The Literate Lizard

@theliteratelizard.bsky.social

7638 Followers 16168 Following

An online-only & very woke bookstore in Arizona. Over 20 years in the book biz. We cater to the liberal point of view. Post as DebtorsPrison on Daily Kos. Books, politics, world travel, history. Support is appreciated: https://theliteratelizard.com

The World Cup is over, but the 20% off World Cup book promotion at The Literate Lizard will continue for a while longer

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through August 1st, 2026:
- Cool Machine: A Novel (The Harlem Trilogy #3), by Colson Whitehead
- Henry Tudor Must Die: A Novel, by Jillian Laine
- The New People: A Novel, by Andrea Uptmor
- Yellow Pine: A Novel, by Claire Vaye Watkins

Cover image as released by Little, Brown Publishing of President Joe Biden's upcoming memoir Promise Me, America, to be published on November 17th. The Literate Lizard is offering preorders at 20% off.

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through July 25th, 2026:
- Cloudthief: A Novel, by Nathaniel Rich
- The Forest Becomes Her: A Novel, by Julie Carrick Dalton
- The Intrigue: A Novel, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Lady X: A Novel, by Molly Fader

Cover of the new book Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World, by Dan Werb. Alongside the book, cats Alfie and Tashi wonder what the big deal is. They've been living alongside humans in the city their entire lives.

Covers of two new books about the creepier side of nature, both 20% off at The Literate Lizard Online Bookstore for a limited time.

- The Devil’s Garden: The world's most sinister plants and fungi, by Peter Marren.
"A lively exploration of the poisoners, tricksters, stingers, stinkers and invaders of the plant world and how their lives intertwine with ours."

- Hidden Creatures: Luscious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous, History-Shaping World of Parasites, by Dino Martins
"Welcome to the hidden, squirming world of parasites—some of the most misunderstood creatures with whom we share the Earth (and our bodies)."

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through July 18th, 2026:
- Wisdom Corner: A Novel, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
- Fabulous Bodies: A Novel, by Chuck Tingle
- Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt: A Novel, by Ben Reeves
- Country People: A Novel, by Daniel Mason

Cover of the upcoming biography of Roy Cohn, by Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark, coming out September 1st and currently available to preorder at The Literate Lizard for 20% off.

"The authors follow Cohn in his most notorious roles, including as prime mover of the Rosenberg executions, for which he remained unrepentant; as the book-burning “baby-faced symbol of McCarthyism”; and as a lawyer for clients as diverse as mafia dons, Studio 54, and Donald Trump, who took from Cohn his defiance of rules and tabloid manipulation. The book excels as a masterful dissection of Cohn’s strange, contradictory, and immoral character as “a lawyer dismissive of the law,” as well as a keen interrogation of Cohn’s ceaseless popularity among New York City and Beltway high society, where many expressed repulsion at Cohn’s politics and corruption, yet were drawn to his charisma, aptitude for gossip, and transactional loyalty. It adds up to an extraordinary portrait of a singular American figure whose callousness and brazenness continue to mar the country 40 years after his death." - Publishers Weekly

The illustration for this week's Nonfiction Views column I do for Daily Kos features the covers of seven books published this week, plus covers of some books coming out in the fall, all of which are available for preorder. The books are set against a beach background.

The Literate Lizard Bookstore celebrates the World Cup with a selection of books about the sport, discounted 20%.

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through July 11th, 2026:
- Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep: A Novel, by Paul Tremblay
- Main Characters: A Novel, by Bobby Palmer
- The Moon Papers: A Novel, by Emmalea Russo
- Wasp's Nest: A Novel, by Kat Stoddard

Cover of the new memoir Monster of a Land, by Lauren Hough, in which she describes her journey across contemporary America with her dog.
The book is pictured against a backdrop of an open highway, and alongside a cat watching the movie Harry and Tonto on TV. That movie features a cat on a road trip.

