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I don’t know what it is — maybe the last 18+ months have felt a bit like those exhausted, hypervigilant, worn out early days of parenthood — but lately I’ve been devouring (no pun intended) food writing. Perhaps, like comfort food on a rainy day, these help nourish me in some way and are a nice respite from everyday life. Articles, criticism, and yes, even memoirs. The Best American Food Writing 2021 shares bedside table space with Salt Sugar Fat; Taco USA and Delancey have both recently been shelved after reading them....

A slow burn is when the romantic attraction between characters builds slowly over the course of a novel or series. Slow burns can appear in all kinds of fiction, but romance is renowned for its mastery of this kind of prolonged building of emotion. For the sake of this article, I’m going to be primarily talking about two person relationships. Deep Characterization A crucial element to the slow burn is well developed characters....

These are not finished copies of the novel. In fact, some ARCs say “uncorrected proof” on the cover, meaning that there may be typos or grammatical errors in the novel that will be resolved in the final copy. Another important detail on the cover of physical ARCs is the statement “not for sale.” ARCs are not meant to be bought or sold like published novels can be. They are copies that are given to influencers in the community before publication....

Let’s talk about haunted house boooooo-ks. If I had to pick one horror plot to read for the rest of my life, it would be the haunted house. No other plot offers such a wealth of storytelling options. It’s a recurring motif in horror literature, with some recognizable tropes and beats, but it’s also a plot made of Silly Putty. The more a writer pulls, the more it stretches, and they can stretch it in any direction they please....

The invention of the printing press in 1440 meant that books could be mass-produced. Unfortunately, printed books were very expensive for a long time. Consequently, nobody thought to waste money on books for grubby little hands to destroy. However, because printing technology continued to improve, publishing costs gradually decreased. By the 17th century, children’s books became more common. When the 18th century ended, children’s books had become a thriving genre of the publishing industry....

Which DC Superhero Are You? Still curious about your superheroic alter egos? We’ve got more capes and tights quizzes for you at the links below:

“[W]ith prisons, we’ve created an opaque system. Until recently, not many people witnessed the day-to-day activities inside of prison and thus our perceptions have been guided by the most outlying vignettes—fictional portrayals of prison life, like in Oz, or media coverage of riots and other violence. So when prison censors tell us that something is ‘necessary to maintain security,’ it’s easier to believe that security could be easily compromised and that these guards have the expertise to assess the risk correctly,” said Michelle Dillon, a representative of the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC) and Books to Prisoners....

In 1550s England, Kate Sutton and her sister Alicia are ladies-in-waiting for Elizabeth I during the reign of Elizabeth’s sister Mary, Queen of Scots. After Alicia writes an inflammatory note to Queen Mary, Kate takes the blame and is exiled to an isolated castle, or gard, known as Elvenwood Hall. The lord of the house, Sir Geoffrey Heron, is distraught because his young daughter, Cecily, has just gone missing. Sir Geoffrey believes that his younger brother, Christopher, is responsible....

The Surge in Popularity As of October 10, 2021, The Body Keeps the Score has been #1 on the New York Times best sellers list for paperback nonfiction since February 14, 2021. That’s 34 straight weeks at #1. But it’s been in their top 15 for 153 weeks total, or almost three years. In addition, a fascinating Twitter thread started by Emily VanDerWerff documented the lengthy wait times for The Body Keeps the Score at libraries around North America....

Libraries are an essential public institution. Beyond borrowing books for free, think of all the other things you can likely use your local library for: computer and internet access, space to work, assistance with research, a cheap place to print (because who owns a printer anymore?), resources to build skills and find a job, and more. Plus, as the social safety net has been eroded, libraries have filled the gap....

On Monday, a little tidbit about an alternate plot line for the Harry Potter series made the rounds when J.K. Rowling said that she strongly considered killing off Ron Weasley. At a low point in the writing of the series, “sheer spite” nearly induced her to off one of the series’ three main characters. It’s too bad she had a change of heart. Look, we all knew that Voldemort wasn’t going to roll through Hogwarts and rule the magical world....

If you think amnesia is the stuff of 1980s soap operas, well, that may be true. But it’s much more than that. So many romance writers have written amnesia romances that it’s practically a rite of passage for an author who writes more than a handful of books. Nora Roberts, Lisa Kleypas, Nalini Singh — they’ve all gone there, some more than once. Some of my personal faves in recent years include A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon and An Earl, the Girl, and the Toddler by Vanessa Riley....

To be entered to win, simply fill in the form below. This sweepstakes is open to residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and all other US territories). Entries will be accepted until 11:45pm, July 31. Winner will be randomly selected. Complete rules and eligibility requirements available here. Ok, enough preliminaries. Here’s the form. Good luck! Oops! We could not locate your form. title: “Win 200 To Spend At The Book Riot Store " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-29” author: “Gloria Wallace” To be entered to win, simply fill in the form below....

No matter what is happening in the world, the seasons continue to change, creating a backdrop for all our human triumphs and dramas. The books below celebrate either a single season or the magic of the cycling through the seasons that returns to us every year. Some lean toward nonfiction facts, others explore human feeling, but all reinforce that the seasons are both permanent and always changing. There is comfort to be found in the knowledge that spring will always yield to summer, that autumn draws us toward the end of the year, and winter never lasts forever....

But are we totally ready to move on from the train wreck that is Tiger King? (No.) Personally, I think it’s good that the majority of us are collectively consuming this media—it opens our eyes to worlds that we didn’t know existed: The cruel side of “sanctuaries” and how to discern which are truly saving animals and which are exploiting them. The lengths people go to in order to obtain money or status from animals or their parts....

Bestselling authors Natalie D. Richards and Darcy Coates bring us stories that chill us to the bone and keep us up all night reading—haunting reads perfect for Halloween! A hitched ride home in a snowstorm turns sinister when one of the passengers is plotting for the ride to end in disaster in New York Times bestseller Five Total Strangers. From USA Today bestselling gothic horror author Darcy Coates comes The Haunting of Leigh Harker, a chilling story of a quiet house on a forgotten suburban lane that hides a deadly secret… “The Girl with the Green Ribbon” is a title many cite as a story which has never, ever left them....

Once you find a series you love you might not even care that you’ve spent weeks or maybe even months reading the first volume. Yes, reading manga and manhwas requires serious dedication as some series can have close to 200 volumes! Now, if you have never read Solo Leveling, you are probably wondering what it’s all about. It’s an epic fantasy where everyday people turn into extraordinary heroes to fight and hunt monsters....

What are Audible Originals? Up until last year, Audible subscribers were given, in addition to their monthly credits, the option to choose two exclusive audiobooks from a selection of six Audible Originals. In August 2020, the traditional Gold and Platinum monthly subscription plans became Audible Premium Plus. A cheaper alternative, Audible Plus, was added. Both plans grant access to a library of hundreds upon hundreds of Audible originals; this denomination has since expanded from referring only to audiobooks to include podcasts as well....

But if your manner of coping includes an insatiable need to understand our current predicament—to learn about this new way of living—microhistories are perfect resources. These hyper-focused, long-term looks at everyday objects can open your eyes to the wonders (or, occasionally, horrors) you take for granted. The following microhistories focus their precise, thorough sights on certain aspects of our current socially distanced pandemic reality. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson Bryson’s place on this list is a given....

Whether they’re new to the graphic novel world or a devotee of the genre, middle graders are sure to see themselves in at least one of these middle grade graphic novels. If you’re looking for even more graphic novels sure to delight your favorite middle grade kid, we’ve got plenty more here and here. Happy Reading!