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Five Poetry Recommendations by Women in Translation The Iraqi Nights by Dunya Mikhail, translated by Kareem James Abu-Zeid I’ve been eyeing Dunya Mikhail’s poetry collections for a while now and was finally spurred on to pick them up after seeing her new and fourth collection, In Her Feminine Sign, in bookstores. Her third collection, The Iraqi Nights, is a beautiful and poignant examination of violence and war but also a story of hope and endurance....

When Keira wakes in a strange forest, she can remember only two things: she can see ghosts, and strange, mask-wearing men are hunting her. She seeks shelter at a church, and the kind pastor offers to let her stay in the groundskeeper’s cottage for a few days. But the cottage is situated behind the graveyard, and its spirits are only too eager to make themselves known. Keira’s shocked to discover her lost memories may be woven through the town’s bizarre hauntings, and soon, she’s thrown full-tilt into a race to unravel the decades-old mystery…before it’s too late....

Lost are the creatures destined never to be understood. 1930s. Stuffy London is the site for the unseemly exploits of half-Dutch, half-German sisters Anneliese and Isabel: passion-pursuant heroines perturbed most strongly by themselves. Enter rebellion and aloneness, tragedy and near-oblivion to World War II. The Crooked Little Pieces is the first literary saga crafted in the tv series format. It’s a conceptual soap opera, a sentimental smorgasbord of the improbable, a verbal feast for word-devourers....

But what do you do if you don’t have any bookish friends? Maybe you’ve just moved to a new town, or maybe all your friends are getting married and moving to the suburbs, or finding parenthood too overwhelming to have time to read. Or maybe you have friends already, but you aren’t sure how to figure out which of them are into books – you know, like, really into books, the way people who read Book Riot are....

Book Riot is teaming up with the Macmillan Audio newsletter, Hear, Here! to giveaway a year subscription to Audible! Enter the form here and subscribe to Hear, Here! for a chance to win! A little more about Hear, Here: Sign up to receive information about new releases, advance clips and more, all related to your favorite audiobooks and authors. Editor’s note: The Eighth Life was mistakenly categorized as a Russian novel....

South Africa has a painful history of racism connected to the criminal injustices of the apartheid era, which institutionalised oppression against all people of colour. The recent anti-racist movement in America has sparked new kinds of conversations about lingering racism and social justice issues that continue to prevail in post-apartheid South Africa. But South African authors have for some time been doing significant, creative work to speak out against these issues while also giving voice to the Black Africans who experience them....

These are by no means the only unusual careers you could corner. There are books on every type of offbeat job out there, from air traffic controllers to wildlife management specialists. However, for this particular list, I’ve specifically chosen books that are available, accessible, and inexpensive. Who needs to go out on a limb for a $60 textbook for a subject you might end up scrapping? Also, I found a lot of scammy stuff while doing the research for this piece....

Sold by Patricia McCormick Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi, from Nepal, gets sold into prostitution in India. This novel is about endurance and how ‘endure is to triumph’. Women all around the world are deprived of their right to live. This is one such book where a young girl’s perseverance gets her through. This book is educative beyond words as the world needs to know how it has been oppressing its women since forever....

While many of us may have known for years we fall somewhere on the asexual spectrum, others may just have found the term that describes the queerness they feel. Finding that identity is made more complicated by minimal—or worse, bad—ace representation in fiction. Ever read a book with a character who’s a sexless automaton? A character whose aloofness is played for a romantic punchline? These eight books with asexual characters give voice to an often underserved and misunderstood portion of the queer audience, exploring and celebrating a variety of aro-ace identities....

Skye Starling is overjoyed when her boyfriend, Burke Michaels, proposes after a whirlwind courtship. Except, Burke isn’t who he claims to be. And interspersed letters to his therapist reveal the truth: He’s happily married, and using Skye for his own deceptive ends. On a collision course she doesn’t see coming, Skye throws herself into wedding planning, as Burke’s scheme grows ever more twisted. But of course, even the best laid plans can go astray....

From award-winning journalist Jamie Thompson, Standoff offers a nuanced look at race and policing in America. On the evening of July 7, 2016, protesters gathered across the nation after police shot two black men, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. As officers patrolled a march in Dallas, a man carrying a rifle killed five officers and wounded eleven others. A small group of cops cornered the shooter, where a fierce gun battle was followed by a stalemate....

While no one book can be just like Green’s debut, there are a number of novels that share some key elements—some more than others—that perhaps are more often overlooked than not. If you’re still longing and looking for Alaska, try one of these titles to dive back into its moody and introspective vibe with a focus on trauma and the aftermath. 8 Books Like Looking for Alaska Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard Set in the 1980s at a boys’ boarding school, Paper Covers Rock introduces readers to 16-year-old Alex, who is holding onto a painful secret....

If you are ready to read about anarchy, gods, unchecked power, racism and abuse of political power, you’ve come to the right place with these comics like Watchmen. V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd Watchmen isn’t the only graphic novel that Alan Moore has penned. V For Vendetta is just as political as Watchmen sans the superhuman, godlike powers. If you are eager for a vigilante story that takes matters into their own hand while taking down a corrupt government, give this graphic novel a try—you won’t be disappointed....

This is especially relevant with Dungeons and Dragon, where everyone has all their dice, character sheets, notebooks and other D&D accessories. Not to mention the best game nights have got to have some sort of delicious snack. With all those people and all those things, it can be hard to get everyone to fit comfortably without getting too much in each others way. Enter the gaming table. Gaming tables are designed to give everyone the space they need, while still allowing room for battle maps, minis, and whatever else the DM might need....

Interested in more great books by independent presses? Check out my indie press round-up from last summer and this past May.

Wake of War is a timely account of the lengths those with power will go to preserve it, and the determination of those they exploit to destroy everything in the name of freedom anew. The United States is a crumbling republic. With the government floundering and national outrage growing by the hour, a rebellion has caught fire. The Revolutionary Front, led by Joseph Graham, has taken control of Salt Lake City....

From a rising literary star comes a fresh, satirical novel that Publishers Weekly calls, “[An] acerbic and hilarious hyper-masculine debut.” | Semi-pro wrestler Ricky Twohatchet needs one last match before he gets called up to the big leagues. He finishes the calamitous bout with a neck injury, but even worse, an ugly video of him spewing profanities goes viral and gets him booted from the league. Suddenly without a routine, Ricky sets off to learn about his long-absent father, and what he finds will explode everything he knows about who he is....

Seven books. That’s 4.6% of our picture book collection, or 5% if I’m being generous on the round up. I’ve included a picture of those seven books below. Of course, my collection is in no way representative of the actual percentage of children’s books that feature negative emotions. However, I find it noteworthy that my collection only has 5%. How many do you have at home? Or, if you’re library regular like me, how many do you notice in the children’s section of the library?...

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson Jade’s smarts get her into a private school on scholarship, but they aren’t enough to change the way the people at her school react to her. Watson does a subtle job of showing how the way people treat you based on where you are from can affect your opportunities as well as the attitudes of those around you. Matilda by Roald Dahl An iconic magical-realism book for children, Matilda’s tough childhood and incredible brain combine as she gets into school and discovers some remarkable powers....