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The 10 Best Book Reviews of 2020

Adam morgan picks parul sehgal on raven leilani, merve emre on lewis carroll, and more.

The pandemic and the birth of my second daughter prevented me from reading most of the books I wanted to in 2020. But I was able to read vicariously through book critics, whose writing was a true source of comfort and escape for me this year. I’ve long told my students that criticism is literature—a genre of nonfiction that can and should be as insightful, experimental, and compelling as the art it grapples with—and the following critics have beautifully proven my point. The word “best” is always a misnomer, but these are my personal favorite book reviews of 2020.

Nate Marshall on Barack Obama’s A Promised Land ( Chicago Tribune )

A book review rarely leads to a segment on The 11th Hour with Brian Williams , but that’s what happened to Nate Marshall last month. I love how he combines a traditional review with a personal essay—a hybrid form that has become my favorite subgenre of criticism.

“The presidential memoir so often falls flat because it works against the strengths of the memoir form. Rather than take a slice of one’s life to lay bare and come to a revelation about the self or the world, the presidential memoir seeks to take the sum of a life to defend one’s actions. These sorts of memoirs are an attempt maybe not to rewrite history, but to situate history in the most rosy frame. It is by nature defensive and in this book, we see Obama’s primary defensive tool, his prodigious mind and proclivity toward over-considering every detail.”

Merve Emre on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ( The Point )

I’m a huge fan of writing about books that weren’t just published in the last 10 seconds. And speaking of that hybrid form above, Merve Emre is one of its finest practitioners. This piece made me laugh out loud and changed the way I think about Lewis Carroll.

“I lie awake at night and concentrate on Alice, on why my children have fixated on this book at this particular moment. Part of it must be that I have told them it ‘takes place’ in Oxford, and now Oxford—or more specifically, the college whose grounds grow into our garden—marks the physical limits of their world. Now that we can no longer move about freely, no longer go to new places to see new things, we are trying to find ways to estrange the places and objects that are already familiar to us.”

Parul Sehgal on Raven Leilani’s Luster ( The New York Times Book Review )

Once again, Sehgal remains the best lede writer in the business. I challenge you to read the opening of any Sehgal review and stop there.

“You may know of the hemline theory—the idea that skirt lengths fluctuate with the stock market, rising in boom times and growing longer in recessions. Perhaps publishing has a parallel; call it the blurb theory. The more strained our circumstances, the more manic the publicity machine, the more breathless and orotund the advance praise. Blurbers (and critics) speak with a reverent quiver of this moment, anointing every other book its guide, every second writer its essential voice.”

Constance Grady on Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall ( Vox )

Restoring the legacies of ill-forgotten books is one of our duties as critics. Grady’s take on “the least famous sister in a family of celebrated geniuses” makes a good case for Wildfell Hall’ s place alongside Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre in the Romantic canon.

“[T]he heart of this book is a portrait of a woman surviving and flourishing after abuse, and in that, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall feels unnervingly modern. It is fresh, shocking, and wholly new today, 200 years after the birth of its author.”

Ismail Muhammad on Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley ( The Atlantic )

Muhammad is a philosophical critic, so it’s always fun to see him tackle a book with big ideas. Here, he makes an enlightened connection between Wiener’s Silicon Valley memoir and Michael Lewis’s 1989 Wall Street exposé, Liar’s Poker.

“Like Lewis, Wiener found ‘a way out of unhappiness’ by writing her own gimlet-eyed generational portrait that doubles as a cautionary tale of systemic dysfunction. But if her chronicle acquires anything like the must-read status that Lewis’s antic tale of a Princeton art-history major’s stint at Salomon Brothers did, it will be for a different reason. For all her caustic insight and droll portraiture, Wiener is on an earnest quest likely to resonate with a public that has been sleepwalking through tech’s gradual reshaping of society.”

Hermione Hoby on Mieko Kawakami’s Breasts and Eggs ( 4 Columns )

Hoby’s thousand-word review is a great example of a critic reading beyond the book to place it in context.

“When Mieko Kawakami’s Breasts and Eggs was first published in 2008, the then-governor of Tokyo, the ultraconservative Shintaro Ishihara, deemed the novel ‘unpleasant and intolerable.’ I wonder what he objected to? Perhaps he wasn’t into a scene in which the narrator, a struggling writer called Natsuko, pushes a few fingers into her vagina in a spirit of dejected exploration: ‘I . . . tried being rough and being gentle. Nothing worked.’”

Taylor Moore on C Pam Zhang’s How Much Of These Hills Is Gold ( The A.V. Club )

Describing Zhang’s wildly imaginative debut novel is hard, but Moore manages to convey the book’s shape and texture in less than 800 words, along with some critical analysis.

“Despite some characteristics endemic to Wild West narratives (buzzards circling prey, saloons filled with seedy strangers), the world of How Much Of These Hills Is Gold feels wholly original, and Zhang imbues its wide expanse with magical realism. According to local lore, tigers lurk in the shadows, despite having died out ‘decades ago’ with the buffalo. There also exists a profound sense of loss for an exploited land, ‘stripped of its gold, its rivers, its buffalo, its Indians, its tigers, its jackals, its birds and its green and its living.’”

Grace Ebert on Paul Christman’s Midwest Futures ( Chicago Review of Books )

I love how Ebert brings her lived experience as a Midwesterner into this review of Christman’s essay collection. (Disclosure: I founded the Chicago Review of Books five years ago, but handed over the keys in July 2019.)

“I have a deep and genuine love for Wisconsin, for rural supper clubs that always offer a choice between chicken soup or an iceberg lettuce salad, and for driving back, country roads that seemingly are endless. This love, though, is conflicting. How can I sing along to Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, and Merle Haggard knowing that my current political views are in complete opposition to the lyrics I croon with a twang in my voice?”

Michael Schaub on Bryan Washington’s Memorial ( NPR )

How do you review a book you fall in love with? It’s one of the most challenging assignments a critic can tackle. But Schaub is a pro; he falls in love with a few books every year.

“Washington is an enormously gifted author, and his writing—spare, unadorned, but beautiful—reads like the work of a writer who’s been working for decades, not one who has yet to turn 30. Just like Lot, Memorial is a quietly stunning book, a masterpiece that asks us to reflect on what we owe to the people who enter our lives.”

Mesha Maren on Fernanda Melchor’s Hurricane Season ( Southern Review of Books )

Maren opens with an irresistible comparison between Melchor’s irreverent novel and medieval surrealist art. (Another Disclosure: I founded the Southern Review of Books in early 2020.)

“Have you ever wondered what internal monologue might accompany the characters in a Hieronymus Bosch painting? What are the couple copulating upside down in the middle of that pond thinking? Or the man with flowers sprouting from his ass? Or the poor fellow being killed by a fire-breathing creature which is itself impaled upon a knife? I would venture to guess that their voices would sound something like the writing of Mexican novelist Fernanda Melchor.”

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The Best Reviewed Books of 2021: Short Story Collections

Featuring haruki murakami, brandon taylor, elizabeth mccracken, kevin barry, lily king, and more.

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Well, friends, another grim and grueling plague year is drawing to a close, and that can mean only one thing: it’s time to put on our Book Marks stats hats and tabulate the best reviewed books of the past twelve months.

Yes, using reviews drawn from more than 150 publications, over the next two weeks we’ll be revealing the most critically-acclaimed books of 2021, in the categories of (deep breath): Memoir and Biography ; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror ; Short Story Collections; Essay Collections; Poetry; Mystery and Crime; Graphic Literature; Literature in Translation; General Fiction; and General Nonfiction.

Today’s installment: Short Story Collections .

1. Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So (Ecco)

22 Rave • 5 Positive • 1 Mixed

“The presence of the author is so vivid in Afterparties , Anthony Veasna So’s collection of stories, he seems to be at your elbow as you read … The personality that animates Afterparties is unmistakably youthful, and the stories themselves are mainly built around conditions of youth—vexed and tender relationships with parents, awkward romances, nebulous worries about the future. But from his vantage on the evanescent bridge to maturity, So is puzzling out some big questions, ones that might be exigent from different vantages at any age. The stories are great fun to read—brimming over with life and energy and comic insight and deep feeling.”

–Deborah Eisenberg ( New York Review of Books )

2. Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor (Riverhead)

19 Rave • 7 Positive • 2 Mixed

Read an interview with Brandon Taylor here

“Taylor plays the Lionel-Charles-Sophie storyline for all its awkwardness and resentment, but it can feel like a note held too long to suspend commitment, which is the resolution we’re trained to expect … The violence is neither glamorous nor gratuitous; it is senseless without being pointless. In contrast, Taylor presents such earnest moments of vulnerability in Anne of Cleves that my breath hitched … Some writers have the gift of perfect pitch when writing dialogue; Taylor’s gift is perfect tempo. In a band of writers, he’d be the drummer who sticks to a steady moderato. He neither rushes a story to its high notes nor drags the pace so that we can admire his voice. And as a plotter, he doesn’t rely on gasp-inducing reveals … Taylor’s superpower is compressing a lifetime of backstory into a paragraph – sometimes just a sentence … I’ve come to expect, in fiction, the story of the Sad Gay Youth who is rejected by his often religious family and thereafter becomes self-destructive or reckless. And while Taylor refracts versions of this story throughout the collection, he does so without overly romanticising it … He is a writer of enormous subtlety and of composure beyond his years.”

–Ian Williams ( The Guardian )

3. First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami (Knopf)

13 Rave • 17 Positive • 7 Mixed • 5 Pan

“… a blazing and brilliant return to form … a taut and tight, suspenseful and spellbinding, witty and wonderful group of eight stories … there isn’t a weak one in the bunch. The stories echo with Murakami’s preoccupations. Nostalgia and longing for the charged, evocative moments of young adulthood. Memory’s power and fragility; how identity forms from random decisions, ‘minor incidents,’ and chance encounters; the at once intransigent and fragile nature of the ‘self.’ Guilt, shame, and regret for mistakes made and people damaged by foolish or heartless choices. The power and potency of young love and the residual weight of fleeting erotic entanglements. Music’s power to make indelible impressions, elicit buried memories, connect otherwise very different people, and capture what words cannot. The themes become a kind of meter against which all the stories make their particular, chiming rhythms … The reading experience is unsettled by a pervasive blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality, dream and waking … Most of the narrators foreground the act of telling and ruminate on the intention behind and effects of disclosing secrets, putting inchoate impulses, fears, or yearnings into clear, logical prose … This mesmerizing collection would make a superb introduction to Murakami for anyone who hasn’t yet fallen under his spell; his legion of devoted fans will gobble it up and beg for more.”

–Pricilla Gilman ( The Boston Globe )

4. That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry (Doubleday)

13 Rave • 10 Positive •1 Mixed

“There’s not a bad story in the bunch, and it’s as accomplished a book as Barry has ever written … Barry does an excellent job probing the psyche of his diffident protagonist, and ends the story with an unexpected moment of sweetness that’s anything but cloying—realism doesn’t need to be miserablism, he seems to hint; sometimes things actually do work out … Barry has a rare gift for crafting characters the reader cares about despite their flaws; in just 13 pages, he manages to make Hannah and Setanta come to life through sharp dialogue and keen observations … Barry proves to be a master of writing about both love and cruelty … Barry brilliantly evokes both the good and bad sides of love, and does so with stunningly gorgeous writing … There’s not an aspect of writing that Barry doesn’t excel at. His dialogue rings true, and he’s amazingly gifted at scene-setting—he evokes both the landscape of western Ireland and the landscape of the human heart beautifully. His greatest accomplishment, perhaps, is his understanding of the ways our collective psyche works; he seems to have an innate sense of why people behave the way we do, and exactly what we’re capable of, both good and bad.”

–Michael Schaub ( NPR )

5. Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz (Grove)

17 Rave • 1 Positive

Listen to an interview with Dantiel W. Moniz here

“Mortality is the undercurrent in Dantiel W. Moniz’s electrifying debut story collection, Milk Blood Heat , but where there’s death there is the whir of life, too. A lot of collections consist of some duds, yet every single page in this book is a shimmering seashell that contains the sound of multiple oceans. Reading one of Moniz’s stories is like holding your breath underwater while letting the salt sting your fresh wounds. It’s exhilarating and shocking and even healing. The power in these stories rests in their veracity, vitality and vulnerability.”

–Michelle Filgate ( The Washington Post )

6. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez (Hogarth)

15 Rave 2 Positive

Read a story from The Dangers of Smoking in Bed here

“There’s something thrilling about other people’s suffering—at least within this collection’s 12 stories of death, sex and the occult. Horrors are relayed in a stylish deadpan … Enriquez’s plots deteriorate with satisfying celerity … Largely it’s insatiable women, raggedy slum dwellers and dead children—those who are ordinarily powerless—who wield unholy power in this collection, and they seem uninterested in being reasonable. And Enriquez is particularly adept at capturing the single-minded intensity of teenage girls … If some of these stories end vaguely, the best ones close on the verge of some transgressive climax … To Enriquez, there’s pleasure in the perverse.”

–Chelsea Leu ( The New York Times Book Review )

7. The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth McCracken (Ecco)

13 Rave • 2 Positive • 1 Mixed

Read Elizabeth McCracken on savoring the mystery of stories here

“Elizabeth McCracken’s The Souvenir Museum begins with one of the funniest short stories I’ve read in a long time … I had to stop reading ‘The Irish Wedding’ several times to explain to my husband why I was laughing so hard. I kept thinking: I wish I were reading a whole book about these people … they’re all beguiling … This tale, like much of McCracken’s work, captures the mixed bag that characterizes most people’s lives … McCracken’s writing is never dull. She ends this fantastic collection with a second English wedding and its aftermath, nearly 20 years after the first, delivering happiness tempered by sobering circumstances—and a satisfying symmetry.”

