Oh Waldenbooks, how I miss you. On this particular day in Waldenbooks, I was having a Hard Time finding a new book. I was 9 years old and had not discovered the bookish internet yet. The extent of my computer time back then included playing Minesweeper and taking care of my Neopets. The only ways I knew how to find good book suggestions were through my CosmoGirl magazine subscription, recommendations from family and friends, or taking on the daunting endeavor of reading all the backs of the books in the independent reader and YA sections of the bookstore....

Narrative journalism can too often be eschewed by readers as “it could have been an article,” particularly for those stories of smaller, more singular events. And while it’s true many of these books could be articles, that defeats the entire purpose. Journalistic nonfiction is slow journalism, meant to explore all of the intersections of a story, including cultural, historical, social, corporate, and other interests that led to that particular moment and particular series of incidents....

Crafts have been known for relaxing certain parts of the brain, in a therapeutic way. They can help with anxiety, depression, or chronic pain, and they can even slow down the brain’s aging process. So why not combine audiobooks and crafting? And why not pick up a craft in order to listen to more audiobooks? It is understandable that many people would prefer to devote themselves to one activity at a time as much as possible; mindfulness, which has become increasingly popular in our current hectic lives, is the most important reason behind that choice, but what if there are benefits to be found in practising arts, a craft, or a simple hobby, and listening, all at the same time?...

A new book from a favorite author is always cause for celebration in readers’ lives. Here at Book Riot, we set aside a few days each year to have a hardcore nerd-out in honor of a writer we love. Today we’re celebrating Margaret Atwood and the release of MaddAddam, the third and final installment of the eponymous trilogy that began with Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood....

How can we make such bold promises? We have something that almost no other book publisher has today: money! Even if your book doesn’t sell, it will be a bestseller. We accept modest backing from a few select partners in order to ensure that your book has a healthy shelf life. (Don’t see your book on shelves? It’s probably not there because we bought back all of the copies ourselves!...

The Breakfast Club meets The Silver Linings Playbook in this powerful, provocative, and heartfelt novel about twelve endearing strangers who come together to make the most of their final days, from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author J. Michael Straczynski.

What Is Dark Academia? The truth is, nobody seems to have an exact answer here. Some describe it as an academic aesthetic: like images of students wearing tweed blazers during fall. The academic aesthetics also include old institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge. But…that seems pretty vague, and many books described as dark academia actually don’t totally fit into that aesthetic. Another description suggests that it’s a book which features an academic setting, like a college or boarding school, and usually features some kind of a dark twist....

First, let’s look at the state of the Marvel Universe. After the events of Devil’s Reign, Kingpin is in hiding after a beatdown from Daredevil, and Luke Cage is the mayor of New York City. Daredevil himself is in mourning after Kingpin killed his brother. The Fantastic Four are finishing their Reckoning War, fighting a powerful new villain while Reed struggles with absorbing the collected knowledge of The Watchers. Needless to say, most of the New York heroes are wrapped up in their own issues....

The first episode of Little Free Library Unbound focuses on the Read in Color initiative, promoting BIPOC authors. Little Free Library stewards are taking steps to spread under-represented voices by stocking their neighborhood book exchanges with books from the Read in Color reading list. Some of the titles by Black authors include: Read in Color also includes reading lists by writers of Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander books. Little Free Library stewards are eligible for a 10% discount at Half Price Books in Minnesota and Wisconsin....

Reading is normally a very comforting activity for me. But we are all experiencing very abnormal circumstances right now. I find that I can’t read without intrusive thoughts taking up ample headspace (one example: “Why are these characters leaving the house!?”). Stress related to COVID-19 has spoiled my ability to tune out of reality and instead dial into a peaceful mindset when reading. I have some work to keep me occupied most days, but in the afternoon and evenings (when I’d typically want to shut off my tired brain and read a good book), I find myself scouring the news for COVID-19 updates....

