So when I met Yarran L. Jenkins at the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar that we both were attending, I had to learn more about his book shed. Jenkins kindly gave me some of his time during a truly jam-packed week of everything and anything antiquarian books. He runs two bookshops in Brisbane, Australia, the aforementioned 24-hour book shed as well as The Book Merchant Jenkins, a rare and antiquarian bookshop....

I’ve lived with my family for a few years, and sought a place to myself. Thankfully, an acquaintance had invited me to visit her in Toronto. In August, my intuition told me to ask her if I could visit in October. Happily as always, she replied that she was out of town but I was welcome to stay at her place anyway. An empty apartment to myself? Jackpot! I could also satisfy my curiosity about life in Canada....

Micsoda család!, by author Lawrence Schimel and illustrator Elīna Brasliņa, is a book in translation combining two of the team’s English-published titles, Early One Morning and Bedtime, Not Playtime. The first book depicts a boy’s morning with two moms, while the second, a girl with two dads. Officials condemned the book and fined the bookshop chain Líra Könyv roughly $830. Pest county’s fine for the bookshop emerged when county commissioners discovered the store failed to indicate “content which deviates the norm,” according to The Globe....

Representative Ben Baker, R-Neosho, has introduced new legislation to the Missouri House of Representatives that could change the way libraries select materials for their communities and receive necessary funding for their operation. The current bill notes in detail how libraries receive state funding. It’s based on a number of factors including size of the community, and it indicates where and how the libraries shall work with the State Librarian for further funding via grants....

Beyond serving as a means of understanding our anatomy, skeletons tickle our imaginations, too. Why are they so flexible and inflexible all at once? How do they manage to be rigid and fluid all at once? For me, above all else, though, skeletons are just fun. Readers who love skeletons are in luck, as it seems skeletons are also book lovers. It’s in our bones (heh) to want to curl up with a book, whether we’re alive and cozy or, well, not alive....

The saintly image of women we see in popular culture is a socially constructed myth that has been fabricated to hold women back from being fully-fledged individuals. Contemporary crime fiction is quashing this idealized version of women, one female protagonist at a time. It’s always a good day to bid adieu to the stale, overused tropes that have defined femininity for centuries. Tess Sharpe introduces us to Nora in her novel The Girls I’ve Been....

First Type of Breakup: “Oh, Well …” You needed something comfortable but still shiny and new, something you’d flirted with once before, so you grab something fun with a cover that doesn’t offend your sensibilities or, more truthfully, wouldn’t offend the eyes of your fellow book daters, and treat it to the day at the beach. Turns out, it was much more fun watching frat bros behave obnoxiously than read the book....

However, My obsession with horse books began long before HN Reads. A tattered picture book called A Mare for Young Wolf sits as a testament to my early literary horse obsession. I plucked it from a Scholastic book fair shelf when I was 6 because the horse on the cover looked like Carabela, a mare owned by my Grandmother. A little bit later, I then inhaled The Secret of the Unicorn Queen, a set of pulpy fantasy novels....

Oddly, though, pick-a-path books seem to proliferate only in the 8–12 age range. There aren’t many adult interactive books (though I loved My Lady’s Choosing), and there are even fewer for younger kids. This seems like an oversight, because involving kids learning to read in making decisions in the story sounds like a great way to get them interested and involved in reading. There is a misconception that it’s not possible to make a branching path story with so few pages, but that’s shortsighted....

I have a favorite fantasy author who released their first middle grade after years of adult novels. Fans pounced on the new book, and some of them were a little over-critical. The language wasn’t as “rich” as they’re used to. The character made poor or immature choices. The story was relatively simple, or the mystery predictable. The protagonist didn’t see that the villain was right in front of them the whole time....

In Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid subjects contemporary Pakistan to intense scrutiny through the gradual decline of the main character, Daru. Daru owes his education and his high-profile job to his best friend Ozi’s father, Khurram. Ozi pretty much has everything that Daru doesn’t — a corrupt father, upper class upbringing, foreign education, and a beautiful wife. These assets define the elites of Lahore, so much so that they can get away even after committing heinous crimes....

Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils are back! Fans of Calvin and Hobbes, Zita the Space Girl, Nimona and just plain fun will love these delightful comics. Phoebe is a regular kid, except for the part where her best friend is a narcissistic unicorn, and they do mostly normal things, except when Marigold does magic or they visit the occasional goblin. This book is so rad! The illustrations are delightful, the jokes are super cute, and the characters are adorable....

Grab the tissues and settle in with Lisicky’s beautiful, wrenching account of the loss of two people in his life. One is his husband, the other, his best friend. As Lisicky’s relationship with his husband is breaking apart, his friend is leaving in a different way: she is dying of cancer. Lisicky is an established, magnificent poet, and he uses his talent for saying so much with just a few perfect words to recount scenarios of his life as he weaves back and forth between the two different losses....

The Blood Bell’s toll marks the death of the pirate king and the start of the heart-stopping competition to claim the island throne. Csilla, Kane, and Lorelei are each on a mission, but the sea has other plans. Dark tides are rising, and if they aren’t careful, they’ll surely drown. “Fresh, fun, and perfect for anyone who was obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean, Vale delivers a hell of a ride with Crossbones....

This big question always comes up in literary circles. For that matter, what is a classic? Well, it needs to be at least a little old, though that word is subjective. It needs to have a lasting impact, though I’m not going to use any academic definitions of the western canon. Frankly, the western canon is far too white and male, and there are many overlooked classics from women and BIPOC writers....

Now, I have to come clean, I love these kinds of quizzes. There is something infinitely satisfying about getting internet book quizzes correct. YA bookish trivia at its finest never disappoints. Not to mention, I’ve kept a running list of book quotes I adore since 2014. Truly, I have been training for this very moment for quite a while. You Made It To The End of the YA book opening lines Quiz!...

All Results: Margaret Simon from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. You are one of Judy Blume’s most iconic characters. You are deep, thoughtful person who isn’t afraid to ask the big questions in life. Religion, spirituality, and philosophy might take over your mind from time to time. But you also are a person who wants to fit in and find the right group of friends that really understand you....

A new middle grade graphic novel, perfect for fans of Hilda! When Iris and her best friend Sam stumble upon a mysteriously dry river on the outskirts of their tiny town, they’re led to a mysterious discovery: a hidden city, lost in time and overflowing with secrets. As they explore this once flooded relic, Iris and Sam unearth a forgotten tale of friendship and disaster that seems curiously familiar. When the past and present finally collide, they must each take a leap of faith to reconnect before they’re swept away....

TBR is Book Riot’s subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes. Been dreaming of a “Stitch Fix for books?” Now it’s here! Tell TBR about your reading preferences and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Visit mytbr....

TBR is Book Riot’s subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes. Been dreaming of a “Stitch Fix for books?” Now it’s here! Tell TBR about your reading preferences and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Visit mytbr....