–Heller McAlpin ( NPR )

8. Wild Swims by Dorthe Nors (Graywolf)

13 Rave • 1 Positive

Read an excerpt from Wild Swims here

“How slippery the work of the Danish writer Dorthe Nors is, how it sideswipes and gleams … The stories are vivid the way a flash of immobilizing pain is vivid … Perhaps because they’re so very short and because they mostly sketch slight interior shifts in her characters, Nors’s stories all feel a little bashful, a little tender. Surely this is intentional … Most of her stories are too short to linger deeply in time or consciousness; the characters spin back into their silence almost as soon as they emerge on the page. Nors is a master at portraying female rage, but here there is also no violent explosion outward, instead a sort of inner collapse; her characters assiduously resist confronting their fury until it rises up against them and attacks their bodies … The sense of simultaneous, furious upwelling into text and retraction into shame or reticence gives the stories a powerful undercurrent, as if they were constantly wrestling with themselves. Inherently self-contradicting, they wobble interestingly on their axes, pulled between outraged individualism and the restrictive Janteloven.”

–Lauren Groff ( The New York Review of Books )

9. Walking on Cowrie Shells by Nana Nkweti (Graywolf)

12 Rave • 1 Mixed

Read an interview with Nana Nkweti here

“The pure energy of the words strikes first, the thrumming, soaring, frenetic pace of Nana Nkweti’s expression … None of these stories end with a miraculous healing. Even where revelations occur, they never erase scars. Nkweti uses genre tropes to subvert our expectations. She employs the zombie story, the fairy tale, and the confessional in order to invert conventions … The levity of Nkweti’s writing can make even passing descriptions a delight … Occasionally the writing veers into the overwrought … But the sheer speed of Nkweti’s expression allows for correction in midair, and her keen descriptive eye provides more pleasures than missteps … Her inventiveness dazzles.”

–Lee Thomas ( Los Angeles Review of Books )

10. My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson (Henry Holt)

9 Rave • 4 Positive 1 Mixed

Read Jocelyn Nicole Johnson on how writing “vengeful fiction” can make you a better person, here

“Jocelyn Nicole Johnson uses history to spectacular effect in her debut fiction collection … What makes My Monticello particularly resonant is that it does not stray far from life as we know it today. In the near future conjured by Johnson, there are the heat waves and wildfires that bring climate change into view. There is fallout from a fraught election. There is the vile replacement theory rhetoric of the right wing. But the lives of Johnson’s richly drawn characters—their personal stories—are always in focus. And, because of it, the storytelling is propulsive, as we follow these refugees along a harrowing journey, with danger ever at their heels. My Monticello is, quite simply, an extraordinary debut from a gifted writer with an unflinching view of history and what may come of it.”

–Anissa Gray ( The Washington Post )

Our System:

RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points

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Blog – Posted on Wednesday, Apr 03

How to write a book review in 3 steps.

If the idea of reading for free — or even getting paid to read — sounds like a dream come true, remember that it isn’t a pipe dream. There are many places aspiring book reviewers can read books for free, such as Reedsy Discovery — a new platform for reviewing indie books. Of course, if you’re giving serious thought to becoming a book reviewer, your first step should be learning how to write a book review. To that end, this post covers all the basics of literary criticism. Let’s get started!

The three main steps of writing a book review are simple:

Provide a summary: What is story about? Who are the main characters and what is the main conflict?
Present your evaluation: What did you think of the book? What elements worked well, and which ones didn’t?
Give your recommendation: Would you recommend this book to others? If so, what kinds of readers will enjoy it?

You can also download our free book review templates and use it as a guide! Otherwise, let’s take a closer look at each element.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

How to write a review of a book

Step 1. provide a summary.

Have you ever watched a movie only to realize that all the good bits were already in the trailer? Well, you don’t want the review to do that. What you do want the summary to do is reveal the genre, theme, main conflict, and main characters in the story — without giving away spoilers or revealing how the story ends.

A good rule of thumb is not to mention anything that happens beyond the midpoint. Set the stage and give readers a sense of the book without explaining how the central issue is resolved.

Emily W. Thompson's review of The Crossing :

In [Michael] Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl. Read more...

Here are a few more reviews with well-written summaries for you to check out. The summary tend to be the longest part of the book review, so we won’t turn this post into a novel itself by pasting them all here: Le Cirque Navire reviewed by Anna Brill, The Heart of Stone reviewed by Kevin R. Dickinson, Fitting Out: The Friendship Experiment reviewed by Lianna Albrizio.

Non-fiction summary tip: The primary goal of a non-fiction summary is to provide context: what problems or issues has the book spotted, and how does it go about addressing them? Be sure to mention the authors of the title and what experience or expertise they bring to the title. Check Stefan Kløvning’s review of Creativity Cycling for an example of a summary that establishes the framework of the book within the context of its field.

Step 2. Present your evaluation

While you should absolutely weave your own personal take of a book into the review, your evaluation shouldn’t only be based on your subjective opinion. Along with presenting how you reacted to the story and how it affected you, you should also try to objectively critique the stronger and weaker elements of the story, and provide examples from the text to back up your points.

To help you write your evaluation, you should record your reactions and thoughts as you work your way through a novel you’re planning on reviewing. Here are some aspects of the book to keep in mind as you do.

Your evaluation might focus heartily on the book’s prose:

Donald Barker's review of Mercenary :

Such are the bones of the story. But, of course, it is the manner in which Mr Gaughran puts the bones back together and fills them with life that makes “Mercenary” such a great read. The author’s style seems plain; it seems straightforward and even simple. But an attempt at imitation or emulation quickly proves that simple it is not. He employs short, punchy sentences that generate excellent dialogue dripping with irony, deadpan humour and wit. This, mixed with good descriptive prose, draws the characters – and what characters they are – along with the tumultuous events in which they participated amidst the stinking, steaming heat of the South American jungle, out from the past to the present; alive, scheming, drinking, womanising and fighting, onto the written page.

You can give readers a sense of the book by drawing comparisons to other well-known titles or authors:

Laura Hartman's review of The Mystery of Ruby's Mistletoe :

Reading Ms. Donovan’s book is reminiscent to one of my favorite authors, Dame Agatha Christie. Setting up the suspects in a snowbound house, asking them to meet in the drawing room and the cleverly satisfying conclusion was extremely gratifying. I can picture Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot nodding at Ms. Donovan saying “Well done!”

Not everyone’s tastes are the same, and you can always acknowledge this by calling out specific story elements in your evaluation:

Kevin R. Dickinson's review of The Heart of Stone :

Whether you enjoy Galley’s worldbuilding will depend heavily on preference. Galley delivers information piecemeal, letting the characters, not the author, navigate the reader through Hartlund. A notable example is the magic system, an enigmatic force that lacks the ridge structures of, say, a Brandon Sanderson novel. While the world’s magical workings are explained, you only learn what the characters know and many mysteries remain by the end. Similar choices throughout make the world feel expansive and authentic.

Non-fiction evaluation tip: A book’s topic is only as compelling as its supporting arguments. Your evaluation of a nonfiction book should address that: how clearly and effectively are the points communicated? Turn back to Stefan’s critique for an example of a non-fiction critique that covers key takeaways and readability, without giving away any “big reveals.”

Step 3. Give your recommendation

At the end of the day, your critique needs to answer this question: is this a book you would (or wouldn’t) recommend to other readers? You might wrap up by comparing it to other books in the same genre, or authors with similar styles, such as: “Fans of so-and-so will enjoy this book.”

Let’s take a look at a few more tips:

You don’t need to write, “I recommend this book” — you can make it clear by highlighting your favorable opinion:

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

Add more punch to your rating by mentioning what kind of audience will or won’t enjoy the book:

Charleigh Aleyna Reid's review of The King of FU :

I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up in the 90’s and would like to reminisce about the time, someone who is interested to see what it was like to be a 90’s kid, or perhaps anyone who is looking for a unique, funny story about someone’s life.

Unless you found the title absolutely abhorrent, a good way to balance out a less favorable book review it to share what you did like about the book — before ultimately stating why you wouldn’t recommend the novel:

Nicola O's review of Secrets of the Sea Lord :

Overall, there are plenty of enjoyable elements in this story and fans of Atlantis and mer mythology should give it a try. Despite this, it does not rise above a three-star rating, and while I had some difficulty pinning down why this is, I concluded that it comes from a surprisingly unsophisticated vocabulary. There are a couple of graphic sex scenes, which is absolutely fine in a paranormal romance, but if they were removed, I could easily imagine this as an appealing story for middle-schoolers.

Non-fiction recommendation tip: As with fiction book reviews, share why you did or didn’t enjoy the title. However, in one of the starkest divergences from fiction book reviews it’s more important than ever that you mention your expectations coming into the non-fiction book. For instance, if you’re a cow farmer who’s reading a book on the benefits of becoming a vegetarian, you’re coming in with a large and inherent bias that the book will struggle to alter. So your recommendation should cover your thoughts about the book, while clearly taking account your perspective before you started reading. Let’s look once more at Stefan’s review for an example of a rating that includes an explanation of the reviewer’s own bias.

Bonus tips for writing a book review

Let’s wrap up with a few final tips for writing a compelling review.

Remember, this isn’t a book report. If someone wants the summary of a book, they can read the synopsis. People turn to book reviews for a fellow reader’s take on the book. And for that reason...
Have an opinion. Even if your opinion is totally middle-of-the-line — you didn’t hate the book but you didn’t love it either — state that clearly, and explain why.
Make your stance clear from the outset. Don’t save your opinion just for the evaluation/recommendation. Weave your thoughts about the book into your summary as well, so that readers have an idea of your opinion from the outset.
Back up your points. Instead of just saying, “the prose was evocative” — show readers by providing an actual passage that displays this. Same goes for negative points — don’t simply tell readers you found a character unbelievable, reference a certain (non-spoiler) scene that backs this up.
Provide the details. Don’t forget to weave the book’s information into the review: is this a debut author? Is this one installment of a series? What types of books has the author written before? What is their background? How many pages does the book have? Who published the book? What is the book’s price?
Follow guidelines. Is the review you’re writing for Goodreads? For The New York Times ? The content and tone of your review will vary a good deal from publication to publication.
Learn from others. One of the best ways to learn how to write a great review is to read other reviews! To help you out with that, we’ve published a post all about book review examples .

Writing book reviews can be a rewarding experience! As a book-lover yourself, it’s a great opportunity to help guide readers to their next favorite title. If you’re just getting started as a reviewer and could use a couple more tips and nudges in the right direction, check out our comprehensive blog post on how to become a book reviewer . And if you want to find out which review community is the right fit for you, we recommend taking this quick quiz:

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20 Modern Fairy Tales to Make You Believe in Magic Again

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Much has been made of the eBook’s rise this decade. More of them are being published than ever, and the vast majority are sold through Amazon, the dominant player in online book and eBook retailing. From self-published titles to New York Times bestseller...

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Lisey's Story

Stephen king.

513 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

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YA Spotlight & #Giveaway – Just A Hat by S. Khubiar

By Shanah Khubiar

Young Adult / Coming of Age / Jewish Fiction / Small-Town Texas / 1970s

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Page Count: 254

Publication Date: July 18, 2023

Scroll down for giveaway!

It’s 1979, and thirteen-year-old Joseph Nissan can’t help but notice that small-town Texas has something in common with Revolution-era Iran: an absence of fellow Jews. And in such a small town it seems obvious that a brown kid like him was bound to make friends with Latinos–which is a plus, since his new buds, the Ybarra twins, have his back. But when the Iran hostage crisis, two neighborhood bullies, and the local reverend’s beautiful daughter put him in all sorts of danger, Joseph must find new ways to cope at home and at school.

As he struggles to trust others and stay true to himself, a fiercely guarded family secret keeps his father at a distance, and even his piano teacher, Miss Eleanor–who is like a grandmother to him–can’t always protect him. But Joseph is not alone, and with a little help from his friends, he finds the courage to confront his fears and discovers he can inspire others to find their courage, too.

Just a Hat is an authentically one-of-a-kind YA debut that fuses the humor of Firoozeh Dumas’s Funny in Farsi with the poignancy of Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad Is Untrue.

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Review – Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon

Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater—until her father’s death five years ago called her home to run the family’s decades-old deli. Yes, she loves the place, but she’d always thought she was meant for more exciting things than stocking the right tinned fish. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, Greco’s Deli’s very existence is suddenly in jeopardy.

She tries to plead her case to Theo Taylor, scion of the property management firm about to put her out of business, but their meeting goes from bad (it’s not her fault he’s infuriating) to worse (no one expects the ceiling to literally fall in).

With Theo out cold, Ellie panics and claims to be his fiancée… and almost passes out herself when amnesia means Theo seems to actually believe her. Soon, the effects of the head injury wear off, but Theo proposes that their “engagement” stick around. If they manage to convince enough people they might both get what they want: an end to the Mangia deal. Ellie doesn’t trust him (after all, if Theo Taylor wants it, how can it be good for her?) but seeing no other option, reluctantly agrees.

And miraculously, the fake engagement seems to be working—even Ted, Theo’s shrewd, cold father seems convinced—that is until Sam, Theo’s ex-fiance, reappears on the scene. Not only does she see through their ruse, she proposes an arrangement of her own, forcing Ellie to decide between blossoming friendship, her family legacy, and the burgeoning romance she frankly never asked for.

