In “The Clues to My Crime,” authors explain the influences behind their latest works of crime fiction. In this installment, former Congressman Steve Israel tells us about what inspired Big Guns, his latest satirical novel, which targets the firearms industry and the Washington political establishment. Catch 22, by Joseph Heller (1961) A satirical novel […]
Venerable Chicago alt-weekly NewCity has released Lit 50 2018, its list of the city’s most influential “artists who are actively publishing, reading and writing.” And they’ve named Booklist’s Books for Youth editor Daniel Kraus the second-most important person in Chicago literature! Here’s why: New York Times bestselling author Daniel Kraus is no stranger to the macabre. […]
#MysteryMonth special to The Booklist Reader Jenni L. Walsh is an author of historical fiction. Her two novels, Becoming Bonnie and Side by Side (out on June 5 from Forge Books), imagine the iconic Bonnie and Clyde through Bonnie’s eyes. You can visit her at jennilwalsh.com and follow her on Twitter at @jennilwalsh. When discussing […]
Every weekday we feature a different review on Booklist Online. These reviews are notable for different reasons—they may be starred, or high-demand, or especially relevant to the current issue’s spotlight. We’ve collected the reviews from May 14–18 below. Monday, May 14 The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton The Hardcastle family has decided to throw a party […]
In “The Clues to My Crime,” authors explain the influences behind their latest works of crime fiction. Here, Martin Walker tells us about what inspired his forthcoming novel, A Taste for Vengeance, the latest installment in his Bruno, Chief of Police series, due in June from Knopf. Walker has ten previous Bruno novels to his name, all international […]
Some of the biggest crime fiction is perpetrated by some of the smallest players. We’re determined to shine the spotlight on them before they break out and wreak havoc across the whole country. Read them—before they publish again! Legal Name: Otto Penzler Accomplices: Charles Perry, publisher, and Jane Friedman, consultant […]
Every weekday we feature a different review on Booklist Online. These reviews are notable for different reasons—they may be starred, or high-demand, or especially relevant to the current issue’s spotlight. We’ve collected the reviews from May 7–11 below. Monday, May 7 Hellbent, by Gregg Hurwitz, read by Scott Brick The third Orphan X thriller finds its hero, […]
#MysteryMonth special to the Booklist Reader CATRONIA MCPHERSON was born in Scotland and lived there until 2010, before immigrating to California. A former academic linguist, she is now a full-time fiction writer, the multi- award-winning and best-selling author of the Dandy Gilver detective stories, set in Scotland in the 1920s. She also writes a strand of award-winning contemporary standalone […]
In “The Clues to My Crime,” authors explain the influences behind their latest works of crime fiction. In this installment, Owen Laukkanen tells us about what inspired his latest novel, Gale Force, a high-seas thriller out this week from Putnam Books. Laukkanen has written six Stevens and Windermere FBI thrillers (most recently The Professionals), and two YA novels under the […]
Every weekday we feature a different review on Booklist Online. These reviews are notable for different reasons—they may be starred, or high-demand, or especially relevant to the current issue’s spotlight. We’ve collected the reviews from April 30–May 4 below. Monday, April 30 The Boy, the Bird, and the Coffin Maker, by Matilda Woods Woods fashions an incredibly tender, […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
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