The Bookish Elf — honest book reviews, reading lists and author interviews

Editor’s pick★ 4

Land of Ghosts

by E L James

The house was empty. The back bedroom never was.

An orphaned cellist moves into her guardian's spotless Chiswick house and finds the back bedroom already occupied by a boy only she can see. E L James's first young adult novel is at its best on grief and at its weakest on repetit…

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Editor’s pick★ 4.5

A Married Little Christmas

by Abby Jimenez

Three couples, one pancake diner, and a town that never takes its lights down.

Three linked holiday novellas from Abby Jimenez: exes forced to fake a reunion, a man stuck in a diner in a zombie Santa costume, and two best friends who team up against a three-day engagement. Funny and generous, with endings th…

Read the review More from Abby Jimenez

Editor’s pick★ 4.5

A Court of Splintered Harmony

by Sarah J. Maas

The war has not started yet. The family is already breaking.

Six months after Nyx's birth, the Night Court is negotiating with kingdoms that want the human lands back, an ancient death-lord is stirring, and Azriel is coming apart. The sixth ACOTAR book is a sharp, dark first movement with a…

Read the review More from Sarah J. Maas

Editor’s pick★ 5

Arcaneia

by Trenor Rapkins

The first casualty of war is truth. The second is the soldier who believed it.

Spoiler-free review of Arcaneia by Trenor Rapkins: a 2126 dystopia where a corporate soldier uncovers his manipulation and seeks truth and redemption.

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Editor’s pick★ 4

Off the Reservation

by Stephen Graham Jones

Some bones were never meant to stay buried two thousand miles from home.

Five years after Duck Lake, Nate Yellow Tail rides east in a borrowed parade RV to bring a Blackfeet boy's bones home from Carlisle. Jones's sequel is braver, funnier and stranger than its predecessor, with a sagging middle and su…

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01 / 05

Spooky season

8nights until
Halloween

Halloween Books 2026

Our favourite spooky reads of the year, from cosy witches to can’t-sleep horror, plus the best of 2025, 2024 and the classics.

New for 2026 Top 5 scariest Cosy & witchy Spooky romance YA & kids Classics Spooky games

See the full list

Just published

Latest reviews

Every review we publish, newest first.

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New review★ 4

When the World Was Happy

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Twins in a house of books and music in El Paso, a school shooting on the third day of junior year, and the long year after. Sáenz's last novel is generous, angry and deeply felt, though its sunlit first half runs long and its speeches sometimes do the work its…

Read the review

Queen of Lombard StreetLisa Kleypas★ 4

Just the Good PartsRobbie Couch★ 4

Miss Wolcott’s GhostLouise Penny★ 4

Christmas StaycationMeghan Quinn★ 4

★ 4The Piano Teacher of MontparnasseHeather Morris

★ 4The Tarot TrialsKatee Robert

★ 4The Slantwise HistoriesAlix E. Harrow

★ 4The Haunting of Lavender HouseNatalie Kikic

★ 4When the Night Comes KnockingKatherine Daniel

New book releases

Out this week, and what’s coming

Updated weekly · Fri 23 Oct

Release calendar

Biggest release · reviewed

A Married Little Christmas

by Abby Jimenez

4.5our rating

OCT20Out Tuesday 20 OctoberForever

Read our review →

19–25 October33 new books · 13 reviewed

Mon19·

Tue20

32 books13 reviewed

Wed21·

Thu22

1 book

Fri23Today

Sat24·

Sun25·

Every book, day by day →

More out this week

★ 4.5FantasyVeilmar lies in ruins, Blake has flown off inside a dragon that is not him, and the people left at Bloodwing are holding committee meetings about the…Read our review →With Hearts of FlameBriar BoleynReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

★ 4RomanceWaterfell's most hated defenseman gets one last season to earn an NHL contract, and then his old prep-school coach walks into the locker room with the…Read our review →UndonePeyton CorinneReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

★ 4HistoricalAn economist born outside the law wants to open Britain's first bank for women, and her new butler is a Welsh detective sent to investigate her mentor…Read our review →Queen of Lombard StreetLisa KleypasReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

