LA Times Book Prize Winners
The Los Angeles Times announced the winners of its 46th annual Book Prizes on April 17, 2026. In Science Fiction/Fantasy, Silvia Park’s Luminous (Simon & Schuster) won top honors; Bryan Washington’s Palaver captured Fiction; Megan Abbott’s El Dorado Drive earned the Mystery/Thriller award; and Ekow Eshun’s The Strangers took Biography. The release also highlighted notable finalists such as Stephen Graham Jones’s The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and Nnedi Okorafor’s Death of the Author. Additional categories span Graphic Novel, History, Poetry and more.
Five Great Book Critics Writing Today (and Where to Find Them).
Dwight Garner’s recent New York Times essay highlights the decline of institutional book criticism, echoing the earlier shutdown of The Washington Post’s Book World. The article argues that while traditional hubs are fading, a vibrant cohort of freelance critics is...
The Best Books of the Year So Far, According to THE NEW YORK TIMES
The New York Times Book Review unveiled its mid‑year “best books so far” list, with Tayari Jones’s historical novel “Kin” taking the top spot. Condé Nast Traveler released a guide to 20 standout independent bookstores across the United States, encouraging literary tourism. Oprah’s flagship...
Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair Returns May 7–10
Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair returns May 7‑10 at the ArtCenter South Campus in Pasadena, featuring 250 exhibitors ranging from established publishers to emerging collectives. The four‑day event offers a mix of talks, panels, live music, and the Project Spaces...
The Collected Works of Sneaky Pie Brown: The Mrs. Murphy Mysteries
The Mrs. Murphy mysteries, a long‑running cozy series now at 34 volumes, are credited to a rescue cat named Sneaky Pie Brown but penned by author Rita Mae Brown. The books follow postmistress‑turned‑farmer Harry and her animal sidekicks—cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, plus a corgi...
Zadie Smith: ‘I Don’t Know when I Read Men Any More’
British novelist Zadie Smith told the Cambridge Literary Festival that she now reads almost exclusively women, saying she seeks the wisdom of older female voices. While acknowledging a wave of daring millennial male novelists, she highlighted her recent essay collection...
Xi Jinping Wants China to Read More—As Long as It’s the Right Books
Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a nationwide campaign urging citizens, especially young people, to read more, but only books that align with party ideology. The initiative, announced alongside a high‑profile visit to the BinHai library in Tianjin, calls for...
Edward P. Jones’s Hadada Acceptance Speech
Edward P. Jones accepted the Paris Review’s 2026 Hadada Award, honoring his unique contribution to literature. In his brief speech, he reflected on the humble origins of his love for fiction, from comic‑book reading to discovering a mystery novel in...
One Great Poem to Read Today: Corey Van Landingham’s “Adult Swim”
Literary Hub is marking the 30th National Poetry Month by featuring a daily free poem, starting today with Corey Van Landingham’s “Adult Swim.” The poem, described as candy‑coated and peppered with pop‑culture treats like corn dogs and Sour Patch Kids, shifts into deeper reflections...
Holy F*ck by Joseph Incardona
Joseph Incardona’s debut English‑language novel Holy F*ck, translated by Sam Taylor, blends satire and thriller as a 19‑year‑old prostitute named Stella heals the sick through sex, drawing Vatican intrigue. The story follows a carnival fortune‑teller, a cardinal’s fixer, and a...
This Moroccan City Is UNESCO's World Book Capital of 2026
Rabat, Morocco, has been named UNESCO’s World Book Capital for 2026, joining a roster that includes Rio de Janeiro, Strasbourg and Accra. The designation follows a competitive selection by UNESCO’s advisory committee, which evaluates cities on their commitment to literacy,...
In the Novel Yesteryear, a Modern Tradwife Influencer Must Survive in the 1800s
Canadian author Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel Yesteryear imagines a modern tradwife influencer with 8 million followers who awakens in the 1800s and must survive without modern comforts. The book uses the protagonist, Natalie Heller Mills, to explore the tradwife phenomenon, choice...
