Other Book Riot New Releases Resources
This is only scratching the surface of the books out this week! If you want to keep up with all the latest new releases, check out: Twenty-four years later, Ruth returns to the suffocating, once grand house she grew up in, the mother of young twins and seventeen-year-old Maeve. Joining the family in the country is Stuart, Ruth’s childhood friend, who is quietly insinuating himself into their lives and gives Maeve the attention she longs for. She is recently in remission, unsure of her place in the world now that she is cancer-free. Her parents just want her to be an ordinary teenage girl. But what teenage girl is ordinary? Reasons to read it: An atmospheric, haunting story that alternates between two summers and two teenage girls — mother and daughter — and explores the “perils and power of being a young woman.” This is a challenging and memorable read that combines beautiful writing and creeping unease. Content warnings for grooming and an adult-minor relationship. Unable to face alone his mother’s ghastly remarriage to his uncle, Ben turns to his dearest friend, Horatio Patel, whom he hasn’t seen since their relationship changed forever from platonic to something…other. Loyal to a fault (truly, a fault), Horatio is on the first flight to NYC when he finds himself next to a sly tailor who portends inevitable disaster. And who seems ominously like an architect of mayhem himself. Meanwhile, Ben’s ex-fiancé Lia, sundered her from her loved ones thanks to her addiction recovery and torn from her art, has been drawn into the fold of three florists from New Orleans — seemingly ageless sisters who teach her the language of flowers, and whose magical bouquets hold both curses and cures. For a price. On one explosive night these kinetic forces will collide, and the only possible outcome is death. But in the masterful hands of Lyndsay Faye, the story we all know has abundant surprises in store. Impish, captivating, and achingly romantic, this is Hamlet as you’ve never seen it before. Reasons to read it: This is a queer fantasy take on Hamlet set in New York with a philosophical undertone. It’s told from three perspectives: Benjamin, a physicist with ADHD; (Ophe)Lia, his artist ex-fiancée; and Horatio, Ben’s best friend and lover. This promises to be a cerebral, sometimes dreamlike read that mixes philosophy, flower arrangement, and quantum physics. As days pass, Ting witnesses modern Filipino society languishing under Gumboc’s terrifying reign. To make her way, she must balance the aristocratic traditions of her extended family, seemingly at odds with both situation and circumstance, as well temper her stance towards a regime her loved ones are struggling to survive. Yet Ting cannot extricate herself from the increasingly repressive regime, and soon finds herself personally confronted by the horrifying realities of Gumboc’s power. Reasons to read it: This is a provocative literary fiction title that explores both Filipino history and its current politics, including how gender, race, class, and queerness play out in this cultural moment. The story builds to an explosive conclusion that demonstrates the high stakes of each character’s choices. Reasons to read it: This is a highly anticipated adorable YA graphic novel with a F/F romance that challenges gender norms and examines the difficulties of being an out trans girl in high school. I’ve been hearing buzz about this for so long that I can’t believe it’s only out now! This is a much-needed addition to the fairly small category of uplifting trans YA. One person who seeks her out is the eligible and attractive Sir Edmund Winslow. As Sophie assists Sir Edmund in his pursuit of a wife, she wishes she could recommend herself as his bride. However, she vows to remain uninvolved while aiding him in his search (especially since the gentleman surely does not return her affections). But when her long-lost love and Sir Edmund both seem to be interested in courting her, Sophie can’t figure out if she’s headed for another broken heart or for the altar. How can she be expected to help other people sort out their romantic lives when her own is such a disaster? Reasons to read it: This is a Regency era comedy of manners romance novel that promises “wry and delightful” writing and plenty of witty repartee. It’s a whimsical, romp of a read that’s perfect for fans of Jane Austen–esque romance novels with a healthy dose of humor. One might as well start with Séraphin: playlist-maker, nerd-jock hybrid, self-appointed merchant of cool, Rwandan, stifled and living in Windhoek, Namibia. Soon he will leave the confines of his family life for the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, in South Africa, where loyal friends, hormone-saturated parties, adventurous conquests, and race controversies await. More than that, his long-awaited final year in law school promises to deliver a crucial puzzle piece of the Great Plan immigrant: a degree from a prestigious university. But a year is more than the sum of its parts, and en route to the future, the present must be lived through and even the past must be survived. Reasons to read it: This is being compared to Zadie Smith and Michael Chabon’s work. It’s a coming of age story about having to flee Rwanda during the civil war, but it also promises to be laugh-out-loud funny. A thought-provoking read about migration, refugees, and nationalism, it follows a flawed main character trying to stumble his way through growing up in trying circumstances.