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If you are looking for a fun lovin’ romance novel with an enemies-to-lovers trope, check this one out.

Ellie has come back to this small town to help run the family deli. She has talents in other areas, but family means everything to her. So when the deli is threatened, she does what she needs to do to save it. What she doesn’t expect is to fall in love and find her happily ever after.

Ellie is likable, and we might see something of ourselves in her. She is loyal to her family, but she is still something of a loner with few friends. Her journey in this novel helps her realize that she needs to learn to trust and seek out others that will enrich her life. When she ends up in a fake relationship with Theo (aka Trip from high school), she learns more about herself and what she needs to do to become a better person.

I loved Ellie and Theo’s interactions. It is obvious that they both have trust issues at different times, but they do make a surprisingly fun couple. And their relationship does sizzle at times.

I will admit that it took me some time to get into the groove of the story. But once I did, I enjoyed the banter, deception, and strong family ties. I really liked how Ellie wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, even when she should potentially curb her tongue. Considering who was on the receiving end, it was actually probably a good thing.

I liked Sam and Everett’s characters. I don’t know if they are going to get a book, but maybe they should! Their competitive nature draws them together despite Sam’s desire to get back with Theo.

I enjoyed reading about Ellie’s clothing designs. I am not talented in this area, but reading the descriptions of what she designed for herself allowed me to envision it in my head.

Despite the bumpy start to the book (for me), we give this 4 paws up.

About the Author

Jilly Gagnon is the author of the young adult novel #famous and the suspense novel All Dressed Up. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, Elle, Vanity Fair, The Toast, The Hairpin, The Huffington Post, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, among others.

She lives in Salem, Massachusetts, with her two cats. She loves terrible television and well-crafted Manhattans.

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Excerpt – Chase Trilogy by Thomas Dellenbusch

“Chase”, the famous detective agency in Hamburg, is faced with three extremely tricky cases. Solving the intricate mysteries is one thing, the dangers involved are another. Chief investigator Rique Allmers and his team are always up against powerful and unscrupulous opponents.

In “The Hunt for the Mute Poetess”, they set out to uncover the family secret of a deaf-mute author, which is closely guarded by the Hamburg mafia.

In “The Hunt for a King”, the two Chase agents Jérome and Chen Lu travel to Scotland to solve the murder of a history professor. Without knowing it, they fight to preserve one of the greatest legends of mankind.

In “The Hunt for the Tsar’s Treasure”, Andree, Chase’s IT specialist, after his girlfriend is kidnapped, suddenly finds himself in a race to find what is probably the most valuable lost treasure in the world.

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The Campbell house was in a quiet residential street on the western outskirts of Dumbarton, an affluent neighborhood. They parked the battered Focus in the driveway, and James opened the front door with his key.

“Peter?”

While Jérome and Chen Lu looked around, James went through every room and called his younger brother’s name repeatedly, but without success. He left the house and called his name again. Ben Sillings, a neighbor, came out of his house on the other side of the street and greeted him.

“If you’re looking for Peter, the police picked him up and took him with them about two hours ago. Has he done something?”

James went pale. He left Sillings standing there and returned to his friends and told them what he had just learned. He dialed his brother’s cellphone number. They heard it ringing in Peter’s room. From the house phone, he called the police station in Dumbarton, but they knew nothing. He hung up with a sigh of resignation.

“James?” Chen Lu pointed to a box of extralong matches that lay in the hallway next to a low shoe-shelf. “Is this normal?”

James stooped, picked them up and answered thoughtfully: “No, it’s not.” He squinted, thinking. Then he quickly took the box into the living room and went over to the chimney.

“I should have thought of this earlier. I’ve just been away for too long,” he said to the others, who followed him.

“What?” asked Jérome.

“A secret compartment of my father’s. He showed it to me once – and apparently to my brother as well. I assume that Peter found something in it.”

James pressed on a particular spot among the wooden carvings that decorated the ledge of the fireplace. A narrow drawer, which was all but invisible, popped right out from the carving. Inside lay a sealed envelope with a wax seal. They looked at each other. James was about to open the envelope, but Jérome held him back.

“Wait!”

He examined the seal closely. It was a warhammer, framed by the letters H and M. Jérome asked his friend if the seal meant anything to him.

“I think my father wore a ring with this emblem, but what it means, I don’t know.”

Jérome photographed the seal with his cellphone and sent the picture to Andree at CHASE headquarters in Hamburg. Below the image, he wrote:

Urgent!! Find out what this means.

Then James broke the seal and fished a piece of paper out of the envelope, on which four words, followed by a six-digit number in his father’s handwriting, were written.

Sliochd Athair Treun Cridhe 475542

“What’s that?” Jérome and Chen Lu asked in unison.

“It’s Gaelic,” James murmured thoughtfully.

James took the note, sat down and scrutinized it.

“Can you translate it?” said Chen Lu.

“Of course,” came the reply. “Sliochd means son, but more in the sense of a descendant or heir. Athair means father. Treun is brave and cridhe is heart. I’d interpret this as something like Heir of the father, you brave heart.”

“Have you got any idea what your father meant by that?” Jérome put his hand on his friend’s shoulder from behind.

“Wait!” he said, suddenly excited, “brave heart, of course, that’s it! Braveheart!”

“Braveheart?”

“My father wrote a book about William Wallace, the Scottish freedom fighter. Braveheart! It must be here!”

He jumped up and went to the big book shelf on the wall. He scanned the row of books until he found his father’s work. He pulled it out, turned it upside down and leafed through the pages in the hope that a concealed note would fall out. But there was no note in the book. He turned it over again and flipped hurriedly through the pages in search of a message. “I can’t find anything,” he said, disappointed.

“Maybe you’ll find something here,” said Chen Lu, who had approached the shelf and looked into the gap where Ronald Campbell’s book had been.

There, embedded in the rear wall, was a panel with ten numeric keys. She looked back at the handwritten note, and punched in the number 475542. Immediately, the central part of the shelf moved forward a bit, making it easy to open up the entire bookcase. Behind it, a staircase led down into the darkness. The three looked at each other in amazement, when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Chen Lu rushed to the window and peered discreetly through a gap of the curtains. “Police,” she reported, “two in uniform and one in civilian clothes.”

“I don’t think we can trust them. Come on!” Jérome called to them. Together they went down the secret staircase and closed the shelf-wall behind them.

Thomas Dellenbusch was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1964 and still lives there. The former police detective and advertising copywriter has been actively writing for more than twenty years on a wide variety of topics. Although the lion’s share of his assignments originates from the advertising industry, he has also put his talents to use, producing speeches for government officials, poetry for individuals, screenplays, rulebooks, newspaper articles, sketches, and much more. In short, any subject that can be communicated in a stimulating manner.

Since 2013, he has specialized in the production of movie-length-stories — written both by himself and seven other authors via the publishing company he founded expressly for that purpose.

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New Release – The Portalis Runes by A.G. Brogan

A Portalis, their saviour or doom?

Thrust into a world beyond her wildest imagination, Aria Torvel’s simple life abruptly shatters after learning she is a Portalis. The only one of her kind and gifted with an ancient portal magic, she has become the unwitting bridge between the Three Realms.

But now the doorways are open and, more importantly, exposed. Mages, elves, and prowling demons have become part of her new reality, and Aria has little choice but to traverse lands both beautiful and sinister in order to survive.

Accompanied by a plucky mage, a stuffy elven General, and her harried grandfather in tow, Aria’s task is to seal these magical doorways before the infamous Lord of Shadows can hunt her down.

Friends will reveal their true forms, enemies will seek to break her, and witches will emerge whose appetite for human flesh is a haunting reminder of the wrongs of the mortal world. With an impending war looming on the horizon, Aria must embrace her newfound power and unravel its obscure secrets or risk the encroaching darkness destroying all that she holds dear.

An enemies-to-lovers tale, this is the first installment from the exciting Portalis Runes fantasy trilogy brought to you by A.G. Brogan.

Fellious was still giving chase. I sprinted as fast as my legs would carry me towards Eron, his blade now protruding through the back of the beast, before he withdrew it in a spray of black blood and charged towards me, arm outstretched, while mine remained bound behind my back. I barrelled into him and was immediately thrust out of the way as Eron brought his blade up to collide with Fellious and his war hammer. The strain of the blow was severe, the rock beneath our feet trembling in answer and brought Eron to his knees, where he now grappled to keep the heavy weapon from meeting his skull. Through his gritted teeth Eron barked an order.

“Rendon! Get Aria to safety now! Warriors, defensive positions!”

The elf I assumed was Rendon ran from the line, while I shuffled uncertainly away from Eron and Fellious. The warrior’s golden braid whipped in his wake as he ran to us at immortal speeds. Carefully he lifted me into his arms and offered an encouraging smile before we dashed through the bloodshed and towards the portal. Elves quickly rallied around us and formed an arrowhead blockade while I looked to my new ally, incredulous when I saw Eron and Fellious fade into the background.

My concern for my friend rising, I argued, “We cannot leave Eron to face that monster?!”

But Rendon merely smirked, “He is the First General of Elavon, it is the monster that should be frightened.”

A.G. Brogan lives in the South of England with her husband, two children, and cocker spaniel. When she’s not planning a walking holiday, the author is busy writing with a coffee in hand.

Author’s Note: This story began as a creative way to channel my anxiety. The more I wrote, the more it began to drift away, replaced by the thoughts and feelings of the characters on the page. I hope this book provides a temporary escape, even if it’s just to one reader, and inspires people to pursue what they love.

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Review & #Giveaway – Magical Elements of the Periodic Table by Sybrina Durant

MAGICAL ELEMENTS OF THE PERIODIC TABLE

Presented alphabetically, by the elemental dragons, magical elements of the periodic table, book 2, by sybrina durant.

Children’s Picture Book / STEM / Chemistry

Publisher: Sybrina Publishing

Page Count: 44

Publication Date: March 9, 2024

Scroll down for a giveaway!

In this book, Antz starts out the book by introducing the very necessary metal, Antimony on his element page. Zora rounds out the alphabet by presenting scientific facts and other fun information about the metal, Zirconium, on her elemental page. In all, readers will get some great insight into the properties of 26 elements from the periodic table. Each page is full of amazing facts and tons of FUN. There’s a Magical Elemental themed periodic table, too!

This unique book will help tweens, teens and anyone else quickly absorb the elements of the Periodic Table.

REMEMBER. . . No Metal, No Magic… And No Technology. It’s Techno-Magical!

Paperback │ eBook │ Hardcover

Much like the first book with the unicorns, this book is filled with facts relayed in a fun way and on a level that any younger child could understand. I loved learning all of these facts and could have used a book like this while taking chemistry. Ok, it might be geared toward younger children, but the facts, the atomic structure, and the uses are information that anyone could put to use.

Like the Unicorn Elemental book, I read through this book with my sister, the teacher. She had the same feelings as she did with the unicorn book, that it was well laid out, easy to read, and could be understood by younger children.

The book is colorful and filled with fun images to make learning about the elements fun. Here are some of my favorite facts about the different elements:

Europium is used in Euro banknotes to make them harder to fake. Only 4 women have discovered elements on the periodic table. Francium is one of those elements. Indium is included in a list made by the US Government of the 35 most important minerals.

I have a hard time choosing between the two books as to which might be my favorite. I really don’t think I can choose!

This book is one my great-nephew would love just for the dragons! Plus, he would learn a little bit about the elements, too. He may only be 5, but that is never too young to start learning!

We give this book 5 paws up and recommend it to any young budding scientist.

Sybrina Durant is a unicorn author and entrepreneur. In addition to books, she offers unicorn-themed activities, t-shirts, and more. Plus, she has pulled together a collection of nearly all the unicorn books available today from hundreds of authors. They are categorized on her website by Little Kid, Middle Kid, and Teen Unicorn Books.

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Signed paperback of Magical Elements of The Periodic Table, Book 2 and 24 x 36 poster of the Periodic Table

(us only; ends midnight, cdt, 5/2/24).

Excerpt – Finding Fran by Nancy Christie

Once a best-selling romance novelist, 55-year-old Fran Carter is now dealing with a slow but steady drop in book sales and a major case of writer’s block, complicated by the knowledge that her lover, a professional photographer, has been on the wrong side of the camera (so to speak) with his models. (So much for her author brand, built on the premise that women in their fifties and beyond can still find love and happiness.) Her solution is to spend a week in isolation at a northern California bed-and-breakfast. There she hopes to resolve her professional and personal conflicts, and ultimately create a new and better future for herself by writing a new “story” for the Fran she wants to be!

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“Ms. Carter, I started reading romance novels when I was in my teens,” the woman began. “I bought into the whole ‘a white knight will come and sweep you off your feet’ myth. That’s what I was waiting for, and that’s what I thought I married. And I kept reading the books and doing everything they said to keep the romance alive. I served romantic dinners by candlelight—after feeding the kids, of course. I made sure my hair was done and my makeup was perfect, even after spending the whole day cleaning the house or running to pediatrician appointments or school meetings. And I never, not once,” she emphasized, “said ‘no’ regardless of how I felt physically or emotionally. Nope, I was the perfect little wife that romance books said I had to be. I did it all, but it didn’t make a bit of difference. The kids grew up and left home, and pretty soon, he left, too.”

