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A helpful resource for meeting any kind of reading goal is using a reading tracker. It’s a great way to make note of each book you read and make sure you’re keeping pace. But reading trackers also offer a way for you to learn more about your reading habits and preferences. I love a detailed reading tracker like this one designed for Book Riot by Tirzah Price. It can help you learn how long it takes you to read different books and compare that against things like genre, length, format, and more....

Speed reading apps can help us read faster without sacrificing reading comprehension. Some speed reading apps even allow you to track your progress. I am a data junkie, so I love a speed reading app that helps me see how far I’ve come. Another cool feature in some of these apps is the ability to download some of the content you already own as well as uploading content from websites and news stands....

Book Riot is teaming up with Early Bird Books to give away a 1-year subscription to Scribd! at Autostraddle: 8 Books Featuring Big Queer Families, Found and Otherwise at Brightly: Picture Books That Make Great Gifts for Adults at Bustle: There Are A Ton Of Great Rom-Com Novels Out This Week at BuzzFeed: 18 Epic Fantasy Books Starring Magical Black Leads at Crime Reads: Maternity Leave Noir at Electric Lit: 10 Australian Women Writers You Should Be Reading at Epic Reads: 21 Books Set Abroad That We’re Living Vicariously Through at The Guardian: Top 10 Classic Stories Retold at Lit Hub: On Taking Kink Seriously: A Reading List at POPSUGAR: The 25 Best YA Romance Books to Read After Watching To All the Boys: Always and Forever at Riveted Lit: Books to Read If Food is Your Love Language at Rolling Stone: The Best Books About Billie Holiday at Tor....

Though a practicing Christian myself, I was really bothered by the depiction of Paganism and Wiccanism in this Netflix show (and I’m assuming, the comic series itself). For centuries, witches and Pagans have fought against the prevailing idea that they worship Satan. People see a pentagram and assume it’s the work of the devil himself, conjuring up images of demons and Hell. So it doesn’t help when a show and a comic meant to feature the fictional lives of witches in Greendale focuses on their devotion to The Dark Lord....

Just like some love to listen to sad music (that’s also me), there are plenty of us out here who love to enjoy a good cathartic book cry. You’ve got your classic sad book sandwich, that starts happy, has a sad middle, and then has a happy ending. You’ve got the books that are just a sad ride the entire way and the book ends the same way. And, of course, there are the books that are deceivingly happy, and then BAM....

TBR is Book Riot’s subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes. Been dreaming of a “Stitch Fix for books?” Now it’s here! Tell TBR about your reading preferences and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Visit mytbr....

11 Quotes About Dysfunctional Families That Helped Me Through My Parents’ Divorce Mom always said people worried too much about their children. Suffering when you’re young is good for you, she said. It immunized your body and your soul, and that was why she ignored us kids when we cried. Fussing over children who cry only encouraged them, she told us. That’s positive reinforcement for negative behavior. —The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls If your parents disapprove of you and are cunning with their disapproval, there will never come a new dawn when you can become convinced of your own value....

In The Spanish Love Deception, Catalina Martín tells her family she’ll be bringing her American boyfriend to her sister’s wedding in Spain. That boyfriend is purely imaginary until Aaron Blackford, Catalina’s office nemesis, inexplicably offers to step in. Then they bicker until the bickering turns to kissing. Readers seeking The Spanish Love Deception read-alikes are, broadly speaking, asking for contemporary romances that embrace tropes. One might say all romances rely on tropes to some extent, but there are certainly particular books that layer multiple tropes into something especially delicious....

This isn’t going to work for our kids, though. Their lives have been molded around computers and (recently) distance learning. My kids can handle a PlayStation console better than I can, they can navigate Zoom faster and with more accuracy than my geriatric Millennial butt, and they can’t even count to 100 yet. I am one of those parents that like to feed their kids’ curiosity, so when they asked me how their games work, I froze....