Book Riot’s YouTube channel, where we discuss the most exciting books out every Tuesday! All the Books, our weekly new releases podcast, where Liberty and a cast of co-hosts (including me!) talk about eight books out that week that we’ve read and loved. The New Books Newsletter, where we send you an email of the books out this week that are getting buzz. Finally, if you want the real inside scoop on new releases, you have to check out Book Riot Insiders’ New Releases Index! That’s where I find 90% of new releases, and you can filter by trending books, Rioters’ picks, and even LGBTQ new releases!
title: “New Releases Tuesday The Books Out This Week You Need To Read " ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-11” author: “Velma Dyess”
Other Book Riot New Releases Resources
This is only scratching the surface of the books out this week! If you want to keep up with all the latest new releases, check out: When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka’s ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She’s found her final candidate. But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn’t have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan’s kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul’s worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline. As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found. Reasons to read it: This is being pitched as “Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.” It deals with transphobia and what it’s like to be a newly transitioning trans woman, while also being joyful and soothing. It’s got cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts. It’s also a celebration of music and has a sapphic romance. What’s not to love? She also shares stories about her mom slow-poking before a visit with Mrs. Obama, the stupidly fake reassurances of zip-line attendants, her favorite things about dating a white person from the UK, and how the lack of Black women in leadership positions fueled her to become the Black lady boss of her dreams. By turns perceptive, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartfelt, Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes is not only a brilliant look at our current cultural moment, it’s also a collection that will stay with readers for years to come. Reasons to read it: This is the newest book from author, comedian, actress, and producer Phoebe Robinson. You might remember her previous two books of essays: You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain and Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay — which is a title that resonates differently in 2021. Expect a lot of humor from these takes on the current cultural moment, but also cuttingly incisive commentary. As Andrew searches for the truth of Eddie’s death, he uncovers the lies and secrets left behind by the person he trusted most, discovering a family history soaked in blood and death. Whirling between the backstabbing academic world where Eddie spent his days and the circle of hot boys, fast cars, and hard drugs that ruled Eddie’s nights, the walls Andrew has built against the world begin to crumble, letting in the phantom that hungers to possess him. Reasons to read it: This is a queer southern gothic with dark academia elements. It’s being pitched as The Secret History meets Fast and the Furious, but it’s also an examination of toxic masculinity and the pervasive white supremacy in academia. This is a creepy, consuming read that will leave you thinking about it long after you’ve closed the covers. That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all. Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late. Reasons to read it: This is bestselling author Rachel Hawkins writing under the pen name Erin Sterling, and if you like seasonal fall reads but don’t want to jump full into horror, this is the perfect October book for you. This is the first book in this paranormal romance series following a group of witches. It promises Hocus Pocus vibes, but with a lot more heat. So curl up with a pumpkin spice latte and The Ex Hex for a perfect autumnal reading experience. An ancient text—the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky—provides solace and mystery to these unforgettable characters. Doerr has created a tapestry of times and places that reflects our vast interconnectedness—with other species, with each other, with those who lived before us and those who will be here after we’re gone. Dedicated to “the librarians then, now, and in the years to come,” Cloud Cuckoo Land is a hauntingly beautiful and redemptive novel about stewardship—of the book, of the Earth, of the human heart. Reasons to read it: This is the newest from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See. It feels a little silly to try to pitch this, because it’s hard to think of a more beloved book club book than All the Light We Cannot See, so this will already be on a lot of people’s radars. This is dedicated to “the librarians then, now, and in the years to come.” It’s an ambitious, hopeful novel about coming of age in a broken world. Cloud Cuckoo Land explores the human responsibility of stewardship, and the different ways these characters find resilience and redemption in difficult times. A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all. Reasons to read it: If you’d rather ring in Halloween month with a horror read, this one should be on your list. Stephen King called it a “true nerve-shredder,” and it’s being pitched as “perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.” Also, one of the narrators is a cat!
Book Riot’s YouTube channel, where I discuss the most exciting books out every Tuesday! All the Books, our weekly new releases podcast, where Liberty and a cast of co-hosts (including me!) talk about eight books out that week that we’ve read and loved. The New Books Newsletter, where we send you an email of the books out this week that are getting buzz. Finally, if you want the real inside scoop on new releases, you have to check out Book Riot Insiders’ New Releases Index! That’s where I find 90% of new releases, and you can filter by trending books, Rioters’ picks, and even LGBTQ new releases!
