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Today In Books

Amanda Gorman and Penguin Random House Launch Poetry Award: Today in Books

Here’s A First Look at Harvey Fierstein’s “Juicy” and “Scary” Memoir

Actor, playwritght, and gay rights activist Harvey Fierstein’s memoir I Was Better Last Night hits shelves in March 2022, but you can get a first look at the memoir right now. The upcoming book will follow Fierstein’s career, starting with his early days doing community theater in Brooklyn. Fierstein’s memoir promises to be sexy, romantic, and of course, funny. Plus, he’s sharing stories that he hasn’t even told his closest friends. Fierstein told Entertainment Weekly in a statement, “Well, here is the outrageous, juicy, scary, and mostly true result of my efforts. Actors and writers use their talents to hide who they really are. With this memoir I guess I am saying farewell to all of that. This is me.”

Amanda Gorman and Penguin Random House Launch Poetry Award

Poet Amanda Gorman is partnering with Penguin Random House to launch the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, a new creative writing award that will focus on poetry for public high school students. The new award will recognize a student for an original literary composition in English for poetry. The first place prize is $10,000. Gorman stated, “I’m honored to be partnering with Penguin Random House on their poetry award for high school students. As someone who found my love of writing at a young age, I want to continue to foster that same love in the next generation of great poets.” To apply and to read more about eligibility and rules, click here. Submissions open on October 1, 2021, and close on February 1, 2022. Penguin Random House will announce the winners in June 2022.

Scholastic Books to Release Friends Children’s Book Series

Why wait ’til you’re older to have Friends be there for you? Scholastic Books is releasing a series of children’s books based on the Friends television series. The books will feature chibi style versions of everyone’s favorite Friends characters. Life is Better with Friends, the first book in the new series, was written by Micol Ostow and illustrated by Keiron Ward. The book releases in October, but you can preorder now!

Today’s North American Manga Market: the Wins, the Losses, and Everything Else

North America is experiencing a manga boom. And with so many titles now available, there’s no better time than right now to start reading manga. Here’s a look at the industry’s history with manga and its future.

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Giveaways

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Read This Book

Read This Book…

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 lovely middle grade fantasy that is an unexpected, yet very appreciated, retelling of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables and it is also a 2021 Newbery Honor book.

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

The city of Chattana is a city of canals and light. There are many different colored orbs that serve as power sources to light everything, power the boats, heat the stoves, etc. They are all full of light created by one person: The Governor. The Governor appeared in Chattana after the Great Fire and saved it from ruin. He brought light and prosperity, though it is clear that the brightest and most powerful lights (and related prosperity) only bless the upper class.

This story starts in Chattana, specifically in Namwon Prison. It’s a women’s prison, though if a child is born in the prison they stay there too, even if their mother dies. So it’s not only a women’s prison, but a prison of orphans. We meet two of the main characters here in Namwon Prison: Pong and Somkit, two boys who were born in the prison. Their mothers are no longer alive so they are prisoners until they are released when they turn 13. Everyone at Namwon Prison is tattooed with a symbol that gets crossed out when they are released. That way, it’s easy to tell 1) who has ever been in that prison and 2) who has escaped.

The opportunity to escape arises for Pong and he takes it. He ends up at a monastery that takes him in. Pong is allowed to stay at the monastery and remains under the tutelage and protection of Father Cham for years. One day, the family of the Namwon Prison warden visits the monastery. The warden’s daughter, Nok, recognizes Pong as the escapee. She is very eager to prove herself and thus the pursuit begins.

Pong escapes and is reunited with Somkit but that is far from the end. Remember, this is a fantasy so while it’s loosely a Les Mis retelling, it is in a world of magic all its own.

That’s it for now, book-lovers!

Patricia

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

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

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Riot Rundown

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Today In Books

Hanif Abdurraqib, Sam Byers, and Salena Godden Shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize: Today in Books

Author Kelly J. Ford Lands New Book Deal for Queer Suspense Bad As All That

Kelly J. Ford, author of Cottonmouth, has landed a new two-book deal with Thomas and Mercer. The first book, set for publication in summer 2022, is a queer suspense novel entitled Bad As All That. It’s the story of a woman to returns to her hometown in Arkansas twenty-five years after the mysterious disappearance of her violent stepfather. But is she ready to face the potentially deadly consequences? Kelly J. Ford tweeted the news on Thursday, promising, “More messy queers coming your way!”

