Literairyland: Dec. 19-25, 2023

This week's new books, writer birthdays, and more

Author

Nicholas Barron
December 19, 2023

Welcome to Literairyland, your list of this week's new books and writer birthdays. Subscribe today and get Literairyland in your inbox every Tuesday!

Reading time: 4 minutes

Reader,

There are certain things you think don't need to be said, and then you learn that's not the case for everyone. 

For example, if you're an author with a book coming out soon, don't create a fake Goodreads account to give other books negative reviews while giving your novel glowing reviews. Yet, that's what a debut author did. And now, their agent and publisher dropped them, and it appears their book will not be published after all.

It's a light week in book publishing as we sleigh our way to Christmas. I think many publishers are holding their new releases for January. Still, there are 37 new books listed below, including Karl Sigmund's The Waltz of Reason: The Entanglement of Mathematics and Philosophy (Amazon | Bookshop).

May you have a merry Christmas 🎄 if you celebrate and enjoy a day of respite and quiet if you do not. Lastly, give Literairyland a follow on Instagram for more bookish joy.

Happy reading,
Nick

Table of Contents

Last Week’s Most Clicked Book 🔥

New Rock, New Role by Richard Sparks (Amazon | Bookshop)

This Week’s New Books

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Fiction

Mystery

  • The Brittany Murders by Anne Penketh (Amazon)

  • Lies are Forever by C. Jean Downer (Amazon | Bookshop) 🏳️‍🌈

  • The First Girl by Jennifer Chase (Amazon)

Thriller

Fantasy

  • Loki: Journey Into Mystery by Katherine Locke (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • The Doom of Odin by Scott Oden (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls by Amy S. Cutler (Amazon | Bookshop) (Available Dec. 21)

Horror

  • Sins of the Father by Gareth Rees (Amazon) (Available Dec. 21)

Romance

Science Fiction

  • Resurrections by Ada Hoffman (Amazon)

Graphic Novels & Manga

  • She's My Knight 1 by Saisou (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • Nature's Labyrinth Vol. 1 GN by Zac Thompson, illustrated by Bayleigh Underwood (Amazon | Bookshop)

Young Adult

Short Stories

  • Afterlife University: Game Knot Over by Jack Chaucer (Amazon) (Available Dec. 25)

Literary

  • The Magpie Funeral by Adam J. Galanski-de León (Amazon | Bookshop) (Available Dec. 22)

Nonfiction

History

  • The Waltz of Reason: The Entanglement of Mathematics and Philosophy by Karl Sigmund (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • Red Clay Running Waters by Leslie K. Simmons (Amazon | Bookshop)

Leadership

  • Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish by Justin A. Irving (Amazon | Bookshop)

Politics

  • How Migration Really Works: The Facts about the Most Divisive Issue in Politics by Hein de Haas (Amazon | Bookshop)

Health & Diet

  • The Mountain Rose Herbs Book of Natural Body Care: 68 Simple Recipes for Health and Beauty by Shawn Donnille (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • Sugarless: A 7-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction by Nicole M. Avena (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness: A Guide to Navigating Multiple Conditions by Charli Clement (Amazon | Bookshop) (Available Dec. 21)

  • Notes for Neuro Navigators: The Allies' Quick-Start Guide to Championing Neurodivergent Brains by Jolene Stockman (Amazon | Bookshop) (Available Dec. 21)

Self-Help

  • The Adulting Workbook: The I Did It! Approach to Work, Life, and Getting Your Act Together by Elsie Wild (Amazon | Bookshop)

Spiritual

  • The Bible and Reconciliation: Confession, Repentance, and Restoration by James B. Prothro (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • Integrating Psychology and Faith: Models for Christian Engagement by Paul Moss and Blake Riek (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • What Hath Darwin to Do with Scripture?: Comparing Conceptual Worlds of the Bible and Evolution by Dru Johnson (Amazon | Bookshop)

  • Yoga Life: Habits, Poses, and Breathwork to Channel Joy Amidst the Chaos by Brett Larkin (Amazon | Bookshop)

Trivia Time 🤔

This Week’s Literary Birthdays & Events

December 19

  • A Christmas Carol is published (1843)

  • Robert V. Bruce

  • Eve Bunting

  • Salvador Elizondo

  • Benedict Freedman

  • Jean Genet

  • Derrick Jensen

  • Oliver La Farge

  • José Lezama Lima

  • Jean-Patrick Manchette

  • Tim Parks

  • Brandon Sanderson

  • Michael Tournier

  • Carter G. Woodson

December 20

  • Lady Chatterley's Lover is banned in the U.S. (1929)

  • Congress changes the name of Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress to Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry (1985)

  • Kan'ichi Asakawa

  • Alain de Botton

  • Hortense Calisher

  • Sandra Cisneros

  • Mehmet Akif Ersoy

  • Nalo Hopkinson

  • Maarja Kangro

  • Aziz Nesin

  • T.F. Powys

December 21

  • James Lane Allen

  • Heinrich Böll

  • Thomas Bracken

  • Edward Hoagland

  • Gustave Kahn

  • Arnošt Lustig

  • Seichō Matsumoto

  • Anthony Powell

  • Gen Urobuchi

  • Rebecca West

December 22

  • Brian Daley

  • Charlotte Lamb

  • Roberta Leigh

  • Charles de Lint

  • Kenneth Rexroth

  • Edwin Arlington Robinson

  • Eduard Uspensky

  • Johan Sebastian Welhaven

  • Ken Whitmore

December 23

  • Holden Caulfield makes his first appearance in "I'm Crazy" (1945)

  • Megan Mayhew Bergman

  • Robert Bly

  • Ezzat el Kamhawi

  • Manuel Lopes

  • Norman Maclean

  • Martin Opitz

  • Donna Tartt

  • Mathilde Wesendonck

December 24

  • Matthew Arnold

  • Mary Higgins Clark

  • Barbara Comyns

  • George Crabbe

  • Adam Haslett

  • Henriette Roland Holst

  • Dana Gioia

  • Fritz Leiber

  • Stephenie Meyer

  • Adam Mickiewicz

  • Émile Nelligan

  • William Brighty Rands

  • Noel Streatfeild

December 25 🎄

  • William Demby

  • Charles Finger

  • Christopher Frayling

  • Sydney, Lady Morgan

  • Eve Pollard

  • Hilary Spurling

  • Dorothy Wordsworth

The Night Before Christmas gif