A ton of podcasts have been launched recently in response to COVID-19 due to people wanting up-to-date information about the pandemic, people wanting distractions, people wanting a creative outlet while they’re stuck at home, and so on. Honestly, it’s a lot to wade through. But here are three great, (somewhat) bookish podcasts that have all been created specifically for these unprecedented times. They run the gamut from offering advice to telling personal stories to simply providing comfort and distraction, and hopefully can be helpful to you, dear reader, during this crisis....

Sometimes you want a book that deals with a human versus nature conflict. An external conflict with the elements can supplement satisfying internal character development in YA lit. Teens not only deal with emotional disasters destroying their lives, but they also overcome nature trying to kill them. It can be very fun to read. I compiled a list of YA books involving different levels of camping, on a sliding scale of difficulty from easy to medium to hard....

In 372 Pages, Nelson and Lastowka spin bad books into gold. Listening to an episode is like sitting in on a reading group run by people who are much funnier than you are (well, than I am, anyway). Starting out with a brutal takedown of Ready Player One, 372 Pages has covered a huge range of terrible books, including the mind-boggling The Eye of Argon, Shatner vanity project TekWar, and, most recently, The Forensic Certified Public Accountant and the Cremated 64-SQUARES Financial Statements (yes, really, that’s the real title)....

Makes bad decisions. Becomes supervillain. Kills people. Cinema Blend even ran a post with the headline “Joker’s Oscar Nomination for Best Picture is a Bigger Feat Than Black Panther’s.” Excuse me? Among the reasons cited: Joker isn’t a Marvel movie and “Joker Brings Everything Full Circle With the Dark Knight.” Point the first: the Academy only determines what’s considered a “credible” or “legitimate” film if you let it. My favorite film of the year is Knives Out, which isn’t even nominated for best picture (though Rian Johnson is nominated for best original screenplay)....

via GIPHY Like so many, I grew up watching Don Bluth’s animated classic, Anastasia. The film, while charming and fun, also took a considerable amount of creative liberties in telling the story of the Russian Royal Family. Nevertheless, the film sparked a fascination in me for reading more about The Romanovs and modern Russian history. These are my favorite historical fiction books about the Romanovs. The Last Romanov By Dora Levy Mossanen 1991, Darya is the (fictional) last surviving member of the Romanov household....

Here are four of my favorite audiobooks under four hours. We’ve got literary fiction, fantasy, and essays. These books are nothing at all alike each other, so hopefully you’ll find something to satisfy your short audiobook craving no matter what kind of books you like to read. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, read by Nancy Wu (3 hours, 21 minutes) Keiko has always had her own way of being in the world, one that the people in her life can’t understand....

They are the entertainers that give life to characters that viewers might love to hate, run away from in their nightmares, or admire endlessly. Actor Noah Centineo became the “Internet’s Boyfriend” after appearing in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movie; and who doesn’t remember Amanda Seyfried saying “On Wednesday we wear pink,” in the movie Mean Girls, based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabees. Latinx people and their stories are underrepresented onscreen, yet despite the odds some Latina actors have had influential careers....

at Brightly: Must-Read Picture Books Written by Black Authors at Bustle: The Books Everyone Will Be Talking About All September Long at BuzzFeed: 19 New Historical Fiction Books You Won’t Be Able To Put Down This Fall at Crime Reads: Sympathy for the Devil: 5 Classic Noir Villains with a Touch of Humanity at Electric Lit: 10 Books About the Promise and Perils of Alternative Schooling at Epic Reads: 16 Enemies to Lovers Romances We Definitely Don’t Hate to Love at Essence: Back to School: 6 Must-Read Books About Race For Your Children And Teens at Food52: The 5 Books That Made Vegetables Cool Again at Get Literary: Creepy Campus: 5 Back-to-School Thrillers with Truly Villainous Students at Lit Hub: 12 Books You Should Read in September at POPSUGAR: 18 YA Books to Diversify Your Kids’ Bookshelves and Teach Them to Become Better Allies at Riveted: Clever Retellings of Classic Stories at Tor....

