Mara Franzen

Mara (They/Them) has accidentally on purpose made their entire life about books and stories. Mara graduated with a B.A in creative writing and theatre and is halfway through an MFA in Creative writing. In addition to writing for Book Riot, Mara also has written for The Independent Book Review, Wargamer, and The Other Half, to name a few. They also work as a fiction editor with The Minison Project. Nearly all of their published articles can be found here.

Aromantic Books to Celebrate Aromantic Awareness Week

Finding good queer representation is hard, but more queer books are published every year, including some fabulous books about aromanticism like Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen.

They Had It Coming: 13 of The Best “Good for Her” Horror Books

If you're familiar with Final Girls, you're familiar with Good for Her horror books, which have some of the most satisfying revenge plots. Get started with Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado.

What’s Up With Special Edition Hardcovers?

We’re seeing more and more special edition hardcovers of recently released books. Why is that? Let’s take a look.

Dark Academia vs. Chaotic Academia: What’s the Difference?

Newer dark academia books point out elitism in academia; chaotic academia not only rejects it entirely, but seeks to undermine it at every turn.

YA Books With Queer Parents

Queer parents understand the queer experience more and remind young readers there is hope. The queer parents in these books do just that, like in This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron.

The Best D&D Tables To Upgrade Your Home Game

From affordable collapsible setups to luxury RPG tables, these DnD tables are large enough to host your next game with ease.

9 Online Dungeon Master Tools To Help You Be the Best DM

Online maps, stat blocks, and communities: find the best online dungeon master tools to make it easier to run your campaigns.

Easy Bookish Traditions To Start this Holiday Season

If you want to infuse even more bookishness into your holiday celebrations, here are some ideas for new literary traditions!

The Best Bookish Discord Communities

Curious about the world of bookish Discord communities? We've got a roundup of great places to hop in and find your literary kin.

What Are Hopepunk Books, And Where Should I Get Started?

Want to start reading in the sci-fi hopepunk genre? Find our guide to this sub-genre and our recommendations for the best hopepunk books!