Books

Ezri Maxwell and their sisters fled the house they grew up in—a malevolent McMansion in a gated community where the Maxwells were the only Black residents—as soon as they were old enough. Their parents stayed, and now they’re dead, seemingly in a murder-suicide. To finally face the traumas of the past, Ezri and their sisters

Welcome to The Best of Book Riot, our daily round-up of what’s on offer across our site, newsletters, podcasts, and social channels. Not everything is for everyone, but there is something for everyone. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Louise Erdrich have books coming out that are sure to be bestsellers, while Lauren Ling Brown’s debut Society of Lies feels

My first novel, When Angels Left the Old Country, takes a historical story that’s familiar to many Americans—immigration through Ellis Island around the turn of the 20th century—and casts it as a fairy tale inspired by Jewish folklore. I knew I couldn’t repeat the same setting for my next work. A second book is always

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Meryl Streep to Star in Series Adaptation of ‘The Corrections’ From Jonathan Franzen, CBS Studios I had to check the calendar when I saw this news over the weekend. And no it was not April

Hello Readers, Exciting changes are coming to Book Riot and your inbox! Starting this week, we’ll be bringing the diverse perspectives and thoughtful stories found at bookriot.com to our host of newsletters. You’ll find pieces written not only by the writers who have become your trusted advisors on what’s new and interesting in your favorite

Margaret Kingsbury grew up in a house so crammed with books she couldn’t open a closet door without a book stack tumbling, and she’s brought that same decorative energy to her adult life. Margaret has an MA in English with a concentration in writing and has worked as a bookseller and adjunct English professor. She’s

Every week, I put together The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists. I scour the biggest bestseller lists and tally up the titles that appear the most frequently. Unsurprisingly, that list is anything but diverse, especially because I focus on the books in the top ten. For this list, I’ve looked

Welcome to The Best of Book Riot. These are the most popular pieces from our newsletters, website, and podcasts this week. In science fiction, the array of possible worlds is as numerous as the stars. You see the whole spectrum. There are utopias, dystopias, galaxy-wide federations, empires, independent worlds of autonomy and choice — you name

After a failed HBO pilot in 2012, Jonathan Franzen’s acclaimed novel The Corrections (2001) will get another crack at TV adaptation. CBS Studios is in the early phases of development for a series. Meryl Streep has signed on to star. The Corrections follows a midwestern family through a particularly challenging stretch of life. In the

Dame Maggie Smith has been a mainstay of the screen and stage for decades, winning multiple Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Tony Awards. Her fame had only grown over the years, with her role on Downton Abbey making her more recognizable than ever. In an announcement issued by her publicist, her

Netflix has announced its plans for a seven-episode series based on the 1952 classic East of Eden. An earlier adaptation of the book came out in 1955 and starred James Dean. The mythic novel follows the Trasks and the Hamiltons, two families in California whose life stories mirror that of Adam and Eve and Cain

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

I know a lot of people that like to read. Some of them might call themselves book nerds. This list of books is not necessarily for them, though, because while they definitely read a bunch, do they really like to read about books? This is second-order book nerddom. Let me show you around. I keep

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

In the woods of Nova Scotia, Drew is building a cabin. Save for the company of their dog, Pony, Drew is alone—a fact that everyone seems to have an opinion or an assumption about, much to Drew’s exasperation. But Drew is determined to live their dream life in their cabin, so they go to work,

I’m rooting for Payal and her revenge plot. Preeti Chhibber (Spider-Man’s Bad Connection and former Rioter!) brings us a romp of a YA rom-com featuring a Brown girl I, for one, can relate to with Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot. Read on for an excerpt following our girl as she embarks on what’s sure to

After reluctantly turning the final page of the beautifully illustrated Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains, readers will want to run outside and start hiking, pausing only to spread the word about the impressive woman at the heart of Anita Yasuda’s inspiring and poetic biography for young readers. As a

Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until

In his beguiling debut novel, What I Know About You, Éric Chacour delicately explores the complicated circumstances that create distance between people, and the limits of what anyone can know about those they love. In 1980s Cairo, Tarek, a doctor from a Levantine Christian family, begins a relationship with a young man. Up until this

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Governments are Banning Books at Higher Rates In perhaps unsurprising news to those who have been following book banning coverage, two advocacy groups released data showing that the rate of book banning by state and