Five Great Older SciFi and Fantasy Books to Revisit
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.
Backlist’s Back, Alright! 5 Great Older SFF Books To Revisit
But there’s something magical about reading books again. You can revisit the way it made you feel or the time and place you were in your life when you read it the first time. And you can take new things away from a book, maybe a new favorite line, or a new favorite character. (I reread The Secret History by Donna Tartt every year, and let me tell you, middle-aged me no longer thinks Henry is romantic boyfriend material like I did when I was in my twenties.)
On Grief and Our Broken Healthcare System
Her story seamlessly weaves the intimate with the big picture when she shares her sharp, cutting perspective on the U.S.’s damaged healthcare system and how it can wreak havoc on families, worse still when their lives and finances are already on the brink. If you were mad about this country’s healthcare before, that rage will be heightened reading about what Chung and her parents endured and how the failings they were victim to speak to a broader conversation about class. These insights remain timely; it’s important for all of us to develop a more clear-eyed view of our nation’s exploitative frameworks, which seem only to be worsening with time.
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The Best New Book Releases Out March 18, 2025
We’ve also just been having an excellent last few weeks in general, new releases-wise. In addition to this week’s featured books, there’s the punkish Indigenous horror mystery The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth, the next in the Secret Staircase mystery series, The Library Game by Gigi Pandian, and the reimagining of the story of ancient Greek god Dionysus that is The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley.
Trump’s Latest Attacks on Publishing, Libraries, and Schools
We’re less than two months into Trump’s second presidency, and the negative impact he and Elon Musk have had on (literally) everything cannot be overstated. But because I am not qualified or paid to talk about Trump’s impact on everything, I’m instead focusing on how publishers, libraries, and schools have been affected by his executive orders and social media rants. Much of this news is likely to change by the time this post is published, but I think it’s important to step back and look at the broader picture, as grim as that broader picture might be.
The 2025 Trans Rights Readathon Starts March 21st!
We’re approaching the third Trans Rights Readathon! It’s an annual call to action that coincides with Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st, and it aims to uplift, amplify, and support trans, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and Two-Spirit authors. It takes place from March 21st through the 31st, and this year, there are five core prompts to complete, as well as a list of bonus prompts.
The Next Colleen Hoover Adaptation to Hit Theaters? REGRETTING YOU
The rights for Regretting You went to film producer Anna Todd (After) all the way back in 2019, but when the film industry shut down a lot of productions during the pandemic, the project was delayed. Constantin Film is producing the film, Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) directs, and the script was written by Susan McMartin (After) and Colleen Hoover. Also attached as producers alongside Anna Todd are Robert Kulzer, Brunson Green, and Flavia Viotti.
The GILEAD Adaptation is Real, Meta Streisands Itself, Powell’s Event Debrief and More of the Week’s Book News
In the most recent episode of the The Book Riot Podcast, Jeff and Rebecca debrief a little about their live recording at Powell’s last week before talking about Meta Streisanding itself, the exciting/scary news of Scorsese’s for actual life Gilead adaptation, and more of the week’s book news.
