Egypt: Lost Possibilities
I intended this essay, successively, to coincide with various recent events: the death of a president, the launch of a book, the anniversary of a revolution....
Chinese Medicine in the Covid Wards
In mid-February 2020, during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak in China, Liu Lihong, a slight man with a wispy beard, made his way into Hankou...
Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for October 14, 2021
Today’s edition of Daily Deals is sponsored by Today’s Featured Deals $1.99 Beloved by Toni Morrison Get This Deal $4.99 Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi Get This...
Gary Paulsen has Died at Age 82
Gary Paulsen, a central figure in young adult fiction, winner of three Newberry Medals, and winner of a Margaret Edwards Award, among other honors, passed away...
A Novel About Privilege and Class Set in Modern-Day Cairo
In Cairo Circles, Doma Mahmoud lures the reader on a voyeuristic tour of the Egyptian capital’s wildly differing class spheres. On the lowest circle is Zeina,...
7 Magical Realism Short Stories Haunted By Emotional Ghosts
I think a lot of us believe in ghosts. In fact, many of us are likely haunted by them. I’m talking about emotional ghosts, of course....
Portrait of a Likable Female Character
What is a likable female character? What are the traits, attributes, personality quirks, habits, likes and dislikes, wants, desires, flaws, and skills inherent in such a...
How Literature of the Pandemic of 1918 Compares to Literature of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Oddly enough, one of the greatest killers in American history, the Pandemic of 1918, also known as the Spanish flu (i.e. influenza), has largely gone unrecognized...
15 Of The Best Nonfiction Books In 2021
How can I possibly write a list of the best nonfiction books 2021 has to offer? I can’t. I mean I can, because here you are...
The Danger — and Necessity — of Paranoid Reading
I first came across the term “paranoid readings” on Twitter, discussed by trans women writers about how their works are often received by other trans readers....
