Books

خلاصہ: Yearn, Baby! Yearn: Five Romances Full of PiningLonging. Thirst. Yearning. It doesn’t matter what you call it. One of the most fun elements of a romance novel is when one of the characters has been pining for the other – preferably for a long time and even better if both characters have been full of longing. Yes, the smooching and the sex and the main characters actually getting together is one of the most satisfying parts of reading romance. But you know what they say: hunger makes the best sauce. And the yearning in romance is what makes the characters getting together so incredible to read. I don’t know if I should blame Gilbert Blythe’s decade-long crush in Anne of Green Gables or Mr. Darcy struggling in vain in Pride and Prejudice, but I might just love the pining in a romance most of all. The most important part of a romance plot is conflict—a reason the characters can’t be together. And when you add pining into the mix, it makes the obstacles on the way to the happily ever after feel like the author is twisting the knife into their characters’ backs. These five romance novels feature a love-lorn R&B star, childhood best friends who never got over their first love, an utterly and completely inappropriate Regency pairing with regrettably good sexual chemistry, and the alpha from a werewolf pack. They all contain very different characters, plots, and subgenres, but what they all have in common is intense, delicious yearning. The Love Lyric by Kristina Forest Famous R&B singer Angel hasn’t just had a crush on his stylist’s sister, Iris, for years. He also wrote a song about their brief encounter at a wedding. And now it’s the song of the summer. Swoon. But Iris is a single mother and widow who wants professional success and companionship, not the kind of all-encompassing love she had and lost when her first husband died. A professional opportunity throws the two together when Angel becomes a brand ambassador for the makeup and beauty company where Iris works. Angel views this as his chance to finally woo the woman he’s been pining after. And despite Iris’ focus on doing a good job and getting a promotion, there is something about Angel she just can’t resist. Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur Margot and Olivia are childhood best friends, first loves, and first heartbreaks, and it’s been 10 years since they’ve seen each other. Margot has never been able to move on from their relationship and has only had casual hookups in the decade since they were together. Olivia has gotten married and divorced, but never stopped thinking about Margot and what could’ve been. A chance encounter, when Olivia becomes the wedding planner for Margot’s best friend, throws the pair back towards each other. Then circumstances bring them even closer when Margot accepts an offer to live temporarily in Olivia’s spare bedroom. After years of longing, will the two give in to fate and accept this second chance at love? Mate by Ali Hazelwood Serena has lived her whole life believing she’s second best, an orphan who nobody wants, and that she’s human. But she’s recently learned she’s half werewolf … which shouldn’t be possible. And now that everyone knows, her life is in danger from many different threats. Koen is the alpha wolf of the brutal and respected Northwest pack. The moment he sees Serena, he knows she is his mate. Despite the biologically encoded longing he feels for her, he’s determined not to force her into a relationship she doesn’t want. But he’s equally determined to keep her safe. Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai I’m going deep into Alisha Rai’s backlist, because this is one of my all-time favorite romance novels. And I’m pretty sure when you look up yearning in the romance dictionary, all you see is this book. Livvy and Nicholas are first loves from feuding families. When tragedy tore their families apart, they broke up, too. Nicholas stayed in New York to run the family business and Livvy ran away to become a tattoo artist and travel the world. For nine years, Livvy and Nicholas met up on her birthday for a night of mind-blowing, deep, emotional sex. Last year, Livvy didn’t show up, but now she’s back in town for the first time. And the two of them can’t seem to stay apart even in the face of family disapproval, long-held resentments, and the uncovering of past secrets. Her Night With the Duke by Diana Quincy When the Lady Delilah is stranded at a small inn, she gives in to a night of passion with a handsome stranger. They agree it has to be for one night only and don’t share any personal details. But then the next day, she discovers the handsome stranger is Elliot Townsend, Duke of Huntington—also known as her stepdaughter’s fiancé. And Elliot discovers the woman he can’t stop thinking about is his future mother-in-law. They agree to keep the night before a secret and never get close to each other again. But neither of them can forget the passion they shared or resist the chemistry that comes out every time they are in the same room. The way they long for each other in this very forbidden romance is so intense. Ready to fall into a yearning ring of fire? Or maybe to find out if this yearning is an eternal flame? I’ll stop with the song puns, and let you pick which of these romance novels full of pining you want to read first! For more yearning and pining and swooning, try these 12 romances with epic mutual pining.Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: New Reading Rainbow Host Selected as National Library Week Honorary ChairWelcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. New Reading Rainbow Host Selected as National Library Week Honorary Chair Librarian and new Reading Rainbow host Mychal Threets is a delight and a gift to the reading world, so is it any wonder the American Library Association (ALA) selected him as Honorary Chair of National Library Week for 2026. “Find Your Joy” is the theme of the 68th annual celebration, which may sound like a Sisyphean task these days, but perhaps Threets’ picture book debut, I’m So Happy You’re Here , aligning with this year’s theme and out in February will help us achieve this lofty goal. National Library Week, “a weeklong celebration of the important role libraries and library workers play in schools and communities across the U.S.,” is set for April 19-25, 2026. Of his role and the upcoming celebration, Threets had this to say: Celebrating libraries, thanking library workers, visiting libraries is how I find my joy. There are so many library kids and library grown-ups who have yet to fully embrace their library joy, and I am so excited for them! When they enter the world of libraries and stories, I am confident they will find not only their library joy but their courage to believe in their own story and maybe even share it with others. A Holiday Gift Guide for Readers From Publishers Weekly If you’re still wrestling with uncertainty over what to buy the readers in your life, Publishers Weekly has stepped in to help you out with their annual gift guide. The lists are sorted into the following categories, for your convenience: Illustrated & Art Books; Children’s & YA; Fiction, Poetry & Comics; and Nonfiction. While PW doesn’t discuss what makes these picks gift-worthy, at a glance it looks like they’re all 2025 releases and they’re highly diverse in subject matter, so an easy assumption is that these are books giftees are less likely to have read yet and that PW is trying to cover ground for all kinds of readers. Some highlights include Ursula K. Le Guin’s Book of Cats (Illustrated & Art Books), Legendary Frybread Drive-In edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Children’s & YA), What a Time to Be Alive by Jade Chang (Fiction, Poetry & Comics), and So Many Stars by Caro De Robertis (Nonfiction). Browse the full guide and may we all be done with holiday shopping toot sweet. Does Less Social Media Actually Equal Reading More Books? In a piece for The New Yorker , Jay Caspian Kang writes that spending less time on social media did not bring him closer to attacking the stacks and explores the broader question of what literacy looks like for a population that largely reads lots of text on screens but less books, and whether the digital world is a honing tool or a blinder for our reading lives. You won’t find solid answers here, but I agree with his point that the concept of literacy demands more nuance than we get from the doom and gloom conversations about how social media is wreaking havoc on book reading. The Biggest Book Clubs Are Ending 2025 With These Books — Join Them! If you want to join a party to cap off your year in reading, read along with a community or two. We’ve rounded up the last of this year’s book club picks and there are some great options from major and notable book clubs. There’s a book that seems to be on every book club’s reading list, an 18th century historical novel, and more titles for all sorts of readers. Find the list here. What are you reading? Let us know in the comments !Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for December 9, 2025Today’s Featured Book Deals $5.99 The Librarians by Sherry Thomas Get This Deal $2.99 Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin Get This Deal $1.99 The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell Get This Deal $4.99 The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong Get This Deal $2.99 Femina by Janina Ramirez Get This Deal $1.99 Looking for Group by Alexis Hall Get This Deal $2.99 Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong Get This Deal $1.99 The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig Get This Deal In Case You Missed Yesterday’s Most Popular Book Deals $2.99 I’ll Make a Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker Get This Deal $1.99 Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson Get This Deal $1.99 House of Hearts by Skyla Arndt Get This Deal $2.99 Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin Get This DealSource InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: A Gloomy JANE EYRE Reimagining for Your Inner Wednesday AddamsIf you can’t turn a gloomy day sunny, why not embrace it? Wrap yourself in flannel, grab a cup of cocoa, and read a haunting tale. As it happens, I have the perfect book for you, and if you’re a Charlotte Brontë fan, as I am, you’ll be doubly delighted by this story of a debtera hired to exorcise a castle of its demons. This book is a reimagining of Brontë’s classic, Jane Eyre , but, for this rendition, we head to a different time and an Ethiopian-inspired setting. There are chills, a turbulent romance, and demons of all sorts waiting for you in the pages of this horror novel. Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood Andromeda is a debtera trained to expel ghosts. She may lack the credentials for serious jobs, but a household as desperate as she is has handed her a contract. In a foreboding, creaking castle, the Evil Eye is at work and Andromeda is tasked with cleansing the place, which has been host to disappearances and nightly horrors. The few household members remaining include the servants and wealthy, troubled heir Magnus Rochester. Andromeda is pulled toward Magnus even as his behavior unsettles and confuses her; even as she begins to realize he’s as besieged by the Evil Eye as the house itself. Life has taught Andromeda that trust should not be handed out freely and that she is unwanted, and her mentor and guardian has taught her that a neck stuck out for others is a neck broken. The dangerous job she’s signed onto and Magnus himself will put her heart and survival skills to their biggest test yet. This light horror YA novel is full of deliciously creepy moments and a turbulent, slow-burn romance. Then there’s Andromeda, an intense character who deserves better than she’s received. She’s the human personification of a knife, a young woman who hasn’t been spared an ounce of affection. It has all the tension and dread of its source material while making the story new and offering a setting that delivers us out of the Western world and into the back alleys and supernatural underground of an alternate timeline Ethiopia. If you’re looking for a story with a heart as chilly as these winter days, try this on for size. What have you been reading lately? Let’s chat in the comments!Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: The Biggest Book Clubs Are Ending 2025 With These Books — Join Them!While a couple of the big book clubs are taking a breather until the new year, many are finishing the year with a brand new selection to read and discuss. As always, you can use this list to find your next read, dump them all on your TBR, or pick a book club to join—they’ve each got a virtual component, some meet in person, many have author participation, and all are awesome. December’s selections offer plenty of interesting choices, from a narrative nonfiction book that had a super popular adaptation to a romance with rich family history. There’s also a contemporary novel about obsession, a multi-generational family novel chosen by many book clubs this year, a fascinating historical novel based on the real Tipu’s Tiger, a novella/short story collection centering transness, a Jane Austen novel, and more! It’s a great time to settle in with a good read. The Audacious Book Club Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite About the book club: Author Roxane Gay ( Bad Feminist , Ayiti , The Banks ) selects a book every month with the goal of uplifting “authentic and necessary perspectives from writers who fearlessly share their stories.” Here are the Book Club FAQs . What Roxane said about the book: “ Cursed Daughters is an engrossing read, one that asks important questions about how much of our life and our history is inherited and how much of it we are responsible for—and capable of—creating for ourselves. I’m looking forward to discussing it with you throughout the month of December. We will be in conversation with Oyinkan on December 20 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. You can register here .” Follow Roxane Gay on social media: Twitter , Facebook , Goodreads All Access members, read on for ten more book club picks. This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: Books About Queer Resistance for the 2026 Read Harder ChallengeI write two newsletters for Book Riot. One of them, you’re reading right now. The other is the Read Harder newsletter. Every year, Book Riot puts out the Read Harder Challenge: a list of 24 tasks to diversify your TBR and help you find your new favorite book. Yesterday, we announced the 2026 Read Harder Challenge tasks! These tasks are a mix of fun topics to spice up your reading life, like Task #20: Read a book set in space, as well as timely topics relevant to navigating our world in 2026, like Task #18: Read a nonfiction book about AI or social media. As always, there are plenty of 2SLGBTQIA+ tasks, like Task #4: Read a novel with a main character who uses they/them pronouns, Task #16: Read a queer picture book, and Task #19: Read a book by an intersex author. If you want to get recommendations for each of the tasks throughout the year, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter ! Free subscribers get two book recommendations for each task, and paid ( All Access ) subscribers get access to additional four (or more) recommendations per task. Since I’m the one writing these lists, you can be sure I include a ton of queer book recommendations. Today, I have three recommendations for Task #5: Read a nonfiction book about resistance, and they’re all about queer resistance. I probably don’t have to specify why we included this task for the 2026 challenge. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the rise of fascism in the U.S. and around the world. Learning about how people have resisted oppression throughout history helps inspire us to do the same today. Don’t miss your chance to win a full year of Kindle Unlimited courtesy of Twisted Comics! Sign up to be notified when the Black Mirror Comics: San Junipero graphic novel launches on Kickstarter, and you’ll be automatically entered. You have until January 9, 2026. 