New York Journal of Books | September 8, 2020

“The Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager is an interesting look into 23 award-winning authors and how they came to their writing careers through the books they have read.

Pearl and Schwager begin each interview with a comfortable setting where the interview takes place, then introduce each author with a brief background and accounting of the various awards they have won.

They interview each author with a basic set of questions, primarily beginning with questions like ‘What are you reading now?’ or ‘What do you read for pleasure?’ Although such questions appear to be very elementary, they get the interview off to a good start and give the interviewee an opportunity to express what type of literature is interesting to them, and how their reading choices set the stage for their own writing.”

Follow the link above to read the full review of The Writer’s Library from New York Journal of Books!

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The Nerd Daily | September 7, 2020

“Releasing on September 8th from Thomas & Mercer, For The Best by Vanessa Lillie follows a troubled woman who is suspected of a murder she can’t remember, so she takes an unusual approach to proving her innocence. We have an excerpt to share with you that will definitely get you interested in this gripping thriller!”

Follow the link above to read the full excerpt of For the Best by Vanessa Lillie.

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LitHub | September 3, 2020

“When people ask me which is my mother tongue, English or Spanish, I usually respond that when it comes to language I have two mothers. Just like my own children, I add.

The idea that we can only have one mother is a narrowing assumption, both in our familial and linguistic lives. And yet, it’s also true that our relationships to our mothers—and our mother tongues—can be infinitely complex, nuanced, primal, and ever-changing. This why, when I was invited to translate my own novel Cantoras into Spanish, I knew immediately that the task would be transformative, in ways I couldn’t yet fathom.

I have spent most of my life yearning for more intimacy with the language of my country of origin, Uruguay. I was primarily educated in English; it is the language of my intellect, the one in which I can best vault and flow along the curves of syntax as I reach for meaning. The era of my adolescence and early adulthood that I spent swallowing hundreds of novels—which, unbeknownst to me then, helped make me a writer—all happened in California, and in English.

That said, though English dominates my intellect, Spanish is the language of my bones.”

Follow the link above to read the rest of Carolina De Robertis’ beautiful essay.

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Kirkus Reviews | September 2, 2020

“Zombies, grave robbers, and grief feature in this trilogy finale fictionalizing author Zora Neale Hurston’s early years.

In 1905, 14-year-old Carrie and her best friend, Zora, begin eighth grade, their final year of primary school in their hometown of Eatonville, Florida, the nation’s first incorporated Black-run town. When a violent White lynch mob arrives hunting a Black fugitive and terrorizing Zora, Carrie, and their families and neighbors, the future seems uncertain. A grave robbery and talk of hoodoo and zombieism heighten tensions within the community. In the midst of the turmoil, Zora’s self-important father decides to run for mayor against the town’s founder as Zora’s mother’s health worsens. Zora, smart, ambitious, and sharp-tongued, boldly challenges traditions, especially those that limit opportunities for girls and women, even as she navigates uncertainty and loss. Bond does the real-life storyteller Hurston proud, weaving an absorbing tale of the everyday horrors Black people faced in the South at the turn of the 20th century, even within the bounds of communities such as Eatonville. Both fans of and newcomers to the award-winning Zora & Me series will thoroughly enjoy this thrilling conclusion.

A sweet, lyrical, finely crafted mystery and a testament to the deep bonds of friendship.”

The third and final installment of the Zora & Me trilogy received a starred review from Kirkus! Follow the link above to read more.

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The New York Times | September 1, 2020

The Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager is a New York Times title of interest! Click the link above to read more.

Hasty Book List | September 1, 2020

The Silent Conspiracy by L.C. Shaw and For the Best by Vanessa Lillie were both included in this round-up from Hasty Book List! Click the link above to see the full list.

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CrimeReads | September 1, 2020

“September is regularly one of the best months on the crime reader’s calendar, and this year does nothing to disappoint. That’s why we’re going with twelve recommendations for the month, rather than the usual ten. Below you’ll find exciting debuts and brand new thrillers from some of the most accomplished and widely read authors in the game.“

For the Best by Vanessa Lillie was selected by CrimeReads as one of the books to read this September! Follow the link above to read more.

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School Library Journal | September 1, 2020

“In the final installment of the ‘Zora and Me’ trilogy, readers return to life in Eatonville with 14-year-olds Carrie, Zora, and Teddy. A few years older, we find the trouble that always seems to follow this fictionalized version of acclaimed author Zora Neale Hurston has grown, too. When a white vigilante group sweeps through idyllic Eatonville, the first incorporated all-Black city in the United States, they leave the town reverberating with the shock of a man lynched within their borders. As with the other entries in this series, Zora’s mind begins to spin a web of stories to explain the seemingly inexplicable events around her. Who is summoning the dead in Eatonville, and why? Through lush, descriptive language, readers see the trio wrestle with fear, grief, relationships, changing family dynamics, and of course, racism at the turn of the 20th century. With short chapters, Bond ushers readers through this well-crafted historical novel with hints of mystery.”

