Riot New Media – Page 750

Screen Time for MEMORIAL by Bryan Washington and More Book Radar!

Post author By Liberty Hardy
Post date October 14, 2020

Sponsored by Welcome to the United States of Anxiety by Jen Lancaster.

New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster is here with a witty and candid reflection to help us focus on actualizing our basic human needs: shelter, money, sleep, food, and Wi-Fi. From the moment Americans wake up, we’re bombarded with bad news. We’re expected to base our self-worth on social media likes. How do we begin to escape from everyday stress? Take a deep breath, and Jen’s advice, and you just might be able to chill out. Read Welcome to the United States of Anxiety.

Happy Thursday, star bits! I know that Monday I left you on a cliffhanger, and I’m sure none of you have been able to sleep because you’ve been so worried since I told you I hadn’t been able to find my Grease fotonovel. Well, great news: it has been located! It’s yellowed and falling apart and looks like Chewbacca passed it, but beggars can’t be choosers. (Chewsers?)

To celebrate, I rewatched Grease for the first time in at least two decades and immediately wished I hadn’t because, wow, what hot garbage. (“🎵 Sexism is fine, if it’s set to a catchy tune. 🎵” Yikes. Moving it to the “problematic faves” column.)

Moving on: I have a bunch of great stuff for you today, including a book I can’t wait to read, trivia, and more fun stuff! And remember that whatever you are doing or watching or reading this week, I am sending you love and hugs. Please be safe, and remember to wear a mask and wash your hands. And please be mindful of others. It takes no effort to be kind. I’ll see you again on Thursday. – xoxo, Liberty, Your Friendly Neighborhood Velocireader™

Trivia question time! Who wrote Absent in the Spring in 1944 under the name Mary Westmacott? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.)

Deals, Reals, and Squeals!

Bryan Washington’s upcoming novel, Memorial, will be a television series.

Here’s the first trailer for Come Away, which features Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

The Disney Channel has optioned Carlos Hernandez’s Sal & Gabi series.

And speaking of Rick Riordan Presents books, RR just announced Lori M. Lee’s new upcoming Hmong mythology series, Pahua and the Soul Stealer.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Leesa Cross-Smith’s upcoming novel, This Close to Okay.

Ernest Cline talked about the upcoming Ready Player One sequel.

HBO is developing a drama based on Pride by Ibi Zoboi.

And in more former Book Rioter news: Justina Ireland announced her first middle grade novel.

Here’s the first look at the cover of Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology by Jess Zimmerman.

And here’s another beautiful cover reveal: A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown.

Taye Diggs released his new children’s book for free.

Take a peek at Tahereh Mafi’s new YA novel, An Emotion of Great Delight.

The new Magic School Bus: Rides Again special, The Frizz Connection, is dropping on Netflix next week.

Angelina Jolie is in talks to star alongside Christoph Waltz in an adaptation of Every Note Played by Lisa Genova.

Book Riot Recommends

At Book Riot, I work on the New Books! email, the All the Books! podcast about new releases, and the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index. I am very fortunate to get to read a lot of upcoming titles, and learn about a lot of upcoming titles, and I’m delighted to share a couple with you each week so you can add them to your TBR! (It will now be books I loved on Mondays and books I’m excited to read on Thursdays. YAY, BOOKS!)

Excited to read:

Razorblade Tears: A Novel by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books, July 6, 2021)

If you haven’t read Blacktop Wasteland yet, you should drop everything and pick it up right now. It’s one of the best books of 2020, an exciting thrill ride that will leave you gasping. You’ll thank me, I promise.

That’s why I am so excited to learn that Cosby already has a new book coming next year! It’s about two fathers who team together to get revenge after their sons are murdered. If it’s even half as good as Blacktop Wasteland, it will be amazing. Now excuse me while I sit here and wait for it to come out.

What I’m reading this week.

The Turnout by Megan Abbott

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner

Whereabouts: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette

Song stuck in my head:

Right Down the Line by Gerry Rafferty. (I’m still really into listening to songs I loved when I was young. You can listen to a lot of them in this playlist I made!)

And this is funny:

This is a genius quick fix.

Happy things:

Here are a few things I enjoy that I thought you might like as well:

Star vs. the Forces of Evil
Purrli: This website makes the relaxing sounds of a cat purring.
Here are livestreams of animals. I particularly enjoy the bat one.
And more cute animal pictures.
The Great Pottery Throw Down
Disney Emoji Blitz!

And here’s a cat picture!

Hostess cat cake. (It looks cute when Farrokh does this, but it almost always ends up with him rolling backwards and shutting my laptop on my work.)

Trivia answer: Agatha Christie.

