Category Archives: Arts & Culture

Library group: Most books targeted for censorship involve LGBTQ, race topics

April 7 (UPI) — The memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue was the most challenged book in U.S. libraries in 2024, according to a new report by the American Library Association.
The 20-page report unveiled Monday by the ALA said the memoir by George M. Johnson was last year’s most challenged book targed by groups across the United States.

“The State of America’s Libraries report is meant to be a snapshot in time of the year that’s past, and this year’s report will cover the great work libraries of all kinds did in the past year,” stated ALA interim executive director.
There were about 821 attempts in 2024 to censor books in all library categories which, although slightly lower from 2023, was still the third-highest number of challenges to books ever record by the American Library Association.

Censorship, artificial intelligence and sustainability were the three major trends from 2024, the report states.
The report arrived roughly a week after President Donald Trump took steps to further dismantle multiple federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which was created by Congress, as a federal funding stream dedicated to public libraries.

“We don’t yet know how the rest of 2025 will unfold,” Burger added.
A book challenge is defined as “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group,” according to ALA officials.
A majority of the titles have been connected to LGBTQ+ topics and people of color.
“We are witnessing an effort to eliminate entire genres and categories of books from library shelves in pursuit of a larger goal of placing politics and religion over the well-being and education of young people and everyone’s right to access and find information in our libraries,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, ALA’s director of Intellectual Freedom.
The ALA’s report added that only 16% of demands to censor books originate from parents but some 72% came via “pressure groups, elected officials, board members and administrators.”
Last year in March, the ALA said the number of book bans targeting public libraries in 2023 was up 92%, which nearly doubled from 2022.
Among other book titles frequently challenged by politicians and right-wing groups is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
It added the LGBTQ memoir Gender Queer by author Maia Kobabe was the most challenged book in 2023.

A separate report in November by PEN America indicated that during the 2023-2024 school year it saw a “dramatic” 200% increase over the prior year with more than 10,000 books banned in public schools across the United States with Florida and Iowa leading the nation in number of school book bans.
According to the Florida Department of Education, more than 700 books were removed from the state’s school library shelves for its 2023-2024 school year.
Other books hitting the 2024 challenged list include Tricks by Ellen Hopkins; Looking for Alaska, by John Green; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews; Ellen Hopkin’s Crank; Sold by Patricia McCormick; and Mike Curato’s Flamer.

