Welcome to Book Beat!
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.
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The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers
Author: Adam Sass
Released: September 20, 2022 by Viking Books for Young Readers
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romance, Young AdultA charming YA rom-com perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue and What If It’s Us.
Micah Summers runs a popular Instagram full of drawings of his numerous imaginary boyfriends (ninety-nine so far)—though he’s never had a real boyfriend before. But when a meet-cute with Boy 100 goes wrong, Micah embarks on a Prince Charming-like quest throughout Chicago to find true love—for real this time.
Will Boy 100 be the One?
Micah is rich, dreamy, and charming. As the “Prince of Chicago,”—the son of local celebrity sports radio host known as the King of Chicago—he has everything going for him. Unfortunately, he’s also the prince of imaginary meet-cutes, since he’s too nervous to actually ask boys out.
Instead, Micah draws each crush to share on Instagram with a post about their imaginary dates. Ninety-nine “boyfriends” later, his account is hugely popular, and everyone is eagerly awaiting Boy 100. So is Micah. He’s determined that Boy 100 will be different. This time, Micah will sweep the boy off his feet, for real!
So when Micah flirts with a hot boy on the L who’s wearing a vegan leather jacket and lugging a ton of library books, he is sure this is Boy 100. But right before he can make his move and ask for the boy’s number, the guy rushes off the train, leaving behind his pumpkin-embroidered jacket. The jacket holds clues to the boy’s identity, so Micah and his friends set off on a quest to return it. Along the way, Micah will discover that the best relationships aren’t fairy tales. In fact, the perfect fit—and true love—might be closer than he thinks.
Source: Sarah!
This one sounds like it creates a good sense of place, given the jacket-returning adventure through Chicago.
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Daisy
Author: Libby Sternberg
Released: July 13, 2022 by Bancroft Press
Genre: Historical: American, Literary FictionA fresh take on classic characters, Daisy gives readers insight into Daisy Buchanan’s viewpoint of the events of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. While simultaneously remaining true to the original and adding new information, Sternberg weaves Daisy’s perspective and Nick Carraway’s account together, correcting what Daisy knows is inaccurate from her cousin’s novel. Sternberg pulls readers in from the first page, and while the outcome of Daisy and Gatsby’s affair is universally known, readers still cannot help but root for the pair.
As the novel progresses, the tension in Daisy’s love life heightens the stakes, and while it’s easy to want to see Daisy and Jay make it work, the reader can also feel Daisy’s ambiguous feelings about leaving her husband for Gatsby. As the story climaxes, readers are left feeling as confused as Daisy is in regard to the decisions she needs to make. While there are noticeable changes to the overall story―it is a different perspective, after all―Daisy provides readers of romantic and/or feminist fiction and fans of The Great Gatsby alike with a satisfying story that is faithful to the original, yet unique in its own right.
Source: Sarah!
A retelling of The Great Gatsby from the POV of Daisy.
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Hooked
Author: Sutton Foster
Released: October 12, 2021 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Memoir, NonfictionSutton Foster had an early start at fame; by 17, she was already performing in her first Broadway tour. Her years in New York City and on the road were thrilling, but they were filled with some of the most trying experiences of life. Through it all, Sutton turned to art to lift her up in the challenging times and ground her in the exciting ones.
In a structure similar to Ilene Beckerman’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Sutton explores her most formative moments, both the triumphs and missteps, through the crafts she lost herself in at the time. From crocheting through her isolating experience in her first Broadway tour, to the quilt she created while processing a painful divorce (aka her “divorce quilt”), to the creative projects she would devote herself to when navigating a difficult relationship with her agoraphobic mother, Sutton reveals how immersing yourself in a creative process can lead to healing and growth.
Source: Amazon algorithm
I feel like a memoir on the power of crafting would be right up some of your alleys!
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Spoopy Tarot
Author: Amí Naeily
Released: August 30, 2022 by Sterling Ethos
Genre: Not a BookSpoopy Tarot is a kawaii treat for all the spooky season tricksters, featuring the classic tarot deck reimagined with cute li’l ghosts, nasty witches, and other fun stuff that goes bump in the night. Instead of the fool’s journey, Spoopy Tarot follows a spirit floating through a haunted house, encountering 78 extremely adorable versions of traditional tarot archetypes in the major and minor arcana.
Source: My own eyeballs
I saw this one at the bookstore a couple weeks ago and even helped a little kid purchase it. Seems great for any adorable, budding tarot readers out there.
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Oh, shoot. From the cover, I thought that The 99 Etcetera was going to be a graphic novel, but it’s not.
I know a lot of regular text novels have cartoony covers too, but the comic panels in the cover fooled me.
For other fans of Mariana Zapata’s work, a new novel appeared this past week with very little fanfare. I’ve just started reading it and attest that its beginning is unlike any of her others. At 638 pages it’s sure to be another slow, slow burn romance. When Gracie Met the Grump. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFGWN8WJ
I misread the tarot deck as Snoopy Tarot and was quite intrigued.
I listened to HOOKED an audio, and it was a delight.
To my surprise, a Peanuts Tarot was published some years ago.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1206833599/sale-today-70-off-the-peanuts-tarot-full?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=peanuts+tarot&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&pro=1