Zora & Me: The Summoner by Victoria Bond received a starred review from School Library Journal! Follow the link above to read the full review.

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Popsugar | August 31, 2020

“We've officially made it through summer, and our reward is an impressive list of must-read books coming out in September. This month includes highly anticipated new titles from bestselling authors including Nicholas Sparks, Nick Hornby, and Ruth Ware. Add in a whole host of books already generating rave reviews — from The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes, 2020's answer to Daisy Jones and the Six, to Alyssa Cole's masterful first thriller When No One Is watching — and it's clear that September is one of the most exciting months of the year for book fans. Go ahead and clear your calendar now, because this month is made for reading.”

For the Best by Vanessa Lillie was included in this fabulous round-up! Follow the link above to see the entire list.

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New York Post | August 29, 2020

“Hundreds gathered Saturday afternoon for a march through Kenosha, Wisconsin, a week after 29-year-old Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a city policeman.

Blake’s family, who say the shooting left him paralyzed, have criticized rioters who set fires and damaged buildings during several violent days of protest. They were expected to lead the march. Protests in the city have been peaceful for the past two days, since the National Guard was sent in to help restore calm.

[…]

Separately, Patrisse Cullors, the artist and activist who was one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013, called for a strike in Hollywood to protest Blake’s shooting, following the cancellation of games across several sports last week. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she said that ‘I think it’s time for talent, writers, executives, the guild and SAG to show up for Black lives as well.’

Cullors said she and others in the BLM movement are in talks with some talent to see what kind of protest is possible, in a way that will continue the momentum started after George Floyd’s police killing in May.”

Follow the link above to read the full article.

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Shelf Awareness | August 28, 2020

“In Cozbi A. Cabrera's heartwarming Me & Mama, a young child speaks about her mother and their rainy day spent together. Readers of this gentle story may find themselves thinking fondly of the adults in their lives with whom they have strong bonds.

Cabrera uses simple items to draw parallels and highlight differences between the child and her beloved mother: a china cup and a sippy cup, a big toothbrush and a little toothbrush, dresses designed for their different shapes. The realistic acrylic illustrations depict the different skin tones of mother and daughter--Mama darker skinned than her child--allowing Black children to see themselves and/or their family members represented accurately and appealingly. As she did in her 2018 picture book My Hair Is a Garden, the author celebrates natural hair with vivid illustrations portraying texture and precise depictions of hair types and styles common among BIPOC. One illustration is particularly evocative: the young girl holds the comb up to Mama's hair, showing a comforting ritual between mother and daughter.

Cabrera's poetic writing shares the child's love for her mother in detailed bite-sized chunks: "Mama reads to us./ I read to Mama./ I begin each story with Sometimes./ Mama laughs. She throws her head back and shines her teeth./ I laugh too." While Me & Mama offers a canvas onto which all children can draw their life experiences, it is primarily a beautifully celebratory mirror of Black life and family. Gentle and soft, Me & Mama is a loving bedtime story or a soothing read-aloud.”

Shelf Awareness gave a beautiful review of Me & Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera. Follow the link above to read more and pick up a copy today from your local bookstore.

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Red Carpet Crash | August 28, 2020

“Let’s face it alcohol is not our friend. And for Jules Worthington-Smith it’s a nightmare. Her job had a big party last night and she had way too much to drink. She wakes up in the morning feeling horrible, hungover and worst she doesn’t remember most of the night. She knows she went to the event and then met up with her co-worker Terrance after at the local bar not far from her house.

And then the police arrive at her house and say they found her wallet. It was on the ground next to the dead body of Terrance in the alley by the bar they were at. She seems to be the only suspect at this time. She claims she’s innocent. Then word leaks out and she losses her job and gets shunned by a lot of people. She decides to go on the offense. She’s going to find out who killed Terrence.

She starts a VLOG and tapes everything she is doing. Her statement to the police. Her interviewing the bar people. Talking to the widow, the mistress she discovers. She finds all sort of evidence that it could have been someone else that did it. But the more she digs she finds that the truth might not be all that is seems to be. People close to her have lied and things might not be so black and white.

An engaging story with lots of twists and turns you won’t see coming. The use of the VLOG works really well here and enhances the story. A well-written thriller.”

