Posts

Isabel is a successful sculptor living in Chicago. But when her estranged mother dies, she’s forced to face her brutal childhood growing up in the West Virginia hills, a past that not even her husband knows. Back on the land she has inherited, she’s flooded with memories of the forest where she roamed free, of her beloved lost brother, and of the house where she grew up. Her mother has left her another legacy, too, which reveals secrets that Isabel is only beginning to understand....

So I try to indulge in other ways. The gothic genre is atmospheric, imbued with ghosts and the haunting visages of bad men, foggy moors, and haunted homes and dark corners. It’s all just enough to leave me unsettled, questioning, and in a vivid October mood, without leaving me unable to fall asleep (here, we flash back to my two separate, misguided screenings of horror film Sinister, or the weeks tween me couldn’t sleep after reading the prologue of Cujo)....

Gifted and cursed with the ability to see the future, Mildred Groves takes a position at the Hanford Research Center in the early 1940s. Hanford tests and manufactures a mysterious product to aid the war effort. Only the top officials know that this product is processed plutonium, to make the first atomic bombs. Inspired by the classic Greek myth, this 20th-century reimagining is based on a real WWII compound. A timely novel about patriarchy and militancy, The Cassandra uses both legend and history to examine man’s capacity for destruction, and the compassion it takes to challenge the powerful....

These nine funny fiction books are all perfect for when you need a laugh or an escape from reality. Their premises range wildly, from a destination wedding gone wrong to a Bay Area city overrun by mythological demons to a spaceship following Earth’s untimely destruction. No matter your mood or taste in humor, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Once you’ve read and enjoyed these nine picks, check out these funny self-help books that may not change your habits so much as give you a reason to chuckle....

People didn’t like the choice, and made their opinion clear. They would have preferred an understudy so that the show could go on, as the saying goes, or to see the live concert. Viewers asked why they couldn’t see the raw, passionate emotional music and the breakdown into giggles. They compared the event to when the show’s creator Jonathan Larson died before his show premiered in 1996, and the cast decided to simply do a read-through and song concert for Larson’s family....

Books are political — we know this — and now, more than any other time in recent history, they are under attack. Or rather, the content of books is under attack. Be it because of fears around “critical race theory,” “comprehensive sexuality education,” or “social emotional learning,” or straightforward bigotry against books featuring people of color, queer people, and art depicting either/both, what is happening in schools and libraries across the country is deeply concerning....

In December, I like to take some time to look back over the year and spotlight some books that will make great presents. Or in this case, some completed series where you can hook someone in with the promise that yes, it is finished. Please, in general don’t wait to start reading until they’re finished because then they’ll never be finished, but… finishing a series is a major accomplishment to celebrate!...

I found myself picking up piles of manga as soon as I understood what it was I might enjoy genre-wise, as well as understood what it was that made certain series so appealing to my patrons. Find below a glossary of manga terms to help you find your way. This is a judgment free space for newcomers to manga, so feel no fear in returning here again and again as you wade deeper into the format....

A Short History Executive Director of the Walt Whitman Birthplace Cynthia Shor gave me a brief summary of how Huntington fits into Whitman’s story. Walter Whitman was born at the birthplace site in 1819 in a house built by his father, Walt Sr., nine years earlier. The family moved to Brooklyn when Walt Jr. was 4, but he returned as a young adult to teach and write. He also founded the newspaper The Long-Islander, which still circulates today....

So which ones are worth watching and which ones should you skip? Over the past four weeks I have watched (and rewatched) 25 of the most notable Agatha Christie movies. What follows is my ranking of them, from worst to best. 25. Ten Little Indians (1989) One of the most-adapted Agatha Christie novels is her 1939 mystery And Then There Were None. It’s been adapted for television, film, the stage, radio, and there is even a Wii video game based off of the story....

Unfortunately, what my patrons want to read are historical dramas set in the 20th century. Recommending books I hate When a patron asks me for a recommendation, I am not normally in a position to push The Emerald Burrito of Oz, John Dies At The End, or Rico Slade Will Fucking Kill You. These books, which are my guilty pleasures, would not meet my patron’s requirements at best. At worst, the person I was helping would think that I was some kind of serial killer....

Because the Dewey Decimal System has been the standard method, it can be hard for some to accept alternatives. Dewey is the most commonly taught system in library science and is what library patrons are familiar with. There are a lot of complications overturning harmful systems and the above are just a few. But despite the complications, many private and public libraries have still made the switch. As the library powers that be consider making the switch, there are many different options....

I recently had the opportunity to read the newest version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (trade to be released in bookstores 12/10), written by the amazing Kelly Thompson with art by Veronica and Andy Fish. In her introduction she wrote, “Ever since those classic Sabrina days there have been so many incarnations of Sabrina. She’s a character that—so long as you capture her essence—you can place her into almost any story and she blossoms....

Recently, though, something strange, delightful, and new has happened: I have internet friends. In reality, they are more like acquaintances. But internet acquaintances doesn’t have a nice ring to it. And whereas relationships with people I consider acquaintances in real life have always felt exhausting and limiting, relationships with my bookish internet friends bring me so much joy. They aren’t people I know intimately, or who I’d turn to in a crisis....

LISD leadership stated that the Community Curriculum Advisory Committee is in the process of vetting all book club titles across all grade levels, which led to the six books being banned from classrooms. The six books currently banned are: The Lottery, Kiss Number 8, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, The Handmaid’s Tale, Y: The Last Man, and V for Vendetta. As of March 9, the CCAC had completed reviewing 30 books and plans to continue with all 140 titles marked for LISD book clubs....

Hate the holidays? You’re not alone. This season has a way of magnifying family dysfunctions. Everyone’s trying to make the season magical, but let’s face it: many, many things about the holidays are mundane at best. It might be tempting to say it’s best to avoid going home for the holidays, but that comes with its own unique stressors. Dealing with the hurt feelings and unhealed trauma that arise from — or lead to — severed family connections is difficult any day....

Holy cats – it’s already the end of 2011! Let me be another one of those people to say “Where does the time go???” A lot of great things have happened for me in 2011: I started writing for Book Riot, got a kick-ass Clash tattoo, had dinner with amazing authors, successfully remained out of jail (at the time of this post), and read almost 200 books, most of which rocked....

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, Illustrated by Sami Kivelä, Colorist Jason Wordie This gorgeous, sepia-toned graphic novel combines so many things I love. In early 1970s Detroit, tough-as-nails journalist Elena Abbott refuses to back off reporting stories of police brutality and grisly crimes ignored by the authorities. Two of Abbott’s old flames help provide the supporting cast—a male cop and a female mobster—as she works to follow a trail of familiar crimes and hunt down the dark forces that killed her husband, battling sexism and racism on the way....

The Book Riot Staff sends a big thank you to everyone who came! See more pics from our Photobooth here and here! Book Riot Live was the BEST time, y’all. But in the great words of LeVar Burton, you don’t have to take my word for it. Check out the Storify streams from both days of the event and see what the attendees had to say/Tweet/Insta/whatever!

I don’t disagree that kidlit encompasses a whole lot of hope and whimsy. And adults ought to explore the cavernous depths of children’s books. Everyone should read clever and bewildering picture books, hard-hitting middle grade books, and ever-relevant young adult books. Absolutely. She isn’t incorrect in asserting that “children’s books remind adults what it’s like ‘to long for impossible and perhaps-not-impossible things’ like justice, love, adventure and happiness, and to feel a sense of hope, however childish....