The Best New YA Books of April 2025

Spring feels particularly volatile this year, from the chaotic weather that seems to be slinging most of the country from oppressive heat to unseasonable cold on what feels like a day-to-day basis, to the larger political scene unfolding around us, from expansive protests to an unstable stock market. At least, as ever, we can always count on books to be there for us when we need them, and YA fans get a wider variety of genres to pick from than usual this month.Part of the reason YA fiction speaks to so many types of readers is simply that it includes so many types of stories. And this April is a prime example of this fact: From a Regency era romance to a future-set dystopian thriller, a meditation on the afterlife, and multiple vampire novels, there’s truly a bit of everything heading our way.Here are the best new YA books hitting shelves this April. Lady Knight by Amalie HowardRelease Date: April 1 from Joy RevolutionWhy We’re Excited:  The second installment in contemporary romance novelist Amalie Howard’s YA historical romance series, the Regency-set Lady Knight follows the story of a duke’s daughter whose determination to defy society’s rules leads to her joining a clandestine social club for rebellious girls. But when her participation is discovered, she’ll have to put her trust in an infamous rake (who also happens to be her older brother’s best friend) to help save her reputation. Publisher’s Description: Lady Zenobia “Zia” Osborn, a duke’s daughter, is frustrated that her entire life has been predetermined. What good is skill or intelligence if one is forced to suffocate it because of one’s sex? She’d much rather make her mark on the world than bat her eyelashes for the ton.Zia only comes alive in the Lady Knights, a clandestine social club for rebellious girls. In it, she is free to compose music, fence, read controversial literature, and save orphans from destitution by any means necessary. Aside from her closest confidantes, no one knows about Zia’s indecorous other life. . . .Until Mr. Rafi Nasser, a rogue with secrets of his own, finds out. Shocked yet intrigued by his best friend’s younger sister, he agrees to keep Zia’s secret—if only to help her avoid utter scandal.Holy Terrors by Margaret OwenRelease Date: April 1 from Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) Why We’re Excited: The final installment in Margaret Owens’ thoroughly excellent Little Thieves trilogy, Holy Terrors brings everything full circle in a jam-packed, chaotic, and deeply satisfying story about justice, power, and the long-term impacts of the choices we make. Publisher’s Description: It’s been nearly two years since Vanja brought down the cult she started, and she’s still paying the price. As the Pfennigeist, she bucks the law in order to help the desperate and haunt the corrupt all across the empire―and no matter what, she works alone.But an impossible killer is tearing through royalty, and leaving Vanja’s signature red penny on every victim. Suddenly the Pfennigeist is no longer a folk hero but a nightmare. When even the Blessed Empress falls, the empire’s seven royal families must gather to elect her successor within a matter of weeks, or risk the collapse of reality itself… even though it puts every house in the killer’s sights.Vanja tells herself she’s wading into the royalty’s vicious games only to save the name she made, and the loved ones also in jeopardy. But the Order of Prefects has also put their sharpest official on the case, the one who swore he’d always find Vanja―until she broke his heart. Journeyman Prefect Emeric Conrad may no longer be the boy Vanja knew, but they’ll have to work together one last time to have any chance of surviving the deadly catastrophe coming for them all.Where Shadows Meet by Patrice CaldwellRelease Date: April 1 from Wednesday BooksWhy We’re Excited: An immersive debut YA vampire fantasy that asks what it truly means to sacrifice for love, Where Shadows Meet is told across dual timelines and features a captivating pair of lead voices in a star-crossed romance.Publisher’s Description: Once long ago, a girl named Favre sacrificed her wings for love. Thana, the young goddess she so willingly gave them up for, sacrificed that same love for power. But everything has a cost.Favre never got over the loss of her wings. And Thana’s choices led to a life of eternal night, and later, their destruction. Favre has bided her time ever since, waiting for the chance to resurrect the girl she loves who turned her into the creature she hates.Now, a thousand years later, Leyla, the crown princess of a vampire nation, must travel to Nekros, the island of the dead, when her best friend is captured during an attack on her nation’s capital. But nothing is as it seems. The closer she gets to her goal, the more her body seems to work against her, and the more she risks awakening an ancient evil and destroying everything she holds dear.Boys with Sharp Teeth by Jenni HowellRelease Date: April 8 from Roaring Brook PressWhy We’re Excited: Described as a cross between We Were Liars and The Raven Boys, this addictively twisty dark academia YA story is romantic, sinister, and just the slightest bit toxic.Publisher’s Description: Seventeen-year-old Marin James has spent her entire life living in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin’s