She raised her hand to forestall any sympathetic outpouring. “Hey, don’t feel sorry for me! That was the best thing that could have happened. I don’t regret having my children, but looking back, I realize our marriage never gave me what I wanted. I’d been so caught up in the fantasy that books like yours create that I never asked myself what kind of life I really wanted. So, I hung on a lot longer than I should have. My whole life was focused first on finding a man and then on keeping him. These days I’m concentrating on me—and I’m a damned sight happier than I’ve ever been! There are no ‘white knights,’ Ms. Carter. So why do you keep writing about them? Why don’t you write about real life?”

I started to take another sip of water but saw the glass was empty. Unfortunately, so was my brain. I didn’t know how to answer or what to say. I was publicly forced to justify my books’ existence— my existence—at a time when I was wrestling with the very questions she had raised.

Surprisingly, another audience member came to my rescue. “Now, don’t be too hard on her,” she said. “I’m sure Ms. Carter knows that reading her books is our way of taking a break from our real lives, right?” looking up at me.

“Yes, of course,” I said, so grateful to have someone on my side that I didn’t stop to analyze my words. “I mean, these books,” waving at the shelves behind me stocked with novels featuring women with heaving bosoms and half-dressed muscular men on their covers, “they are fiction after all! No one really believes life is like that. It’s like in the movies when the lovers wake up in the morning and start kissing each other. Did the directors never hear of morning breath? It’s all make-believe, all of it! A fantasy! Escapist literature! And if you try to turn your life into a romance novel, you are bound to be disappointed.”

My words echoed in the sudden silence, and I realized too late what I had said. I had trashed not only my own books, but the entire genre. Worse, in so many words, I had told them that if they were looking for information on how to rejuvenate their lives, they were wasting their money buying my novels.

What had Vanessa said to me—that my readers wanted to believe that life and love hadn’t passed them by? And now I had told them that it was all a load of crap.

Reprinted with permission from Chapter 3 of Finding Fran

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Excerpt & #Giveaway – A Lighthouse Snapshot by Jennifer Faye

A Lighthouse Snapshot: A Secret Identity, Opposites Attract Romance (The Turner Family of Bluestar Island) Small Town Romance 4th in Series Setting – Bluestar Island (a fictional island off the coast of Massachusetts) Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lazy Dazy Press (April 15, 2024) Number of Pages – 269 pages

As tulips bloom and the sun warms the air, the Bluestar ferry delivers a special visitor to the island whose search for the past leads her directly in the path of her future. With Spring Fling the next event on Bluestar’s busy calendar, the residents decide to use it to play another round of matchmaking. Travel blogger Elaine “Lainey” Devereaux is led to the island by a cryptic entry in her late mother’s journal. With the weight of grief driving Lainey onward, she searches for a long-buried secret but before she can uncover the truth there’s a tragic accident. Graphic artist Jack Turner is on top of the world as he anticipates a big promotion and a move to the Big Apple. He’s minding his own business when the most beautiful woman rushes into the roadway, right in front of his cart. With no time to stop, the collision leaves both of them stunned. As circumstances conspire to draw them together, they soon find themselves helping each other to come to terms with the past while exploring an unexpected love. Includes a recipe for Elegant Whoopie Pies! Bluestar Island series: Book 1 – Love Blooms (Hannah & Ethan) Book 2 – Harvest Dance (Aster & Sam) Book 3 – A Lighthouse Café Christmas (Darla & Will) Book 4 – Rising Star (Emma & Noah) Book 5 – Summer by the Beach (Summer & Greg) Book 6 – Brass Anchor Inn (Josie & Lane) Book 7 – Summer Refresh (Sara & Kent) Book 8 – A Seaside Bookshop Christmas (Melinda & Liam) Book 9 – A Lighthouse Snapshot (Lainey & Jack) Book 10 – Inheriting Her Island House (Brianna & Grant)

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Lainey gazed up at the large blue Victorian looking building. The sign in the front yard said it was the Brass Anchor Inn. Charming was the first word that came to mind.

They stepped out of the cart and made their way up the sidewalk. While Jack rushed up the two steps and moved swiftly to the white French doors, she took her time. She took in the wide porch that was lined with white rocking chairs. There were small tables between them for drinks and a potted plant. Once again, the word charming came to mind.

“Hey.” Jack held the open door for her. “Are you coming?”

She hurried her steps. Once inside the spacious lobby, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust after being out in the bright sunshine. She took in the gray wood tile floors with a royal blue runner that led from the door to the check-in desk. Her gaze meandered around the room, admiring the new furnishing that portrayed a sense of coziness.

She paused and glanced off to the side, taking in the display cases with lots of seafaring memorabilia. On the walls was a collection of framed photographs. She wanted to meander over to check it all out but Jack was already at the check-in desk waiting for her.

She moved to his side. There was no one working the desk. Noticing a brass Victorian style bell. She tapped her fingers on it. Ding.

“Coming,” a male voice called out from the office behind the desk. A moment later, an older man stepped out of the office. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Welcome to the Brass Anchor Inn. How may I help you?”

The man wore a dark blue polo shirt with the inn’s logo embroidered with white thread and a gold pin with the name Harvey Coleman. His snow-white hair was kept short. He had a close-trimmed mustache and beard. Immediately the thought of Santa Claus came to mind.

“We need a room,” Jack said.

Lainey couldn’t believe he’d just said that. She lightly elbowed him aside. “What he meant to say is I need a room.”

Jack frowned at her but remained quiet.

Harvey’s gaze moved between the two of them. A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “It doesn’t matter which of you needs the room. We don’t have any available.”

“What?” Jack’s dark brows drew together. “Are you sure?”

“I’m absolutely positive.” Harvey’s tone was firm.

Now living her dream, she resides with her very patient husband and two spoiled cats. When she’s not plotting out her next romance, you can find her curled up with a mug of tea and a book.

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Guest Post – Graven Images by Lori Roberts Herbst

Graven Images: A Rock Creek Village Cozy Mystery (Callie Cassidy Mysteries) Cozy Mystery 6th in the Series Setting – Colorado Number of Pages: 280

A photo assignment at the cemetery leads Callie Cassidy to a corpse—this one above ground. Now, her search for the killer unearths some long-buried secrets… Callie’s mother Maggie, a notorious hobby jumper, has embarked on a new pursuit—grave rubbing. When she recruits her daughter to photograph her first endeavor at the local cemetery, Callie brings golden retriever Woody and tabby cat Carl along for the outing. It’s a breathtaking autumn morning in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. Golden aspen leaves rustle in the cool breeze, and the air is filled with the scent of pine. What could go wrong on a day like this? Then, a ghostly woman emerges from the trees, bleeding from a head wound and claiming to have no memory of how she arrived, or even who she is. Maggie quickly identifies her as a woman who disappeared from the village forty years ago—without a trace. If that’s not enough intrigue, Woody disobeys her and sprints deeper into the cemetery. When Callie catches up to him, he is sitting sentinel at the tombstone of a recently deceased villager. And behind the stone, a man lies on the ground—with a pickaxe jutting from his neck. Callie recognizes him as the low-level mobster who has been dating her best friend Tonya’s mother—and they’d been having problems. Did Tonya’s mother kill the man? Could it have been the mysterious woman? Or maybe someone with ties to his crime family? Callie can’t resist investigating—and this time, Detective Raul Sanchez welcomes her assistance. Because if they can’t solve the crime soon, the town may be facing grave consequences…

Let’s start with this — I love books. As a reader, I enjoy books in most genres (though I admit to being embarrassed by steamy romance). I like nail-biting thrillers, gut-wrenching horror stories, tear-jerking women’s lit, transportive sci-fi, and the entire spectrum of mysteries.

Since becoming an author, I’ve spent some time analyzing what it takes for a book to rise to a spot on my list of favorites. For me, it often boils down to characters. I’m drawn to flawed but likable protagonists who are constantly trying to be better human beings. They value self-growth, loyalty, and respect. Forgiveness is often one of their qualities, but they are also driven by a profound sense of justice.

Characters who stick in my memory possess a deep sense of humanity, as well as connectedness to other individuals and responsibility to them. Still, they often experience a feeling of separation and “otherness.” (Kinsey Millhone in Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series comes to mind.)

Humor is another big component. The main characters in books I love are often quite funny. In my favorite books, protagonists engage in clever banter with their friends. They can be sarcastic, but not in a hurtful way. The ability to be slightly self-deprecating increases their likability—they don’t take themselves too seriously.

Some of the best books employ an ensemble cast. There might be one person readers identify as the “main” character, but others take on major roles as well. (I’m thinking of The Thursday Murder Club books here.)

Equally important to me is a good antagonist—the villain, the bad guy or gal. However you label them, I want them to be three-dimensional. As MLK Jr. said, “There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us.” That’s what I want to see in antagonists. They perpetrate evil acts, but do they carry any redeeming qualities? Do they love their mothers—or their dogs? Do they do the wrong thing for the right reasons? (Think Thanos of Avenger movie fame, as well as Killmonger from Black Panther .) Are the villains tortured by guilt, remorse, or grief? When I read a book with a cardboard villain, it rarely leaves an impact on me. I want real human beings, people who have reasons for their acts, defective as those reasons may be.

As a writer of cozy mysteries, I try to focus on creating characters with depth. Callie Cassidy isn’t perfect—how boring would that be? But she strives to be a good person. She searches for insight into her thoughts and behaviors and sets goals for herself as a friend, daughter, and girlfriend. Sometimes she falls short, but she doesn’t stop trying.

Occasionally, the antagonists in my books are just plain yucky people, but more often, the yucky people end up as the victims. The killers, on the other hand, usually have vivid and psychologically understandable motivations for their bad acts. That doesn’t excuse what they’ve done, of course, and justice must always be procured. But I hope my readers will grasp the antagonists’ motives and sometimes even perhaps experience a smidgen of empathy for them—along with a bit of self-reflection and discomfort. In similar circumstances, could I succumb to those baser instincts?

These are the kinds of characters who touch my emotional core. What about you? What characters have captured your interest and imagination? Leave your responses in the comments.

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goodreads * bookbub * amazon, review – dead girl by kerrie faye.

Dying has its perks…mostly. Bullied teen, Ember O’Neill goes from the weird girl to the tyrant of her school when she is resurrected from a deadly prank. Now secretly supernatural, she dethrones the school drama queen and snags the hot new guy, but her reign is at risk when the Order, a heretical sect, sends an assassin to eliminate her. Ember must expose her powers, potentially losing all she has gained, in order to save herself and her friends as her killer closes in.

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This YA fantasy brings together the angst of teens with the possibility of angels and demons fighting a battle to save this world.

Ember is an outcast for many reasons, mainly because teenagers can be mean. But she has a plan for her sophomore year, which includes a female best friend, a boyfriend, and being popular. It can be a daunting task, considering how her freshman year turned out, but she isn’t going to let it stop her. Luckily, she has one good friend, Erick, and the addition of Hallee. This trio of friends can take on the world or at least try.

Ember is a relatable character. She might resonate with anyone who felt like an outcast in school. But as time goes on, she grows and becomes more confident in herself. It was really cool watching her become someone who could be looked up to or admired by other classmates.

As the story progresses, we learn more about a few secret societies and their desire to take out those they consider unworthy. It is hard to know who is working on what side, and I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t right on everything.

I enjoyed this story and had a hard time putting it down. I tried to work out the motives of the different characters but didn’t quite get them right. Or at least not all of them. I found myself rooting for some characters and wishing others would turn their attitude around.

The book did end too soon for me, and while there are some tragic moments in the final buildup of this book, there are still so many unanswered questions. I believe there will be a sequel to this book, and I hope so. I want to discover what Ember is up to and how the battle progresses.

We give this book 5 paws up.

Kerrie Faye is a Gen X wife and mom who found her passion to write later in life. A graduate of Murray State University, she has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Raised in Western Kentucky, where her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, takes place, the author currently resides near the Rocky Mountain Flatirons in Colorado, where there is far less humidity but not nearly enough BBQ. Her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, will be published on February 26, 2024, by The Wild Rose Press.

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Review – the healing train by kim cano.

A devastating diagnosis. A family with a broken past. Embark on an uplifting journey of love, hope, and the ultimate second chance.

When health-conscious Sarah gets diagnosed with breast cancer, her world spins out of control. She’s supposed to grow old with her husband and see her daughter graduate college. Her future is all planned out. Getting sick wasn’t part of her plan.

Friends and family rally around Sarah as she battles the disease. Her best friend offers inspirational advice while her mother takes her to treatment, her daughter makes green juice, and her older brother provides emotional support and makes her laugh with his ever-present potty mouth.

Then Sarah’s estranged father returns. She gave up on him long ago and doesn’t want to reconnect, but he won’t go away, so she’s stuck dealing with him at the worst possible time. His presence forces her to face a past she’d rather forget as she uses all her strength to fight for her life.

This novel about Sarah’s journey through breast cancer treatment might have hit fairly close to home. While it has been 20 years since I went through my diagnosis, most of what Sarah was thinking and feeling was close to my experience. It made me a little uncomfortable, but I think that was because it was like reliving that year of my life. I even had the same triple-negative cancer diagnosis. Some of my treatment varied, but that isn’t surprising since this character had a few other things on top of what I had.

Despite that feeling, this book was fraught with emotion. Sarah was definitely on a rollercoaster with how she felt during her treatments, her interactions with her family, her new friend Nancy, a fellow cancer fighter, and her wayward father reappearing in her life, wanting to be a part of it all. There are times when Sarah is hard on herself. Cancer doesn’t care that you have done your best to lead a healthy life; it just pops up out of the blue, and there is nothing you could have done to stop it from appearing. That is probably the hardest battle Sarah has to fight: blame. There is no one to blame for this situation, especially not herself.

