This month on Litty Committee: the new batshit chapter in Caroline Kepnes‘ You series, an intimate memoir about transition and trauma from Australian writer and tsunami scientist Kaya Wilson, a potentially thrilling rom-com by Jessie Sutanto, plus a couple of releases from late March that you might want to add to your TBR list.
Black And Blue by Veronica Gorrie
About the book:
“A proud Gunai/Kurnai woman, Veronica Gorrie grew up dauntless, full of cheek and a fierce sense of justice. After watching her friends and family suffer under a deeply compromised law-enforcement system, Gorrie signed up for training to become one of a rare few Aboriginal police officers in Australia. In her ten years in the force, she witnessed appalling institutional racism and sexism, and fought past those things to provide courageous and compassionate service to civilians in need, many Aboriginal themselves.
“With a great gift for storytelling and a wicked sense of humour, Gorrie frankly and movingly explores the impact of racism on her family and her life, the impact of intergenerational trauma resulting from cultural dispossession, and the inevitable difficulties of making her way in the white-and male-dominated workplace of the police force.”
Category: Non-fiction
On sale: March 30, 2021
Price: Was $32.99, now $26.25 (paperback)
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
About the book:
“Ariadne gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths, and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods.”
The book, which has copped really good reviews, is a retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.
You can read the full blurb here. This one came out last month as well (in paperback) and the hardcover version hits shelves later this month.
I always have time for Ancient Greek mythology, it’s just so fascinating.
Category: Fiction
On sale: March 30, 2021 (paperback), April 29 (hardback)
Price: Was $32.99, now $26.25 (paperback)
Or, you can pre-order the hardback for $34.40 (was $45.00).
Rule Of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
About the book:
In lieu of the blurb, I’m going to talk about the Grishaverse real quick.
The Grishaverse is a fantasy world created by author Leigh Bardugo, which is coming to Netflix this month through the highly anticipated adaptation of the Shadow And Bone trilogy. This is just one part of the Grishaverse though, which spans across seven main books.
Rule Of Wolves is the seventh and most recent addition to the Grishaverse.
I had only planned on reading the first book of the Shadow And Bone trilogy ahead of the Netflix series, but I was totally sucked in. And then it just got way better from there. It’s a great series to read if you’re into a) fantasy and b) heists. The latter will make sense if/when you read the Six Of Crows duology.
Or, you can just wait for the Netflix series.
Category: Fiction
On sale: March 31, 2021
Price: Was $22.99, $19.80 (paperback)
Or, grab the hardback for $30.95 (was $39.99).
Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone
About the book:
“No. 36 Westeryk Road: an imposing flat-stone house on the outskirts of Edinburgh. A place of curving shadows and crumbling grandeur. But it’s what lies under the house that is extraordinary – Mirrorland. A vivid make-believe world that twin sisters Cat and El created as children. A place of escape, but from what?
“Now in her thirties, Cat has turned her back on her past. But when she receives news that one sunny morning, El left harbour in her sailboat and never came back, she is forced to return to Westeryk Road; to re-enter a forgotten world of lies, betrayal and danger.
“Because El had a plan. She’s left behind a treasure hunt that will unearth long-buried secrets. And to discover the truth, Cat must first confront the reality of her childhood – a childhood that wasn’t nearly as idyllic as she remembers…”
Category: Fiction
On sale: April 7, 2021
Price: Was $29.99, now $23.95 (paperback)
Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane
About the book:
“Eve, Justin, Susie and Ed have been friends since they were eighteen. Now in their 30s, the four are still as close as ever, Thursday pub quiz night is still sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed.
“Maybe Eve should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed sometimes thinks about it too.
“Then one night, in an instant, all their lives change forever. And, as Eve learns she didn’t know her friends as well as she thought, she also discovers she isn’t the only person keeping secrets…”
Category: Fiction
On sale: April 7, 2021
Price: Was $24.99, now $21.25 (paperback)
You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes
About the book:
“Joe Goldberg is done with cities, done with the muck and the posers, done with Love. Now, he’s saying hello to nature, to simple pleasures on a cosy island in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time in a long time, he can just breathe.
“He gets a job at the local library – he does know a thing or two about books – and that’s where he meets her: Mary Kay DiMarco. Librarian. Joe won’t meddle, he will not obsess. He’ll win her the old fashioned way . . . by providing a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand. Over time, they’ll both heal their wounds and begin their happily ever after in this sleepy town.
“The trouble is . . . Mary Kay already has a life. She’s a mother. She’s a friend. She’s . . . busy.
“True love can only triumph if both people are willing to make room for the real thing. Joe cleared his decks. He’s ready. And hopefully, with his encouragement and undying support, Mary Kay will do the right thing and make room for him.”
God.
I suppose this is what the next season of You is based on.
