Riot New Media – Page 793

080620-Sanrio-The-Stack

Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date August 6, 2020

080520-Lobizona-Giveaways

Post author By Devin Service
Post date August 5, 2020

We have copies of Lobizona by Romina Garber to give away 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:

In Lobizona, bestselling author Romina Garber weaves together Argentine folklore and what it means to be illegal “in a timely tale of identity and adventure that every teenager should read” (Tomi Adeyemi, bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone).

Audiobooks

Audiobooks 08/06

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date August 5, 2020

Sponsored by Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls.

Thirty-eight year old Charlie Lewis is about to be married, but he can’t stop thinking about the past, and the events of one particular summer. He was sixteen years old then, his life not at all glamorous, thinking about the future with dread. But then, Fran Fisher bursts into his life and, despite himself, Charlie begins to hope. In order to spend time with Fran, Charlie must—gulp—join a play. Romeo and Juliet, to be exact, and hespends the summer facing his fears and becoming a different person thanks to Fran and his fellow theater troupe.

Hola Audiophiles! I am fresh off a quarantine sojourn by the beach and feel so revived! The salty beach air, bonfires on the sand, and cocktails in the sunshine were just what I needed to shake off some of the pandemic blues. In other good news, this week brings lots of books I’m really excited to talk about, so let’s dive on in.

Ready? Let’s audio.

New Releases – August 4 (publisher descriptions in quotes)

Auntie Poldi and the Handsome Antonio by Mario Giordano, read by Matt Addis (mystery) – I’ve described the titular Auntie Poldi as Sophia Petrillo if she were Polish and way more drunk. If you don’t know, now you know: that is glowing praise indeed. This relatively cozy series follows Auntie Poldi, who’s chosen to spend her retirement in Sicily in search of sun, romance, and a steady supply of wine. She just keeps on finding crimes to go sticking her nose in though, and this latest installment brings her into contact with both the mafia and her lying cheat of an ex-husband.

Narrator Note: Matt Addis has narrated the other books in this series and is just so pleasant to listen to!

Lobizona by Romina Garber, read by Sol Madariaga (YA fantasy) – This is the first in a new series that I am 18 different kinds of excited about! It infuses folklore (werewolves!!) in an immigration story and that is how you hook me. Manuela is undocumented and running from her father’s Argentine crime-family, so she’s kept a low profile and confined herself to a small Miami apartment. When her surrogate grandmother is attacked and her mother arrested by ICE, Manu goes searching for answers about her past with a mysterious “Z” emblem as her only clue. 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.

Narrator Note: Sol Madariaga is a trilingual actress originally from Argentina and that makes me SO happy. The Argentine Spanish accent is so unique and I love getting to hear it spoken authentically!

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi, read by Yetide Badaki anf Chukwudi Iwuji (fiction) – In a town in southeastern Nigeria, a mother discovers her son’s Vivek’s body wrapped in colorful fabric at her doorstep. Vivek is a bit of an enigma to his family, a spirit that’s both gentle and mysterious. He suffers occasional blackouts and moments of disconnection, a condition that exacerbates as he enters adulthood. Vivek’s closest friend is Osita, “the worldly, high-spirited cousin whose teasing confidence masks a guarded private life. As their relationship deepens—and Osita struggles to understand Vivek’s escalating crisis—the mystery gives way to a heart-stopping act of violence in a moment of exhilarating freedom.” This is the latest from the author of Pet, a book much loved around these parts.

Narrator Note: This duo! Chukwudi Iwuji has read both The Fishermen and An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma, and you may recognize Yetide Badaki from Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Witch series.

Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall, read by Helen Keeley (mystery/thriller) – I somehow missed that Araminta Hall had a new book coming this year! I am a huge fan of Our Kind of Cruelty, her polarizing thriller from a couple of years ago that I 100% hurled at the wall upon completion. In this latest book, rich and pretty Nancy Hennessy is murdered. She leaves behind her two best friends, a loving husband and a daughter… and a secret lover whose identity she takes to the grave. As the investigation into her death falls apart and her friends try to cope with their grief, they learn how little they knew about their friend…and each other…and themselves.

