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Here are my UK literary highlights of the first half of 2020. From elegant literary fiction to riveting crime fiction, shocking memoirs to spellbinding narratives, there is something for everyone here. Without further ado, feast your eyes (and minds) on these captivating reads. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan (W&N) Hands down one of the most anticipated debuts of the year, this novel has been described as Sally Rooney meets Crazy Rich Asians....

I can’t promise there won’t be any angst in the middle, but all of these books are relatively light and definitely fall into the “happily ever after” category. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that made me smile as much as Casey McQuiston’s Red, White and Royal Blue. Maybe you heard all the hype and weren’t sure, but let me tell you: it’s just that good....

I pretty much read every genre, and since mystery has always been my favorite, I love when they mingle. I’ve found it’s also a great way to expand your reading into other genres and to be able to read the same book with someone who doesn’t necessarily read the genre(s) you love. It’s like a middle ground that lets you explore a bit of more than one thing. I’m recommending some great genre-mixed mysteries this post, so get ready to add these to your TBR!...

But hey, what exactly am I getting at with terms like “diverse catalogs” and “inclusive publishers”? Am I talking about racial diversity? Well, yes. But that’s a qualified yes, because how can I decide what’s diverse enough to be diverse? I can’t, not really. And there’s lots of room for improvement on that count in the translation world. For instance, black writers simply aren’t translated into English enough, as John Keene pointed out in “Translating Poetry, Translating Blackness....

The Women of Wakanda The women of Wakanda are fierce, powerful, funny, courageous, and independent. They tell it like it is: “This corset is really uncomfortable, so could we all just wrap it up and go home?” “Bullet wounds don’t just magically heal overnight.” “They do here, but not by magic, by technology.” —from an exchange between Agent Ross and Shuri, after Shuri has healed his seemingly fatal wound. “Guns. So primitive....

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney Every family has their quirks, but the Plumb family takes dysfunctional to a whole new level. Adult siblings Melody, Beatrice, Jack, and Leo are just months away from receiving their inheritance, a trust fund set up by their late father which they call “The Nest.” All four siblings have been quietly spending this money in their minds, and in some cases, in real life. All of their dreams are about to become reality....

And it looks like I am not alone. Critics from several publications also shared the same sentiments over the much-anticipated sequel. The reviewer from The New Yorker, for instance, called it “shallow,” while the critic from The A.V. Club was left with a “terrible disappointment.” As genderqueer, I love the work even though it’s so straight. All its formats—the book, movie, soundtrack, and the audiobook—just blend well together. An obra maestra....

Book Riot is teaming up with Macmillan’s Nightfire newsletter for a chance to win a Horror Lover’s prize pack containing the following:- $200 Visa gift card- The Living Dead by George Romero and Daniel Kraus- Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia- Slewfoot by Brom- Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt- The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona WardSimply sign up for the Nightfire newsletter and fill out the form here to be entered to win....

Variegation and propagating are IN. Plant swaps are The Business—or they will be once we are no longer required to keep our distance from one another, sigh. Whether you started your plant journey last year, last week, or are simply looking for another interesting thing to keep you occupied over what promises to be a very weird summer, here are some more books that will help keep your space green and happy....

If you’ve read any of my novels, you know I love nothing more than a sassy animal character. From Tybalt the ghost-sniffing cat in Anna Dressed in Blood to Camden the cougar, Braddock the bear, and Pepper the woodpecker in the Three Dark Crowns series, plucky animals just won’t stay off the pages. So it makes sense that I LOVE a good animal character in the books I read. Let’s talk about five....

Kate and Tam meet, and both of their worlds tip sideways. At first, Tam figures Kate is your stereotypical cheerleader; Kate sees Tam as another tall jock. And the more they keep running into each other, the more they surprise each other. Beneath Kate’s sleek ponytail and perfect façade, Tam sees a goofy, sensitive, lonely girl. And Tam’s so much more than a volleyball player, Kate realizes: She’s everything Kate wishes she could be....

And Kurlansky’s books are just the tip of the iceberg! There are so many great microhistories, ranging from subjects like butter and cotton to champagne and the color indigo. Check out this list of 50 must-read microhistory books for hours of enjoyment. 50 Must-Read Microhistory Books Rain: A Natural and Cultural History by Cynthia Barnett “It is the subject of countless poems and paintings; the top of the weather report; the source of the world’s water....

In Iowa City, the University of Iowa Writers Workshop is famous for its creative writing program. Since its founding in 1936, the program has been home to thousands of remarkable writers, instructors, and lecturers. Today I’m featuring 50 must-reads from writers who spent time in this heartland city of literature. I hope you enjoy, and come visit us in Iowa some day! (Descriptions graciously supplied from publisher descriptions and condensed when necessary....

Until recently, March 2 was celebrated as Dr. Seuss’s birthday. The National Education Association (NEA) rebranded and expanded the event, which they launched in 1998 to align with Dr. Seuss’s birthday, as Read Across America Day. Read Across America Day’s aim is to focus on diverse reads and ensuring that children across the USA are exposed to stories that showcase the realities of their world. Dr. Seuss’s legacy and work have been called to question over the last decade, thanks in part due to work by scholar Phil Nel and his groundbreaking book Was the Cat in the Hat Black?...

Lyonne’s ability to deliver amazing one-liners is matched only by her incredible on-screen vulnerability. Even when the character is at her worst, you’ll root for her to get out of the time loop and make a better life. Each short episode reveals another layer to Vulvokov, a video-game developer with a substance abuse problem, until we’re left with her true self—the heart of the Russian Doll. Sadly, Season 2 has been delayed due to the pandemic....

But we’re flipping that trope with these rich girl, poor boy romance recs. Here, the women have the stacked bank accounts and financial security. They own castles! They make millions! #Goals Make Me by Tessa Bailey Love a stern uptown ice queen heroine? What about a blue collar hero who is hopelessly in love with her? Abby Russell never thought she’d fall for a tattooed construction worker. She was raised with money, partook in beach vacations with the New York upper crust, and now helps manage her family’s hedge fund....

Zora Neale Hurston was Actually 10 Years Older Than She Claimed When Alice Walker finally found what is believed to be Zora Neale Hurston’s grave after a long search, she had a tombstone put in place to finally mark where her grave was. But the birth year that Walker put on the tombstone was 1901, off by about 10 years. Zora Neale Hurston was actually born in 1891, but when her mother died in 1904 she was forced to leave school by her father....

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu Mooncakes’s cover has a muted yellow hue complete with an adorable witch and werewolf on the cover that just screams Halloween time. And the art inside this fantastical young adult graphic novel is sure to get any reader in the spooky spirit, too. Nova, a teenage witch, works at her grandmother’s bookstore in between investigating supernatural happenstances in her neighborhood. One night, she comes across Tam, a werewolf and Nova’s childhood crush, battling a demon horse....

According to The Ripped Bodice’s State of Racial Diversity in Romance Report, only 12% of romance novels published in 2020 were written by authors of color. (You can view the full report here.) While the publishing industry has a long way to go to become more representative, we can advocate for more representation in romance by seeking out diverse stories when building our TBR lists. Below, I’ve curated a selection of contemporary romance novels written by Asian authors....

Nobody can tell you the “right way” to play D&D, because there is no single correct method of play. Newcomers will be surprised by just how quickly they pick up the myriad rules that govern combat. For most people, however, the pressure of making meaningful contributions — whether that means writing your character’s backstory or building a new city from scratch — is the most difficult aspect of the game to master....