Books

Why do I pay attention to AAPI Heritage Month? As a school librarian, I spend a lot of time thinking about the diversity of my collection. I’m a white woman working in a school where white kids are a slight minority. I know that my ingrained racism keeps me from selecting books that are appropriate

A couple of weeks back, I shared a roundup of pending legislation across several states and at the national level which would ensure the right to read. There is another bill worth highlighting during this legislative session that is making positive progress in Connecticut. Senate Bill 2, called the Act Concerning the Mental, Physical, and

The only recipe I’ve ever known by heart is my mother’s recipe for breaded chicken cutlets with special sauce. This is how it goes: I crack an egg into a small bowl, pour in a splash of milk, and tap in salt and pepper. The milk spirals out in trumpet-like hibiscus blooms before I beat

Many years ago as a teen, I heard a quote that really resonated with me: “The reason grandparents and grandchildren get along so well is that they have a common enemy.” Sam Levenson, an American humorist, said it, and I instantly understood it. My grandmother was so fun, but my mom was a drag. But

Celtic mythology has been a source of inspiration for writers, artists, and historians for centuries. The tales of King Arthur and his knights are perhaps the most famous from the broad collection of stories that fall under the ‘Celtic mythology’ umbrella, but there are many other tales and characters that are just as fascinating, including

Superheroes have been around a long time, and most of the characters and genre conventions are pretty well established. But did every character always look and act the way we expect them to today? In this series, I’ll be looking at the first appearances of iconic superheroes to see what’s familiar, what’s fallen by the

If “book sanctuary” is a new phrase to you, it’s likely because it is a new phrase more broadly. Book sanctuaries are institutions committed to upholding the First Amendment Rights of all citizens, wherein book bans and challenges must follow through a specific procedure to be considered. They are places where books and the right

Dame Angela Lansbury died on October 10 at age 96, and I am in mourning. One of the ways that I cope with losing an icon like this is by looking back at their life — and with a 75-year career, Lansbury left us a lot to revisit. Born October 16, 1925, in London, England,

Barnes & Noble is currently holding a huge Buy One, Get One 50% Off sale applied to hundreds of titles, both in store and online. It includes classics like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, bestsellers of the past few years like Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and new releases like The Sacrifice by Rin

From Wednesday, October 12th to Tuesday, October 18th, Book Riot will be matching donations to Taller Sallud for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, up to $2,500 USD. Read on to see why why we’ve chosen to support this organization and for instructions on how to donate. On September 18th, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto

The winners of the 2022 Harvey Awards were announced during New York Comic Con on October 8. The Harvey Awards, which began in 1988, are one of comics’ oldest running and most prestigious awards. They were named after Harvey Kurtzman, an American comics pioneer who is best known for creating MAD magazine in 1952. Outstanding

October 11 and 12th are Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale days, offering exclusive sales to Prime members (existing or new) before the holidays. Here are some of the sales readers should know about. Beats Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones are 59% off: usually $350, it’s on sale for $142. Now no one can interrupt your

Angela Lansbury played the mystery author and sleuth Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote for 12 years, along with countless other iconic roles in her life. She passed away in her sleep October 11, 2022, days before her 97th birthday. She was still acting into her 90s, including many bookish roles. She appeared in Disney’s

Barnes & Noble has announced their Best Books of 2022 today. The list, comprised of 10 books that were hand-selected by Barnes & Noble booksellers, include books by Pulitzer Prize winners as well as debut authors. The genres and subject matter included in the list range from dark academia to memoir to middle grade fantasy.

New legislation has been introduced that would expand access to school libraries and codify student First Amendment Rights. The Right to Read Act (S. 5064 and H.R. 9056), introduced by Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed and Arizona Representative Raúl Grijalva, would put a certified school librarian in every public school library across the country. Among the

Carmen Maria Machado’s book, In The Dream House opens with the following quote:  I never read prologues. I find them tedious. If what the author has to say is so important, why relegate it to the paratext? What are they trying to hide? Reading this quote, I immediately warmed up to Machado: I, too, skip

We’ve made it to the home stretch of 2022, and while there’s still a ton of 2022 year fun to be had (hello, spooky season and the holidays!), we are winding down to the end of big release season with a lighter slate of offerings in our new YA comics and graphic novels releases. But

The Library of Congress has named 23 U.S. Poet Laureates since the position was renamed in 1985, and they have named their 24th: Ada Limón, author of six poetry collections, five of which have either won or been nominated for a multitude of awards. Limón is only one of eight female poets laureate, and the

Creepy season is in full swing, and it’s time to get those horror novel TBR piles ready. Of course, there are plenty of kinds of horror novels you could pick up to celebrate the best time of the year. You could go for vampires, zombies, monsters… but you know what kind of horror stories really

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — spooky season! I’m not usually one for seasonal decorating, but Halloween is the special holiday that gets me excited to pull out my skeletons and witch hats to spread the spine-chilling cheer. If you love books and the haunting magic of October 31, then these bookish

So why do book banners insist that they don’t ban books? Because the level of doubling down as book banning increases is, on one hand, impressive and on the other hand, is concerning about several key components of literacy. [embedded content][embedded content] During Banned Books Week, Tiffany Justice — one of the founders of Moms

The Swedish Academy has awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature to French writer Annie Ernaux for “the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements, and collective restraints of personal memory.” Ernaux is the author of over thirty works of fiction and memoir and is considered by many to be France’s

USDish is offering a fan of fantasy the opportunity to win $2,000 plus a swag box worth $350. To win the prizes, first a fan must apply and be selected by USDish. They will then be expected to watch 40 hours of the following fantasy TV series over the course of 30 days: Game of

It’s early September as I write this — the school year has just begun and it’s still warm enough for butterfly rompers and flip-flops — and already it’s happening. Bags of Halloween candy are sectioned off at the supermarket. Baking influencers in my Instagram feed are frosting ghost-shaped cookies and monster cake pops. Folks are

October may be primarily known as spooky season. But to me, it’s also “curl up in a cozy spot and stay indoors with the thickest book you can find” season. As it gets colder outside, I feel like the weather gives me a chance to take things slow and really enjoy the books I read.

The 2022 National Book Awards finalists were announced on October 4. The nominees were picked from the 50 longlists revealed in September for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. There are five authors and one translator among the five categories who have previously received National Book Awards recognition: Gayl Jones, selected as

The Downers Grove Public Library in Illinois had planned to hold a Drag Queen Bingo event October 11th, to recognize National Coming Out Day. It has since been cancelled after the library received threats. The library was mailed a letter from “Your Friends at Maga” with a confederate flag, a note that says “[F-slur] Lover