Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Books Are My People: A Podcast Companion Newsletter
Dear Reader,
As far back as I can remember, at the start of May, a maypole is set up in front of this building which used to be a retirement home when I was growing up - now it’s an all-girls high school. There’s something about May that I love - a liminal space between spring and summer. School is almost out, but not quite. I can practically taste the cherries and the rest of the stone fruit that’s coming my way….
Podcast News:
You can click here to listen to the most recent episode of my book recommendation podcast - With The Road To Tender Hearts Author, Annie Garnett. You’ll have to listen to find out why I titled this episode “Slutty Golden Retrievers.” And, if you haven't yet, the greatest gift would be to rate my show, wherever you listen.
Member Corner:
April / May Women’s Hotel - Happening now!
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 - It’s happening. I recently received confirmation from Amazon Prime that We Were Liars is releasing in June, which will coordinated perfectly with a July read and watch.
August / September: Read With Me: to be announced soon!
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)
for fans of Sliding Doors: The Names by Florence Knapp - The story of one family told three different ways, leading to three different fates—a dazzling debut that asks: Can a name shape the course of a life? I selected this as my Book of the Month pick, but I have not yet read it.
for art lovers: My Friends by Fredrik Backman - A heartfelt coming-of-age novel about four teens who bond over a painting and their turbulent family lives.
a memoir about tech and parenting: Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age by Amanda Hess - Hess confronts technology’s distortions as they follow her through pregnancy and into her son’s early life. The result is a critical record of our digital age that reveals the unspoken ways our lives are being fractured and reconstituted by technology.
another one for the art lover: The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland by Michelle Young.- An account of Rose Valland’s courageous efforts to save art from Nazi looting during World War II.
modern, gothic, 80’s: The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li - A haunting novel about secrets lurking in a crumbling mansion, intertwining the fates of two Chinese American families.
more for art lovers, I got you, boo: Warhol’s Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine by Laurence Leamer - an astonishing account of the revolutionary artist Andy Warhol and his scandalous relationships with the ten women he deemed his “Superstars”.
Paperback Releases:
Swift River by Essie Chambers - It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and ever since Diamond Newberry’s Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere they go. Diamond is teased relentlessly about her weight, and since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she’s never met, key elements of Pop’s life are uncovered, and she is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, whose lives span the 20th century and reveal a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion.
A Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Silvie Cathrall - Dive into the charming conclusion to the Sunken Archive duology, a heart-warming magical academia fantasy filled with underwater cities, romance of manners and found family, perfect for fans of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
I’m painting flowers with
for the month of May! I’m printing papers using a gelli plate, collaging them and then using negative space to carve out the floral shapes. I made a little sketchbook to house all of my May flowers. It’s been fun filling it with flowers! Check out Char’s substack to see how you can join in the fun.Excited about any other books coming out today? Let me know in the comments below!
Love your flowers btw, really enjoying this month in our daily art practice.
Thanks Jen for all the “Art” books… I do wonder how many paintings were hidden and are still hidden around the time of WWII.
I’ve heard of stories of people still finding treasure in walls of old
War time homes… what an awful time to live through.