Hello everyone! It may be part way through November, but it's not too late to go over some new releases! The last couple months of the year are notoriously slow for publications, so I've decided to combine November and December into one post. Even then, I only have a handful of titles to mention to you. Let's dive in:
1. The Night Parade - Jami Nakamura Lin (Nov. 7)
Synopsis:
Jami Nakamura Lin spent much of her life feeling monstrous for reasons outside of her
control. As a young woman with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, much of her adolescence was marked by periods of
extreme rage and an array of psychiatric treatments, and her relationships suffered as a result, especially as
her father’s cancer grasped hold of their family.
As she grew
older and learned to better manage her episodes, Lin grew frustrated with the familiar pattern she found in
mental illness and grief narratives, and their focus on recovery. She sought comfort in the stories she’d loved
as a child—tales of ghostly creatures known to terrify in the night. Through the lens of the yokai and other
figures from Japanese, Taiwanese, and Okinawan legend, she set out to interrogate the very notion of recovery
and the myriad ways fear of difference shapes who we are as a people.
Why I'm Excited: I snagged this as an audiobook from my library when it came out, so I've already read it! Check out my review at the end of the month.
2. The Star and the Strange Moon - Constance Sayers (Nov. 14)
Synopsis:
1968: Actress Gemma Turner once dreamed of stardom. Unfortunately, she’s on the cusp of
slipping into obscurity. When she’s offered the lead in a radical new horror film, Gemma believes her luck has
finally changed. But L’Etrange Lune’s set is not what she expected. The director is eccentric, and the script
doesn’t make sense.
Gemma is determined to make this work.
It’s her last chance to achieve her dream—but that dream is about to derail her life. One night, between the
shadows of an alleyway, Gemma disappears on set and is never seen again. Yet, Gemma is still alive. She’s been
transported into the film and the script—and the monsters within it—are coming to life. She must play her role
perfectly if she hopes to survive.
2015: Gemma Turner’s
disappearance is one of film history’s greatest mysteries—one that’s haunted film student Christopher Kent ever
since he saw his first screening of L’Etrange Lune. The screenings only happen once a decade and each time there
is new, impossible footage of Gemma long after she vanished. Desperate to discover the truth, Christopher risks
losing himself. He’ll have to outrun the cursed legacy of the film—or become trapped by it forever.
Why I'm Excited: I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book, so I've already read it! Check out my review at the end of the month!
3. Yours for the Taking - Gabrielle Korn (Dec. 5)
Synopsis:
The
year is 2050. Ava and her girlfriend live in what's left of Brooklyn, and though they love each other, it's hard to
find happiness while the effects of climate change rapidly eclipse their world. Soon, it won't be safe outside at
all. The only people guaranteed survival are the ones whose applications are accepted to The Inside Project, a
series of weather-safe, city-sized structures around the world.
Jacqueline Millender is a reclusive billionaire/women’s rights advocate, and thanks to a
generous donation, she’s just become the director of the Inside being built on the bones of Manhattan. Her ideas are
unorthodox, yet alluring—she's built a whole brand around rethinking the very concept of empowerment.
Shelby, a business major from a working-class family, is drawn
to Jacqueline’s promises of power and impact. When she lands her dream job as Jacqueline’s personal assistant, she's
instantly swept up into the glamourous world of corporatized feminism. Also drawn into Jacqueline's orbit is
Olympia, who is finishing up medical school when Jacqueline recruits her to run the health department Inside. The
more Olympia learns about the project, though, the more she realizes there's something much larger at play. As Ava,
Olympia, and Shelby start to notice the cracks in Jacqueline's system, Jacqueline tightens her grip, becoming
increasingly unhinged and dangerous in what she is willing to do—and who she is willing to sacrifice—to keep her
dream alive.
Why I'm Excited: I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book, so I've already read it! Check out my review at the end of the month!
4. Heartstopper: Volume Five - Alice Oseman (Dec. 7)
Synopsis:
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic
novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fifth volume of the much-loved
HEARTSTOPPER series.
Nick and Charlie are very much in love.
They've finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at
Nick's house ... But with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?
By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper
encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which
speaks to all of us.
Why I'm Excited: Perhaps the only romance series that can melt my cold, horror-loving heart. I adore this series and I'm excited we still get one more release after this one! Will I cry this time? Maybe!
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Hope you all are having a great start to your holiday season! I'm working behind the scenes to set up some more consistent content for the site and for our socials next year. I can't wait to share with you!
Let me know if there are any books you're looking forward to in the comments!