Welcome to The Best of Book Riot, our daily round-up of what’s on offer across our site, newsletters, podcasts, and social channels. Not everything is for everyone, but there is something for everyone.
Because publishing is not stingy in its overall quantity release for mystery and thriller books, I decided to split the Best of the Past 10 Years into one for just mysteries and now one for just thrillers. While a book can be both a mystery and a thriller, for each list I focused on either the mystery or the thriller being the major component for the majority of the book. Once again, I counted the past ten years as books published in the US from 2014 through the year 2023, and I broke my picks out into categories for what the book is the best of to hit a wide range of tropes and reading tastes.
To celebrate the news that there is another romance bookstore opening—Friends to Lovers in Alexandria, VA—I have a list of fun bookstore romances! These five are just the tip of the bookstore romance novel iceberg. There are a LOT. Because bookstores can be very romantic! For starters, you’re surrounded by famous literary love stories.
These eight must-read graphic novels are about being new in school, coping with parental figures, making friends, and even dealing with seasonal spookiness, and each is combined with energetic illustrations that will keep the attention of both avid and reluctant readers.
Now, perhaps you’d rather your welcome mats to be, y’know, welcoming. Or maybe you have your sights set on a doormat featuring a different book or author. Either way, I’ve got you. From more general doormats announcing you are probably reading, to more specific ones paying homage to certain books, you’ll no doubt find the bookish doormat of your dreams on this list. Now, you’ll want people coming to your door (perhaps even unannounced!) just to show off your gorgeous and unique doormat. That’s a monumental feat from where I’m standing.
This Native American Heritage Month, dive with me into books that show us the legacy of the people who shaped this land before us.
I read this incredible memoir about a month before Cecilia Gentili died in February 2024. She was a beloved trans activist, sex worker, author, artist, and community organizer. I had only heard of her peripherally before reading this slim and powerful book. As soon as I finished it, I set out to read every word she’d ever written. Her voice is singular and wonderful: funny, sharp, scathing, and full of love. Her death is devastating—for her loved ones, and for so many trans and queer people who were impacted by the work she did. Reading this book is one small way to honor her life.
If you’d like to give it a try, I’ve selected eight horror books you can read cover-to-cover on Halloween. They include novellas and graphic novels, and they’re all ones that I either have already read and loved or are at the top of my TBR: that means plenty of queer horror. (You’re welcome.) There are so many more short horror reads out there, though, so consider this your invitation to build your own custom Halloween TBR.