Welcome to Book Beat! Think of Book Beat as Hide Your Wallet, Part Two!
In Hide Your Wallet, we talk about books coming out in a particular month that we really want to read. But there’s more to good books than just new releases!
Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.
We hope you find something new to read through Book Beat, and please let us know what books you’ve discovered recently!
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All Out
Author: Saundra Mitchell
Released: February 27, 2018 by Harlequin Teen
Genre: Historical: Other, LGBTQIA, Young AdultTake a journey through time and genres and discover a past where queer figures live, love and shape the world around them. Seventeen of the best young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens.
From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier, to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain, forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent or an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.
Source: Twitter
An anthology of queer historical fiction!
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The Dark Beneath the Ice
Author: Amelinda Bérubé
Released: August 1, 2018 by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Horror, Mystery/Thriller, Young AdultSomething is wrong with Marianne.
It’s not just that her parents have split up, or that life hasn’t been the same since she quit dancing. Or even that her mother has checked herself into the hospital.
She’s losing time. Doing things she would never do. And objects around her seem to break whenever she comes close.
Something is after her. But a first attempt at an exorcism calls down the full force of the thing’s rage. It demands Marianne give back what she stole. And Marianne must uncover the truth that lies beneath it all before the nightmare can take what it think it’s owed, leaving Marianne trapped in the darkness of the other side.
Source: Instagram
Elyse is super excited about this one give that it’s described as “Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity.”
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For the Duke’s Eyes Only
Author: Lenora Bell
Released: September 18, 2018 by Avon
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: School for Dukes #2If adventure has a name…it must be Lady India Rochester. The intrepid archaeologist possesses a sharp blade and an even sharper knack for uncovering history’s forgotten women. Unfortunately, she has one annoying weakness: the dangerously handsome Duke of Ravenwood. Former best friend. Current enemy. And the man who dared to break her heart.
Daniel Bonds, the Duke of Ravenwood, is a thrill-seeking antiquities hunter who only plays by one rule: Never fall in love. He’s in it for the fortune and glory. At least that’s what he wants the world to think. He’s sworn to hide his tangled web of secrets, especially from the one woman he cares about and will protect at any cost.
But when a priceless relic is stolen from the British Museum, the rivals must align forces. Racing to recover the stolen antiquity and avert an international disaster? All in a day’s work. Avoiding their buried feelings? More and more impossible. For love is about to become the greatest treasure of all.
The grand adventure begins…now!
Source: Twitter
Sorry you have to wait so long to read about this Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones-esque heroine!
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Mammoth
Author: Jill Baguchinsky
Released: November 13, 2018 by Turner
Genre: Young AdultThe summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat. But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.
It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.
Until it isn’t.
When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery.
Source: Twitter
I’m all over this one because it sounds adorable and the cover is equally as cute!
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Pride
Author: Ibi Zoboi
Released: September 18, 2018 by Blazer + Bray
Genre: Romance, Young AdultPride and Prejudice gets remixed in this smart, funny, gorgeous retelling of the classic, starring all characters of color, from Ibi Zoboi, National Book Award finalist and author of American Street.
Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.
When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.
But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.
In a timely update of Pride and Prejudice, critically acclaimed author Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic.
Source: Twitter
All you Austen fans! Here’s a new retelling for you!
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Pride? TAKE MAH MONEY PLEAAASSSE
“a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world”
This sentence made me laugh out loud. Based on this sentence alone, Mammoth (along with Pride and All Out) has been added to my TBR list.
This is something that’s been on the back of my mind, and seeing the summary for Pride reminded me – are there are any good F/F or M/M adaptations of Pride and Prejudice?
Or, hell, any Austen. I’ll be over the moon if there are!
Meanwhile, I cannot wait to read Pride, it sounds awesome.
I thought to try Mammoth but sorry, not paying $16.00 for an ebook!
I’ll be looking into these later today.
However, for anyone interested who doesn’t regularly check the website, Ilona Andrews has posted the first 2 chapters of the last Kate Daniels book Magic Triumphs (It’s excellent, btw).
http://www.ilona-andrews.com/blog
PS: for those who enjoyed Innkeeper, she’s also currently posting Maud’s and Helen’s story.
17% OFF at Harlequin with code LUCKY17 through 11:59 PM EST Sunday, March 18th. Good for print & digital!
I’m so excited to read PRIDE and MAMMOTH and I immediately requested ALL OUT from my library.
Books I’ve recently discovered and will be reading soon:
– THE RAVEN’S HEART by Jesse Blackadder – a queer story of Alison, lady-in-waiting and guard to Mary, Queen of Scots (2012)
– MOONSHINE by Jasmine Gower – second world fantasy akin to 1920’s Prohibition Chicago where the prohibited drink of choice gives average folks magic. Main character Daisy finds herself working at a front, and gets mixed up in trouble. With queer and genderfluid characters. (FEB 2018)
– THE HOUSE OF IMPOSSIBLE BEAUTIES by Joseph Cassara – a fictional take on the queer drag scene of 1980’s NYC, directly inspired by the documentary, PARIS IS BURNING. I actually discovered this by taking one of those “What Should I Read Next?” quizzes! (Feb 2018)
@Anne, I haven’t read it but I see there is Pride and Modern Prejudice
by A.J. Michaels ~ “What happens when Jane Austen’s immortal characters are thrust into 21st century Pennsylvania, with an all-male twist?”