3 Books About Queer Resistance to Inspire Action Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman This 736-page history documents one of the most prominent and effective queer activist group in U.S. history: ACT UP. Through interviews with hundreds of ACT UP members, Schulman shares the lessons learned through this radical organization that are applicable to organizers now. It also follows the AIDS activist groups that came out of ACT UP. As a review from The New York Times says, “This is not reverent, definitive history. This is a tactician’s bible.” Our Work Is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose I wanted to provide a few different formats of books to show the ways this task can be approached. Our Work is Everywhere is an oral history of queer and trans activism in comics form. As fellow Book Rioter Laura Sackton describes it, “Reading this beautiful collection of oral histories and interviews feels likes sitting down with a bunch of rad queer and trans artists, healers, and activists, and listening to them talk about what inspires them, angers them, fuels them.” Hine Toa by Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku When looking up books about queer history, the results often are all about the U.S.—but queer resistance has taken place and continues to happen across the globe. This is a memoir of a prominent Māori lesbian activist and academic, Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku. It follows her journey from growing up a working-class girl from the pā to becoming a founding member of Ngā Tamatoa and the Women’s and Gay Liberation movements. Her experience of being denied entry into the United States in 1972 for being a lesbian was the catalyst for the formation of several of the first Gay Liberation groups in New Zealand . If you want to keep up with the 2026 Read Harder Challenge and get recommendations from me for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter ! For triple the recommendations, join All Access . 3 Queer Books Out This Week: December 9, 2025 If you’re already an All Access member, I usually share a list of queer books out this week as a bonus. December is typically a very quiet month in publishing, especially after the first Tuesday, so I only have three books for you today. They’re all sapphic romance novels! This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: David Baldacci’s Mega Library Donation, and More Library NewsThe end of the year is upon us, and with it the last mega-roundup of library and collection development news. We have some 2025 roundup lists, readers’ advisory resources, authors in the news, book lists, and a couple of buzzy picks at the end. I hope this gives your end-of-the-year displays and lists a little extra boost. New & Upcoming Titles Ann Patchett has a new novel coming in 2026. Here’s the cover revea l for Dave Eggers’ first adult novel in 5 years. Must-read Appalachian nonfiction of 2025. 7 Latine YA debut novels published in 2025. The best true crime of 2025. Outstanding horror novels from 2025 you may have missed. 8 new dystopian YA novels. 10 new asexual books. 8 new queer nonfiction books. New nonfiction from Native American authors. 9 romance reads from 2025 you may have missed. RA & Genre Resources The essential Kate Atkinson. Cowboy romances are back in the saddle. A new look in romance publishing , which is an…interesting read, to say the least. A lot of supposedly innovative ideas that aren’t really innovative at all. How Southern crime fiction became a publishing powerhouse. Lady knights are having a moment. All Access members, read on for more library-relevant news and lists. This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: Emily Henry Teases PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION Film Changes and More Book News!We’re in the last month of 2025, which means it’s time to look ahead to 2026. Lots of exciting things are happening next year, including book releases from some of your favorite authors, and a highly anticipated Emily Henry adaptation in just a few short weeks! Want all the details? Read on, readers! Hamnet author Maggie O’Farrell is back with a new book in 2026, and here is the cover, designed and illustrated by Holly Ovenden . O’Farrell says her new novel, Land , is “based on the life of my great-great-grandfather who was employed by the British to work on the Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland in the mid-19th century… Above all it’s about a man trying to retain his sense of history, both personal and universal, in the face of colonization and political upheaval.” Land will be out on June 2, 2026. Gregory Maguire has a new book set in the Wicked universe coming out next year. Galinda: A Charmed Childhood is a prequel to Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked . It’s also billed as a “sister volume” to Maguire’s novel Elphie: A Wicked Childhood . While Elphie explores Elphaba’s childhood, Galinda will take a look at the “good” witch’s origins. The book is out from HarperCollins on September 29, 2026. All Access members, read on for more book news. This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: Better Translate than Never: 3 Great SFF Books in Translation for the Read Harder Challenge2026 is almost here, which means it’s time for Book Riot’s annual Read Harder Challenge ! For a dozen years now, Book Riot has been coming up with new and interesting reading tasks for book lovers of all stripes. It’s a really fun way to change up your reading and maybe discover a new author or genre to love. There are 24 tasks, so two a month, but you don’t have to do them in any order. And you don’t have to even do them all—any amount of reading you get in is a great amount of reading, because it can increase empathy and lower your blood pressure and stress levels ! I did the challenge for the first time this year, and while I didn’t get to all the tasks, I am looking forward to trying again in 2026. To help you with the tasks on the Read Harder challenge, I am recommending books today that fit Task #21: Read a genre (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) book in translation. We are so lucky to benefit from