Simon and Schuster sent me a copy to read and I’m happy to report Joe Goldberg is still extremely a psychopath.
Litty Committee review incoming.
Category: Fiction
On sale: April 7, 2021
Price: Was $32.99, now $26.25 (paperback)
Windhall by Ava Barry
About the book:
“A stunning literary thriller in which an investigative journalist in modern Los Angeles attempts to solve the Golden Age murder of a Hollywood starlet.”
Read the full blurb here. It sounds like a fabulous read.
Category: Fiction
On sale: April 7, 2021
Price: Was $42.99, now $36.95 (hardcover)
Turns Out I’m Fine by Judith Lucy
About the book:
“Judith Lucy was just Great!
“Sure, the last remaining member of her immediate family had died, she was menopausal, she suspected her career was in the shitter and it seemed like the world was going to hell in a handbasket – but she was about to move in with the love of her life! Everything would work out because SHE HAD A MAN.
“Then, in the space of twenty-four hours, her relationship came apart and so did she. A broken heart became the catalyst for a complete existential melt down. She was nearly fifty, suddenly alone and unsure about every aspect of her life.
“How had this happened? Should she blame one of her four parents? What part had the comedy world played and was her disastrous history with men about more than just bad taste?”
I have a tremendous amount of time for Judith Lucy, tell ya what.
Category: Non-fiction
On sale: April 7, 2021
Price: Was $32.99, now $24.75 (paperback)
The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent
About the book:
“Warning: this is not your typical rom com.
“Have you ever imagined running away from your life? Well Birdy Finch didn’t just imagine it. She did it. Which might’ve been an error. And the life she’s run into? Her best friend, Heather’s.
“The only problem is, she hasn’t told Heather. Actually there are a few other problems…
“Can Birdy carry off a summer pretending to be her best friend (who incidentally is a world-class wine expert)? And can she stop herself from falling for the first man she’s ever actually liked (but who thinks she’s someone else)?”
Category: Fiction
On sale: April 13, 2021
Price: Was $32.99, $26.25 (paperback)
As Beautiful As Any Other by Kaya Wilson
About the book:
“When Kaya Wilson came out to his parents as transgender, a year after a near-death surfing accident and just weeks before his father’s death, he was met with a startling family history of concealed queerness and shame.
“This is a trans story.
“As Beautiful As Any Other weaves this legacy together with intimate examinations of the forces that have shaped Wilson’s life, and his body: vulnerability and power, grief and trauma, science and narrative.
“This is also my story.
“In this powerful and lyrical memoir, Wilson makes a case for the strength we find when we confront the complexities of our identity with compassion. As Beautiful As Any Other is a trailblazing debut of remarkable beauty, insight and candour.”
Category: Non-fiction
On sale: April 27, 2021
Price: Was $34.99, now $28.75 (paperback)
Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Sutanto
About the book:
This blurb is something else.
‘Are you…dead?’
Oh my God, I think he is.
“When Meddy Chan accidentally kills her blind date, she turns to her aunties for help. Their meddling set her up on the date so they kind of owe her.
Well, that didn’t quite go to plan.
“Although hiding this goddamn dead body is going to be harder than they thought especially when her family’s wedding business has THE biggest wedding of the year happening right now.
It’s pretty bad timing really.
“It turns out the wedding venue just happens to be managed by Meddy’s ex, aka the one who got away. It’s the worst time to see him again, or…is it? Can Meddy finally find love and make her overbearing family happy?”
Naturally, this book is being turned into a Netflix rom-com from Fresh Off The Boat creator Nahnatchka Khan.
Category: Fiction
On sale: April 27, 2021
Price: $43.25, hardback
Alternatively, you can wait until May for the paperback version for $24.25 (was $29.99).
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
About the book:
“Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend’s wedding in rural Scotland. The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed.
“But, not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs. The driver is none other than Addie’s ex, Dylan, who she’s avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.
“Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they’ve totalled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets, and with four hundred miles ahead of them, Dylan and Addie can’t avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship…
“Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly… is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?”
O’Leary is the same author behind The Flat Share and The Switch.
Category: Fiction
On sale: April 27, 2021
Price: Was $32.99, now $24.50 (paperback)
Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner
About the book:
“With humor and heart, Michelle Zauner tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food.
“As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band – and meeting the man who would become her husband -her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother’s diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.”
You may know Zauner as the singer-songwriter behind Japanese Breakfast.
Category: Non-fiction
On sale: April 27, 2021
Price: Was $32.99, now $27.35 (paperback)
Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein
About the book:
“Acidly funny and compulsively readable, Mercedes Helnwein’s debut novel Slingshot is a story about two people finding each other and then screwing it all up. See also: soulmate, friendship, stupidity, sex, bad poetry, and all the indignities of being in love for the first time.”
Fun!
Read the full blurb here.
Category: Young adult
On sale: April 27, 2021
