The new books roundup, June 13: Roxane Gay’s newest book leads off
Roxane Gay’s latest book has arrived on shelves, and it’s just one of the three choices we have on this week’s new books roundup.
In case you haven’t noticed, we here at the new books roundup tend to focus on genre fiction. (It’s not our favorite term, but it does make a statement, doesn’t it?) However, when cool titles arrive that don’t fit in our favorite genres, we’re not above showing them off. An interesting book is an interesting book. Goodreads helpfully lists summaries of books (and we link to Goodreads to help you out, too).
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
We promised you Roxane Gay, and far be it from us to make you wait much longer for talking about this book. As the title implies, it’s about her personal experiences with her body and with food. It’s a difficult, but necessary subject, in this writer’s personal opinion, considering the near-constant discussions about airbrushing, Photoshop, and body image as a whole in today’s culture. Gay also just made an appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, so that’ll complement a read-through of this book. Harper; hardcover, 320 pages.
The Black Elfstone
There are a lot of Shannara series out there. However, with the TV adaptation airing on MTV, you might find that you really want to dive into the books. It might not be a good idea to start here, since Terry Brooks’ The Black Elfstone kicks off his Fall of Shannara series. But even so, the surname Ohmsford might sound familiar even if you just watch the series — Wil’s an Ohmsford. This one has a character named Shea, which is also a name Shannara fans have seen before. Goodreads’ description promises this will kick off a quadrilogy. Del Rey Books; hardcover, 352 pages.
Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Seanan McGuire won a Nebula Award for Every Heart a Doorway. We mention this because Down Among the Sticks and Bones is meant as a companion novel, not so much a straight sequel as Goodreads implies. It’s the story of Jack and Jill — well, more accurately, Jillian and Jacqueline — and how they grow up, maybe find a little magic, and possibly a mad scientist or two. The Goodreads description has it in the plural, so we’re hopeful. As you can see, it’s quite a short read, and McGuire’s Nebula came in the novella category. Tor.com; hardcover, 176 pages.
Next: DC's Bombshells will explore the darker side of WWII
Tell us in the comments below what you’re reading this week!