Books

In Lynn Steger Strong’s taut domestic drama, Flight, Christmas is a time of tension and healing for three adult siblings in the wake of their mother’s death. Helen was a formidable figure by all accounts. Equal parts homemaker, matriarch and intellectual, she stood out in her Florida town and provided the charismatic fulcrum around which

Apple TV+ has announced that series two of Slow Horses will be available to stream from 2 December and fans of the quirky London-based espionage drama can’t wait. Based on the Slough House series of novels by British author Mick Herron, the show follows the disgraced and disgraceful Cold War spook Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldfield)

Book bans in prisons are nothing new. In fact, censorship thrives in the prison system. Whether the prison is public or private and part of a state-wide system or independent impacts the materials allowed to be sent to individuals (and the method by which they can be sent) and the materials allowed in prison libraries

Given our culture’s widespread embrace of all things nerdy and the ever-increasing popularity of romance novels, it’s no surprise that readers are flocking to stories of true love in magical realms and soulmates bantering their way through intergalactic intrigue. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Mika Moon has a large following online, dazzling her

The Louisiana-born author Robert Crais began his career working on what are now considered iconic 80s crime shows – Miami Vice, Hill Street Blues, LA Law and more. However, he’s even better known for his Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels. The series was born way back in 1987 with The Monkey’s Raincoat. Set in

Set in a close-knit Pennsylvania suburb in the grip of winter, A Quiet Life follows three people grappling with loss and finding a tender wisdom in their grief. Chuck Ayers used to look forward to nothing so much as his annual trip to Hilton Head with his wife, Cat—that yearly taste of relaxation they’d become accustomed to

BBC Maestro and Crime Fiction Lover are offering readers an inflation-beating 20% off a subscription to BBC Maestro. Until 10 November, you can subscribe to the entire online learning bundle for £88 – the normal price is £110. Click here to subscribe. This will give you access to Writing Popular Fiction, delivered by Jack Reacher

Angelina Grimke and her sister Sarah were the white daughters of South Carolina slaveholder John Faucheraud Grimke and his cruel wife, Polly. When the sisters fled the South and, as Quakers, sought redemption for their family’s racist ways, they became celebrated 19th-century abolitionists and women’s rights activists, blazing a trail through the turbulent antebellum Northeast

We know that the same books show up again and again in these bans and challenges across the U.S. Beyond the copycat effect, what’s driving this push for specific titles to be pulled are book ratings systems created by groups like Moms For Liberty, Utah Parents United, and others. These book ratings systems are homegrown

Kiwi crime novels have become a popular destination for crime fiction lovers itching to travel the world, and New Zealander Paul Cleave is an excellent author to begin with. His latest, The Pain Tourist, is our lead book this week. It tops an eclectic selection that includes a new anthology of short stories co-edited by

In the royal city of Helston, everyone has a role they’re forced to play. Girls are taught to control their natural magical abilities and restricted from using their powers for anything beyond simple domestic and decorative arts. Boys are trained in combat, expected to take up the sword against monsters and other enemies lurking on

This past weekend, Jessie Graham, a woman from Columbia, TN, passionately defended the queer community during a Maury county board of trustees meeting. The speech was in response to Zachary Fox, the Maury county’s former public library director, resigning at a previous meeting. The resignation came after months of complaints about the library’s Prime Month

The fifth entry in RG Belsky’s Clare Carlson series includes all the features his fans have come to appreciate – an interesting plot, brisk pacing and, best of all, the self-deprecating wit and chutzpah of Clare herself. In this story, Clare’s Manhattan newsroom is abuzz about the murder of Riley Hunt, a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza A cat must save the moon from being eaten by intergalactic rats in this graphic novel from author Mac Barnett and Caldecott Honor illustrator Shawn Harris. Its madcap silliness and accessible artwork will appeal to the legions of loyal fans eager for more of the laugh-out-loud humor and

We need to be reading books by Native American authors year-round. We need to be turning to books by Native American authors to support different themes, as the kickoff to many different kinds of lessons, and as bedtime stories even in the middle of July. However, November is Native American Heritage Month, and it’s also

