever she wants to write about. Her vivid writing makes me committed to learning more about her ideas. I will pick up whatever Tolentino decides to write next.
You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra
Hi, mystery fans! I was a huge fan of the film Point of No Return and watched the big films Bridget Fonda was in at that time, so when I was looking for a comfort watch and saw that It Could Happen To You was on Netflix, I immediately hit play. When I got to the courtroom scene with Rosie Perez, I started thinking about how the ’90s had a lot of great courtroom scenes in films — A Few Good Men (You Can’t Handle the Truth!); My Cousin Vinny (so many, but Marisa Tomei really steals the show) — and now I want to rewatch all the ’90s legal thrillers.
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.
This candle can be personalized, and you can choose from five different scents. ($23)
For fans of remote settings (Alaska) and fictional serial killers!
Anchorage homicide detective DeHavilland Beans takes his new case personally, having known the murdered young woman, Jolene Nilsson, for years — she served him coffee at a local café. Because of the condition the body is found in, he first needs his ex-wife’s expertise, wildlife expert Raisa Ingalls. Then when more baristas are murdered, he also needs the FBI’s help. Can they identify and stop this serial killer?
For fans of thrillers, a wife trying to solve a husband’s mystery, and two POVs.
Cassidy Abbott is managing the apartment complex Sycamores, and blackmailing crappy men on the side, when a new tenant moves into her deceased husband’s art studio. Anna Hartley is a reporter whose husband called her out of the blue, confessed to killing someone, and then Anna heard a gunshot. Her husband was later found dead, suicide assumed. Anna has instead decided to find out exactly what was going on in her husband’s life by moving into the studio he was renting and learning about all the other tenants…
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Here are two new adaptations to watch for in April!
This is a delightful and hilarious manga series that follows a “family” who have each found each other because of a secret they hold and are not sharing: Loid Forger is a spy who needs a family cover in order to infiltrate a private school to get to a target; Yor Forger is an assassin who needed a marriage cover because of a lie she told her brother and because she was told by coworkers that single women of her age looked suspicious; Anya Forger is a mind reader who uses her abilities to make Loid think she’s the perfect kid for him to adopt. They are all on their own missions while pretending to be a family, which creates plenty of fun action, spy plots, shenanigans, and secret-keeping! This was the first manga I ever read, and I am so glad I did: it opened me up to an entire genre I deeply love.
Adaptation: Spy x Family Code: White, playing in theaters on April 19th (trailer), and there is an animated series that you can stream on Hulu or CrunchyRoll.
For cozy mystery fans who love a baker.
Hannah Swensen has plenty of work keeping her busy, from an eleven-hundred-cookie order to an apple turnover stand. But it’s accepting being a magician’s assistant for a charity event that puts her on a murder case — a man both she and her sister once dated is found dead holding one of Hannah’s turnovers!
If you want to start at the beginning, pick up Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.
Adaptation: You can watch One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (preview) on Hallmark Mystery, Wednesday, Apr. 10 at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday, Apr. 13 at 9 p.m. ET
News and Roundups
Sexual Assault Awareness Month & Book Banning
7 Cozy Mysteries To Stream When You’re In The Mood To Sleuth
Elsbeth and the 7 best “howcatchem” mystery shows on TV to watch
Japanese murder mystery novel explores family bonds, the many ramifications of sacrifice
Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2024 releases and mysteries from 2023. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!
Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.
If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.
Welcome to Read this Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that needs to jump onto your TBR pile! Sometimes these books are brand new releases that I don’t want you to miss, while others are some of my backlist favorites. This week, let’s talk about one of the most devastating (in the best possible way) books that I’ve read this year.
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.
I first discovered Garrard Conley through his bestselling memoir Boy Erased, which was made into a movie starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe. Boy Erased follows his experience when his parents learn that he’s gay and send him to conversion therapy. Now Conley is back, but this time with his debut novel.
All the World Beside follows two men, minister Nathaniel Whitfield and physician Arthur Lyman, living in Puritan New England in the early 18th century. When Nathaniel and Arthur begin their affair, they never expected their relationship to turn into an all-encompassing force that consumes them and their families.
Nathaniel is a preacher from England who has created his own community in the new world that he calls Cana. There he and his followers wait for an “Awakening” that will prove that their community is truly blessed by God, that they have found the one true way, that they are chosen by God.
