Books Forward

01/29/2025

Happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate! 2025 is the Year of the Snake so we’ve put together a list of books that feature these wise creatures that have been a part of religion, mythology, and history for centuries! 🐍

Do you celebrate the Lunar New Year? Tell us your favorite tradition in the comments! 🏮🎉✨

01/28/2025

🎉 HAPPY PUB DAY 🎉

Today we’re celebrating Barbara Southard’s “Unruly Human Hearts!” If you’re looking for some scandalous historical fiction, this one might be for you!

Lust, infidelity, and betrayal centered the historically famous Beecher-Tilton adultery trial where Theodore Tilton, his wife Elizabeth Tilton, and Reverend Henry Ward Beecher are exposed for their extramarital affairs, embodying the new 19th-century concept of “free love.” In her historical fiction debut, Barbara Southard brings life to the one voice unheard throughout the infamous case–the adulteress herself.

01/27/2025

“A layered and fast-paced mystery that also takes time to explore the importance of Darwin’s work.”

Congratulations to mystery writer, Lyn Squire , for this great Kirkus Reviews for “Fatally Inferior”. "Fatally Inferior" is the second installment in Squire’s detective series. We can’t wait to see what’s next in The Dunston Burnett trilogy!

Three detectives investigate the disappearance of Charles Darwin’s daughter-in-law in Squire’s historical mystery.

01/24/2025

If you’re an author looking for a way to get your book straight into the hands of readers, then you’ve probably considered reaching out to book influencers online.

In this blog post our publicist and digital marketing strategist, Layne Mandros, discusses the ins and outs of paid collaborations with influencers:

If you’re online (or alive and breathing!) you’ve probably heard about the phenomenon of BookTok (book influencers on TikTok) or Bookstagram (book influencers on Instagram). I’m writing this amidst the throws of the great debate of the TikTok ban, so if you’re reading this and TikTok is alre...

01/23/2025

Congratulations to Books Forward author, Joan Cohen, for her feature in Kirkus Reviews Magazine, December 2024 edition!

Check out the full edition here and you can find Joan and "The Deepfake" on page 138: https://issuu.com/kirkus-reviews/docs/kirkus_reviews_online_edition_121524

01/22/2025

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIMONE! 🎂

Wishing our publicist and social media strategist, Simone, the happiest of birthdays! We’re so lucky to have such a creative and thoughtful teammate on the Books Forward staff. We hope you have a lovely birthday and have a chance to curl up with some hot tea and a good book.

Enjoy Simone’s birthday stack, where she has gifted YOU (on her birthday no less, what a saint!) three of her go-to book recommendations. Have you read any of these? Let us know in the comments!

01/21/2025

🎉 HAPPY PUB DAY 🎉

Wishing Books Forward author J.W. Jarvis a very happy and successful pub day as he launches his technothriller, “Artificial Agent”.

Inspired by “The Six Million Dollar Man”, Jarvis imagines a thrilling next chapter in which a highly decorated Navy SEAL is given a second chance to serve his country when advanced tech restores his ability to walk and grants him unique powers. You won’t want to miss this heart-pounding read!

01/20/2025

Today we take the time to reflect and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life work, mission, and unwavering dedication to Black rights in America. We encourage everyone to use this day of reflection to propel us into continued action and fight for marginalized communities!

Check out the full blog post for a fantastic list of books that we hope will inspire you to get educated on systems of oppression while also learning to create positive change within your sphere of influence.

https://booksforward.com/reading-list-for-mlk-day/

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FEATURED AUTHORS:
Alex Haley Family
Isabel Wilkerson
Mikki Kendall
Koa Beck
Carole Weatherford
Jason Reynolds
Ibram X. Kendi

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up on January 20th, and while we take the time to reflect on MLK’s mission, his life’s work, and his unwavering dedication to Black rights in America, we should also use this reflection to propel us to action. This MLK day is particularly poignant as it also ...

01/18/2025

Kevin Moore, author of “Christmas Stories,” celebrated his book launch at The Open Book - Northridge to close out 2024!

Congratulations, Kevin, on the success of your book! We hope you had an absolute blast celebrating this incredible accomplishment with friends, family, and community members. We can’t wait to see what you achieve in 2025! 🥂

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[ID: Slide 1: Kevin Moore smiling and posing with his family while holding a copy of CHRISTMAS STORIES VOL. 2
Slide 2: Kevin sitting behind a table with copies of his book for him to sign]

01/17/2025

Happy Severance S2 to all who celebrate!! If you can’t get enough of this wild psychological sci-fi show, then we have a book list for you.

Check out the blog post for some titles that give off the same eerie something-isn’t-quite-right energy. 🖥️🎈🧠

Severance is back! We’re so excited, and so … nervous. If you’re the kind of person who can’t get enough of that mysterious, unsettled feeling that you’re left with after each episode ends, try one of these books. Severance by Ling Ma Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a ...

