Books

The 2022 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction has been awarded to Khadija Abdalla Bajaber for her debut YA novel The House of Rust. The novel is a coming-of-age story steeped in Swahili and Hadrami culture in which Aisha, a young girl in Mombasa, Kenya, embarks on a sea journey in an enchanted boat

To say anticipation was high for the latest novel by Jordan Harper would be something of an understatement. His 2017 debut, She Rides Shotgun (A Lesson In Violence in the UK), picked up a prestigious Edgar Award and we awarded it five stars as well as interviewing the author. We certainly didn’t expect to have

The onset of cold weather can only mean one thing: It’s time to head to the kitchen and cook, bake and sauté up a variety of delicious, warming meals and treats to be eaten as the early dark creeps in. Bliss on Toast It is a truth universally acknowledged that if a person wishes to

A desert star is a tiny white flower found, unsurprisingly enough, in the inhospitable desert sands. Resilient and beautiful, they’re “a sign of god in this fucked up world”, according to a friend of former LAPD detective Hieronymous ‘Harry’ Bosch. The flowers of the book’s title bloom near to a makeshift memorial in the Mojave

★ Never Rescue a Rogue Virginia Heath’s Never Rescue a Rogue is a sophisticated Regency gem. In this second entry in the Merriwell Sisters series, world-weary nobleman Giles Sinclair battles ennui by trading barbs with journalist Diana Merriwell, his best friend’s sister. Though their charming family and friends think they would make a perfect pair,

This is the second year of the Crime Fiction Lover Awards and the excitement is palpable. Based on nominations made by Crime Fiction Lover readers, we are now able to unveil our shortlists and ask you to make your votes. A big thank-you goes out to everyone who nominated. We’re hoping for an even bigger

The 2022 Kirkus Prize Award winners were announced Thursday October 27 in a hybrid ceremony at a public library in Austin, TX. The literary award was first given in 2014 and is among the highest paying, granting each of its winners $50,000. The winners are as follows: Fiction Trust by Hernan Diaz Trust shows the

The indie publishing house Corylus Books specialises in discovering unique voices in crime fiction from various countries, then diligently translates the authors’ novels into English. Jónína Leosdóttir is the latest distinctive crime writer Corylus has found, and the third from Iceland, following Sólveig Pálsdóttir and Óskar Gudmundsson. Jónína’s novel Deceit has just hit the shelves

Amazon bought Goodreads in 2013, but for the most part, there hasn’t been much integration between the retailer and the social reading site. Recently, though, some authors have spotted Goodreads average ratings showing up on Amazon listings of their books, although Amazon has its own ratings system. So. Amazon is starting to add Goodreads ratings

Apple TV+ has announced that series two of Slow Horses will be available to stream from 2 December and fans of the quirky London-based espionage drama can’t wait. Based on the Slough House series of novels by British author Mick Herron, the show follows the disgraced and disgraceful Cold War spook Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldfield)

Just as immersion in nature inspires a mix of profound awe and renewed curiosity about this Earth we call home, so, too, does filmmaker and novelist Priyanka Kumar’s mesmerizing essay collection, Conversations With Birds—rendered in finely wrought prose, steeped in memory and thrumming with endless curiosity. Kumar reflects on her childhood in northern India, formative

As you mark your calendar for November events, remember to have your plan to vote in place and a nice stack of books to read, or admiringly stare at. Collecting unread books is also valid — you do you! For this month I’ve got a wide variety of moods and crime books. I’m doing my

In the royal city of Helston, everyone has a role they’re forced to play. Girls are taught to control their natural magical abilities and restricted from using their powers for anything beyond simple domestic and decorative arts. Boys are trained in combat, expected to take up the sword against monsters and other enemies lurking on

Book bans in prisons are nothing new. In fact, censorship thrives in the prison system. Whether the prison is public or private and part of a state-wide system or independent impacts the materials allowed to be sent to individuals (and the method by which they can be sent) and the materials allowed in prison libraries