Last year, Leonora Nattrass took the historical crime fiction world by storm with her debut novel, Black Drop, which was picked as a Times Book of the Year. As Blue Water opens, the ripples of what happened back then are still rocking Laurence Jago’s world. The gorgeous cover and title offer a huge clue as

“I wake up very early,” says the unnamed protagonist of Nora Ericson and Elly MacKay’s picture book. Too early, the child’s father repeatedly echoes as he rouses himself from bed to make the coffee, wake the dogs but not the baby, and sit outside to watch the sun rise with his little morning companion.  Ericson’s

A Federal Court has blocked Penguin Random House’s acquisition of one of its main rivals, Simon & Schuster. The ruling by judge Florence Y. Pan was announced late in the day on October 31, but the full order is temporarily sealed to protect confidential information. The case has been watched closely by the publishing industry

When John Marrs titled his new crime thriller Keep It in the Family, he meant something much darker than grandma’s chicken pot pie recipe or granddad’s precious World War II medals. When Mia and Finn buy a new fixer-upper of a house in Bedfordshire, they’re happily unaware of its grisly secrets – secrets that will

A good old-fashioned yarn that spans generations and eras, A Generous Pour: Tall Tales From the Backroom of Jimmy Kelly’s traces the remarkable origins of a beloved Nashville, Tennessee, establishment: Jimmy Kelly’s Steakhouse. Mike Kelly, the restaurant’s current owner, tells the intriguing story of how his Irish immigrant family established a thriving restaurant business after

The Shirley Jackson Awards recognize “outstanding achievement in the literature of horror, the dark fantastic, and psychological suspense.” Beginning in 2007, they award works in these genres according to format, including Novel, Novelette, Short Fiction, and Anthology. This year’s winners are all books published in 2021. Find more news and stories of interest from the

When the sun sets in the forests of Hemlock Falls, a heavy mist rises, bringing with it a host of horrifying creatures. From banshees to were-beasts, these living nightmares exist to wreak terror and destruction and must be killed or contained within the boundaries of the forest. If they were to escape, they would destroy

I love subscription boxes. I consider it a person failing of mine that I will pay mightily to have a stranger send me things they have decided I want. But it’s like presents! I love presents! And I have to say, after spending an entire year reading only books from bookish subscription boxes, many of

In 1778, when future U.S. president John Adams arrived in Paris to solicit aid for America’s revolutionary cause, most Frenchmen were disappointed that they wouldn’t be meeting with John’s older cousin Samuel, the renowned theorist and provocateur of American revolution. In spite of this past fame, the man some have called the most essential Founding

Bosch and Ballard are back to head up our round-up of new crime books this week, and we have a review on the way of Michael Connelly’s Desert Star. Perfect timing – hopefully it will tide you over if you’re waiting for the second season of Bosch: Legacy. With or without Harry Bosch, this week’s

★ Berry Song A reverent and joyful celebration of berry picking, Berry Song is the stunning authorial debut of Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade, an enrolled member of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.  As a girl and her grandmother pick berries in the Tongass National Forest, located not far from the author-illustrator’s home

By now, you are most likely aware that her highness, Taylor Alison Swift, has bestowed a new album upon the people of Earth. Midnights is her tenth full-length album since the self-titled Taylor Swift was released in 2006, and while I’ve enjoyed her work since she shifted over from the country scene, I wasn’t really

In the third book in the DI James Walker series, Alex Pine turns two festive events into something decidedly more dark and unsettling. Alex Pine is a pseudonym for a crime fiction author who has also written as JP Carter and James Raven. Thus far the Pine novels have all had a winter theme. The

When award-winning British journalist Simon Parkin (A Game of Birds and Wolves) dug through the National Archives in London looking for a story idea, he literally found one: A newspaper called The Camp was mistakenly folded between some pages. Produced by German and Austrian internees at a camp for “enemy aliens” during World War II,