Books

This deceptively simple picture book explores the emotions we feel when friendships end. Deborah Underwood’s story focuses on Walter, a rodent-ish fellow with white fur, round ears and a long pink tail. Walter’s best friend is Xavier, a yellow duck-like creature whose feet and flat beak are green. The two friends do everything together. They

What is gothic lit exactly? People are sometimes torn — but there are certain commonalities. The main character is usually isolated, either in a mansion or cottage or boarding school, or in a world of characters who have knowledge they can’t access, or both. There are secrets. There’s a creeping, a suspense. The big twists

Little Echo lives her life hidden away in the shadows of a cave. The bright yellow creature longs to join the cave’s other inhabitants as they frolic and play, but her terrible timidity keeps her silent and watchful. When someone loud, bold and adventurous stumbles into her cave on a quest for treasure, Little Echo

Marlene dreads Sundays, when she and her mom, Paola, spend most of the day at the salon undergoing the excruciating (and excruciatingly boring) ritual of getting their hair straightened. Marlene, who is Dominican American, has an imagination as vivid and untameable as her naturally curly hair, so she survives each week’s torture session by imagining

Superheroes have been around a long time, and most of the characters and genre conventions are pretty well established. But did every character always look and act the way we expect them to today? In this series, I’ll be looking at the first appearances of iconic superheroes to see what’s familiar, what’s fallen by the

No Plan B is a great title for a Jack Reacher book because, as crime fiction lovers know, Lee Child’s awe-inspiring rogue crime buster knows only one way forward. He doesn’t need a backup plan… or does he? Either way, this force of nature is back in the third collaboration between Lee Child and his

Author Elaine Castillo proposes an open-minded and inclusive approach to literature and film in her radical, refreshing book on critical thinking, How to Read Now (9 hours). Castillo urges writers and readers to understand that nonwhite characters don’t exist for the sole purpose of teaching empathy to white people, and that the excuse “it was

If “book sanctuary” is a new phrase to you, it’s likely because it is a new phrase more broadly. Book sanctuaries are institutions committed to upholding the First Amendment Rights of all citizens, wherein book bans and challenges must follow through a specific procedure to be considered. They are places where books and the right

Narrated by Clare Corbett and Cristin Atherton — This new crime thriller by KL Slater makes sly metafiction use of the audio medium as its two narrators read the story of Philippa Roberts. Roberts in turn is the best-selling author of nine novels about police detective Jane Tower and audiobook narrator Eve Hewitt. In an

Actor Paul Newman was known for many things: acting, car racing, philanthropy through his Newman’s Own food business and, of course, his rugged good looks and piercing blue eyes. He was a beloved Hollywood icon, but he didn’t think of himself that way. In fact, he wrestled with internal demons throughout his life. Newman’s memoir,

Bad Sisters on Apple TV+ is an absolute joy of a show. Did I just call a show about a group of sisters trying to kill their brother-in-law a joy? Yes, yes I did. It’s a high stakes feeling show without actually being high stakes, so it’s perfect during our very stressful current times. What

So, you made your way through not only “Bridgerton” but every other historical miniseries you could get your hands on, and now you’re faced with the daunting task of picking out a Regency romance novel from approximately one million titles. Don’t worry—we’re here to help. There are tons of terrific books out there, and because

From Wednesday, October 12th to Tuesday, October 18th, Book Riot will be matching donations to Taller Sallud for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, up to $2,500 USD. Read on to see why why we’ve chosen to support this organization and for instructions on how to donate. On September 18th, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins and The Cold Millions comes a stunning collection about those moments when everything changes—for the better, for the worse, for the outrageous—as a diverse cast of characters bounces from Italy to Idaho, questioning their roles in life and finding inspiration in the unlikeliest places. We all live like we’re famous

Every November, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) asks competitors to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Rise to the occasion, and you can consider yourself a NaNoWriMo winner. Don’t be fooled by this competition’s deceptive simplicity, though. This challenge can be brutal, and for every NaNoWriMo winner, there are many, many more who have lost.

