Categories
Riot Rundown

101720-SheComebyItNatural-RR

Categories
Giveaways

101620-SonsofWar2:Saints-Giveaway

We’re giving away 10 Sons of War prize packs to 10 lucky Riot readers!

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

Here’s what it’s all about:

All empires eventually fall. The United States is no exception. And out of the embers, a lawless new empire will rise.

Bestselling author Don Winslow proclaims: “Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s captivating new post-apocalyptic mobster series starts with a daringly original, high-octane bang. An engaging cast of characters you will root for — even when you shouldn’t.”

Categories
What's Up in YA

🔥 🔥 Sizzling YA Ebook Deals

Hey YA Readers!

Grab your ereader and prepare to fill it with so much excellent YA to dive into now and through the season of early darkness.

I’m putting this newsletter together early, so know these deals may have expired by the time you open it up (fingers crossed that’s not the case!).

Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus is a fabulous horror read about aliens…and humans. $3.

I’ve had Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon on my TBR for a while. For $2, it’s time for me to act!

Celebrate Latinx literature beyond Latinx Heritage Month with Sister Chicas by Lisa Alvarado, Ann Hagman Cardinal, and Jane Alberdeston Coralin. $2

Kristina Forest’s I Wanna Be Where You Are is the perfect read for right now, and it’s on sale for $3.

Grab War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi for a whopping $3.  

A twist on the story of the Queen of Hearts sound like your jam? Heartless by Marissa Meyer is $3.

Want a fantasy read? The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu is $3.

The Never-Tilting World by Rin Chupeco is on sale for $2.

If you’ve got an itch for some vampire YA, The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh is $3.

Another vampire YA for you to sink your teeth into: Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith. $2.

Perhaps you’re looking for something witchy, and if that’s the case, grab The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw. $2.

Kat Cho’s Wicked Fox is on sale for $4.

Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake and Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol are perfect for those seeking good ghost stories. $3 each.

Last. but not least, you can take flight with Faith: Taking Flight by Julie Murphy for $2.

Here’s to finding your next favorite YA read!

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Monday.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Categories
The Kids Are All Right

Robot Books!

Dear Kid Lit friends,

Robots are very trendy these days, and there are plenty of children’s books to satisfy robot-loving readers! *Please note that the dearth of representation in this list demonstrates the lack of robot books written by authors of color.*

For picture books, check out Jessie Sima’s Love, Z. I just love Jessie’s illustrations, and this one is no exception. When a small robot named Z discovers a message in a bottle signed “Love, Beatrice,” they decide to find out what “love” means. Unable to get an answer from the other robots, they leave to embark on an adventure that will lead them to Beatrice—and back home again, where love was hiding all along.

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, is a charming book about a boy and a robot who meet in the woods and spend the day together. But when Bot gets switched off, Boy thinks he’s sick. The usual remedies—applesauce, reading a story—don’t help, so Boy tucks the sick Bot in, then falls asleep. Bot is worried when he powers on and finds his friend powered off. He takes Boy home with him and tries all his remedies: oil, reading an instruction manual. Nothing revives the malfunctioning Boy! Can the Inventor help fix him?

In Little Robot by Ben Hatke, a little girl finds an adorable robot in the woods. When she presses a button and accidentally activates him for the first time, she finally has a friend. But the big, bad robots are coming to collect the little guy for nefarious purposes, and it’s all up to a five-year-old armed only with a wrench and a fierce loyalty to her mechanical friend to save the day!

For newly independent readers, check out Geeger the Robot Goes to School by Jarrett Lerner. This Amelia Bedelia-like book is about Geeger the Robot, and he is going to school. But not robot school…a school with kids, the human kind! As expected, Geeger isn’t used to human ways, and his zany misunderstandings and overly literal responses to instructions lead to quite a few mishaps. He’s starting to wonder if he can even make it until snack time! Will a bot made of wires, nuts, and bolts fit in with a classroom of kids?

And for middle grade readers, check out The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is–but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home–until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

What I’m Reading

Thank you, Miyuki by Roxane Marie Galliez, illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh

Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack by Sandra Nickel and Oliver Dominguez

Eric by Shaun Tan

What are you reading these days? Let me know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.