You made it to the bottom! High five. Thanks for reading! – xo, L

Today In Books

Arizona State University’s Rare Books Digitized and Available For Public: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 14, 2020

Sponsored by Fangirl, Vol. 1, the manga adaptation of Rainbow Rowell's bestselling novel.

Arizona State University’s Rare Books Digitized & Available For Public

Libraries digitizing materials for public accessibility continues to be an amazing thing. Arizona State University’s Civic Classics Collection–which contains The Federalist Papers and rare books and manuscripts related to first peoples, civil rights history and activism, and the founding of America–are available online through a virtual guide.

Poet & Star of Insecure To Adapt Pride

Poet Aziza Barnes and Insecure star Nastasha Rothwell will be adapting Ibi Zoboi’s Pride (a reimagining of Jane Austen’s novel) into an HBO series. Both Barnes and Rothwell adapted the story and will executive produce while Barnes will write the script.

Batman And Wonder Woman Will Get New Serial Box Stories

Serial Box, a publisher of audio and reading material that is released in serialized installments, will continue its deal with Warner Bros.’ DC Entertainment to bring two more superheroes to the format. Batman: The Blind Cut and Wonder Woman: Heartless will be brand new stories that see Diana Prince dealing with high profile murders in a divided nation, and Batman will deal with being part of the 1%, which L O L.

What Are The Most Cited Poems?

Want to know where some of those famous poetic quotes came from? Take a peek at the most cited poems at weddings, funerals, and in pop culture.

Kissing Books

Looking for Fantasy Romance? Look No Further.

Post author By Jessica Pryde
Post date October 14, 2020

Over on Book Riot

How many of these fantasy romances have you read? I’ve got more books to pile up and pretend to read!

I haven’t watched Indian Matchmaker (and I’ve read a few things about the casteism involved in the show and am not sure I want to) but this is still an interesting set of recommendations!

Spooky bookmarks!

Have you been keeping a reading journal?

Bookish costumes by sign. I’ll bite. (Funnily enough, the one that matches mine was also my high school mascot :D)

Deals

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher

Speaking of fantasy romance: I’ve been hearing T. Kingfisher’s name a lot recently, and this book sounds as good as any place to start. This one is a fantasy romance featuring a paladin who wants to be useful and the fugitive he goes on the run with. There’s magic, there’s worldbuilding, and there are apparently a lot of pages. And if you like this one and want more, Clockwork Boys and Swordheart are both currently 1.99 as well.

New Books

There are a bunch of books out today in the romance sphere—a couple are more like books in their genre with romantic elements, but might be worth checking out anyway.

So many books.

Sanctuary by Alexandria House

Booked for Christmas by Lily Menon (Sandhya Menon’s adult romance pseudonym)

The Last Rule of Makeups by Nina Crespo

Were-Geeks Save Lake Wacka Wacka by Kathy Lyons

The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle Green

Now Playing by B. Love (That cover, y’all)

Division Bells by Iona Datt Sharma

Miracles and Menorahs by Stacey Agdern

The Midnight Bargain by CL Polk (this is one of those referenced “[insert genre] with romantic elements)

The Boyfriend Effect by Kendall Ryan

Legal Tender by Shae Sanders

Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr

Simmer Down by Sarah Smith

Brothersong by TJ Klune (now that the last one is out I can finally read the rest!)

A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong

Take You Down by D. Rose

Home by Kris Bryant

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory (paperback release, the cover is purple now!)

The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke

Never Too Late by Brenda Jackson

London’s Most Elusive Earl by Anabelle Bryant

After Hours Redemption by Kianna Alexander

The Lure of Love by Iris Bolling

What are you reading this weekend?

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

Giveaways

101420-Children’sBible-Giveaways

Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date October 14, 2020

We’re giving away five copies of A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet to five lucky Riot readers!

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

Here’s what it’s all about:

Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Millet’s “masterly new novel” (New York Times)—her first since the National Book Award long-listed Sweet Lamb of Heaven—is a prophetic, heartbreaking story of teenage alienation and adult complacency in an unraveling world. “A blistering little classic,” according to the Washington Post, in A Children’s Bible “Millet’s wit and her penchant for strange twists produce the kind of climate fiction we need.”

The Kids Are All Right

Kidlit Deals for October 14, 2020

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date October 14, 2020

Sponsored by Emporia State University’s School of Library & Information Management

The Masters of Library Science program at Emporia State University is an ALA accredited program that offers you the flexibility of online classes while also giving you a community of peers to build your professional network. Through a combination of online and face to face instruction, students are able to form deep connections to the course work, professors, other students, and practicing professionals in libraries. ESU offers a quick and affordable way to earn your MLS, with most students completing their degree in two years – even while working a full-time job! To learn more, visit our website at www.emporia.edu/slim

Hey kidlit pals, welcome to your weekly round of kidlit deals! This week’s batch is full of amazing fantasy and some awesome creepy reads just in time for Halloween! As always, these deals won’t last long, so snag them while they’re hot!

