CANTORAS by Carolina De Robertis - Entertainment Weekly "Fall Books Preview: The 40 Biggest Titles of the Season"

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY | AUGUST 26, 2019

“The New Year gets all the credit in the self-improvement space, with its resolutions and dry Januaries and general air of rebirth, but for the true bookworm, the fall is the ideal time to turn over a new, perfectly crisp, reading leaf. Not only does the season inspire a callback to school supply shopping, planners, and the excitement of a syllabus, but it’s also the strongest time of year for great literature. As the awards shortlists beckon, publishers send their long-awaited prestige titles to the shelves.

This year proves to be no exception. Below, EW’s book editors select the 40 titles for which we’re most excited. This year’s fall must-list reflects the best of everything on offer, from the literary A-listers still going strong to the debut darlings poised to be the next big thing.”

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis was included in Entertainment Weekly’s list of Fall Must-Reads! EW says Cantoras “sensitively and singularly touches on themes of queerness, community, and perseverance.” Follow the link above to view the entire list!


Victoria Sanders
KEEPING LUCY by T. Greenwood - L’Oréal Paris "The L’Oréal Paris Book Club: Your Fall Reading Guide"

L’ORÉAL PARIS | AUGUST 25, 2019

“Grab a tissue or two and read Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood. When Ginny Richardson’s daughter Lucy is born with down syndrome, her husband Ab sends Lucy away to a special school, telling Ginny it’s for the best. The heart-wrenching story takes a turn when two years later, Ginny’s best friend Marsha discovers an article claiming the school is not what she thought it to be. The two go to rescue Lucy, turning Ginny into a fugitive who’s fighting to keep her daughter.”

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood was included in L’Oréal Paris’s Book Club picks for Fall 2019! Follow the link above for the full list.



Victoria Sanders
Alexander Smalls, James Beard award winner and author of BETWEEN HARLEM AND HEAVEN, at this year's New York Times Food Festival!

THE NEW YORK TIMES | AUGUST 22, 2019

James Beard award winning chef Alexander Smalls, author of Between Harlem and Heaven, will be participating in this year’s New York Times Food Festival! Chef Smalls will be hosting an event titled “Welcome: The Fine Art of Hospitality” on October 5, 2019 at 1:00pm EST. Follow the link above to purchase tickets and to view the entire schedule of the festival!

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Victoria Sanders
FAKE LIKE ME by Barbara Bourland - Medium "Barbara Bourland's 'Fake Like Me' Is A Ruthless Evisceration of the Wealthy"

MEDIUM | AUGUST 21, 2019

“At the beginning of Barbara Bourland’s extraordinary novel, the narrator—who remains unnamed throughout—is working on the show of paintings that could catapult her career from up-and-coming working artist to art world star. The paintings, gigantic canvases that take months each to make, are titled Prudence, Temperance, Humility, Modesty, Chastity, Obedience, and Purity, and are a commentary on the expectations laid upon young women and the urge to break free of them. Three months before the show, the narrator’s apartment/studio burns down, and now, homeless and deeply in debt, she has those three months to covertly recreate what she’d taken two years to meticulously craft.”

Medium wrote a phenomenal article about Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland. Follow the link above to read it in its entirety!


Victoria Sanders
CANTORAS by Carolina De Robertis - Autostraddle "30 New Books of Queer and Feminist Interest to Get Excited About This Fall"

AUTOSTRADDLE | AUGUST 20, 2019

“Every year it seems there are more and more accessible queer themes from queer writers in mainstream books publishing, in every genre, and this fall has maybe the widest range of super exciting releases to date. Whether your thing is queer girl YA inspired by Greek mythology, groundbreaking poetry collections, challenging and mind-expanding critical nonfiction on art, power, illness or design, or weird and dynamic short fiction, this fall brings you some new titles you won’t be able to stop thinking about.”

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis was included on Autostraddle’s list of most anticipated queer and feminist books forthcoming this fall. Follow the link above to view the entire list!


Victoria Sanders
Karin Slaughter, author of THE LAST WIDOW, shares the books she's reading with Parade Magazine

PARADE | AUGUST 16, 2019

“The new novel from Karin Slaughter, The Last Widow (William Morrow, August 20), does what all great Slaughter books do: keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s a chilling whodunit for our times (extremism! terrorism!) set in Atlanta and featuring returning reader favorites: medical examiner Sara Linton and her partner Will Trent, and investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Here, Slaughter shares with Parade what she’s been reading.”

Karin Slaughter, author of The Last Widow, was featured in Parade! Follow the link above to read her list!


Victoria Sanders
THE LAST WIDOW by Karin Slaughter - BookTrib "From Lawyers to Cowboys: Jon Land's Top August Thrillers"

BOOKTRIB | AUGUST 14, 2019

“Karin Slaughter is remarkably adept at using a single, tragic incident as a doorway to far more devilish acts. Her skill is typically masterful in The Last Widow…Nobody balances thrills and emotion, pacing and heart, better than Slaughter. In The Last Widow, she proves her success is not hype. A stunning triumph in all respects.”

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter was named by author Jon Land as one of his Top August Thrillers in BookTrib! Follow the link above to view his entire list.


