Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Let Me Help You Discover Books You Might Not Otherwise Read! You can learn more about me by visiting my introductory post here.
Dear Reader,
Well, as James Taylor once said, “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain.” The rains came and wreaked more havoc on our city, even though we really need the water! There were mudslides and my sweet friends who had been evacuated due to the fires for over a month just moved home and after the rains and now their backyard is just one big mud sludge. It’s been really hard for so many people here.
But books are the balm we need. Read on to see what’s out today!
COME MEET ME IN PERSON! (I’m yelling because I’m excited!)
I will be at The Culver City Book Festival, Saturday, February 22nd from 10 - 5 pm. Come find me! I’ll have stickers and bookmarks and coffee mugs. I’ll also have journals made out of upcycled books and even some art created from book pages. You can even record a book recommendation that I’ll air on the show!
Click here to listen to the most recent episode of my book recommendation podcast.
And, if you haven't yet, the greatest gift would be to rate my show, wherever you listen.
Book Giveaway:
I’m giving away a copy of The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez. I loved this historical fiction novel told from many different points of view about the construction of the Panama Canal. I learned so much! I think that fans of historical fiction who enjoy a large cast of characters will also love this novel.
To Enter: Visit my giveaway page. This giveaway will close on Wednesday, March 5th and I will contact a winner on Thursday, March 6th.
This giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only.
Member Corner:
February: It’s an Independent Reading Month - read whatever you’d like and we’ll meetup at the end of February to discuss. We’ll vote this Thursday on the best day and time to virtually meet.
March: Book to Film Month:
We will be reading and watching The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead in March. I’m really eager to read this novel and watch the movie. Upgrade your membership and join us!
The best way you can support this newsletter 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!)
Books Are My People: A Podcast Companion Newsletter
Out Today: (I’ve starred the ones I’ve read)
For vampire fans: Hungerstone by Kat Dunn A compulsive feminist reworking of Carmilla, the queer novella that inspired Dracula. (quick aside, I took a fascinating course in graduate school that explored all “vampire” novels as homoerotic…)
Linguistic lovers:Who Owns This Sentence? by David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu: A non-fiction book exploring the complexities of language, translation, and ownership of words.
Mystery + Bibliophile = The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens: A mystery novel about a librarian who is forced to confront her war-torn past.
Janeites Unite: Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney, releasing on February 18, 2025, explores the women writers who influenced Jane Austen, delving into their works and why they’ve been overlooked. Would you like more details about this book?
Mysterious gardens: The Garden by Nick Newman: A historical fiction novel about a mysterious garden that holds the key to a family’s secrets across generations.
School Suspense: The Girl You Know by Elle Gonzalez Rose: A dark academia thriller about secrets and lies within a prestigious school.
Paperback Releases:
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange: A follow-up to There There, this novel explores the generational trauma and resilience of a Native American family, spanning decades and tracing the effects of colonialism on their lives.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (10th Anniversary Edition): This novel follows two sisters in France during World War II as they navigate love, survival, and resistance.
*Bad Animals by Sarah Braunstein: A literary novel about a fractured family, a missing child, and the blurred lines between love, grief, and obsession, told through shifting perspectives.
*The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard: A speculative novel set in a world where people live alongside their future selves, following a young girl who must decide between justice and her own desires when she uncovers a disturbing truth.
Ours by Phillip B. Williams: A powerful story exploring race, history, and family through the lens of an enslaved woman in the antebellum South who takes extraordinary measures to protect those she loves.
*The Painter’s Daughters by Emily Howes: A historical fiction novel about two sisters in 18th-century England, the daughters of artist Thomas Gainsborough, navigating art, society, and their father’s legacy.
I did a little abstract art over the weekend with a friend. This one is called Noodles and Pie, because that’s what we ate! (And I did try and include noodle and pie shapes, but the noodles got a little lost as I added each layer.) Sometimes it’s freeing to just make art for the pleasure of moving materials around the page.
What books are you looking forward to reading?
I love that you’ll be recording book recommendations.