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.
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 […]
Koko the Gorilla has died. According to my Facebook feed, every 30- and 40-something I know is devastated. I’m devastated. She was such a beautiful and gentle and brilliant creature. Like so many of us, she was a cat lady. Like not so many of us, she got to know celebrities. She taught children (and […]
As the nation turns its attention to the plight of the migrants detained at our borders, now’s a perfect time for readers to immerse themselves in the global migration crisis. The following recommended titles, linked to their excerpted Booklist reviews, explore the horrors migrants must endure both at home and abroad. (Earlier this week, we […]
Yesterday, writing for The New Yorker, Jia Tolentino declared it “grifter season,” citing an excellent feature in The Cut about Anna Delvey, a young woman posing as a German heiress, now in prison, and the recent publication of John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, an absolutely tremendous book about Stanford dropout […]
San Francisco, 1947. Bartender Sammy Tiffin falls head-over-heels in love with a beautiful girl named Stilton. Sammy’s boss, the revolting Sal Gabelli, is working on a special project for an Air Force muckety-muck that involves Sammy rounding up wholesome girls and hooking them up with members of the powerful Bohemian Club. Through no fault of […]
Title: Evil Genius First aired: May 11, 2018 Where you can watch it: Netflix Although Alice Bolin recently (and perhaps rightfully!) advised women against consuming true crime to benefit our mental health, that hasn’t stopped me from consuming every true crime narrative I can. My latest wallow took place over Memorial Day weekend, when I wolfed down […]
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 21–25 below. Monday, May 21 Death Notice, by Zhou Haohui When Captain Pei Tao of the suburban Longzhou police is found crouched over the […]
For last year’s #MysteryMonth, Michael Cart gave us a list of his top suspense films of all time. However, most films are nowhere near as good as Double Indemnity or Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The sad truth of it is that some films are just the worst. And some of the very worst thrillers are adapted […]
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 and Alias: Jamie Freveletti Accomplices: Various editors, graphic designers, marketing advertising personnel, […]
I’m beginning to wonder what N. K. Jemisin’s trophy collection looks like. I met a much-lauded children’s book writer who had one measly National Book Award that he used as a paperweight. Jemisin, however, has won this year’s Nebula Award for Best Novel, making 2018 her third consecutive year of taking home a major science […]
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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