★ 4HorrorTwo estranged siblings stop for marshmallows at a store on a North Georgia mountain the night before Thanksgiving and end up besieged by a creature th…Read our review →When the Night Comes KnockingKatherine DanielReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

★ 4FantasyA war healer walks into Ivercrest hoping to cure the scar that has ruled her life and walks out of the entrance test branded a Wielder of Dark Magic…Read our review →Our Dark IncantationsWanda HellmundReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

HistoricalAmbition. Sorcery. Treason. How will one woman dare to go?Eleanor Cobham arrived at court with nothing — her greatest hope was simply to marry well. B…See the book →Royal WitchPhilippa GregoryOut Tue 20 Oct

★ 4FantasyEvery twenty-two years, Caelria's champions of the old gods fight by night and dance by day until five are left. A thief from the slums takes the card…Read our review →The Tarot TrialsKatee RobertReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

Historical1960s, Ireland. In the wake of tragedy, a father makes choices for his eleven grieving sons. The older brothers will emigrate to England for work, whi…See the book →Whale HarborMary Beth KeaneOut Tue 20 Oct

★ 4HistoricalA Jewish girl left off a Gestapo list runs to her piano teacher's flat in occupied Paris, and a family of resisters takes her in under their own name…Read our review →The Piano Teacher of MontparnasseHeather MorrisReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

★ 4MysteryA body in a forgotten forest cemetery, a grave dated to a shipwreck Canada forgot, and a plant everyone thought was extinct. The twenty-first Gamache…Read our review →Miss Wolcott’s GhostLouise PennyReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

★ 4HorrorA grieving San Francisco photographer travels to a car-free Croatian island to meet the grandmother she was told was dead, and starts waking every nig…Read our review →The Haunting of Lavender HouseNatalie KikicReviewedOut Tue 20 Oct

RomanceOrder now and receive the stunning DELUXE FIRST PRINT RUN while supplies last―featuring gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled artwork, custom endpaper…See the book →Carved in the ShadowsA.L. JacksonOut Tue 20 Oct

Most anticipated · next week

A Court of Splintered Harmony

by Sarah J. Maas · Tuesday 27 October

4days--hours--min--sec

Pre-order & details →

Next 7 release days134 new books · 26 Oct–10 Nov

Mon26Oct

1 bookin 3 daysTue27Oct

16 books1 reviewedSat31Oct

1 bookin 8 daysSun1Nov

3 booksin 9 daysTue3Nov

50 booksin 11 daysThu5Nov

2 booksin 13 daysTue10Nov

61 booksin 18 days

Every upcoming book, day by day →

26 Oct–1 Nov21 new books · in 3 daysSee all →

#2★ 4.5FantasySix months after Nyx's birth, the Night Court is negotiating with kingdoms that want the human lands back, an ancient death-lord is stirring, and Azri…Read our review →A Court of Splintered HarmonySarah J. MaasReviewedIn 4 days · 27 Oct

RomanceHe can resist any woman in the world...except for the one he shouldn't want.Famed goalkeeper Noah Wilson doesn’t do relationships or complications. Th…See the book →The KeeperAna HuangIn 4 days · 27 Oct

HorrorCG Drews, New York Times-bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn, weaves a disturbing and intoxicating siren-call in Scorpion Dee…See the book →Scorpion DeepC.G. DrewsIn 4 days · 27 Oct

HorrorA woman acquitted of murder but condemned to myth lures a disillusioned psychiatrist into a gothic mystery. Dr. Ian Greyson does not condone violence…See the book →One of My Patients is a VampireAbigail MoyerIn 3 days · 26 Oct

ThrillerFrom the multimillion-copy bestselling author comes a chilling tale about Brenda: they watched her, judged her, and talked. They should have left her…See the book →Warm BodiesJohn MarrsIn 9 days · 1 Nov

FantasyTwo gods strike a bargain that leads them on a journey with devastating consequences in this lush historical fantasy from New York Times bestselling a…See the book →To Dream in DarknessAnn LiangIn 4 days · 27 Oct

