Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Happy New Year, Bookies! I hope you are all enjoying these last moments of winter break. Gone are the days of beginning the new year with a hangover (I don’t miss being in my twenties!) And a new year means a fantastic future populated with new books to read! I’ll get to the beginning-of-the-year books in a moment, but first, some housekeeping.
Did you know that I am the host of the book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People? True story. On yesterday’s episode, I interviewed Bookshop.org CEO, Andy Hunter. You can listen to it here.
Also, if you’ve been a longtime listener, you may have noticed that I curate books talked about on the show in my own bookshop.org shop, Books Are My People (I mean, could I make it any easier to remember my brand?) Moving forward, I will no longer be organizing this shop by episodes. It takes a really long time! I will, however, continue to leave links to all of the books that are talked about on my podcast in the show notes section of the podcast, wherever you listen OR you can visit, don’t be shocked, www.booksaremypeople.com and click to be taken to the show notes.
I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of those of you who purchase books through my affiliate shop! It’s a great way to easily give back to my free podcast and newsletter!
For paying subscribers, Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang will be our February Read With Me selection.
Did you get a copy of the book for the holidays? We will read a quarter of the book each week, beginning February 5th. Each week in February, I will release a video / post about the book and participants are free to chime in. I can’t wait and I hope you join us.
As a gift to you in the new year, now through January 31st I’m offering 20% off full-year subscriptions!
Also for paying subscribers: I am hoping to land on a date for our first Zoom Book Social. Thank you to those of you who have voted on the time that works best for you! For the rest of you, I’ll send the link out again this week in Notes and in my Friday Subscriber-Only Post.
Want to see a reel of every book I read in 2023? Click here.
Introducing myself to new subscribers! 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!
Now it’s time for the first bundle of January books. (I’ve starred the ones I’ve read)
The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri
previous book: The Beekeeper of Aleppo (new feature, previous books by the same author, you like?)
People in a Greek village deal with the aftermath of a fire that swallows their home.
key words: Greece, village, suspense, investigation, home, sweeping novel
I recommended this one on yesterday’s podcast episode. Two parents stand by powerlessly as their only child seems intent on destroying herself. As the mother--a novelist--attempts to understand her daughter, she finds herself revisiting her own uneasy, unresolved relationship with her mother. Weaving between childhoods past and present, laced with temptation and betrayal, Nonfiction: A Novel is an unflinching account of a mother, daughter, wife, and author reckoning with the world around her. But can a writer ever be trusted with the truth of her own story?
key words: parenting, addiction, mother-daughter relationships
*Olivia Strauss Is Running Out Of Time by Angela Brown
In honor of her 39th birthday, Olivia’s best friend gives her the gift of learning, through genetic testing, the exact date she will die. But can this information help her better enjoy the time she has left?
key words: facing mortality, predicting one’s death
The Age Of Deer by Erika Howsare
I love this cover SO much!
A masterful hybrid of nature writing and cultural studies that investigates our connection with deer--from mythology to biology, from forests to cities, from coexistence to control and extermination--and invites readers to contemplate the paradoxes of how humans interact with and shape the natural world.
key words: deer, human-animal relationship, biology
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
A spellbinding, sweeping novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWII--and the shocking consequences that rain upon her community and family.
key words: WWII, spy, war, motherhood, colonization, saga, four main characters
A twisty debut exploring the dark side of true crime fandom and the blurry lines of female friendship, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, My Favorite Murder, and Fleabag
Conspiracy theories from Reddit seduce a disaster-prone woman into an obsession with solving her older sister's cold-case disappearance.
key words: mystery, detective, grief
From the author of Raft of Stars comes a heartfelt novel of marriage and whitewater rafting, following one couple as they navigate the changing currents of family, community, and the river itself.
key words: 1990’s, rafting, Wisconsin, nature, natural disaster, family
Divine Might: Goddesses In Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes
New York Times bestselling author Natalie Haynes returns to the world of ancient Greek myth in this scintillating follow-up to Pandora's Jar, exploring Greek Myth through a female-centered lens. And also, total aside, can we talk about Ani DiFranco joining the Broadway cast of Hadestown??
key words: female-centered, Greek Mythology
Paperback Releases:
I bought this book for my sister for the holidays last year, forgot to give it to her and recently brought it up to see if she’d read it and, unfortunately, she said she had. But good news for you, this means I will be doing a book giveaway soon for this fantastically funny book about sisters forces to live together during the pandemic and reconciling their past, including a special-needs sister who died when they were young.
Part memoir and part social critique, Drinking Games is about how one woman drank and lived-- and how, for her, the last drink was just the beginning.
I’ve been taking an online printmaking and design course put forth by Fiber Arts and taught by Tara Axford. I’m learning so much! Here are some studies I’ve been doing using the gelli plate. I’m hoping to apply what I learn to my future works of art, and I’m very exited to share that, so far, I will have my art featured in two literary magazines in 2024.
Like what you read? You can buy me a coffee!
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.
I’m loving your new prints!