For us, the fans of LeVar Burton, the American actor, director, TV host, and podcast host has been a source of positivity and encouragement. Some of us have been lucky enough to meet LeVar Burton in person. But there are plenty of us who would probably react just like Troy Barnes in Community if we ever came face-to-face with our hero. Yes, LeVar Burton’s fans love him this much. But even if you can sing all of the words to the Reading Rainbow theme song, there’s probably a lot you don’t yet know about the host of the show....

Now, there are more options for teens and, hopefully, the diversity in storytelling and subject matters continues to grow. I can’t tell you the joy I feel every time I see a brown or dark skin girl on the cover of a book. The same goes for fat, queer, and disabled main characters. Sometimes, I find myself marathoning through young adult books just because I know the younger version of myself still wants to read those types of stories....

But I have been thinking about establishing my own traditions for the holiday season now. Why not some bookish ones? So I’ve come up with 13 fun ways to spend the holidays if you don’t plan on spending them with a Christmas tree, a hoard of gifts, endless Christmas carols, and nibbling on your kid’s eagerly placed plate of cookies and milk. These don’t all have to become annual rituals, but it’s nice to have some bookish activities to fall back on....

The Bad-Ass Librarians Of TimbuktU: And Their Race To Save The World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer Meet Abdel Kader Haidara, an archivist. His job is to collect some old texts from the Niger River area. What he finds instead is Al Qaeda. They’re looking for the texts, too, but not to preserve them. What follows is a high-stakes smuggling operation that blurs the line between librarian and hero....

Some of you may roll your eyes. Perhaps you’re frustrated with the way the Fifty Shades series impacted perspectives of erotic romance. Maybe you wish E L James would just find a nice non-writing hobby so that you don’t have to have another conversation with your mom this summer about what she thinks of erotic romance. Not me. Once I read the press release, I found myself eagerly anticipating this book....

That’s exactly the kind of approach you should take when packing your vacation bag or tote for your nice staycation reading outside under a tree. And what better book to pick than one of the ones everyone is talking about? The books in this list of the best buzzy beach reads to clear your schedule and read has something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a magical fantasy, a tightly plotted thriller, or a memoir people won’t stop talking about, there is a book here for you....

Mic Drop by Sharna Jackson In this sequel to the brilliant High Rise Mystery, young detectives Nik and Norva return to solve a new mystery in their tower block. This time, tragedy strikes during a gig by a beloved local pop star and the two sisters are the only ones who can uncover the truth. Electrigirl by Jo Cotterill Part comic book, part traditional novel, this story is the first in a series about accidental superhero Holly....

Enjoy and let me know in the comments which college romance books I had the audacity to leave off this list! Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon Alexis is a baby butch lesbian and college freshman who has been struggling lately with her mental health and parental disappointment. Trisha is a slightly older femme and a new transfer student who shows up in Alexis’s computer science class. Trisha also happens to be the stripper that Alexis couldn’t keep her eyes off of a few weeks earlier at Alexis’s sister’s bachelorette party....

Summer reading doesn’t need to be a chore; nor do books that teach topics need to be boring. Whether your child is learning about pronouns and gender, escaping into South Indian mythology, or making train noises, these 15 July children’s book releases are sure to be a hit with children and adults alike. July Board Book Releases July Picture Book Releases July Middle Grade Releases Check out our children’s book archives and this list of the best 2020 children’s books for more summer reading ideas!...

I’ve pulled together this look at the top YA books by going to the place where readers like to congregate: Goodreads. As with my look at the top YA horror books over on Goodreads, this will be an imperfect list because any list is imperfect. To develop this list of top YA books on Goodreads, I pulled from the most popular YA books list on their website, but I didn’t rely on it entirely....

What is a plant-based diet? What constitutes a healthy diet varies for everyone, but for many the first step in eating healthier is incorporating more fruits, veggies, and whole grains into their daily meals. That doesn’t necessarily mean going vegetarian or vegan, although you certainly can if you want to! Whether you call it the Mediterranean Diet, Plant-Based Diet, or just Eating More Plants (TM), increasing the number of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains like rice, farro, etc....