FantasySet in a world of insatiable immortals, their eternal rivalries, and the humans trapped between them, MORTAL THINGS is a cinematic and sweeping new fa…See the book →Mortal ThingsMarie LuIn 4 days · 27 Oct

HorrorA mysterious realm on the other side of our screens. A dark force that draws victims into its static. The unlikely hero called to save them and hersel…See the book →Public Access AfterworldJane SchoenbrunIn 4 days · 27 Oct

Literary“ The Brightness is a monumental campus novel, full of smart and mercurial characters who feel as real as your own roommates… [it] combines the ambit…See the book →The BrightnessChad HarbachIn 4 days · 27 Oct

HolidayTwo steamy taboo relationships, two cheating exes, one drunken three-way, a hot dad, a snowstorm, and just enough sexy cowboys in ugly Christmas sweat…See the book →A Crimson Ridge ChristmasElliott RoseIn 4 days · 27 Oct

2 Nov–8 Nov52 new books · in 10 daysSee all →

#1FantasyThe highly anticipated first book of The Wicked Powers, the final Shadowhunters trilogy! #1 New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare brings t…See the book →The Last King of FaerieCassandra ClareIn 11 days · 3 Nov

#5MysteryThe New York Times and USA Today bestselling series with over 3 million copies sold! The Naturals are BACK! as #1 New York Times bestselling author Je…See the book →Dangerous ImpulsesJennifer Lynn BarnesIn 11 days · 3 Nov

#8FantasyWhen darkness means certain death and survival depends on reaching the dawn, the woman whose magic broke the world will carve another path: defy the d…See the book →Defy the DuskDanielle L. JensenIn 11 days · 3 Nov

FantasyTHE WOLVES OF WAR ARE BARING THEIR FANGSThe Clans once lived freely, honouring their gods and traditions. Then the northern invaders unleashed a tide…See the book →The Wolves of WarJohn GwynneIn 11 days · 3 Nov

FantasyBrigid Kemmerer returns with the sizzling, high-stakes sequel to the #1 international bestseller Warrior Princess Assassin—where the betrayals are dee…See the book →Captive Traitor KingBrigid KemmererIn 11 days · 3 Nov

Romance"Cozy with the perfect amount of spice. A must for your next lazy weekend when you want heated banter, tender touches, and romance with a touch of mag…See the book →To Vex & To HexNeena NoonIn 11 days · 3 Nov

FantasyA HAUNTING, WINTERY TALE OF ART, OBSESSION, AND THE PRICE OF LOVE.Eighteen-year-old Thorelea Winyard has been a prisoner her entire life, forced to pa…See the book →Fallen BeautyAstrid ScholteIn 11 days · 3 Nov

FantasyThe New York Times bestselling author of Seven Deadly Thorns, Amber Hamilton returns with a dark academia romantasy inspired by Cinderella. Vesper Fon…See the book →Twelve Dark HoursAmber HamiltonIn 11 days · 3 Nov

A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters: Illustrated Tales from Elfhame cover

FantasyFrom the brilliant mind of #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes a collection of short stories, gorgeously illustrated in full color…See the book →A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters: Illustrated Tales from ElfhameHolly BlackIn 11 days · 3 Nov

RomanceThe queen of dark mafia romance, Sadie Kincaid, concludes her new explosively sexy Wages of Sin duet with The Game. Order your deluxe hardcover limite…See the book →The GameSadie KincaidIn 11 days · 3 Nov

9 Nov–15 Nov62 new books · in 17 daysSee all →

#6FantasyBETRAYAL.In a fractured realm ruled by warring noble Houses and the tyrannical Prime, the most coveted power lies in god-shards - divine fragments tha…See the book →This Wretched AlchemyTina MarsIn 18 days · 10 Nov

#9ThrillerSome secrets don't fade. They hunt.Expanse, Colorado. Population 313. A town so remote it barely exists on a map—the perfect hiding place for Annie Wo…See the book →When They Find MeCarter WilsonIn 18 days · 10 Nov

