Book Riot Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz is a writer and former bookseller from San Diego, CA whose Spanish is even faster than her English. When not reading or writing, she enjoys dreaming up travel itineraries and drinking entirely too much tea. She is a regular co-host on the All the Books podcast who especially loves mysteries, gothic lit, mythology/folklore, and all things witchy. Vanessa can be found on Instagram at @BuenosDiazSD or taking pictures of pretty trees in Portland, OR, where she now resides.
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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.
There was also a story I came across a few days ago about Kamloops Indian Residential School, a school in Canada where there were unimaginable horrors committed against children by Catholic priests. Though I started writing this list last week, D’Pharaoh’s demonstration and the article on Kamloops, are perfect examples of why we need more Indigenous nonfiction, and the authors below explore different facets of the Indigenous American experience—grandparents describe their time at Indian boarding schools, native Mixe speakers advocate for Indigenous languages, Waorani activists fight for the climate, and more.
The 2024 Booker Prize Shortlist
The Booker Prize is awarded to a work of fiction written in English, from writers of any nationality, published in the UK or Ireland. At the end of July, a longlist of 13 titles was announced, which you can read here. Now the top contenders for the award have been narrowed down to a shortlist.
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8 Captivating Comics About Cults
There’s something irresistible about cults. Well, I guess that’s their whole thing. What I really mean is, there’s something irresistible about stories about cults. Perhaps it’s related to the charismatic nature of cult leaders and big promises of secret truths only they know — the same dangerous things that draw real people into cults. Cult stories can take many forms: drama, satire, dystopia, mystery, horror, and perhaps most gripping, nonfiction. All of them explore humanity’s relationship to religion, belief, and truth, as well as the dark power of groupthink. If you also find yourself fascinated by cults both real and fictional, check out these graphic novels and comics about cults.
The Book Riot Podcast: The 2024 National Book Award Longlist, GOOD OMENS Season Three ‘Paused,’ and More
10 selections for The National Book Awards Fiction Longlist, Good Omens production pauses amid the accusations against Neil Gaiman, Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake, and an author interview chestnut we would like to see roasted,