Narrator Note: This will be my first Helen Keeley performance, but I really enjoy everything I’ve heard in samples. She’s got quite a prolific catalog of titles that I believe were originally pubbed in the UK. If you like crisp English accents, you’ll probably enjoy her style.

Latest Listens

I’m in the middle of Amanda Leduc’s Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space. Its just over 8 hours, but I’m taking a little longer with it to go back and re-listen to certain sections. It’s not exactly breaking news that the fairy tales popularized by Disney and other segments of Western culture have major ableist tones, but reading this book has really magnified my privilege as an able-bodied person. So much of what I’m learning seems sort of obvious, but the truth is that my privilege has kept me from thinking critically about the message and implications of ableist messaging in these stories.

Think about it: the baddies are almost always disfigured in some way, or disability is doled out as a punishment. The princesses and princes who find love aren’t ever disabled, or if they are, it’s after their hideous disfigurement has been miraculously healed. As an adult, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about representation and how I never saw myself in the fairy tales I loved so much. This book is a reminder that disabled people have been left out of the equation even more egregiously, or worse: they’ve often been made the bad guy.

I’m not done with this one yet, but I feel pretty confident recommending it. Amanda Leduc is disabled so the book is own voices, and she appears to have taken great care to use language and context that is sensitive to both the disabled community at large and her sources’ individual preferences. The narration by Amanda Barker is so natural and conversational in tone that I forgot it wasn’t the author herself doing the narrating!

From the Internets

at The Guardian: Now You’re Talking! The Best Audiobooks, Chosen by Writers

This roundup of new romance audiobooks from Audiofile reminds me that I really need to pick up some Nalini Singh.

The latest from Listen Together, Libro.fm’s audiobook club

Over at the Riot

It’s Women in Translation Month! Here are some excellent audiobooks that fit the bill.

Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with with all things audiobook or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the In The Club newsletter and catch me once a month on the All the Books podcast.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Kissing Books

Did Somebody Say…Telenovela?

Post author By Jessica Pryde
Post date August 5, 2020

Sponsored by Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh.

Inspired by classic 80s films with a regency twist, when an ambitious entrepreneur pretends to be a lady of means, she catches the eye—and heart—of a duke…

Do you like silence? I can hardly stand it. Which is why you often get my contemplations on movies and the like at the start of Kissing Books, because I’ve usually put on an old (or new) favorite to keep me company while I write. This time around it’s the Newsies stage musical. If you’ve only seen the movie with Christian Bale (quality film, don’t @ me), this is very different. And Jack and Katherine’s duet, “Something to Believe In,” is one of my favorite songs by Alan Menken ever. And if you know how much I love Disney, you know that’s a thing to say. (And if you don’t know how much I love Disney, might I recommend trying out BR Insiders to find a special treat featuring me and my love for the House of Mouse.)

Right, this is supposed to be about romance. Let’s talk romance, then!

Over on Book Riot

If you’ve been to any virtual romance event where Alyssa Cole happened to be speaking, you’ve probably heard her talk about Crash Landing On You. Here are some books to read after you’ve watched it.

Speaking of Alyssa Cole, enter a giveaway for an audio copy of her upcoming book, When No One Is Watching. It’s definitely more of a thriller, but does have romantic elements.

How about some plus-size romances (adult and YA).

Win $50 to the independent bookstore of your choice. (And if your local indie doesn’t sell romance, there’s always The Ripped Bodice and Love’s Sweet Arrow!)

Or, a year’s subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

Deals

Looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy of wills? Try Phyllis Bourne’s Feud for 3.99. A woman inherits a house and discovers the sexy neighbor next door is the most recent inheritor of a generational family feud. And there’s something about running him out of the neighborhood in order to get an even bigger inheritance? So yeah, you can guess what’s going to happen there! And then, once you’ve made it through that one, try Jinx, in which one poor woman is pretty certain she’s cursed, but the man who can’t get enough of her is pretty certain curses don’t exist.

New Books

Well, it’s a new week, and once again, more books have dared to come out. And we love them for it, of course!

You Had Me At Hola
Alexis Daria

Did somebody say telenovela? In the style of Jane the Virgin and Queen of the South, there’s going to be a new English version of a famous telenovela on the biggest streaming site soon. And after lead actress Jasmine and her new, much more experienced co-star, the ridiculously handsome Ashton, have a bumpy encounter before their first table read, their relationship only exists while the cameras are rolling. But that becomes a problem when their on-screen chemistry needs a…push? Shall we say?