dead body is found in a creek on school property, Marin knows exactly who’s to blame: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the enigmatic yet dangerously alluring leaders of the school’s social elite.Swapping her ripped jeans for a crisp prep school skirt, Marin infiltrates Huntsworth to seek justice. But her quest is quickly muddied by a confusing attraction to her new life, and to the two dysfunctional and depraved boys who somehow understand her better than anyone ever has.When Marin uncovers an otherworldly secret the boys are hiding within Huntsworth’s ivied gates, the lines between right and wrong, love and hate, and nightmare and reality begin to crumble — and nothing is as it seems.Welcome to Huntsworth Academy.Fearless by Lauren RobertsRelease Date: April 8 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young ReadersWhy We’re Excited: The highly anticipated conclusion to Lauren Roberts’s wildly popular Powerless trilogy sees Paedyn and Kai return to the kingdom of Ilya. Kitt is newly king, grieving his father’s death, and planning to marry Paedyn despite his brother’s obvious feelings for her. How this will all end is a question we’re all desperate to know the answer to.Publisher’s Description: Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer return to the Kingdom of Ilya… ​And Paedyn has a life-altering choice to make. Whatever she decides will determine her fate – and the fate of those around her – forever. ​In the ultimate battle of love and loyalty, who wins?The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite and Maritza MouliteRelease Date: April 22 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)Why We’re Excited: Inspired by Haitian zombie lore, this modern-day YA fable about a young woman who uses her cooking skills to get back at wealthy elites is a timely exploration of wealth and class disparities.Publisher’s Description: Brielle Petitfour loves to cook. But with a chronically sick mother and bills to pay, becoming a chef isn’t exactly a realistic career path.When Brielle’s mom suddenly loses her job, Brielle steps in and uses her culinary skills to earn some extra money. The rich families who love her cooking praise her use of unique flavors and textures, which keep everyone guessing what’s in Brielle’s dishes. The secret ingredient? Human flesh.Murder Between Friends by Liz LawsonRelease Date: April 22 from Delacorte PressWhy We’re Excited: The latest twisty teen thriller from the co-author of The Agathas (and former Paste contributor!) Liz Lawson, Murder Between Friends follows three childhood besties torn apart by the murder of a teacher—and the testimony that put one of their brothers behind bars for the crime. But with the alleged killer about to walk free, the ex-friends are going to have to face the past—and one another—to find out if he’s truly guilty. Publisher’s Description: Grace, Henry, and Ally grew up together on the same block. They used to be best friends–until Grace’s testimony put Henry’s brother, Jake, away for killing their English teacher. Now, two years later, Ally and Henry hate Grace, and Grace is doubting what she thinks she saw that night.It feels like everyone’s getting a second chance, then, when due to a mistrial, Jake is suddenly released. And Henry knows his brother is innocent, but when Grace reaches out to say she’s rethinking what she saw the night of the murder, Jake’s reaction is confusing. He doesn’t want Henry—or Grace–getting involved.For Ally not getting involved isn’t an option, and there’s nothing Grace can say to convince Ally she’s not the enemy. But can Ally afford to push Grace out when she’s one of the only other people willing to believe in Jake’s innocence?The clock is ticking. Jake’s new trial date is about to be set, and he’s sure to be found guilty again unless there’s new evidence to prove he’s innocent. Grace, Henry, and Ally are going to have to decide whether you can trust an old friend now that they’re your enemy.The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. AncrumRelease Date: April 22 from Harper CollinsWhy We’re Excited: One part story of working class strike amid small-town decline, one part paranormal horror turned romance, The Corruption of Hollis Brown is like no other YA book you will read this month. Yes, the premise is incredibly strange—a queer boy stuck in poverty falls in love with the ghost that possesses him—but it also miraculously just works.Publisher’s Description: Hollis Brown is stuck. Born to a blue-collar American Dream, Hollis lives in a rotting small town where no one can afford to leave. Hollis’s only bright spots are his two best friends, cool girls Annie and Yulia, and the thrill of fighting his classmates.As if his circumstances couldn’t get worse, a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger named Walt results in a frightening trap. After unknowingly making a deal at the crossroads, Hollis finds himself losing control of his body and mind, falling victim to possession. Walt, the ghost making a home inside him, has a deep and violent history rooted in the town Hollis grew up in and he has unfinished business to take care of.As Walt and Hollis begin working together to put Walt’s spirit to rest, an unspeakable bond forms between them, and the boys begin falling for one another