Books

Paperbacks are the ideal book format for me. There’s no screen glare. There’s no figuring out how or where to store a dust jacket. There’s simply a flexible binding and cover that allow for folding and curling pages. I know — many of you likely flinched at the idea, and that’s fine. You can keep your books as pristine as you prefer. For me, I love giving my books a workout and putting them to use. As we settle in for the long cold season, I invite you, whatever your...

For a while, I thought I was an expert at recognising by the cover alone if a book was a young adult novel or a novel for adults. Then, one day, I picked up an audiobook I was absolutely convinced was YA, but got to such steamy scenes, that I had to stop in my tracks to reevaluate everything I thought I knew about book covers. I learned my lesson. Of course, while all this sounds like a mere lack of attention on my part – an assumption that all...

On the two year anniversary of the day when right-wing terrorist radicals attempted to overthrow American democracy, it seems fitting to talk a little bit about the groups across the country working to ensure democracy remains a fundamental right for every single person in this country. We’re deep into the second year of seeing books by and about queer people and people of color being demeaned, belittled, and ripped from public library and school shelves, thanks to groups — and people affiliated with groups — like those who attended the...

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting — who both starred in 1968’s Romeo and Juliet when they were 15 and 16, respectively — have sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million. The suit, filed Tuesday in the L.A. County Superior Court, alleges sexual abuse, harassment, and fraud. It comes as a result of the circumstances surrounding the film’s nude scene. Initially, director Franco Zeffirelli told the two teen stars they’d only be required to wear flesh-toned underwear for the scene, but the underwear changed to body makeup, and then finally...

In an email sent to victims on Tuesday, the office of the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York said that Filippo Bernardini, the Italian citizen who was arrested last year on suspicion of stealing unpublished books, is expected to plead guilty to wire fraud on Friday. For years, Bernardini used his insider knowledge as a rights coordinator for Simon & Schuster UK in a phishing scheme. He impersonated publishing professionals by using things like small changes in email addresses and industry shorthand. Over five years, he targeted...

It’s January, which means it’s out with the Best Books of 2022 lists and in with the Most Anticipated Books of 2023 lists! Goodreads has gathered up the new releases already getting the most buzz in a variety of genres, including horror. They note that horror has increased in popularity in recent years, and that there has been a big influx of talented new authors in this genre, including more Indigenous authors, like Stephen Graham Jones, Jessica Johns, and Nick Medina. Here are just a few of the most anticipated...

Because New Year’s was on a Sunday this year, we’re taking today off to recover. But don’t worry, we’ll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, we wish you luck in your 2023 reading goals, and we hope your year is filled with a fireworks display worth of five-star reads....

Back at the end of October, I attended an event called The RRAW Experience — in which the RRAW stood for Romance Readers And Writers (I love a good double entendre!). It was a day-and-a-half affair including author panels, workshops, fun and games, and a closing gala awarding some of the legends of romance. It was coordinated by a Black woman who runs a website and YouTube channel focused on romance by authors of all races and ethnicities, Brown Book Series, and the attendees were mostly Black women. Since it...

As readers, it can be a constant struggle to find space to store our book collections. And if you’re in a smaller space (or your books are housed in a smaller room) it can be difficult to make the best use of the space, or to find book storage solutions for small spaces that actually work. There is also the challenge of filling a small space but not making it look overwhelming or cramped. Personal taste plays a factor as well. At my previous apartment, I had zero space (and...

Whether or not you believe in the power of a new year to change your life or your habits, there’s something to be said about the flipping of a calendar year to help you take stock in what is important to you and where and how you wish to grow in the coming year. As the year comes to a close and we’re riding out 18-plus months of ongoing book bans and censorship across public schools and libraries in the U.S., this is the perfect time to sit down and...

December is just about over and we’re in the final week of the year, and for many, that means curling up inside under the covers with as many books as you can get your hands on. And if you really want to escape the snow and cold weather, transporting yourself to whole new worlds can be the best way to do that. Science fiction and fantasy books are great picks for traveling through time, space, galaxies, and kingdoms, and there are several new releases this month that will help you...

This is the feature where we look at the biggest bestseller lists — the New York Times, both Combined Print & E-Book Fiction and Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction lists; Amazon Charts, both Fiction and Nonfiction; and Publishers Weekly — and combine the results to get an overview of the bestselling books of the moment. Each list uses their own set of criteria and data, so by looking at the overlap, we can get a better idea of the overall bestsellers. Unlike last week, there are two new additions to...

You’ve likely heard of the dystopian novel 1984 and maybe even Animal Farm. Sure, you might have known the author was British writer George Orwell, but maybe you’ve asked: Who was George Orwell, actually? In this article, we’ll explore George Orwell’s life and work so you have all the facts about this important and influential author. When Was George Orwell Born? Orwell was born with the name Eric Arthur Blar on June 25, 1903 in Motihari, Bengal, in British India. Orwell considered his beginning humble, even though his paternal great...

I’ve never paid much attention to literary awards. I’m not the kind of reader who eagerly anticipates the Booker longlist announcement or stays up late watching awards ceremonies. Until recently, when I started spending more time on Bookstagram, it was unusual that I even knew what books had won which awards. Literary awards, as far as I’m concerned, are fairly arbitrary. They don’t excite me. I do, however, love a reading project. There’s an active community of readers on Bookstagram who read various awards longlists and shortlists every year, and...