Best of Book Riot

Don’t Miss February’s Best New Books

S. Zainab Williams

Executive Director, Content

S. Zainab would like to think she bleeds ink but the very idea makes her feel faint. She writes fantasy and horror, and is currently clutching a manuscript while groping in the dark. Find her on Twitter: @szainabwilliams.

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.

Hopeful Picture Books to Help Kids Push Through

Hopeful stories for kids are so necessary right now. After all, it isn’t an easy time to exist in the world. I feel perma-stressed, and it gets worse each time I check social media or look up the news. And I’m not alone. I see the tension in my friends’ hunched shoulders and dark-ringed eyes. Many of us aren’t having the easiest time coping with the world — dealing with the harsh realities of racism, the environmental crisis, and the continuing COVID-19 crisis, plus much more — and kids can feel that stress in us.

The Bestselling Books of the Week

If you’ve been paying attention to the buzzy books of the moment, you might notice a book missing from this list: there’s Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, but where’s Onyx Storm? Orders of the Target special edition alone crashed their website at 3 a.m., and there were hundreds of midnight release parties across the U.S. and Canada last week. Well, the bestseller data takes quite a while to come in, so these lists are always a couple weeks behind. Expect to see that one in many bestseller lists to come!

The Best New Books Out in February

What better way to get book recommendations than from independent booksellers? These are passionate readers who have their finger on the pulse of the buzziest books of the moment — the ones they’re eager to get into readers’ hands. So, here are ten of the best books out in February, according to indie booksellers. Many of these we also recommend on Book Riot, so I’ve quoted our relevant recs when available—some of these are actually previews of recommendation lists to come, so if a link is broken, check back later for when the full post goes up! Be sure to click through to the ABA website for all 25 of their picks, as well as six Indie Next Picks that are now out in paperback.

5 Great Time Loop Novels

Time loop stories involve a period of time, whether it’s minutes, days, or years, that people are forced to relive. It’s a great premise for a movie (see also: the amazing Palm Springs) and for a book. If you had to do things over (and over), what would you change? And what constitutes getting it right? Here are five great books about that very dilemma. Don’t be a Punxsutawney Pill—check them out! (And don’t drive angry.)

5 of the Best Queer Romantic Suspense Novels

Right now, romantic suspense novels starring LGBTQIA+ leads are few and far between. But thankfully, the ones that we have are well worth the read. These five queer romantic suspense novels stand out for their twisty plots and chemistry, with a mix of speculative and real-world settings. Hopefully, publishers take note and this list reignites interest in the subgenre!