I was glad to see that Sarah had a great support system from her husband, daughter, mom, and brother. Her father made an appearance after decades of little contact and not the best childhood for Sarah or her brother. There is some great advice given by Nancy later in the book: to accept him for what he can give if he is going to be a part of her life. Sarah knows what he didn’t do for her growing up, and she can’t really expect him to change. I think this is sage advice for most people.

This book addresses the reality of cancer treatments. While situations will vary, the treatments and emotions are real. I remember how I felt when I started losing my hair. It was hard to cut it off, so it didn’t come off in clumps in the shower or wherever. It isn’t all about vanity. Sure, part of it is feeling like a part of you is missing, but it is about announcing to the world that something is wrong. I will confirm that “chemo brain” is real. Trying to remember everything, the right word, or processes can be daunting.

While fictional, it is based on the author’s own fight with cancer, and any person who has fought cancer will be able to relate to this book.

Kim Cano is the author of six women’s fiction novels: A Widow Redefined, On the Inside, Eighty and Out, His Secret Life, When the Time Is Right, and The Healing Train . Readers say her books are about strong women who struggle but survive, hard-won second chances, family life, and friendship.

Kim lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and cat.

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Pope Francis is out to prove he’s just a regular guy

In a new memoir, ‘life: my story through history,’ and a self-help book, ‘a good life,’ the pope reinforces his image as approachable.

It seems hard to believe that just a few short popes ago (and in the centuries preceding) no one, including Catholics, had any real connection with the human running things from the throne of Saint Peter in Rome.

Popes stayed in Italy and didn’t travel, and low-level technology meant Catholics didn’t expect to see or hear from them. Popes would put out authoritative documents now and then called “encyclicals,” but it took time for the messages to trickle out. And even then, average Catholics didn’t usually read the pope’s words; they didn’t feel qualified to interpret them.

Catholics didn’t define themselves like many do today — especially in polarized America — by their affinity to the pope.

No one has done more to make real the face of the papacy than Argentine priest Jorge Mario Bergoglio, otherwise known as Pope Francis. He approves apps that offer his sayings in quippy form, gives chatty interviews, and is known for eschewing fancy homes and clothing. Instead, he takes public transportation, wears clunky orthotic shoes, and says such things as “I am a sinner — that’s not a figure of speech” and, of gay people, “Who am I to judge?”

This radical approachability has become a hallmark since Francis took office in 2013, redrawing the face of the 1.4 billion-person Catholic Church. Many people have loved and been profoundly moved by this change, seeing Francis as a symbol of an outward-looking church focused on accessibility, intimate connection and inclusivity. Many others oppose his frequent blurring of lines, saying he’s harming the church by making the papacy smaller.

In two new books, Francis takes concrete steps toward setting this everyman-pope in stone for literary history. Through “Life,” which will publish Tuesday and is described as his first crack at autobiography, and a second book, called “A Good Life: 15 Essential Habits for Living With Hope and Joy,” the 87-year-old is making it really official: The pope is just a guy.

He’s a guy who is hovering in the late stage of his life. Considering his age and health challenges, and that his predecessor retired, who will succeed Francis is already a topic of speculation among Catholics. In “Life,” Francis says he believes the pope’s ministry is for life and, thus, he would retire only in the case of “a serious physical impediment.” For me, as someone who reports on religion, the book’s informal and accessible style is part of why it’s challenging to picture the next pope being more remote.

“ Life: My Story Through History ” is a chronicle of Francis’s life organized through major world events, from World War II and Argentina’s Dirty War to the 9/11 attacks and the coronavirus pandemic. It intersperses Francis’s words with those of his co-author, Italian journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona, setting rich scenes of the pontiff’s daily life with his description of how he experienced those periods, with whom and how he reflects on them now.

The publisher says the book is aimed at young people in particular, and it shows. The structure is simple, as is the language. Also, it has an almost wow-I-can’t-believe-this-is-my-life vibe as Francis looks back on everything he has been through and pulls from it repeated core lessons.

For the most part, he presents these lessons in a secular, universal way. That’s not to say he doesn’t communicate his theology and faith. Through the book, he frequently speaks of the role of the church, prayer and his feeling of God’s presence. But there is also a thread woven through the book: I am like you, and the Catholic Church isn’t about the trappings you see. And as Francis tries, in his final era as pope, to shift the direction of the church, perhaps this book is trying — in a different way — to say something more like what you expect from a pope: God is like you, and the Catholic Church isn’t about the trappings you see.

Francis describes one of the most famous visual moments of his papacy, at the start of the pandemic, when he stood in a hauntingly empty St. Peter’s Square in the rain to deliver a blessing.

“Many have wondered what I was thinking about … it was nothing remarkable; I was just thinking about people’s loneliness. I was alone, and many people were living in the same situation as me,” he writes.

One of his lessons is that all living things are interconnected, no matter how far away we are from one another. He drives that home through his own experience, as the terrified child Bergoglio, watching scared adults around him during World War II, even as the fighting was taking place in a distant country, and later, as the Buenos Aires archbishop, immediately going into prayer when planes slammed into the World Trade Center.

Another central lesson in the book is that the most important thing we can do to lessen suffering is to eradicate hate and resentment inside ourselves. Many of his chapters are organized around products of war and hate: the Holocaust, the U.S. dropping of atomic bombs on Japan during World War II, political division and violence during the pandemic. The book was created, its jacket says, so young people could hear an older person “reflect on what our planet has lived through, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

It’s not clear that the stories or core characters in “Life” will be new to people who have read the detailed interviews Francis has given to European journalists, or biographies of him. There are familiar characters, including his Grandma Rosa, who taught him about prayer as well as political activism, as she helped defend the church against the rise of fascism in Argentina. There’s his former teacher Esther, a biochemist who was also an atheist Marxist activist and who became a close friend before she was tortured and murdered by the military regime during the Dirty War.

The world is seen through the eyes of this sincere first-person narrator, who expresses real vulnerability and sadness watching immigrants like his parents yearn for home (in their case, Italy), who tangos with his friends and falls for a girl, and who, during the 2013 conclave that elects him, is terrified to enter the room where people are voting because he’s scared he won. Francis had booked the tightest flight itinerary available because he didn’t like Rome and planned to hustle home.

The second new book, “ A Good Life: 15 Essential Habits for Living With Hope and Joy ,” published last month, reinforces the image of Francis as everyman. The book is part of a genre of Francis guidance that comes bite-sized. One could put it in the category of the snappy, often God-free tweets he posts to his 55 million-plus followers on the X platform, and previous books with such titles as “ Pope Francis Talks to Couples ” and “ Happiness in This Life: A Passionate Meditation on Earthly Existence .”

These titles are a stark contrast to some of the books of Pope Benedict XVI — “ Spirit of the Liturgy ” and “ Church Fathers: From Clement of Rome to Augustine ” — and Pope John Paul II’s books, mostly official papal teachings, such as “On the Relationship Between Faith and Reason” or “On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering.”

“Pope Benedict was a theologian and wrote like one. Pope John Paul was a philosopher and wrote like one. Pope Francis is neither,” the Rev. Mark-David Janus, president and publisher of the Catholic publishing house Paulist Press, which has published more than a dozen books by Francis, told The Washington Post. “He’s a pastor, so he writes as a pastor.”

Indeed, the legacy Francis leaves in books like these isn’t a radically different theology than that of his predecessors but a radically different emphasis and style. “A Good Life” interests itself in pragmatic, basic ways to improve yourself — Catholic or not. Cry more. Shut off your phone and look in the eyes of the people to whom you’re talking. Don’t be a couch potato.

This is the kind of advice you might expect from a wellness podcast, your Peloton teacher or even Joel Osteen. Popes have been expected to be above that kind of crowd, the elevated embodiment of a truth that is allowed — in love, they’d say — to be judgmental and exclusionary. Francis has used his stature to emphasize different truths in a different way.

My Story Through History

By Pope Francis with Fabio Marchese Ragona. Translated from Italian by Aubrey Botsford

Harper One. 240 pp. $28.99

A Good Life

15 Habits for Living With Hope and Joy

By Pope Francis

Worthy Books. 208 pp. $28

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Book Reviews

'real americans' asks: what could we change about our lives.

"The trouble with beginnings is that there's no such thing," muses the narrator of Rachel Khong's debut novel Goodbye, Vitamin . "What's a beginning but an arbitrary point of entry? You begin when you're born, I guess, but it's not like you know anything about that."

The difficulty of demarcating starting points also animates Khong's new book, Real Americans , which begins at least four times: The book is carved up into three novella-length sections, each told from the perspective of a different character, plus a prologue. Khong's latest begins, faute de mieux, with a short set piece in Beijing in 1966 before leaping forward to 1999. In this first section, we meet Lily, one of the book's three protagonists. While working as an unpaid intern at an online travel magazine in New York, she crosses paths with Matthew, a "distractingly hot" asset manager who works in private equity.

They bond over the rather banal fact that they were both born on Long Island and the more consequential fact that they vaguely knew one another as children. The art-history major confesses, "I wasn't the sort of person who yearned to shape a landscape. I wanted only to observe it." Matthew is intrigued enough to propose, after just a few dates. After she loses her job, he wires a thousand dollars to her bank account each week, no questions asked, and gives her a separate allowance to redecorate their condo. It's only when they're about to get married that Lily finds out that Matthew is the scion of a blue-blooded family; he uses a different surname to deflect attention. After they conceive a child via IVF, she discovers a secret connection between Matthew's parents and her own, which splits the family apart.

'Goodbye, Vitamin' Is Sweet — But Not Sugarcoated

The book then skips ahead to 2021 and lodges us in the perspective of Nick, Lily's son. It's by far the most plodding and prosaic section, giving us chapter and verse on Nick's teenage years, college relationships, and eventual employment at a foundation whose "many projects included vaccination campaigns; addressing health inequities; screening against diseases in utero," and more. The strongest parts are the early years, when we encounter the high-achieving teen fretting over college admissions; his mother wants him to stay close to their home in Seattle, whereas he itches to matriculate at an Ivy League school on the East Coast. "I was self-absorbed without even knowing who I was, or who I should be — an exasperating combination," he self-mockingly notes. Long estranged from Matthew, Lily raised Nick to understand that his father wanted nothing to do with him. When Nick finally does meet his father — after doing a DNA test — his life takes a fairly predictable turn. Money is an open sesame, unlocking doors to the most prestigious universities, secret societies, and jobs. But the accumulation of it turns Nick into an automaton.

The third and most memorable part of the book is told largely from the perspective of May, Nick's maternal grandmother. It opens in 2030 with a now octogenarian May trailing her grandson, who works at a "biotechnology startup." Nick had been led to believe — once again by his mother — that his grandmother had died years ago, but after bumping into each other in a drugstore, they slowly form a friendship and she unfurls the story of her life. As an adolescent "in the southern basin of the Yangtze River," the "outspoken" May drank in scientific knowledge and distinguished herself as a young scholar. The amount of research Khong did for this section alone, brimming with strange and delightful facts, could earn her an honorary doctorate at some university. In this section, Khong also masterfully evokes the atmosphere of Beijing during the time of the Cultural Revolution and the Four Pests campaign. In school, May strikes up a romance with a fellow student named Ping; together, they "study the lotus and its repair mechanisms" and dream of running away together to the U.S. to become geneticists and escape the oppressiveness of Mao's China. Their dream doesn't come to pass — or only part of it comes to fruition: After a short stay in Hong Kong, May manages to find a job in the U.S., but her new life starts with the "wrong man."

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An element of fantasy suffuses all three stories: May and her descendants possess the power to "keep time still." At first, this power feels less like a volitional exertion than the onset of a panic attack. To go into more detail about what exactly is going on would spoil part of the fun of reading the final section; suffice it to say that the time-arresting power has something to do with "an ancient lotus seed." Like his grandmother before him, Nick learns to control this power and opportunistically exploit it by studying longer and more intensely than his classmates.

Many philosophical ideas get an airing in Real Americans , including the existence of free will and the ethics of altering genomes to select for "favorable" inheritable traits and suppress unfavorable ones. "What could we change about our lives? Could we nudge inheritance in particular directions?" wonders one character. Unfortunately, too many of these moral conundrums are expressed in the baldly straightforward manner of a scientific study. But the questions that drive May's academic research baldly double as animating questions for the novel. Unsubtle as they are, they're also queries that we will likely have to answer in the near future — a time when polygenic screenings are increasingly common, people lengthen their lives with elixirs, and beginnings become harder and harder to recall.

Rhoda Feng is a freelance writer from New York whose criticism has appeared in 4Columns, The Baffler, The White Review, The New Republic, Public Books, Village Voice, and others.

Time travel and surveillance state paranoia collide in a witty, thought-provoking romance novel

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Book Review

The Ministry of Time

By Kaliane Bradley Avid Reader Press: 352 pages, $28.99 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

“People aren’t history,” scoffs Adela, vice secretary of the Ministry, whose work is shrouded in secrecy and subterfuge. This retort comes late in Kaliane Bradley’s debut novel, “The Ministry of Time,” but it’s a telling line. Its dismissal of individual lives reveals the novel’s stakes. If people aren’t history, what is? This is a disturbing statement to come out of the mouth of a high-ranking British bureaucrat. For a book that could also be easily described as witty, sexy escapist fiction, “The Ministry of Time” packs a substantial punch.

