“A black tide of perversity, violence, and lush writing. I loved it.” —Joe Hill. Debut author Jennifer Giesbrecht paints a darkly compelling revenge tale in The Monster of Elendhaven, a gothic fantasy about murder, a monster, and a magician who loves both. The city of Elendhaven sulks at the edge of the ocean. Wracked by plague, abandoned, stripped of industry and left to die. But some things don’t die easily....
The main concerns listed by employees in favor of unionizing were low wages, no opportunities for growth, unsafe working environments, among other things. Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
I wouldn’t call myself a book purist. I buy most of my books used, and I don’t make any special effor to protect covers or inside pages. I read while I eat lunch, frequently dripping salad dressing or soup on the pages. I don’t collect first editions, and I don’t treat signed books more carefully than ancient paperbacks. I treat my books gently, but not reverently. The boyfriend, on the other hand, makes absolutely no effort to take care of his books....
Located about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne, Indiana, the 4,400 square foot former Kendallville Public Library is on the market for $250,000. The facility is one of the original 2,500 libraries built by Andrew Carnegie in the early 1900s. The Kendall Public Library opened its doors in 1913. The library is zoned for commercial and residential, meaning prospective buyers can turn this into a place to live or utilize it for a business....
The coronavirus pandemic has been riddled with misinformation and panic, including panic buying. Part of the panic is knowing so little about this particular strain of the virus. Fortunately, there are journalists and healthcare professionals rigorously researching information for us. Here’s a list of free resources on the coronavirus pandemic, many of which are usually behind a paywall, that are releasing quality, updated information. Don’t panic, please read. Research News coverage is helpful because it disseminates information concisely along with valuable analysis....
Hi mystery fans! I have three could-not-be-more-different-from-each-other great reads for you this week: an awesome, super reluctant spy thriller; Friday Night Lights but with murder and horror; a smart cat-and-mouse serial killer novel. Javid “Jay” Qasim is a young man who really has nothing figured out but is at that age where he thinks he does. He lives with his mum in West London, sells pot, and just bought himself his favorite thing ever: a BMW....
For more recommendations, check out 100 Must-Read Generational and Family Novels. Diamond Head by Cecily Wong I read this book as an ARC and was a little sad I didn’t hear about it too much after its release. Diamond Head was definitely one of my favourite reads of 2015 and I gushed about it constantly. Diamond Head is the story of the Leong family as told through the eyes of the Leong women....
I loved that show when I was seven. It was my first introduction into a genre that has served me well (and more often, poorly) in my reading life: Fish out of water stories. Stories in which people are thrown into situations they are not comfortable with. Here are three of my favorites. I could create an entire sub-genre in fish out of water stories from immigrant stories. I recently read The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and it blew my mind as much as it did all the other people who didn’t wait 14 years to read it....
If you haven’t gathered by my Book Riot posting history, I’m not what you would call a literary snob. I read widely and don’t believe in the concept of guilty pleasures when it comes to reading. If it gives me pleasure, there is no guilt. (This life philosophy also applies to TV shows and nail polish.) So it’s not because of snobbery that I don’t typically read a lot of popular women-targeted historical fiction....
HOLIDAYS ARE HAPPIER WITH AUDIOBOOKS. Make your holiday travels, errands, cooking sessions, and all the rest more enjoyable by listening to an audiobook. From bestsellers, to thrillers, to self-care, you can find the perfect listen for any moment. Give yourself the gift of audio this holiday season. We’re giving away an excellent prize pack of audiobooks to help you celebrate the holidays! Ten readers will win physical copies of the following audiobooks: Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (Books 1 and 2) Harbor Me An Absolutely Remarkable Thing The Female Persuasion...
What’s the best prize ever? A year full of books! Bas Bleu is giving away three of our bestselling 2019 Bas Bleu Book a Month packages, an eclectic collection of top-notch fiction and nonfiction titles curated especially for avid readers. To enter, just fill out the form below (U.S. residents only, please) and sign up for Bas Bleu’s e-list. Three lucky readers will win a box filled with all twelve books from our 2019 Bas Bleu Book a Month package, while all of our e-mail subscribers receive first dibs on new arrivals, special sale offers, and thoughtful literary fare!...
Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults. Per the leader’s mandate, all children were separated from their parents when they were six months old, and handed over to the cult’s “School.” After spending years in what was essentially an orphanage, Mikel escaped the cult one morning with his mother and older brother. But in many ways, life outside was even harder and more erratic. This memoir is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice....
From the beginning, the end was coming. Vega Jane fought her way out of the village where she was born, crossed a wilderness filled with vicious creatures, and raised a ragtag army behind her. But each triumph earned through grit and pain only brought her closer to the final fight… one that will seal fates and determine the future of the world. The battle rages in The Stars Below, the furious conclusion to legendary storyteller David Baldacci’s #1 global bestselling Vega Jane series....
The variety that independent presses offer is astounding. About 75% of my reading from this year was published by indies, and it’s been a very fun, very satisfying reading experience. I can promise you that if you pick up more books from indies you won’t be sorry. Check out the books below and give one of these presses a try! This Is My Body: A Memoir of Religious and Romantic Obsession by Cameron Dezen Hammon (Lookout Books) I love a good memoir about faith, organized religion, and grappling with belief, or the lack of it....
All through the month, we celebrate and promote literature for young readers in translation—particularly from beyond Europe. How (and Why) to Celebrate #WorldKidLit Month This year’s #WorldKidLit Month is being headed up by translator Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp, who’s translated books for young readers from German, Russian, and Arabic. She’s put together eight ways to celebrate over at the World Kid Lit blog. They include: reading more kidlit from around the world; making a kidlit map; creating a “book in a jar” for a translated title; and doing some kidlit cookery....
There is a further issue with the role of the wise old mentor; it can often be highly gendered. While some mentor figures are women — for example, Terry Pratchett’s Granny Weatherwax in her first appearance in Equal Rites, where she takes on the role of tutoring the Disc’s first female wizard Eskarina — the majority are men. Older women in fiction often take a domestic role, supporting the main character in their home lives; for example, Wing’s two grandmothers in Wing Jones....
The book is The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. And with that kind of track record, why isn’t he a household name? Kahlil Gibran was born in Lebanon in 1883. His mother brought him and his siblings to the United States when he was 12, while Gibran’s father, who reportedly abused her, was in jail. They settled in Boston, joining relatives who were already there. “At the time, immigrants into Boston, found the least expensive housing in Chinatown, which is where they settled....
One of the leaders of the book challenges has made a name for herself by harassing the school administration and by attempting to break into one of the local middle schools to take photos of two particular books she said she “knew” were in the collection. Paula Mimnaugh has been a staple at Iredell School Board meetings since last summer. She proudly wears a Moms For Liberty shirt, and she’s shown up at other school board meetings in her area....
Let’s go. What do librarians do? At no library where I’ve ever worked have staff members been allowed to read on the job. The point of being a librarian is to be an available resource—emphasis on available. You’ll work odd hours, possibly a different schedule every week, depending on when your library needs desk coverage and personnel. Right now, I do not have two consecutive days in my schedule when I work 9–5....
Why would you share Audible books? Since starting to listen to audiobooks, my book consumption skyrocketed and I’ve never looked back. Even after moving to NYC, I still rely on audiobooks during my subway commutes as I often have to stand the whole 45-minute trip. But my parents were slower to jump on the audiobook bandwagon. My dad doesn’t get motion sick so he was still reading print or ebooks on his nook....
