Welcome to The Best of Book Riot, our daily round-up of what’s on offer across our site, newsletters, podcasts, and social channels. Not everything is for everyone, but there is something for everyone. Here is what was most popular with readers from this week.
My Favorite Horror Books of 2024
It’s only November, but I’m ready to call it. These are my favorite horror books of 2024. Yes, we do have another month and a half of reading content to get through, but these books are so good that I’ve already shoved them into many reader’s hands. These books have already ascended to all-time faves. And if you’re a horror lover and you haven’t read these four books this year, it’s time to add them to your TBR! You might have trouble sleeping at night, but you won’t regret it.
The Books Most Likely to Be on THE NEW YORK TIMES 100 Notable Books of 2024 List
On the most recent episode of The Book Riot Podcast, Rebecca and I make our picks for locks, likelies, and would-like-to-sees ahead of the release on Nov 28th of The New York Times’s 100 Notable Books of the Year list (we have this date confirmed, btw).
700+ Books Removed From Florida Schools
If you follow Kelly Jensen’s weekly Censorship News roundups, you’ll likely recognize Texas county Corpus Christi: they have been pushing for book bans in public libraries for quite a while. The newest developments are that they are considering a new “parent/guardian must be present” library card, which would block these minors from accessing self-checkouts and would require them to check out books only while their parent is present, who must show their ID. The updates to equipment would cost about $10,000.
The Best Of 2024 Mystery Lists Have Begun
Barnes & Noble was first out of the gate with this year’s Best of Books lists, and I have a lot of questions about The Best Mystery & Thrillers of 2024 — all stemming from the list’s one giant problem. To be clear, I don’t have issues with the actual books on the list, I do have all the side eye for what is missing from this list: out of 21 books there is only one author of color. (Not sure why that page has 21 books and their announcement page has 20 but my point stands either way.)
Historical Fiction for Native American Heritage Month
Since the 1990s, November in the United States has been designated as a time to commemorate the history and contributions of Native Americans under the banner of Native American Heritage Month (or similar variations on that name). Especially considering the troubled history of Thanksgiving, a holiday celebrated in November in the United States and often centered around problematic depictions of colonization, it’s an important time to reflect and acknowledge everything done by and done to Native Americans.
The Best New Book Releases Out November 12, 2024
I’m still in the self-soothing stage following last week, and I invite you to join me. There are cutesy cooking romances to get in the mood for Thanksgiving and diverse graphic novels to escape into.
But, if you’d rather have pleasant distractions in the form of seeing what other people are reading or adding to their TBR, Jeff and Rebecca discuss the It Books of November, and there’s a roundup of the most popular books on Goodreads from the last 10 years.
5 Cozy and Comforting Queer Books, Because We Need That Right Now
My heart breaks for queer teens right now and all the other people facing a government that puts them in danger. The fight continues, but it’s also important to give yourself space to grieve, to take care of yourself and your community. I was particularly thinking of queer teens when I put together this list, but they’re relevant to the rest of us, too. These are gentle, comforting reads about queer joy to fortify you in these trying times. I’ve also included more lists of happy and cozy queer books, so you don’t have to stop here. Please be gentle with yourself, and don’t give up.
11 Book Club Picks For November 2024, From Read With Jenna to Roxane Gay’s Book Club
This month’s collection of book club picks include historical fiction set in pre-Civil War New Orleans, a translated South Korean novel, a memoir about leaving the Evangelical church and creating new community, a missing person mystery set on a reservation, historical fiction set in 1960s New York following the residents of a women’s hotel, a new mystery novel by the author of The Girl on the Train, a memoir by an Indigenous activist, a novel set over decades in England and Lagos inspired by Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, a darkly funny novel with a messy main character, and a dual timeline historical love story.
What are you reading? Let us know in the comments!
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