Conley delves into ideas around faith and belief, and what it means to truly believe in the love of God. But you don’t have to be a Christian or even a person of any faith to appreciate the multiple layers that Conley weaves into this novel. The universal ideas of love and connection in the face of a ridiculous number of obstacles make this novel accessible to just about any kind of reader.
Pete Cross performs the audiobook edition of the novel, creating this quiet, intimate sort of listening experience that makes you feel as if you are right there, part of the community watching Nathaniel and Arthur risk everything for their relationship.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra
Hi, historical fiction fans,
Who was able to enjoy the Solar Eclipse passing over parts of the Americas earlier this week? My hometown was actually in the path of totality, but I couldn’t get home for the weekend, so I was stuck with 98% totality. Still pretty good if you ask me! I probably should’ve gone with a celestial theme for the newsletter this week, but the new releases hit me over the head with LGBTQ historical fiction, so I decided to go with that instead.
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.
Get a whole set of beautiful, bookish stickers to decorate your planner, water bottle, laptop, or Kindle. $20
In this sequel to The Best Bad Things, former Pinkerton detective Alma Rosales has set up shop in Tacoma. But when a handsome stranger begins asking too many questions about opium, she worries there’s a spy in her midst. And if Alma wants to protect her business — and her way of life here in Tacoma’s flourishing queer scene — she’ll have to root them out before they ruin everything.
In this historical retelling of “The Selkie Wife,” a woman working as a midwife on the Canadian East Coast takes in a strange woman she finds about to give birth on the shore. The woman’s husband, her neighbor, seems nice enough at first, but soon she realizes things are not what they seem.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter
When I noticed both of the new releases featured this week explore queer women and queer communities in historical settings, I thought it was a good opportunity to shout out a few more!
Generations of the Vega family face down forbidden love and family secrets, from the luchador El Rey Coyote to his son and grandson contending with his complicated legacy as they try to build their own lives. It’s the story of a family ready to fight for themselves and for each other.
In 18th century Ropshitz, a city known as the City of Laughter, a holy jester and a mysterious stranger set off a series of events that reverberate down through the generations to Shiva, who hopes a trip to Poland will help her connect to her family’s mysterious past. There, she finds answers to the questions about her grandmother no one will answer, but also even more uncertainty about what it means for her own life.
Jane Eyre is not content to marry Mr. Rochester in this reimagining of the classic Bronte novel. In fact, she’s extremely suspicious of him, with his secrets and mercurial moods — suspicions that are all too founded. Bertha, Rochester’s first wife, is locked away in the attic for refusing to share her inheritance. Their only chance of freedom lies outside of this mansion, but will they be able to find it before Mr. Rochester’s temper burns everything down?
That’s it for now, folks! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.
If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on most social media, including Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy.
Right now, I’m reading Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue. What about you?
This post is written by Carolina Ciucci.
The warmer weather has officially arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that those of us who like to read seasonally appropriate romances will want to stock up. We’ve been blessed with a lot of amazing romances to enjoy during this spring and summer season, so the only issue with this list was getting the number of options down to a manageable amount. In other words: a list of fabulous books that wouldn’t completely empty your bank account. But narrow it down, I did! So now I present you with nine amazing romances that’ll give you all the springtime and summertime vibes.
If you enjoy descriptions of flower shops, long days at the beach, and the London season, look no further than this list, where you’ll find all of that and more. Also present are some of everyone’s favorite tropes, including fake dating and love across times and lifetimes, among others. Ranging from contemporary romances to romantasy, the books included in this list will satisfy your seasonal romance cravings.
Proceed with caution, though: reading these might result in an intense urge to live your spring and summer to the fullest. Or it might result in you burrowing down on your comfiest chair and reading all through both seasons — which, when you think about it, is pretty much the same thing.
Ricki Wilde is the underdog in her wealthy family, so when the chance comes to rent the bottom floor of a Harlem brownstone and get away from them, Ricki doesn’t have to think about it. She moves in, opens her long-dreamed-of flower shop, and sets out to live her best life. What she hasn’t dreamed of is the mysterious stranger who bursts into her life in the most unexpected of ways.
Gene Ionescu loves his life. As the first openly trans player in professional baseball, he knows he has achieved most of what he’s set out to do. But his near-perfect life threatens to crumble like a house of cards when Luis Estrada, his rival and former teammate, is traded to his current team.
We’ve all heard about romances when one of the protagonists is cursed to be the last person others date before meeting their soulmate. But what happens when both protagonists share this curse? Justin and Emma, who agreed to date in order to cancel their curses out, are about to find out.
