Categories
Giveaways

121323-FlagshipAudDev-Dec 2023-Giveaway

We’re giving away a surprise box of 10 banged-up books to one lucky reader.

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

Book Riot’s Tailored Book Recommendations ships lots of new hardcover and paperback books to subscribers. Some of the books get a bit banged-up in transit, and dinged corners or smudged dust covers mean they can’t go out to customers — but they’re still the same great books! Give them a home and get hours of reading for free. Fill out the form above, and you will be entered to win. All you have to do is sign-up for our Book Radar newsletter for exciting books deals and must-read forthcoming titles.

Categories
True Story

Nonfiction Bookish Gifts Galore!

It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the end of the year, meaning the end of the “best of” book list season. My TBR always grows longer at the end of the year as I see so many new-to-me recommendations from all of my favorite bookish media outlets.

So today, I’m featuring two “best of” anthologies that you may have missed. Plus, I have a couple stellar backlist titles. But first, bookish goods!

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Bookish Goods

a photo of a pair of earring made out of wood. They are made to looking like little library cards stamped with various past due dates.

Library Card Earrings by RunningFlamingoDsgns

I used to work at a library that used these old-fashioned library cards on top of their digital system. I still have such a soft spot for them! Definitely feeling all of the nostalgia with these. $12

New Releases

a graphic of the cover of The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023 edited by Carl Zimmer

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023 edited by Carl Zimmer

In the next installment of this critically acclaimed anthology series, Carl Zimmer edits the best of Science and Nature writing. Whether it is the newest developments in Alzheimer’s disease research or how cattle avoid the rising number of storms during climate change, these essays reveal the latest evolutions of the natural world.

a graphic of the cover of The Best American Essays 2023 edited by Vivien Gornick

The Best American Essays 2023 edited by Vivian Gornick

In this collection of the top essays of the year, readers will find a range of authors and topics. One writer meditates on the loss of her husband and the silence that fills her life after he’s gone. In another, a man contemplates his prison sentence and searches for purpose. Whatever the topic, each of these writers highlights the perseverance of the human spirit.

Check out the rest of the books in the series: The Best American Short Stories 2023, The Best American Mystery & Suspense Stories 2023, The Best American Food Writing 2023, & The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2023.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

a graphic of the cover of The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is back with a second book. The Light We Carry is a collection of essays that each expands on her ideas around standing her ground and going high when they go low. She also shares about her family’s experience weathering the pandemic. Her essays are kind, supportive, and encouraging while firmly making her points. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, which Obama reads herself. Listening to the audiobook feels like you’re sitting down with her for a cup of coffee while she shares encouraging anecdotes from her own life. So, if you’ve had a rough year (haven’t we all), then this is a perfect holiday gift for yourself.

a graphic of the cover of Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

Hands down, Hannah Gadsby’s Ten Steps to Nanette is one of my favorite memoirs. In it, Gadsby shares what it was like to grow up as a queer, autistic kid in Tasmania, Australia. Gadsby is well-known for her comedy special Nanette, which you can still watch on Netflix. Her memoir expands on the ideas in Nanette and gives us a closer look into how Gadbsy’s life led to her creating this incredible one-woman show. The audiobook is out of this world. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking all in one book.

That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy Reading, Friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
In The Club

Cozy Books for Winter Reading

I know cozy reading has been a thing for a big chunk of 2023, but I think seeking out cozy books, particularly for winter reading, has a longer tradition. For me, anyway. Also, I’m sure we could all do with some soothing stories.

So, for today’s club, I’ve got a great collection of cozy books. From cozy foodie mystery to found family celebrating the holidays in NYC to sapphic sci-fi mystery — the books below all scratch different cozy itches.

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Nibbles and Sips

potato cheese balls

3-Ingredient Cheese Bombs by Giorgia Paino

It’s all in the title. I think this must be one of the most efficient ways of combining two of the most common ingredients in comfort food (potatoes + cheese).

You’ll need: boiled potatoes, cornflour, mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper.

Assembling them is pretty easy; just combine everything together and form into small balls, then cook in the air fryer for 12 minutes at 180°. Serve with marinara or some other sauce (I could even see chipotle mayo, maybe).