HorrorFlickering neon lights and hot Miami nights turn deadly in this gothic horror about a daughter investigating her best friend’s disappearance at an aba…See the book →Until the Last Light Goes OutCourtney GouldIn 18 days · 10 Nov

ThrillerIf she can't remember, her memories might not be the only thing that goes missing. When criminologist April Anderson wakes in an unfamiliar hotel room…See the book →Before I DisappearCate QuinnIn 18 days · 10 Nov

RomanceAn icy vampire corporate heiress and a human software engineer must team up to thwart the saboteur who’s turned their sexy human-vampire dating app in…See the book →Swipe BiteAlexandra VastiIn 18 days · 10 Nov

Romance*The limited deluxe edition includes gorgeous designed edges* An elite university, billionaire, new adult romance from #1 New York Times bestselling a…See the book →The Secrets of Clarence ManorDevney PerryIn 18 days · 10 Nov

Prudence Marsh Is Not a Nobody Anymore cover

FantasyA musician leaves her quaint town in search of a bigger life, only to get tangled up with a charming bandit and a royal heist in this delightful new c…See the book →Prudence Marsh Is Not a Nobody AnymoreEmily KrempholtzIn 18 days · 10 Nov

HistoricalBy the New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair, a novel set in Gilded Age New York about a desperate mother and headstrong daughter n…See the book →Peregrine HillNina de GramontIn 18 days · 10 Nov

ThrillerIn the newest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, the 6:20 Man is leaving U.S soil―this time drawn into a storm of bill…See the book →All InDavid BaldacciIn 18 days · 10 Nov

FantasyA RICH, DARKLY WHIMSICAL FANTASY WITH A TOUCH OF HORROR AND A SLOW-BURN ROMANCE.Linh's mother was just buried this morning. At the funeral, Linh is vi…See the book →Blood of SilverAllie NguyenIn 18 days · 10 Nov

16 Nov–22 Nov43 new books · in 24 daysSee all →

#3RomanceFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros comes a slow-burn romance about love, family, and what it means to become the truest version…See the book →Peculiar StarsRebecca YarrosIn 25 days · 17 Nov

#4RomanceThe limited deluxe edition includes designed edges He’s spent years trying to outrun his tortured past. She’ll do anything to forget all he was to her…See the book →Beneath a Midnight MoonCatherine CowlesIn 25 days · 17 Nov

#7FantasyFirst in the enchanting new epic by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lost Bride TrilogyNiamh McShane was born a witch and died a witch…See the book →Birth of the WitchNora RobertsIn 25 days · 17 Nov

#10FantasyDon’t miss the thrilling conclusion to the instant #1 New York Times bestselling The Games Gods Play and The Things Gods Break. The Wrath Gods Reap is…See the book →The Wrath Gods ReapAbigail OwenIn 25 days · 17 Nov

RomanceAn unsuspecting heiress with a target on her back must enlist the protection of a vampire whose wealth and secrets rival her own, in a brand new paran…See the book →Alma VampiresElena ArmasIn 25 days · 17 Nov

FantasyThe thrilling first book of a steamy duology from Sunday Times bestselling author, Kate Dylan. Two ruthless assassins.One deadly romance. Talia Atwate…See the book →Soul SwornKate DylanIn 25 days · 17 Nov

FantasyTorn from her home and forced to train at the brutal Forge as a child, Thalia Marrow has only ever known the life of a Scion—one sworn to guard the Li…See the book →CursekeeperAlexandra ChristoIn 25 days · 17 Nov

Thriller"Sexy, scandalous and completely addictive...No one does wild, juicy and wickedly entertaining thrillers like May Cobb." ―Mary Kubica, New York Times…See the book →All the Little SecretsMay CobbIn 25 days · 17 Nov

FantasyA spellbinding queer romantasy debut, available for a limited time in a deluxe special edition, that weaves a tale of forbidden love, magical dimensio…See the book →A World ApartMeghan NesmithIn 25 days · 17 Nov

RomanceNavigating the stacks of a sentient library, as well as their simmering attraction to each other, a librarian witch and a monster hunter team up to sa…See the book →The Monster Hunter’s LibrarianLauren ConnollyIn 25 days · 17 Nov

