Eugenia Williamson is the Associate Editor of Digital Products at Booklist. She worked in bookstores for twelve years, reviews books for The Boston Globe, and writes about books, culture, and politics for several other publications. Follow her on Twitter at @Booklist_Genie.
Aretha Franklin has died. In her lifetime, the musical giant inspired a trove of books about or inspired by her outsized legacy. In tribute, we offer this bibliography of recommended titles linked to their excerpted Booklist reviews—a small fraction of the books in which Franklin appears as a key figure in Black history, Civil […]
When the amazing cover for the new story collection from Kevin Wilson (of Family Fang fame) popped up in my Twitter feed, I did a double take: as arresting as it is, I could have sworn I’d seen something like it before. Then it occurred to me: Hanif Abdurraqib’s They Can’t Kill Us until They Kill […]
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before starts streaming on Netflix on August 17. The film—whose trailer (above) has accrued more than four million views at the time of this writing—began as a 2015 novel from Jenny Han, which imbues a night-sweat inducing scenario (all your secret crushes find out!) with humor, charm, and swoon-worthy romance. […]
Sisters in Crime has announced the 2018 winner of the annual Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award: Mia Manansala who, as the press release notes, serves as the secretary for the Midwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. The prize has recognized emerging crime writers of color—both men and women—since 2014 with […]
Collusion is not a crime, but that doesn’t matter because there was No Collusion (except by Crooked Hillary and the Democrats)! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2018 As our President faces charges of collusion, he insists it’s not a crime. We’ll let the lawyers in the house make that call, but in […]
Today, CNN published an illustrated guide to surviving a shark attack. Though useful, the guide provokes new anxieties for we landlubbers about to embark on beach vacations. Luckily, the following titles, linked to their excerpted Booklist reviews, provide superior accounts of shark attacks to soothe us—or prepare us for the inevitable. Bear v. […]
I love only two things in this world: books and hot dogs (and cults and cats and caftans and my friends and family, but who’s counting?). National Hot Dog Day provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate both. The noble tube steak is given its due in the following children’s books, linked to their excerpted Booklist […]
Our readers are often curious about the process of writing and publishing books, and we’re happy to provide access to the experts. In this installment of our Publishing U series, Joan Schweighardt (The Last Wife of Attila the Hun, 2016) explains how she discovered a passion for ghostwriting while forging a fiction career. I never thought about becoming a […]
The latest Booklist features a Core Collection of fiction and nonfiction books about music. These books are so cool they deserve their own playlist—so we made one. To follow are 20 essential music titles with songs chosen by Donna Seaman, Annie Bostrom, and yours truly. At the end of the post, we’ve provided a Spotify […]
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 June 18–21 below. Monday, June 18 I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara, read by Gabra Zackman Part memoir, part true crime, and […]
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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