I’ve been having a challenging time this year getting into YA books, which is generally what I gravitate toward — that and non-fiction, which I’ve had zero issue digging into this year. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading though. Reading this year has just come in different genres, and the one I keep picking up and falling deeper and deeper in love with is the East Asian Crime Noir novel....
Without fail, every time I go to the grocery store at least one of three things happens: a little old lady will kindly ask me to get her something from a high shelf; a stranger I’ve never seen before will ask me about my inseam; or someone will stop me in the peanut butter section to ask how tall I am. Since I have Minnesota Nice throbbing through my veins, I always get down the breadcrumbs....
Of course there are exceptions to the rule: Adaptation is a brilliant film about a screenwriter, Wonder Boys is a first-rate novel about a novelist. The exceptions are few and far between for me. That said, when a novel is about ANOTHER kind of artist, I’m in it to win it. I love exploring different artistic mediums through fiction. And if the artist in question is a TORTURED artist? I’m going to eat that book up with a spoon and a fork....
I first became interested in dystopias when I studied Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 for my final project in 12th grade AP English. We were asked to read a novel and then write a set of “Cliffs Notes” for the book. For some reason, I became obsessed with the project and rendered a final paper nearly as long as the novel itself, much to the chagrin of my teacher. This was three years after the September 11th attacks, and months after the invasion of Iraq....
This is the first of three #RiotGrams challenges for 2019. It’s perfect whether you’re new or old hat, and we love you no matter how much or how little you participate. These are the (very loose!) guidelines: We’ve talked a bit about Bookstagram here on Book Riot, and you probably know about our own sweet little Instagram account. Now we’d like to challenge the awesome readers and community of Book Rioters to take part in a month-long Instagram challenge, hosted by us....
When I was a kid, it was all about garter stitch scarves and purses, but like all crafty undertakings, knitting has become refreshed and renewed with the new millennium and there are some positively genius folks out there making patterns and breathing new life into time-worn crafts. If there’s a knitter in your family or circle of friends, finding gifts for them ought to be easy enough, but here are some of my favourite yarny books for inspiration....
After Ike is whisked from NYC to a Florida compound to assume his role as the next to lead The Royal Order of Fighting Dragons, he learns his dad’s death was a cover-up for a far greater purpose. When a fortune-teller gives Angela Ashby a journal, she pours her heart onto its pages and her desires come true—but after someone steals it, Angela must get it back before the school descends into chaos....
Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt the Flame—first in the Sands of Arawiya series—is a gripping story of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands. “We Hunt the Flame should be on every fantasy fan’s bookshelf.” —Kiersten White, bestselling author of And I Darken “Filled with rich worldbuilding with stakes that will keep you at the edge of your seat....
For anyone reading Jordan’s books in the early 1990s, there was no internet of things to look at and collect. For my own part, when I was reading the series for the first time I wasn’t aware of an explosive fandom of creators. Instead, I carefully perused the internet to collect the chapter icons and summaries, fan art and drawn maps, storing them all lovingly in a little plastic pocket, my own personal reference library of Wheel of Time joy....
While comics have always had social justice themes running through them, graphic novels and graphic nonfiction are also great ways to learn about social justice issues. Especially if you just can’t bring yourself to read a huge, dense book about a topic, a well-done comic can be an accessible way to learn about something new or start your reading journey through a new topic. There are so many titles that I wanted to include in this post, but if I included all of the topics I wanted, along with all of the books, this would be an extremely long post....
Books from independent presses are so varied and exciting! My first pick is from last year, and all others come out in September. I hope you find something you love. White Dancing Elephants by Chaya Bhuvaneswar (Dzanc Books, 2018) This short story collection came out last year and was the winner of the Dzanc Books Short Story Collection prize. Its range of subjects, moods, settings, and characters is impressive. Many of the stories are about women’s experiences....
B.T. (Before Twilight) In 2005, I was a thirteen year old girl. My memories of eighth grade are mostly a blur of attempting to execute this role correctly. Each morning, I did my level best to neatly line my eyes with thick black eyeliner (times were tough before beauty guru YouTube was there to guide us). Hoping to land on a voice that sounded right to me, I consciously tested out different intonations of speaking....
You may have seen on the internet recently that Hans Christian Andersen once overstayed his welcome at Charles Dickens’s house and, on reading a negative review of his own work, had a tantrum in Dickens’s yard. This is true! Hans Christian Andersen was possibly the single most dramatic literary figure of the 19th century (please forgive me, Oscar Wilde). Of course, this drama came from a place of being largely miserable, and I feel in my tender heart that we all ought to feel sorry for him and invite him to come overstay his welcome....
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a bookworm. I have always had this obsessive need to carry a book with me wherever I go. On the off chance I find a moment to myself, I can put my nose back in my book. However, I couldn’t always hide behind my books growing up. I did have responsibilities to attend to, like chores. My mom often drafted chores lists for my brothers and me, so this did take up a rather regular part of my routine....
It pains me whenever I see fairytales dismissed as juvenile or immature, no matter what the tale, because nothing has guided me through life quite the same way as fairytales have, no matter how old I am. As Friedrich Schiller put it, “Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales taught to me in my childhood than any truth that is taught in life.” I guess you can say I’ve never really “grown up....
Trust me, I’ve had those thoughts. I still have many of them today, but I’ve learnt, at last, how to ignore them. I’ve learnt that I have a part to play in this male-dominated world of the rare book collector. I’ve learnt that I can bang on for three days about endpapers (I’m a literary Liam Neeson with a very particular set of skills). Here’s my top five tips on how to begin your life as a rare book collector....
I fully recommend giving them this kind of control as it will be a lot of fun and lets them know that they own this podcast. I also strongly encourage them to come up with all of their own material, although I definitely assist when I can. If you develop a good theme, find a good hosting site, and recruit enthusiastic teens, you will have a great podcast. We don’t have a strict schedule because author visits aren’t on a schedule but that doesn’t mean you can schedule yours every two weeks or even just once a month if that works....
Why You Should Follow Editors But first—why, exactly, would you want to find out who edited the book you just finished reading? Personally, I love learning more about the process that goes into creating the bound copy I’m holding. I’m a writer. I find it comforting to think about all the people who get their hands into a manuscript before it becomes a book. Nothing is ever written in a vacuum, and the right editor can make a good third draft into a great hardcover....
Parenting is stressful, children are wild, and you’re only human. Carla Naumburg, PhD, a clinical social worker, has written this short, insight-packed, and tip-filled program for how to manage your triggers, stop the meltdowns, and become a calmer, happier parent. Based on research and evidence-based practices, and written in the warm, funny, relatable tone of a parent who’s been there, How to Stop Losing Your Sht with Your Kids guides even the most harried parents toward a new way of engaging with their children....
Book Invitations Let people know they are coming to a book party from the very start. Format your invitation to look like a book cover and print it on nice card stock. Or, if you want to be very secretive, give each of the guests a used book with the invitation tucked inside. If you do this, make sure you follow up and ensure they get the invite! Lastly, a bookmark-shaped invitation that is beautifully decorated can serve as an ongoing party reminder while also saving the spot in your invitee’s latest read....
