Slay, Girl: Monstrous Women and Girls in Horror
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.
Slay, Girl: Horror About Monstrous Women and Girls
The books below feature many kinds of monstrous women and girls, including witches, vampires, cannibals, and ancient spider beings. All of them will make your skin crawl, but if you dig a little deeper, their portrayals of deeply complicated women and girls will haunt you in a different way.
The Winners of the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Awards Are Here
The winners of the National Book Critics Circle Awards are here. Prize-winning books were selected from 30 finalists spread across the six categories of autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, general nonfiction, and poetry. The Awards honor books published in 2024.
The Reading Life of Stephen Graham Jones
Jeff O’Neal (me) talks to Stephen Graham Jones about his reading life. Stephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author of thirty-five or so novels and collections, and there are some novellas and comic books in there as well. Most recent are Earthdivers and I Was a Teenage Slasher. His new book, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, is out now.
New Twisty Suspense Reads You Won’t Be Able To Put Down
Sometimes, the best way to take a break from your stress for a while is to get tangled up in a fictional character’s problems instead. Because suspense novels are so twisty and emotionally visceral, they make for great, if unorthodox, escapism. When you’re transported right into a narrator’s psyche — their confusion and terror, the dark secrets they may be hiding even from themselves — it’s hard not to get invested.
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Lean Into Being A Birding Nerd With These Great Reads
When my grandparents built their cabin, they installed a giant window in the dining room so my grandma could watch her beloved birds flitting around in her backyard. My grandfather set up a host of bird feeders in front of almost every window. Hummingbird feeders lined the roof of the back porch. It was a bird paradise. Some of my fondest memories are of sitting with grandma sharing her binoculars as she pointed out the different species of birds.
Now as an adult, I live in more urban spaces that don’t have many opportunities for bird watching. But I still love to read books about different people’s relationships with bird watching. Here are a few of my must-read nonfiction titles about bird watching.
Library Charcuterie Classes, Celebrity Memoirs, and More News for Librarians
Today, let’s take a moment and revel in some ordinary, run-of-the-mill library updates. This week, we have a slate of interesting books coming out later this year, some non-censorship library updates, award news, and more!
I Finally Saw the Banned Episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold
“The Mask of Matches Malone!” should have aired on October 15, 2010, as part of the show’s second season. Written by fan-favorite creator Gail Simone, the plot involves Black Canary, Huntress, and Catwoman teaming up to save Batman, who, after a blow to the head, believes himself to be the titular gangster. At one point, they follow Bat-Matches into a crooks-only nightclub where, to keep their cover and try to snap Batman out of it, they perform a musical number.
The Institute for Museum and Library Services Is Now a Propaganda Machine
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) entered the IMLS this week on Thursday. Though little verifiable information has emerged about what happened upon DOGE’s arrival — several Reddit posts have shared some insights — what we do know is that as of writing, IMLS staff are still with jobs. This could change as soon as this weekend.
We also know that Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling was sworn in as the Acting Director of the agency.
This new leadership came with another press release, posted to the IMLS website. It’s deeply concerning, and it points to what the future of the IMLS will look like under the direction of this administration.
IMLS will be an agency used to produce, promote, and proliferate propaganda.
The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
Before we get into the most popular books, though, let’s take a moment to spotlight a couple of new books that deserve more attention. One thing the top five titles on Goodreads and the StoryGraph have in common is that they’re very white—and the Goodreads long list isn’t much better.
Tired of the Patriarchy? You Need Lesbian Vampires
Happy Women’s History Month, book friends. 2025 is a frustrating year to be a woman or someone who cares about women. For lots of reasons. If you’re as frustrated with the patriarchy as I am, then you need a real, honest “good for her” read this Women’s History Month to help you let out all of your rage. I can’t think of anything more appropriate than a historical horror retelling of the classic vampire tale Carmilla. It’s everything you love about the original, but, like, even queerer. Which we love. Put it on your TBR this month. You won’t regret it.