Translated by Robert Bononno — With 12 million books sold worldwide, Swiss author Joël Dicker is a global success and one of the most popular authors in the French-speaking world. His road to fame began in 2010 when he was awarded the Geneva Writers’ Prize for unpublished manuscripts, and Parisian editor Bernard de Fallois purchased

Once upon a time, in a galaxy not so far away, the hallowed institution of nerdom became mainstream. No longer are the niche predilections of geeks sequestered to the outskirts of pop culture; these die-hard fans have cultivated a recognized movement that can shift the cultural discourse. But for fans like New York Times critic-at-large

For as long as I can remember, I have been a sucker for a good love story. Romance has always been a favorite genre of mine. When I’m not reading romance, I’m scouting out the romantic subplots lurking within the other genres I read. For reference, I’m the kind of person who made my brothers

Hold, the new medical thriller by Amy S Peele is a crime novel that takes place in the interesting and high-stakes world of transplant medicine, which in real-life often involves harrowing drama. The one-word titles of the two previous books in the series, Cut and Match, clearly relate to organ transplantation, but the significance of

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — spooky season! I’m not usually one for seasonal decorating, but Halloween is the special holiday that gets me excited to pull out my skeletons and witch hats to spread the spine-chilling cheer. If you love books and the haunting magic of October 31, then these bookish

Swedish crime writer Anders Roslund returns with Detective Ewert Grens for the 10th instalment of his gritty crime series set in Stockholm. Grens, now 65, is as depressed and gloomy as ever, and the psychological scars of years of police work are beginning to show. When he inadvertently stumbles across a child pornography ring, he

★ All the Living and the Dead We are not born with the innate knowledge that we, and all those around us, will die. At some point, someone has to tell us. A beloved pet or grandparent might pass into the great beyond, prompting a bedside conversation with a parent about the finitude of life. Alternatively,

They’re back! One year ago, we launched the first ever Crime Fiction Lover Awards and not only were they popular and successful, everyone had fun participating. Even authors and publishers who didn’t win have told us they enjoyed taking part, and the response we had from readers was out of this world. Our awards are

What does it mean to write a novel in a world defined by the violence of colonization and white supremacy—a world that can’t be saved with mere words? What does it mean to want to write a novel at all, especially as you doubt yourself and recognize the contradictions in your desires and intentions? And

So why do book banners insist that they don’t ban books? Because the level of doubling down as book banning increases is, on one hand, impressive and on the other hand, is concerning about several key components of literacy. [embedded content][embedded content] During Banned Books Week, Tiffany Justice — one of the founders of Moms

From the hallowed pubs and courthouses of Edinburgh, to the old age homes of Australia, below galleon decks, in attics and live (or dead) on stage at the Theatre Royale – crime lurks EVERYWHERE! What a fascinating lineup of new crime novels we have for you this week, as John Rebus returns, Leonora Nattrass brings

The season is upon us: Wrap a scarf around your neck—tightly—and crack open a book of undead intrigue. A Dowry of Blood A queer, feminist reimagining of Dracula, S.T. Gibson’s A Dowry of Blood starts with its narrator, Constanta, reclaiming a small bit of power. She refuses to grant her abuser a name, instead referring

The Swedish Academy has awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature to French writer Annie Ernaux for “the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements, and collective restraints of personal memory.” Ernaux is the author of over thirty works of fiction and memoir and is considered by many to be France’s

We still don’t see much authentic African crime fiction in Britain or America, less still from Kenya, so this promising debut is to be welcomed for helping to pave the way. Truth is a Flightless Bird is an intriguing mystery about the drugs trade and the people caught up in it. It’s a fascinating insight

Throughout history, female healers have been cast out, feared and labeled as witches, even though their work in herbalism and midwifery helped shape medicine as we know it today. In fiction, the witch—that wise, rebellious female character—can be even more disruptive, her healing gifts even more supernaturally powerful. T. Kingfisher’s dark (but still extremely funny)