Here’s the video!


cover of Coconut Drop Dead by Olivia Matthews

Coconut Drop Dead by Olivia Matthews

This is the third in the Spice Isle Bakery Mystery series, and while an older version of myself would feel compelled to always start at the beginning, the current iteration of me is very fine with dropping in wherever with cozy mysteries. You can start with Against the Current, in which the main character, Lyndsay Murray, opens the Caribbean Spice Isle Bakery with her family but has to find out who killed a rival baker. Or, you can go ahead with the latest, Coconut Drop Dead, where she works as one of the vendors for the Caribbean American Heritage Festival but has to take a step back from the festivities in order to figure out who killed an up-and-coming reggae singer.

cover of Orphan Christmas Club by Becca Freeman

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman

Becca Freeman is one of the hosts of the Bad on Paper podcast and has given us what sounds to be a sweet, holiday-themed story of found family. Every Christmas since college, Hannah and Finn have spent the holiday together. With Hannah’s parents having died and Finn’s disowning him once he came out, the two became each other’s solace. As the years carried on, they added Priya and Theo to their group, and the four were happy for a time. But now Finn’s moving to L.A., maybe even without telling Theo how he feels about him, and Hannah is scared that her self-made family is shattering. As the four of them continue to grow into themselves, they’ll have to figure out how to grow into the relationship they have with each other.

cover of The Mimicking of Known Successes (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti) by Malka Older; illustration of shadow of two people walking against the backdrop of a red and orange sky

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

The official blurb of this book calls it “a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance, set on Jupiter,” which I feel hits all the right buttons for a particular subset of people (me, I’m people). Investigator Mossa follows a missing man’s trail to Valdegeld, a place on Jupiter where a human colony’s university is located. A university where Pleiti, Mossa’s ex-girlfriend, works as a researcher. Once Pleiti joins Mossa’s investigation, the two set out on a convoluted path that involves the future of living on Earth…as well as their future together.

cover of Fake Dates and Mooncakes  by Sher Lee 

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

Foodie romances are a special kind of soothing, and this one takes place during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Dylan Tang wants to win the festival’s mooncake-making competition for teen chefs for a couple of reasons: 1) to honor the memory of his mother, 2) to publicize his aunt’s struggling Chinese restaurant and hopefully get more business. But the focus he needs to commit to winning keeps getting interrupted by the charming and wealthy Theo, who ends up asking Dylan to pretend to be his date for a Hamptons wedding. Suddenly, Dylan finds himself in a sparkling world of privilege, and maybe even falling for Theo for realsies…

cover of A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

This Regency-era mystery follows the spicy Beatrice Steele, who would rather read about true crime cases in the newspaper than focus on her needlework. So it makes sense that when eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth (lol) drops dead during the autumnal ball, it’s Beatrice who steps up to stop anyone else from being murdered while a storm rages outside.

Along this same vein is a series of YA cozy mysteries by my podcast co-host Tirzah Price, the first of which is Pride and Premeditation.

Suggestion Section


I hope this newsletter found you well, and as always, thanks for hanging out! If you have any comments or just want to connect, send an email to erica@riotnewmedia.com or holla at me on Twitter @erica_eze_. You can also catch me talking more mess in our In Reading Color Substack as well as chattin’ with my co-host Tirzah Price on the Hey YA podcast.

Until next time,

Erica

Categories
Unusual Suspects

Hulu’s ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Is Making the Leap to ABC

Hi, mystery fans! The Great British Bake Off Holiday episodes for 2023 have arrived on Netflix! I, for one, am hoping 2024 is the year of gentle reality shows — I miss the pottery and flower ones!

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Bookish Goods

cream colored tshirt with graphic text on breast saying "ban bigots not books"

Ban Bigots Not Books Shirt on etsy by njdApparel

As we slide into a save-our-democracy election year, here’s one of many important issues on a T-shirt. ($17)

New Releases

cover image for The Final Curtain

The Final Curtain (Kyoichiro Kaga #10) by Keigo Higashino, Giles Murray (Translator)

For fans of Japanese mysteries and completed detective series!

