Erica and Kelly highlight some of the best new YA releases hitting shelves in July. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter!. Make this your most bookish summer yet...

Sus Watering Adventures

I’m visiting my parents and friends back in the Ohio River Valley, and the Corgis are having the BEST time frapping around my parents’ backyard. There’s just something about sitting out on the porch with a good book that’s so peaceful. And, of course, there will be days of great audiobook listening as I explore the neighborhood, so today, I’m including two of my favorite audiobooks of all time. But first, let’s jump into bookish goods!

Funny Nonfiction Audiobooks? You Got It!

The Indie Next List, if you’re unfamiliar, is a list that gathers up book picks from indie bookstores across the country. This summer, they’ve assembled a great list that indie bookstores have chosen as the best book club picks for the season. They include debuts, family-focused and coming-of-age...

The Most Popular Book Club Books of the Summer, According to the Indie Next List

The New York Times had their fun with their top books of the 21st century, but oddly enough, they never asked me to submit my ballot. Wild, I know! I’m sure they just lost my number. But because I didn’t want to miss out on the fun, I put together a list of my own top books of the 21st century. Because a book recommendation isn’t fun unless you tell everyone about it, now I’m going to share my picks with you.

A Real Contender for Best Book of the 21st Century

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s midyear check-in time, and in all corners of the bookish internet, we’re taking a look back at the first half of 2024 in new releases. The “Best Books of the Year So Far” lists are piling up — in fact, they started about a month before the halfway point of the year. This is a great way to get an overview of the very buzziest titles, but that only scratches the surface of the incredible books in a wide range of formats and genres that have come out this year. That’s why it can be more useful to seek out round up lists of the genres, formats, and topics you’re most interested in as a reader, like the best queer books of the year so far.

The Best Historical Fiction of 2024 So Far, According to Goodreads

Portland, OR

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NewsByJoshua

In a heartfelt goodbye that left pizza lovers in Northeast Portland mourning, American Dream Pizza has closed its doors after nearly four decades of serving the community. Founded in the fall of 1985 by Scott McFarland and Sebastian Manilow, this beloved pizzeria became a staple known for its unique traditions and delicious pies.

A much-loved pizza place is closing down suddenly after almost 40 years

Total Apex Sports & Entertainment

What makes a zodiac sign high maintenance? Needing extra attention can make someone high maintenance. Uncontrollable emotional roller coasters can make someone high maintenance. Demanding others more than they can give can make someone high maintenance. Needing all of the attention all or most of the time can make someone high maintenance.

5 Zodiac Signs That Are High Maintenance

Looking for recently published books to add to your TBR list? Here are five new books to consider adding to your reading list. Each offers a unique journey through history, culture, and personal discovery. Every book on this list takes readers on an enlightening journey into the transformational power of...

5 Recently Published Books to Add to Your TBR List

Wyoming State

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WyoFile

Caitlin Tan wanted to breed her childhood horse, JP, because she’s been “amazing” — the type of animal any equestrian would be lucky to have once in a lifetime. Having access to coveted bloodlines increased the allure. Via the Miller Ranch, she could pair her 18-year-old mare with a stud descendent of Playboy’s Buck Fever.

Cream of the crop: a cremello foal is born in Wyoming

In many ways, language is like a living thing. It grows and evolves or even dies, all the while shedding skin and growing a new one. English, in particular, is a language that recycles other languages. It combines words from different origins if not outright stealing them to form new ideas in new contexts. This process, however, is always shifting, transforming, and refurbishing. As such, many words that were commonplace a century ago now see little use. Due to new terms being invented that work better, new ideas outdoing old ones, or some combination of the two, many words and phrases are disappearing from everyday English vocabulary. Let’s learn some of these words before they vanish from use completely.

Words and Phrases Vanishing from the English Language

It’s time for another Riot Recommendation! This week, I’m sharing an epic Arthurian adventure. Over a decade ago, I picked up The Magicians, a tongue-in-cheek novel about a school of magic that was poking fun at the fantasy genre as much as it was a part of it. From the inside jokes to the strange sense of humor — it was clear there was something about Grossman’s storytelling that drew me in from the first few pages. Now, Lev Grossman is back, but this time, he’s writing about the world of King Arthur.

