Books

Kendra Winchester is a Contributing Editor for Book Riot where she writes about audiobooks and disability literature. She is also the Founder of Read Appalachia, which celebrates Appalachian literature and writing. Previously, Kendra co-founded and served as Executive Director for Reading Women, a podcast that gained an international following over its six-season run. In her

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. The Life-Changing Celebrity Book Club On the cusp of Oprah selecting her 111th book club pick, The Cut has a piece out that essentially ranks the effectiveness of a few (of the seemingly endless) celebrity

Alex Luppens-Dale won the “Enthusiastic Reader Award” all four years of high school. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. Her favorite genres are memoir, witches, and anything with cults. She lives in New Jersey. You can keep up with Alex’s latest work

The finalists for the 45th Los Angeles Times Book Prize were just announced Wednesday. The list is 61 nominees long and includes all manner of screenwriters, award-winning authors, and, yes, actors. The Audiobook Production category was just introduced to the awards last year, and this year, its inclusion means a whole slew of actors have

Anne Mai Yee Jansen is a literature and ethnic studies professor and a lifelong story lover. She exists on a steady diet of books, hot chocolate, and dragon boating. After spending over a decade in the Midwest and the Appalachians, she returned to the sun and sandstone of California’s central coast where she currently resides

Kell Woods’ second historical fantasy, Upon a Starlit Tide, is clearly inspired by classic stories such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Cinderella” and “Bluebeard”—but similar tropes is where the resemblance ends, as Woods has molded these elements into an original fairy tale all her own. Lucinde Léon, one of three daughters of famed and revered Breton

The editors over at Goodreads have looked at this year’s cozy mysteries and compiled a list they think their 150+ million members would like. They mention how, as we’ve explored before, the escapism and softness of cozy reads has become more sought after these days. Though this particular list focuses on cozy mysteries, the cozy

What inspired the desert setting of Oasis?The desert represents vastness, harshness and emptiness. It also symbolizes the destruction of old ideas, ways of living and civilizations. The story follows two children who show strength as they struggle to survive in a lifeless desert and create their own natural oasis. This extreme desert setting becomes the

Grace Lapointe’s fiction has been published in Kaleidoscope, Deaf Poets Society, Mobius: The Journal of Social Change, and is forthcoming in Corporeal Lit Mag. Her essays and poetry have been published in Wordgathering. Her stories and essays—including ones that she wrote as a college student—have been taught in college courses and cited in books and

After wildlife biologist Dory is abducted by aliens, she finds herself on a mysterious planet populated by prehistoric creatures—and two very hot aliens named Lok and Sol. We talked to Lemming about surprising inspirations (Furbies!) and what she’d want to make sure she had on an alien planet. I’m calling it now: 2025 is the

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She’s the editor/author of (DON’T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen. View

Dusty, sepia-toned darkness blankets the pages of Oasis, a  poignant and cinematic graphic novel by Guojing, whose prior acclaimed works include The Only Child and The Flamingo. Previously a concept artist for animated TV shows and games, Guojing has a knack for atmospheric lighting and a strong grasp of the power of scale, which is

Katie’s parents never told her “no” when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has an MLIS from the University of Illinois and works full time as a Circulation & Reference Manager in Illinois. She has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying and

“Far out in the ocean the water is as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower, and as clear as the purest glass.”  So begins Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale, “The Little Mermaid.” Published in 1837, the original story is far darker and sadder than later, popular versions such as Disney’s 1989 animated

Christopher Nolan is adapting Homer’s The Odyssey to the big screen, and it promises a star-studded cast. Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, and Elliot Page are all attached, and we’ve just gotten our first look at Matt Damon as Odysseus. The IMDB description of Nolan’s The Odyssey is that it “Follows

Los Angeles-based company Flamingo Estate is known for the home goods it sells, but it’s also an actual estate—a midcentury mansion that has been painstakingly, lovingly transformed into a modern-day oasis and pleasure garden. Flamingo Estate: The Guide to Becoming Alive is a perfect encapsulation of Flamingo Estate itself, which is to say that it’s

Elisa Shoenberger has been building a library since she was 13. She loves writing about all aspects of books from author interviews, antiquarian books, archives, and everything in between. She also writes regularly for Murder & Mayhem and Library Journal. She’s also written articles for Huffington Post, Boston Globe, WIRED, Slate, and many other publications.

Headshot, Rita Bullwinkel’s powerful debut, focuses on eight teenage boxers—all women—who are contending for a title at Bob’s Boxing Palace in Reno, Nevada. Bullwinkel skillfully shifts points of view throughout this dramatic, often funny novel, developing a unique identity and personal history for each fighter, as she recounts their boxing bouts in wonderful detail. Against

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She’s the editor/author of (DON’T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen. View