This is a great series that follows Tokyo police detective Kyoichiro Kaga. As the reader, you get to watch each clue found and mulled over as he slowly solves the cases. This time around, the mystery is a head-scratcher of a case that connects to Kaga’s personal life. His cousin, Shuhei Matsumiya, also works for the police, and although there is no evidence, he starts to suspect two unrelated cases that have to have some connection: the murder of an unhoused person and a strangled cleaning contractor found in a closet. And that’s before one of the murder victims has an item that is tied to Kaga’s mother’s death a decade prior…

If you want to start at the beginning, pick up Malice.

cover image for Death in the Dark Woods

Death in the Dark Woods (Monster Hunter Mystery #2) by Annelise Ryan

For fans of fun mystery series with an amateur sleuth!

Morgan Carter lives in Wisconsin, where she owns a bookstore and is a cryptozoologist, believing in plausible existability. Basically, she isn’t certain that creatures like the Loch Ness Monster exist; she just doesn’t think it can fully be ruled out. So naturally, when a man is found dead from a vicious attack in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest — following sightings of Big Foot — Morgan is asked to help investigate…

If you want to start at the beginning of the series, pick up A Death In Door County!

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Here are two horror books from this year that work for mystery and thriller readers — whether you already read horror or are looking to dip a toe into the genre.

cover of Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; pair of startled eyes done in reds and blacks

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

For fans of the film industry and cult followings!

Tristán and Montserrat are living in Mexico City in the early ’90s and are intrigued by the mystery surrounding film-noir filmmaker Abel Urueta and his abandoned opus. Montserrat is a film editor and Tristán is her soap actor best friend, who she’s in love with. Naturally, when Tristán’s new neighbor is none other than Urueta, they get sucked into the mystery, which Urueta claims is an actual curse, and asks for help filming the missing scene of his opus… What could go wrong?!

looking glass sound book cover

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

For fans of books within books and fictional serial killers!

Wilder Harlow returns to Maine to write about a serial killer who used to leave polaroids of his victims. It’s a case he’s been obsessed with since the late ’80s when he vacationed with his family in Maine and made two friends, all of whom were traumatized that summer…

News and Roundups

Killers of the Flower Moon Isn’t for an Indigenous Audience. It’s for the Wolves

Tirzah and Erica discuss the state of YA cozy mysteries and mention a few to TBR on Hey YA!

The Bullet Swallower Is a Can’t-Miss Mexican Thriller

Ruth Ware cover reveal

Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Is Making the Leap to ABC

Slow Horses Gallops Ahead with Thrills and High Stakes Comedy

How Eileen’s Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway brought the twisted queer thriller to life

The 20 Best Books of 2023

‘That’s authoritarianism’: Florida argues school libraries are for government messaging

Here Are The Goodreads Choice Award Winners for 2023

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Categories
Read This Book

Read This Book…

Welcome to Read this Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that needs to jump onto your TBR pile! This week, I’m recommending one of my favorite disability short story collections of the year.

a graphic of the cover of White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link

White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link

I LOVE short story collections. I’m not sure what it is about these kinds of books, but they are like a perfect array of gems collected together for us to admire. As a sort of advent calendar this year, I’ve been listening to a short story a day. It’s been so lovely to start my days with these mesmerizing stories.

Back when I first started working on the bookish internet, I participated in a 24-hour readathon. My favorite read from that weekend was Kelly Link’s Get in Trouble, a fantastical short story collection that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

So, for my first short story collection this year, I started with Link’s White Cat, Black Dog. Link gives readers retellings of fairy tales, each with her own special twist. In one story, the youngest son of one of the world’s richest men is sent on a quest to find the best dog in the world, but instead, he finds a marijuana farm run by talking cats. In another story, a man travels into the magical world to rescue his husband. In another, a PhD student is asked to house-sit for a very strange house owner.

Each of these stories takes you to another world, a sort of modern retelling of the fairy tales that we all grew up hearing. But in Kelly Link’s hands, these stories come alive in a whole new way. She has this way of capturing readers’ attention and keeping it with every page. Perhaps it’s the magic of winter nights or maybe the holiday sparkle, but every story seemed like just what I needed on any given day.

Kelly Link’s love-awaited debut novel The Book of Love is set to come out in the first half of 2024 — I can’t wait!

