Best of Book Riot

Library Association Sues Trump Administration

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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.

American Library Association Sues Trump

Right now, the biggest news in the library world has been the American Library Association announcing that they were suing the Trump administration (including Trump himself, IMLS acting director Keith Sonderling, and DOGE) for their actions against the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The lawsuit argues that the administration’s actions were both illegal and unconstitutional, and in a statement released by ALA, ALA President Cindy Hohl said,

The Best Cozy Books of 2025

This is a list of books that will help you escape. Books that may deal with tough topics, but always with a light and careful touch. Books where relationships blossom and steady themselves. Books where regrets are discarded and difficult feelings are healed or dissolved. Protagonists are prescribed cats to solve their troubles, sell their regrets to a pawn shop disguised as a ramen spot, fall slowly in love, help to heal each other, and help to heal themselves.

10 Must-Read Trans Women and Transfeminine Authors From the UK

On April 16th, the UK Supreme Court ruled that “women”, as defined in the Equality Act, only applies to people assigned female at birth. It’s a crushing blow for equality that further endangers an already vulnerable group of people. The case was brought to the Supreme Court by For Women Scotland, an anti-trans activist group funded by JK Rowling.

If you haven’t already divested from Harry Potter, it’s long past time. The money you give to JK Rowling is funneled into campaigns to strip trans people of their rights. Don’t buy Harry Potter products. Don’t stream the upcoming adaptation. Don’t promote it. Let the franchise die. Any nostalgia for the series can’t compare to the incredible harm Rowling is doing with her power and money.

The Best New Book Releases Out April 22, 2025

As for new books, there’s the time-traveling dystopian fantasy Down in the Sea of Angels by Khan Wong; the ghoulish YA novel with a very relatable title, The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite; and the graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents. If you’re looking for nonfiction, Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles’s memoir (Matriarch) is also out.

This week’s featured books have scheming, secret royalty, a possessing-ghost-turned-lover, a personal history of Indian boarding schools, and more.

7 Romance Reads Featuring Fanfiction Themes

As I have mentioned here many many times, I love a good work of fanfiction! There’s nothing like jumping into the world of a beloved work and seeing what other people do with it and its characters. Do you know what else I love? Anything meta. (The adjective, not the company.) So, what is the best of both of these worlds? Books about fanfiction writers, of course. (And people who take part in fandom in other very related ways, including reading fanfiction or moderating online fan spaces.)

My first experience with this was in 2016, with Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl. Cath made me feel seen in so many ways (though I was never a BNF) and inspired me to get to writing, though maybe not quite to the detriment of everything else, the way she did. (I still haven’t picked up Carry On, but that’s another story for another day.) Since then, I’ve always been excited to find books set within the fandom world, whether they’re focused on adults or teens. But Capital R Romance Novels with fanfiction at its center? Oh man, serve it to me on a plate covered in whipped cream and chocolate syrup, because I will eat it up with a spoon.