#2 most wanted · 317,816 readers want it

A Court of Forgotten Melody

by Sarah J. Maas · Tuesday 12 January 2027

80days--hours--min--sec

Pre-order & details →

Next 7 anticipated releases39 anticipated books · 27 Oct–1 Dec

Tue27Oct

4 books1 reviewedTue3Nov

12 booksin 11 daysTue10Nov

5 booksin 18 daysTue17Nov

10 booksin 25 daysMon23Nov

Pattersonin 31 daysTue24Nov

Nicolein 32 daysTue1Dec

6 booksin 39 days

All 193 anticipated books →

Most wanted by readersRelease calendar →

#1★ 4.5FantasySix months after Nyx's birth, the Night Court is negotiating with kingdoms that want the human lands back, an ancient death-lord is stirring, and Azri…Read our review →A Court of Splintered HarmonySarah J. MaasReviewedIn 4 days · 27 Oct

#3RomanceEveryone's favorite hockey players are back! Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander continue the romance that began with viral sensation Heated Rivalry—now…See the book →UnrivaledRachel ReidIn 221 days · 1 Jun

#4FantasyThe highly anticipated first book of The Wicked Powers, the final Shadowhunters trilogy! #1 New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare brings t…See the book →The Last King of FaerieCassandra ClareIn 11 days · 3 Nov

#5RomanceA workaholic radio station manager does her best to resist the charms of her corporate enemy in this swoony, You’ve Got Mail–inspired romance from #1…See the book →Longtime ListenerB.K. BorisonIn 123 days · 23 Feb

#6RomanceHe can resist any woman in the world...except for the one he shouldn't want.Famed goalkeeper Noah Wilson doesn’t do relationships or complications. Th…See the book →The KeeperAna HuangIn 4 days · 27 Oct

#7ThrillerThis limited deluxe hardcover edition features sprayed edges, illustrated endpapers, and jacket effects - available on the first printing only!#1 New…See the book →Dead Girl SummerJeneva RoseIn 186 days · 27 Apr

#8RomanceFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros comes a slow-burn romance about love, family, and what it means to become the truest version…See the book →Peculiar StarsRebecca YarrosIn 25 days · 17 Nov

#9MysteryThe New York Times and USA Today bestselling series with over 3 million copies sold! The Naturals are BACK! as #1 New York Times bestselling author Je…See the book →Dangerous ImpulsesJennifer Lynn BarnesIn 11 days · 3 Nov

#10RomanceThe highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times and global bestselling phenomenon, The Love Hypothesis.Olive Smith finally has her PhD, an…See the book →The Two-Body ProblemAli HazelwoodIn 102 days · 2 Feb

#11HistoricalThey called them Crown Vic and Baby Blue…From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Atmosphere, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of…See the book →The Last Days of Vic & CocoTaylor Jenkins ReidIn 130 days · 2 Mar

#12FantasySet in a world of insatiable immortals, their eternal rivalries, and the humans trapped between them, MORTAL THINGS is a cinematic and sweeping new fa…See the book →Mortal ThingsMarie LuIn 4 days · 27 Oct

#13ThrillerOne lie to save her future. One decision to destroy his.Ava and Bentley are Irish twins—eleven months apart, inseparable since birth. Ava is the golde…See the book →The Golden ChildLucinda BerryIn 81 days · 12 Jan

Highest rated lately

Our top scores from recent reviews

All reviews

★ 5ArcaneiaTrenor Rapkins

★ 5ShiftaMiles Joyner

★ 4.5A Married Little ChristmasAbby Jimenez

★ 4.5With Hearts of FlameBriar Boleyn

★ 4.5A Court of Splintered HarmonySarah J. Maas

★ 4.5A Court of Wings and RuinSarah J. Maas

★ 4.5CoralineNeil Gaiman

★ 4.5The Graveyard BookNeil Gaiman

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The review desks

Fiction, non-fiction & poetry

All 3,611 reviews

Fiction

3,248 reviews

When the World Was HappyBenjamin Alire Sáenz★ 4Twins in a house of books and music in El Paso, a school shooting on the third day of junior year, and the lon…

