Books

Last week’s legislation in Illinois which aims to end book bans in schools and libraries requires those institutions receiving state aid to have the Library Bill of Rights as part of their policies and procedures. But what is the Library Bill of Rights? It is a document celebrating its 70th year of existence in 2023,

Nilima Rao’s debut novel, A Disappearance in Fiji, is a historical mystery that sheds light on the devastating consequences of a British colonial policy that is little discussed today. In so doing, she presents a very different image of Fiji from the tropical paradise and exotic holiday destination the country is now perceived as. Fiji’s

J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic high fantasy The Lord of the Rings is one of the most popular and influential book series of the 20th century. A few The Lord of the Rings facts you already know: Peter Jackson’s LOTR film trilogy is one of the most awarded and highest-grossing film series ever. The Lord

Canadian author Christopher Huang’s new crime caper might not have the brutal one-liners of Succession, but it does have an unscrupulous patriarch who takes pleasure in manipulating and pitting his three children against one another – even after his death. April 1921: Sir Lawrence Linwood has been violently bludgeoned to death in his study, presumably

We know that LGBTQ+ books are under fire across the country and they have been specifically targeted by right-wing conspiracy theorists in a very organized fashion now for several years. In addition, we have seen public education and teachers come under fire by these same conspiracists who believe that by having LGBTQ+ books in the

Last month, RA Cramblitt released Like Printing Money, a technological crime novel set in Baltimore. It follows his debut novel Probably Lives in Tahiti, described as a rock ’n roll romance, the latter has earned a 4.8-star rating on Goodreads and Amazon. Cramblitt uses the fast-paced crime plot of Like Printing Money as the engine for an exploration of

The place where the lost things go isn’t one of the most frequently-occurring story tropes, but it’s certainly one of the more compelling. In the Wizard of Oz universe, L. Frank Baum created the Valley of Lost Things, a location in Merryland where anything lost in the real world will eventually turn up. Danielle Page

Thriller author James McCrone must have had his crystal ball turned up high back in 2014 when he wrote the first in his four-part series of political thrillers, Faithless Elector. Now we are up to the fourth novel, Bastard Verdict, and it paints another frightening picture of the way electoral politics might devolve in the

It’s been a little over a week since the publication of Elliot Page’s memoir, Pageboy, and the haters have settled in on Goodreads. This isn’t surprising. Page is perhaps the most publicly visible trans celebrity to publish a memoir in recent memory. What’s more, though he does write about his career in Hollywood, the making

Known across Denmark for his best-selling crime novels, Michael Katz Krefeld can now be read in English with the recent translation of Darkness Calls, published in May 2023. The book features Cecilie Mars, a cop who doesn’t always live on the right side of the law. First in a new trilogy, it followed Michael’s hugely

No lengthy introduction this week. Instead, this week is dedicated to a survey to authors: are you seeing an impact on the number and types of school and library visit invitations in this era of censorship? Click this link to fill out the survey. All responses are due July 1, for an anticipated July 14

Translated by Séan Kinsella — The 13th novel in Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series should have some sort of warning on the cover. Advisory: Do Not Read After Eating. The killer in this book uses methods so horrible and heinous that it’s one of the few crime novels I’ve read that has literally turned my stomach.

It’s about the middle of the year — and the middle of Pride Month — and Esquire has blessed us with a roundup of 20 of the best queer books out this year so far. In this list, you’ll find trans memoirs, illuminating nonfiction, poetry, and a variety of genres written by well-known authors as

Considered to be the one to watch in UK fiction thanks to her literary debut, Boy Parts, it’s exciting to see that English author Eliza Clark has turned her compass towards crime fiction. Her second novel, Penance, satirises the ongoing fascination with true crime and… um… fictional true crime, based around podcasts. This leads our

It’s time to pause, take a step back, and review the books we’ve read and enjoyed this year so far. Other booksellers — Amazon and Barnes & Noble — have already shared what they think are the first half of the year’s best books, but the advantage of this list is that it’s the most