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.


That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy Reading, Friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Giveaways

121223-Dec.EACPushes-2023-Giveaway

We’re teaming up with HTP Books to give away a Nook Glowlight Plus to one lucky reader!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

Here’s a bit more about our partner: HTP Books newsletter celebrates books and popular culture, connecting readers, booksellers, librarians, and book clubs with relevant content and resources.

Categories
Past Tense

Cold Weather Historical Fiction

Hi, historical fiction fans!

The cold has given me a cold. So, what could be a more appropriate topic this week than historical fiction set in icy cold climates? Of course, my almost two-year-old nephew is almost certainly the actual cause of my sore throat, but that’s a less exciting intro.

In addition to cold weather historical fiction, we’ve also got some WWII-era new releases and a cute greenhouse book nook to remind you of spring, even in the coldest months.

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Bookish Goods

A series of white books lined up with a rectangular book nook in the shape of a greenhouse garden featuring lots of plants in between.

Greenhouse Book Nook from Hands Craft US

Add some interest to your bookshelf with this lovely greenhouse garden book nook full of plants. It’ll brighten up the darkest days! $50

New Releases

The Jazz Club Spy book cover

The Jazz Club Spy by Roberta Rich (December 5, 2023)

A Jewish cigarette girl working in a night club is enlisted as a spy for the Chief Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island when she crosses paths with one of the Cossack men who burned her Russian village to the ground as a child—a man the Chief Commissioner believes is involved in a plot that could destroy Russian American relations. Will her quest for answers help her come to terms with the violence that forced her family to flee to New York? Or will it change everything she thought she knew about the world?

Bonfire Night book cover

Bonfire Night by Anna Bliss (December 26, 2023)

An Irish Catholic photographer and a Jewish medical student meet at an anti-fascism protest in 1936 London. The love they begin to feel for each other is hampered by the stark differences between them. Years later, as the Blitz rages on, fate may bring them together once again, but will the differences that kept them apart be any easier to bridge this time?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our  New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Whether it’s icy cold where you’re at or warm, sunny weather, these snowy historical fiction novels will have you wanting to curl up under a blanket for the duration.

The Frozen River book cover

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Based on the diaries of acclaimed 18th-century midwife Martha Ballard, The Frozen River tells the story of terrible crimes hidden within a small community. When Martha identifies the body of a man frozen in the river as that of a well-respected gentleman recently involved in an alleged rape, the physician rules it an accident. Martha’s years of experience tell her something different. But with the doctor’s verdict settled, she’ll have to take matters into her own hands as she uncovers even more shocking truths about her community, implicating even the people she holds most dear.

Snow Country book cover

Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata, translated by Edward G. Seidensticker

In the snowy mountains near an isolated hot spring, a wealthy man and a geisha fall in love. There is no way their relationship can last, but the doomed romance set against the snowy mountains of Western Japan is entrancing nonetheless.

The Fox Wife book cover

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo (February 13, 2024)

When a young woman is found frozen in the snow of Manchuria in 1908, rumors of a fox spirit luring her to an icy death swirl. A detective long interested in foxes searches for the truth about her identity and the events that led to her death, all while a family cursed to lose their sons before the age of 24 welcome a young woman into their house—but is she really who she claims to be?

That’s it for now, folks! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.

If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.

Right now, I’m reading Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park. What about you?

Categories
Swords and Spaceships

The Original Fashion Police

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got a double dose of new releases for you, regular and extra-YA, since there were some cool books this week. I’m starting to feel the winter holiday spirit, thanks to my moving nightmare arriving at its final phase — which means we finally have our decorations back! Yay! Stay safe and warm out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here are two places to start: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, which provides medical and humanitarian relief to children in the Middle East regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation; and Ernesto’s Sanctuary, a cat sanctuary and animal rescue in Syria that is near and dear to my heart.