I started reading this yesterday and almost forgot to go to work! (This is why I usually don’t read in the morning but I was up way too early and figured why the heck not.) The characters are compelling, their family dynamics are super interesting, and the anticipation is killing me. I will probably have finished it by the time you read this 😉

There are also some other super-mentionable books out this week:

Sweetest in the Gale by Olivia Dade
The Enforcer Enigma by GL Carriger (The newest in her m/m contemporary paranormal series)
Marriage by Arrangement by Sophia Singh Sasson
The Immortal City by May Peterson
The Secret of You and Me by Melissa Lenhardt (I haven’t actually confirmed that this has an HEA, so approach with caution)
Only One Bed: A Steamy Romance Anthology
Always Only You by Chloe Riese
In Deep by Blue Sapphire
Charming Scottish Bastard by Melissa Blue
The Cowboy Says I Do by Dylann Crush
Sin City Seduction by Zuri Day
The Dalmation Dilemma by Cheryl Harper (The only thing on this cover is a dog, so)

Reading anything new 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!

Today In Books

Oscar Wilde’s Student Questionnaire Goes To Auction: Today In Books

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date August 5, 2020

Jasmine Guillory’s Romance Novels Optioned and More Book Radar!

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 5, 2020

Sponsored by HarperCollins Children's Books.

I am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command. Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit. She names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable. But Suraya doesn’t know that pelesits have a dark side—and when Pink’s shadows threaten to consume them both, they must find enough light to survive . . . before they are both lost to the darkness.

Hey there, book nerds! Happy Thursday! I hope you’re having a great week, full of wonderful reading. I’ve been hopping around between a few different books, watching more Perry Mason on HBO, and plotting out the month’s new book acquisitions. You know, just living my best bookish life.

Here’s more great new deals and excitement! I hope you’re staying safe out there, and wearing your bookish mask when you need to leave your house!

Trivia time: What was Stephen King’s debut novel?

Deals and Squeals:

Jasmine Guillory revealed on Today with Hoda and Jenna that Reese Witherspoon has optioned her first three romance novels—The Wedding Date, The Proposal, and The Wedding Party. About time these amazing books got some film traction!

Are you excited for Elena Ferrante’s new novel, The Lying Life of Adults? Are you an audiobook reader? You’ll want to pick up the audio edition, which will be narrated by Marisa Tomei! It’ll be Tomei’s audiobook debut but she’s a big Ferrante fan and we’re certain she’ll do a fantastic job.

Publication of John Bolton’s The Room Where It Happened couldn’t be stopped in the courts, but now the Department of Justice is looking to sue for Bolton’s earnings–which are in the millions.

Stephenie Meyer is celebrating the long-awaited release of Midnight Sun by going on tour–but she’ll only be physically present at one stop, and it’ll be held at a drive-in theater, with social distancing measures in effect.

John Boyne has come under fire for his research (or lack thereof) in his books, but this latest incident is a cross between hilarious and cringe-worthy: his new historical novel, A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom, lists fictional ingredients for red dye, apparently taken from a simple Google search that presented results from a Legend of Zelda game.

Do you love Stephen King’s ventures into the hardboiled crime genre? Then you’ll be happy to hear he has a new crime novel out in March 2021 called Later.

Accidentally Wes Anderson began as an Instagram account that shared photos that looked like they were plucked from a set of one of his movies, but now it’s a book, authorized by Anderson himself. You can catch a sneak preview ahead of the October release date.

Riot Recommendations

At Book Riot, I’m a cohost with Liberty on All the Books!, plus I write a handful of newsletters including the weekly Read This Book newsletter, cohost the Insiders Read Harder podcast, and write content for the site. I’m always drowning in books, so here’s what’s on my radar this week!

Want to read: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

It’s been a while since I read a great science fiction novel, and this new release (out just this week!) leapt to my attention thanks to someone I follow on Twitter saying that it stars an LGBTQ+ character! This is the story of Cara, who lives in a highly stratified society where multiverse travel is possible–but only if your counterpart there is dead. Cara’s other selves are great at dying, which makes her the perfect candidate to become a traveler, but when one of her counterparts dies unexpectedly, she’s drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. I just got a copy and I can’t wait to dive in!