in unexpected ways. But it’s only a matter of time before Hollis’s best friends begin to notice that something about Hollis isn’t quite…right.With the threat of a long-overdue exorcism looming before them, will Walt and Hollis be able to protect their love and undo the curse that turned their town from a garden of possibility into a place where dreams go to die?CALM by S.J. BakerRelease Date: April 22 from Neem Tree PressWhy We’re Excited: A propulsive dystopian thriller set in a near-future Britain where a drug added to the water supply keeps the population calm and docile, CALM is full of morally gray yet deeply compelling characters, and an incisive examination of human emotion. Publisher’s Description: In a near-future Britain, societyʼs calm facade conceals a sinister truth: the state maintains its control by meddling with the nationʼs water supply. The result? A population lulled into apathy. Lulled, apart from a courageous few known as the Resistors.New Resistor Owyn and lifelong Resistor Tiegan face parallel struggles in their fierce quest for freedom. Spurred on by the promise of a mass Resistance, they ignite a chain of events that shakes the foundations of Britainʼs oppressive regime.One thing is clear: the price of freedom is higher than they ever imagined.Voice of the Ocean by Kelsey ImpiccicheRelease Date: April 22 from Blackstone Publishing, Inc.Why We’re Excited: Inspired by The Little Mermaid, Kelsey Impicchiche’s debut takes us into the underwater world of sirens, where a young princess is desperate to prove her worth. A familiar coming-of-age story about self-acceptance and personal growth is deepened by its complex worldbuilding, which depicts the sirens’ complex history and tradition.Publisher’s Description: As the youngest daughter of the siren queen, Celeste’s life is tightly controlled. Desperate to prove her worth and escape her destiny–trapped in the palace as a royal figurehead–she intends to join the Chorus, an elite group of siren warriors. With the final test on the horizon, Celeste feels the pressure to finally gain control over her temperamental Song–a magic gifted by the Goddess herself. But when Celeste encounters a seemingly harmless ship in Staria’s waters, helmed by the intriguing Prince Raiden Sharp, her path veers toward forbidden waters.Believing the handsome sailor to be innocent of any wrongdoing, Celeste defies siren law to save Raiden’s life–despite knowing he is the son of a king who has murdered many of her kindred. The penalty for Celeste’s betrayal should be death, but the queen offers her an alternative: right her wrong by assassinating the prince. Determined to first discover the truth behind the prince’s clandestine mission, Celeste agrees to become human.But the human world is nothing like she expected, nor is the prince the charming and noble man she assumed him to be. Disguised among Raiden’s ragtag crew, she searches for the truth. But as Celeste finds her place aboard the ship, friendships–and attraction–begin to grow. Will Celeste be able to do what must be done? Or will her choices unravel a kingdom, devastating sirens and humans alike?What Comes After by Katie BayerlRelease Date: April 29 from Nancy Paulsen BooksWhy We’re Excited: This story about a teen who dies on the way to the SATs and has 90 days to figure out what happened to her is both biting and heartfelt. Mari’s time in the pseudo-spiritual way station known as Paradise Gate is distinctly Good Place coded as she deals with her unfinished business with her recently deceased mother, but What Comes After about letting go of the things that keep us stuck is powerful. Publisher’s Description: No one could be more disappointed about Mari’s sudden death than Mari, herself. And if she ever thought about the afterlife, she certainly didn’t think it would be a suburban enclave called Paradise Gate or that the biggest problem to plague her in life would follow her into the great beyond: her recently deceased mother, Faye. But that is exactly who greets her when Mari opens her eyes in the In Between—where the newly dead with no religious affiliation come to work out the unfinished business of their lives so they can ascend to whatever’s next.Mari realizes quickly Faye is her unfinished business and in order to ascend and join her loving grandparents, she’ll have to make peace with and forgive her dysfunctional mother for being no mother at all  But there’s too much to forgive: never holding down a steady job, never having a stable home, Mari having to constantly change schools and in the end, Faye choosing her criminal boyfriend over Mari.It’s a lot to sort through, but Mari tries to keep her eye on the ball—attending classes at the Center like Youga and sending grief scarves sailing in Expressive Arts to move her vibe tracker from an angry unsettled red to an ascend-worthy green—all the while trying to remember how she died and deal with Faye, who, of course, is in danger of being kicked out of Paradise Gate altogether. But then Mari discovers in addition to mother drama, there’s even friend drama and boy drama to be found in the afterlife and none are good for her vibes. Even worse is the suspicion that Paradise Gate isn’t at all what it purports to be…and revolution may be afoot.Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter and Bluesky at @LacyMB