When her fiancé realizes that he’s in love with his best friend, Daphne finds herself stranded in a town, not of her choosing, and sharing an apartment with Miles, her ex-fiancé’s new girlfriend’s ex.
Talk about complicated.
But their relationship soon becomes a friendship, and they come up with a plan. This plan may include deliberately misleading their exes by posting pictures where it seems like they’re having the summer of their lives.
Nothing says spring to me like romantasy, which makes this the perfect book to curl up with. From 4 BCE to present-day Los Angeles, two men are reincarnated again and again. The one thing all their lifetimes have in common? Each other.
Beth has to find a husband soon, lest she and her widowed mother end up on the streets. But worry not! Her best friend Gwen has figured it all out: they will make their parents fall in love and get married!
Except that it isn’t working. And even if it did, Gwen and Beth are becoming increasingly aware that getting their parents together matters less to them than being together themselves.
Meeting the perfect guy after vowing to remain single is one thing. Meeting him after promising your employers that you’ll stay single? Ouch.
But no matter: Sloane knows that things won’t lead anywhere with Charlie, despite their fake dating scheme, because he’s trying to win back his ex. Right?
A lot of us have wondered what we’d do if we won the lottery. Our imaginations probably didn’t show us Opal Devlin’s fate: being harassed from all sides to part with her money until she gives up and buys a failing flower farm in North Carolina.
But then! Fate must have a twisted sense of humor, because her refuge is now being contested by Pepper Smith, who claims the farm truly belongs to her. The two end up living together, but it’s only a temporary arrangement. Or so they think.
Eve Hatch likes her life. Perhaps she doesn’t love it, but she doesn’t have anything to complain about. But when an unexpected pregnancy throws her for a loop, she must reevaluate fast. It’s Shep, her best friend’s brother, who steps up to help her, and…was he always this hot?
Can’t get enough of seasonal romances? Try this list of YA spring romances, or this one full of summertime romance goodness.
Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publisher of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Set in the Spanish Golden Age, during a time of high‑stakes political intrigue and glittering wealth, The Familiar follows Luzia, a servant in the household of an impoverished Spanish nobleman who reveals a talent for little miracles. Her social‑climbing mistress demands Luzia use her gifts to win over Madrid’s most powerful players but what begins as simple amusement takes a dangerous turn. Luzia will need to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even the help of Guillén Santángel, an immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo is on sale now.
Why pick one genre when you can have multiple? Whether you’re in a reading slump, looking to explore new-to-you genres, or simply revel in the unexpected, genre blends can be an exciting way to shake up your reading life. And you’re in luck! Today, we’re celebrating all things genre blending. Do you want history + horror? Romance + space? Or even blends that transcend genre definition? We’ve got you. Stick it in the blender, and let’s go!
Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’m coming at you with new releases and some short fiction collections — it’s a short fiction kind of week. Over the weekend, my home state had a massive wind storm, which led to our power company cutting off our power for almost 24 hours out of fire concerns. The good news? We all got a lot of reading done, at least. I hope your weekend was less spicy than that! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!
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.
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.
I’m still looking for a sign to hang over the basement steps in my house, and this one has catapulted to the front of the line. $10
In 1950s Los Angeles, aspiring fashion designer and first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants Cordelia Mai Lin seems to be one of the few people the city isn’t offering opportunity after opportunity to. She meets kindred spirits Tessa, Audrey, and Silly after renting a cheap apartment, and they struggle in vain to achieve their goals — until their landlord’s mysterious friend offers them a chance to fulfill all their dreams. It just takes a little magic…and a small sacrifice.
Plymouth Valley seems like a rarified haven of a town, and all it requires is employment by the company that owns it. The Farmer-Bowens family jumps at the chance to move in, even though it requires Linda to leave her own medical career in favor of her husband’s probationary employment. But there’s trouble just under the surface of suburban paradise, where the residents adhere to something called the Hollow, a strange set of customs and beliefs. And they’re scared of something, even if no one will say what…
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
I have declared it short story week — because why do I need a reason to shout about short stories? — so here’s your first installment.
Isabel Yap’s debut collection combines her wonderful prose with urban legends, magic, and the stories immigrants tell.
Seanan McGuire’s short fiction (like her long fiction) is always eclectic, and her latest collection is no exception. Also, how can you not love this cover?