Queen of Lombard StreetLisa Kleypas

Just the Good PartsRobbie Couch

Miss Wolcott’s GhostLouise Penny

Christmas StaycationMeghan Quinn

Romance Thriller Fantasy Historical Literary

All fiction

Non-fiction

373 reviews

Home for the HomicidesElle Cosimano and Hannah Morrissey★ 4Two feuding state agents get twelve days to solve a murder in a town called Christmas before its big festival,…

America and AmericansJohn Steinbeck

Once There Was a WarJohn Steinbeck

A Russian JournalJohn Steinbeck

It Ends HereHeidi Perks

Memoir Biography Self-help History Business

All non-fiction

Poetry

39 reviews

The Million Wings of MayCharles Dowling Williams★ 5Review of The Million Wings of May by Charles Dowling Williams—haiku shaped by Kentucky farm life and Brood XI…

Fourteen Flames From The RamayanaSaswat Mishra

Collected Short PoemsJ R Solonche

A Rebellion of CareDavid Gate

The Cat, The Fish, The Poet And YouSaswat Mishra

All poetry

Find your mood

What are you in the mood for?

All reviews

Can’t-put-down thrillers1,179 reviews

Swoon-worthy romance1,362 reviews

Epic fantasy & romantasy945 reviews

Lose yourself in history600 reviews

Prize-worthy literary502 reviews

Lights-on horror372 reviews

Future worlds272 reviews

True lives115 reviews

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Choose a genre, pull the lever, and we’ll hand you a book we’ve reviewed.

Fresh off the shelf

New reviews by genre

All 3,611 reviews

★ 4The Tarot TrialsKatee Robert

★ 4The Slantwise HistoriesAlix E. Harrow

★ 4The Haunting of Lavender HouseNatalie Kikic

★ 4Land of GhostsE L James

★ 4Our Dark IncantationsWanda Hellmund

★ 4.5With Hearts of FlameBriar Boleyn

★ 4.5A Court of Splintered HarmonySarah J. Maas

★ 4A Court of Silver FlamesSarah J. Maas

★ 4Queen of Lombard StreetLisa Kleypas

★ 4Miss Wolcott’s GhostLouise Penny

★ 4When the Night Comes KnockingKatherine Daniel

★ 4.5CoralineNeil Gaiman

★ 4Bird BoxJosh Malerman

★ 4CarrieStephen King

★ 4.5The ExorcistWilliam Peter Blatty

★ 4Pet SemataryStephen King

★ 4Queen of Lombard StreetLisa Kleypas

★ 4Just the Good PartsRobbie Couch

★ 4Christmas StaycationMeghan Quinn

★ 4The Piano Teacher of MontparnasseHeather Morris

★ 4The Tarot TrialsKatee Robert

★ 4Land of GhostsE L James

★ 4.5A Married Little ChristmasAbby Jimenez

★ 4Our Dark IncantationsWanda Hellmund

★ 4House of LeavesMark Z. Danielewski

★ 4Practical MagicAlice Hoffman

★ 4.5The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde

★ 4We Have Always Lived in the CastleShirley Jackson

★ 3The Short Reign of Pippin IVJohn Steinbeck

★ 2.5Burning BrightJohn Steinbeck

★ 4The Long ValleyJohn Steinbeck

★ 3.5The Wayward BusJohn Steinbeck

★ 4When the World Was HappyBenjamin Alire Sáenz

★ 4Just the Good PartsRobbie Couch

★ 4Land of GhostsE L James

★ 4.5A Court of Splintered HarmonySarah J. Maas

★ 4A Court of Silver FlamesSarah J. Maas

★ 4A Court of Frost and StarlightSarah J. Maas

★ 4.5A Court of Wings and RuinSarah J. Maas

★ 4.5The Graveyard BookNeil Gaiman

★ 3.5A Russian JournalJohn Steinbeck

★ 3.5Travels with CharleyJohn Steinbeck

★ 4Ungrateful Immigrant Daughter: A Memoir From the Child of a Mail-Order BrideKatya Suvorova

★ 4.5Swan Song – Diana, My SisterCharles Spencer

★ 5The Way from Street Kid to MillionaireIgor Fostenko

★ 4Strangers: A Memoir of MarriageBelle Burden

★ 5Journey to Infinity WithinDevsingh Balan

★ 4.5Monsters in the Archives – My Year of Fear with Stephen KingCaroline Bicks

Kids & comics

Picture books, early readers
and graphic novels.