Bookish Goods

a photo of a shirt with a cat-like creature hissing and the text Jolakotturinn: the original fashion police

Jolakotturinn T-shirt by TheSultanSelection

This T-shirt represents one of my absolutely favorite dark seasonal legends — the jólakötturinn of Iceland, who lurks around during Yule and eats people who don’t receive new clothes. $30

New Releases

cover of Dazzling by Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ

Dazzling by Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ

When Treasure’s father died, he left her and her mother with nothing. Then Treasure meets a man who hovers just a few inches from the ground and offers to bring her father back to life if she’ll just do one terrible thing for him. This sets her path to intersect with Ozoemena, another girl who has lost her father, who is the first girl to ever be chosen to become a Leopard and protect her people.

Cover of Ares by L. Neil Smith

Ares by L. Neil Smith

With Earth a political mess of factions vying for power, colonists on Mars who have fallen to an illness are being used as political pawns…and any rescue will come too late. The Ngu family on Pallas launches a rescue mission of their own, even though, for them, it will be a one-way trip.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

There are some cool-looking YA books coming out this week, so I wanted to spotlight them!

our cursed love book cover

Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe

Remy Kobata has been in love with her best friend, Cam Yasuda, for as long as she can remember. On a winter break trip to Japan, a tea leaves reading informs Remy that they’re not meant to be together…but then they both stumble upon a magical apothecary who offers them a soulmate elixir. They agree to take it together, each for their own reasons, but then something backfires, and Cam forgets that Remy even exists.

cover of Her Dark Wings by Melinda Salisbury

Her Dark Wings by Melinda Salisbury

Bree and Corey have been best friends forever…until Bree betrays Corey and leaves her utterly alone, then adds insult to injury by dying. Corey can’t figure out how to mourn and feel such fury at the same time, but when she catches sight of Corey’s spirit leaving the world, she meets Hades — and the Furies.

See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.

Categories
The Stack

Comics are Red and Also Blue (and Yellow and Brown and…)

How are we doing this Tuesday, nerd friends? Stressed about the holidays? Or looking forward to all the fun? Both? Perfectly understandable! Take a few minutes to relax with these comics: we’ve got some nice, mellow titles for you today!

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Bookish Goods

Six pairs of socks, each featuring a different anime character

Anime Socks by CarnavalSocks

Now your favorite anime characters can keep your feet toasty this winter season! $43

New Releases

The Secret of Friendship cover

The Secret of Friendship by Kazune Kawahara and Aiji Yamakawa

Moe and Eiko are the best of friends despite their differing personalities. They are so close, in fact, that Moe refuses to date any boy who doesn’t treat Eiko with the same respect and regard that she does. Will such a boy ever be up to the task? And what happens to their friendship if one is?

Mika and the Gurgler cover

Mika and the Gurgler by Agata Loth-Ignaciuk and Berenika Kolomycka

Mika’s adorable adventures continue in this series for very young comics readers. For Mika, her entire house is full of new, exciting, and sometimes scary creatures, including one that has eaten her stuffed frog! Can she figure out what the gurgler is and get her frog back?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: poetry! Comics are often seen as unsophisticated and childish, while poetry looks inaccessible by comparison. These comics show that it’s possible to combine the two with no problem!

Remarkably Ruby cover

Remarkably Ruby by Terri Libenson

Part of the “Emmie & Friends” series, this comic focuses on Ruby, a shy girl who loves writing poems. At the same time, she has to deal with drifting apart from her best friend, Mia, who loves attention and popularity much more than Ruby does. Can poetry help Ruby cope and express herself?

The Prophet graphic novel cover

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran and Justin Renteria, Adapted by A. David Lewis

Gibran’s work, now just over a hundred years old, is one of the most famous books of prose poetry ever published. This illustrated edition of the story of the prophet Almustafa is sure to help you appreciate his words of wisdom — which cover everything from marriage to proper appreciation of food and drink — in a whole new way.

You did it, you’ve made it to the end of another newsletter! I’ll be back in your inbox on Thursday with more fun stuff!

~Eileen

Categories
The Kids Are All Right

The Best Board Books of 2023

Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! My niece unexpectedly gave birth to her second child today! Both are doing well despite the surprise, thankfully. That got me thinking about the books I had gifted her for her shower, so I decided to review four of my favorite board books of the year today.

