by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness)
Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read!
Renee Watson's Love Is a Revolution
"When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for her cousin-sister-friend Imani’s birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with Tye Brown, the MC. He’s perfect, except . . . Tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for the community when Nala would rather watch movies and try out the new seasonal flavors at the local creamery. In order to impress Tye, Nala tells a few tiny lies to have enough in common with him. As they spend more time together, sharing more of themselves, some of those lies get harder to keep up. As Nala falls deeper into keeping up her lies and into love, she’ll learn all the ways love is hard, and how self-love is revolutionary.
"In Love Is a Revolution, plus size girls are beautiful and get the attention of the hot guys, the popular girl clique is not shallow but has strong convictions and substance, and the ultimate love story is not only about romance but about how to show radical love to the people in your life, including to yourself."
Why I want to read it: I loved Watson's Piecing Me Together, and I love YA, so I cannot wait to read this one. I love the premise, and I trust Watson as a storyteller. So, sign me up for this one!
Jane Harper's The Survivors
Description from Publisher:
"Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.
"The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home. Kieran’s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.
"When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away."
Why I want to read it: I have actually already read this one, thanks to Libro.FM (#partner). I listened to the audiobook. I thought Harper's book The Dry was excellent, so I was very interested in this one. It did not disappoint. Harper has a distinct way of making the setting an integral part of the story. Read my review for this one here.
Ellen McGarrahan's Two Truths and a Lie: A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search for Justice
Description from Publisher:
"In this powerful memoir, a journalist turned private investigator revisits the case that has haunted her for decades, asking profound questions about grief, complicity, and justice.
"In 1990, Ellen McGarrahan was a young reporter for the Miami Herald when she covered the execution of Jesse Tafero, a man convicted of murdering two police officers. When it later emerged that Tafero may have been innocent, McGarrahan was appalled by her unquestioning acceptance of the state’s version of events. The revelation propelled her into a new career as a private investigator.
"Decades later, McGarrahan finally decides to find out the truth of what really happened in Florida. Her investigation plunges her back into the Miami of the 1960s and 1970s, a dangerous world of nightclubs, speed boats, and cartels, all awash in violence. She combs through stacks of court files and interviews everyone involved in the case. But even as McGarrahan circles closer to the truth, the story of guilt and innocence becomes more complex, and she gradually discovers that she hasn’t been alone in her need for closure. Because whenever a human life is forcibly taken—by bullet, or by electric chair—the reckoning is long and difficult for all.
"A fascinating glimpse into the mind of a private investigator, Two Truths and a Lie is ultimately a deeply personal exploration of one woman’s quest to find answers in a chaotic world."
Why I want to read it: You know I had to have at least one nonfiction pick on my list, and this one sounds both compelling and like it will be extremely hard to read due to the content. This one is going to the top of my nonfiction TBR for 2021.
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