However, these books seem to have an overall thing in common. They were written in English and initially published by American or UK presses. In trying to find a broader cultural landscape of international literature, I went out to look for some bestselling novels around the world. I wanted to know what they could tell me about literary and cultural development in different countries. In my research, I came across classics such as The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank or War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, which are widely regarded and translated....

Until then, there are some characters, many of whom were new this season, I’d like to know more about, and I think comics (maybe graphic novels in either American or manga formats) would be an excellent way to expand on personalities and backstories. Quick caveat: it’s been about a million years since I played a Castlevania game and I haven’t read any of the older comics, so if I’ve missed a previous reference, apologies in advance and assume I’m starting from the baseline of the Netflix show....

These young people often feel alone in their quest to fit in to both of their worlds: the world of home where parents expect them to speak their native language and cling to their native customs, and the world of school where they are expected to speak English, be knowledgeable about American pop culture, and “act American.” One thing that can help second-generation immigrants feel supported and understood is reading the experiences of kids just like them....

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Throughout Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Apple takes both abusive men and society to task. In “Under the Table” she sings “I won’t shut up, I won’t shut up.” Another woman who won’t be silenced is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In We Should All Be Feminists, she talks about all the ways she’s been told to quiet her message. Men and women alike warned her that declaring herself a feminist would cause her audience to make assumptions about her....

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt You don’t know the definition of having a book rip your heart from your chest until you’ve read Tell the Wolves I’m Home. It’s 1987, and the only friend that 14-year-old June has in the world is her Uncle Finn, a renowned painter. Unable to fit in at school or with her older sister, Finn is the only person that understands June and makes her feel safe—not only her godparent, but her only confidant....

Hello mystery fans! I really love the Netflix crime show Dead To Me, starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, and, without giving any spoilers, the second season really feels like it dropped at a time when many viewers themselves are dealing with grief (related to “a collective loss of normalcy” caused by the pandemic). There is something to be said for, at the very least, acknowledging grief, which is a strong theme in the dark comedy Dead To Me and why I took the major themes of the show (grief, found family, secrets) and found great crime books also exploring those things....

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lim, through a reported speech, said that “women and people of color often are regarded as ‘soy sauce’—hired to sprinkle culturally specific details on a screenplay, rather than credited with the substantive work of crafting the story.” On top of all this, the director’s response left much to be desired. But no matter how saddening the outcome is, it calls for a stronger solidarity for Asian and other writers of color....

Now, we can assume that some of these people are buying books for those in the 12 to 18 age range. Even then, many of the people that read YA books are just outside that age range. They’re 18 to 25, otherwise known as the in-college or just-out-of-college age bracket. This is the age group that should be served by New Adult fiction. However, there’s a problem. Like this article from Well Storied says, NA is struggling to overcome some pretty heavy stigma....

Book Riot is teaming up with Macmillan eDeals to giveaway one Kindle Paperwhite. Enter the form and sign-up for the Macmillan eDeals newsletter for a chance to win! Here’s a little more about the Macmillan eDeals newsletter: Be the first to hear about our down-priced eBooks across a variety of genres from your favorite authors, starting at $2.99! But recently I asked myself “what about fabulous narrators who don’t have a lot of credits to their name yet?...

Game of Thrones Quotes About Power “Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.” – A Game of Thrones “Power resides only where men believe it resides…. [It is] a shadow on the wall, yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.” – A Clash of Kings “Crowns do queer things to the heads beneath them.” – A Clash of Kings “I swear to you, sitting a throne is a thousand times harder than winning one....

If you choose to go as a disabled character or character of color and are not disabled or of color yourself, be especially thoughtful and respectful of how you go about building your costume. If you spend All Hallows Eve as any of the ideas below, we hope you’ll tweet us a picture @BookRiot. Classics Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson This works best with twins, but anyone can do it!...