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We all remember things slightly differently. Oral histories give us as a civilisation a chance to look beyond the agreed facts and consider broader viewpoints and perspectives. We’re used to the heroics of the extraordinary adventurers, but the ordinary voice can be just as extraordinary, just as pivotal, when given space to speak. Never an easy read, oral histories are a challenge, but I always seem to learn more from them than I ever thought I could....

Looking back, the genre was very much lacking representation of anything except straight white people. All of the main characters were white teenagers, and all of the love triangles had one teenage girl and two male love interests she had to choose from, usually one with dark hair and the other blonde, for a little bit of variety. You were a Peeta or a Gale fan, right? Luckily, the genre is still very much alive and has expanded in its scope to put other diverse characters at the helm....

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Ah, the romance of Paris! With boarding school, of course, and a secret crush that might bloom into something more. Anna deals with the dual challenges of growing up and finding her feet in a strange land in this charming YA novel. This is a debut, which makes it all the more impressive that Perkins finished her draft during NaNoWriMo. The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill Sixty percent of this book was completed for Averill’s first NaNoWriMo....

They were born to defy Texas’s tyrannical and oppressive Governor Roth, but after inspiring millions around the country, outlaw twin sisters Ava and Mira Goodwin’s work is far from over. The once-mighty Roth has regrouped south of the border and holds a hostage beloved by the sisters. Now, in the most unlikely and treacherous of places, the sisters must finish what they started. Before they—and the Common—are erased from history forever....

The wait was well worth it. I learned more than I expected to at the event and even asked a question of my own about being a first-timer writing long-form fiction. In the spirit of libraries and sharing, I wanted to make what I learned available to the many who couldn’t attend. And so—here are nine things I learned at “Susan Orlean in Conversation with Library Director Diane Kresh” at Arlington Public Library....

Her master turned her into a weapon. Now she plans to turn the tables. From Charlie N. Holmberg, the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Paper Magician Series, comes the first read in a captivatingly magical new series. Read Smoke and Summons today. Since Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein (published all the way back in 1818), monster novels have been a firmly established part of the book-reading world. We see them as zombies, or aliens, or vampires....

It wasn’t the first bookstore I had visited since some of the coronavirus restrictions had lifted; it wasn’t even the first one in Chicago. However, it had been the one that I frequented the most often before the world shifted on its axis. It was where I had run when the world seemed to be falling apart, the one I had dreamed of having my own book launch in, and the one where I had even made some friends at after-party events....

Some books aren’t right for us readers at a particular time in our lives, but we return to them when we’re ready. I remember first trying to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson during my college finals in December 2010. Years later, after being sexually assaulted, I became obsessed with Larsson’s Millennium series and both its Swedish and American movie adaptations. Like many other fans, I admired Lisbeth Salander’s fearless independence....

Houghton Mifflin Court and HarperCollins announced last Thursday that a special edition of LOTR is being released this October, and it will feature Tolkien illustrated scenes throughout the book. We’ve gotten a taste of Tolkien’s artwork before, as other editions contain the map of Middle Earth he created, as well as his renderings of the Doors of Durin and Balin’s Tomb in The Fellowship of the Ring, and other LOTR-adjacent publications have contained more of Tolkien’s illustrations, but never compiled into the trilogy itself....

I must admit now that this is an entirely subjective list skewed to my perspective. There are bookstores I like in New York City and bookstores I don’t. Since I grew up in the city, I have many enemies for reasons that range from petty to valid. I think it’s important to have enemies in New York City so you can narrow down the vast number of places you can go....

After Reshi’s tweets about the book went viral, there were many artists who spoke out about the ethical issues surrounding using AI to produce art the way Reshi did to produce art for the children’s book. The issue lies with where AI gets its information: its algorithms are trained by art that is made my people who didn’t consent to being used and who aren’t getting compensated. Children’s book illustrator Adriane Tsai shared, “The main problem to me about AI is that it was trained off of artists’ work....

The kids are coming home for the holidays and they can already smell the chestnuts roasting… or is that Mom’s hair on fire? For Tyler, Channing, and Sammy, home has always been filled with holiday magic courtesy of their mom Claire. But this year, when the three kids descend on their childhood home with significant others and kids in tow, something seems a little off-key—and it’s not just the carols....

If you were, however, to look deeper at this anthology, at each page, each panel and each lovingly rendered expression of fearful eyes or hands held high, you’d notice that APB calls for more than a dialogue or conversation. By using these powerful black and white comics to present the stories, true and fictional, of those caught in the war between law enforcement officials and certain segments of the public, APB calls for a reckoning....

Before it was published in 2022, Carly Moore serialized Panpocalypse online during the early days of pandemic. It’s set in New York City in the spring of 2020. There’s not much plot. Orpheus, the main character, is a queer disabled professor. She rides her bike around the city, looking for love, feeling lonely. There’s an eeriness and an urgency to it that I instantly connected with. Yes, I thought. This is exactly what it felt like....

This collection of audiobooks features classic stories and favorite fairy tales and reimagines them with modern flair. Marissa Meyer takes on Rumpelstiltskin in Gilded, Lauren Blackwood gives an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy twist to Jane Eyre in Within These Wicked Walls, Alix E. Harrow puts her own spin on Sleeping Beauty in A Spindle Splintered, and more. Hear them all now! Arguably, any good story is poised for retelling. Great stories, though, can be retold across the ages, molded to fit its listeners/readers in the times they’re in....

With Stargirl making her debut on the CW back in May, it only seems right to give some airtime to her predecessors, and those of the Justice League, the members of the Justice Society of America (JSA). A war time (WWII, specifically) hero group that included the original Flash (Jay Garrick) and the original Green Lantern (Alan Scott), the JSA formed after Hitler acquired the Spear of Destiny (powerful mystic weapon) and received a captive Flash and Green Lantern as gifts from one of his scientists....

Because holy cats, there is a lot of exciting sequel news being shared right now, and oodles of exciting sequels coming at us in 2022. Recently, we learned that Colson Whitehead will be returning to the world of Harlem Shuffle. Two authors will be releasing companions to beloved novels: The Candy House by Jennifer Egan and Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi. And a few amazing sequels have already dropped this year: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor, Seven Mercies by by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May, and The Unfamiliar Garden by Benjamin Percy....

I have children who feel big feelings and struggle with anxiety, and at our house, first day of school prep includes an early return to the school night routine. This is one less thing to struggle with as we return to early wake ups and adjust to new teachers and classes. Leading up to school and for the first few weeks, we also place an extra focus on asking each other the high and low of our day....

Thankfully, there were plenty of notable new releases to the genre this year—so your holiday shopping just got a whole lot easier. Check out some of the best coffee table books from 2019 that would make great gifts this season: Resident Dog: Incredible Homes and the Dogs That Live There by Nicole England Adorable dogs + gorgeous homes—what better combination is there? This beautifully photographed book brings together two of Instagram’s favorite things, giving readers a glimpse at some of the most stunning and uniquely designed homes in the world and the furry, four-legged friends who live there....

Now, I’ve divided this list into two sections. The first one is full of fantasy books that reimagine history and add magical elements. This means that they take inspiration directly from certain historical events to build a story. They reimagine history. The second section is all about fantasy books that just have a historical fiction setting. As a last disclaimer of sorts I just want to say that this list is by no means definitive or exhaustive — there are plenty of other historical fantasy books out there that are equally impressive and unputdownable!...