My (other) book acquisitions this week:

Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne

Mayhem by Estelle Laure

Never Look Back by Lillian Rivera

Trivia answer: Carrie

That’s it for me, book nerds! I leave you with this photo of my fledgling romance shelf, which I turned into a rainbow while I was shuffling a few things around. I am now accepting recommendations for romance novels with orange, purple, and blue spines, please and thank you!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

The Kids Are All Right

Kidlit Deals for August 5, 2020

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date August 5, 2020

080520-BeingLolita-RR

Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date August 5, 2020

Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publisher of Being Lolita by Alisson Wood

“Have you ever read Lolita?” A dark romance evolves between a high schooler and her English teacher in this breathtakingly powerful memoir about a young woman who must learn to rewrite her own story. Susan Choi, author of Trust Exercise, calls it “powerful” and Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life, says “In the era of #MeToo, Wood’s voice will change things for the better.” Start reading Being Lolita by Alisson Wood now.

In The Club

In the Club – 8/5

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date August 4, 2020

Sponsored by With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt, now available from Algonquin Books.

New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt returns with With or Without You. Stella and Simon’s marriage is tested when Stella unexpectedly falls into a coma. She awakes months later to an estranged relationship with Simon and a newfound ability to draw portraits in which she captures people’s innermost feelings. Stella has the chance to form a new life, one she never realized she wanted, if only she accepts it.

With or Without You is a page-turner that asks the question, What do we owe the people in our lives, and when does the cost become too great?

Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed. It’s August (I know, I know, deep breaths) and that means it’s officially Women in Translation month! I have three thrilling reads for you to explore in book clubs that I promise you’ll have lots to say about.

To the club!!

Nibbles and Sips

I just finished the audiobook of Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material, a delightful fake relationship romance with a splash of enemies-to-lovers that I simply loved to pieces! The main character’s (hilarious) French rock star mom makes a special curry that sounds quite, err, “special” indeed! It put a curry craving in my head though, so I whipped up what I’m calling my Lazy Curry while listening. It’s a pressure cooker recipe and not very authentic (don’t at me!), but it’s quick and packed full of flavor.

Throw 1.5 pounds of chicken breast (or thighs if you prefer) into the Instant Pot, then dump in a can of coconut milk and the following seasonings and spices:

1.5 teaspoons of salt
3 teaspoons curry powder,*
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Black pepper to taste (I use about 1/4 teaspoon)
Cayenne to taste

Cook on high pressure for five minutes; if desired, take the chicken out of the liquid and chop or shred, then add back to the pot and toss in some veggies of choice. I use half an onion, a red bell pepper, and a green bell pepper, all sliced into strips, then cook for one more minute to soften the veggies. Top with some chopped cilantro and boom! Quick and easy meal. Goes well with a heaping bowl of jasmine rice.

*Didya know curry powder isn’t an authentic Indian spice? Not even a little! Curry is a pre-made spice mix that includes “Indian” spices and it’s basically a thing British people made up. It is however tasty and comes in handy for stuff like this. I use this version here, more or less: adjust to your taste buds.

Get Lost in Translation

All of these books come to you from my TBR (and in one case my DNF file, but not because the book was bad). They’re all thrilling reads written—and in some cases also translated—by women. They each explore big themes like class, misogyny, homophobia, marital discord… I’m talking meaty, folks. Dive in and celebrate women in translation!

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogowa, translated from Japanese by Stephen Snyder – On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, everyday objects disappear at random. Then the disappearances escalate in severity, and the draconian Memory Police are committed to ensuring that what’s lost stays that way. When a young novelist discovers that her editor may be the Memory Police’s latest target, she offers to hide him under the floorboards of her home. As despair closes in around them, the pair cling to her writing in a desperate attempt to preserve the past. This book won or was shortlisted for so many awards last year and comes highly recommended from several Rioters.

Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes – Listen, this book is not for the faint of heart—I had to put it down because it just contains all the triggers, but want to spread the word about this rising star in Mexican lit. After the death of the town witch, the investigation that follows reveals some dark truths about the unreliable inhabitants of this small Mexican village. Fernanda Melchor does not look away from the ways this community has been ravaged by drug abuse, poverty, alcoholism, homophobia, and misogyny, but rather looks them straight in the face and calls them out by name. If you can handle dark, violent content, and I know many of you can, pick up this gut-punch of a book.

