While in Toronto, a reporter, having researched me thoroughly, asked: “So Josh, can you tell me how the death of your grandmother has influenced your novel?” Being a fledgling writer at the time, I accommodated the request and reluctantly retold the story of my grandmother’s murder in the sixties — at which the reporter nodded, jotted down notes, quickly thanked me, and said goodbye. What has shaken me about this experience is that it was not the first time that type of extractive questioning about personal histories and my experiences with trauma has cropped up, nor will it be the last, and while the reporter maintained their agency and left unencumbered by wounds, all set with fresh insight into their critical angle about my book, I found myself in downtown Toronto racked with grief and holding myself through a particularly intense anxiety attack....

Kindle in hand, I settled into my transatlantic flight with a thin blanket and antiseptic-smelling pillow, burying myself in Middlesex. The book is great. It lives up to the hype. The settings and characters are rich, diving into the Greek immigrant experience, watching a family struggle to find their footing and eventually succeeding, grasping that elusive American Dream. Of course, this is literary fiction, so nothing is simple or happy for long....

For those who tend to roll in the ARCs, whether because they request them from publishers or because ARCs are sent to them unsolicited, it can become a bit of a storage problem to hold on to all those books, especially if one wants to also buy a finished copy (ARCs are often paperbacks, where new releases are generally hardcovers). While normally, overflowing bookshelves might prompt a trip to the nearest library donation bin or to try to resell them at a used bookshop, what exactly are the rules and ethics surrounding selling or donating ARCs?...

The Book Bandit There have been many epic library heists, but only one thief earned the title “the Book Bandit.” Stephen Blumberg, a very rich man with a very poor way of showing his love for the written word, spent years roaming North America stealing books. By the time he was arrested in 1990, he had absconded with $5.3 million ($10.6 million in 2019 dollars) worth of books from 45 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces....

When a character who isn’t marginalized does something terrible, it rarely becomes bad rep. Reviewers don’t criticize these characters for not representing their identity “well.” Straight people never have to be representation. Men never have to be representation. White people never have to be representation. I just want us to be able to talk about characters from marginalized communities in the same way. Nobody, not even in fiction, should have to bear the burden of perfection — or even morality!...

Libby lets you access your library’s digital book options through your phone. Most notably, Libby makes listening to audiobooks on your phone as easy as Audible, but without the monthly subscription or credit limits. Magic. But like most magic, there is indeed a catch. Sometimes the selection of audiobooks is limited. And sometimes, you must get on a waitlist before listening. Which can be where this gets messy—there’s nothing quite like waiting for weeks for your book, only to have five all become available within a matter of days....

Reach more readers with Libby. The Libby library reading app has everything patrons love about accessing ebooks & audiobooks from their library — and now has even more to offer, including easy onboarding for new users, push notifications so you never miss a hold, unlimited tags to categorize your books your way…and more! In an earlier post, I looked at how libraries help refugees and asylum seekers settle into areas; with inflation causing financial problems for so many, libraries are extending their efforts to help whole communities....

In the last few years, audiobooks have gained more and more listeners, with 2020 holding the record for the number of titles produced. The Audie Awards honor the best works in audio, and this year, finalists were chosen from over 1,500 submissions. Judges and panelists come from a wide range of backgrounds, including book sellers, librarians, educators, journalists, bloggers, and more, and they listen to hundreds of hours of audio to put forward the best of the best....

Here’s a little more about our partner: Join NOVL Nation for YA exclusive sneak peeks, monthly book box giveaways, the NOVLtea talk show, and access to FREE advance copies! Brought to you by @LittleBrownYR and home to Twilight, Kingdom of the Wicked, The Inheritance Games, Folk of the Air, and your other favorite book boyfriends, @thenovl is a community of YA fans who like their worlds fantastic, their points of view diverse, and their love triangles spicy....

I’m constantly bringing in new books. Keeping my library relevant and interesting is crucial to getting unmotivated students to read, because it turns out, people of all ages don’t like reading when they don’t care about the subject matter. Here are some books that never made it back to my room, and I hope it’s because they are loved and couldn’t bear to be parted with. People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins Hopkins’s books are always popular in my room, especially her books written in verse....

