My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.
Monday, January 4
Instagram Poetry for Every Day by National Poetry Library (Editor) (September 29, 2020 from Laurence King Publishing)
Instagram poetry has become a phenomenon in recent years, boosting sales of poetry books and introducing a new generation to verse. This anthology, the first of its kind, brings together over 120 poems by 50 Instagram poets, both popular names and up-and-coming talent.
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Instagram Poetry is now in book form…which is rather odd. “100 poems by 50 of the top handles.” If a picture is worth 1000 words how many words is an IG poem worth?
Instagram Poetry for Every Day is an anthology that brings together over 100 poems by both popular and up-and-coming poets from Instagram! The poems embrace themes from love to mental health to women’s empowerment! 💜❤️💖🧡💛
Grab a copy today: https://t.co/L1WAAWcCKv pic.twitter.com/jKOwQRbrLc— Laurence King (@LaurenceKingPub) September 28, 2020
Tuesday, January 5
The Preserve by Ariel S. Winter (November 3, 2020 from Atria Books)
Decimated by plague, the human population is now a minority. Robots—complex AIs almost indistinguishable from humans—are the ruling majority. Nine months ago, in a controversial move, the robot government opened a series of preserves, designated areas where humans can choose to live without robot interference. Now the preserves face their first challenge: someone has been murdered.
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The human population is now a minority (yes…suck it puny humans!) and there’s a robot government. What? Oh yes…that’s my sci-fi jam!
“It’s got everything. A plague that wiped out a good chunk of humanity! Artificial intelligence! […] Murder! Secrets! Intrigue! I mean, must I go on?”—[@]gingerandchampagne
THE PRESERVE by @ArielSWinter is available now! 📖 https://t.co/EuM4YsIJTr
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📷: [@]gingerandchampagne pic.twitter.com/XGwqj3vUYf— Atria Books (@AtriaBooks) November 8, 2020
Wednesday, January 6
The Alpha Enigma by W. Michael Gear (November 3, 2020 from Daw Books)
Dr. Timothy Ryan, head of the military psychiatric unit at Grantham Barracks, is meeting a new patient, a woman known as “Prisoner Alpha.” As she is being transferred, they are attacked by assassins, barely escaping with their lives. One shooter vanishes, leaving behind a dead companion unlike anyone Ryan has ever seen.
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So let’s review: we got a sci-fi mystery, assassins and…a time-displaced Egyptian tomb (yo!). I wish I had a shovel because I dig all of those things.
I just made my new book announcement… and then it arrived in the mail today! 😄 https://t.co/m7yZY0d1eu pic.twitter.com/UOeCsecf8p
— Dr. Neil Cohn (@visual_linguist) November 11, 2020
Thursday, January 7
Can’t Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop’s Blockbuster Year by Michaelangelo Matos (December 8, 2020 from Hachette Books)
The definitive account of pop music in the mid-eighties, from Prince and Madonna to the underground hip-hop, indie rock, and club scenes.
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From Thriller to Purple Rain, Hello to Against All Odds, What’s Love Got to Do with It to Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, I mean this book will be fascinating but hard to read with all that music going on in my head. Long live the 80s in all of its glory!
Shameless promo time! Pt. 1 pic.twitter.com/osr613iQGm
— Michaelangelo Matos (@matoswk75) October 20, 2020
Friday, January 8
XX by Rian Hughes (November 10, 2020 from Harry N. Abrams)
At Jodrell Bank Observatory in England, a radio telescope has detected a mysterious signal of extraterrestrial origin—a message that may be the first communication from an interstellar civilization. Has humanity made first contact? Is the signal itself a form of alien life? Could it be a threat? If so, how will the people of Earth respond?
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You know Rian Hughes: he’s worked with DC Comics having designed numerous logos and covers: including the original Vertigo imprint logo. He’s worked with Grant Morrison and now he has written his first novel XX. Which sounds naughty but it’s just good old-fashioned science-fiction.
Let’s hear it for our amazing design department who does awesome stuff like THIS 👇 for our books! With this reversible dust jacket on @rianhughes’s XX, you too can have Jack’s collection of obscure books on your shelf! pic.twitter.com/BDhsKo6iZ4
— ABRAMS Books (@ABRAMSbooks) December 28, 2020
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.