Welcome to Issue #12!
Welcome back to another exciting week of The Pond Book News, friends! Every Monday, The Quiet Pond releases a new issue of book news to help you keep up-to-date with the latest diverse book releases, book news, cover reveals, and more! Every week, we also feature three incredible people in the book community!
Book Releases This Week [August 12th – August 18th]
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, “Dear Miss Sweetie.” When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills, but she’s not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.
While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta’s most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.
Stacey Lee has written incredible YA historical fiction that center on Asian characters, and I cannot be more excited for The Downstairs Girl! Her stories are so wonderful and brilliantly thematic, particularly about empowering young girls, friendship, and finding courage. I feel like The Downstairs Girl will be no different, and I’m so so excited to read this book. I have a feeling it’ll be a new favourite.
Releases on the 13th of August 2019. Add this book on Goodreads.
The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart by R. Zamora Linmark
Words have always been more than enough for Ken Z, but when he meets Ran at the mall food court, everything changes. Beautiful, mysterious Ran opens the door to a number of firsts for Ken: first kiss, first love. But as quickly as he enters Ken’s life, Ran disappears, and Ken Z is left wondering: Why love at all, if this is where it leads?
Letting it end there would be tragic. So, with the help of his best friends, the comfort of his haikus and lists, and even strange, surreal appearances by his hero, Oscar Wilde, Ken will find that love is worth more than the price of heartbreak.
This book has been pitched to be a good read for those who love Adam Silvera and The Poet X, which absolutely sounds like something I’ll love. This book centers on a queer teen, his messy teen experiences, and perhaps finding yourself. The book’s name, The Importance of Being Wilde, also draws from Oscar Wilde, and as a big fan of Oscar Wilde and his discourse during my university years, this sounds like the sort of book that I’ll love.
Releases on the 13th of August 2019. Add this book on Goodreads.
Book News
Page to the Screen: Tiny Pretty Things is being adapted by Netflix!
How exciting is this news?! Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton is going to be adapted by Netflix into a 10-episode series! If you haven’t read it yet, Tiny Pretty Things is a YA contemporary/mystery about teen ballerinas and the cutthroat competition of ballet school. I’m super excited to watch this. Big congrats to Sona and Dhonielle!
Book Announcement: A queer imagining of Thelma and Louise!
Confession: I’ve never watched Thelma and Louise but for those who also haven’t, Trouble Girls sounds like a deliciously dark and wicked story about two queer girls. It sounds like we can expect road trips, revenge, thrilling adventures and danger at every turn, and possibly a feminist story. I’m looking forward to this!
Book Cover: Running has a cover!
I love illustrated covers, and this book is no exception! But more importantly, not only is the cover for Running gorgeous, the story sounds incredible as well. “When fifteen-year-old Cuban American Mariana Ruiz’s father runs for president, Mari starts to see him with new eyes. A novel about waking up and standing up, and what happens when you stop seeing your dad as your hero—while the whole country is watching.”
I… I need this? I love seeing stories about parent-child relationships, particularly when the stories aren’t told through rose-tinted glasses. I cannot wait to read this.
Book Cover: The sequel to The Fever King has a cover!
The sequel to The Fever King, The Electric Heir, has a cover! I read The Fever King earlier this year, and loved its fascinating, twisted, and dark imagining of a dystopia with magic. I am loving the energy of the cover, which you can all see over at Lily’s blog, Sprinkle of Dreams!
Book title and cover: The third Green Bones Saga book has a title AND a cover!
No Peak Clan, get excited! The third book’s name and book cover was recently announced, and I love it. As you all know, Jade City and Jade War are two of my favourite books ever, and I can’t wait to preorder the third book. It’s going to be an epic, painful, and thrilling conclusion and I’m definitely not going to miss out.
Page to the Screen: With the Fire On High is being adapted to a film!
I am absolutely thrilled about this news! Although I’ve yet to read With the Fire on High – it’s definitely going to be read sometime this month, I’m so excited to see an Afro-Latinx on the big screen being at the forefront of a nuanced, tender, and powerful story about empowerment, family, and food. So excited!
Book Announcement: Two new books by debut author, André-Naquian Wheeler!
Friends, how cool do both of these book sound?! I’m loving the sound of these two queer and Black young adult books that sounds absolutely amazing – and yet so different? I’m loving this, and 2021 cannot come soon enough. (Two whole years!) But I am absolutely certain that this will be worth the wait.
Book Community Spotlight
Book Blogger: Riza from Pages and Coffee Cups
I’ve only just discovered Filipino book blogger Riza and her incredible blog, Pages and Coffee Cups, this year, but I was so happy when I found her and her blog. Not only is her blog gorgeous, neat, and a pleasure to visit, Riza’s reviews are consistently in-depth and spectacular, and I always enjoy visiting her blog and seeing her latest blog post. I particularly love the review that she wrote for Jade War, which was filled to the brim with details, fantastic and insightful points, and great commentary.
Visit her blog, Pages and Coffee Cups, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Bookstagrammer: Sachi (sachireads)
Stumbling upon Sachi’s bookstagram feed made my day. First of all, the books that she features are wonderful and excellent reads, but second: she has a CORGI. AND HER NAME IS YUKI. Corgis are my all-time favourite dogs, and seeing books and a corgi in one feed? Instant follow for me. Don’t miss out on Sachi’s incredible bookstagram and her amazing photos!
Follow her on her bookstagram!
Booktuber: Adriana (Perpetual Pages)
Follow them on their booktube channel, Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram!
The Quiet Pond 
The Downstairs Girl sounds SO GOOD. I am a sucker for a story about a journalist and an undercover journalist maybe running from the mob sounds amazing.
So I didn’t realise there was more, non-Belles material out there from Dhonielle Clayton for me to read! I just starting reading The Belles #2 and I love her so much. Thank you for this v exciting reading and watching news.
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Thank you so much for sharing all of these news! ❤ I can't wait to read The Downstairs Girl, this book sounds so good and I love that cover so, so much. I didn't know about Tiny Pretty Things, such exciting news ahh, looking forward to it 🙂
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With the Fire On High is being adapted to film?!?! I did not know about this! I listened to it via audiobook (highly recommend the audiobook) and loved every minute! I cannot wait to see it translated to film!
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amazing post as amazing ALSO OMG THAT BOOKSTAGRAMMER HAS A CORGI!? INSTANT FOLLOW!
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