Follow the link above to see the full review of For the Best by Vanessa Lillie!

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Hollywood Reporter | August 27, 2020

“TV writer Patrisse Cullors says that talent and executives in the entertainment industry should join with sports teams: ‘I think Hollywood can really show up in this moment.’

Following Tuesday night’s historic sports strike — which started with the Milwaukee Bucks boycotting their playoff game in solidarity with police shooting victim Jacob Blake — Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors is making a call for similar action in Hollywood.

‘I think it's time for talent, writers, executives, the guild and SAG to show up for Black lives as well,’ Cullors, a writer on Freeform’s Good Trouble, tells The Hollywood Reporter. ‘Join this strike. Now is the time and our movement is really looking to unions to step in in a particular way and say “We're going to hold back on allowing for the exploitation and the degradation of Black communities to continue under our watch.” I think Hollywood can really show up in this moment. While I understand not everyone can take the same risks, there is power and opportunity in developing a strategy and plan that centers the dignity of Black communities. That may mean a one-day strike or it may mean a day of educating Hollywood on what’s been happening to Black folks. Now is an opportunity for all of us to be bold and courageous.’”

Follow the link above to read the full article.

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Essence | August 27, 2020

“On Thursday, Queen Latifah will be hosting a Facebook Watch special, titled Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today to highlight the systemic injustice that Black people face in this country while encouraging listeners to continue to use their voices and be heard, particularly in the upcoming election.

According to a press release, the special will recognize the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, and how we can channel that same energy in our battles today.

‘I can’t think of a more important time than now to recognize the powerful changemakers from the 60s and how we can bring the same needed energy to the present. I hope you love watching this program as much as I loved hosting it,’ Queen Latifah said.

[…]

Other confirmed guests including actress and media personality Amanda Seales, attorney and political commentator Angela Rye, activist and artist Common, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and many more.”

Follow the link above to learn more about the Facebook Watch special.

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The Booklist Reader | August 25, 2020

“Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people. This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by HarperCollins Publishers.

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Donna Seaman talks with renowned librarian, literary critic, book advocate, and ardent lifelong reader Nancy Pearl about her new book, The Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives, an outstanding collection of interviews with 23 exceptionally gifted writers—and cowritten with Jeff Schwager—on sale September 8 from HarperOne,

You can listen to this Shelf Care Interview here. This transcript has been edited for clarity.”

Read the full interview at the link above!

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CNN | August 24, 2020

“Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Kahn-Cullors speaks on what inspired the movement.”

Follow the link above to watch the full video.

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Vanity Fair | August 24, 2020

“Todau I am tired as a bruise from too many years of too much explaining. Want to sink my mind into another kind of rising, which is a deeper form of rest, by remembering everything and everyone that got us here. Today I want to remember how we see the ones that came before, how we carry them on our backs and on our shoulders. In our arms. How the past remains a deep and bleeding wound in the present. And yet, a balm. Strange how we know this—that we have survived and continue to survive because as artists and activists, as storytellers and change-makers of all kinds, we know that no matter how crazy and deadly a moment seems, we continue to stare the future down in order to show the way to it. And like the visionaries gathered here—among them, the writers Nikole Hannah-Jones, Isabel Wilkerson, and Colson Whitehead; the activist-creators Ava DuVernay and Killer Mike; the cofounders of Black Lives Matter; and the congressional foursome known as the Squad—we will keep on keeping on.”

Patrisse Cullors was profiled in this beautiful and powerful Vanity Fair article. Follow the link above to read more.

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Politico | August 22, 2020

“Joe Biden gave the floor to George Floyd's brothers and Eric Garner’s mother on the first night of his convention. On the third night, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama spoke the words “Black lives matter,” and Kamala Harris bemoaned the damage done by “structural racism.”

The embrace of the movement against racial injustice was a dramatic shift from the party's last convention four years ago and did not go unnoticed by Black Lives Matter activists. But its leaders viewed the gestures as mostly lip service, without a real commitment to policy change: They want Biden to commit to defund the police and to crack down on misconduct by law enforcement.

‘It’s been unfortunate to not see the Democratic Party fully align themselves with the powerful work this movement has been doing,’ said Patrisse Cullors, who helped found the BLM movement in 2013 after the killing of Trayvon Martin.

The disappointment underscores the persistent divide between Biden's campaign and many BLM activists, even as they present a united front to oust President Donald Trump. It also showcases the careful line Democrats are attempting to walk: While the BLM movement has gone mainstream, most Americans tell pollsters they don’t support withholding money for police.”

Follow the link above to read the entire article.

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