Victoria Sanders
THE BLACK CABINET by Jill Watts - Library Journal "Top Picks - Prepub Alert"

LIBRARY JOURNAL | AUGUST 5, 2019

“When Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president, a group of African American intellectuals sought to promote the concerns of their community, though they served only as an unofficial advisory board owing to the unfortunate sway of the white Southern vote. Known as the Black Cabinet, they included educator Mary McLeod Bethune, close to Eleanor Roosevelt; Harvard-educated economist Robert Weaver, eventually the first African American Cabinet secretary; Al Smith, head of the largest black jobs program at the WPA; and more. Watts (Hattie McDaniel; God, Harlem U.S.A.) seeks to highlight their contributions.”

The Black Cabinet by Jill Watts, forthcoming from Grove Atlantic in May 2020, was included in Library Journal’s Prepub alert highlighting new works of American history, African American history, women’s history, and World War II. Follow the link above to view the entire list!


Victoria Sanders
PUMPKINHEADS by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks - Publishers Weekly Starred Review

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY | AUGUST 5, 2019

“Art by Hicks (Comics Will Break Your Heart) turns the sweetly witty dialogue by Rowell (Carry On) into a miniature autumn universe; precise, affectionate details (signage, costumes, endpaper maps) will coax readers to revel in the cozy atmosphere. The pacing is assured, driving along in short bursts that leave room for key scenes to stretch, but it’s the primary characters’ authentic friendship—built over several seasons working alongside one another—and the variously inclusive cast that really bring this funny last-day story home.”

Pumpkinheads illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks received a starred review in Publishers Weekly! Follow the link above to read the full review.


Victoria Sanders
CANTORAS by Carolina De Robertis - O, The Oprah Magazine "45 of the Best LGBTQ Books That'll Change the Literary Landscape in 2019"

O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE | AUGUST 5, 2019

“Set against the backdrop of the 1970s Uruguayan dictatorship, De Robertis's fourth novel offers a sweeping portrait of love in a time of ruthless tumult, following five women over thirty-five years.”

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine as one of the best LGBTQ books to change the literary landscape in 2019! Follow the link above to view the entire list.



Victoria Sanders
THE LAST WIDOW by Karin Slaughter - Library Journal Starred Review

Library Journal | August 1, 2019

“Best-selling author Slaughter (Pieces of Her) brings us the next installment in the ‘Will Trent’ series. The action starts with the kidnapping of Michelle Spivey, an epidemiologist from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. One month later, there is still no sign of Michelle and out of the blue, bombs start going off at Emory University. Georgia Bureau investigator Will, and his partner, medical examiner Sara Linton, rush to the scene. On the way, they encounter what they believe is a wreck but soon turns into a kidnapping and hostage situation. Sara ends up in the hands of an antigovernment militia group, and while with them finds that Michelle is also being held captive. Will goes undercover to attempt to save Sara and stop the dangerous terrorists.”

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter received a starred review from Library Journal! Follow the link above to read more.


Victoria Sanders
CANTORAS by Carolina De Robertis - Publishers Weekly Review

Publishers Weekly | July 31, 2019

“This sensuous tale from De Robertis (The Gods of Tango) takes readers to the author’s native Uruguay during the 1970s to follow the harrowing lives of five women living under dictatorship. Bonded as cantoras, or “women who sing” (a coded term for lesbians at the time), Flaca, Romina, Anita, Malena, and Paz escape the oppression of their country’s new regime and enjoy freedom at Cabos Polonio, a little known beach. Flaca is a risk taker who bucks tradition; Paz, a 16-year-old romantic just discovering who she is; Romina, a revolutionary who continues to fight despite punishment; Malena, a mysterious one hiding a dark past; and Anita, a beautiful housewife with dreams beyond her marriage. Back home in Montevideo, people disappear and women are raped, but in Polonio, relationships and romance flourish. Over the course of 35 years, these friends and lovers form a makeshift family as they struggle to find their place and awake to their true desires. After the dissolution of the civic-military dictatorship in 1985, formerly forbidden romances are allowed to take root and the characters learn how to live under democracy. De Robertis does a fine job of probing the harsh realities of what it takes to carve out a life of freedom under an oppressive government.”

Follow the link above to read the full review!


Victoria Sanders
PUMPKINHEADS by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks - School Library Journal Starred Review

School Library Journal | July 30, 2019

“High school seniors Deja and Josiah (“Josie”) are working their final shift at the world’s corniest pumpkin patch. Josie already misses his days at the patch, while Deja is on a mission to experience as many things as possible on her last night, including eating plenty of Frito pie. Along the way, she wants to yank Josie out of his comfort zone and open up his world—no regrets allowed. The characters in this graphic novel are so expressive and authentic, it’s impossible not to love them. The dialogue is cute, funny, and punny, and the speech bubbles are well placed. Adorably illustrated and titled chapter headings will heighten readers’ anticipation of wacky moments. The palette is charmingly autumnal, and dynamic backgrounds, with vivid reds, oranges, yellows, and twilight purples and blues, convey the fall festival atmosphere. The panel layouts advance the action smoothly and evoke the feeling of young love and of breathlessly standing on the brink of change.

VERDICT There’s something for everyone in this joyful, tender book. Fans of Rowell and Hicks will gobble up this graphic novel like it’s Frito pie, and after just one nibble, newcomers will do the same.”

Pumpkinheads received a starred review from School Library Journal! Follow the link above to read


Victoria Sanders