Of late, many critically acclaimed books embrace mystery and absurdity in a way that both suspends and expands conventionally held notions of time. Hilary Leichter’s “Terrace Story,” National Book Critics Circle award winner Lorrie Moore’s “I Am Not Homeless If This Is Not My Home,” Ali Smith’s “Companion Piece,” National Book Award winner Justin Torres’ “Blackouts,” and Marie-Helene Bertino’s “Beautyland,” among others, forge poignant, bracing emotional connections. Their playfulness reveals possibilities and perspectives that might be lost in a novel bound by fact-checked 21st century reality. After all, in a world where nothing feels normal, fiction that embraces a disregard for physics and convention mirrors our new upside-down quotidian life.

The Ministry of Time cover with the title in 3-D in many colors against a dark background

To this end, Kaliane Bradley proves that it’s possible to address imperialism, the scourge of bureaucracy, cross-cultural conflict and the paranoia inherent in a surveillance state through her utterly entertaining novel. “The Ministry of Time” begins with a sixth-round job interview for an undisclosed position. The unnamed narrator is caught off guard when “the interviewer said my name, which made my thoughts clip. I don’t say my name, not even in my head. She’d said it correctly, which people generally don’t.” For the narrator, who “plateaued” as a “translator-consultant” in the Languages department of the Ministry of Defense, this top-secret job that pays three times her current salary is worth the mystery.

Soon the work is disclosed. The narrator, whose mother immigrated to the United Kingdom from Cambodia, will be working closely with people who might bristle at the term “refugees.” She’s now part of the Ministry of Expatriation working with one of five “expats” scavenged from the past. Confident in her storytelling, Bradley sweeps away the details of how and why time travel exists in the novel.

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“All you need to know is that in your near future, the British government developed the means to travel through time but had not yet experimented with doing it.” With that, from the jump, readers and characters alike are asked to take a leap of faith as the narrator assumes the role of a “bridge” between an “expat” and modern life. The larger purpose of her work is elusive to her as well, but, in short, the narrator is tasked to be the roommate of an explorer named Commander Graham Gore who died on a doomed Royal Navy Arctic exhibition in 1847. He’s mannered, understandably jumpy, but also rather sexy for someone who died close to 200 years ago. Will this be an odd sort of meet-cute, or is something more chaotic afoot?

Buckle up, the ride has just begun. Juggling notions of “hereness” (the present) and “thereness” (the past), the novel’s five expats come to grips — or not — with the fact that they have been snatched from the past. The ministry selected individuals who were on the point of death so that their departures from the past would in no way rupture their historic timelines. But how would they affect the present? The bridges take notes, and medical examinations are de rigueur, but these collected data are merely passed along without much in the way of analysis.

The expats and bridges adjust to life together in a largely amusing fashion, sharing lovely homes provided by the ministry, visiting pubs, learning about the very existence of cinema. Music streaming services are a hit, but, generally speaking, the expats find it hard to accept the scale of modern life. Whether this is due to some physical mutation created by the process of time travel or if it’s merely the challenge of cultural displacement for people “loose as dust in narrative time,” true fissures begin to surface.

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March 29, 2024

In a manner that feels wholly unsurprising to the reader, suspicions arise as to the nature of the project. Why exactly is there a need for secrecy and what are the particulars about this ability to time travel that we’re asked to tacitly accept? Tensions also flare between the narrator and another bridge, Simellia, who are the two people of color in this tightly knit circle. The specter of imperialism looms and informs a certain tension between the narrator and Gore. Yet, as a green bureaucrat, happy to rise in the ranks, she confronts Simellia, saying, “You signed up for this job… [knowing], as much as I did, that what we were doing was world-changing. That’s what you wanted, remember? Do you think the world changes by being asked politely? Or do you think there has to be risk?”

But this brash confidence begins to waver. The narrator recognizes, “Every time I gave Graham a book, I was trying to shunt him along a story I’d been telling myself all my life.” Then she notes that the ministry “fed us all poison from a bottle marked ‘prestige’ and we developed a high tolerance for bitterness.” While the book does assume some obvious postures of university level post-colonial theory and language, it moves past these more cliched moments by focusing its attention on the characters. A tight narrative rich with witty banter, cutting observations and interspersed passages from Gore’s doomed expedition also keep the novel taut.

“Maybe I was tired of stories, telling them and hearing them,” muses the narrator. Curiously, while she made languages her profession (hence her tendency to consider that “the great project of Empire was to categorize: owned and owner, coloniser and colonised, evolué and barbarian, mine and yours.”), her antagonistic younger sister became a writer. Finding herself falling in love with Gore, the narrator becomes the story, upending history.

As the story’s momentum builds into that of a spy thriller, Bradley pulls off a rare feat. “The Ministry of Time” is a novel that doesn’t stoop to easy answers and doesn’t devolve into polemic. It’s a smart, gripping work that’s also a feast for the senses. An assassination, moles, questions of identity and violence wreak havoc on our happy lovers and the bubble they create in London. Yet our affection for them is as fresh and thrilling as theirs is for one another, two explorers of a kind, caught in a brilliant discovery. Bradley’s written an edgy, playful and provocative book that’s likely to be the most thought-provoking romance novel of the summer. Check your history: That’s no small feat.

Lauren LeBlanc is a board member of the National Book Critics Circle.

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Review: Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White Character Meal

Story Book Dining at Artist Point is a Snow White & Seven Dwarfs character meal in Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World that serves a prix fixe menu. This restaurant review shares food photos, pros & cons of this princess dinner near Magic Kingdom, whether it’s worth the money & time, and how to score a reservation. ( Updated June 20, 2023 .)

Let’s start with some good news, which is that Story Book Dining at Artist Point is becoming ever-so-slightly easier to book. With that said, it remains one of the most competitive restaurant reservations in all of Walt Disney World, which is likely due to pent-up demand for this specific spot.

Artist Point was relatively slow to reopen, and when it first returned, it came back as a modified meal. Since then, hugs, autographs, high-fives, and photos with Snow White and friends have all returned. In other words, Story Book Dining at Artist Point is once again completely back to normal. With that, so too is its popularity.

Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White was one of the most elusive Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) even pre-closure. It also doesn’t help a few other princess and character meal still haven’t returned to Walt Disney World. This means there’s even more “competition” for Story Book Dining at Artist Point, making it even more difficult to book.

In fact, Artist Point is often fully booked more than 60 days in advance! (You’ll really need the on-site 60 day plus length of stay window to reliably book Artist Point ADRs. This should be your top priority if it’s important to you.) See our Guide to Advance Dining Reservations at Walt Disney World for tips & tricks to score elusive ADRs, info about the 60+10 rule, and more.

When it comes to Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White becoming easier to book, this is relative to last year–not in absolute terms. The character dining experience was almost impossible last year and through this spring, unless you were up at the crack of dawn and booked strategically in line with the 60+10 rule.

Now, there’s more frequently ADR availability at around 2 months, and also, last-minute thanks to cancellations or Walk-Up Waitlist. It’s still not even a remotely easy ADR, but it’s no longer Mission Impossible Starring Snow White.

Our expectation is that Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White becomes even easier to book next year. This is because Walt Disney World has revealed details of the 2024 Disney Dining Plan . While that prepaid meal package typically increases demand for restaurants, Story Book Dining at Artist Point will become a 2-credit table service restaurant on the Disney Dining Plan (DDP).

Quite simply, Story Book Dining at Artist Point will be an objectively poor use of DDP credits. The dinner currently costs $65 per adult and $39 per child, which means its per credit value is $32.50 and $19.50. Bump that up to ~$40 per credit if you order an alcoholic cocktail. Based upon our calculations, a table service meal credit on the DDP is worth approximately $63 per adult or $15 per child. (Yes, there’s really that big of a gap between the values for adults and kids.)

Even with Story Book Dining at Artist Point being a reasonably good value for kids, it’s an absolutely atrocious use of DDP credits for adults. In fact, it is one of the absolute worst objective uses of DDP credits for adults. For the best options that are ‘worth it’ on the DDP, see our list of the Top 10 Table Service Credit Uses on the 2024 Disney Dining Plan .

A few character meals actually do make that list, including Chef Mickey’s, Garden Grill, and Minnie’s Seasonal Dine. Those are all right around $63 per credit without alcohol, and up to $80 with a specialty cocktail. (If you’re not a drinker, you’re going to have a difficult time getting your money’s worth out of the DDP.)

Walt Disney World fans are probably familiar with the saga of Artist Point, but here’s a quick refresher for those new to this character meal. The Storybook Dining character experience is a relatively recent addition to Artist Point, which was previously a Signature Restaurant. When this change was announced, it was very controversial among fans (just read the 90+ comments on that post). Some loved the idea of more character dining, some found it to be a cheapening of the experience at a Deluxe Resort.

In any case, average guests love characters and this incarnation of Artist Point is significantly more popular than its Signature Dining predecessor. Reservations were typically available day-of for the old Artist Point. Now, it’s fully booked 60 days in advance.

On a personal note, I will miss the old Artist Point. I’ve hiked to the actual Artist Point in Yosemite National Park, and dined in a number of the grand National Park Lodge dining rooms that Artist Point evoked. For me, dining at Artist Point was a transportive experience to those memories. Fortunately, some of this still exists below the ‘enchanted forest’ additions, as we’ll discuss next in the theme section of the review.

In terms of theme, the new-look Artist Point is interesting. A ‘forest’ of light-up trees were added to create a canopy of leaves in Artist Point. These trees look like they’re carved right out of the support beams in the restaurant, and look like a natural, seamless addition. This is to make the environment better evoke the sensibility of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , rather than one of the National Park lodge grand dining rooms.

This is a smart idea in practice, and the end result is charming and whimsical. I didn’t expect to like the look of this forest, but it suits the character dinner well. It also allows for some fun light effects in the branches, as the leaves change color upon the arrival of certain characters, and ‘dance’ when the Dwarfs do their little parade. It’s fun and cute. (The photos below don’t really do it justice due to the daylight, but as soon as it’s dark, the tree branches twinkle and dance with light–it’s a neat effect.)

My one quasi-complaint here is that it feels like a half-measure in execution for anyone who has previously dined at Artist Point. Above the tree branches are semi-obscured murals from the original Artist Point, not fully hidden from view. This makes Artist Point feel a bit like a hodgepodge of contrasting styles, which I suppose mirrors the very notion of a German fairytale set in a United States National Park lodge. But whatever.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure this is a complaint. As someone who loved the previous look of Artist Point, it’s at least somewhat reassuring that this could all be undone in relatively short order and restored to “normal” should the Storybook Dining concept go away at some point down the road.

Artist Point fans will probably be split on the new look for that reason. It’s almost the same deal as EPCOT Center–do you enjoy vestiges of the past even if you know those things are never returning in earnest, or would you rather plow forward with something totally new and distinctly its own thing?

Most Walt Disney World guests probably won’t notice the ‘split style’ of the environment, or care even if they do. For first-timers and many others, this version of Artist Point is the only version they’ll ever know. In this version, the setting is endearing. In any event, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs characters are the stars of the meal here, with all other atmospheric elements playing second fiddle.

As for the characters, you’ll find Snow White, Evil Queen, Dopey, and Grumpy at Artist Point’s Storybook Dining. Snow White and the Dwarfs meet guests at their tables, while Evil Queen is at a staged photo op in the middle of the restaurant that you can do at the end of your meal (but probably shouldn’t).

Interactions were good at our meal. The two Dwarfs chosen have contrasting personalities, and can express that reasonably well in encounters with guests. Same goes for Evil Queen and Snow White, both of whom were at the top of their game.

There’s a wide personality range in these 4 characters, and that makes for a varied experience. Another Dwarf or two might’ve been nice, but it’s nonetheless a good character meal, with great engagement.

Obviously, this is not quite the same as getting a photo with all seven of the Dwarfs at once like you could do at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The trade-off is that you don’t wait two hours and have genuine interactions rather than just being rushed through a photo op with characters-as-props. Personally, that’s a trade-off that I will absolutely take, but I’m not a huge Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fan in the first place.

Meeting Evil Queen was the one odd component of the experience. For the bulk of our meal, she was just standing at her meet & greet location, awaiting guests. We’d catch her icy gaze every once in a while, which was amusing because clearly she didn’t have anything better to do, but was still in the middle of her set.

Then, at the end of our meal, which coincided with the end of several other tables’ meals, she concluded her set. This led to us and other parties just standing around the middle of the restaurant, waiting for her to return. This is probably on us, as our sever had told us multiple times that we could visit her whenever , but we figured the best option for that would be the end of the meal.

In short, heed your server’s advice and visit the Evil Queen in between courses or whenever convenient, rather than waiting until the end of your meal. Oh, and request a table away from this meet & greet, as it seemed like an awkward situation for the tables in that area, which regularly had other guests hovering around them.

I’m not sure why the Evil Queen wanted to flash the Wu Tang hand sign, but I was happy to oblige–I’m down with the Wu.

I also appreciated that there were a couple of PhotoPass photographers here, which is easier than handing my own camera off to another guest for photos.

Now let’s take a look at the food, starting with some of the “Wickedly Refreshing Cocktails.”

To the left above is “Evil to the Core: Patrón Silver Tequila, Blackberry Brandy, Habanero and Orange Juice.” Like so many Walt Disney World cocktails, this skews sweet, with too much sugary juices filling the glass. There’s also an inordinate amount of blackberry seeds, but such are the perils of foraging for drinks in the forest, I suppose.

To the right of that is the “Enchanted Apple: Skyy Infusions Citrus Vodka, DeKuyper Pucker Sour Apple and White Cranberry Juice.” This is an interesting interpretation of an Appletini, but this one is a bit too syrupy, sugary, and watered down. A slight tartness offsets that to some degree, but it’s still another stereotypically sweet Walt Disney World drink. Not one we’d recommend.