Hanif Abdurraqib, Sam Byers, and Salena Godden Shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize

Hanif Abdurraqib, Sam Byers, and Salena Godden are among those shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize honoring “forward-thinking and fearless” literature. The six-book shortlist includes the following works: Byer’s Come Join Our Disease; poet Godden’s first foray into fiction Mrs. Death Misses Death; Jenni Fagan’s Luckenbooth; Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s genre-bending A Ghost in the Throat; Sea State by Tabitha Lasley; and A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib. The winner will be awarded a £5,000 cash prize and the chance to attend a writing retreat at Burn’s cottage in the Scottish Borders. This year’s winner will be announced at Durham Book Festival on October 14th.

John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats Announces New Novel

The Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle has announced his third novel, Devil House, which is set to be published on January 25, 2022. The novel follows the story of true crime writer Gage Chandler, who’s had one successful book that’s been adapted as a film. But now he’s been given a huge opportunity: the chance to move into a house the locals call “The Devil’s House” and to write about the grizzly murders that happened there. Regular and signed copies are now available for preorder.

Flirty Before Age 30: Nine Sweet New Adult Romances

Looking for a fun, light summer read? Try these nine sweet new adult romance books.

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Giveaways

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We’re giving away one copy of Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H Mart to five lucky readers!

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

To enter, just sign up for True Story, our nonfiction newsletter, and get news, book recommendations, weekly book deals, and more from the world of nonfiction.

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The Fright Stuff

“Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.”

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

Lately, I’ve found myself haunted by a recurring thought while reading. One that won’t let me be. I suppose it could be because of the books that I’m choosing, or the stories that I find myself drawn to, especially as fall closes in. It first appeared when I was reading The Scarlet Letter last month. Then it subsided for a little while, only for me to get to the end of Plain Bad Heroines the other day, and there it was again. Alright, I thought, well that’s not surprising. It takes place in New England, after all, and centers independent, queer women.

Then, just a few nights before sitting down to write this week’s newsletter, I read Sarah Orne Jewett’s “The Foreigner” for the first time, as part of the same New England Gothic reading project that had me picking up The Scarlet Letter. And low and behold, as I neared the thick of the story, there again comes that same old thought:

“It always comes back to this.”

The this, in this case, being witchcraft. Or, more accurately, the accusation thereof against someone living outside the mold of society, in one way or another. I’ve found that a witch panic is one of those things that I never build up a resistance too. It is always consistently upsetting when the whispering starts, and the dread begins to build, and you know – because we all know – how ugly it’s going to get once the word “Witch” finally manifests. And I guess that’s what makes it such good horror. One of the genres strengths is taking things that frighten or disturb us in real life, amplifying them, and giving us a safe place to deal with what they make us feel.

What they make me feel, specifically, is rage. The incandescent sort of rage that I often feel when I look at what’s going on in the world around me. The difference being that bad things happen to judgmental, persecutory puritans in fiction. Every cruelty they visit upon the victims of their witch panic is returned to them in full. Whether their targets were already witches, or whether the violence and fear visited upon them made them turn to witchcraft in search of justice, evil reaps what evil sewed. And there’s something delightfully cathartic about that cosmic comeuppance. Don’t you think?

So this week we’re celebrating books that flip the cauldron – so to speak – on the human-shaped monsters that hunt down “witches”, only to realize that they have bitten off much more than they chew. So light the fires, and get ready to dance! Let’s conjure a little vengeance.

Cover of The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Immanuelle Moore is an outcast. Among the pious, obedient people of the lands of Bethel, where the word of their Prophet is law, she is viewed as an aberration despite her best attempts to submit and conform. Nothing that Immanuelle does, or doesn’t do, will ever erase her mother’s shame, no matter how obedient or devoted she tries to become. But when a mishap lands her in the terrifying Darkwood that surrounds Bethel – a places of witches, spirits, and evil – leads Immanuelle to unexpected answers about her mother, and about the dark truth behind the Church of Bethel, she finds herself faced with a difficult choice. Bethel is her home, whether she “belongs” there or not, and it is being threatened by forces not from the Darkwood, but from within the walls of Bethel itself. Immanuelle may hold the key to saving the people from themselves, if she wishes. Or she can leave them to their grim fate.