Naval Academy names new commandant amid controversy over book ban

The Naval Academy announced its next commandant of midshipmen Monday, days after the academy removed hundreds of books from its library to comply with anti-DEI executive orders.Capt. Gilbert E. Clark Jr. will become the 91st commandant — what civilian universities call the dean of students — in June. He’ll take over for Capt. Walter H. Allman III, who served one year in the role and recently won a promotion.“I am deeply honored and humbled for the opportunity to lead the Brigade of Midshipmen and forge our next generation of Navy and Marine Corps leaders,” Clark said in a news release. “Our family is excited to come back to the Naval Academy and join a team committed to building the warfighters our nation needs to fight and win from the sea.”The 1998 Naval Academy graduate will be responsible for the day-to-day conduct, military training and professional development of roughly 4,400 midshipmen. His arrival from his post in San Diego comes amid choppy waters at the academy. The removal of 381 books from the academy’s library came after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued directives to review diversity, equity and inclusion materials. The books include titles like, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and the New York Times best seller “Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America” by Stacey Abrams. Subjects covered in the books on the list include “gender-nonconforming people,” “gender identity,” “race relations” and “racism.” The books are now in a private room, according to Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, the Navy’s assistant chief of information and media operations.“The bottom line is ‘removed from shelves,” Hawkins said. “No longer available for check out by midshipmen or faculty.”Hawkins declined to comment on the frequency at which the books were checked out of Nimitz Library or what courses, if any, they were used in. Also on the list was “Memorializing the Holocaust: Gender, Genocide and Collective Memory” by Janet Jacobs.Last week, amid the purge of DEI material, the Naval Academy accidentally removed a display honoring Jewish women alumni at its Jewish chapel, before returning the items.“I never thought we would live through this period in our history during my lifetime,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Monday at a meeting of the Caucus of African American Leaders. “We are facing a clear and present danger to our democracy, to the rule of law, to our country, to our freedom.”For over an hour, Van Hollen took questions and heard concerns from Anne Arundel County African American leaders about the Naval Academy’s book ban and other issues. Van Hollen, who has been on the front lines of an anti-Trump resistance, said  efforts in Congress to stymie Trump are at times in vain since Republicans hold both the House and Senate.“So far, we’ve not seen any political courage at all to stand up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” Van Hollen said. “Sometimes we see two or three Republicans [vote against party lines]. But on these core issues we’ve not seen enough Republicans really stand up and block it.”In Baltimore, U.S. District Court Judge Adam Abelson granted a nationwide preliminary injunction in February that blocked key portions of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.Abelson’s decision was later stayed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, meaning the executive orders could go forward.“Every time I have a committee hearing I focus on the illegal actions of the Trump administration, try to slow things down on the Senate floor [and] I’ve been at probably every rally there is to try to muster and channel public support and outrage,” Van Hollen said.Have a news tip? Contact James Matheson at jmatheson@baltsun.com, 443-842-2344 or on X @jamesmatheson__Originally Published: April 7, 2025 at 5:16 PM EDT

My book was just banned from the US Naval Academy library

(RNS) — I was surprised the other night when I started getting messages that my book, “White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity” — which won a 2021 American Book Award — appeared as No. 46 on a list of 381 books that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered purged from the academic library at the U.S. Naval Academy, as reported by The New York Times.
You can read the whole list of books  here that were banned last week because they included diversity, equity and inclusion subject matter. It is heartbreaking and frightening that the Oval Office and the Department of Defense have ordered outright book banning, but I am taking comfort from being in the company of such courageous, important authors.
The list of banned books reads like a who’s who of leading writers. It includes award-winning and best-selling books, many of which have established themselves as foundational works in their fields. 