Marvel’s version of Loki dates back to 1962, when he debuted as Thor’s rival in the pages of Journey into Mystery #85. Casting Loki as the evil opposite of Thor’s virtuous heroism is a pretty gross oversimplification of the Norse myths from which Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby drew the characters. But we’re not here to nitpick that today. (Perhaps another post.) Instead, let’s take a closer look at Marvel Loki’s history and how it may impact — and already has impacted — the upcoming TV show....

This post originally ran October 8, 2014. This week, Batgirl got herself a new creative team. With Batgirl #35, Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart took on the writing duties while Babs Tarr handled the art. It’s a major change for the youngest female member of the Bat Family as she’s shedding her spandex for leather, her tied-on cape for one with snaps, and sleek knee-highs for chunky hiking boots. It’s a refreshing change for Batgirl and it’s one fans seem to be responding heartily to....

Book Riot is teaming up with Booked Up All Night to give away a $200 gift card to Books-A-Million. Just enter the form and sign-up for their newsletter for a chance to win! As a book lover, I usually have several bookish traditions for the start of every new reading year. Leading up to New Year’s Eve, I comb through my print TBR, looking for the top books I want to make sure I listen to first....

Do you dream of your own fantabulous emancipation? Or is vengeance more your style, even if it “rarely brings the catharsis we hope for” (thanks, Dr. Quinzel)? Tell us about your reading habits, your comics likes/dislikes, and a little about yourself, and this Birds of Prey quiz will tell you exactly where you fit in amongst Harley’s gang of unlikely antiheroes. Learn more about the Birds of Prey and Harley Quinn now that you’ve found your Gotham Girl Gang match, or find more literary movies you can stream early because of Covid-19....

The story of a young boy trying to save his sister who was turned into a demon, while he endures the trials and pain that comes with being a demon slayer, has touched the hearts of many with it’s heartwarming plot, great action scenes and profound character back stories. The Kimetsu No Yaiba manga came to an emotional end last year, but with an ongoing anime series, a movie (Kimetsu No Yaiba: Mugen Train), spin-offs (Giyu Tomioka Gaiden and Kyojuro Rengoku Gaiden) and three light novels, it’s safe to say the Demon Slayer franchise isn’t going anywhere anytime soon....

The first version of Isis debuted not in comics, but on television — and in her own show, no less! Specifically, she starred in Isis (renamed The Secrets of Isis for syndication). This was a spinoff of Shazam!, a half hour Saturday morning show starring Captain Marvel that started in 1974. (These days he’s known as Shazam, with no relation to the Marvel character played by Brie Larson. You can read about the tumultuous legal history of Captain Marvel/Shazam here....

First of all, I want to be clear that I do not actually know that the female authors I am thinking of are all cis. I am going by publicly available information and making assumptions! I have made every effort to be accurate, but it’s possible I’ve made some mistakes, and if that is the case, I am truly sorry (and would appreciate being alerted to my error). The year that I was 14 (1992–1993), three important things happened....

I noticed it first with Cemetery Boys, a book I had been excited to read and had immediately bought upon its release. I might have actually checked it out from the library first, but realized I would want to own it and returned it so I could get my own copy. This book, written by a trans author and featuring a trans brujo trying to find his way in the world and the ghost who annoyed him to no end, sounded like exactly what I needed....

But then something happened. One day poetry was fun, the next it was…well, not. I can’t remember when it happened, but I know by the time I reached high school poetry was weird. I was kind of afraid of it. All those poems written in flowery language seemed so irrelevant to my existence. And sometimes, when my classmates seemed to understand what they were about, I felt unintelligent. Poetry brought out my fears that I wasn’t as smart as my peers....

I’ve noticed that I’m not the only one. I run a bi and lesbian books tumblr, and every year, I see requests for queer holiday books, especially YA ones. Unfortunately, although there is a modest collection of queer Christmas romances and a handful of other holidays, queer holiday YA is very difficult to find, and any genre other than romance is thin on the ground. It’s frustrating to see so much demand for this and not see publishing houses prioritizing these titles—it’s not that no one is writing these stories, it’s that they’re not being picked up and promoted....