Librarian Criminalization Bills — Not New But Growing
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.
Librarian Criminalization Bills Are Growing, But They’re Not New
More people are tuned in to what’s happening in public libraries and public schools than ever before. This is a good thing and it is also long overdue. Many have been shouting about this from the rooftops and from the streets for years.
This tuning in means that the continuing onslaught of awful library bills being proposed across various U.S. states is getting more attention. Again, a great and beyond necessary thing. But with the kind of reception and blasting that librarian criminalization bills are seeing on social media and in the broader media, it’s worth noting that none of these bills are new. Are they connected to what was laid out in Project 2025? Absolutely. However, these bills began long before Project 2025 was spelled out because we, as Americans, have been living the Project 2025 playbook since at least 2021.
Excited for THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER? Here is More Historical Horror You’ll Love
At this point in his career, Stephen Graham Jones is practically a living horror legend. Everyone in the horror community is buzzing about his latest book, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, which is out on March 18 from Saga Press.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a historical horror novel set in the American West in 1912. The diary of a Lutheran priest recounts the story of a vampire who seeks revenge for the murder of his people. This novel introduces supernatural and spooky elements into true — and even more horrifying — events.
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Disability Books for Teens and Kids
As a chronically ill teen, I didn’t see myself in books. Every protagonist was beautiful, talented, and able-bodied, and I struggled to relate to such “perfect” characters. But these days, more and more disabled literature is coming out for kids and teens. Young people from a wide range of disabilities have the opportunity to see themselves in the pages of a book.
Trump Vs. Doom: Who Dictatored Better?
The more I compare Trump to comic book villains, the more aware I become of a paradox: real-life villains have more latitude to be cartoons than cartoons do.
For fictional bad guys to be interesting, they need depth and nuance. A supervillain who is gleefully evil for evil’s sake might be entertaining in a shallow way, but to stay entertaining, they have to evolve, for better or worse. All fictional characters share this obligation. Real people don’t. Trump and other fascists don’t have to change or self-reflect or give us a reason, however horrible, for the things they do. They are free to be vile in the most terrifying yet one-note ways possible.
It’s a Book List Extravaganza
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. This week’s post is going to be a spring cleaning of sorts, where I consolidate the many (MANY) book list resources I’ve saved over the last month and a half.
Update your collections, use them as springboards for your next set of displays, or just share them with patrons.