Cover of Boneset and Feathers by Gwendolyn Kiste

Boneset and Feathers by Gwendolyn Kiste

Odette knows the danger of crossing path with the witchfinders. Her entire family is gone, executed for witchcraft, and she was lucky to escape with her life. No amount of magic was enough to save her mother and sister, and now Odette is alone, living in an exile of her own choosing. She lives deep in the woods outside her village, swearing off magic and hoping only for peace. But she ought to have realized that in a world of superstition and witch-hunts, peace was too much for a known witch to ask. When her magic begins to spin out of her control, menacing the village, it summons the return of the witchfinders. And this time they will not stop until Odette is dead, leaving her no choice but to defend herself. By any means necessary.

Cover of Slewfoot by Brom

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

Abitha is already betrothed to a stranger when she arrives at the Puritan colony that is to become her home, only to find herself widowed almost as quickly as she became a bride. Now she stands alone, trying to keep hold of her sudden freedom in the midst of a pious and patriarchal society that would rather see her tucked neatly under the thumb of another man. Slewfoot is a newly woken spirit who, like Abitha, is searching for his place in the world, for good or for evil. When suspicious deaths in the colony give rise to rumors of witchcraft, and Abitha and Slewfoot must decide who they will be and how they will survive in a world determined to see them hang.

Fresh from the Skeleton’s Mouth

This Nightfire essay on the use of Killer Color in Mexican Gothic is amazing! I totally nerded out, and now I need a re-read so that I can circle every mention of color inside of High Place. Obsession INTENSIFIES.

Make sure you head over to Book Riot and add some terrifying YA graphic novels to your reading list for the fall!

As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening

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What's Up in YA

Celebrate YA Women Writers in Translation

Hey YA Readers!

Did you know August is Women in Translation month? Starting in 2013, the month-long event celebrates voices of women, trans, and nonbinary writers whose work has been translated into English. By highlighting these voices, readers not only are able to make their reading lives more inclusive, but it’s a reminder to the publishing world the need to bring more international stories to English readers.

You may or may not know that books in translation experience what many call the 3% problem: only about 3% of books published in English are translations. If you boil this down further, that means the fraction of those who aren’t men in translation is even smaller, and looking at what this means for children’s and teen literature, well, you can imagine how minuscule the number is. These are realities that the Women in Translation and the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative are working to bring light to and change.

In honor of this month, let’s take a look at some of the recent YA in translation by women — in this roundup, all of the writers in the original language identify as women or use she/her pronouns, per their English-language biographies. Not all of the translators do.

Note that this is also a very white list. Despite being a global initiative and these stories being international, whiteness still dominates translation, at least in YA. The bulk of these are from European counties, showcasing how there is always still more work to be done, even in an area where there has been slow progress.

abigail book cover

Abigail by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix

The New York Review of Books Classics line has begun to expand into children’s and teen lit, and Abigail is one that’ll definitely be for fans of dark academia. The book follows Gina, the only child of a general, who is sent away to a religious boarding school. It’s the midst of World War II, and Gina is fighting with everyone at school, to the point where she chooses to run away. She’s caught, though, and now, she’s resigned herself to putting her trust in Abigail, the school’s classical statue who is rumored to offer help to those who seek her out.

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Almond by Won-pyung Sohn, Translated by Sandy Joosun Lee from Korean

This is a short but super complex story of two very broken teenagers who find one another and develop an odd, uncomfortable, but ultimately necessary friendship with one another. Don’t go into this one for plot. Go into it for fascinating character studies. It’s a short book, with small chapters, but each word and description is exacting and offers so much depth to Yungjae and his experience living with a disorder that doesn’t allow him to fully feel or express empathy, even though consciously he understands what it is. Readers familiar with Janne Teller’s Nothing — an older book by a woman in translation — will especially dig this one.