01/16/2025

Jeremy Hurewitz, the author of "Sell Like a Spy", is making our childhood dreams of becoming a real-life secret agent come true in his latest article for TIME : How to Use Spy Tactics in Your Daily Life.

Check out the full article where Jeremy leans on his professional expertise to assert how espionage can come into play in everyday life:

Spies are more akin to great psychiatrists than action heroes. But the tactics that they use are very useful—and fascinating.

01/15/2025

🎉 HAPPY PUB DAY 🎉

What’s better than one Books Forward pub day in a week? TWO pub days in a week!

A huge congratulations to award-winning Books Forward author, Tim Piper, on the launch of his third book in the Jubilee Walker Series, “The Northern Pacific Railroad.”

“The Northern Pacific Railroad” is based on actual events of the 1872 and 1873 railroad surveys, and the ensuing financial turmoil as investors lose faith in financier Jay Cooke’s vision to build a safe and effective rail line. Be sure to snag your copy today!

01/14/2025

🎉 HAPPY PUB DAY 🎉

We’re sending a big congratulations to Shang Saavedra (Save My Cents) author of “Wealth Is a Mindset: Change Your Mind, Change Your Money” and Lynn Slaughter author of “Missing Mom"! Both books are available today, wherever books are sold!

Pick up “Wealth Is a Mindset” if you’re looking for:
💰 A compassionate guide to learning more about personal finance
💰 A book that focuses on the intersections of mental health and finance
💰 A guide that will help you identify and mitigate the root cause of unhealthy money behaviors

Pick up “Missing Mom” if you’re looking for:
🩰 A teen ballerina turned amateur detective as she searches for her missing mother
🩰 A book with dark family secrets
🩰 A fast-paced, compelling YA romantic mystery

01/13/2025

If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading “Mattie, Milo, and Me” by Anne Abel then check out a moving excerpt from the book on Sanctuary Magazine: https://bit.ly/4fRJXyk

“Mattie, Milo, and Me” is available wherever books are sold and Anne’s second memoir, “High Hopes” hits the shelves later this year!

Book Excerpt

01/10/2025

Memoirist Julie Ryan McGue chats with Authority Magazine for their inspirational author interview series. McGue, with vulnerability, delves into key moments of her childhood that impacted her decision-making as an adult. Her award-winning memoir “Twice a Daughter” explores the complexities of adoption.

Her second memoir, “Twice the Family,” a continuation of her first memoir, will be available early next month. Read the full interview here:

An Interview With Cynthia Corsetti

01/09/2025

⚔️ Book Recs Based on the Cast of S3 of The Traitors ⚔️

Click through to see what books we’d pair with the newest contestants before tonight’s premiere of (in my opinion) one of the best new reality TV shows on the market: https://bit.ly/40kUJIT

As a Survivor super fan (quick if you can guess the BF staff member that’s writing this caption in the comments, I’ll give you a cookie) it’s my job to be abreast of which new reality TV shows Survivor Royalty™️ is competing on. I thought my head was going to spin off from the excitement of Pavarti and Sandra (👑) being on the lineup for S2 of The Traitors but we have 4 survivor divas on S3’s cast!

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Featured Authors:
Tess Sharpe Carola Lovering Britney Spears Attica Locke Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Oyinkan Braithwaite

Featured Celebs:
Tom Sandoval Bob The Drag Queen Gabriela Windey Wells Adams BobHarper.com Dorinda Medley Dolores Catania Nikki Bella Boston Rob Mariano

Peacock TV

If you’re like me and love low-stakes drama, lying, and deceit (in TV not in my personal life, DUH) then The Traitors will be right up your alley. This show will especially scratch a certain itch if you love revisiting favs from other reality TV series. I myself am a staunch and deeply committed w...

01/08/2025

Author Joseph Bauer was recently covered by Charleston City Paper ahead of his most recent release, "Sailing for Grace". The novel features a story of marriage, justice, and personal illumination with immigration as its central theme.

Check out Bauer’s full conversation with Charleston City Paper here:

Will Goodbow made a solemn promise to his dying wife. Though they had differing viewpoints on the issue of immigration, her last wish was that he agree to help reunite migrant children who had been separated from their parents at the U.S.–Mexico border.

01/07/2025

🌟STAFF SPOTLIGHT ALERT🌟

A literary omnivore and passionate book influencer, Layne applies her signature focus on every title Books Forward promotes. She has a true knack for creative thinking and fresh ideas, deftly coordinating media coverage and events for authors who have become New York Times and USA Today bestsellers.

As a former special education teacher, Layne ardently believes in the necessity of literature and accessibility. This enthusiasm is an asset in her publicity efforts as she works to reach readers across various platforms and demographics. She lives in New Orleans with her loyal, but sadly illiterate cat, Macaroni.

Learn more about Layne here:

“She was amazing, super useful, super helpful, attentive and a huge asset.” – Kosoko Jackson, author of the USA Today bestselling The Forest Demands Its Due