From Cherie Priest, author of The Family Plot and Maplecroft, comes The Toll, a tense, dark, and scary treat for fans of the strange and macabre. Titus and Melanie Bell are en route to the Okefenokee Swamp cabins for a honeymoon canoe trip. But just before they reach their destination, the road narrows into a rickety bridge with old stone pilings and room for only one car. Then Titus wakes up in the middle of the road, no bridge in sight....

Black people have suffered (Oh, how we have suffered), and there are still many real injustices to keep on fighting against. But guess what, it’s still pretty awesome to be Black. There are many great books out there that confront the realities of racism. There are some amazing novels that dissect the effects of historic, systemic racism in people’s lives. These books are all great. Read all of these books....

Calling all audiobook nerds! The hibooks club is waiting for you. One membership gets you 1 free book to start and an additional catalog of audiobooks for unlimited listening. After all, we’ve got audiobooks. You’ve got ears. It’s a perfect match! Whether you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, or relaxing on the couch, audiobooks are the perfect companion for your busy life. But what if they could also bring clarity to your financial situation?...

Sure, the premise of Sexy Beasts is a little unconventional. But if you love a dating show that’s also a social experiment, then you’re probably just as excited about this show as I am. If you’re loving the show and you want to keep the fun going, here are some romantic books like Sexy Beasts that you can read for more strangeness and unconventional dating. — Netflix (@netflix) June 23, 2021 Read even more books based on your favorite reality TV show here....

Like other manga sub-genres, however, navigating series and selecting one to read can be intimidating. To that end, I’ve put together a list of the best slice-of-life manga. I made a point to include manga featuring characters at different life stages and in varying situations. The one thing that unifies these selections is they’ll leave you feeling good and refreshed about life. I made sure not to include stories that are downers....

The quick run-down: Ned, the pie maker, has the ability to bring dead people (and plants and animals) back to life, but only for a minute or someone else dies. When his childhood sweetheart Chuck dies, he brings her back to life (and leaves her alive). After catching wind of Ned’s abilities, private investigator Emerson Cod offers Ned a deal to work on murder cases together, splitting reward money, with Ned acting as a psychic....

I’ve tried to include a variety of age-appropriate books in this list that focus primarily on the importance of Stonewall. That said, this list isn’t as diverse as I would otherwise want and consists mainly of white authors. However, we do have other articles in our LGBTQ archives that consist of a wide array of authors. I personally recommend this one that is geared towards Queer female authors. Children’s Books About Stonewall To quote a popular ’80s song, I believe the children are our future....

For more mystery and thriller goodness, check out these mysteries you may have missed in 2020. If cozy mysteries are more your jam, these cozies are hitting shelves in the first half of 2021.

Now, Where Does Military Fantasy Come From? Military fiction or the War Novel is a genre that deals with the physical and psychological repercussions of the lifecycle of war and conflict, and is set before, during, or after a battle. World War I and World War II led to an explosion in military fiction globally. Ultimately, as people came to terms with the physical and psychological effects of war at home and abroad, they turned to literature for comfort....

What Is Manga? Let’s start with a definition of manga. Manga are simply comics from Japan. In fact, that’s what manga means; it’s Japanese for “comic.” Now before experienced manga fans start quibbling, I know that’s a simplified definition. If you look at the manga industry in Japan, there are creators who aren’t Japanese. Korean comics, or manhwa, have been serialized in Japanese comic anthologies. One of this season’s anime is based on a manga by a French creator....

But let’s face it: most of us are pretty content to stay inside in the nice air conditioning with our books. Why would we leave our houses? We have everything we need here! No matter how much we want to stay inside, vitamin D and fresh air are good for us (apparently), so here’s my official guide to camping and the great outdoors—for inside, book-loving people. Pick and Choose Your Books If your family, partner, kids, or dog(s) are nipping at you to spend time outside with them, the key is what you pack....

I am lucky to be surrounded by all the Rioters and Riot readers constantly suggesting great reads for me. But when I am looking for amazing readers outside the Book Riot pool who I know will give me a great read, I go straight to Amal El-Mohtar. El-Mohtar is a Canadian author and poet based in Ottawa. She’s an editor and writer of short fiction and poetry, with Rysing, Locus, Nebula, and Hugo awards under her belt....

Happy Valentine’s Day from Peter K. Card: The only card you need this V-Day! To All the Cats I’ve Loved Before Card: And just a reminder that having a cat or multiple cats does not make you sad, it makes you blessed! Pete Kavinksy Heart Pin: Let the world know who has your heart. Love Me Like Peter Loves Lara Jean T-Shirt: Because #relationshipgoals. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Enamel Pins: It’s Lara Jean’s letter to Peter K....

Americans age 15 and older increased their daily reading average from 17 minutes per day in 2019 to 20 minutes per day in the same time frame in 2020. Two demographics, those between the ages of 20 and 34 and those over age 65, increased their daily reading average the most. Those older than 75 had the largest time increases in reading last year, clocking in at an average of 57 minutes a day....

When did Spider-Man first appear? Stan Lee and Steve Ditko first introduced Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy back in 1962, when teen superheroes were almost exclusively sidekicks. Peter Parker’s adolescent struggles spoke to younger readers, prompting him to become one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Universe. The comics are still going strong and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to dominate the box offices for years to come....

Going back at least to this description in The Illiad of the shield of Achilles, poets have been writing about art. The practice, called ekphrasis (here’s a short history), is perhaps appealing because it gives writers and readers a tangible physical starting place, a kind of shortcut from the usual challenge of translating a wholly new idea to or from the page. In a recent NYT Magazine profile, Anne Carson describes this challenge as “the struggle to drag a thought over from the mush of the unconscious into some kind of grammar, syntax, human sense; every attempt means starting over with language....

Anne of Green Gables began as a serialized story in 1908 and was first published in novel form in 1910. The eight-book series is beloved worldwide, with multiple film, television, stage, and radio adaptations, as well as modern retellings and more. On a personal note, it is also the source of my roller derby name, Anna Mean Gables; I was an Enforcer with the Los Angeles Derby Dolls for five years....

In one of my favorite episodes of Golden Girls, which I first saw in reruns when I was an early teen, Blanche doesn’t have a date, and Dorothy invites her along to the library. I adore the library and (obviously) books, so I am actually going to transcribe entire exchanges from the episode. First, though, I must admit that it was weird as a teenager to hear my thoughts coming out of the mouth of someone who was older than my mother....

This week, Obama shared his favorite reads of 2020 and it’s an incredible mix of new books, old books, and a wide range of genres and styles. Take a gander: Seventeen books grace his best reads of 2020: Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar Jack by Marilynne Robinson Caste by Isabel Wilkerson The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson Luster by Raven Leilani How Much of These Hills is Gold by C....

“Akbar Watson is the owner of Pyramid Books, which specializes in books about African American culture. In an interview with NBC affiliate WPTV, Watson said for the first time in 30 years he’s been selling out on books on race. ‘It’s a shock to say the least,’ Watson said. ‘And they weren’t being housed at major bookstores, they were coming from independent authors and independent publishers, they didn’t have that wide spectrum....