Until next time!
Karina

*If this e-mail was forwarded to you, follow this link to subscribe to “The Kids Are All Right” newsletter and other fabulous Book Riot newsletters for your own customized e-mail delivery. Thank you!*

Categories
The Fright Stuff

Ripped From the Pages

Hey there Happy Haunters, 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

We all know that Halloween is not going to be the same this year. All those parties and events that usually give you an excuse to dress to your creepy best have probably been cancelled at this point. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still get your costume on! Even if the furthest you’re going this Halloween is your couch for a scary movie marathon, getting dressed up will keep you in the spirit of things. And if you can get your family or roommates to do it with you, all the better! If you’re short on ideas, these books will help you put a spin on some of the classic Halloween costumes we know and love.

Witch

Before you break out the pointed hat and green face paint, or steal the spare broom from the cupboard, dive into these witchy reads for some inspiration to innovate this most classic of Halloween costumes. Want that quintessential dark, atmospheric occult feel? Venture into the dark woods in search of witches with Alexis Henderson’s The Year of the Witching, or strike a deal with a demon prince to avenge your eviscerated sibling in Kerri Maniscalco’s Kingdom of the Wicked. Prefer your witchcraft with a twist of dark academia? Grab a copy of Leigh Bardugo’s The Ninth House and choose your magical house in a process that has nothing to do with singing hats and everything to do with whatever creepy magic shit you get up to in your free time. (House Book & Snake represent. It’s all about that necromancy)

Vampire

Forget the plastic fangs this year. Move away from the silk capes, but hang on to those tubes of fake blood. These vampire books put Dracula back in his grave and will take your vampire costume in new, frightening directions. For starters, pick up copies of these fangtastic (not sorry) new anthologies: Vampires Never Get Old edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, which contains eleven stories about all kinds of different vampires, and Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire edited by Nicole Givens Kurtz which celebrates the vampires of the African Diaspora. Two anthologies, so many unique vampire concepts sure to put some new (un)life in your costume design. I wanted to recommend Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno Garcia as well, which introduces readers to a variety of vampire subspecies whose appearances and powers are influenced by where they come from and the vampire line they descend from. But sadly it is out of print. But HAPPILY, Tor Nightfire has already announced that they are “resurrecting” Certain Dark Things in May of 2021!

the deep alma katsu

Ghost

If you want to cut holes out of an old bed sheet I will never stop you, that’s classic. But may I recommend taking it up a notch this Halloween? The saltwater-soaked, wrathful ghost of The Deep by Alma Katsu might entice you to find your best Titanic gown look-a-like and throw some seaweed over your head. Plus this beautiful, emotional historical read makes a great companion for the darkening days of autumn. Pop culture crossover points if you drag a prop door frame behind you and sob like Leonardo DiCaprio just slipped through your fingers. (Too soon?) If you want a plethora of ghosts to choose from for inspiration pick up the Echoes anthology, edited by Ellen Datlow. It’s 816 pages of ghost stories written by a host of popular authors. That’s a lot of ghosts, and a lot of costume ideas.

an illustration with a red-tinged silhouette of a wolf in the foreground and a standing person in front of power lines and a car against a yellow background

Werewolf

Grab your claws and splash on some Eau de Wet Dog, because a werewolf costume is as classic as it gets. But if watching The Wolf Man on loop isn’t inspiring your costume design, pick up one of these amazing, toothy horror treats instead. Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones is a genre favorite, and probably one of the best werewolf novels of recent years. It’s a gristle between your teeth violent, dark, emotional story about a boy trying to find his place in the world and in the pack. In Romina Garber’s Lobizona, Manuela Azul is also on the hunt to discover her own story and her true heritage as she uncovers a hidden world of brujas and lobizones and struggles to find her place in a society where her very existence is illegal.