For example, the Naval Academy’s banned book list includes Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which spent two years on the Times bestseller list in the early 1970s and was nominated for a National Book Award. It also includes “Memorializing the Holocaust: Gender, Genocide and Collective Memory,” Janet Jacobs’ examination of depictions of women in the Holocaust.

Some of the books removed from Nimitz Library at the U.S. Naval Academy. (Screen grab)
The book ban also takes aim at key texts at the intersection of religion and racial justice — like mine — that students at the Naval Academy will no longer be able to access in the library or find on their classroom syllabi:

To understand just how chilling this book ban is, you have to understand the place the Naval Academy holds in the American higher education landscape. As a selective four-year college, it is the highest-ranked among the three U.S. military academies. According to U.S. News & World Report, the Naval Academy is ranked No. 4 in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category, just behind Williams College, Amherst College and Swarthmore College. It ranks higher than many well-known prestigious liberal arts colleges. Its alumni include the likes of the late President Jimmy Carter and Sen. John McCain.
Its mission statement reads: “As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.”
As to what constitutes character, the first concept in the Naval Academy’s honor code reads: “Midshipmen are persons of integrity: They stand for that which is right. They tell the truth and ensure that the truth is known. They do not lie.”

The book bans President Donald Trump and Hegseth have implemented at the Naval Academy are a direct assault on its own mission and a clear violation of its own honor code. Developing competence requires exposure to the best existing scholarship in the field; developing character requires living a life of principle and dedication to the truth; developing compassion requires being able to grasp the world from the perspective of another — something arts, literature and a critical humanities-based education fosters.

Most importantly, book bans prevent the Naval Academy from developing persons of integrity. Book bans are an aggressive, systemic form of lying, both about the past and the present.
Removing these books from the academic library — which almost certainly excludes them from course adoption — means any student attending the once-prestigious Naval Academy will receive a distorted education. Worst of all, it requires Naval Academy professors to lie to their students rather than modeling courage and integrity.
This defilement of a respected academic institution by those who are waging an outright assault on higher education is, disturbingly, the goal. Honor and integrity are inconvenient stumbling blocks on the road to absolute power. To create a new American authoritarianism, Trump and Hegseth must invert our most cherished values, maligning truth-telling as divisive ideology and censoring critical scholarship in the name of freedom of speech.
(Robert P. Jones is president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute and the author, most recently, of “The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future.” This article first appeared on his Substack newsletter. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of RNS.)

Here are some pitches for Mr. Beast and James Patterson’s next book.

