Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Books Are My People: A Podcast Companion Newsletter
Dear Reader,
It’s a fraught time for Angelinos. I hope everyone is staying safe out there. Books can be a balm during times of uncertainty.
I am busy stacking high piles of books over here - everything I want to read over the summer. I get a little overly-ambitious when it comes to summer reading, but at the same time, typically, I reserve summer reading for books with a fast clip, books I can easily pick up and put down and pick up again without having to backtrack too much or take notes while reading.
Journal Sale:
Yesterday, a happy customer posted the journal they purchased!
I’m running a sale through the end of the month on all of my handmade journals made out of upcycled books. Use the coupon code: ALMOSTSUMMER25 at checkout to receive 20% off of all journals in the store! Stock up and give them as gifts to your book-loving friends!
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 house swap gone awry: Far and Away by Amy Poeppel - Strangers Lucy (living in Texas) and Greta (living in Berlin) have agreed to a house swap and they’re going to regret it! Poeppel’s novels are always sweet and funny.
Listen to me interview Amy Poeppel on my Books Are My People podcast.
*Murdery mystery simulation in England: Welcome to Murder Week Karen Dukess - An American woman travels to the English countryside after she discovers tickets her late mother had purchased for a murder mystery simulation in a small British town.
Debut novel: Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin - A Black man, arrested for cocaine possession on the last day of a sweltering New York summer leaves Smith, a queer Black Stanford graduate, in a state of turmoil - caught between worlds of race and class, glamour and tragedy, a friend’s mysterious death and his own arrest. My copy just came in from my local library!
Aging creatives: Grand Finale: The Creative Longevity of Female Artists by Susan Gubar - In 2008, academic and scholar Susan Gubar was told by a trusted oncologist that she had only a few years left to live. Though she outlived that dire prognosis, this brush with mortality refocused her attention on the boons of a longevity she did not expect to experience. She began to think: In the last years of our lives, can we shape and change our creative capabilities? Gubar spotlights very creative old ladies: writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, and dancers from the past and in our times.
Memoir: Homework by Geoff Dyer A portrait of a young boy, who keeps passing exams—and of a changing England in the 1960s and 1970s.
Paperback Releases:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe - One young woman’s attempt to navigate adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world.
*The Examiner by Janice Hallett - Told in emails, text messages, and essays, this unputdownable mystery follows a group of students in an art master’s program that goes dangerously awry.
Listen to me interview Janice Hallett on my Books Are My People podcast.
*The Hollywood Assistant by May Cobb - Offered a dream job in Hollywood with a famous director and his actress wife, an insecure woman becomes their personal assistant where their secrets and lies place her in the crosshairs of a murder investigation.
Listen to me interview May Cobb on my Books Are My People podcast.
*Jackie by Dawn Tripp - In this mesmerizing novel about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, acclaimed author Dawn Tripp has crafted an intimate story of love and power, family and tragedy, loss and reinvention.
ART:
I had a great time at ArtShare LA in downtown Los Angeles where I have this piece in their show! The art world is alive and well!
Is there anything more awkward than posing for a photo with your art?? It looks like I stood still for a while, but really, it was a .02 second pause and then I ran away.
Tell me what you’re reading!!
I enjoyed Margo’s Got Money Troubles. And I love that you took photos of you and your work at the gallery opening. It's a special thing to commemorate. Congratulations.