all the hard work that translators do to make sure that amazing literature is shared with the world. Below you’ll find three speculative novels in translation that I have enjoyed. And remember, you can get recommendations or connect with other people doing the challenge by signing up for the Read Harder newsletter and joining All Access for bonus recommendations as well as more community features! Enter for a chance to snag a brand-new Kindle Paperwhite for carrying a pocketful of stories wherever your holidays may take you . The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette This is a dystopian satire set in modern-day Egypt and inspired by events after the Arab Spring. In this country, citizens from all walks of life must stand in line to speak to the government, known as The Gate, in order to gain permission to do anything (including having a bullet removed from their body). But the doors never open to permit the citizens access, so the line continues to grow, and people become restless and angry, clashing with the security officers patrolling the queue. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Schwartz In this post-apocalyptic read, a young girl may be the key to escape for a large group of women who have been imprisoned in a cage underground, with no idea how they ended up in their situation or how much time has passed. Originally released in French in 1995, this was a huge hit when it was re-released in English in 2024, so if you’ve been meaning to read it, now you have a perfect excuse to pick it up! Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky, translated by Olena Bormashenko And last, there’s this classic of science fiction, written by two Russian brothers, about a man named Schuhart who illegally enters the Zone to retrieve alien artifacts and sell them on the black market. The artifacts were left behind during a two-day extraterrestrial event, and they can pose great danger to the “stalkers” who attempt to gather them. I recommend reading the edition with the introduction by Ursula K. Le Guin, because a sci-fi novel loved by one of the greatest sci-fi writers ever is a heck of a recommendation! Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the BR podcast All the Books! and on Instagram .Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: The Best New Book Releases Out December 9, 2025Since we are firmly in the gift-giving portion of the year, we’ve assembled all manner of bookish gift guides. There’s one full of non-book items for readers and one for gifts under $30 . You can also go to our hub for this year’s gift-giving: (I will be honest and say that I also looked through these lists for gifts for myself.) Now for new books! For starters, there’s the story of queer icon Margaret C. Anderson in A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls: Margaret C. Anderson, Book Bans, and the Fight to Modernize Literature by Adam Morgan. If you’re in more of a fantasy mood, there’s Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson. And for the other books of December, there are, perhaps surprisingly, a good number of horror books. There’s also a precious queer baking romance, a very unique Victorian-era romance, and a reckoning with Portugal’s role in colonialism and slavery. But first: a giveaway! Enter for a chance to snag a brand-new Kindle Paperwhite for carrying a pocketful of stories wherever your holidays may take you . Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot (Winner Bakes All Book 3) by Alexis Hall Alexis Hall is a wildly prolific author, and this latest book is the third installment in a series inspired by The Great British Bake Off . This story follows the titular Audrey, who exchanged a high-pressure life for a quieter one, and then applied to a baking reality show anyway. While there, her passions as a journalist are reignited. Her romantic passions ignite as well when a grumpy show producer has her contemplating a forbidden relationship. — Isabelle Popp Midnight Somewhere: A Short-Story Collection by Johnny Compton Johnny Compton has been on a hell of a spree of producing brilliant horror tales, with The Spite House and Devils Kill Devils both receiving high praise and accolades. Midnight Somewhere is an upcoming collection by Compton, which includes 21 stories ranging from mysterious to downright murderous. A man gets in a car that will take him anywhere in time, including to the moment he made the worst mistake of his life. A film that is seemingly harmless starts to cause self-harm in those who watch it. A woman tries to bring her dead lover back to life in a ritual that includes attacking his very corpse. Ever since Spite House , I’ve been eager for more work, and this collection seems like it will be perfect to weather the dead of winter. — Lyndsie Manusos All access members continue below for more of the best books out this week. This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: The Best Books of 2025, According to The AtlanticWelcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. The Atlantic ‘s Best Books of 2025 Alert alert! We have another major best books list in the ether. The Atlantic released a list of their picks for the 10 best books of the year . Hats off to any outlet able to whittle it down to so small a number. If you’ve been scouring all of the lists, you won’t find any surprises here and, as a note, this isn’t where one would turn for genre picks. Among the 10, we have books recognized by major literary awards and book clubs ( A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar, for one), a Kirkus Prize winner ( King