Here were the posts that readers read the most this week. Catch up–or revisit.
10 Historical Fiction Retellings From Austen to Shakespeare
Historical fiction retellings can be just as creative as modern retellings, too. Among the historical fiction retellings featured here, there are stories told from different points of view, gender-bent retellings (which I can never get enough of), and what-ifs that take the stories down wildly different paths. Some of the stories are set in the exact same time period as the original while others deviate, expanding the scope of the story that was originally told. But all of these historical fiction retellings are sure to leave you satisfied with a story well told.
Previewing Fall’s Most Anticipated Literary Adaptations
On the most recent episode of the Book Riot Podcast, Rebecca Schinsky and I preview the fall’s biggest adaptations. There are even some I will watch.
12 Book Club Picks For September 2024, From Reese’s 100th Pick to Matzah Book Soup
Welcome to September, where the vibes are all about kids being back in school, many readers are hoping for relief from the excessive heat that will come with fall weather, the countdown for Halloween has begun, and a bunch of great book clubs have announced their new picks! As per my monthly tradition I’ve rounded up book clubs that offer a variety of great choices, are almost all virtual — or have a virtual component — and allow you to join in as much or as little as fits with your reading life.
Tim Walz Tells Off Republicans for Banning Books About Gay Penguins While Allowing School Shootings to Continue
A video of Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz at the national dinner for the Human Rights Campaign has gone viral. In it, he addresses the warped priorities of the Republican party, which is pushing to ban books like And Tango Makes Three — a picture book about two male penguins raising a chick together, based on real penguins — instead of addressing school shootings.
Books Aren’t Mental Movies: You’re Missing the Best Part of Reading
Most damning, though, is that basing enjoyment of a book on its visuals deprioritizes the strengths of the written word as a medium. Books can do things a movie never could. They are an escape hatch from the prison of our own consciousness: they allow us to be inside the experience of being someone else in a way nothing else can. They let us in on what it feels like inside their mind, to feel the way they do, in an immediacy that’s impossible to replicate in visuals alone.
8 of the Most Infamous Literary Hoaxes
Some of these books were pulled or destroyed. This is for informational purposes only: while I’m not recommending or linking places to buy or read them, I do recommend reading more about the hoaxes themselves and criticisms of them. Although most people probably know they’re fake, some of these works could still spread dangerous, racist misconceptions, or disinformation about drugs or history, even today.
The 10 Biggest and Buzziest New Queer Books Out in Fall 2024
There are so many amazing new queer books out in fall 2024, from cozy sapphic fantasy to trans gothic horror to gay sci-fi and more. I’ve highlighted the ten biggest and buzziest releases of September, October, and November below, mostly from authors you already know and love. This is the perfect time to preorder your favorites, or you can place your library holds now to make sure you’re at the top of the list.
What are you reading? Let us know in the comments!
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