Finally, the “The Smoking Mirror: Johnnie Walker Black, Wildberry, Lime and Rosemary Smoke.” The presentation is perfectly on-theme, with the smoke-filled glass delivered to the table upside down. It’s then flipped over and the cocktail is poured as smoke floats away. Now this is the drink to order. A perfectly balanced flavor and alcohol profile, delightfully aromatic, and beautifully presented.

The meal starts with the “And So The Story Begins…” Shared Appetizers for the table. Individual servings of each are brought to the whimsical tree serving platform in the center of each table.

This consists of the following:

Wild Mushroom Bisque Soup
Hunter’s Pie (Turkey and Chicken, Black Truffle, Cranberry Preserve and Crispy Sauerkraut)
Wicked Shrimp Cocktail (Bloody Mary Vinaigrette, Seaweed Salad and Spiced House-made Seasoning)

It should be pretty easy to tell which is which from the photo above.

All of these were fantastic, but the standout was the Wild Mushroom Bisque, which very closely resembles the iconic Smokey Portobello Mushroom Soup that used to be served at Artist Point. I don’t think the recipe is quite the same–it’s been a while–but it was excellent. Rich, creamy, and with a distinct mushroom flavor.

We also both really liked the Hunter’s Pie, which had distinct truffle and cranberry flavors to pair with the turkey and chicken meatball and a tasty crust.

There seems to be a “movement” to cram all of Thanksgiving dinner into a single dish, and this is a good (inadvertent?) entry into that.

Next, we’ll turn to the entrees. These are from multiple meals at Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White over the last couple of years. I’m consolidating them here for simplicity, so you don’t have to read multiple reviews of our various meals. Although we’re big eaters, we couldn’t eat this all in one sitting!

A Stroll through Nature is the vegetarian option, and consists of Asparagus, Leeks, Arugula, Gnocchi, Sage, and Parmesan.

Despite being the ‘last straw’ choice when we were choosing what to order, this ended up being the surprise hit of the meal. It was rich and creamy, and dialed the cheesiness up about as far as you can go without being over the top. This was a strong and modestly ambitious dish that would appeal even to non-vegetarians. I loved it.

For one of her entrees, Sarah ordered the “Cottage” Beef Stroganoff consisting of Tender Beef, Preserved Vegetables, Spätzle, Mushrooms and Aged Cow’s Milk Cheese.

This was fantastic. Although the vegetables on top were straightforward and unimpressive, everything else about the dish delivered. The spätzle was the perfect consistency and paired well with the tender and hearty beef. The cheese enhanced both, making it a filling and delicious dish. (I thought this was excellent, but I also couldn’t care less about the vegetable component of any entree.)

Replacing the famed Cedar Plank Salmon is tough for any fish dish, and Bashful’s Butter-poached Snapper (with Root Vegetable Risotto, Wild Mushroom, Citrus-Butter Sauce) is tasked with that unenviable role.

It’s nothing special. A mild and inoffensive fish, with the accompaniments not doing much to buoy it. I’m not personally a huge fan of even well-executed snapper, so perhaps someone else’s opinion would carry more weight here.

For poultry, Artist Point serves the Brother’s Grimm Roasted Chicken with Cauliflower Purée, Roasted Vegetables and Chicken Jus.

This was another favorite at our table, with the lean chicken being juicy, flavorful, and having a robust, herby flavor. This is actually one of the best chicken dishes I’ve had at Walt Disney World.

Oddly, and probably not worthy of mentioning but for the fact that it amused me, but the apples tasted thoroughly like Brussels sprouts. Probably not something I need to taste again in my life.

Next, the Royal Prime Rib Roast, with Horseradish Mashed Potato, Hay-smoked Carrots, Popover, and Jus.

A lot of you are going to gravitate towards this, so it might be disheartening to hear that it was the closest thing to a letdown we had during the meal. The cut was a bit too fatty and slightly tough, while also being a bit on the bland and dry side. I didn’t dislike the Royal Prime Rib Roast, and perhaps you’ll have better luck, but it was my least favorite dish on a table that included a dish without meat. (Also, steer clear of the carrots.)

Finally, the Magic Mirror Slow-braised Pork Shank with Horseradish-Mashed Potato, Wilted Greens and Jus. This is the standout of the Storybook Dining at Artist Point menu.

The good news for the serious carnivores out there is that tender shank was a generous portion, perfectly-prepared, with bold flavor. I won the entree lottery with this one, as it was by far the best.

The meat was juicy, flavorful, and fall-off-the-bone tender. In addition to that, the mashed potatoes were an all-star, with a pungent horseradish quality that made my mouth water with each bite. I’ve had horseradish mashed potatoes before, but never executed in such an addictively-good manner.

This whole entree was like something worthy of an actual Signature Restaurant. If this were served to me for dinner at Topolino’s Terrace, I would’ve left happy.

As with the appetizers, desserts are also shared.

We’ll start with the Miner’s Treasures, which is Sponge Cake, Chocolate Gems, and Buttercream Icing. This is cupcake constructed in a different fashion, and the sweetness of the dish overwhelmed whatever else was going on. To me, it simply tasted like “artificial purple.” (Maybe with a hint of artificial green. 😉 )

The “Poison” Apple (White Chocolate-Apple Mousse, Sour Center) was my favorite. The sweet exterior lures you in, and gives way to a sour punch inside.

It’s a playful, sharp contrast, and one I really enjoyed.

The Fairy Tale Gooseberry Pie (Meringue, Gooseberry) was also good. It’s sweet, dense, and mildly tart.

None of these desserts are on par with what you’d order from a standalone menu, but individually, the latter two are far superior to what you’d find on a buffet.

Finally, the meal ends with the Hunter’s Gift to the Queen, which is Crackled Maple Popcorn and a Ganache Heart. This one is all about presentation, and it’s fun.

If one thing can be said about all of these desserts, it’s that they’re befitting of the experience. This feels like a themed character meal through and through.

Although Story Book Dining at Artist Point is not one of the cheaper character dining experiences, its cost seems very fair to us given the quality of the cuisine and the character experience. Artist Point also offers an Annual Passholder discount, bringing the total down a bit. All in all, not bad pricing by Walt Disney World standards for the amount and quality of the food, and fun of the experience.

We’ve monitored this meal since it first debuted, as Story Book Dining at Artist Point struck us as the kind of restaurant that could offer enticing introductory pricing before spiking $20/person…or cutting corners and cheapening cuisine quality. We’re happy to report that, its standards are just as high as of 2023 as they were when it debuted a few years ago. It has increased slightly in cost and a few lateral menu changes have been made, but no worse than any other restaurant at Walt Disney World.

Overall, we love Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White. It’s a strong addition to Walt Disney World’s character dining scene, and we both liked it much more than expected when it debuted. It’s nice seeing the beautiful murals and National Parks art, even if it’s partially obscured by the trees and dancing of Dwarfs. The menu is less ambitious and inventive than its previous incarnation, but that’s hardly a surprise as it has gone from Signature to character status.

Within the character meal category, Artist Point serves the best food at Walt Disney World, and is your top pick if you want quality over quantity for dinner ( Topolino’s Terrace takes that title for breakfast ). What is offered on the prix fixe menu is mostly good to very good, and these options will be crowd-pleasers. If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan and enjoy characters, Artist Point is a no-brainer, presenting objective value on par with Akershus while offering significantly better cuisine. Even paying out of pocket, Artist Point is a solid choice for Snow White fans.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews . To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts…

What do you think of Storybook Dining at Artist Point? Are you excited to try this ambitious new character meal? Do you understand why the change was made, are are you bitter about losing the Signature Restaurant? Where does it rank in terms of dining at Walt Disney World for you? Have any favorite dishes at the new-look Artist Point? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!

Written by Tom Bricker

We’re going to be in Florida in January and weren’t planning on going to the parks but thought maybe we could do a character dinner at 1 of the resorts for a little Disney magic. I’ve tried many times before for a reservation here and I’ve never had any luck but I found a spot for the family for a late dinner one weeknight. I feel like I just won a lottery!

hi Tom can you use 2 quick service dining for a sit down dining plan meal .

Tom, looks like this will be 2 credits when the dining plan returns in January? Worth the value of 2? I’d do Dining plan just to use the credits here if so. We loved it but didnt love how long of an affair it was. Perhaps it was our late (and only) time we ended up with. Regardless of the length of time it took this was by far our most enjoyable dining experience, both as an adult and for our tween kids. Dont recall the popcorn/ganache at the end but perhaps it was there. I’d love to see this with just an appetizer/dessert/drinks booking option in addition to the prix fixe. I think I’ll have to try the vegetarian or stroganoff next time! The Chicken and Roast beef were loved by us.

I’ve been meaning to update this with 2024 Disney Dining Plan changes, and your comment was just the push needed to prioritize it. Anyway, the answer to your question is towards the top of the post. In a nutshell, no, it is absolutely not worth 2 credits.

Any inside scoop on when the characters at Crystal Palace will be back? I am heading there June 9th and we love Tigger so very sad it hasn’t come back. Anywhere else we could see/hug Tigger? Love your blog!! Sue

We just ate here on May 22nd. Food was fantastic and like you said the character experience was just as good. The desserts have changed a little from what you posted and I believe they added one, but they were all good. My wife and I both had the gnocchi and we were very surprised at how good it was. Highly recommend it for a character dining experience and definitely if you are staying at Wilderness. Although it’s expensive, I thought the experience and food lived up to it.

We went to a character breakfast there years ago. It was Pooh & friends. As old as he was, our son loved his picture with Eeyore.

It’s astonishing that the high quality meal at Storybook is similar in price to Chef Mickey’s. We enjoyed ourselves greatly at Storybook. The meal was really good and the service was excellent.

We ate here in February 2022 and had a really great experience. I booked it 64 days out and could only get 5:45pm (we tend to eat later). But I planned our MK day on the same day, and we took the boat over to WL which was lovely (we’ve stayed at WL in the past – great resort). It’s a very special meal! (My kids are picky eaters too and the kids menu was just fine for them.)

We thoroughly enjoyed this dining experience when we dined April 14, before contact was again allowed. The staff was very accommodating, as I watched 1 table with a special-needs child and a teen with some type of food allergy. I believe the child was also sensory-challenged. However, the situation was not distracting; we just happened to be 2 tables near. In addition, our waiter was just superb and attentive! He presented each course, answered questions and made recommendations. The food was just beyond! I had the prime rib plate, which was huge!!!! It is served medium-rare, which I’m not a big fan; but, it was tasty. I could not finish as the portions are large. My popover was enormous and had pools of butter in the craters inside. The shrimp cocktail was oddly served in a type of candy jar/small mason jar with metal closure. Weird. It was good, just not the way it is normally served. Our chocolate torte dessert was also presented differently than you pictured. All of our dessert tastes were one-bite sized. Plenty, though! Our gooseberry pie dessert was a 1-bite choice also, but plenty. The crust was yummy and the warm gooseberry filling was a nice surprise under the crunchy meringue! Our surprise finale of the Huntsman’s box did not contain the popcorn as yours had; it was just the chocolate hearts, which our waiter basically unceremoniously dumped onto the empty dessert plate. I guess it was his way of telling us to go. Otherwise, his service was great. The characters were wonderful, and we enjoyed watching the kids around us. The Evil Queen came to each table when we went. She was totally in character, and I did worry that she would scare small kids. However, kids knew who she was and that she is indeed, mean! So, they were not frightened. This was one of my favorite meals at Disney! Highly recommend! I had only been able to book it for 3 of the 5 in our party on the evening of the day we departed our trip (morning flight), but I held on to that reservation and repeatedly attempted to modify. I finally lucked out 3 days before the reservation, while we were at Disney. I was so excited to luck into it! Was worth all of my attempts!

The whole concept sounds amazing BUT, have very picky grand kids as far as food goes! Is there a kids menu of any kind or is it the same as the adult menu?? My kiddos would only eat dessert unless there is plain kiddo food! If there is a kid’s menu, any chance someone can list exactly what’s on it

Here’s the current menu: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/wilderness-lodge-resort/artist-point/menus/

This isn’t specific to Artist Point, it but does include Artist Point. I wish Disney would get rid of their prix fixe meals. I don’t want to be told what I’m going to eat. This restaurant, at least, you get a little choice, unlike at Chef Mickey’s where the breakfast platter is what they bring you, end of story. But you have to have an appetizer, an entry, and dessert. I don’t eat appetizers or desserts. Sure, I wouldn’t have to at Artist Point, but I’ll still be paying for it even if I don’t eat it. Disney seems to be having more and more of these prix fixe meals. Pretty soon, it’ll be nothing but prix fixe or quick service. It’s all about the money.

I can understand your perspective, but I think there’s a middle ground between all buffets and all prix fixe. Right now, it’s skewing too hard towards the latter, but pre-closure, it skewed towards buffets.

Personally, I’d rather have a quality meal (like Artist Point) over unlimited, mediocre buffet options (like Chef Mickey’s during normal times). However, I love quality buffets (Tusker House during normal times), too. It’s nice to have a range of options!

We were there last week and tables are “summoned” by The Queen at some point during dinner to meet her, as a Disney photog takes pics. A host will come to the table and say The Queen has requested you. She is amazing, as were the other characters and the whole experience!

