Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Welcome to my weekly book recommendation newsletter. You can learn more about me by visiting my introductory post here. Please consider purchasing recommended books through my Bookshop.org affiliate links. It’s a great way to support the show and an ethical way to support your local bookstore. (You can even buy books I don’t link in my shop!)
INSTAGRAM LIVE: Miss my live with Amy? We each recommmend our favorite read from April. Click here to watch. I’ve already listened to the audiobook version of her recommendation over the weekend and loved it!
I’ll be going live with Annie from SoThis on Friday, May 17th at 9 am PT on Instagram.
It was unanimous. You prefer the shorter descriptions, which means you won’t have to scroll for so long in these newsletters. Let me know what you think of these changes in the comments below.
Let Me Help You Discover Books You Might Not Otherwise Read!
Out Today:
This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
Sweeping historical fiction about an Algerian family that takes place over seven decades.
key words: Algerian revolution, 1940-2010, historical fiction
Jay, a once-promising artist is living undocumented in the United States and runs into a former lover who invites him to stay on their property.
key words: literary fiction, artist, essential worker, art, the past, beauty, power
A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, checks into a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in an entirely different journey.
key words: self-discovery, road trip, complicated relationships, humor
Another Word for Love by Carvell Wallace
Wallace, an award-winner journalist, excavates layers of his own history, situated in the struggles and beauty of growing up Black and queer in America.
key words: memoir, POC, LGBTQ, love, healing
Cartoons by Kit Schluter (Sorry, they changed the pub date to next week for this one!)
Set in the uncanny valley between Bugs Bunny and Franz Kafka, Cartoons is an explosive series of outrageous, absurdist tales.
key words: micro fiction, humor, poetry, blended writing genres, illustration
Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum
When a high-level executive vanished after the first night at an exclusive tech startup retreat in Miami, new hire Caitlin needs to keep up the charade of the perfect retreat.
key words: dark comedy, wealth, power, Miami, corporate culture, mystery
A debut collection of short fiction where characters grapple with formative political, existential, and romantic experiences in a web-drenched society on the brink of collapse.
key words: short fiction, women’s health, mental health, love, faith
Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris
After their father dies, all four Solomon siblings must return to North Carolina to save the Kingdom, their ancestral home and 200 acres of land, from a development company who has their sights set on turning the valuable waterfront property into a luxury resort.
key words: legacy, family secrets, alternating points of view
Paperback Releases:
The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
A propulsive page-turner about four families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens--and what is lost when we give in to our own worst impulses.
Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier
Set in the glamorous, competitive world of showjumping, a novel about the girls who ride, their cutthroat mothers, and a suspicious death at a horse show.
Online Writing, Reading and Art Events This Week (three things I love!)
Writing Events:
Thursday, May 16th 5 PM PT Adaptation: Going From Book to Screen
Art Events:
I’m late to begin
/ Char Hamilton’s latest Virtual Art Retreat, but that’s okay because I’m signed up and they’re all recorded so I can catch up on my own time. You can too! Click here to join.Thursday, May 16th at 11 am PT Portrait Drawing with Dylan Sara on YouTube
Thursday, May 16th at 4 pm PT Art Hang Party with
from Art Hang Party. Click here for the live video.Saturday, May 19th at 8 am PT with
at Introvert Drawing Club. Click here to learn more.
Working through my camera roll from my trip to Santa Fe. Hoping to fill up the journal we were all given.
I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week! Any new releases out today that you’re excited to share? Leave me a comment!
Like what you read? You can buy me a coffee!
Books Are My People: A Podcast Companion Newsletter
(click here to listen to the most recent episode of my book recommendation podcast.)
The best way you can support this show is to click on the books below and purchase them through my Bookshop.org affiliate store. A portion of your spending goes to independent bookstores! A win-win-win! (You win, I win, indie bookstores win!)
And, if you haven't yet, the greatest gift would be to rate my show, wherever you listen!
I'm Jennifer Caloyeras and I love books. And I love sharing books! I even love writing books. And making books! And teaching people how to write books! This post contains affiliate links to my Bookshop.org shop which not only supports me, but independent bookstores as well. Please consider purchasing books through these links as a way of supporting Books Are My People.
Thank you for the shoutout! I'm extra excited about this session!
Thanks for mentioning ART HANG PARTY! Jennifer! 🤗💖✨ we’ll be drawing side profiles this week, as it’s something a lot of need to practice!