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In the first weeks after I arrived, I took great joy in locating bookstores and popping in to see what I could find. I saw shelves of books whose covers and authors I recognized from the English speaking world that had been translated into Mongolian. I saw shelves and shelves of Mongolian literature. I have no idea what they are or what they are about, but it seems indicative of a thriving literary scene that maybe just hasn’t found a global audience yet....

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGunnis Three years ago, Alex Craft avenged her sister’s death and unlocked a language of violence within herself. She got away with it, but now she can’t be trusted around other people; she is dangerous. In her senior year, the darkness deepens, changing her life forever. With Malice by Eileen Cook Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital bed, with no memory of the last six weeks, to the knowledge that her trip to Italy with her best friend Simone was marred by a fatal car accident....

It’s not always easy being an immigrant because there’s a constant struggle of identifying with one culture over the other. I’ve felt that struggle especially as a reader because there aren’t as many Mexicans, or people of color, in bookish and literary spaces. That’s why reading books about immigrants and their families living in America are some of my favorites to read. It’s these types of narratives that have helped me to understand my place in this country....

Seriously, though, Japanese folklore is full of romances between humans and supernatural creatures. There’s the one where a man marries a kitsune, or fox spirit, and raises a family with her. Or the one where a man marries a crane disguised as a woman. Of course, neither of these cases ultimately ended happily, but the romance is there and so is the moment of horror — when the husband discovers his wife was never human at all....

Over the course of a generation, algorithms have gone from mathematical abstractions to powerful mediators of daily life. Algorithms have made our lives more efficient, more entertaining, and, sometimes, better informed. At the same time, complex algorithms are increasingly violating the basic rights of individual citizens. Traditional fixes, such as laws, regulations and watchdog groups, have proven woefully inadequate. Reporting from the cutting edge of scientific research, The Ethical Algorithm offers a new approach: a set of principled solutions based on the emerging and exciting science of socially aware algorithm design....

That said, I was a little nervous about reviewing Bender’s new collection of short stories. I was afraid all my fan-girling would get in the way of my journalistic whatever-you-want-to-call-it. That didn’t happen. This collection was a mixed bag. Which was unfortunate for me, good for my journalistic… whateverness. Below, the short stories, with letter grades and my comments in red pen. APPLELESS Right out of the gate, a parable about apples, mean girls, and possible rape told in first person plural....

Accommodations by Wioletta Greg, Translated by Jennifer Croft (Transit Books, July 2) It’s 1994, and Wiola is moving to the city of Czestochowa to attend college. It turns out, however, that she has no place to live because the college has no space for her. She ends up living in workers’ quarters in a world very different from academia, where she feels out of place among the students. She grew up in rough circumstances on a farm in rural Poland and doesn’t have the cultural knowledge of her peers....

That’s where social media comes in. By using Twitter and Instagram, I feel you can find some pretty amazing library displays ideas that won’t take up too much time or kill your budget. Using hashtags like #LibraryDisplays can be just one way to find some great ideas to keep library displays going in your school or public library space. I’ve included a bunch below with some general discussion around them....

I’m the woman who rereads her favorite childhood books once every two years or so to see which lessons they reveal to me at this time and in this place of my life. One author I turn to whenever I need that feeling of comfort and wisdom is Cynthia Voigt. So I am going to start this list with a shout out to my personal childhood and teenage author fav: Loving yourself and, more importantly, enjoying being yourself, is critical to making it in this cold world....

At the beginning of May, I set out to read APALA’s winning and honor titles from the YA Literature category from the last three years. YA Lit has always had a special place in my heart—I have so many memories from that wonderful and terrible time. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough stories about young adults finding their voices. And as an Asian American, I was especially excited to read these books by AsianPacific American Authors....

The two great loves of my work and academic life are books and history. The books came first, enticing me with the ability to step completely into a world that may not have been entirely factual, but gave me a sense of what it felt like to live in the past, and the curiosity about those time periods followed. After reading the books (and receiving the doll) of American Girl Molly, who lived on the World War II home front, I took every opportunity I could to quiz my grandma about her own experiences as a kid in the 1940s and flipped through my parents’ copy of Life at 100 to see photos from the war....

Sure, one could argue I could be a bit biased against The People We Keep. I’d been social media friends with its author, Allison Larkin, for a few years when, in the midst of quarantine cabin fever and pandemic-exacerbated mental illness, I launched a Q&A interview series for my website. I started reaching out to public figures I knew and loved, hoping they’d be interested in taking part. Allie immediately agreed, but later asked if we could hold off for a few months before she could officially talk about exciting news: her new novel, her first published under her full name, was coming in 2021....

“About three things I was absolutely positive.First, Edward was a vampire.Second, there was a part of him — and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be — that thirsted for my blood.Third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.” You have a great idea now of where this book is going to go. You know it’s a dangerous sort of supernatural romance. But you still have a lot of questions!...

I’d read until my grandmother wanted to feed me or take me shopping, or until it was time for my grandfather to yell at the Wheel of Fortune contestants. An idyllic time. What would it take to get back to that place? You Can’t Step in the Same River Twice The real answer, of course, is a time machine. I had no responsibilities and a grandmother who sternly refused all help with household chores....

I always felt like I belonged more as an educator, even from that first teaching gig. Flashback to 2008–2009 when I was partly laid off from The Miami Herald. I thought all was lost, after over 15 years of a journalism career. Then, a former professor from Florida International University contacted me to teach a class at the school. Nervous, I took the leap, and I fell in love with teaching....

Fan fiction is shamed in many circles due to the primary demographic of creators and consumers being young women and girls. While that’s largely true—I was one of many exceptions to this general rule of thumb—the genre deserves a much better rap among the masses for the role it plays in people’s lives. For one, the things young women and girls take interest in shouldn’t be shunned in the first place....

To begin with a sweeping generalization, I’ve found that short stories can often be divided into two subsets: those that follow a concentrated version of the traditional story arc and those that don’t. More often than not, the events of the story are building toward a single revelation, a twist that forces you to see the characters in a new light—think Seymour’s suicide at the end of “A Perfect Day for Banana Fish....

Book Riot is teaming up with Fierce Reads to give away a Kindle Paperwhite! To enter, simply fill out the form and subscribe to Fierce Reads for a chance to win.Here’s a bit more about our sponsor: Uncover your next YA obsession! Sign up to receive book recommendations, access exclusive excerpts and giveaways, and connect with your favorite authors online. I’ve written before about my ADHD and how that diagnosis changed my life....

Basically, I’m always seeking more information and knowledge and am curious about so much, but it’s hard to keep up. I’m my most happiest when I find a thing that intrigues me and I end up following a random road, landing either down a rabbit hole or finding something great to read. I was recently watching a K-drama and decided to google what lipstick/stain/tint the actress was wearing, and suddenly I found myself reading about beauty standards, plastic surgery, and the beauty industry in South Korea....

Let’s talk about some of Kelly’s arguments, some of which have their points and some that could be improved: Sales of trade paperback books with cartoon covers and higher price points have helped increase numbers in romance. No denying that. While the average mass market paperback romance novel hits a price point of $3.99–7.99, popular releases like The Bride Test and The Wedding Party go for $14.99–17.99. The cashflow alone of these books were one of a few elements that caused Barnes and Noble to report a 31% increase in romance sales last month over the same month the year before....