Book Censorship Trends to Watch for in 2025
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.
A Fun Holiday YA Romance (and a Bonus TV Rec)
The holiday season is officially upon us. All of the people who were stubbornly waiting for the end of Thanksgiving to put up their Christmas trees and hang up their decorations? They’ve all given in at this point, and you know what this means: it’s time to start your holiday reading. Today’s book is one I first read waaaay back in December 2013, which, yes, feels like 100 years ago, and at the same time, how the heck was that 11 years ago? Either way, this is a YA book I still return to and hold dearly to my heart. And if you haven’t read it yet, now is the time.
Censorship Trends for 2025, Part 1
This list is not comprehensive. Instead, it’s meant to highlight a small number of things to pay attention to and to take action on when they arise. It’s also a reminder that personally stocking up on banned books or giving them away as gifts, while nice, is not actually doing anything to help stop the attacks on the democratic institutions of public libraries and public schools.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Superhero Episode
The holiday season is officially upon us, and you know what that means: Christmas episodes! Many superhero cartoons devote at least one episode to showing how our heroes celebrate the day (or try to avoid it). For this list, I decided to stick with regular episodes rather than specials. Sorry, Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight!
The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
If you follow this weekly feature, you’ll know that usually, it stays pretty similar week to week. This time, though, the most read books on Goodreads include some new titles! Interestingly, three of the top five are short stories—that’s one way to have your book read quicker.
8 of the Best YA Books About Cloning, AI, and Other Human-Like Technology
YA writers have used the questions about new technology — and the moral panics about teens using it — as inspiration for many sci-fi stories. Some types of fictional technology, such as self-aware AI individuals, clones of humans, and other technology that blurs the boundary between human and machine, are still the product of people’s imaginations — but perhaps we’re closer than we think to a world where many of these things could be real. Here are some of the best YA books that feature human-like technology, from clones to robots, artistic AIs to mystery-solving chatbots.