Following on from The Killing Hills and Shifty’s Boys, Mick Hardin is once again back home in Kentucky. The one-time US Army investigator is now discharged, recently divorced and, despite the familiarity of his hometown, suffering that subtle rootless confusion that affects a man when he goes back to civilian life after 20 years in

To paraphrase the good sis Lizzo: It’s about that time! Time to take stock of books that have come out so far this year that have left an impression. Amazon has joined Barnes & Noble as the latest bookseller to share their list of books that we should all give more attention to. The list

Ashley Audrain’s second book, The Whispers is a suburban domestic thriller that focuses on the lives of four women who are neighbours in an unnamed North American city. Where it takes place isn’t relevant – the focus is on the people and the events tied to this small suburban area. These are people who live

Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Road, No Country for Old Men, Blood Meridian, and more, has died at the age of 89. He passed away from natural causes in his Sante Fe home, according to his publisher, Knopf. McCarthy won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for his bleak dystopian novel, The Road.

One of our favourite American authors joins us today to talk about humour in fiction, and if you’ve read any of Joe R Lansdale’s books you’ll know that he’s a writer whose work is made all the more appealing by the fact that it makes you laugh. He has an eye for the stranger things

Illinois became the first state in the United States to pass legislation to end book bans. Signed by Governor JB Pritzker June 12, House Bill 2789 takes effect January 1, 2024. Introduced by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who serves at the State Librarian, the bill received significant support both in the House and

Alan Parks is rapidly setting the benchmark for dark Scottish crime fiction. Last year he won an Edgar with Bobby March Will Live Forever and the McIlvanney Prize for May God Forgive. Now that we’ve arrived in June 2023 and the sixth Harry McCoy has appeared – another murder for the Glasgow detective to solve. It’s

Translated by Howard Curtis — Is there any better means of returning from the dead than appearing in a murder mystery? I expect not, particularly if the murder mystery in question is of the locked room variety. Italian businessman and cookery writer Pellegrino Artusi (1820–1911) certainly seems to be enjoying himself when reimagined as an

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and speculation about the possible ending of The Flash, based on the comic Flashpoint. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was, like its 2018 predecessor, a masterpiece. A breathtaking visual feast, it is a love letter to comics, animation, New York City, Spider-Man, superheroes in general,

This captivating debut mystery novel by Jennifer Milder unwraps the title character’s secrets like a succession of nesting boxes. It demonstrates the truth William Faulkner captured when he said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Janus is a middle-aged woman living in Brooklyn when she receives a phone call that’s like the

Anyone who has read The Blackbird, the previous book in Tim Weaver’s series, will know that its finale left David Raker in a precarious place. As The Last Goodbye begins, the missing persons investigator is thanking his lucky stars that he is still one step ahead of the police, who hate the fact that Raker

If you’ve been on social media over the last week, chances are you’ve seen the Shiny Happy People documentary series trending. Whether you have seen that, ignored that, or did not know about it at all until this moment, this Amazon Prime limited docuseries is a must-view in order to understand the roots of today’s

Lovers of historical crime fiction can get ready for a treat as Ambrose Parry, the time travelling pen name of Chris Brookmyre and his partner Maria Haetzman, serves up an 1853 Edinburgh mystery with echoes of the bodysnatchers Burke and Hare. There seems to be a seam of tartan in our news report this week,

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a list of actions it will take to better protect LGBTQ+ Americans. Among them was a plan to address the rise in books bans, which disproportionately target queer and BIPOC- centered books. An anti-book ban coordinator will be appointed by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on the

German crime drama is returning to Channel 4’s subtitled streaming service Walter Presents with The Marnow Murders, available in the UK as a box set from 16 June 2023. Based on the novel of the same name by screenwriter Holger Karsten Schmidt, the mystery is set in the current day but was inspired by shady