“Lauren Hough writes about America the way it deserves to be written about—honestly, and with a tinge of heartbreak. Monster of a Land is so much more than a road trip book—it’s about the trips we never take, the people we lose before we get the chance, and what happens when you finally get in the goddamn car.”
—Jennette McCurdy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Half His Age

Cover of the new book On the Origin of Sex: The Weird and Wonderful Science of Reproduction, by Dr. Lixing Sun. The book is set against a background photo of the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC filled with green algae in front of the Lincon Memorial. Background photo by Jessica Koscielniak for Reuters.

From split-gill mushrooms to duck-billed platypuses, the spectacular science of sexual reproduction and creation of biodiversity on Earth. Assiduously researched and narrated with humor and verve, On the Origin of Sex offers an expert and entertaining investigation into the science of how our planet is populated.

“Sun distills complex genetic concepts for general audiences with irreverence and humor. Sun’s analysis emphasizes the breadth of diversity in nature while reminding readers that sex and gender are neither fixed nor binary.” —Booklist

Covers of fourteen new nonfiction titles published this week, as listed in my weekly Nonfiction Views column of Daily Kos.

- Sourland: A Novel, by Ariel Delgado Dixon.

"A gripping, propulsive novel about succession, sex, and revenge on a California marijuana farm."
“As the ex-lovers of a missing weed farmer grapple for control of her land and harvest, they contend with the force of her presence and the complexities of their own pasts against the sensuous Northern California wilderness. Deliciously written and compulsively readable, Sourland captures the dying days of a band of outlaws ensnared in a web of pleasure, labor, and loss.”—Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream House

- Mendo: How an Unlikely Group of Rebels Turned Cannabis into California's Cash Crop, by Charlie Harris

"California's homegrown weed industry helped launch the solar power industry, and that's not all. Mendocino county—or Mendo—sits within California’s Emerald Triangle, a sprawling, sparsely populated region that has produced billions of dollars’ worth of weed, and since the 1970s, virtually every inhabitant has either been involved in the pot trade or been a beneficiary of it—including the government.

Mendo was formed by the confluence of back-to-the-land hippies fleeing San Francisco and longtime locals who held more traditional, conservative beliefs. These two groups shared little in common beyond a strong antiauthoritarian streak and a need to create new opportunities after the logging industry retreated from the region. A tight-knit, backwoods, outlaw culture arose from this uncommon alliance. Mendo tells the fascinating and often humorous story of how, for over fifty years, this cabal of iconoclastic characters not only sustained the county through the illegal cultivation of marijuana, but also developed a legal framework that has been adopted in decriminalization efforts across the United States."

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through July 4th, 2026:
- Names Have Been Changed: A Novel, by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
- Retro: A Novel, by Jessica M. Goldstein
- Sourland: A Novel, by Ariel Delgado Dixon
- Tillinghast: A Novel, by Clare Cavenagh

Juneteenth Block Party in downtown Tempe, June 19th, 2026

We’re honoring this milestone of America's 250th birthday with DOZENS of books discounted 20% that tell the real story of the United States in all its diverse, messy striving for freedom.

WE WILL NEVER ACCEPT TRUMP’S CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST WHITE SUPREMACIST WHITEWASHING OF HISTORY!

The Literate Lizard has reactivated its 20% off Black History Month promotion for Juneteenth weekend.

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through June 20th, 2026:
- Ghost-Eye: A Novel, by Amitav Ghosh
- A Year of Marvelous Ways, by Sarah Winman
- Little Wonder: A Novel, by Sophie Chen Keller
- Voyagers: A Novel, by Meg Charlton

Cover of the book The Flag Was Still There: A History of the American Experiment in Five Anniversaries, by David McKean and M. Todd Bennett.

The crew of the artist Christo working on wrapping the Pont Neuf in Paris in 1985.

Cover of the book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, coming out June 22nd.

Celebrate the World Cup with our selection of 20% off books on the sport for both adults and children.

