June is #ImmigrantHeritageMonth, which began in 2014 and has been recognized and celebrated by the (Obama) White House as “a time to celebrate diversity and immigrants’ shared American heritage” since 2015. “Immigration,” the White House declares, “is part of the DNA of this great nation.” Perhaps now more than ever—fueled by the ubiquity of alarming […]
Despite my Korean heritage, I don’t read the language well enough to enjoy Korea’s latest, greatest titles. Thankfully, notable Korean-to-English translators, especially Sora Kim-Russell, Deborah Smith, and Chi-Young Kim, enable all Anglophone audiences to discover—and for many of us, become ardent fans of—contemporary Korean literature. Since May is Booklist’s annual Mystery Month, these chilling thrillers […]
Ready for some double duty? As you may know, May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (woo-hoo! happy me!). Additionally, May is also #MysteryMonth at Booklist. To celebrate, here’s a list that hasn’t been done before on the Booklist Reader: mysteries and thrillers by #OwnVoices APA writers. I know, such a high body count gathered […]
For Booklist‘s tenth annual Mystery Month, which begins today, I’ve rounded up the suspense, crime, thriller, and mystery cover trend of 2018 and 2019: the yellow sans serif title. We all know not to judge a book by its cover, but that doesn’t mean covers aren’t important communicative tools. And for the last two years, […]
This regular feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title. ★ The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood and Reneé Nault In the decades since its 1985 publication, Atwood’s dystopic classic has spawned audio, […]
This regular feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title. ★ Trust Exercise, by Susan Choi “That whole thing about fiction not being the truth is a lie,” one character admonishes another in […]
This regular feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title. Readymade Bodhisattva: The Kaya Anthology of South Korean Science Fiction, edited by Sunyoung Park and Sang Joon Park Tenacious indie nonprofit Kaya […]
Sometimes the world can be a dark and scary place (especially, it seems, during the last two years), so is it really any wonder that ratings have been booming for the Hallmark Channel? The seemingly endless supply of made-for-television movies and shows offer a warm and comfortable place to escape from all the sturm and […]
I’ve been mentally filing away the winding roads and coiling snakes of these eye-catching covers for a while now, and some of my recent favorites include The Hike (2016), The Essex Serpent (2016), The Bear and the Nightingale (2017), The World Is a Narrow Bridge (2018), and Once upon a River (2018). When I started trying to compile a longer list, I found it wasn’t […]
This regular feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title. The Island of Sea Women, by Lisa See Known for her Chinese and Chinese American sagas, mega-bestselling author Lisa See (The Tea Girl of […]
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