July 1 Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Books Are My People: A Podcast Companion Newsletter
Dear Reader,
The winner(s) for the free three-month subscription have been selected and notified.
I just spent a week in artist heaven at In Cahoots artist residence in Petaluma, California. There were four other incredibly talented artists also there for the week and I had too much fun making art, talking about art and planning new projects. I also loved my little cabin and we had a beautiful day on the Russian River.
I pretty much worked on printmaking and book arts for about 10-12 hours each day and then I’d spend my free time discovering all of the animals in the neighborhood (I became quite friendly with a bull) and, of course, reading. By the end of the week, I’d finished nine books! I’ve never before read that much in a week. Most of those books were audiobooks listened to at 1.75 speed while I did my art-making.
The results are in and the majority of you read 2-3 books per month! With 4-6 books per month a very close second. I figured the answer would be more than one book a month considering this audience skews towards readers!
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 Moira Macdonald, author of Storybook Ending.
A charming story about friendship, community, and the magic that happens in bookstores—when an anonymous note left in a book finds the wrong recipient.
Check out Moira Macdonald’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:
**NEW** save the date: members, we will be meeting on Wednesday, July 9th at 10 am PT to share what books we’ve been reading and loving. As always, there will be a book giveaway at the end for members with US mailing addresses. I’ll include the link in my Thursday post.
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)
From the author of Briefly, A Delicious Life, which I LOVED (that was about George Sand’s relationship with Chopin told from the point of view of a ghost): The Original by Nell Stevens - Grace has developed unusual predilections: for painting, particularly forgery; for deception; for other girls and realizes that her uncanny ability to recreate paintings might offer her a means of escaping her uncle’s home. Throw in a man who appears claiming to be her cousin and you have the makings of a modern day gothic novel.
London, Havana and Boston: The Lost Story of Eve Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton - A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women—and their secrets.
a domestic horror story: Killing Stella by Marlen Haushofer - All of her book covers have such a great, graphic appeal to them. Left alone for the weekend while her husband and two children are visiting her in-laws, the narrator of Killing Stella recounts the addition of her friend's daughter, Stella, into their already tense and tumultuous household.
essay collection: I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizmen - An introspective, searing account of the life experiences that have pushed this former “good Democrat” even further to the political left.
Gothic! Romance! Horror!: Tenderly, I am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone - Expelled from her prestigious boarding school following a violent incident, eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home in disgrace to discover her family on the point of financial ruin. Desperate to save them, she accepts a marriage of convenience… to Therion, the chthonic god worshipped by Lark’s isolated coastal hometown. Things only get worse.
This title still makes me laugh: Hot Girls With Balls by Benedict Nguyen - (I’m posting this one again because I got the pub date wrong. It happens! Because I’m a real person and not AI.) In this outrageous and deeply serious satire, two star indoor volleyball players juggle unspoken jealousies in their off-court romance ahead of their rival teams’ first rematch in a year.
So, if you had to pick, which book would you read first? I’d read The Original, by Nell Stevens.
Paperback Releases:
Two books, one author, both out the same week! I’ve never seen this before!
Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa - a hypnotic, introspective novel about an affluent Japanese family navigating buried secrets, and their young house guest who uncovers them.
*The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa - an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family. This is a beautiful, quiet novel. I loved it! He is a brilliant math professor with a peculiar problem—ever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory. She is an astute young housekeeper, with a ten-year-old son, who is hired to care for him.
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner - a novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France—a propulsive page-turner filled with dark humor.
All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker - 1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.
So many good books to read. I Wanna Burn This Place Down- is my current mood. I can’t wait to hear about your residency and see your work.
I would read The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes. I agree that The Origin looks very good as well! I thought you might have mistyped 'The Hot Girls with Balls' as I had to read it a few times and had a good laugh myself!