Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Big week over here. There were highs: my youngest got his driver’s permit, which blows my mind, and lows: I fell down the stairs! (I’m fine; just a bit banged up.)
In my latest episode of my Books Are My People podcast I interview historical fiction author Louis Bayard, author of The Wildes: A Novel In Five Acts and we get a guest author recommendation from Shannon Bowring, author of the beautiful novel, Where The Forest Meets The River. You can listen by clicking here.
Let Me Help You Discover Books You Might Not Otherwise Read! You can learn more about me by visiting my introductory post 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!)
Books Out Today:
Love Can’t Feed You by Cherry Lou Sy
Love an intergenerational novel? A beautiful, tender yet searing debut novel about intergenerational fractures and coming of age, following a young woman who immigrates to the United States from the Philippines and finds herself adrift between familial expectations and her own burning desires.
John Lewis by David Greenberg
Passionate about Civil Rights? A comprehensive, authoritative biography of Civil Rights icon John Lewis, "the conscience of the Congress," drawing on interviews with Lewis and approximately 275 others who knew him at various stages of his life, as well as never-before-seen FBI files and documents.
The Witches of El Paso by Louis Jaramillo
A Dual Timeline Novel About Witches: A lawyer and her elderly great-aunt use their supernatural gifts to find a lost child in this richly imagined and empowering story of motherhood, magic, and legacy.
Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst
Previous Booker Prize Winner: This novel follows Dave from the 1960s on--through the possibilities that remained open for him, and others that proved to be illusory: as a working-class brown child in a decidedly white institution; a young man discovering queer culture and experiencing his first, formative love affairs; a talented but often overlooked actor, on the road with an experimental theater company; and an older Londoner whose late-in-life marriage fills his days with an unexpected sense of happiness and security.
Meet Me At The Library by Shamichael Hallman
Public Library Enthusiasts: Hallman argues that the public library may be our best hope for bridging divides and creating strong, inclusive communities. While public libraries have long been thought of as a place for a select few, increasingly they are playing an essential role in building social cohesion, promoting civic renewal, and advancing the ideals of a healthy democracy. Many are reimagining themselves in new and innovative ways, actively reaching out to the communities they serve. Today, libraries are becoming essential institutions for repairing society.
The Trade Off by Samantha Greene Woodruff
Based on a true story: Bea Abramovitz, a brilliant and ambitious young woman strives to find her place amid the promise and tumult of 1920s Wall Street.
Slaveroad by John Edgar Wideman
American History buffs: Groundbreaking work that unsettles the boundaries of memoir, history, and fiction. The slaveroad begins with the Atlantic Ocean, across which enslaved Africans were carried, but the term comes to encompass the journeys and experiences of Black Americans since then and the many insidious ways that slavery separates, wounds, and persists.
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruth Sepetys
For puzzle-solving lovers of 1940’s fiction: This middle grade historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother's disappearance.
Paperback Releases:
*Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
Family Meal by Bryan Washington
The Hive And The Honey (Stories) by Paul Yoon
The Book of (More) Delights by Ross Gay
*Blackouts by Justin Torres
Read With Me Series: We’ll meet towards the end of October to discuss this novel in its entirety. Paying subscribers, keep an eye out for a scheduling poll next week!
November: Book to Film Series: Poor Things by Alasdair Gray. Read the book, watch the movie, or both!
UPDATED: December - I will be pausing Substack for the month of December in order to recharge. What does this mean for you? If you’re a paying subscriber, you won’t be charged for December. And there will be no paying subscriber activities. For free subscribers, this means no newsletters for the month of December. I WILL still be publishing my book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People during December. And business as usual will resume in January.
January: Independent Reading - read a book! Let’s discuss what we’ve read at the end of January.
February: Read With Me month. We’ll read a shorter book (around 200 pages) in February!) The title will be announced soon. Stay tuned.
I’m really happy with how this experiment turned out! I have a HUGE collection of gelli printed papers in various colors and I made a big collage out of them and then painted over it in black, allowing these abstract botanical shapes to emerge. It was so much fun, I’m already working on an another piece in the series.
I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week! What are you looking forward to reading on or off this list! Share below.
Books Are My People: A Podcast Companion Newsletter
(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!
Happy that you didn’t hurt yourself toooo badly when you fell.
Thank you for informing us weekly on all the new Book releases.
The witches of El Paso looks interesting.