Amanda Gorman Recites a New Poem at the Democratic National Convention and More Book News!
Monday has rolled around yet again, and that means it’s time for another look and what’s new in the world of books. I’ve got lots of piping hot book gossip for you today, plus a new book that I think you’re going to love. And you know the drill. Don’t forget to stay until the end for an extra special cat pic. You know I’m just here for the cats. Let’s go!
Book Deals and Reveals
Here’s the cover of Graciela in the Abyss, the new book from Newbery Medalist and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Meg Medina. This cover was designed by Pam Consolazio and illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusso. This one’s out in July 2025.
On the third day of the Democratic National Convention, Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate, recited a new poem, “This Sacred Scene.” You can watch it here.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is getting a new contemporary TV series adaptation called The Grays. Written by Katie Rose Rogers, the series will revolve around siblings Basil and Doran Gray.
Five Feet Apart author and screenwriter Mikki Daughtry is releasing a new sapphic YA romance, Time After Time. Expect it to hit shelves in 2025.
Give me this graphic novel now! Here’s the cover of Pizza Witch by Sarah Graley and Stef Purenins. It looks incredibly cute, and it’s out in September 2025.
Another exciting cover reveal: A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett. Jacket design and illustration by Will Staehl. The sequel to The Tainted Cup will be out on April 1, 2025.
Kazuo Ishiguro’s debut novel A Pale View of Hills is getting an adaptation! It will be distributed by GAGA Corporation and produced by Japan‘s Bunbuku and the U.K.’s Number 9 Films. It will release in Japan in summer 2025.
There’s a TV series adaptation of The Paris Window by Kimberly Belle in the works. Brittany A. Little and Larissa Bell of Little Bell Productions will produce with Universal Television.
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!
Prepare Your Shelves!
The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley (Simon & Schuster, September 24)
Have ya’ll noticed there are a looooot of books about fictional bands coming out these days? Maybe we should call it the Daisy Jones & the Six effect. But here’s the thing. All of the books have put their own spin on this hot subgenre. And The Lightning Bottles is definitely its own thing. In fact, this might be the most interesting fictional band angle I’ve read so far. Check it out this September!
The Lightning Bottles was once one of the most popular rock duos in the world. But then the unthinkable happened. Elijah, one half of the pair, went missing, and Jane Pyre, the other half of The Lightning Bottles, was left behind to take the blame. Elijah was always the fan favorite, even though Jane wrote all the lyrics that had everyone singing along to the music. Now that Elijah’s gone though? The public completely turns on her and thinks she is somehow responsible for Elijah’s death.
Years later, Jane is still publicly hated, and so she retreats to a house in a remote part of Germany in the hopes of finding a respite from the crowds of…whatever the opposite of adoring fans is. Hating haters? But from the moment Jane arrives at the house, she gets no peace. She is greeted by her new next-door neighbor Hen, a young girl who also happens to be a Lightning Bottles superfan. You see, Hen believes Elijah might be still alive and has been leaving messages for Jane for the past several years. She also thinks she might have the key to finding out what happened to him.
What I’m Reading This Week
I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
Ruin Road by Lamar Giles
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
So Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
Us Fools by Nora Lange
Monday Memes
When you crack open a cold one, do you mean a beer? Or do you mean a brand-new book? Cause I know what I’d prefer.
And Here’s A Cat Picture!
I’m out of town this week, and I’m missing my little girl Cersei. Look how pleased she looks hanging out in the window all by herself, imagining a world where there are no pesky boy cats to bother her.
That’s all the book stuff I have to throw at you today, everyone! Come back on Thursday for even more book content (and more cat stuff too). And until then, I hope you have a wonderful week, and I’ll talk to you soon!
