Book Radar

Talia Hibbert Dives into Romantasy and More Book News!

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Emily Martin

Contributing Editor

Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.

Thursday means one thing: another round of book news to finish out your week! And, wow, there’s a lot of piping hot book news to share with you today, from Bridgerton announcements to new celebrity books to new books from faves like Talia Hibbert and Ocean Vuong. I’ve got so much to tell y’all, so let’s just jump in!

Book Deals and Reveals

the hymn to dionysus book cover

Here’s the cover of The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley, the author of The Mars House. This reimagining of Greek mythology is out on March 18, 2025 from Bloomsbury.

Tor, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, has acquired Talia Hibbert’s romantasy debut The Last Thorn, which is pitched as a spicy magical Beauty and the Beast retelling. Expect to see The Last Thorn hitting shelves in summer 2026.

Naomi Watts has announced a new book about menopause, Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known About Menopause. The book will be published by Crown on Jan. 21, 2025.

This is not a drill! Ocean Vuong is publishing a new novel! The Emperor of Gladness will be out in June 2025.

Millie Bobbie Brown is developing a feature adaptation of her bestselling debut novel Nineteen Steps. The film will be released on Netflix.

Sally Field is set to star in the upcoming film adaptation of the novel Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. The film was acquired by Netflix. Olivia Newman will direct.

After only one season of the series, Prime Video has decided not to renew My Lady Jane. This news comes seven weeks after all eight episodes of the series were released to stream on Prime.

Bridgerton has cast Yerin Ha as Sophie Beckett, Benedict’s love interest for season 4. Viewers might recognize Ha for her role in the Paramount+ series adaptation of the Halo videogames.

Kristen Bell will be reuniting with her Frozen costar, Josh Gad, to narrate his upcoming children’s book PictureFace Lizzy. The book hits shelves on September 17.

Book Riot Recommends

Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!

Can’t Wait for This One

old soul book cover

Old Soul by Susan Barker (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January 28, 2025)

We love a good literary horror novel to start out our year, yeah? I can’t wait for this one from Susan Barker. It explores all of those uncomfortable but very real feelings of grief, loss, guilt, and more. I love how horror isn’t afraid to go there, and somehow I feel so much better after going through these emotions in a book. I know I can’t be the only one who feels this way. So, as you start to look forward to 2025 (already! what the heck!), consider adding this one to your new year’s TBR. I know I will be.

This novel starts with two grieving strangers, Jake and Mariko, meeting in Osaka airport. After speaking to each other, they realize that they have a strange connection. Both of their loved ones died in similar circumstances, and both encountered a strange, mysterious, dark-haired woman before their deaths.

Desperate to find answers and figure out the link between the death of his best friend and Mariko’s twin brother, Jake sets out to find others who have gone through something similar. Will his hunt eventually lead her to the mysterious woman at the center of this all?

Words of Literary Wisdom

“This will only be my fuel, not my combustion.”

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

black and orange cat cuddling on a couch

When cats are cuddling, you know it’s going to turn into a whole photo shoot. I took a lot of pictures of Murray and Remy sitting together on the couch. I couldn’t help it. There’s something about black and orange cats. They just vibe.

Oooh…on that note, if you have black and orange cats, please send me pics of them cuddling.

And that’s all, book fans! See you next week! Have a lovely weekend!

Emily

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