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through June 20th, 2026:
- The Traveler: A Novel, by Joseph Eckert
- Feast: A Novel, by Catherine Kurtz
- The Daffodil Days: A Novel, by Helen Bain
- Cat Love: A Novel, by Tomás Q. Morín

Cover of the new novel Cat Love, by Tomás Q. Morín, coming out June 9th from Pantheon Press.

“Tomás Q. Morín has written the comic novel I’ve been waiting for. Cat Love is a Gen X masterpiece, riotous and haunting, where Schrödinger's cat longs for better days, but is cursed with the bad luck to land in a cruel box: a thought experiment come to life. As she fights her isolation with the powerful nostalgia that we're all feeling in this berserk American moment, Morín's register soars from snappy to elegiac, ultimately hurtling us into a marvelously surreal place, where it is possible to embrace the beauty of grief. I could not look away.” —Jessica Anthony, author of Enter the Aardvark

A picture of the author Marjane Satrapi, taken by Benoit Tessier for Reuters, along with her book Persepolis

Two new books about Marilyn Monroe: I Wanna Be Loved by You, by Andrew Wilson, and Marilyn and her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe, by Gail Crowther

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through June 13th, 2026:
- Land: A Novel, by Maggie O'Farrell
- Marion: A Novel, by Leah Rowan
- The Typing Lady: And Other Fictions, by Ruth Ozeki
- Whistler: A Novel, by Ann Patchett

Cover of the new book The Black Cat Detectives: A Mystery, by Kit Gray

Cover of the new book The Hero Next Door: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose, by Martha Raddatz.

For twenty-five years Martha Raddatz has witnessed the grit and resilience of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have been fighting America’s wars since 9/11. What motivates them to do such impossible things? How do they find the courage to put their lives on the line, or the strength to start over when things don’t go as planned?

The Hero Next Door offers a dozen portraits of servicemen and women who are every bit as inspiring as those of the Greatest Generation. Every one of them has shown awe-inspiring strength of character, creativity, and drive, faced daunting odds, and come out stronger.

“Very few people outside the military really understand what those of us who serve experience—Martha Raddatz is one of them. In this remarkable book, she lets people see the real character of our servicemen and women. It is truly humbling to have led some of them.”
—General Robert “Abe” Abrams, Former Commander UNC, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through June 6th, 2026:
- The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays: A Novel, by Andrea Hairston
- Pixie: A Novel, by Jill Dawson
- The Midnight Train: A Novel, by
Matt Haig
- Babylon, South Dakota: A Novel, by Tom Lin

Cover of the new book Ja-Purr-Nese: Adorable Cat-shaped Recipes from Sushi to Soup, by Laure Kié

Samantha the cat taking a nap in front of some bookcases

Voting is open for you to vote for your choice in the Reading the West book awards, sponsored by the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through May 30th, 2026:
- Pollock's Last Lover: A Novel of Art and Deception, by Stephen P. Kiernan
- Hungered: A Novel, by Amanda Rizkalla
- Mare: A Novel, by Emily Haworth-Booth
- Take Me with You: A Novel, by Steven Rowley
-

Cover of the upcoming book Cats: A History, by Rod Phillips, coming out June 1st from Johns Hopkins University Press.

Covers of two new books just been published about Sparta:
- Sparta: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Superpower, by Andrew Bayliss
- Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry That Shaped Ancient Greece, by Adrian Goldsworthy
In the background of the photo is a bust of Thucydides.

Two new books on the art of translating literature into other languages, one focused on Shakespeare, the other on Kafka:
- If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation, by Daniel Hahn
- Kafkaesque: From Jorge Luis Borges to Primo Levi, Ten Writers Who Translated Kafka and Transformed Twentieth-Century Literature, by Maïa Hruska, translated by Sam Taylor

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through May 23rd, 2026:
- The Forgotten Midwife: A Novel, by Laura Anthony
- The Foursome: A Novel, by Christina Baker Kline
- The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos: A Novel, by Kendra Langford Shaw
- We Dance Upon Demons: A Novel, by Vaishnavi Patel

Scene from the film Fitzcarraldo, in which a ship is being transported by land over a South American mountain.

