Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Books Are My People: A Podcast Companion Newsletter
This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Housekeeper’s Secret.
The Housekeeper’s Secret is a powerful, award-winning memoir by Sandra Schnakenburg that unearths the hidden past of the woman who raised her—her family’s longtime housekeeper, Lee. What begins as a promise to honor Lee’s dying wish unfolds into a gripping journey of secrets, survival, and the unexpected ties that bind across race, class, and generations. Set against the backdrop of an affluent Midwestern town, this deeply personal story explores the consequences of silence and the redemptive power of truth. Hailed as “once in a decade” by reviewers and winner of multiple top-tier book awards, The Housekeeper’s Secret is a moving reminder that the truth—no matter how buried—has a way of finding its voice.
Dear Reader,
The results are in and, it was pretty close, but, the majority of you do not make summer readings lists. 45% of you do and 55% do not! I definitely tend to go overboard on the list making. It doesn’t mean I follow the list. I think I just like making the list.
It’s been a really busy week here in Los Angeles. I’m gearing up for some exciting things ahead that I can’t wait to share with everyone. In the meantime, happy new book release day!
Guest Author Book Recommendation:
Throughout the summer, in lieu of my Books Are My People Podcast, I’ll be featuring guest author recommendations in this newsletter. Today’s recommendation comes from Kyra Davis Lurie, author of The Great Mann.
In this poignant retelling of The Great Gatsby, set amongst L.A.’s Black elite, a young veteran finds his way post-war, pulled into a new world of tantalizing possibilities—and explosive tensions.
Check out Kyra Davis Lurie’s guest author recommendation below:
Podcast News:
You can click here to listen to the most recent episode of my book recommendation podcast - I’m on summer hiatus, but I’ll be back in August. Until then, you can keep up to date with book releases and bookish news by signing up for my free newsletter right here on Substack! And, if you haven't yet, the greatest gift would be to rate my show, wherever you listen.
Member’s Corner:
June: Independent Reading Month: read whatever you’d like! We’ll gather over zoom at the end of the month to discuss.
July: Book to Film Adaptation - We Were Liars by e. lockhart. Order your copy here!
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!) Let Me Help You Discover New Books! (I’ve starred the ones I’ve read) I’m confident readers of all stripes will find their next read in this newsletter, where there’s something for everyone! You can learn more about me by visiting my introductory post here.
Today’s New Releases: (I’ve starred the ones I’ve read)
a big family novel: The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri -Narrated in six parts, each spanning a period ranging from a year to a day to a single minute, this is a big, vivid family saga of the highest order.
a prescient read: The Cost of Being Undocumented by Alix Dick and Antero Garcia - An undocumented activist and a social scientist come together to tally the structural costs of undocumented life.
genre-bending: The Mobius Book by Catherine Lacey - In 2021 Lacey began cataloguing the wreckage of her life and the beauty of her friendships, a practice that eventually propagated fiction both entirely imagined and strangely true. An exploration of memory and friendship.
family saga: Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven - This book examines how the Samuelson family deals with the loss of their son, who went missing only to turn up at Bug Hollow, a last gasp of the beautiful Northern California counterculture in the seventies. He had found joy in the communal life there, but died in a freak accident weeks later.
an academic mystery: Fox by Joyce Carol Oats - A charming, but mysterious English teacher arrives at an elite boarding school. When his car is found half-submerged in a pond, the entire community begins to ask disturbing questions about Francis Fox and who he might really be.
dark horror: Ecstasy by Ivy Pochoda- a reimagining of a Greek tragedy about empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them.
historical fiction: *These Heathens by Mia McKenzie - a novel exploring how one weekend can change your whole life and asks, where does any woman, let alone a Black young adult get an abortion in 1960 Georgia, especially if your small town’s midwife goes to the same church as your parents?
for Toni Morrison fans: Toni At Random: The Iconic Writer’s Legendary Editorship by Dana A. Williams - An insightful exploration that unveils the lesser-known dimensions of this legendary writer and her legacy, revealing the cultural icon’s profound impact as a visionary editor who helped define an important period in American publishing and literature.
Set in 19th-century La Réunion: *The Rarest Fruit by Gaelle Belem- This novel follows Edmond Albius, a young Creole boy born into slavery, whose extraordinary talent for botany leads him to revolutionize the vanilla industry with his method of hand-pollinating orchids.
Paperback Releases:
*Between The World and Me Ta-Nehisi Coates - Coates’s attempt to answer questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder.
*The Extinction of Irene Ray by Jennifer Croft - Eight translators gather in the primeval forest home of the world-renowned Irena Rey. They are there to translate her magnum opus together, but within days of their arrival, Irena disappears.
*Parade by Rachel Cusk - Parade is a novel that demolishes the conventions of storytelling. It surges past the limits of identity, character, and plot to tell the story of G, an artist whose life contains many lives.
I’ve Tried Being Nice: Essays by Anne Leary - Prepare to laugh, cry, cringe, and revel in the comically relatable chaos of Ann Leary’s life as revealed in this essay collection.
No art to share this week (have I mentioned it’s been super busy?), but here’s a pic from Mother’s Day. My sister gets credit for the photograph! We took our mom to The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, a small but mighty museum near UCLA to see the Noah Davis exhibit, which was amazing. There’s a delicious Alice Waters restaurant called Lulu at the museum, so we ate there after walking around. And my friend now works at the Hammer, so we all had a nice catch up with her!