Fresh from the Skeleton’s Mouth

The horror good times continue over at Book Riot with this line-up of fantastic Filipino Horror Books for Your TBR, a selection of creepy Middle Grade Horror for the Haunting Season, and 28 Frightening Folk Horror Books because it’s harvest time! Someone get the animal masks, chunky knit sweaters, and acoustic guitars. And if you don’t have enough existential dread in your life yet, I’ve pulled together a list of Modern Cosmic Horror Books.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Innsmouth Free Press are publishing Mexican author José Luis Zárate’s cult novella and Dracula prequel The Route of Ice and Salt in January 2021, translated into English for the very first time by David Bowles and presented with an accompanying essay by Poppy Z Brite. This book sounds absolutely amazing! Be sure to preorder so you don’t miss out. If your NetGalley account is up and running you can request a review copy now!

Horror Booktuber Cody Daigle-Orians, has put together a video about “Books That Slay”, featuring four amazing slasher/slayer horror books you won’t want to miss. Tune in for some stabby good times!

The Know Fear Podcast’s most recent episode is about Eco-Horror! For those of you who want to add a little dread to your excursions into the wild. Literally the only way to get outside here is to head for the woods and what’s the point if I’m not terrified the whole time?

Author Jessica Guess was on the Ladies of the Fright Podcast talking about ’90s Horror, her novel Cirque Berserk, and pursuing dreams. Have a listen!

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

Categories
Today In Books

The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special Is Coming To Disney+: Today In Books

The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special Is Coming To Disney+

On November 17th, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special will stream on Disney+, as a successor maybe (?) of the one-time-only Star Wars Holiday Special that aired on CBS in 1978. You can look forward to Kelly Marie Tran voicing Rose Tico, Anthony Daniels voicing C-3PO, and Billy Dee Williams voicing Lando Calrissian.

Author Bill Bryson Discusses Retiring From Writing

Nonfiction author of travel, science, and language Bill Bryson recently discussed in an interview that his experiment with retirement this year was going really well. For fans of the author, you may have to stick to only rereading his work from now on, and for those who have never read his work, enjoy: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail; A Short History of Nearly Everything; In a Sunburned Country.

Disability Futures Fellows Awards $50,000 Grants To 20 Artists

A new initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon and Ford Foundations, Disability Futures Fellows, has awarded 20 artists $50,000 grants: “Born out of a year-long effort with disabled artists across the United States, Disability Futures aims to shed light on the dearth of visibility of disabled creatives and position these creatives as leaders for accessibility, language, and care.” Included among the inaugural class: DeafBlind poet and essayist John Lee Clark; activist and editor of Disability Visibility Alice Wong; poet, essayist and activist Eli Clare; Two Spirit, Disabled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of OK journalist Jen Deerinwater; poet, author, and social activist Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.

I’ve Got to Talk to Someone About This! A History of Book Clubs

A deep dive into the history of book clubs, including Black and Queer book club spaces.

Categories
Riot Rundown

101620-PCC-RR

Categories
True Story

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Reads

This past Monday was Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day beginning to be more and more recognized across the United States. Here are some nonfiction reads for the rest of your October. To learn more about the LANDBACK movement, check out their website.

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Part of the Revisioning History series by Beacon Press, this “challenges the founding myth of the United States and shows how policy against the Indigenous peoples was colonialist and designed to seize the territories of the original inhabitants, displacing or eliminating them.”

as long as grass grows cover

As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker

The protests at Standing Rock put a spotlight on American Indian environmental activism, but it has been going on for decades and decades. This is a history of “Indigenous resistance to government and corporate incursions on their lands and offers new approaches to environmental justice activism and policy.”

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer

A finalist for the National Book Award, this is Treuer’s response to the idea that American Indian history ended with the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890. The book tells their story from that point onward, making the point that “the story of American Indians since the end of the nineteenth century to the present is one of unprecedented resourcefulness and reinvention.”

Mankiller: A Chief and Her People by Wilma Mankiller & Michael Wallis

Mankiller was the first woman elected as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. In her memoir, she tells her story along with the history of the Cherokees. Growing up among the American Indian civil rights struggle, this chronicles her journey to leadership and her fight for their rights.

That’s it for this week — you can find me on social media @itsalicetime and co-hosting the nonfiction For Real podcast with Kim here at Book Riot. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.

Categories
Read This Book

Read This Book: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Welcome to Read This Book, a weekly newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!