7 Books About the Messy Politics of Indian Meals
The piece spotlights seven recent books that examine how food intertwines with politics, caste, religion, and gender in contemporary India. It traces the rise of Hindu nationalism since the BJP’s 2014 victory, noting beef bans in 20 of the country’s...
Fae-Bulous BIPOC And/Or Queer Romantasies
Romantasy, the hybrid of romance and fantasy, has exploded in popularity, yet the subgenre still struggles with diversity. Recent releases such as Kritika H. Rao’s *The Legend of Meneka*, which weaves Hindu mythology into a BIPOC‑centered love story, and C.L....
Children’s Books To Help Adults Talk About School Shootings with Kids
American classrooms now include routine lockdown drills, leaving children to grapple with fear and uncertainty. A growing niche of children’s books—such as *One Thursday Afternoon*, *Not Like Every Day*, and *The Shape of Thunder*—offers age‑appropriate narratives that help kids name...
Stephen Colbert’s Book Club Picked a True Crime Book
Stephen Colbert’s Late Show Book Club chose Patrick Radden Keefe’s *London Falling* as its April pick, spotlighting a new true‑crime narrative that intertwines a 19th‑century murder mystery with modern investigative journalism. The selection follows Goodreads’ recent compilation of 136 popular...
William Bernhardt on Comics, Superman, and the Legal Drama Behind an Icon’s Creation
Attorney‑author William Bernhardt’s new nonfiction book *The Superman Wars* revisits the decades‑long legal battle over Superman’s ownership, incorporating fresh material from the 2016 settlement and interviews with the creators’ heirs. He details how Siegel and Shuster sold the rights for...
Where Have All the Book Reviews Gone?
The New York Times critic Dwight Garner warns that U.S. book‑review coverage is vanishing, a trend accelerated by newsroom cutbacks and the rise of AI‑generated commentary. He traces the decline from the vibrant local‑critic era of the 1990s to today’s...
Book Review: ‘Small Town Girls,’ by Jayne Anne Phillips
Jayne Anne Phillips’s new memoir, *Small Town Girls*, revisits her upbringing in Buckhannon, West Virginia, weaving together earlier essays and talks into a unified narrative. The book reflects on how the Appalachian landscape shaped her literary sensibility, while lamenting the...
The Best Books of 2026 So Far: ‘Kin,’ ‘London Falling’ and More
The New York Times Book Review has highlighted two standout fiction titles in its mid‑year roundup: Tayari Jones’s historical novel “Kin” and Daniyal Mueenuddin’s debut “This Is Where the Serpent Lives.” “Kin” follows two 1950s Louisiana friends navigating loss and...
This Week in Literary History: Edna St. Vincent Millay Loses Her Manuscript in a Hotel Fire
On May 2, 1936, Pulitzer‑winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay arrived at a Sanibel Island hotel with her in‑progress manuscript *Conversation at Midnight*. A sudden fire destroyed the hotel, consuming the manuscript and a cherished seventeenth‑century copy of Catullus. Millay’s...
Cape Flats to the JSE: New Book Challenges Narrow Narrative of B-BBEE
Cape Flats to the JSE, a new book by Phakamisa Ndzamela, uses the rise of Brimstone Investment Corporation to challenge the prevailing view that South Africa's B‑BBEE policy only enriches a political elite. The work draws on extensive archival material...
FT and Standard Chartered Bracken Prize for Young Authors Opens to Entries
After a three‑year pause, the FT and Standard Chartered Bracken Prize for young business authors reopens, inviting proposals from writers under 35. The 2026 winner will collect £15,000 (about $19,200) and two runners‑up each receive £2,000 (≈$2,560). Submissions run from...
In Journey to the End of Time, Alex Miller Contemplates the Mysterious Gift of Story
Alex Miller’s latest volume, Journey to the End of Time, is a curated blend of memoir, essays, short stories, and poetry that maps the interplay between his life and his art. Edited by his wife Stephanie, the collection is organized...
The Book News We Covered This Week
Book Riot’s weekly roundup highlights a surge in literary controversy and market activity. Utah’s book‑banning legislation now covers 32 titles, marking the state’s most aggressive censorship effort. Meanwhile, the LA Times announces its 2025 Book Prize winners, the Women’s Prize shortlist...