of Kings, The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson), and the newest from a Pulitzer Prize-winning author ( We Do Not Part by Han Kang, translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris). Are we now approaching the end of Best Books season? Who knows! For the Historical Fiction Girlies If you’re looking for a more specific, more historical fiction-flavored best of list, The New York Times has that for you ( ahem , so do we ). Historical fiction is eternally one of the most widely-read genres and the list includes some books you’ve probably seen everywhere, like The Antidote by Karen Russell, which was a National Book Award finalist this year alongside The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje, also listed. We also have some books I certainly didn’t hear enough about this year, like This Here Is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry, a debut novel about plantation life in the Virginia Colony, and A Calamity of Noble Houses by Amira Ghenim, a multigenerational story of two Tunisian families. I am really surprised The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones isn’t on this list and wonder if it’s because it’s more heavily speculative? Can’t wrap my head around it. Check out the full list here . Chloé Zhao Speaks Shakespeare For Us All I came across a clip of Chloé Zhao speaking to The New Yorker magazine about how a conversation with Paul Mescal changed the way she thought about Shakespeare and impacted the filming of the highly anticipated adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet . Hamnet (the film) writer and director Zhao, who doesn’t speak much English, said Mescal told her that, when Shakespeare is performed right, “you feel it in the body. The language is written like that.” This brief conversation about Shakespeare so succinctly and beautifully captured what I and I’m sure so many Shakespeare enthusiasts feel about The Bard’s works. I first encountered Shakespeare in the fourth grade playing Juliet (NO BIG DEAL) in our class production of Romeo and Juliet , and let me tell you I was no Shakespeare scholar back then but I felt Juliet’s balcony monologue and performing the work even at such a young age turned me into a Shakespeare fan. If you know someone who’s hesitant to enjoy a performance of a Shakespeare work because the language seems inaccessible, send them this clip . Book Riot’s 2026 Read Harder Challenge The time has come! For all of you who enjoy a good reading challenge and are looking to broaden your bookish horizons, we have your 2026 reading goals. Our annual Read Harder Challenge begins at the top of the year and, to help you prepare, we’ve announced the 24 challenge tasks. As always, we lean on inclusivity, originality, and fun to make your reading life more thoughtful, interesting, and engaging. Hop on in and check out what’s in store for the 2026 Read Harder Challenge . What are you reading? Let us know in the comments !Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for December 8, 2025Today’s Featured Book Deals $2.99 I’ll Make a Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker Get This Deal $1.99 The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish Get This Deal $1.99 Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan Get This Deal $3.99 Never Saw Me Coming by Tanya Smith Get This Deal $1.99 Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson Get This Deal $2.99 Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin Get This Deal $1.99 Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins Get This Deal $1.99 House of Hearts by Skyla Arndt Get This Deal In Case You Missed Yesterday’s Most Popular Book Deals $1.99 Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb Get This Deal $0.99 The Baby Dragon Cafe by A.T. Quereshi Get This Deal $0.99 Hot for Slayer by Ali Hazelwood Get This Deal $2.99 A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke Get This DealSource InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: 22 of the Best Books of 2025, BIPOC EditionI had to do it to you. Even though the past couple of weeks have brought best-of book list after best-of book list, I had to give you one more. Of course, this list is just a sample of the many great books published by BIPOC authors this year, and spans across genres, fiction, and nonfiction, even including a couple poetry titles. The books on this list, assembled with the help of Editor Kelly Jensen, were on many of the biggest Best of the Year books lists, including NPR’s, Barnes & Noble’s, Bookshop.org’s, and Electric Literature’s. There are also some from our own list and a few that have won book awards this year. For the sake of not being too repetitive, I left off books I mentioned recently in my round-up of the best BIPOC books to gift this year , though I will include them here for reference: One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad Katabasis by R.F. Kuang A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy Among the best BIPOC books of the year are works by award-winning authors, meditations on slippery characters, historical horror, mysterious family sagas, magical nonfiction, and much more. Fiction Audition by Katie Kitamura A beguiling, sharp, and surprising book that will have you scratching your head in the very best way. Clean, cutting observations and slippery characters combine in this gem for literary fiction lovers. Be warned: you might have to live with a little (ok more than a little) uncertainty in this book, but let Kitamura lead you toward a little provocative discombobulation. —Jeff