The Big Nate 3-Book collection is just $5! Three books for just $5 is such a great deal.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia is just $1, which is an incredible deal! Perfect for Rick Riordan fans!

Did you love Enola Holmes on Netflix? Read the first book, The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, for just $3.

Calling all Howl’s Moving Castle fans! Sequel House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones is $5.

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is the perfect creepy read for the season at just $3.

Newbery winner Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut Blackbird Fly is just under $5!

Need a great fantasy? Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor is $3.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton is a classic, and just $2.

Greenglass House by Kate Milford is just $2.

Newbery Award winner The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is $5.

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Riot Rundown

101420-DoomsdayClock-RR

Post author By Devin Service
Post date October 14, 2020

In the Club 10/13

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date October 13, 2020

Sponsored by Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter.

Rural people and culture have been casually mocked, stereotyped, and deeply misunderstood. Now an array of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays, along with anecdotes from the authors’ real lives, dives deep into the complexity and diversity of rural America and the people who call it home. Fifteen extraordinary authors—diverse in ethnic background, sexual orientation, geographic location, and socioeconomic status—explore the challenges, beauty, and nuances of growing up in rural America. You’ll find yourself visiting parts of this country you might not know existed—and meet characters whose lives might be similar to your own.

Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Hello, lovely people of the club! It’s still October and that means it’s still an excellent time to read about things that go bump in the night. Last week we did witches, this week we’re casting a wider net.

To the club!!

Nibbles and Sips

I (still) have apples to go through and had a craving for apple pie the other night, but could not muster the energy to make a full-blown pie. That’s when I remembered the glory that is a crumble! I peeled a couple of apples, tossed them in sugar, cinnamon, and flour, then topped them with a mixture of flour, butter, and white and brown sugar the consistency of wet sand. All it took was about 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven and boom! Deliciousness. Here’s a similar recipe with measurements & stuff.

Books

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, edited by Carmen Maria Machado

A lot of people think of Dracula as the first vampire book, but Carmilla both predates Bram Stoker’s classic by decades and helped inspire it. Carmilla is a lesbian vampire who lurks in the shadows, waiting to prey on unsuspecting women. After a carriage accident, she meets Laura, a lonely woman in a remote mansion in a central European forest who soon learns her new companion is both a seductress and a monster. In the original text, le Fanu 100% writes Carmilla’s queerness as the source of her villainy, an unfortunately common occurrence in literature. In this 2019 version, Carmen Maria Machado reclaims this queer narrative by rewriting the story entirely while someone also remaining mostly faithful to the original work.

Book Club Bonus: This piece is a more in-depth exploration of Machado’s reclaiming of the lesbian vampire narrative and should serve as an excellent source for book club discussion.

frankenstein in baghdad by ahmed saadawi book cover

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, translated by Jonathan Wright

Imagine if the story you know as Frankenstein was set in US-occupied Baghdad and the titular scientist was an oddball scavenger, one who creates a corpse by stitching together the human body parts he collects. He’s not just playing Build-a-Corpse for fun; he’s doing it so the government will recognize the parts as people and allow the slain a proper burial. Then that corpse goes missing, a monster who though shot cannot be killed and needs human flesh to survive.

Book Club Bonus: In case you’re not picking up on this yet, this work of dark humor and horror is a scathing critique of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Unpack that!

Lobizona by Romina Garber

In this work of YA fantasy, Manuela is undocumented and running from her father’s Argentine crime-family, so she keeps a low profile and rarely leaves her small Miami apartment. When her surrogate grandmother is viciously attacked and her mother arrested by ICE, Manu goes searching for answers about her past. The search takes her to a secret world straight out of Argentine folklore where brujas and werewolves exist, and down a path that reveals the terrifying truth of Manu’s heritage. It’s not just her residency, but her very existence that is illegal.

Book Club Bonus: Get ready for a “who’s the real monster here” discussion.

Suggestion Section

Bustle recently highlighted the new Alice Hoffman book, Magic Lessons. Why yes, I am bringing this up just to shove it in your faces again because it really is that good. So much to talk about in book club, as is often the case when unpacking the origins of the witch hunt.

As holiday season approaches with no end to this pandemic in sight (please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong), it’s going to take a concerted effort to stay connected. Whether you’ll be gathering with your small quaranteam book club or keeping in touch with loved once via virtual means, start making some fun holiday plans now! I know I for one am thinking of coordinating a holiday romance read + a Downton Abbey dinner date, but the possibilities are endless.