I’ll be looking forward to For the Duke’s Eyes Only come September. I’ve enjoyed Lenora Bell’s previous books once I get past the kind of silly Duke-play on songs in the titles.
I actually don’t read the blurb for any book with one of those silly cutesy modern titles; I just immediately skip to the next book in the post. I know the authors probably don’t choose the titles but with so few historicals having any resemblance to historical plausibility, let alone reality, I figure I’m unlikely to be missing out on anything that I’d consider buying.
Disclosure: I’m superduper new to this site & devouring the new members’ page, so I apologise if this is addressed somewhere else.
Is this section exclusively devoted to upcoming releases? Or does it ever address previously-released works/people that flew under the radar in the past?
I ask because I’ve had a really hard time figuring out how to efficiently use the search feature thus far when looking for specific books, authors, series, etc. I often find tons of results, but can’t figure out how to narrow or otherwise pare down the hits for what I’m looking for. Does that make sense?
I should probably add that, unfortunately, I rely solely on my smartphone for my internet access. (I’m poor & disabled, so I don’t have a laptop or tablet or even an old PC, much less at-home WiFi) I mention that only in case the site’s mobile version isn’t as easy to use here, since I do run into that fairly often.
Any info about this category (or tips & advice regarding the site as a whole!) is greatly appreciated! So far I absolutely adore the wonderful, fun, intelligent, compellingly-entertaining posts I’ve been consumed with the past few days! I foresee an addiction, quite possibly followed by an intervention from my BFF if I use ALL my mobile data for the month in the next week as I try to catch up & get familiar with the features & insanely talented, witty community here. ❤️❤️❤️
To all the lovely SBTB ladies & gents, especially anyone brave enough to have followed my convoluted question/introduction/plea thus far, please accept my gratitude with this borrowed & slightly-modified quote:
“Now don’t take this the wrong way, But your body [of work] is bangin’, got me attracted in a strong way!”
–Tupac
Hi @Alisha and welcome! (Disabled high-five!)
Here are some monthly posts that might be useful for you:
– Hide Your Wallet – posts on the 1st of the month – discusses new releases in romance and related genres – you can find it by looking up the tag Hide Your Wallet” in the search bar at the top
– Book Beat – posts in the second week of the month (I think, it’s a newer post), discusses back list/older books people are interested in reading. You can also find this post by searching the Hide Your Wallet Tag
– Whatcha Reading – posts in the last week of the month, it discusses books people have read over the month. This post is very popular and generates lots of discussion and recs! Find this one by searching Whatcha Reading
I hope this helps!
@Anne, The Right Thing to Do at the Time is a Pride and Prejudice retelling that’s not really M/M, but it does have some M/M elements to it. I read it in a previous edition a while ago, so I can’t remember too many details, but I remember liking it.
@Alisha, hi! Another disabled high-five! (And if you want, check out my blog — it’s about romances with disabled characters.) For the search function here on SBTB, what types of things are you searching for? I’ve found it usually helps narrow down the results some if I search for a few words at a time related to what I’m trying to find.
@Alisha: Welcome!! What KateB said is correct. This post is here to talk about books we’ve been hearing a lot of good things about, but those books could be new or older. Hide Your Wallet happens on the 1st of each month and talks about new releases coming out that month. Whatcha Reading is where we talk about what we’ve been reading lately. There are a lot of great books in the comments in those posts.
There’s also The Rec League, if you want to find books with a particular theme or character.
If there’s something more specific you’re looking for, I’m always happy to help!
Welcome, Alisha! I’m so pleased you’re here!
KateB has totally hooked you up with good suggestions, like Hide Your Wallet, Book Beat, and Whatcha Reading.
If you’re looking for specific tropes or pairings or character types, we have a page of those, too, where you can “Find Books by Theme.” And if you’re looking for recent reviews, you can view them all by grade, too.
Finally, our “New to SBTB?” page has links to some of our greatest hits, our most popular reviews, and some popular features.
Alas, searching a site of this size efficiently becomes a challenge, and I’m very sorry for that. You can always always ask for help, either here in the comments or emailing me (Sarah AT smartbitchestrashybooks DOT com). And if I can help make the site more accessible to you, please do let me know. Welcome! I’m so pleased you’re here!
If anyone can’t wait to read about a Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones historical heroine, I really recommend picking up the Amelia Peabody books. The first is a romance, the rest not so much (as they’re sequels following the same couple), but the first one at least was like reading a Scooby Doo episode, which for me at least was a lot of fun. Also not romance, though there’s a romantic subplot, but the Lady Trent books by Marie Brennan might be enjoyable!