The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, translated from Korean by Sora Kim-Russell – I added this psychological thriller to my TBR when I saw it on this list of Korean lit in translation for fans of the movie Parasite. A man named Oghi wakes up in the hospital after a violent car accident kills his wife and leaves him both paralyzed and disfigured. His mother-in-law assumes responsibility for his care and takes him home, then basically abandons him to go dig a giant hole in the yard where her daughter’s garden used to be. Then she digs another hole, and another, and yet another, providing no explanation other than that she’s finishing what her daughter started. Totally normal! Oghi becomes obsessed with finding a way to escape and is forced to grapple with some very uncomfortable truths about his troubled marriage—and the toll it took on his wife.

Suggestion Section

Because sometimes you really, really need this: an email template to break up with your book club.

Here are the latest book club picks from Oprah, Vox, and Good Morning America.

Pair your book club read with recipes based on genre!

These books well on their way to becoming feminist classics would make excellent book club selections. I see women of color, celebrations of female friendship, romance—not your mother’s feminist reading list.

Disclaimer: this one’s behind a paywall (unless you haven’t yet maxed out on your free NYT views like I have): a look at Black book clubs then and now.

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: HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date August 4, 2020

Sponsored by our Kindle Unlimited 1-year subscription giveaway!

We’re giving away a 1-year subscription to Kindle Unlimited courtesy of Early Bird Books! Early Bird Books brings you free and bargain eBooks that match your interests. You can sign up for free, read the books on any device, and the books are yours to keep. Click to enter!

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!!

Did you know the first Sunday of August is National Sisters Day? Did you remember to give your big or little sis a call? Did you catch up with your sister from another mister? If you didn’t, it’s not a problem. You can give them a call right now! If you’re looking for a book that is not only about sisters, but also feels relevant during this current iteration of the Black Liberation Movement, then look no further than Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. In this debut novel, Gyasi takes the reader on a sweeping and powerful journey that traces three hundred years of the African Diaspora through two sisters separated by circumstance.

Trigger warning for sexual assault

In 18th-century Ghana, Effia and Esi are sisters born in different villages. Known beauty Effia intends to marry the future chief of her village, but rumors spread that she is barren. Instead of marrying a chief, Effia marries James Collins, the British governor of Cape Coast Castle. There, Effia lives comfortably in the palatial castle, unaware of the horrors occurring beneath her in the castle’s dungeons. Esi is the beloved daughter of renowned warrior Kwame and his wife, Maame. After her village is raided and her parents are killed, Esi is captured and imprisoned in the dungeon of the Cape Coast Castle where she is raped by a drunk British officer before being shipped off to America. One story thread follows Effia’s descendants through Ghanaian civil warfare and British colonization while the other thread follows Esi and her descendants in America from the plantations of the South and the Civil War to the Great Migration and 20th-century Harlem through the present day.

When I tell you Homegoing rocked me … Baby! I cried for almost an hour after I finished it. I usually enjoy most books I read, but it isn’t often that I read a book that moves me. Homegoing moved my entire soul. It made me feel seen as a Black American. It honored the strength and struggle of my ancestors. It reminded me of my transformative study abroad experience in Ghana. It’s been a few years since I read Homegoing, and I still find myself thinking about it from time to time. I constantly wonder when I will see this story adapted into a miniseries because Homegoing is Roots for a new generation.

I could keep going on about how amazing Homegoing is, but ain’t nobody got time for that! Instead, I will recommend adding Homegoing as the reading companion to Between the World and Me and How to Be an Anti-Racist on your anti-racist TBR because Homegoing uses an easily digestible fictional narrative that shows readers not just the horrors of America’s (and Britain’s) original sin, but how those sins are still alive and well in contemporary society. Like Kenya along with Kenan, Jay, and Sasheer have already told us, the simplest answer to any question dealing with the state of race relations today is “Because of slavery.” Homegoing also shows the beauty in Blackness. It is an unabashed celebration of our humanity and our spirit that is often overlooked and disregarded … because of slavery.

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

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