Stories for young readers and books told in pictures, reviewed with grown-ups in mind.

Children’s books49 reviews

Picture books, early readers and middle grade

★ 4.5Coraline

★ 4.5The Graveyard Book

★ 4The Sherlock Society

★ 4.5Little Monsters

★ 4.5The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe

All children’s books

Graphic novels30 reviews

Comics and stories told in panels

★ 5Sofie Finds a Best Friend

★ 5The C7 – Tales of Gisod

★ 5A Friend for Hope

★ 5Grumpy Gnome

★ 5Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love

All graphic novels

Prize season

The awards hall

Every prize-winning and shortlisted book we’ve reviewed, gathered by award.

The Booker PrizeThe Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist: All Six Books Explained

The six novels on the Booker Prize 2026 shortlist, what each one is about, what the judges said, which seven books were cut, and our revised predictio…

The Booker Prize 2026 Longlist: All 13 Books Explained The 2024 shortlist for the Booker Prize Every Booker book we’ve reviewed

Nobel Prize in LiteratureAnne Carson Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature 2026: Who She Is and Where to Start

The Swedish Academy has named Canadian poet and classicist Anne Carson the 2026 Nobel laureate in literature. The citation explained, her life and boo…

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Most-reviewed prizes1Booker Prize32 2NPR Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books7 320th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction7 4Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century6 5Reese's Book Club6 6Arthur C. Clarke Award5 All awards

Authors readers love

The writers we review most

Authors A–Z

John Steinbeck18 books reviewed

Freida McFadden18 books reviewed

Jeffrey Archer17 books reviewed

Aaron Ryan15 books reviewed

Ali Hazelwood13 books reviewed

James Patterson12 books reviewed

Ana Huang12 books reviewed

Stephen King12 books reviewed

V.E. Schwab11 books reviewed

Tessa Bailey10 books reviewed

Meghan Quinn10 books reviewed

Shari Lapena10 books reviewed

Conversations

Meet the people who write the books

All 203 interviews

In conversationPeter Wiholm

Peter has written articles, short stories, screenplays and reviews for a wide variety of publications, and his love of s…

In conversationDeMario Pressley

Enter the captivating realm of DeMario Pressley, a true champion on and off the field. A former NFL defensive lineman an…

In conversationMiles Joyner

A lifelong fiction writer, Miles Joyner turned to penning novels after nearly a decade editing television in the D.C. ar…

In conversationDiamond Ross

Diamond Ross is the author of Fate: Cast of Light and the creator of the Fate series, a captivating fantasy adventure th…

In conversationAuthor Heidi Siefkas Shares the Global Power of Resilience in Look Up

Heidi Siefkas is an author, TEDx speaker, and adventurer. Originally from small-town Wisconsin, Heidi hangs her hat in N…

Reading lists

Curated lists & reading orders

All 154 lists

Book listDark Academia Books: 26 Novels of Ivy, Ink and Bad Intentions

Book listEven More Spooky Books: 58 Wicked Reads for Halloween

Book listGothic Horror Classics: 20 Tales of Fog, Gaslight and Crypts

Book listSouthern Gothic Horror Books: 21 Novels of Heat and Secrets

Reader’s Corner

Essays, guides & close readings

Visit the corner

All519 Bookish discussion47 Literary analysis6 Reading strategies25 Reading challenges3 Book club8 Bookish updates13

Reader’s CornerHow Regulators Handle Complaints Against International Gambling Platforms

International gambling platforms operate across borders, serve customers in different jurisdictions, and may hold licences issued by authorities in different countries. W…

23 Oct 2026 · Read the essay