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.
Yes, that title is a shout-out to the excellent podcast 60 Songs that Explain the ‘90s. Obviously, many writers wrote contemporary works during the 1990s. Those books reflect that time through the eyes of people living through it. Nowadays, writers can turn to the 1990s as a historical setting. These writers will have the benefit of hindsight, if they were around back then. Those past events will inform the contemporary context of their work. No matter when writers hail from, they also have the body of 1990s media to draw from, reference, and comment on.
In a collaboration between Penguin Random House, Unite Against Book Bans (UABB), First Book, and Little Free Library, the Banned Wagon tour will make stops at libraries and bookstores in nine American communities across the Midwest and the South. These communities are among the many being impacted by a wave of book banning efforts that first surged in late 2020. Book bans have continued to rise since then with more and more right-wing legislation targeting queer books, books by authors of color, books about sexual health, and more. The Banned Wagon invites readers to join the fight against censorship and assert their right to read.
Today’s book recommendation was awarded the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, the 2021 Gordon Burn Prize, and was a 2021 National Book Award Nominee. I finally picked it up this summer, after years on my TBR, and my god what a read! Abdurraqib is a phenomenal writer, as many of his loyal readers can attest. Written with deep reverence and intense curiosity, this book instills the same feelings in readers throughout each chapter.
If there is one thing that nearly every reader can agree with, it’s this: reading books about books is a given. Whether those books about books are fiction or nonfiction, a reader can appreciate a good story or deep dive set in or about the vast world of books. Nerding out or falling in love with something you already know you love via an activity you love is hard to beat.
Books about books are relatable. You don’t need a whole lot of backstory nor context to understand why bookish books have appeal. It is a given that if you’re reading a book, you understand the power that books hold.
There’s nothing like the magic of an independent bookstore. You can find wonderfully curated collections of books, but you can also find lots of other goodies (often from local makers), book clubs, events with authors, personalized recommendations, and opportunities to participate in your community and meet your neighbors. I may be partial (since I also work part-time as an indie bookseller), but I think there’s no better place to spend a few hours than your local bookstore. Honestly, if I can leave the store where I work without having spent more buying books than I made during my shift, it’s a good day. Could you also accidentally spend all the money in your bank account if left unattended at your favorite local bookshop? If so, these gifts for indie bookstore lovers are for you.
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