Books

As a Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master in a high school in London, I’ve written before on things like how Dungeons and Dragons can improve literacy, and I’ve even been fortunate enough to write a book on table top roleplaying games and how libraries can set them up. What is important to me, when I

From steampunk to dieselpunk to clockpunk and more, there is a proliferation of sub-genres and mashups that fall under the punk literature umbrella. Defined by their embrace of retro, yet futuristic technologies and specific elements and settings, these books transport readers to an imaginative world in which characters move through an altered landscape from our

Ever check the news and feel like the world is ending? It’s hard not to feel like the authors of the near-future dystopian novels on this list didn’t feel the same way. At the very least, their books all explore pretty terrifying logical extremes of various aspects of today’s social and political landscape. Utopias are

There are usually two types of people who take a workshop: people who want to improve their technique and people who want to learn a new thing altogether. As someone who enjoys being creative but isn’t exactly that good at creating art, I have discovered that workshops are a great way to find out that

Rainbow capitalism is a thing, and we know that this year more than any other, corporate Pride merchandise has experienced backlash thanks to right-wing provocateurs. While it’s disappointing that stores like Target and Kohls have pulled some of their Pride themed goods, they’re corporations. On the one hand, it’s powerful to see major retailers have

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,

Mystery writer Carol Higgins Clark died Monday, June 12 at the age of 66. The statement her family gave listed the cause of death as appendix cancer. Clark was born in New York City in 1956 and was the daughter of suspense author Mary Higgins Clark. Carol Higgins Clark got her start acting, and even

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

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

This first official week of summer is bringing the heat, book-wise. Pun intended. There are a couple of darkly imaginative horror books, a queer and feminist western, and an illuminating nonfiction about immigration. Award-winning horror darling Agustina Bazterrica graces us with more disturbing tales in a collection of stories, characters reconsider the relationship with their

We recently covered how bookstore employees often aren’t paid a living wage, but it might surprise you to know that a lot of authors face the same issue. One queer indie bookstore is working to change that, especially where LGBTQ authors are concerned. This marginalized community has been hit particularly hard by increasing anti-LGBTQ laws

As soon as I finished reading Sabrina Imbler’s gorgeous essay collection How Far the Light Reaches, I knew I’d found a new favorite genre. There’s something especially wonderful to me about queer nature writing. It asserts that queerness is natural, and that it is deeply and intrinsically linked to nature and always has been. As

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

Summer is on the way, bringing with it longer days, warmer weather, and the chance to join in with a whole host of summer activities! Summer can be an especially fun time for very small children, who will love seeing how the change of seasons affects plants and animals, and who will look forward to

It’s summer, with longer days, more sunshine, and warmer weather. It’s a great time to be outside — but as someone who hasn’t always loved being outside, I get that it’s not always easy as saying “get outside!” Being outdoors and in nature does not come naturally to me. I’d rather be inside in the

In popular culture today, Judy Garland is best remembered as an actress, singer, and entertainer extraordinaire whose personal struggles often overshadowed her professional accomplishments. While she was under contract for 15 years with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during which she starred in career-defining musical roles in The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, Easter Parade,

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

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

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

The same day Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a ban on book bans in public libraries and schools into effect this week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that bans “sexually explicit” books from schools. House Bill 900, the “parent empowerment” bill, has spent the legislative season picking up ground in Texas’s

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

I admit that dystopian comics are not generally my thing. I mean, we practically live in one: if I want to read about pandemics, the disastrous effects of climate change, increasing restrictions on human rights, and the seemingly unstoppable global rise of authoritarianism, I’ll go look at the news. There are exceptions, of course. When

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

Pageboy, Elliot Page’s long-awaited memoir, gives a fragmented but close-up perspective of Page’s life and experiences growing up as someone who has always known that he was a boy even when everything in society told him otherwise. We follow him from childhood through close to the present day and he is unflinching in the detail

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.

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

The 2023 Lambda Literary Award winners have been announced! This year’s winners were selected by a panel of over 60 judges from the literary world and from more than 1,300 book submissions from over 300 publishers. Now in its 35th year, the Lambda Literary Award is considered one of the most prestigious awards in LGBTQ publishing. The

First lines done well can convince you to read a book. I’ve certainly been won over by my fair share. Sometimes it’s reading the first page at a bookstore to see if you want to actually read the entire book; sometimes it’s stumbling across a first line on the internet and going “I absolutely have

That’s right, dedicated reader. There’s a new collection and reading tracking app on the literary block: Bookworm Reads. Need to make sure you’re not purchasing the same book for a second or third time? Love reading challenges and seeing what your friends are reading? Then you’re probably already using an app like Bookworm Reads. After

Swimming books have been on my mind a lot lately. This is genuinely odd. Until fairly recently, I had a major fear of deep water and generally avoided water-based activities like the plague. After months of well-tailored swim lessons and DIY exposure therapy in a pool without a deep end, I can now enter a