I feel like 2024 was a great year for music, and I can’t wait to see who gets their hands on the little golden gramophone at this year’s Grammy Awards!
If you’re rooting for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, pick up God’s Country by Percival Everett and Madison Smartt Bell:
The unlikely narrator through this tale of misadventures is one Curt Marder: gambler, drinker, cheat, and would-be womanizer. It’s 1871, and he’s lost his farm, his wife, and his dog to a band of marauding hooligans. With nothing to live on but a desire to recover what is rightfully his, Marder is forced to enlist the help of the best tracker in the West: a black man named Bubba.
If you’re rooting for Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso, pick up The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore:
When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job. Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.
If you’re rooting for Charli XCX’s Brat, pick up Luster by Raven Leilani:
Edie is stumbling her way through her twenties—sharing a subpar apartment in Bushwick, with an admin job and a series of inappropriate sexual choices. Then she meets Eric, a digital archivist with a family, including a wife who has agreed to an open marriage—with rules. Edie finds herself unemployed and invited into Eric’s home and becomes a hesitant ally to his wife and a de facto role model to his adopted daughter. Edie may be the only Black woman young Akila knows.
If you’re rooting for Billie Eilish’s Birds of A Feather, pick up There, There by Tommy Orange:
Twelve characters from Native communities traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow are all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Among them is Jacquie Red Feather, who is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle’s death. Fourteen-year-old Orvil is performing a traditional dance for the very first time. They converge and collide on one fateful day.
If you’re rooting for Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us, pick up The Rap Yearbook by Shea Serrano, illustrated by Arturo Torres:
Complete with infographics, lyric maps, hilarious and informative footnotes, portraits of the artists, and short essays by prominent music writers, The Rap Year Book is both a narrative and illustrated guide to the most iconic and influential rap songs ever created. Award-winning writer Shea Serrano deftly pays homage to the most important rap song of each year. He also examines the most important moments that surround the history and culture of rap music–from artists’ backgrounds to issues of race, the rise of hip-hop, and the struggles among its major players–both personal and professional.
If you’re rooting for Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe, pick up Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan:
Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools after it turns out that being queer is against her Catholic school’s code of conduct. She meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her 1970 Ford Torino and competing in beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can’t deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan—out and proud—doesn’t want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn’t ready to come out yet.
If you’re rooting for Taylor Swift’s Fortnight, pick up Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson:
Jenny brings readers along on her mental and physical health journey, offering heartbreaking and hilarious anecdotes along the way. With people experiencing anxiety and depression now more than ever, Jenny humanizes what we all face in an all-too-real way, reassuring us that we’re not alone and making us laugh while doing it. From the business ideas that she wants to pitch to Shark Tank to the reason why Jenny can never go back to the post office, Broken leaves nothing to the imagination in the most satisfying way.
If you’re rooting for Shaboozey’s A Bar Song (Tipsy), pick up Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: A Cocktail Recipe Book by Toni Tipton-Martin:
From traditional tipples, such as the Absinthe Frappe or the Clover Leaf Cocktail, to new favorites, like the Jerk-Spiced Bloody Mary and the Gin and Juice 3.0, Toni Tipton-Martin shares a variety of recipes that spotlight the creativity, hospitality, and excellence of Black drinking culture. Drawing on her expertise, research in historic cookbooks, and personal collection of texts and letters, she shows how these drinks have evolved and shares the stories of how Black mixology came to be—a culmination of generations of practice, skill, intelligence, and taste.
If you’re rooting for Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ Die With A Smile, pick up The Prince & the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell:
Wren Wheeler’s senior-year trip to London was supposed to be life-changing, but by the last day, her itinerary was in tatters. When she arrives for breakfast at The World’s End restaurant, it’s closed, but there’s a boy there. A very cute boy with a posh British accent who looks remarkably like the errant Prince Theo. When Wren helps him escape a pack of tourists, the Prince scribbles down his number and offers her one favor in return. She doesn’t plan to take him up on it—until she gets to the airport and sees canceled flights and chaos. A comet is approaching Earth, and the world is ending in eight days. Suddenly, that favor could be her only chance to get home to her family before the end of the world.
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A literary omnivore and influential Bookstagrammer, Layne applies her vivid creativity for every title we promote by deftly coordinating news coverage and events for authors, writing and editing diverse content for social media, and assisting with Books Forward’s social media engagement initiatives.
As a former special education teacher, Layne firmly believes in the importance of literature and accessibility. This unique point of view is an asset in her publicity efforts as she works to reach readers across various platforms and demographics.
Layne received her Bachelors of Arts in Creative Writing and Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and her Masters of Art in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. She lives in New Orleans with her loyal, but sadly illiterate cat, Macaroni.