This week’s pick is by one of my favorite authors, perfect for this creepy season!

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Content warning: Child death, but I don’t remember anything else

Ruth Ware gets called the modern day Agatha Christie a lot, and while I agree that some of those comparisons are valid (she writes awesome mysterious books that don’t ever get too gruesome, and they’re absolutely addicting!), not all of Ware’s books are traditional mysteries. This novel is more along the lines of horror–but again, not gruesome.

The story follows Rowan, an overworked London preschool worker who lands an incredible nannying job looking after three young children in a beautifully restored Scottish manor with a high-tech home management and security system, deep in the countryside. Room and board is covered, and if she stays a full year, she’ll receive a generous payout. It’s her dream job, until it turns into a nightmare. The children don’t seem excited that she’s there, urging her to leave before she’s barely settled in. Then, the parents immediately leave on business trips, and she’s left alone in a house full of creepy sounds and unexplainable break-ins. As stranger and stranger things happen, Rowan finds herself reaching her breaking point, until a terrible tragedy occurs.

This novel is written in the form of a confessional letter from Rowan to her lawyer, so you start the story knowing that someone died and Rowan is being blamed for it–but no one knows if she’s truly at fault. This is a great framing technique that immediately sets the scene and gives the reader plenty of chills, and I love how the tension is slowly and then swiftly ramped up. I also loved how Ware takes a situation that seems like a salvation and quickly turns it on its head. While there is certainly a mystery at the heart of this book (what’s going on, and who—or what—wants Rowan to leave?), I would classify this novel as horror light, with a thriller-like plot, ideal for anyone who loves The Turn of the Screw or who has been enjoying watching The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix, but with an updated and technological twist.

Happy reading!
Tirzah

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

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Categories
Unusual Suspects

Megan Abbott Has A New Novel Coming!

Hello mystery fans! It’s been another week so I’m back with a bunch of podcasts, roundups, giveaways, upcoming releases I’m super excited for, and Kindle ebook deals.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Rincey and Katie appreciate talking about some good news and get into the fall spirit with some dark, creepy campus novels on the latest Read Or Dead.

Liberty and Vanessa chat I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan and In the Study with the Wrench: A Clue Mystery, Book Two by Diana Peterfreund on the latest All The Books!

(A handful of mystery/thrillers) October 2020 Earphones Award Winners

Ian Rankin: ‘I became a suspect in a real-life case while researching my first novel’ (This needed many followup questions!)

Nikki Dolson has a short story you can read right now: Liars, Killers and Thieves

If you missed the live conversation with mystery authors Kellye Garrett, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Valerie Wilson Wesley you can watch the recording here.

Crime Writers of Color podcast: Kim Johnson–This is My America

Crime Writers of Color podcast: Nikki Dolson–Love and Other Criminal Behavior

5 Spooky Books to Read This October

Megan Abbott has a new novel, The Turnout, publishing in 2021 and I am absurdly excited.

I’m also excited that Stacey Abrams has an upcoming political thriller: While Justice Sleeps

And some more muppet arms because S. A. Cosby, author of Blacktop Wasteland, has a new crime novel coming in 2021: Razorblade Tears

Agatha Christie’s Best Poirot Mysteries Other than Orient Express

Five excellent new thrillers and mysteries take us back to the pre-COVID-19 era

(Some true crime and mysteries) The Best Books to Elevate Your Reading List in 2020

Win a Book Lovers Puzzles Prize Pack

Enter to win a $250 Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Kindle Deals

A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder Cover

A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery Book 1) by Dianne Freeman

If you’re in need of a funny historical mystery that will feel like a cozy blanket around your soul here is one for $2.99 and there are 2 more books in the series out. (Review)

Lay Your Sleeping Head (Henry Rios Mysteries Book 1) by Michael Nava

All seven books in Henry Rios legal series are $3.99 right now so if you’re looking to marathon a series here you go.

The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

If you’re looking for a unique character driven spy novel and love historical novels here’s one for $4.99. (TW suicide mention/ sexual harassment/ attempted rape)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. 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 Twitter, Instagram, 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.