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.
Friendly reminder for my fellow comics lovers that the Rigsby WI Backerkit is available now. If you can, please consider supporting this wonderful comic about teenagers navigating the early 2000s!
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.
This table will fill that empty spot in your room and is fully customizable: select your favorite character and off you go! $160
Insofar as we think about microbes, germs, and bacteria, it’s usually in a negative light. But that’s not really fair, given all the unique, interesting, and, yes, even wonderful things that microbes can do! This comic is an accessible introduction to the wacky world of microscopic organisms.
As an aspiring Olympic figure skater, Mina is used to living or dying (metaphorically speaking) by the strength of her own talent. But when she is forced to join a vampire roller derby team, she has to learn how to function as a team player, and fast, or else the entire group will go down — and stay down!
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Today’s Riot Rec theme is: polyamory! While there is nothing inherently “adult” about a story featuring polyamorous relationships, these particular comics are definitely for the more mature crowd.
Rigo’s parents grew up on Earth, where relationships were supposed to unfold in a certain way. But Rigo and her friends and lovers, as lifelong residents of a space station that humans fled to after the apocalypse, must decide for themselves how they want to navigate this strange new world.
Lia and her two amazing husbands, Emito and Suisei, are determined to make their unconventional relationship work. They’ve learned to give and take when it comes to sex, housework, and careers. But now they face a change in their happy arrangement: Emito the househusband wants a job! How will the loving threesome handle this?
That’s it for me, at least for now. May those springtime allergies be gentle on you!
~Eileen
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’m writing this newsletter before the eclipse, so hopefully, we all get through without incident. By some small miracle, my library still had glasses to give away on Monday morning, so I’m giving lots of props to my coworkers who were able to plan ahead and stockpile glasses over the last year.
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.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is in discussions with at least one publisher about a book deal at the same time that he is leading the Biden impeachment probe.
This French startup says that you can train AI on non-copyrighted data.
“Google Books indexes AI trash.”
HarperCollins made a tiny tweak to its book design and has saved thousands of trees as a result.
Publishers Weekly has their big summer preview up!
Bill Clinton is publishing a memoir on November 19th.
MCD is publishing a surprise fourth book in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach series.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is releasing a two-part memoir.
Joan Baez is publishing her first poetry collection.
Ann Brashares (author of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series) is co-writing a time travel mystery novel with her brother, Ben Brashares.
6 recent mysteries involving translators and interpreters.
7 modern cozies to look forward to reading in 2024.
The best books of 2024 (so far).
The Millions has their spring 2024 preview.
Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.
April picks from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, LitHub (SFF) New York Times, Reactor (SFF crossover), Time, Washington Post.
City in Ruins – Don Winslow (LA Times, New York Times, USA Today)
The Cemetery of Untold Stories – Julia Alvarez (New York Times, People)
Clear – Carys Davis (New York Times, Washington Post)
Keanu Reeves is Not in Love With You: The Murky World of Online Romance Fraud – Becky Holmes (Washington Post)
A deep dive into romance tropes.
We need Black horror now more than ever.
These mystery novels are changing how we see autistic women.
How Karen Kingsbury is extending the reach of Christian fiction.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
April picks for mystery/thrillers, romance, SFF, horror, nonfiction, children.
The best book club books out in April.
The ultimate guide to spring 2024 YA releases.
Riot Roundup: the best books Rioters read from January – March 2024.
The Three-Body Problem is being adapted as a graphic novel.
New comics/graphic novels and manga for April.
Riot Roundup: the best comics Rioters read between January – March 2024.
The April 2024 Earphones Award winners have been announced.
Spotify’s subscription price is reportedly increasing again.
Kids books to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month.
10 historical fiction novels that will transport you back in time.
10 queer books for people with mommy issues.
6 of the best campus crime novels.
5 of the best psychological thrillers written by women.
20 books you might have missed (but shouldn’t).
8 YA reads perfect for your next picnic.
7 child actor memoirs to read after watching Quiet On Set.
9 twisty thrillers about friendships gone south.
The best romance short stories.
7 books about pulling pranks to save for next April Fool’s Day.
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!
Here’s Jonesy & Dini eating breakfast together for the first time! And not only that, but this is the first time we’ve gotten Jonesy to eat wet food! So many accomplishments in one photo!
Okay, friends. Enjoy the rest of the week without having to answer questions about whether or not you have eclipse glasses. I’ll see you on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.