Books

Mystery writer Carol Higgins Clark died Monday, June 12 at the age of 66. The statement her family gave listed the cause of death as appendix cancer. Clark was born in New York City in 1956 and was the daughter of suspense author Mary Higgins Clark. Carol Higgins Clark got her start acting, and even had a few credits in movies based on her mother’s books, before she got introduced to the writing process by retyping her mother’s manuscripts. It was this time spent discussing her mother’s characters and plots...

We know that LGBTQ+ books are under fire across the country and they have been specifically targeted by right-wing conspiracy theorists in a very organized fashion now for several years. In addition, we have seen public education and teachers come under fire by these same conspiracists who believe that by having LGBTQ+ books in the mere presence of children will be enough to fundamentally change who they are. Imagine if that were the case: today’s kids would never need to work on math or on writing or on thinking because...

We recently covered how bookstore employees often aren’t paid a living wage, but it might surprise you to know that a lot of authors face the same issue. One queer indie bookstore is working to change that, especially where LGBTQ authors are concerned. This marginalized community has been hit particularly hard by increasing anti-LGBTQ laws and book bans. That’s not all: according to ShopQueer.co, most authors only receive about 10% of the profits any time their book is sold. Many write on the side of a full-time career or juggle...

The place where the lost things go isn’t one of the most frequently-occurring story tropes, but it’s certainly one of the more compelling. In the Wizard of Oz universe, L. Frank Baum created the Valley of Lost Things, a location in Merryland where anything lost in the real world will eventually turn up. Danielle Page expanded on Baum’s concept in her Dorothy Must Die series, giving us the Island of Lost Things, a place that travellers can only find if they get totally lost on their journeys. There are contemporary...

It’s been a little over a week since the publication of Elliot Page’s memoir, Pageboy, and the haters have settled in on Goodreads. This isn’t surprising. Page is perhaps the most publicly visible trans celebrity to publish a memoir in recent memory. What’s more, though he does write about his career in Hollywood, the making of movies like Juno and Whip It, and his relationships with famous actors, in many ways, the book is not a traditional celebrity memoir. Pageboy is an intimate, vulnerable, and poetic coming-into-self story about one...

No lengthy introduction this week. Instead, this week is dedicated to a survey to authors: are you seeing an impact on the number and types of school and library visit invitations in this era of censorship? Click this link to fill out the survey. All responses are due July 1, for an anticipated July 14 run date. Anyone who is a traditionally published author for minor-age readers may participate. It is anonymous, and participation in every question is not required. We want to find out how much your income is...

It’s about the middle of the year — and the middle of Pride Month — and Esquire has blessed us with a roundup of 20 of the best queer books out this year so far. In this list, you’ll find trans memoirs, illuminating nonfiction, poetry, and a variety of genres written by well-known authors as well as exciting new ones to know. So, here are the 20 best LGBTQ+ books so far this year to pick up between Pride events. Also In This Story Stream...

It’s time to pause, take a step back, and review the books we’ve read and enjoyed this year so far. Other booksellers — Amazon and Barnes & Noble — have already shared what they think are the first half of the year’s best books, but the advantage of this list is that it’s the most popular books on Goodreads, meaning that it takes readers’ views into account way more. This roundup shows the nine most popular books in different genres and age categories — mystery, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction,...

To paraphrase the good sis Lizzo: It’s about that time! Time to take stock of books that have come out so far this year that have left an impression. Amazon has joined Barnes & Noble as the latest bookseller to share their list of books that we should all give more attention to. The list of Amazon’s best books of the year so far was assembled by its editorial team, which took into account book reviews, factoring in buzzy books with what readers and their fellow Amazon reviewers liked the...

Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Road, No Country for Old Men, Blood Meridian, and more, has died at the age of 89. He passed away from natural causes in his Sante Fe home, according to his publisher, Knopf. McCarthy won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for his bleak dystopian novel, The Road. Many of his novels were adapted into movies, including the 2007 Coen brothers’ film No Country for Old Men, which won the Oscar for best picture, among other awards. His first novel, The Orchard Keeper,...

The boom of Korean pop culture, Korean Wave, or Hallyu has reached new heights. First, it was K-pop. Then, it’s K-drama. And now, that popularity has transcended into literary territory in the form of webtoons. According to The Economist, Korean webtoons have surpassed Japanese mangas. The format is poised to become the next big thing in the comics business, following the success of South Korea’s other cultural exports. But in general, the comics industry is seeing a boom. Sales of comic books are strong. In fact, manga and comics have...

I am a gamer, and I read books. Yet the one thing that will turn me off any book is when the creator falls back on the same old nerdy gamer stereotype. It’s almost like they forgot to ask the question, “Do Gamers Read?” I mean, have you heard about The Witcher? Or perhaps American McGee’s Alice? There’s even a whole genre of video games designed for people who like to read: Narrative Games. And while it is easy to imagine gamers who like to read, it has only been...

If you’ve never heard the term “atompunk,” I’m sure you’re not alone. The sci-fi and speculative fiction genres are full of these hyper-specific sub-genres of books, media, video games, and television that each come with their own unique characteristics. I’d be willing to bet you’ve seen or heard of at least one movie or TV show that fits “atompunk,” though. What is Atompunk? Also known as “atomicpunk,” atompunk is a sub-genre of speculative fiction and science fiction that centers on the 1950s and 1960s historical events, particularly the Space Race,...