Books

It’s officially spring! We made it! I’ve been really enjoying the return of some sunny days, and I even was able to read on the back porch for a little bit this week. But the weather change is a much bigger deal to my pitbull, Scrappy, because everyone knows pitbulls are solar-powered. He’s been soaking

This originally appeared in our Today in Books daily newsletter, where each day we round up the most interesting stories, news, essays, and other goings on in the world of books and reading. Sign up here if you want to get it. _____________________________________________________ Imagine Getting a Rejection Letter from Toni Morrison What strikes me in

In his haunting debut, Death Row Welcomes You: Visiting Hours in the Shadow of the Execution Chamber, Tennessee journalist Steven Hale sheds light on a rarely seen part of American society: the places where more than 2,700 people await execution by the state. Hale’s reporting began when, after a decade-long lull, Tennessee began executing the

Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside

MacArthur fellow and National Book Award finalist Hanif Abdurraqib is a prolific poet and author, writing across genres of poetry, essay and cultural criticism to great acclaim. Abdurraqib turns his sensitive lens towards basketball in his newest work, There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension. With carefully constructed and imaginative prose, he immerses us

Welcome to Today in Books, where we report on literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Carrie Turns 50 In case you’ve maybe gotten a little complacent about exactly how good Stephen King is at his job, try this on for size: Carrie, which turns 50 next month, was his debut novel. Here’s Margaret

Early in the shattering true crime memoir Rabbit Heart: A Mother’s Murder, A Daughter’s Story, Kristine S. Ervin pauses mid-sentence to tackle a question of grammar. Which tense does one use when discussing a relationship in which one person has died? It is a question that seems to form the crux of this stunning debut:

Jimmy Fallon announced yesterday the return of his book club, the Fallon Book Club. Previously, the book club would announce a short list of options to choose from. This time, though, there are 16 books facing off in a March Madness-style bracket to select the spring read. [embedded content][embedded content] The books range across genres,

Jennifer Thorne’s Diavola is an exercise in delicious twists and masterful suspense, told in the smart, snarky voice of Anna Pace, a jaded Manhattanite on a vacation quite literally from hell. Anna’s swanky upcoming family trip certainly doesn’t seem monstrous on the outside. A marketing artist by trade and a painter by passion, she’s thrilled

At first glance, task #7 of the 2024 Read Harder Challenge might sound a little intimidating, especially if you’re not a poetry reader: Read an indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author. Here’s the good news, though: if you go out looking for queer and BIPOC poetry, you’ll find that most

Welcome to Today in Books, where we report on literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Staying Grounded After Heaven & Earth Success After years (decades, really) of being criminally under-celebrated, James McBride is finally getting the recognition he deserves. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, the rare book that wins the double brass

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

Courtney has been reading and collecting books almost as long as she’s been alive. She holds a B.A. in Theatre and Creative Writing. Courtney has been writing with Book Riot since 2019, and is a Bibliologist with TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations. She’s currently brainstorming for her next creative project. You can follow her on Instagram.

Eileen’s primary literary love is comic books, but she’s always on the lookout for her next literary adventure no matter what form it takes. She has a Bachelor’s in media studies, a Master’s in digital communication, a smattering of published short stories, and a seriously cute dog. Follow her on Bluesky. View All posts by

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

The National Book Critics Circle honors excellence in literature and focuses its work on elevating the conversation about books, reading, and criticism nationwide. The group formed in 1974 at New York’s legendary Algonquin Hotel. There are currently 600 members who are editors or literary critics. Every year, the group honors the best of the prior

Welcome to Today in Books, where we report on literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. It’s Friday. The sun is out. Baseball is back. March Madness has begun. And I’ve got a case of the wiggles. Let’s keep it lighter today. Worth a Thousand Words T, the New York Times’s style

You may have thought that libraries got some kind of discount when it comes to materials, but it’s actually the opposite. And, it’s a problem. This month, The Associated Press reported on how not only are libraries not afforded discounts when it comes to digital materials like ebooks, they also pay more than individual consumers

What happens in Vegas . . . never stays in Vegas. It’s no secret that the bright lights of Sin City just barely disguise a dark legacy of bad deals, gangsters and buried bodies. What happens when post-COVID craziness and cryptocurrency fads come on the scene, fatalities pile up and two estranged sisters are caught

Sleep is one of those things you don’t think about at all until you think about it all the time. And if you’re in a thinking-about-it-all-the-time phase, it’s not because things are going great. Here’s a variety pack of books to help you figure out where sleep and rest are going wrong for you and