An Epic Arthurian Adventure That’s Fresh and Delightfully Ridiculous

Since we’re more than halfway through the year, now is a great time to take a look around to see if we’re on track for our 2024 goals. If you’re reading this, chances are one of your reading goals for the year is completing the 2024 Read Harder Challenge! To check in with you all about how we’re all doing, I sent out a Read Harder Halfway Check-In Survey, and I wanted to share some of those results with you today. Of course, not everyone responded, so this isn’t necessarily representative, but it’s still fun information to take a look at!

The Hardest and Easiest Tasks of the 2024 Read Harder Challenge

Lancaster County, PA

Fans of Frisco's Chicken were left reeling as the beloved Peruvian-style eatery announced the closure of all its locations in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The chain, known for its delicious food and strong community values, posted a heartfelt note on its doors, informing customers of the devastating news.

Favorite Chicken Chain Suddenly Closes All Stores, Heartfelt Message Found on Doors

Despite facing slavery, colonialism and later on fighting for independence, Africans on the continent have shown resilience in all facets of life. From sports, entertainment, and academia to business, they have braved the odds to remain competitive. In the business world today, there are some Africans ranked among the top millionaires and billionaires due to their success stories.

Five 20th-century African millionaires you should know

Do your loved ones consult you regularly when they face a crisis? Intelligence is a branch of psychology that lacks a standard definition. Some scientists claim that it is a single ability and others state it comprises aptitudes and skills. Intelligent zodiac signs learn from their experiences and easily recognize and solve problems.

5 Most Intelligent Zodiac Signs

The Introduction of comic strips in the American press in the 1890’s corresponds with the beginning of a renewed of racial segregation in the United States. While Southern laws were used to oppress American citizens of African descent, the mainstream white press served up accounts of Blacks in newspaper articles which supported such sanctions’. In the comics section, Blacks were the principal comic figures, having surpassed the Irish at the turn of the century as the butt of America’s jokes. Taking images from black-face minstrelsy, which was America’s first national popular entertainment form and a mainstay of the American stage until the 1940’s, many of the images of “Blacks” in the first half-century of the comics were not of Blacks at all. Instead they were caricatures derived from the popular stage routines of white males’ gross parodies of “Black life” (originally the slave life of Blacks). Just as minstrels worked “under cork,” the colloquial terminology for their use of burnt cork to blacken their faces for a performance, figuratively these were comics “under cork.”

Racial Insensitivity in Pre-WWII Comics and the Missing Vintage Barney Google Strips

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set by Rick Riordan. The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro. Ultimate Greek Mythology by L. J. Tracosas & Charli Vince. What's Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon? by Rachel Ignotofsky. $19. The Story of Black History Box Set by Rockridge Press.

The Best Children’s Book Deals of Amazon Prime Days

New York City, NY

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Cheryl E Preston

Yesterday was the third time this year that an ad stating Chelsea Clinton lives in a beautiful Virginia home popped up on my laptop. My computer did not warn me this was a dangerous site, so this time, I clicked on the link.

Chelsea Clinton is rumored to be living in Virginia but probably still in NYC

Just because we have to grow up doesn’t mean we have to leave our childhood favorites behind. This collection of new and forthcoming nonfiction books for adults provides a new take on childhood classics and their beloved creators. Believe in the World: Wisdom for Grown-Ups from Children’s Books.

2024 Adult Books on Children's Lit

This giveaway is sponsored by IVP Kids, making faith-filled and fun books for young readers. Encourage the kids in your life to use their voices with a copy of Penny Preaches by Amy and Rob Dixon!. This charming book empowers girls to envision themselves doing anything God calls them to....

Win a Copy of PENNY PREACHES: GOD GIVES GOOD GIFTS TO EVERYONE! by Amy Dixon and Rob Dixon!

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9 Great Novels Set in Bookstores

I was a bookish child. It should come as no surprise that my absolute favorite book throughout much of my childhood was Michael Ende’s The Neverending...

9 Great Novels Set in Bookstores

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