Whether you’re going back to an idea you’ve had swirling in your head for years or just seeing where your quill takes you, the Ultimate Writing Bundle will help you unleash your creativity. This toolkit includes more than $481 worth of inspirational and instructional ebooks.When you pick up this bundle, you’ll help give back to this community-powered effort, too. Each purchase supports the National Novel Writing Month organization, who believe in the transformational power of creativity....

Why not try your hands at a word search? Find below a book-themed word search to try on your computer (or if you’re old school like me, you can print that bad boy and do it by hand). You’re welcome to share this widely, as well as right click to save on your device of choice. All of the words are parts of a book. They are forwards, backwards, and diagonal, so don’t forget to look in all directions....

García Márquez was often approached for film rights during his lifetime but refused all offers, citing his concerns that the large, multi-generational novel would not adapt well into a single film. García Márquez was also committed to his story being told in Spanish. Netflix has changed the game though and García Márquez’s two sons, who will both be executive producers on the project, have decided to open a new “great chapter” stating that, “In the last three or four years, the level and prestige and success of series and limited series has grown so much ....

The five books in this roundup showcase a wide range of disability experiences and narratives. Though they’re not all specifically published for teens, the ones that are published for a more broad audience are perfect for those seeking YA disability nonfiction. These are accessible titles for better understanding the tremendous range of disability experiences. It should come as little surprise that this list is quite white. Given the challenge of seeing disability represented in literature, on top of disability in nonfiction for YA readers, the authorship reflects the larger landscape of publishing (though, interestingly, not the larger landscape of YA nonfiction, which is and has been quite diverse)....

If there is one thing, though, that has emerged, both as a result of more inclusivity and as a result of fewer trends, it’s that there’s been a swell of YA retellings. These range from classics which have been retold and remixed for decades, as well as stories being re-sung which haven’t. There are more non-European fairytales emerging with fresh takes, as well as more books being gender and genre bent....

In real life, eighteen-year-old Beth is overweight, shy, and geeky. She’s been bullied all her life, and her only refuge is food. Online, though, she’s a vicious troll who targets the beautiful, vain, oversharing “It Girls” of the internet. When she meets Tori, a fellow troll, she becomes her online girlfriend-slash-partner-in-crime. But then Tori picks a target who’s a little too close to home for Beth. Unsettled, Beth decides to quit their online bullying partnership....

In any case, I’ve been collecting squirrel books since the start of the Squirrel Girl comic in 2015, and I’ve been noticing quite a trend since then. Of course, Squirrel books didn’t start with Squirrel Girl—Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter predates it by more than 100 years, and Brian Jaques populated large swaths of Mossflower Woods with our bushy-tailed friends—but I’d like to my favorite Midwestern super hero for bringing squirrel books to my attention....

We Need Diverse Books suggests that we “imagine a world in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book.” It was a similar sentiment that inspired the creation of 2015’s first Drag Queen Story Hour, held in San Francisco. The program was dreamed up by author Michelle Tea, a queer icon due to her writing and as an organizer of queer literary art events (Sister Spit, RADAR Productions)....

The series follows Percy, a neurodivergent teen who finds out his father is the Greek god Poseidon, making him a demigod. As he contends with his new powers, he’s accused by the god Zeus of stealing his lightning bolt. Percy journeys with his friends Annabeth and Grover to restore order to the heavens. On Thursday, the cast for two of the main characters of the show were revealed. Even though Riordan has said the response to the casting has been overwhelmingly positive, there are some who have responded negatively to Annabeth Chase being played by 12-year-old Black actress Leah Jeffries....

The good news is that you’re not the only one. This very issue was brought up on a recent Reddit post. The truth is many people struggle with ignoring their phones while reading, but there are some ways to combat it. I’ve assembled a list of tips to get you off your phone and in a book! If you struggle with limiting your time on the internet in general, then consider also reading How to Read More and Internet Less When you Have No Self-Control....