April 7, 2025, 2:15pm

You’ve probably already heard the news: Mr. Beast, the YouTuber your cousins are obsessed with, and James Patterson, the novelist your uncles are obsessed with, have finally teamed up to write a book together.
The thriller is Mr. Beast’s first book, but Patterson, the patron saint of airport bookstores, has long collaborated with big names. His third with Bill Clinton is due out in June and like so many books written pre-November, it’s arriving on shelves a little pre-curdled — this latest Patterson-Clinton joint has the winky title The First Gentleman.
Beast and Patterson’s book sold in “an eight-figure bidding war,” a fact that I don’t have the capacity to get frustrated with right now. The pair apparently really did co-write the novel — would love to be an “Anonymous Fly” on the wall of that Google doc.
Bogglingly, there’s also a non-fiction book attached to this deal. I imagine it will probably be a behind-the-scenes look at whatever is going on with Mr. Beast’s repeated attempts to do the Stanford Prison Experiment but monetized. But my hope is that it’s a craft book — I would read the hell out of Mr. Beast and James Patterson talking about how and why they do what they do.
The working title of this collab novel is The Most Dangerous Game, with the logline “Players fight to survive deadly tests held in dangerous locations around the world, as they battle to become ‘The One.’” Okay, but I think we can do better than that, so here are my pitches for the next Mr. Beast and James Patterson team-up.
Hungry For Crime
A detective is pulled into a twisted cat-and-mouse game with a notorious hitman known only as “Ice.” The detective must fight to save his family by racing to eat 100,000 calories faster than this deranged killer.
Southern Sun
A generous rich man gives away a private island to the FBI’s foremost forensic psychologist, who retires to turn his new tropical real estate into a luxury resort. But will it be enough to save his marriage?
Cold Case
A detective is asked to solve a series of kidnappings, but accidentally gets trapped in an old refrigerator for 24 hours. Hilarity and thrills ensue.
Bricked
A cash-strapped police department is forced to sell everything, and have to team up with a funny local teenager to build new polices cars out of Legos.
Basking
A mysterious lab creates five human-lizard hybrids, who have to make their way in a world that doesn’t understand them. Turned away from every job they try, they become YouTube content creators and soon are successful, famous, and happy.
20,000 Magnets Vs. 1 Serial Killer
A detective tries to stop a murderer using too many magnets.
Just One More
A series of high profile house fires shake the DC area, and it starts to become clear that this is the work of a serial arsonist. A local police detective is tasked with cracking the case, but must fight his addiction to watching YouTube videos long enough to catch the criminal.
Out of My Mitts
James Patterson co-writes a Utah thriller with Mitt Romney and four of the five Romney sons. But the night before the book’s release, Tagg discovers a horrible typo in the final copies. Tagg and the Patterson team put out a call: whoever can heist the most copies from airport bookstores across the globe will win a lifetime supply of delicious Mr. Beast brand breakfast cereal.
Ghost Hunt
Desperate ghostwriters compete under a series of increasingly tight deadlines to win a coveted position as co-writer with best-selling and very hunky writer Jim Batterson. Hilarity and thrills ensue.

Here Are the Most Popular Book Genres in Every State — And the Top 3 May Shock You!

A new study is revealing which book genre is the most popular in each U.S. state — and which states have been feeling a little romantic over the last 12 months!
As announced last week, data analysts at cloud technology website Cloudwards used Google Trends data — related to books and literature, of course — to determine America’s favorite books, state by state, including Washington D.C.

And especially for bookworms who are ride-or-die for one genre or another, the results may come as a surprise.

The most popular book genres in each state.
Cloudwards

On Tuesday, April 1, Cloudwards revealed that it collected the Google data over the span of 12 months using Google Trends’ “Books & Literature” category. And while the company cautions that the study’s limitations include that searches don’t necessarily correlate with purchasing or reading behavior, the data still proves that there’s at least interest in the genres they represent.

As it turns out, different areas of the country have their own reading preferences. According to the study’s findings, romance was found to be the “most popular genre in the U.S. — with 22 total states primarily looking around for the next hot romance novel on Google.

The Southern states take the cake for the most romance readers, with the following states ranking romance as their top genre: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

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For readers looking for a little love in their lives — and apparently that’s the majority of us — PEOPLE caught up with a number of authors, including Carley Fortune, Jasmine Guillory, and Elle Kennedy, to chat about their favorite romance releases.

Among their favorites were Marriage & Masti by Nisha Sharma, Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert and Intercepted by Alexa Martin.

Just a few romance books PEOPLE readers love.

Next up in the state-by-state readership study, both fiction and poetry are tied for second place among the top-searched genres. Yes, poetry.

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, Montana, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming are home to fiction fans, while Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont are feeling poetic.

Those interested in poetry have plenty of other recent recommendations from PEOPLE to choose from, too. Most notably, this fall will deliver a new Billy Collins collection when his latest, Dog Show, hits shelves.

To absolutely no ACOTAR fan’s surprise, fantasy dominated the latest readership data in six states: Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Washington and Ohio. Now if the romance and fantasy readers join forces — we’ve got the full strength of romantasy on our hands.

