by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)
Here are three books coming out today that I can't wait to read!
Christian Staebler, Sonia Paoloni, and illustrator Thibault Balahy's Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band
Description from Publisher:
"Experience the riveting, powerful story of the Native American civil rights movement and the resulting struggle for identity told through the high-flying career of West Coast rock 'n' roll pioneers Redbone.
"You've heard the hit song 'Come and Get Your Love' in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, but the story of the band behind it is one of cultural, political, and social importance.
"Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was 'Jimi,' and the idea of a band made up of all Native Americans soon followed. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. But as the American Indian Movement gained momentum the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward.
"Created in cooperation of the Vegas family, authors Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni with artist Thibault Balahy take painstaking steps to ensure the historical accuracy of this important and often overlooked story of America's past. Part biography and part research journalism, Redbone provides a voice to a people long neglected in American history."
Why I want to read it:
The cover caught my eye first, and then the description only reinforced my desire to read this one. I love music from this era, but I don't know anything about Redbone, and the story sounds absolutely fascinating!
Kerri Maniscalco's Kingdom of the Wicked
Description from Publisher:
"Two sisters. One brutal murder. "A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself... "And an intoxicating romance.
"Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden. "Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is at is seems..."
Why I want to read it:
As I write this post, I'm in the middle of listening to Kerri Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Ripper, and it is phenomenal. So, when I saw that she had a new fantasy series, I was immediately in!
Bryan Washington's Memorial
Description from Publisher:
"A funny and profound story about family in all its strange forms, joyful and hard-won vulnerability, becoming who you're supposed to be, and the limits of love.
"Benson and Mike are two young guys who live together in Houston. Mike is a Japanese American chef at a Mexican restaurant and Benson's a Black day care teacher, and they've been together for a few years—good years—but now they're not sure why they're still a couple. There's the sex, sure, and the meals Mike cooks for Benson, and, well, they love each other.
"But when Mike finds out his estranged father is dying in Osaka just as his acerbic Japanese mother, Mitsuko, arrives in Texas for a visit, Mike picks up and flies across the world to say goodbye. In Japan he undergoes an extraordinary transformation, discovering the truth about his family and his past. Back home, Mitsuko and Benson are stuck living together as unconventional roommates, an absurd domestic situation that ends up meaning more to each of them than they ever could have predicted. Without Mike's immediate pull, Benson begins to push outwards, realizing he might just know what he wants out of life and have the goods to get it.
"Both men will change in ways that will either make them stronger together, or fracture everything they've ever known. And just maybe they'll all be okay in the end."
Why I want to read it:
Honestly, I want to read this one because of bookstagram. I've read nothing but good reviews of Washington's short story collection Lot, and the buzz on this one is phenomenal. (And, of course, the description looks great!)
I can't resist also shouting out the newest in Jeff Kinney's Diary of the Wimpy Kid series, The Deep End; Lyssa Kay Adams's Crazy Stupid Bromance (book three in the Bromance Book Club series); and Isabella Rotman and illustrator Luke Howard's A Quick and Easy Guide to Consent.
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Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
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