title: “New Releases Tuesday The Books Out This Week You Need To Read " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-26” author: “Lisa Boyce”
Other Book Riot New Releases Resources
This is only scratching the surface of the books out this week! If you want to keep up with all the latest new releases, check out: Gala writes letters to B—- that shed light not only on the Get Happies, but paint an extraordinary portrait of Gala. The parallel narratives of B—- and Gala form a dialogue bout creation—of music, identity, self, culture, and counterculture. Reasons to read it: This is being called a “brilliant and magical work” about creativity, fandom, and trans identity. It’s a non-linear epistolary exploration of a friendship between two trans women who came out at very different times and the ways they’ve found to survive in a world that is often hostile to them. When Natasha’s sister disappears, Natasha desperately turns to Della, a local girl rumored to be a witch, in the hopes that magic will bring her sister home. But Della has her own secrets to hide. She thinks the beast who’s responsible for the disappearances is her own mother—who was turned into a terrible monster by magic gone wrong. Natasha is angry. Della has little to lose. Both are each other’s only hope. Reasons to read it: This is supposed to be “lush and chilling,” about two girls fighting back against a violent world. This is from the author of Ghost Wood Song, and it’s being compared to Wilder Girls and Bone Gap. Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their capricious father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did one of them snap after that dreadful evening? Or was it someone else that night who crept in with the worst of intentions? It must be. After all, if one of your siblings was a psychopath, you’d know. Wouldn’t you? Reasons to read it: This is a domestic suspense novel from the bestselling author of The Couple Next Door. It’s a fast-paced whodunit between unlikable siblings who all had the motivation to kill their parents, both out of revenge and for their inheritance. Part murder mystery, part psychological thriller, it’s sure to keep you flipping pages until the very last one. Reasons to read it: This is the newest book from the National Book Award–winning, bestselling author of Waiting. It’s a reflective story about art, censorship, and freedom, told in accessible prose. It’s a character-driven story with a timely political message. As her vision cleared, Widder found the intersection of her two passions in oceanic bioluminescence, a little-explored scientific field within Earth’s last great unknown frontier: the deep ocean. With little promise of funding or employment, she leaped at the first opportunity to train as a submersible pilot and dove into the darkness. Widder’s first journey into the deep ocean, in a diving suit that resembled a suit of armor, took her to a depth of eight hundred feet. She turned off the lights and witnessed breathtaking underwater fireworks: explosions of bioluminescent activity. Concerns about her future career vanished. She only wanted to know one thing: Why was there so much light down there? Below the Edge of Darkness takes readers deep into our planet’s oceans as Widder pursues her questions about one of the most important and widely used forms of communication in nature. In the process, she reveals hidden worlds and a dazzling menagerie of behaviors and animals, from microbes to leviathans, many never before seen or, like the legendary giant squid, never before filmed in their deep-sea lairs. Alongside Widder, we experience life-and-death equipment malfunctions and witness breakthroughs in technology and understanding, all set against a growing awareness of the deteriorating health of our largest and least understood ecosystem. A thrilling adventure story as well as a scientific revelation, Below the Edge of Darkness reckons with the complicated and sometimes dangerous realities of exploration. Widder shows us how when we push our boundaries and expand our worlds, discovery and wonder follow. These are the ultimate keys to the ocean’s salvation—and thus to our future on this planet. Reasons to read it: This is supposed to be both a “thrilling adventure story as well as a scientific revelation,” told from a pioneering marine biologist. She also discusses the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field, as well as the vulnerability and importance of this ecosystem and why we should care about protecting it. And it’s possible Mandy is even more distant lately, ever since she walked out on her S.A.T.s. Which, yeah, her mom doesn’t know. Everyone thinks Mandy needs to go to college and become whoever you become at college, but Mandy has other plans. Mandy’s big plan is that she’s going to move to France and…do whatever people do in France. But then everything changes when she gets partnered with Claire for a school project. Mandy likes Claire (even if she denies it, heartily and intensely). A lot. How do you become the person you’re supposed to be when you don’t know what that is? How do you become the person you’re supposed to be when the only thing you’re sure of is what you’re not? When someone from Starfire’s past arrives, Mandy must make a choice: give up before the battle has even begun, or step into the unknown and risk everything to save her mom. I am Not Starfire is a story about teenagers and/as aliens; about knowing where you come from and where you are going; and about mothers. Reasons to read it: This is a new YA graphic novel from Mariko Tamaki, New York Times bestselling author of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me. It’s is an AU graphic novel that is sure to bring some new teenage fans in, just like Tamaki’s earlier title, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass. It also has a fat queer girl main character! Check out the trailer for it on YouTube.
Book Riot’s YouTube channel, where I discuss the most exciting books out every Tuesday! All the Books, our weekly new releases podcast, where Liberty and a cast of co-hosts (including me!) talk about eight books out that week that we’ve read and loved. The New Books Newsletter, where we send you an email of the books out this week that are getting buzz. Finally, if you want the real inside scoop on new releases, you have to check out Book Riot Insiders’ New Releases Index! That’s where I find 90% of new releases, and you can filter by trending books, Rioters’ picks, and even LGBTQ new releases!
