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Are we having a good week, book friends? I just can’t keep up with all the gossip about It Ends with Us and the drama between Justin Baldoni and the rest of the cast. Apparently, Baldoni has hired PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan amid speculation that Blake Lively, Colleen Hoover, and the rest of the cast are not getting along with him (horror of horrors, they don’t follow him on Instagram). What the heck is going on, y’all? It’s like Don’t Worry Darling all over again. And I’m kind of enjoying the ride. But there’s a lot more news to discuss, so let’s hop to it.
Book Deals and Reveals
Here’s the cover of And, Too, the Fox, a children’s book featuring a poem from U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and illustrations by Gaby D’Alessandro. It’s out in January 2025.
Percy Jackson season 2 is currently filming, and Sandra Bernhard, Kristen Schaal, and Margaret Cho have joined the cast of the Disney+ series!
Barack Obama has released his summer reading list for 2024. Included on the list: James by Percival Everett, Memory Piece by Lisa Ko, and more.
Book Riot Recommends
Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!
Can’t Wait for This One
Boys with Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell (Roaring Brook Press, April 5, 2025)
I’m already making resolutions for 2025, and one of them is going to be to read more YA. I love YA novels. In a lot of ways, they are consistently more innovative and cutting-edge than adult fiction. Young adult books are out there doing a lot of interesting things across many genres. And Jenni Howell’s Boys With Sharp Teeth is one of them. This one is being compared to YA faves like We Were Liars and The Raven Boys. If you’re interested in boarding school stories and/or contemporary thrillers, check this one out with me in 2025.
Welcome to Huntsworth Academy, an elite boarding school filled with dark secrets. When seventeen-year-old Marin James’ cousin Sam is found dead in a creek behind the school property, authorities are quick to label the death as accidental, but Marin knows better. She blames Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, two students at Hunstworth Academy, where Sam worked as a security guard.
Marin James refuses to let these privileged boys get away with literal murder, so she infiltrates the school and pretends to be a student. Using a fake name, Marin joins the ranks of the most elite group of students in the hopes of getting answers… and getting revenge. But Marin can’t help but also get wrapped up in the allure of Huntsworth and the charismatic students who go there. And nothing at this school is what it seems. What sinister secrets will Marin uncover here, and will she be able to pull herself away?
Words of Literary Wisdom
“Out here the sun hangs as wonderfully fat in the sky as it did in Florence, but it doesn’t scorch. It soaks into the hills like oil into thick, well-risen bread, and we spread ourselves across them like happy little figs.”
— The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
I’m not trying to throw anyone under the bus here, but this is a bad cat. I was holding Murray like the little baby he is, and he reached up and bopped my nose. So yeah, I have a not-so-cute little scratch on my nose now, thanks to this guy. Thanks a lot, buddy.
And that’s all for today, book readers! I’m so happy you came and shared this time with me today. I’ll be back on Monday with more book news for you. Until then, have a wonderful weekend.
Emily
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