Books

I had a dog when I was little. He was a black lab named Barney, and he was extremely protective of me and my family. Since then, though, I’ve never had another dog nor really had a desire for one. I’ve stuck to cats, rabbits, and fish. I volunteer with a shelter where I get

If you’ve been following book banning news, you recognize the name Llano County, Texas. They come up frequently in our Censorship News Roundup, including for banning In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak, barring community members from observing what should be public library board meetings, firing the library director, and more. Llano County library users also

Indigenous history is sorely lacking from school curriculums in the U.S. and Canada, and even from many mainstream history books. This lack is inexcusable, and it only contributes to the harmful myths about North American history that are still far too prevalent. I highly recommend picking up some Indigenous-authored history (The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee

On April 4, the international book community went in mourning when Book Depository announced that it was closing at the end of the month. Readers have until midday, April 26, 2023 to buy any books from them before it shuts down. For international readers, this news is far from welcome: for over 20 years, a

Are you ready to add a whole lot of excellent nonfiction to your spring TBR? I hope so, because there is so much of it coming out in the next few weeks. There was a time, years ago, when I didn’t read nonfiction, and while I am grateful every day that this is no longer

We need better ways to describe romance novels — particularly in terms of sexual content. In terms of genres, sub-genres, and tropes, I think we’re set. Of course, there is sometimes some overlap or cross-genre mingling. But in general, if I pick up an enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance or a marriage of convenience historical romance, I

If you’ve been on the bookish side of the internet for long enough, you’ve most likely come across the sub-genre Dark Academia. Popular as both a literary sub-genre and fashion aesthetic, Dark Academia has inspired other “academias” including the seasonally appropriate Light Academia. As a newly emerging sub-genre, Light Academia is finding its style. Let’s breakdown what we do

If you spend a good amount of time in manga circles, you may have heard the term dōjinshi before. And you may have certain assumptions about what it is, which I fear is quite common, particularly for those in the west. But for those who’ve ever been curious about dōjinshi and want to learn more

Analog horror books are a riff off of the ever-popular found footage sub-genre of horror that came to popularity in the late 2000s notably on YouTube. The sub-genre is often full of grainy, “dated” looking footage, mysterious circumstances, and in the style of analog electronics like television, VHS tapes, FM radio, etc. Viewers are presented

When book banning started to heat up two years ago, many wondered how long until a library worker would be seriously hurt over defending the right to read. Now, we know it’s not going to be long at all. Over the last month, several libraries have faced bomb and shooting threats as a direct result

What states invest the most money per capita into their public libraries and how is that reflected in the number of visits per person at those libraries? Thanks to a new report pulled together by Scholaroo, a team who helps students find and acquire scholarships, we can get a sense of where and how people

The 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award winner has been announced. Out of 512 American novels and short story collections published in the U.S. in 2022, Yiyun Li’s book, The Book of Goose, was named the best novel by Tiphanie Yanique, R.O. Kwon, and Christopher Bollen, the writers who served as judges this year. The Book of Goose

I love a good YA paperback, so I’m really excited to see such a wonderful assortment of 2023 spring YA paperbacks. What I don’t love about paperbacks, though, is their rising costs; it’s becoming too clear that even the “cheaper” option for buying books is becoming untenable for so many, especially teenagers (and if your

The National Book Foundation has announced the honorees for its 5 Under 35 list, which names “five fiction writers under the age of 35 whose debut work promises to leave a lasting impression on the literary landscape.” Honorees must have published their first and only book of fiction within the last five years. The writers

STARS AND SMOKE by Marie Lu Winter Young is an international pop sensation whose star power has smashed records. Sydney Cossette is the youngest and most ambitious spy in her covert ops group. When a major crime boss invites Winter to perform a private concert for his daughter’s birthday, Sydney and Winter’s lives suddenly collide.

Book Depository is an online book retailer based in the UK that started in 2004. In 2011, it was bought out by Amazon, and by the end of April 2023, it will be shutting down for good. The online retailer was known for offering free shipping to 160 countries, and it was a useful option

One of the best experiences for any reader is the chance to corner someone and passionately recommend our recent favorite read. In order to spare our friends and family from having to endure this for the hundredth time, we do quarterly Comics Riot Roundups, where we can recommend our favorite comics and graphic novels that

Do you want to update your wardrobe for the changing seasons? If you’re the bookish type, chances are you have one — or manyyyyy — reader-themed tees you wear out and about or as loungewear in your home. As we shift into warmer days in the northern hemisphere, it makes sense that a closet update

Let’s hear it for the romances that celebrate the diversity of bisexual romantic experiences. While searching my shelves, real and digital, for the best bisexual romance books, I enjoyed finding books across the YA and adult romance spectrum that just get it. There can be a tendency for outsiders to collapse a person’s sexuality to

I absolutely love reading strange or surreal books that leave me unsettled and with that “what the heck did I just read?” feeling. More often than not, those are the books that stay with me for a long while. Especially because of how genuinely bizarre they can be. So if you’re like me, you’re in