A few fantasy books our readers love.
courtesy amazon

And it’s no wonder the genre resonates with so many. As author Penn Cole wrote for PEOPLE, “fantasy can offer so much more than escapism. Since the genre’s earliest days, fantasy authors have used their stories to grapple with complex societal issues in thought-provoking ways.”

In other data, Iowa, Mississippi and South Carolina are three states that were found to connect most to family-themed literature, while mystery and history each lead in one state — Massachusetts residents are history fans, while Californians are down for a little mystery.

While the reading preferences across the U.S. certainly vary, those looking to take on a new book can find plenty of recommendations on PEOPLE’s best books of April.

In the ongoing fights to ban books, ‘Sold,’ written by a local college grad, was one the most targeted works in 2024

An award-winning book on human trafficking, written by a Rosemont College alum, was one of the most targeted books to be banned in U.S. libraries in 2024.Patricia McCormick’s novel “Sold” landed on the top 10 of the American Library Association’s annual list. It tied for eighth with “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins, a story about a teen girl’s struggles with substance abuse. MORE: Adventure Aquarium to open new Kaleidoscope Cove exhibit with ‘rare marine life'”Sold,” originally published in 2006, centers on a 13-year-old Nepalese girl sold into sexual slavery. It was a National Book Award finalist and Gustav-Heinemann Peace Prize winner following its debut, and was later adapted into a movie. “Sold” was also the 10th-most challenged book in the United States in 2023, the first year it made the ALA ranking.”To ban this book is to erase the young people around the world who are currently enslaved,” McCormick said in an author statement. “To ban this book is a disservice to the women who shared their stories with me so the world could know about their plight. And to ban this book is disrespectful to the young readers who want to know about the world as it is – so they can make a difference. “But, perhaps most important, to ban this book is to take away a lifeline for readers who are experiencing abuse. These kids know what adults often don’t. Books aren’t the problem; they are part of the solution.”McCormick grew up in central Pennsylvania and attended Rosemont College, the Montgomery County school that recently announced a merger with Villanova University, before moving to New York City. There, she studied journalism at Columbia University and later obtained a master’s degree from the New School. McCormick is also the author of “Never Fall Down,” “Cut” and “The Plot to Kill Hitler.” She co-wrote the young readers’ edition of “I Am Malala,” the memoir of Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.The ALA recorded 821 attempts to censor books at libraries, schools and universities in 2024. That’s a decrease from the previous year, when the nonprofit reported 1,247. The majority of challenges are coming from organized campaigns, the ALA said.The other most challenged books in 2024 were “Flamer” by Mike Curato, “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews, “Looking for Alaska” by John Green, “Crank” and “Tricks” by Hopkins, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson.McCormick isn’t the first author with local ties to make the ALA ranking. Susan Kuklin’s “Beyond Magenta,” which features interviews with six transgender teens, was listed in 2015, 2019 and 2021. Kuklin was born and raised in Philly.Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt
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OPINION: Library book club celebrates 25 years

On the fourth Thursday of the month, after the kids have run home for dinner and the street lights have brightened Madison Avenue, you can hear laughter coming from a Derby Public Library meeting room. Is it a wild party? Nope, it’s the Joyful Page Turners Book Club, a group of eclectic and dedicated readers, meeting to discuss its current selection.

Rabat hosts landmark 30th International Book Fair, celebrates Moroccan diaspora

Rabat will host the 30th edition of the International Book and Publishing Fair from April 18 to 28, with Sharjah, UAE, as the guest of honor.
This cultural exchange follows Morocco’s role as Sharjah’s guest of honor last year. The fair will also focus on celebrating the Moroccan diaspora, recognizing their significant contribution to Morocco’s identity worldwide.
Latifa Maftaker, the fair’s delegate, emphasized Sharjah’s participation as a reflection of the strong ties between Morocco and the UAE. She highlighted that the fair, which will feature 51 participating countries, serves as a platform for international cultural exchange.