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Beyond the Blue Border by Dorit Linke, Translated from German by Elisabeth Lauffer

Hanna and Andreas live in oppressive East Germany and are expelled from school for their activism. They end up working in a factory and together, realize that this is not the life they want. It’s dangerous to flee, but they decide it’s worth it for a chance of freedom. The book follows as they attempt to escape to the democratic West by swimming across the choppy Baltic sea.

ill keep you close book cover

I’ll Keep You Close by Jeska Verstegen, Translated by Bill Nagelkerke from Dutch (November 9)

Verstegen’s memoir is about generational trauma and follows as she works to unravel why it is her mother seems to keep her family in hiding. When her grandmother slips up and calls Verstegen by the wrong name, she has her first clue. It’s from here she discovers the terror her family survived and is trying to move on from.

oksi book cover

Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu, Translated by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro from Finnish (October 26)

Graphic novels in translation are such powerful reads and whenever I get my hands on one, I’m always amazed by how the visuals are truly the driver of comic storytelling. Ahokoivu’s story is a spin on Finnish folklore, following a family of bears, wherein mother works to ensure the safety of her young ones while avoiding the dark, scary forest. It’s a story of new and old gods, family legacy, and the stars.

wondrous journeys in strange lands

Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands by Sonia Nimr, Translated by Marcia Lynx Qualey from Arabic

This sounds a little bit like a take on The Canterbury Tales. Qamar is the main character and the story follows her journeys across the Mediterranean, where she finds herself becoming a pirate at times, a slave at times, a bookseller, and more. Nimr’s book is not going to be plot-heavy but it reads like a collection of small adventure stories (and fun fact: the translator is a former Book Rioter!).

If you’re eager to learn more, there’s a fabulous piece from Publishers Weekly about the challenges of children’s and teen translation from the perspective of the translators and publishers.

As always, thanks for hanging out. We’ll see you again on Thursday!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram

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Kissing Books

Bookstore Romance Day

Welcome to the Kissing Books newsletter y’all. I’m P.N. Hinton, your guide to the world of romance novels. I hope your spirit is doing well today. Whether it’s a backlist, new release, or an under the radar delight, I aim to help you find a book or two that you can get lost in. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

So apparently KU had a deal for books trending on TikTok and of course Ice Planet Barbarians came up. My spouse asked if I read them and I told him no because, while I appreciate the popularity and the fanbase, it’s not my speed. He decided he was going to listen to the first one to see what it was all about. I told him to give me live reactions as he read. This should be fun. 

Bookstore Romance Day:

This Saturday is the third annual Bookstore Romance Day! We all know that romance is like the proverbial red-headed stepchild of the publishing industry, which isn’t fair especially considering it is sometimes the genre that “keeps the lights on.” This day was created to give independent bookstores a way to celebrate the readers and writers of romance books. 

Look, I know sometimes it can be a struggle since not all indie stores sell romances. And if they do, their catalog is a bit small or mainly focused on one or two author’s backlogs. Still, I urge you to visit your local one this day, if you can, and make a purchase. Even if they don’t have anything there or aren’t doing events, you can still support them by ordering from their site or, if they have it, their Bookshop.org affiliate. Believe me, I love Barnes & Noble as much as the next bookdragon. And, as I got a membership as a gift last year, I shop there more frequently now. But I have also made it a point to shop at my local women-owned independent bookstore on this day for the last two years and will continue that tradition this year. 

Romance News:

Speaking of Bookstore Romance Day, Astoria Bookshop has quite the impressive line up for a panel that is going to take place on that same day. I really appreciate the diversity here, not going to lie.

I am a gal who loves romance novels that are set in bookstores, since it combines two of my favorite things, so I was super stoked to see this list by Jess. My TBR pile on the other hand…I also enjoy that this is on the same wavelength as Bookstore Romance Day.

There’s not a whole lot of information out on this just yet, but the teaser for this romance bracket is delightful. You can also check out the site directly although it’s still in the process of being fleshed out. All I know is I’m excited to see what books are put up and voting on this, especially since I’m sure it will be more accurate of what the Romance community actually likes. (coughs in RWA and Goodreads Choice Awards)..