The Louisiana-born author Robert Crais began his career working on what are now considered iconic 80s crime shows – Miami Vice, Hill Street Blues, LA Law and more. However, he’s even better known for his Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels. The series was born way back in 1987 with The Monkey’s Raincoat. Set in

Angelina Grimke and her sister Sarah were the white daughters of South Carolina slaveholder John Faucheraud Grimke and his cruel wife, Polly. When the sisters fled the South and, as Quakers, sought redemption for their family’s racist ways, they became celebrated 19th-century abolitionists and women’s rights activists, blazing a trail through the turbulent antebellum Northeast

Kiwi crime novels have become a popular destination for crime fiction lovers itching to travel the world, and New Zealander Paul Cleave is an excellent author to begin with. His latest, The Pain Tourist, is our lead book this week. It tops an eclectic selection that includes a new anthology of short stories co-edited by

Set in a close-knit Pennsylvania suburb in the grip of winter, A Quiet Life follows three people grappling with loss and finding a tender wisdom in their grief. Chuck Ayers used to look forward to nothing so much as his annual trip to Hilton Head with his wife, Cat—that yearly taste of relaxation they’d become accustomed to

We know that the same books show up again and again in these bans and challenges across the U.S. Beyond the copycat effect, what’s driving this push for specific titles to be pulled are book ratings systems created by groups like Moms For Liberty, Utah Parents United, and others. These book ratings systems are homegrown

BBC Maestro and Crime Fiction Lover are offering readers an inflation-beating 20% off a subscription to BBC Maestro. Until 10 November, you can subscribe to the entire online learning bundle for £88 – the normal price is £110. Click here to subscribe. This will give you access to Writing Popular Fiction, delivered by Jack Reacher

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza A cat must save the moon from being eaten by intergalactic rats in this graphic novel from author Mac Barnett and Caldecott Honor illustrator Shawn Harris. Its madcap silliness and accessible artwork will appeal to the legions of loyal fans eager for more of the laugh-out-loud humor and

Let me preface this post by saying that I like reading manga, and it’s a format that includes a wide variety of genres, tones, art styles, and more. I also recognize that translation is a delicate art, and sometimes humor or connotations get understandably lost in translation. That being said: there are some truly weird

The fifth entry in RG Belsky’s Clare Carlson series includes all the features his fans have come to appreciate – an interesting plot, brisk pacing and, best of all, the self-deprecating wit and chutzpah of Clare herself. In this story, Clare’s Manhattan newsroom is abuzz about the murder of Riley Hunt, a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed

“I wake up very early,” says the unnamed protagonist of Nora Ericson and Elly MacKay’s picture book. Too early, the child’s father repeatedly echoes as he rouses himself from bed to make the coffee, wake the dogs but not the baby, and sit outside to watch the sun rise with his little morning companion.  Ericson’s

We need to be reading books by Native American authors year-round. We need to be turning to books by Native American authors to support different themes, as the kickoff to many different kinds of lessons, and as bedtime stories even in the middle of July. However, November is Native American Heritage Month, and it’s also

Last year, Leonora Nattrass took the historical crime fiction world by storm with her debut novel, Black Drop, which was picked as a Times Book of the Year. As Blue Water opens, the ripples of what happened back then are still rocking Laurence Jago’s world. The gorgeous cover and title offer a huge clue as

These six outstanding volumes of verse will remind readers of the magic of language and the marvels to be found in everyday moments. A gift to celebrate growing older: Woman Without Shame by Sandra Cisneros Sandra Cisneros’ Woman Without Shame is an inspiring celebration of the self. The book’s 50-plus pieces are alive with wit

Late this summer, Louisiana’s School Librarian of the Year, Amanda Jones, stood up to speak against censorship at the Livingston Parish Public Library. “I’d been following what was happening in Lafayette Parish,” Jones said, “and when I saw my local library in Livingston Parish had books and signage on the agenda, I went to talk.” In

When John Marrs titled his new crime thriller Keep It in the Family, he meant something much darker than grandma’s chicken pot pie recipe or granddad’s precious World War II medals. When Mia and Finn buy a new fixer-upper of a house in Bedfordshire, they’re happily unaware of its grisly secrets – secrets that will