O’Neal We Do Not Part by Han Kang, Translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris Literary fiction of the highest order from a Nobel Prize-winning novelist. Not much happens in this quiet, dream-like novel that asks rich questions about history, memory, connection, and pain. It’s the rare book that can be equally subtle and unsettling, and that’s evidence of a masterful writer working at the height of her powers. You always know you’re in good hands with Kang, and that makes it a pleasure to follow her wherever she wants to go. —Rebecca Joines Schinsky The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones On the third day of reading Jones’ latest horror novel, I had a nightmare, but it might not be why you think. The monsters here are supernatural and all-consuming, but the true horror is the very real story that’s told of the Marias Massacre, where around 200 Blackfeet were murdered in the dead of winter. The story is told through a journal found in 2012, which was written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor. The pastor records his time with a Blackfeet man named Good Stab, a man with peculiar eating habits and seemingly superhuman abilities… and revenge on his mind. —Erica Ezeifedi Flashlight by Susan Choi Susan Choi’s sixth novel is a masterpiece, a family saga wrapped in a mystery that haunts its characters. Young Louisa and her father are walking along a beach at night, carrying flashlights. Hours later, Louisa is found alone, barely alive, and her father is never seen again. As Louisa grows up with her mother, the loss of her father hovering over their lives, parts of their pasts are revealed, including a long-held secret. Flashlight is a sharp examination of not only the physical loss of someone, but loss of place, estrangement, and loss of self, as Louisa and her mother carry around a grief with no end. It’s a stunning heart-puncher. —Liberty Hardy All access members continue below for more of the best BIPOC books of 2025. This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: The Best Gifts for Readers 2025It’s the end of another year, and the gift-giving pressure is real. Some of us are shopping for loved ones, some are prepping for the annual book-club exchange, and some are coping with the stress in the most honorable way possible: buying gifts for ourselves. I salute this strategy—treat yourself! I celebrate Christmas, and with the current financial reality for me and most of my people, we agreed to scale back on exchanging presents this year. It’s a necessary evil, but I truly love to shop. Maybe that’s why hunting down the best gifts for readers this season was so fun. Finding meaningful gifts is always satisfying, but I’m also a magpie at heart, endlessly drawn to clever little trinkets. So along with the big-impact items, I rounded up smaller delights that caught my eye. And if you’re not doing gifts this time of year, might I suggest setting tiny goals and rewarding yourself with one of these treats? It’s a practice I swear by—I wouldn’t have built the habit of wiping down the kitchen counter every night without bribing myself with bookmarks and water-bottle stickers. Read on to discover the best gifts for readers in 2025! Best Stocking Stuffers for Readers These classy and sassy bookmarks are pretty enough to display even when they’re not holding your place. $4+ Image by V. Mal Creates via Etsy The intersection of Swifties and readers is significant. Give this Life of a Book Girl bookmark to a book girl you love. $10 Image by Schepper Design via Etsy This coin is so fun. Cut down on decision fatigue and let this token make the choices for you. $20 Image by Bookish Blue Line via Etsy I love books, but I also love miniature things. You can have it all by customizing these little key chain s, perfect for tucking in a stocking or keeping for yourself! $7+ Image by Lakeside Outlets via Etsy Can’t have a holiday gift round-up without an ornament. This Date Due Ornament can rock perfectly on a bulletin board or mantle—no tree needed. $9 Best Gifts for Readers Image by Hall of Summers via Etsy As a librarian, I see this tabletop book stand as an excellent bit of passive programming, but even at home, I love this conversation starter of a present. $20 Image by Mafeeyi Giftland via Etsy For the Booktoker or reading nook curator, these LED Light Bookshelf signs are personalized and powerful. $26+ Image by Glitter Cyber via Etsy This beautiful piece of art would look perfect shining in the window of any reader. $31 Image by Candlini via Etsy A bookstand can be a boon to a reader, whether by the fire, in the bathtub, or on the bedside table. The craftsmanship and fine wood of this Handcrafted Wooden Book Stand make a perfect gift. $59 Image by Huang Shop Store via Etsy I’m sorry, this SECRET HOLLOWED-OUT BOOK SAFE makes me absolutely giddy. Hide a little treasure inside, or gift a super spy power with the book itself. $35 Image by Handcrafted By Stella via Etsy Most readers love little tools to help them curate their libraries. Flesh out the cosplay by getting your would-be librarian their very own personalized book stamp . $10+ Hopefully, you’ve found something among these best gifts for readers that will be just right, whether it’s to give or to keep for yourself. You deserve it! Looking for more great gifts? Check out the rest of our holiday gift guide below. Happy shopping and happy reading!Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more