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Bookish Goods

Nighttime Library Magnetic Bookmark by EmilyCromwellDesigns

Nighttime Library Magnetic Bookmark by EmilyCromwellDesigns

I’ve never actually used a magnetic bookmark (my child’s half-finished drawings make great bookmarks), but this one is magical. $5

New Releases

Cover of Amy's Big Brother by Jeong

Amy’s Big Brother by BonHyung Jeong (middle grade)

Andrew is starting 6th grade, and he has lots of big goals. He wants to become the captain of his basketball team, make friends, and ask out Hannah, the girl he has a crush on. The one big foil to his plans is his little sister Amy, who is constantly in his business and causing mayhem, and his parents coddle her because she’s their biological child, unlike Andrew, who was adopted. This middle grade graphic novel tackles lots of themes middle schoolers enjoy.

Cover of Monkey-Cam by Palatini

Monkey-Cam by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (reader)

The Critter-Cam reader series is so funny. Each book follows an animal with a video camera on their head as they get into trouble. This is the fourth book in the series and follows Monkey in the jungle. On the left side, we see the story unfold as an outsider, and on the right side, we see the story from the camera’s perspective. There’s even a battery icon that slowly diminishes as the story continues. The other books in the series follow a cat, shark, and dog.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I’m not super good at narrowing down my favorite books, but these are four of my favorite board books published this year. I see so many “best of 2023” children’s book lists coming out, but they rarely feature board books.

Cover of Flora and Friends ABC by Idle

Flora and Friends ABC by Molly Idle

In this beautifully illustrated alphabetical board book, Flora knows a feathered bird friend for every letter of the alphabet: K for kite, R for roadrunner, V for vulture, and more. Molly Idle’s illustrations are always stunning, and this board book also has flaps to lift. Flora is a recurring character in several of Idle’s children’s books, like Flora and the Flamingo. I’m not usually a huge fan of alphabet board books, but this one is special.

Cover of Alma Head to Toe by Martinez-Neal

Alma Head to Toe / Alma, de pies a cabeza by Juana Martinez-Neal

This sweet bilingual English and Spanish board book follows a recurring character as well. Alma also appears in Alma and How She Got Her Name. It’s a joyful, sensory-filled story where Alma names her body parts in English and Spanish and then relishes in sensory input with her bird friend. Candlewick released two Alma board books at the same time: this one and Alma and Her Family / Alma y su familiar, which is equally adorable.

Cover of Copy That, Copy Cat by Tangen

Copy That, Copy Cat!: Inventions Inspired by Animals by Katrina Tangen, illustrated by Giulia Orecchia

I briefly mentioned this board book a week ago, but I wanted to give a longer review because it really is a fantastic book and one toddlers and elementary children will enjoy. It’s a rhyming, riddling, lift-the-flap delight, and it’s STEM-themed! Follow children as they’re presented with riddles about hidden objects that seem to be easy to answer. As each child names various animals that rhyme with the question, they learn that the mysterious object is actually something else, an invention inspired by that animal. For example, one child learns that what they thought was a frog leg is actually a flipper. Another learns that what they thought was a polar bear’s pawprint is actually a snowshoe. At the end, the children learn that this phenomenon — where inventors study nature to develop new technology — is called biomimicry. Back matter includes even more lift-the-flap examples of biomimicry, as well as a more detailed definition. I’ve read this one and the next one so many times to my daughter this year.

Cover of Spaghetti by Nieminen

Spaghetti!: An Interactive Recipe Book by Lotta Nieminen

This interactive board book lets readers pretend to cook spaghetti in ten steps. They can add onions and olive oil to a pan, fill a pot with hot water, twirl spaghetti around a fork, and so much more. This is part of the Cook in a Book series, and every single one is so much fun for kids.

I forgot to share this here when it was released a month ago, but School Library Journal published an article I wrote about accessibility at children’s book events. It was a delight to speak with the authors and event planners for the piece, and eye-opening. I have experienced issues before at conferences, so I knew there would be lots to write about. What surprised me was how several program directors told me they rely on disabled attendees to let them know if there’s an issue, and they don’t advertise on their websites that they are disability-friendly or preemptively plan for disabled attendees or speakers beyond the very basic requirements. This is a huge error in thinking. I hope you read the article to find out why!

If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.

All the best,

Margaret Kingsbury