Cover of Nearshore, the forthcoming novel by Steve Hawk, coming out August 18th. You can preorder it with The Literate Lizard for 20% off.

"A churning mix of literary suspense and coastal noir—where how the sea interacts with the land reveals the darker side of Silicon Valley, and three people must reckon with all that is at stake in an age shadowed by greed, totalitarianism, and nuclear terror."

“The deadly whirlpool of wealth, amorality, and nuclear terror that animates the plot of Nearshore feels timely in a thousand uncomfortable ways, but author Steve Hawk also gives us an unlikely and unforgettable hero who rises above it all. This is a spectacular debut novel by an extraordinary talent.”
—Martin J. Smith, author of Combustion

“Pure fun from start to finish. As someone who studies nuclear proliferation for a living, I can confirm: This scenario is the real deal, and the bad-guy billionaire is entirely plausible. Terrifying and thrilling in equal measure. Read it.”
—Jeffrey Lewis, Distinguished Scholar of Global Security at Middlebury College

Cover of the new book Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter, by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. In the background, two cats gaze down from the shadows at the top of the stairs.

"Take Me to Your Leader is the culmination of a lifetime of fascination, speculation, and the amassing of scientific data about the possibility of Aliens visiting Earth. Drawing on a wealth of depictions from history, literature, pop culture, and film, Tyson applies the universal laws of physics to make the case for what Aliens might look like, act like, how they might travel through the universe to reach us, and what they might think of us upon arrival. Should such an event occur, Tyson further offers useful etiquette tips for your first close encounter."

"Close encounters of the hilarious kind…. A fun romp through the possibilities of alien lifeforms and the physics that might allow them to land in our backyards." — Kirkus Reviews

Two new books, one nonfiction, one fiction about the infamous Magdalene Laundries of 20th C. Ireland, where 'fallen' women were incarcerated for 'reform.'
- The Fallen: The Lost Girls of Ireland's Magdalene Laundries and a Legacy of Silence, by Louise Brangan.
"A haunting and brilliantly researched history which interrogates the culture of shame in Ireland, and tells the full story, for the first time, of the women confined within the walls of the Magdalene Laundries in the 20th century."

- The Forgotten Midwife: A Novel, by Laura Anthony.
"Set in the dual timelines of present-day New Jersey and 1950s Ireland, and based on real historical events, comes a powerful, poignant novel of sisterhood, family secrets, and resilience."
“Vividly captures the horrors of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries and the agonizing moral dilemma of having to choose where and when to best rebel against abusive authority…Recommended for those seeking a fast-paced, tense but ultimately inspiring read about a woman willing to risk everything to protect the powerless.” --Library Journal

The American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer overlooking Omaha Beach in Normandy, where where 9387 of the American soldiers who died in the D-Day invasion are buried.

Cover of the new joke collection Star Wars Dad Jokes Strike Back: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away. . . .
Author: Kelly Knox, illustrator: Johnny Sampson

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through May 16th, 2026:
- Now Then: A Novel, by Morgan Radford
- John of John, by Douglas Stuart
- Enormous Wings: A Novel, by Laurie Frankel
- At Sea: A Novel, by Y. M. Abdel-Magied

Cover of the new book by NPR's Scott Simon, illustrated by cartoonist Liana Finck: Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known

The partying crowd in the Churchill Downs infield.

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through May 9th, 2026:
- Certainty: A Novel, by John Twelve Hawks
- The Original: A Novel, by Priya Parmar
- Questions 27 & 28: A Novel, by Karen Tei Yamashita
- The Radiant Dark: A Novel, by Alexandra Oliva

Cover of the new memoir Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Beyond, by actress Eve Plumb, who originated the Jan Brady role in the 1960s sitcom The Brady Brunch. In the background is the Brady Bunch grid that was part of the show's opening credits.

TWO DAYS ONLY!
20% OFF SITE-WIDE SALE!
We're celebrating Indie Bookstore Day by offering 20% off most full-price books Friday April 24th through Sunday, April 26th. Textbooks and some self-published books excluded. Discount applied manually within 24 hours of placing your order.