خلاصہ: Murder Most Fun: Treat Yourself to this Delectable Cozy MysteryI love cozy mysteries, especially during the time of year when the nights are longer and the weather is colder. Sometimes, though, cozies can be intimidating to get into if you come across a series with multiple installments available. Not so for Mia P. Manansala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen series, which is accessible for a number of reasons. While you’re sure to fall in love with the murdery midwestern town of Shady Palms and its quirky inhabitants harder if you read all of them, each of the books in this series can be experienced on its own. But even more than that, the latest installment is also the last, capping the series at a manageable 6 books. Numbers aside, there’s so much to love about this series. Death and Dinuguan by Mia P. Manansala Lila Macapagal has had a tumultuous couple of years since leaving the big city (and her terrible fiancé) and returning home to Shady Palms. Alongside the successes of opening a business—the Brew-ha Cafe—with her two best friends, helping her family through some hard times, and falling in love, there have been a lot of, well, murders. Death and Dinuguan doesn’t disappoint on that front, with a solid mystery for readers to puzzle through alongside amateur sleuth Lila and her quirky group of friends and family. This time, a string of burglaries targeting successful women-owned businesses has been plaguing the small town. When the owners of the new innovative woman-owned chocolate shop called Choco Noir are attacked, one of them dies and the other falls into a coma. Given the Shady Palms Police Department’s general ineptitude, Lila decides to team up with former detective Park to solve the murder before anyone else gets hurt. One thing I love about this series is how open Manansala is about how dangerous it is for a regular person to investigate crimes. There are lots of tongue-in-cheek comments delivered through various characters who remind Lila to be careful and think about her safety. In fact, Lila’s character has evolved a lot in this regard, which makes it more enjoyable to follow her investigation because she’s not simply repeating the same mistakes she made in the past. The result is that her sleuthing skills have improved in a believable way and she’s not making classic rookie moves that could have the effect of cheapening the mystery or compromising the story. Nope, Manansala has really allowed this character to grow and change across the series and the result is a rich and enjoyable mystery. Perhaps my absolute favorite dimension of Death and Dinuguan is that it continues the work of representing diverse characters which Manansala has been doing across the entire series. The stories feature a variety of queer characters (and no, they’re not just there to replicate the “bury your gays” trope , either), racial and ethnic minorities, and immigrants—many of them occupying central roles and returning in multiple books in the series. This specific book’s premise (that women-owned businesses are being targeted) allows Manansala to highlight some of the issues small business owners face, especially those who are women, queer, and/or minorities. This kind of representation, depicting real-life challenges faced by and discrimination against non-dominant groups, adds depth and substance to this cozy mystery. As much work as Manansala does to fully represent her diverse cast of characters, she also created quirky characters to populate the eccentric town of Shady Palms. There’s a range of personality types, from the quiet dentist Jae Park (who people love to share TMI with) to the comically ambitious Adeena Awan (who’s pretty much always ready to have a latte art throw down), the characters are believable and so very lovable. Death and Dinuguan portrays friendships you’ll want to be part of, small-town rivalries you’ll laugh at, and sympathetic characters you’ll root for to the last page. You’ll also fall in love with Shady Palms right alongside the fantastic characters who live there. Location is practically its own character in cozy mysteries, and Manansala delivers in droves with Shady Palms and nearby Shelbyville. The two small towns feel distinct from one another even as the scrumptious descriptions of food will make the foodies out there want to spend a weekend eating their way through the two communities. (Too bad Shady Palms isn’t real….) And true to the cozy form, Manansala has once again included tasty recipes at the back of the book. (I tried one and it was delicious !) Happily, the recipes have direct ties to the story, so if your mouth starts watering as you read, there’s a good chance you can experience the treats on the page if you’re willing to put in the leg work. At the end of the day, Death and Dinuguan just might be my favorite book in the series. This is partly because I found the mystery itself to be the most engrossing (that’s just my humble opinion). The mystery was hard to guess, but featured believable red herrings along the way, some great suspenseful moments, just the right amount of danger, and some solid sleuthing. This was also partly because, as the last book in the series, there was a wonderful sense of closure to this final installment. Manansala struck the perfect balance between indicating what the future might hold for the main characters and leaving some things to the reader’s imagination. Whether you’re a dedicated reader of cozies or new to the subgenre, here’s a whole list of recent cozy mysteries to explore. For more cozy mysteries with a culinary twist, here are some cozy foodie mysteries to make your mouth water while you sleuth.Source InformationPublisher: Book RiotOriginal Source: Read more