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Thirteen-year-old Abby lives in an unhappy home in the Sierra Nevada foothills. One day, Abby rescues a litter of seven puppies abandoned for dead and leaves them in an abandoned cabin, promising to return the next day. When grieving widower Elliot retreats to the hunting cabin he last visited years ago, he discovers seven puppies and one determined girl with an indomitable heart. As the two become friends, Abby imagines how much better life would be if her mother were married to Elliot instead of her father....

Now I know what you’re thinking: hey Book Riot, aren’t your Riot Roundups usually a quarterly affair? Why yes, yes they are. So why is this one a six-month roundup? Because we’re all just doing out best out here and sometimes a ball gets dropped. Enjoy this extra special list of reads for readers of all stripes, and happy reading! —Steph Auteri —Liberty Hardy —Steph Auteri —Mara Franzen —Lucas Maxwell —Stacey Megally —Danika Ellis —Alison –R....

To start, read this August 2020 tweet by Fonda Lee, author of the acclaimed Green Bone Saga: In the long history of speculative and SFF genres, silkpunk is pretty new. It was invented by Ken Liu to describe his 2015 novel The Grace of Kings. Liu coined the term, and wrote a post on his website to delve into its definition. Liu’s post begins with: “No, [silkpunk is] not “Asian-flavored steampunk....

It has been almost six years since Preston’s article, and since then, many, many books have been published. So many that a(n admittedly cursory) search of “how many books are published per year” turned up no reliable data. I am sarcastically delighted to report that of the untold numbers of books published in the last six years, at least a handful of them have featured happily single women. And to build upon that, at least a few of those have been written by authors of color....

The people in my book club count among my best and most long-standing friends. I’ve been in D.C. for nine years, and part of my book club for almost as long. And because of the rhythm of book clubs, we see each other regularly – more regularly than I see a lot of my other friends in a busy city where everyone has competing priorities. At the height of the pandemic, pouring out a glass of wine and hanging out with them over Zoom could single-handedly brighten up my weekends....

I currently live in a four-season area of the United States, but a brief time living in Florida made me realize that not all sections of the globe have crisp changes between winter, spring, summer, and fall. So what do we do when natural cues aren’t going to energize us for what’s to come? We turn to books! From the chaotic ending of a school year to the foods and feels of a lazy summer to the gradual blend into autumn, I’ve gathered summer picture books for every occasion....

Silver Age Supergirl Supergirl first debuted in 1959, in a story by Otto Binder and Al Plastino in Action Comics #252. This is what would become the iconic take on Supergirl: Superman’s biological cousin, Kara Zor-El, sent like baby Kal-El to Earth when her home was destroyed. Readers embraced this sunny new addition to the Superman Family, and she held down the backup feature in Action Comics for a full decade before moving to headline Adventure Comics and then a couple of short-lived Bronze Age solo series....

Now, if you don’t do a lot of online shopping, you may think this issue does not concern you, but if you enjoy books – which I’m guessing you do because you’re reading this on Book Riot – and you are looking forward to getting your hands on a particular new release, this article is very much something which has your best interests at hand. Indie booksellers have been particularly hit by the pandemic in more ways than one, and shipping delays are creating an extra layer of stress on top of all other issues bookshops have to deal with on a daily basis....

Games like Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit (is anyone still playing this?), Cards Against Humanity, or Clue are just my thing, and please don’t ask me to play Monopoly with you unless you want me to immediately leave. When someone explained to me how Dungeons & Dragons works, and as I explained why, while I really enjoyed storytelling, I didn’t think it was the game for me, I started wondering how close my board game preferences are to my reading preferences....

I’m going to age myself by admitting that I first discovered Sailor Moon on Fox Kids (which no longer exists). It was a heavily edited version in which character names and types were changed and violence was heavily censored. The main character, Usagi Tsukino (our beloved moon bunny) became Serena; the gender-fluid Sailor Uranus became solely female; and some of the more scantily clad villains got a few more items of clothing added to their wardrobes....

Rori’s a badass, but she hasn’t had the easiest life. Her parents split; her father lives in Scotland Ireland and her mother lives in Japan. Rori has to move to Tokyo to live with her mom and confront cultural differences, changing schools, and being the only redhead (accused of dyeing her hair, and reprimanded for standing out). Additionally, she’s just figured out that she can see energy and fight mythical creatures....

Jane Austen Coffee Mug This mug might look like a random collection of English towns, but a true Jane Austen fan will see it for what it really is: a homage to our favorite author. $26 from Quill And Bean on Etsy. Holographic Go To The Library Sticker Anyone would be lucky to find this sticker at the bottom of their Christmas stocking this year. $4 from Quill And Bean on Etsy....

Amanda Diehl’s list of BDSM romance novels and erotica from a few years ago is a great place to start, but here are some similarly excellent stories to add to your list. So let’s give you a few options at varying levels of heat and ropes. Shall we? Bared To You by Sylvia Day This has been one of the premier go-to Fifty Shades alternative recommendations since its release. Billionaire asshole Gideon Cross meets Eva Tramell, and everything changes....

It can be tough work, and I certainly don’t have all the answers – I started my own blog, The Literary Invertebrate, less than a year ago. But since all the worries of a newbie blogger are still fresh in my mind, and I see questions related to the blogging world pop up frequently, here’s a quick guide! Book Blogging Step #1: The Main Platform This is going to be the website which hosts your book blog....

Mrs Dalloway Wall Art: “Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.” And after all, what says spring better than fresh flowers? Jane Mount ceramic bookish vase: Once you have the beautiful flowers you went and bought yourself, consider putting them in this book-shaped vase. Books are Magic embroidered hoop: Put this gorgeous hoop on your bookshelf to remind yourself of the gorgeous blooming flowers outside. Reading Pillow: Decorate a child’s library or your own with this bright, sunny celebration of Black kids reading....

Inspirational Graduation Gifts Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven Admiral McRaven spent years as a Navy Seal and shared the lessons he learned in a commencement speech at the University of Texas that morphed into this book. Focusing on service, decision making, and overcoming hardship, this short and straightforward book can help graduates understand how to move through the difficult times in their lives and inspire them to show up everyday in service of others....

There is a lot to love about Libby, but probably the best part is the huge catalog of books. It is worth mentioning that depending on your library catalog, some books may be unavailable, but most of the books on this list can be found in nearly every library system. Libby’s catalogue makes it so that if you’re looking for fantasy books beyond this list, limiting your Libby search to just “fantasy” will yield many options....

The Best Literary Quotes to Accompany Your Instagram Selfies As we dive into hot girl summer, you probably have ideas for how to style your hair and pull off the perfect outfit. Leave the empowering captions for your Instagram selfies to me. “Anything you want to do, you can. Hurdles were made to be jumped. Glass ceilings were made to be smashed. But all that can be exhausting, so make sure you care for yourself too....

The incomparable Sayaka Murata, author of cult sensation Convenience Store Woman, is back! Discover Life Ceremony, her first collection of short stories ever translated into English. Sometimes sweet, sometimes shocking, and always imbued with an otherwordly imagination and uncanniness, the strange and wonderful stories in Life Ceremony explore family and friendship, sex and intimacy, belonging and individuality, and above all what it means to be a human in our world....

Like many members of the kid lit community, I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of children’s book legend Ashley Bryan last weekend. I’ve had the pleasure to meet him multiple times, twice at his beautiful home on Islesford, a small island off the coast of Maine. His studio, located in a sunlit corner of his home, has jars brimming with sea glass he has collected from long walks on the beach and jars filled with newspaper that he mashes up into a paste for his gorgeous sculptures and puppets....