The Stanford Freshmen Who Want to Rule the World . . . Will Probably Read This Book and Try Even...
Theo Baker, a Stanford senior, secured a book deal for *How to Rule the World*, an investigative look at the university’s startup‑centric culture. The excerpt in *The Atlantic* details how venture capitalists hand out pre‑idea funding worth hundreds of thousands...
Statues: Junji Ito Story Collection Is as Unsettling as You’d Expect
Viz Media’s new anthology *Statues: Junji Ito Story Collection* brings together ten of the Japanese horror master’s early‑1990s manga, ranging from visceral body‑horror to off‑beat Twilight‑Zone‑style tales. The volume opens with the unsettling "Red Thread" and includes stories like "The...
Staff Picks: A Great Millennial Comedy and an Acerbic Debut Novel
The staff picks highlight two distinct cultural releases: the second season of Camilla Whitehill’s millennial dark comedy *Big Mood* on Tubi, and Madeline Cash’s debut novel *Lost Lambs*. *Big Mood* returns with a year‑later story that deepens its focus on...
Tearing Apart a Book
A professor of publishing history uses a hands‑on book‑dissection exercise to teach students the anatomy of a hardback. By cutting, tearing and labeling a thrift‑store volume, the class identifies cover boards, hinges, endpapers, flyleaf, title page, signatures, gutter and binding...
‘It’s Still a No-Go Area’: German Author Matthias Jügler on the Trauma Surrounding the GDR’s ‘Stolen Children’
German author Matthias Jügler’s debut novella *Mayfly Season* intertwines fly‑fishing with the haunting legacy of the GDR’s forced‑adoption program. The book, praised in Germany and slated for a UK release, prompted a government agency to demand source verification and sparked...
Think Shakespeare Isn’t For You?
Adjoa Andoh, famed for her role in Netflix’s *Bridgerton*, has been named the Folger Shakespeare Library’s inaugural Director’s Resident. In the role she highlights Shakespeare’s relevance to people of color, citing her 2019 all‑women‑of‑color production of *Richard II* as a case study....
‘Rites’
Wendy Chen’s debut poetry collection Unearthings uses stark, crystalline verse to excavate family history and broader Asian diaspora narratives. The featured poem “Rites” juxtaposes Buddhist concepts of afterlife with Chinese ancestral rites, describing a grandmother’s hair‑cutting ritual as a meditation...
New Historical Fiction, Lush and Lavishly Detailed
Lori Inglis Hall’s debut novel, The Shock of the Light, arrives from Pamela Dorman Books as a 405‑page, $30 historical fiction work set during World War II. The story follows fraternal twins, the children of a pacifist British don, whose lives...
Book Review: ‘Ghost Town,’ by Tom Perrotta
Tom Perrotta’s latest novel, “Ghost Town,” follows fictional author Jay Perry as he confronts a mid‑career identity crisis, trading his literary pedigree for a lucrative young‑adult franchise. The book, reviewed by Times critic Alexandra Jacobs, satirizes the “anxiety of influence”...
Book Review: ‘Like, Follow, Subscribe’ by Fortesa Latifi
Fortesa Latifi’s new book *Like, Follow, Subscribe* examines the rise of child influencers and the exploitation by parents seeking profit. It builds on a 2024 New York Times investigation that uncovered mothers monetizing their kids and even selling private photos to predatory...
An Art Historian’s Riotous Novel Melds Medieval Art with Monica Lewinsky
Julia Langbein’s new novel *Dear Monica Lewinsky*, published by Doubleday, reimagines the 1998 Clinton‑Lewinsky scandal as a modern saint’s tale. The narrative follows Jean Dornan, a middle‑aged art historian haunted by past cruelty toward Lewinsky, who seeks redemption through a...
Holonomics Publishing Launches Second Edition of Award-Winning Customer Experience Operating System
Holonomics Publishing has released the second edition of *Designing Customer Experiences with Soul*, co‑authored by Simon and Maria Robinson. The updated book introduces the Customer Centricity Strategy Framework as a full operating system that embeds the customer lifecycle into every...