Want a fun way to pick your next romance novel? Silvana has you covered with this gif she made on her Twitter page.

Check out this awesome body-positive cover for Taj McCoy’s Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell. I’m always for a book that promotes self-love.

Rebekah Weatherspon signed an exclusive deal with Audible to write a ‘joint custody dog owner romance’. This sounds delightful!

Here is a round-up of even more M/M romances to curl up with in your reading nook.

If you’re a fan of Tasha L. Harrison and audiobooks, you’ll be pleased to hear that A Taste of Her Own Medicine is now available in that format.

Looking for places online to read some steamy erotica? Here you go!

I really enjoyed reading this take on the differences between the ‘enemies to lovers’ and ‘rivals to lovers’ trope. Either way, I still love both but agree that there are distinct differences between the two.

And speaking of enemies to lovers, this run-down of one writer’s first experience watching the iconic 10 Things I Hate About You was quite the journey.

New Releases & Deals:

Some of the releases hitting the shelves this week are: 

cover of The Dating Playbook

The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon (I can’t wait for this one personally since I thoroughly enjoyed The Boyfriend Project)

Bidding for the Bachelor by Jackie Lau (yay another M/M romance!)

Greeking Out by Collette Davison (M/M romance aboard)

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker (CW/TW for grief)

Dragons After After by Louisa Masters (DRAGONS!!)

And here are some of the book deals I found. All the books listed below can be clicked on for the low price of $1.99. That said, please note, that these deals are active as of the writing of this newsletter and may change by the time it is published. 

cover of Game Changer

The Fireman Who Loved Me by Jennifer Bernard 

Careless Whispers by Synthia Williams.

Game Changer by Rachel Reid

The Pleasure Trap by Niobia Bryant

One Heart to Win by Johanna Lindsey

And that’s all for today. I hope that your week starts off amazing and fantastic and look forward to seeing y’all again Thursday. As always, you can give me a follow at Twitter under @PScribe801. Happy reading!

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Today In Books

Time Magazine Announces the 100 Best YA Books of All Time: Today in Books

Shveta Thakrar Reveals Her Next Book The Dream Runners

Author Shveta Thakrar, author of Star Daughter, revealed the cover, title, and synopsis for her upcoming novel earlier this week on Twitter on the one-year anniversary of Star Daughter‘s release. The new novel is entitled The Dream Runners, and it will be available on June 28th, 2022 from Harper Teen. This standalone novel follows the story of Tanvi, who joined the ranks of the dream runners seven years ago after being spirited away to the subterranean realm of Nagalok. Dream runners are human children who harvest mortal dreams for the consumption of the naga court. The cover for The Dream Runners feature art by Charlie Bowater and was designed by Corina Lupp.

Chelsea Clinton Plans Full Series of She Persisted Children’s Books

Chelsea Clinton is planning a full year’s worth of material for a She Persisted children’s book series. Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced on Twitter, “We are so excited to be expanding the She Persisted universe with another picture book and even more chapter books in 2022! SHE PERSISTED IN SCIENCE and ten more chapter books about inspiring women are coming your way next year!” Clinton will release chapter books throughout 2022 about different influential women, including Coretta Scott King, Malala Yousafzai, and Rosalind Franklin. These books will be written by ten different authors and feature art by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint. In a statement to the Associated Press, Clinton said that it feels “particularly important now to shine a light on women scientists and their contributions to our shared public health, the fight against climate change, and so much more.”

Time Magazine Announces the 100 Best YA Books of All Time

Time magazine has announce their list of the 100 Best YA Books of All Time. The magazine pulled the list together with the help of a panel of celebrate young adult authors—Elizabeth Acevedo, Kacen Callender, Jenny Han, Jason Reynolds, Adam Silvera, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon. The books are listed in chronological order, starting from the 1800s. Time describes the books on this list as the “most compelling, enlightening and influential young-adult books.” Do you agree? Check out the list to see if your favorites are there.

Top 20 Books Like Six of Crows

Love the ragtag crew of misfits in Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo? Looking for more fun books like it? Check out this list of the top 20 books like Six of Crows.