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I’m not typically one to love short stories over a novel, but a well-done anthology is a unique kind of thrill. Much like some kind of literary gymnastics, each author takes the spotlight in turn to deliver their own unique take on the same theme—and the results are always a delight. Readers probably won’t love every story equally, but I always come out of an anthology feeling as though my imagination has been stretched, and I almost always have one or two new favorite authors to add to my list, as well....

Gifted and cursed with the ability to see the future, Mildred Groves takes a position at the Hanford Research Center in the early 1940s. Hanford tests and manufactures a mysterious product to aid the war effort. Only the top officials know that this product is processed plutonium, to make the first atomic bombs. Inspired by the classic Greek myth, this 20th-century reimagining is based on a real WWII compound. A timely novel about patriarchy and militancy, The Cassandra uses both legend and history to examine man’s capacity for destruction, and the compassion it takes to challenge the powerful....

It’s worth noting that some of these have skipped a year or two due to the pandemic. Here’s hoping not only that they’ll be back next year, but that this very article will encourage them to keep making those good, good book cakes. UMass Amherst Members of the Five Sisters colleges may submit their applications to participate in this Massachusetts edible book festival by March 30, 2021. Puns on titles are especially encouraged, which is how you know that this is a Serious Academic Situation....

There are lots of wonderful F/F and M/M stories out there, but those are only two of the many diverse pairings in which queer people find themselves. Queer people in M/F relationships are often invisible, or made to feel like they are somehow “not queer enough.” This is true in life and in books, and it’s awful, harmful, and unacceptable in both cases. So whenever I stumble across a M/F romance that is wholly, deeply, joyfully queer, I pounce on it....

Sadia Ahmed from Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai As a bisexual woman, I can’t believe I’ve never dated a fellow bisexual. I could rectify this by asking out Sadia Ahmed, the heroine of the second novel in Alisha Rai’s Forbidden Hearts romance series. Sadia is a kick-ass, confident, sex-positive bisexual woman. There is something very sexy about a woman who knows what she wants. And Sadia has pursued what she wants both in romantic partners and her career, even though it’s made her the black sheep in her family....

It’s no surprise that books this long have a way of spanning time and covering more intangible ground. When well presented, they feel like portraits of not just their subjects, and not just their authors, but their times. Here are a few such titles. For more essay collection recommendations, check out Book Riot’s list of 100 must-read essay collections. Hot Seat by Frank Rich A wearer of many journalistic hats over the years, Frank Rich has left his biggest mark as The New York Times’s chief theater critic, where he earned the nickname “The Butcher of Broadway” for his power to make or break a play’s success....

Most of us have seen a version of these tropes in our favorite romcoms and even the occasional thriller. I mean, who hasn’t taken a guilty pleasure at reading (and watching) Amy Dunn’s infamous “cool girl monologue” from Gone Girl? But the problem with these tropes is that they are all surface level. A cool girl is a cool girl because others say she is. The girl next door is just that, the girl next door....

There are those, world leaders among them, who deny the climate emergency – and so to preface this little list of books, we should state that they are wrong. The climate emergency is real. We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction event. This is the Anthropocene, and the impact of humans on the earth cannot be overstated. In the past few years, I have immersed myself in reading about the climate – from fossil fuels to the suppression of honeybee populations and the notion of re-wilding land to undo the ravages of industrial farming, I have been a sponge for learning about what I have contributed to....

Harnidh Kaur Harnidh Kaur is an Indian poet who writes about tenderness, anger, social issues and the people in her life. Her first poem was born out of the need to express her anger and the act led to a better understanding of a lot of emotions. When questioned about the role social media plays in her writing, she answered, “Everybody writes at or to young women, nobody really writes for them....

Just because life may be out of order, doesn’t mean it’s broken. Oona Out of Order is a remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in the moment, even if those moments are out of sequence. We all think back to a potential meet-cute, and say to ourselves what if? But what if you are already in a relationship with the person and wonder if it went differently?...

But between those heavy reads, something lighter can give your mind a break. Or, they can even serve up some digestible satire that break apart the cracks in our culture as compellingly as the denser, more serious works. Whichever you feel you’re needing right now, summer is a great time to let yourself have a few laughs and relieve some of the mounting tensions. Here are five great funny science fiction books to explore....

And the answer is no, of course not. That would be probably impossible and definitely ridiculous. What I did do—with the help and input of some other wonderful romance-reading Rioters—was put together a list of romance books we love that have been published in the 2010s. Self-publishing, ereaders, and social media are all pieces of the changing romance landscape, and it’s worth taking a look at some books that probably haven’t been around long enough yet to be considered romance “classics....

Someone who reads this much must have a few reading recommendations floating around, and thankfully, the King of Horror is exceptionally generous with his book suggestions. Here are 50 must-read books recommended by Stephen King over the years, and if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the list, I’ve made a few of my own book suggestions for the King as well. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga “Born in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for his village’s wealthiest man, two house Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man’s (very unlucky) son....

Some of the authors who signed include Barbara Kingsolver, Jacqueline Woodson, and Kwame Alexander. The authors who are published through HarperCollins expressed that they feel that HarperCollins’s refusal to negotiate in good faith has hurt their sales: “We express deep concern about the long-term impact on our books and careers if the strike continues…Your refusal to reach an agreement with the union hurts us, your creators.” They also state that they will not be submitting new books to HarperCollins until the strike ends....

I’ll be honest, it was a bit of a struggle. A lot of these story types are written by straight women (that I haven’t been able to confirm as queer). Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but, well, it’s nice to hear a story about people like you coming from someone who has lived experiences like yours. Why most of the gay werewolf romances I came across were written by straight-presenting women I don’t know....

A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev (Mumbai, India) Ugh, Dev is truly a gifted writer when it comes to creating a sense of place. Though this is fourth in her Bollywood series, it’s my favorite given its Rapunzel-inspired plot set in Mumbai, and it certainly highlights the class differences in India’s largest city. Looking back at the book now, it reminds me a lot of Crazy Rich Asians (though much darker in subject matter) where you can indulge in the lifestyles of the wealthy and yet also identify with the hero’s outsider perspective....

“I love to read, so this is my favorite time of year. The chance to share my picks for outstanding books in 2019 is so exciting. I’ve covered most genres known to the black literary community. Here’s my list of authors to consider next year. The list isn’t in any order; it’s a sampling of a years’ worth of reading that reflects books I enjoyed and added to my list of ones to follow....

[An additional note: on Book Riot, we value and actively promote diversity in books and publishing. This list features very few authors and illustrators of colour, unlike the majority of articles published on this website, because there’s a dearth of children’s books by Jewish people of colour.] My First Passover by Tomie dePaola A board book that explains in simple terms what Passover is and the various rituals and objects associated with Passover....

The evil within must be purged. The master of horror manga, Junji Ito, is back with some of his earliest and scariest short stories. Get ready to have your socks knocked off in this horrifying manga today! I suppose I really enjoy seeing how different mangaka depict the terrifying and the macabre. Some artists rely on nightmare-inducing visuals. Others use exquisite paneling and layouts to build the tension. Combine that with different plots?...

Fiction finds a way to celebrate the pets in our lives by making them central to its plot. For those of us who never got to have our own pets and had to make do with the dogs, cats, and rabbits of our friends, fiction where pets play a crucial role is a saving grace. It reminds us that unconditional love and kindness do exist in the world and for us to experience it, we may need to become friends with more animals....