Having written this column since mid-2021, I sometimes forget what I’ve covered. In some ways, I haven’t written anythingnewin the world of book censorship because the tactics, goals, and outcomes have not changed much at all over the course of this significant era of censorship, even if the trends in how those means are achieved
Books
At the midpoint of the year, we here at Book Riot like to review the many (many, many) great new titles we’ve read so far and determine which ones are the absolute best. It’s not easy narrowing that list down to a few choice representatives, but as you’ll see below, we’ve managed to select five


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 <li><a href=”/category/audiobooks”>Audiobooks</a></li><li><a href=”/category/childrens”>Children’s</a></li><li><a href=”/category/comics-graphic-novels”>Comics</a></li><li><a href=”/category/horror”>Horror</a></li><li><a href=”/category/mystery-thriller”>Mystery/Thriller</a></li><li><a href=”/category/nonfiction”>Nonfiction</a></li><li><a href=”/category/romance”>Romance</a></li><li><a href=”/category/science-fiction-fantasy”>Sci-Fi/Fantasy</a></li><li><a href=”/category/young-adult-literature”>Young Adult</a></li> <li><a href=”/category/read-harder”>Read Harder</a></li>
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As we look back at 2026 so far, a lot of the year has been incredibly scary. And when the real world becomes a scary place, a lot of us turn to horror. It might seem weird to those who don’t get it, but how else can you explain what a great year 2026 has


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Yesterday we unveiled our picks for the best books of 2026 so far, a list of 45 of our favorite reads published between January 1 and June 30th of this year. Putting these “best of” lists is always a lot of fun and a wee bit stressful; we start with a much larger list and
We’re halfway through 2026, and the world of romance has seen some exciting releases, from standalones to series entries from debut authors and authors we know and love. Contemporary romance and romantasy remain dominant, with sports romance books increasing in popularity following the success of the Game Changers series and Heated Rivalry TV show. Don’t
We’re halfway through the year, and it’s already been a brilliant one for middle-grade books. With dozens of great new stories out every month, it’s hard to narrow it down to the best of the year so far—but there are some really standout stories that readers of all ages shouldn’t miss out on. Some stories
Today in Books readers, I have an important update: this is the last week of this newsletter. Luckily, you can still follow all the book news by signing up for the Book Riot Newsletter, which goes out on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It’s the same book news curation, covered by the same Book Riot writers,


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My Heartstopper hyperfixation continues—which is not a surprise, because the final book and movie come out in a couple of weeks. To be honest, my reading has been mostly in the fanfiction arena lately, but my obsession did lead me to pick up a few books in June. First up was I Was Born for
It’s been a minute since the last roundup of YA book news, and a lot has happened in the young adult literary world so far this season. Whether you’re looking to catch up on the latest in adaptation news, discover new and beloved titles honored by literary awards, or want to read interesting essays from
Hello, my little time capsules! In today’s round-up of recent sci-fi and fantasy links, I have updates to share about the adaptation of Alix E. Harrow’s The Everlasting, the new novel from Paul Tremblay, and the first trailer for the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun. My SFF reads for this week are
For those of us who love Halloween, the fact that it only happens once a year is thoroughly lamentable. Luckily, there’s a solution for that, and it’s called Summerween. What, you may ask, is Summerween? The term “originated from an episode of Disney Channel’sGravity Fallswhere residents of a mysterious town prefer to celebrate Halloween twice
Ever since my niece, Grace, was born, I’ve dreamed of sharing books with her, and now that she’s three, she’s discovering a whole new world of picture books with big ideas. In our family, Grace is surrounded by people with different disabilities. The people she loves think differently, move differently, and learn differently. To her,
When I think about stories I’d recommend for perverts, I think that they can, at their core, be about anything. That is, they don’t have to be sexual or transgressive, although they often are. To me, they have to be audacious and fearless; they have to be self-assured and big-hearted. They are unconcerned with what
Mac Crane is the author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself and A Sharp Endless Need. Their newest book is Perverts: Stories, out July 7th from The Dial Press. Below, they recommend short stories for perverts. When I think about stories I’d recommend for perverts, I think that they can, at their core, be
Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street, is back with The Shampoo Effect, out today from Pamela Dorman/Viking Books. Below, she discusses how John Updike’s Couples inspired her new novel. I grew up in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a seaside town north of Boston famous for three things: beer, clams, and John Updike. The celebrated author wrote his
It’s the shortest text we’ve covered so far, and the oldest of its kind in the world. Referred to as a trauma-informed document by one constitutional scholar (there’s your clue), it was born of a major screw-up in the aftermath of the American Revolution that left laws unenforceable and foreign policy a hot, hot mess.
July is Disability Pride Month, so today, I’m highlighting seven new books out in 2026 that are about queer disabled people. We’ve got poetry, romance, fantasy, memoir, and essays to choose from. This isn’t a complete list, but it’s a place to start. This is an aspect of queer book publishing that still has a
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