The Literate Lizard Online Bookstore is offering a 20% off site-wide sale on Indie Bookstore Day, April 25th, 2026.

Books featured:
- This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark, by Craig Fehrman
- Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, by Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff
- Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI, by Carissa Véliz
- Body Weather: Notes on Chronic Illness in the Anthropocene, by Lorraine Boissoneault
- Beyond Inheritance: Our Ever-Mutating Cells and a New Understanding of Health, by Roxanne Khamsi
- The Book of Cannabis: The History and Future of the Plant and the Drug, by Jeremy Narby
- Champions of Innocence: Inside the Fight Against Wrongful Convictions, by Saul Kassin
- The End of Violence: Eliminating the World’s Most Dangerous Epidemic, by Dr. Gary Slutkin
- Lula!: The Man, The Myth and a Dream of Latin America, by Richard Lapper
- The Common Uncommon: A Forest Journey, by Bernd Heinrich
- The Fullness of Time: Marking the Day by Birdsong, Blooms, Shadows, and Stars, by Cathy Haynes
- The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet, by Scott Weidensaul
- Where the Earth Meets the Sky: A Story of Penguins, People, and Place in Antarctica, by Louise K. Blight
- Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller, by Miriam Horn
- Why Do We Exist?: The Nine Realms of Universe that Make You Possible, by Hakeem Oluseyi
- How It Feels to Be Alive: Encounters with Art and Our Selves, by Megan O’Grady
- Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents, by Valerie Fridland
- If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation, by Daniel Hahn
- Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King, by Caroline Bicks
- Mon Cher Amour: The Love Letters of Albert Camus and Maria Casares, 1944-1959, by Albert Camus and Maria Casares, translated by Sandra Smith and Cory Stockwell
- The Rolling Stones: The Biography, by Bob Spitz
- Interregnum: Inside the Grueling and Glamorous Battle to Become the Next King of Chess, by Jordan Himelfarb

The cover of Clawed and Dangerous, the new Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. The covers of seven other books in the series are also shown.

Our Indie Bookstore Day Sale offers a 20% discount on orders placed April 24th and 25, 2026. The discount does not apply to already-discounted books. Textbooks and certain academic and self-published books are excluded.

The discount will be applied MANUALLY when the final credit authorization is done within 24 hours. This means that at first it will appear you have paid full price, but don't worry! Your discount will show up in your actual credit card charge. We will let you know the final charge

Cover of the new book If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation, by Daniel Hahn. It is set against a background photo of the Globe Theater.

"Shakespeare may have breathed the air of sixteenth-century England, but today, all the world is his stage. Every year, millions of people, from Bogotá to Borneo, read Hamlet for the first time, thanks to the tireless work of translators. Drawing on the work of the very best of them, Hahn dives into the infinitesimally complicated ways the great playwright is reinvented and yet sounds, somehow, like himself—in Chinese, Dutch, Turkish, and more than a hundred other languages.

Traveling the world, Hahn speaks to writers and actors engaging with Shakespeare’s work, sharing stories of his own. Hahn, whose great-grandfather produced one of Brazil’s earliest Shakespeare translations, emerges as a wise and enthusiastic guide, teacher, and sleuth. If This Be Magic does not require knowledge of any other language or more than a passing acquaintance with the Bard’s canon, but it draws out fascinating insights on both. As nerdy as they come (there is a chapter on commas), supremely readable, and funny throughout, this is a book for everyone and a fitting tribute to the Globe’s Bard."

Cover of the new book The Book of Cannabis: The History and Future of the Plant and the Drug, by Jeremy Narby

This week's four new release fiction picks, discounted 20% through April 25th, 2026:
- Livonia Chow Mein: A Novel, by Abigail Savitch-Lew
- Mad Mabel: A Novel, by Sally Hepworth
- Short Circuit: A Novel, by Wolf Haas
- The Witch and the Huntress: A Novel, by Luna McNamara