We Goofed
Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library is hosting “‘Beauties of My Style’: Errata and the Printed Mistake,” an exhibition that spotlights the centuries‑old practice of inserting errata slips into printed books. The show displays early examples, from a 1622 satirical poem to...
Book Review: ‘The Radiant Dark,’ by Alexandra Oliva
Alexandra Oliva’s new novel *The Radiant Dark* imagines an alternate 1980s where humanity finally confirms extraterrestrial life on the exoplanet Ross 128 b, eleven light‑years away. The story follows Carol Girard, a new mother battling undiagnosed postpartum depression, as global attention shifts...
These Are the Most Challenged Books of 2025
2025 saw “Sold” become the most challenged book in the United States, sparking renewed debate over content warnings and censorship. Independent bookstores experienced a surge, with 422 new locations opening—a 31% increase over the prior year—signaling a grassroots revival amid...
What to Read This Weekend: Monsters in the Archives Dives Deep Into Stephen King's Early Works
Caroline Bicks’ *Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King* offers unprecedented access to the legendary author’s private papers after she became the University of Maine’s inaugural Stephen E. King Chair. The book dissects early drafts of iconic titles such...
Orgulla, or Gringo Go Back to Your Country | The Weekly Read
Molly Greening’s essay “Orgullo, or Gringo Go Back to Your Country” uses creative nonfiction to examine pride, positionality, and coalition resistance against U.S. Christian fundamentalism at the 2024 San Salvador Pride parade. The piece traces how theological narratives can both liberate...
Anthony Horowitz Talks About His New Book, 'A Deadly Episode'
Anthony Horowitz reveals his latest novel, *A Deadly Episode*, the sixth entry in the Daniel Hawthorne series, where a murder on a movie set blurs the line between fiction and reality. He explains the book satirizes Hollywood ego, true‑crime adaptations,...
Book Review: ‘Homesick for a World Unknown,’ by Miriam Horn
Miriam Horn’s new biography, *Homesick for a World Unknown*, chronicles the life of legendary naturalist George B. Schaller, whose seven‑decade career reshaped field biology. Starting in 1959 with a daring study of mountain gorillas in the Congo, Schaller spent over...
Jet Li Believes in Showing Up on Time, or Earlier
Jet Li’s memoir “Beyond Life and Death” reveals how punctuality shaped his career and personal philosophy. The martial‑arts legend recounts his early training at Beijing Sports School, breakout roles from “Shaolin Temple” to Hollywood blockbusters, and a decades‑long quest for...
Book Review: ‘If This Be Magic,’ by Daniel Hahn
John McWhorter reviews Daniel Hahn’s *If This Be Magic*, a deep dive into how Shakespeare’s plays are rendered in modern languages worldwide. Hahn surveys dozens of translators, revealing that contemporary versions often make the Bard’s meaning clearer than the original Early‑Modern...
Heated Rivalry, The Housemaid and Fourth Wing: TikTok Launches BookTok Bestseller List
TikTok has launched the UK’s first official #BookTok bestseller list, compiled by Media Control and NielsenIQ BookData using sales data and hashtag analysis. The inaugural top‑20 is dominated by romance and romantasy titles, all authored by women, with Chloe Walsh’s *Boys of...
I Read Russell Brand’s Unreadable New Book, for My Sins
Russell Brand’s new book *How to Become a Christian in 7 Days* arrives on Tucker Carlson’s Skyhorse imprint, a publisher known for polarising titles. The memoir blends Brand’s personal conversion story with a litany of pop‑culture riffs, conspiracy‑theory tangents, and...
Book Club: Let’s Talk About ‘The Renovation,’ by Kenan Orhan
Kenan Orhan’s debut novel, The Renovation, follows Dilala, a Turkish exile in Italy, whose routine bathroom remodel inexplicably transports her to a cell in Istanbul’s notorious Silivri Prison. The surreal shift forces her to confront her father’s dissident past, his...
Recently Published Book Spotlight: Why Plato Matters Now
Angie Hobbs, Professor Emerita of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at Sheffield, has released *Why Plato Matters Now* (Bloomsbury, 2025). The book examines each of Plato’s core dialogues through the lens of pressing modern issues such as democracy, flourishing, education,...