If you’re like me, and you’re a left-leaning, literary-fiction lover who openly derides silly novels with cheesy dialogue and preposterous plot twists, then there’s no earthly reason you’d like Vince Flynn’s series of CIA thrillers. But you know what? I love ’em. Oh, and here’s another thing, Dan Brown — he of The Da Vinci Whatsit and The Lost Something Or Other fame, who happens to be the worst offender of cheesy dialogue and preposterous plot twists — frequently blurbs Flynn’s novels, calling him “the king of high-concept political intrigue....

This post originally ran March 12th. World War II looms larger in many national memories, but now’s not a bad time to have—or develop—a susceptibility to the genre kryptonite of a different war. This summer will mark the centenary of the beginning of the First World War, and the publishing world is looking to commemorate the anniversary (or, less charitably, cash in on it) with new titles including Jennifer Robson’s Somewhere in France, P....

Based on the runaway bestseller by Maria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette is an inspiring comedy about Bernadette Fox (Academy Award® Winner Cate Blanchett), a loving wife and mom who becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing herself for her family. Bernadette’s leap of faith takes her on an epic adventure that jump-starts her life and leads to her triumphant rediscovery. Where’d You Go, Bernadette is available now on all Digital platforms and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD November 26....

The exciting travel itinerary not withstanding, finding YA books set around the world is a challenge, which explains why there aren’t quite 80. Part of that is wanting to limit this list to one book per country—except in the cases of extremely huge countries like India, Australia, and China—as well as one book per author—again, there are cases of exception. The other reason behind the challenge of finding a wide array of internationally-set YA books is that there are so few YA books in translation....

I actually lived in an old farmhouse once, when I was running a farm located in a national historical park. I filled it with books, of course, and there was definitely something satisfying about getting to display my library in a 100-year-old building. But while they’re romantic and lovely, old farmhouses are also a lot of work. Happily, there are a ton of beautiful farmhouse bookshelves out there that will add an air of rustic charm to your modern house, apartment, office, etc....

Many of the top titles were popular with bookclubs, including some that were part of their WNYC Get Lit! virtual bookclub. There are also several books, both fiction and nonfiction, that address racism, especially anti-Black racism. The top ten checkouts were: You can also browse by borough and check out the top 10 checkouts for kids and teens. Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books....

Class is in session, unfortunate souls! Today we’re going to indulge in one of my favorite horror tropes: creepy boarding schools. The schools on this list aren’t all ringing bells and bright futures. Think big, old rambling buildings full of secrets and (often quite literally) ghosts of the past. Enjoyed reading that? Watch this! Sometimes you get on a reading trend…and then run out of books. The horror! (Ba dum tish…) While there are plenty of other scary school books out there to enjoy, sooner or later (depending on how fast you read) you’re going to run out....

These threats are all in good fun with a sense of teasing to them now the creep factor of whatever was said subsided. There’s a “they grew out of it” vibe to a lot of these threads. Kids’ imaginations run wild and their grip on reality and language is unstable at best, so what they say isn’t always to be trusted. But what happens when it’s not just a phase?...

Sales of adult graphic novels more than doubled in 2021. The interest and demand for graphic novels have been skyrocketing as more and more people are introduced to the wonderful variety out there. As the demand grows, so does publishing interest in acquiring more comics and graphic novels to keep up with the demand. But how does it all work? Well, it turns out that publishing a graphic novel isn’t too far off from traditionally publishing any other novel....

In general, many of us could say yes. After all, we can’t read a book or buy it if we’ve never heard of it. BUT is there a special marketing recipe to make a book more appealing? Is there a number of times that a person hears about a book that would lead them to read it? Does a magic number exist? That brings me to the question for today....

My journal is nothing fancy; I don’t have any washi tape, stickers, or elaborate charts. I opted for basic bullet points covering some publishing information and any brief comments, funny observations, or crushing remarks on whatever random book comes my way. If anything, this bare bones approach has allowed me to fulfill my fantasies of keeping a nondescript, mysterious black notebook in the kitchen, packed with hastily scrawled notes, and have briefly imagined myself as a cloistered scholar of forbidden knowledge…when, in reality, I am just tallying up my stats each month for nobody’s eyes but my own....

I love graphic novels, and I’ve been trying more and more to pay attention to what the world of graphic novels has to offer. Being a contributor for Book Riot allows me to, at times, get my hands on ARCs (advanced reading copies), and I’ve been giving a lot of priority to graphic novels in the few last months. Not only are graphic novels a great tool for learning, I love the way text and artwork complement each other — and of course, they are also a fun way to boost my yearly reading challenge, especially when I am in a reading slump and don’t know what to pick up to help me get out of it....

I am such a reader, and I used to be such a courteous library patron. I was conscientious about the number of checkouts I allowed myself (three physical books at a time was my unofficial policy). Aware that other readers might be waiting on the books I had checked out, I tried my best to focus specially on my library books so that I could return them without having to renew the loan....

Welcome to chaotic book choosing! I have tried approximately 400 times to create reading plans, but I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I’m an Extreme Mood Reader. I get distracted by new releases and backlist books and the ones they’re recommending on All the Books and the ones I accidentally step on because I forgot they were in a pile on the floor in my house. TBR planning doesn’t work for me!...

Every time I’m scrolling through Goodreads or Twitter, or checking any literary platform, I end up with a huge list of books to buy and, once I buy them, with an even bigger list of books to read. The ratio between book recommendations and books read never gets proportional because, for every book read, I get about five new recommendations to add to my TBR pile. I could say this is a constant struggle, but who am I kidding?...

Get Help There are a number of strategies when it comes to how to find a book you’ve forgotten. Plenty of folks enjoy the rush as much as I do and there are online resources that will join you in your quest. Goodreads’s “What’s the Name of That Book???” group is an active and popular place to throw your enigma to the pros. You can also try Facebook’s Library Think Tank, which is a general gathering place for librarians and library staff, but accepts all library lovers and will happily pounce on such a question....

13 young adult authors… 13 heart-stopping tales… This collection will “delight longtime Poe fans just as much as readers who haven’t read the classics” (Beth Revis). There is no denying that Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most recognizable and widely referenced literary figures in history. Despite not having nearly the catalog of work as Shakespeare, his stories, his likeness, and his influence have been used thousands of times in popular culture....

Usually, this isn’t just applied to books about lesbians. Any sapphic book gets this treatment. While M/M books are considered to sell well and often go viral on BookTok, BookTube, and other bookish platforms, it’s rare to see a sapphic book receive that same level of popularity. (I think One Last Stop is the only one that comes close, and that is partly due to the success of the author’s previous M/M book....

The classics tend to be dominated by white, western writers. Modern adaptations give us the opportunity to experience treasured stories through the perspectives of artists of different backgrounds. In books, we see retellings, such as Soniah Kamal’s Unmarriageable. On stage and in film, we’re more likely to see adaptations that include more people of color in the cast, where they might not have been cast previously. Upcoming film The Green Knight is based on the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Arthurian legend and stars Dev Patel....

Why should these books be adapted, anyway? To invite the endless pieces stating how the book was better than the movie? No, I don’t think so. I think the purpose of hoping these books get adapted for screen is that you cannot deny the mass appeal that the screen holds, and the more people will hear these stories, the more inclusive the public narrative becomes. Not to mention, all of these picks are extremely well done and deserve all the attention they can get....