The L.A. Times book club will explore the work of Octavia Butler next. Her work is getting a “this speculative fiction feels a little too real” bump on the bestseller charts lately which is both incredibly awesome and extremely terrifying.

Read more books by Native writers. That’s all.

Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter and catch me once a month on the All the Books podcast.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.

Vanessa

Read This Book

Read This Book: RETURN TO SENDER by Julia Alvarez

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date October 13, 2020

Sponsored by Scribner, publisher of She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh.

The National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Heartland focuses her laser-sharp insights on one of the most unifying figures in American culture: Dolly Parton. Infused with Smarsh’s trademark insight, intelligence, and humanity, She Come By It Natural is a sympathetic tribute to the icon Dolly Parton and—call it whatever you like—the organic feminism she embodies. “Smarsh and Parton are a perfect pairing for the kind of in-depth examination into gender and class and what it means to be a woman and a working-class hero that feels particularly important right now.” —Refinery29

Welcome to Read This Book, the newsletter where I recommend a book you should add to your TBR, STAT! I stan variety in all things, and my book recommendations will be no exception. These must-read books will span genres and age groups. There will be new releases, oldie but goldies from the backlist, and the classics you may have missed in high school. Oh my! If you’re ready to diversify your books, then LEGGO!!

Tomorrow is the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, and I would be remiss if I let this celebration end without recommending a book written by an Hispanic author. Hopefully, you’ve had the opportunity to read at least one book written by an Hispanic author within the past month. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about the recently published Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia for the horror / fantasy crowd. For the scaredy cats like me, today’s recommendation is definitely more family friendly.

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

After his father is injured in a tractor accident, Tyler’s family must hire migrant Mexican workers to keep their Vermont farm from going into foreclosure. Tyler isn’t sure how to feel about the situation because they might not have the proper documents to be in this country. Then there are the family’s three daughters, particularly the oldest daughter Mari. She is proud of her Mexican heritage, but is becoming increasingly connected to her American life. Will Tyler and Mari find a way to become friends despite their differences?

Although this story takes place around 2005 and 2006 when ICE Raids were historical almost everyday occurrences, Return to Sender feels as current as ever when America’s new “Deporter-in-Chief” and his administration gleefully continue separating families at the United States-Mexico border. Mari and her family are constantly in fear of being captured by la migra and being separated. While Mari and her parents were born in Mexico, Mari’s sisters were born in North Carolina, so are technically American citizens. Return to Sender will help readers find the humanity behind the headlines.

I enjoyed this middle grade book, and it didn’t take long for me to become engaged in the story. Moreover, I think it’s a great book for parents and children to read together, then use the discussion questions included in the back of the book to share their thoughts on the book’s key themes of citizenship and immigration.

I recommend reading Return to Sender no matter your stance on the issue of immigration. The book may confirm your suspicions, or it may help you see the issue from a different point of view. Characters in the story like Tyler and Mr. Rossetti learn the issue of immigration is complicated, and it is hard to be against undocumented Mexican workers being in the United States once you know their stories and how they contribute to the American economy.

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

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Today In Books

Queer Celebrity Trailblazers Celebrated In New Book: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 13, 2020

New Releases: Dolly Parton, Recipes, and More

Post author By Alice Burton
Post date October 13, 2020

Sponsored by Scribner, publisher of She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh.

Everyone doing okay? Getting through October? I hope you drink some water today and give yourself the bonus of an early bedtime. We’ve got some new nonfiction to check out, so let’s get to it:

White Reconstruction: Domestic Warfare and the Logics of Genocide by Dylan Rodríguez

What is White Reconstruction? It’s “the struggle to reassemble the ascendancy of White Being [that] toxifies the formal disassembly of U.S. (Jim/Jane Crow) apartheid and permeates the political and institutional logics of diversity, inclusion, formal equality, and ‘multiculturalist white supremacy.'” Basically, since the 1960s, there has been work going on to undermine civil rights, and this book points out exactly how that’s been done.

The Ghost Road : Anishinaabe Responses to Indian Hating by Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Since the founding of the United States, anti-Indian rhetoric has been a part of American law and policy. From “proportional representation and restrictions on the right to bear arms, to the break-up of tribal property rights and the destruction of Indian culture and family, the attacks on tribal governance and people continue and remain endemic.” A particularly appropriate read in light of Indigenous Peoples’ Day this week.

Parwana : Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen by Durkhanai Ayubi

Parwana is the name of Ayubi’s family restaurant. Her parents fled Afghanistan during the Cold War and started the restaurant “to share an authentic piece of the Afghanistan the family had left behind.” The recipes include ice dishes, curries, meats, dumplings, Afghan pastas, sweets, drinks, chutneys and pickles, soups and breads, all of which sound awesome (except maybe pickles, for I do not care for them).

As always, 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.