I began searching for a reservation for character dining right at the 60 day mark to no avail. If you are not staying at a Disney resort it is virtually impossible to make a reservation since on site patrons get a 10 window ahead of the 60 day mark. It is disappointing since we are doing a family vacation with the little grandkids. I have watched for cancellations for any ADR as recommended but with a party of 9, it probably won’t happen. I hope staffing issues eventually are resolved so more options are available to those of us not staying on-site:

Just out of curiosity, what dates will you be there? I might need to cancel a reservation that we have but it is only for 4 people

We went 2x! Got 1 reserv 2 days before and got 2nd reserv day off ! Just keep trying ! Ya never know!

Grab any size table you can ! Then try to add or modify it !

Good luck ! You may need to call direct for that many people!

I love Snow White and really wanted to do this restaurant, but the menu! I HATE horseradish and mushrooms…

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Writing Tips

Is StoryWorth Worth It? Price, Comparison, and Review

7-minute read
17th February 2023

If you are looking to write your life story to share with your family and future generations, there are many options available. StoryWorth is a memoir service subscription you can buy for yourself, or a loved one, to make this dream come true. But is it all it promises to be? In this article, we break down what StoryWorth has to offer, its prices, and how it compares to similar services.

What is StoryWorth?

StoryWorth is a membership service you can purchase for yourself or a loved one. With the membership, you and your nominated recipients receive a weekly email with a question to respond to. Throughout the year-long subscription, you will see their responses each week. At the end of the year, StoryWorth compiles everything the recipients have written into a hardback book that you can keep for generations.

How Does StoryWorth Work?

StoryWorth wants its subscribers to think of their services as a conversation. Their process consists of three steps:

1. Once a week, you choose a question to inspire them (your loved ones) to write.

2. Your loved one replies to the question in an email, which is also shared with you.

3. At the end of a year, your loved one’s stories are bound into a beautiful keepsake book.

StoryWorth has around 300 questions for you to choose from to be your loved one’s weekly question. You can also choose to write your own, or your loved one can simply write whatever they like. In addition to answering the question prompts, your loved one can upload photos to go along with their story.

Example questions from StoryWorth include:

● What matters most to you in life?

● What’s one of your favorite trips?

● What personal expectations do you hold yourself to?

● What things do you think you cannot live without?

● Do you have any regrets in life?

Formatting and Customizing Your Keepsake Book

At the end of your year-long subscription, you will receive an email with two options:

1. To renew your subscription ( online reviews suggest the renewal fee is $60) if you aren’t finished writing.

2. Print your book.

If you choose to print your book, StoryWorth has professional book cover layouts to choose from where you can add a photo and title. However, color options are limited and not listed on their website.

In terms of formatting within the book, customers are limited. You cannot bold, underline, or italicize any text. And they only offer text in size 10 Merriweather font. Customers can add captions and descriptions to photos. The hardcover book is a standard 6×9, and you also receive a pdf version to download.

How Much Does StoryWorth Cost?

StoryWorth is an affordable subscription service at $99. With the subscription, you get:

● Weekly story prompts sent via email to the recipient

● 1 hardcover book with a black and white interior (including black and white photos)

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● Access to customer service to help with any issues

For additional books, you can expect to pay:

● $39 for each additional black and white interior copy

● $79 for color books up to 300 pages

● $99 for color books of 300 to 480 pages

What if There are Errors?

StoryWorth recommends that customers wait until they receive the first copy of their book before ordering more. While you can edit your book before having it printed, there will always be mistakes overlooked (as in almost any book publishing process). If you receive your first copy and notice any errors, you can correct them before ordering more copies.

However, you will have to pay for any further copies you order regardless of errors. Based on reviews, StoryWorth does not appear to offer free correction services.

How Does StoryWorth Compare?

At the cost of $99, it is difficult to find other companies offering a similar service as StoryWorth for an equal or lesser price. Traditionally, for those looking to write a memoir for themselves or family members, you have to write the memoir yourself, pay an editor (or edit it yourself), and then pay to have it printed. Self-publishing is a long, tedious process and can cost thousands of dollars depending on your editor and printer.

Alternatively, paying a ghostwriter to write your memoir for you (a very popular service) is going to cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.

Handwritten Legacies offers a similar service, except they do not offer you a hard copy of your book. You can create a customizable pdf book, including a dedication page, family tree page, and personalized writing prompts. It is approximately 200 pages long, which you print at home and have your loved one fill in. It costs $20, which is a much lower price than StoryWorth, but it’s not exactly the same service.

No Story Lost is similar to StoryWorth in that you get a beautiful keepsake at the end of your process: a coffee table book of your life story. However, their process is to interview you and then write, edit, and polish the story for you. And their costs are much higher than StoryWorth, ranging from $899 to $1,799.

Customer Reviews and Testimonials

StoryWorth reviews are mixed. Sarah Z. Wexler wrote a very positive article on The Strategist about her experience buying a StoryWorth subscription for her father. She wrote, “As a big reader and an author myself, I can honestly say I’ve never been more excited for the release of a book. It’s been a true joy for me to open my inbox and see my dad’s stories each week.”

Other positive reviews found online stated that they enjoyed StoryWorth’s questions and that they also liked the pdf version they got when the writing was completed. One reviewer used their pdf book in a very clever way, stating “I then printed out the book in pdf, made a few adjustments and then uploaded to a free e-book maker site where my book is available as a flip book also. It even has sound effects and music on several pages as applicable… siren for injuries, a few memorable songs from my youth, etc.”

However, there are some negative reviews, mostly commenting on how the technology StoryWorth uses is not user-friendly or up-to-date. Many complained that their stories were not saved after writing them, they could not format their photos correctly, and that customer service was below par and limited to emails.

One customer commented that “The idea is great. They respond to questions quickly. However, I would highly recommend going to another company which has better editing. StoryWorth has very few tools to help design and create the look you want.”

StoryWorth offers an opportunity for people to write their life stories by answering one question per week for a year at the price of $99. At the end of your year of writing, you get a keepsake book for yourself and your family. While many people love the idea, and StoryWorth has many happy customers, they are not ready to make professional memoir publishing services redundant.

At the end of the day, you are going to get what you pay for. While $99 is a very attractive price and the general idea seems straightforward, many people complain that editing is difficult and formatting and adjusting the layout of the text and photos is challenging. These are skills that professional editors, writers, and publishers have spent years mastering, and it’s hard to replace the quality and experience of a professional.

If you are writing a memoir to have your precious memories passed down for generations to come, have a professional editor help you in the process. At Proofed we offer a free trial of proofreading and editing for first-time customers. Try it out today !

What is StoryWorth and how does it work?

StoryWorth is a one-year memoir-writing subscription service for $99. An email is sent to recipients every week for one year. These emails require a response to questions relating to life. At the end of the year, all the responses are compiled into a hardback keepsake book.

Is my personal information and content shared on StoryWorth secure?

Yes. StoryWorth only shares personal information and content with other people you list on the mailing list. These people will receive weekly emails with responses to the questions from the other nominated writers.

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Review: Kobo Libra Colour

Black tablet with daily todo lists written on the screen. Background green tiles.

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I love e-readers. They’re convenient and one of the few pieces of tech that’s not trying to overload your senses with unnecessary distractions. That’s why I was worried when I heard Kobo was releasing color e-readers . I pictured an iPad-like display littered with apps—yet another screen for my eyes to burn themselves on.

Thankfully, that's not the case. It’s still the E Ink you know and love from your favorite e-readers , just no longer restricted to black and white. Do you need a color screen to read ebooks? No. Is it fun? Yes.

Color Me Impressed

Black tablet displaying a page of text with colorful annotation marks such as highlighting and circling words

A color screen means you can see your favorite ebook covers in all their glory, but it also means illustrated children's books and graphic novels really come to life on the display. Curious George and Dune look beautiful on the Libra Colour's 7-inch E Ink panel.

I also tested the new Kobo Clara Colour , which has a 6-inch screen. Dune was fine, but Curious George wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing—the text in this ebook is blue on a yellow background, and the smaller screen made it all more compact in a way that was annoying to my eyes.

Having a color screen means you can write and highlight in color. You can mark up your favorite ebooks directly on the page, not just in separate note files like on a Kindle . However, all of this requires the Kobo Stylus 2 , which costs an extra $70. It has a highlight button on the side and an eraser on the end. (You can't write on the Clara Colour, but you can highlight in color.) It's worth noting that the Stylus 2 was out of stock everywhere as of publishing. I've asked Kobo when it’s expected to be available again.

The Libra has a notebook section so you can jot down notes and to-do lists, manage a calendar, or doodle in eight colors plus black and gray. The colors look even more vibrant once you export notebooks to your computer, but exporting also removes the lines from page layouts like calendars and daily planners, which is unfortunate. Color ink was technically available in Kobo's supersize Elipsa 2E , meant for heavy note-taking, but since that screen supports only black and white, these colors only came across once exported to a computer.

Device case partially folded and propped up sitting on wooden surface

If you save a lot of articles using Pocket , you can read them on Kobos . The Pocket integration was supposed to go away in 2023 , but Kobo updated its system to enable them to work, and this is no longer an issue. You can’t write on Pocket articles no matter where you're reading them, but you can import documents you want to mark up to the Libra as PDFs. As a writer, it's fun to break out my old proofreading marks again.

I also tested Kobo's SleepCover ($40) , which can be folded into a stand. I usually go coverless when using e-readers because they're pretty durable, but I liked this one too much. It keeps the device steady even when I write notes.

Right to Repair

Tablet on the left showing drawings of flowers and on the right just the flowers

How colors appear on the Libra screen versus how they appear when exported to a computer.

Reading on the Libra Colour was a largely problem-free experience, but I had some “ghosting” (where you can see faint traces of menus or erased text) in the notebooks. This usually remedied itself after a few seconds, but it was more noticeable than other e-readers I've tested of late. Occasionally I'd have to turn the page and go back to fix it.

The Libra is waterproof and made from recycled plastics , and the battery should last a month or so, depending on how much you read and write. I am of the mind that the page-turn buttons included here should be standard across all e-readers. That said, the Libra Colour is expensive at $220. Add in the $70 stylus and it's even more of a steep price for a color screen.

If it's any consolation, the Kobo Libra Colour is repairable , so your money can go a long way. Kobo has partnered with iFixit to make kits for repairing the display, battery, and motherboard, plus the front and back covers. This extends to the Clara Colour and the original black-and-white Clara. More details on this are coming soon.

Kobo e-readers may lack the Amazon Kindle's large library, but if you've been trying to move away from all things Amazon , it's a perfectly great e-reader. And with this new Libra, reading and writing in color is just plain fun.

Raspberry Pi storybook uses AI to create stories with pictures on its eInk display

Once upon a time, there was a little Pi…

Coming up with a fresh bedtime story can be a challenge, so why not automate the process? That's exactly what maker and developer Thomas Valadez has done with his latest Raspberry Pi project. Using our favorite SBC, this Storybook Pi generates stories with a little help from AI and comes with a picture to go along with the story based on its description.

All of the generative AI happens locally on the Pi using a couple of open-source AI tools. Once the Pi generates a story and image, the data is formatted to display on a small eInk screen. This eInk panel offers a couple of colors, making for a more dynamic experience. Because it uses an eInk display, the power consumption is much lower and the image will remain on the screen should power drop.

Creating new images and stories isn't instantaneous. According to Valadez, it takes roughly five minutes to create a new story and picture. The eInk display also takes a little bit of time to refresh but if you aren't using it that often, this shouldn't be a big deal. However, the unique end result is well worth the wait.

To drive this project, Valadez is using a Raspberry Pi 5. Although you could get away with older models, the performance might not be as high. The screen is a 5.7-inch Inky Impression but you can use other displays in its place. Valadez recommends using a 32GB microSD card at least for this project as more space is useful for containing AI models.

Valadez was kind enough to share this project by making it open-source. As such, you can find the source code over at GitHub . You'll need to use a few tools along with Raspberry Pi OS to recreate it including both Ollama and Stable Diffusion.

If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project , check out the official project page over at GitHub . Be sure to follow Valadez for more cool projects as well as for any future updates on this one.

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Ash Hill is a Freelance News and Features Writer with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.

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Geef As long as the generated pictures don't have any fingers on them, the AI should do fine. Otherwise there may be problems. A usual AI hand = 5 or more fingers plus thumb, and at least one finger is bending the wrong way! Reply
Mpablo87 Hope AI do fine with details and Apply Correctly number of fingers ? Reply
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Most Popular

An illustration of Doris Kearns Goodwin shows a smiling white woman with blonde hair, silver earrings and a blue blouse.

By the Book

Doris Kearns Goodwin Wasn’t Competing With Her Husband

Richard Goodwin, an adviser to presidents, “was more interested in shaping history,” she says, “and I in figuring out how history was shaped.” Their bond is at the heart of her new book, “An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s.”

Credit... Rebecca Clarke

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Describe your ideal reading experience.

The early hours before dawn have always been best. I have all that is necessary: quiet, a bathrobe, a comfortable old blue leather couch, a table stacked with books and research.

What books are on your night stand?

Right now: “Three Roads Back,” a powerful book (especially after the death of my husband, Dick Goodwin ) on how Emerson, Thoreau and William James dealt with grief. “The Facts,” by Philip Roth, in which I am delighted to find a hilarious dinnertime conversation concerning the politics of divorce between Roth, Robert Kennedy and my husband. And, in readiness for reading time with my grandson, “Frog and Toad Are Friends” and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!”

How do you organize your books?

I’ve come to realize my books organize me more than I organize them! Every book I’ve written has required its own library. Before I knew it, I had amassed full-blown libraries, including fiction as well as nonfiction, for Lincoln, the Civil War, Theodore Roosevelt, the muckraker journalists, F.D.R., World War II and the 1960s. I even built an extended alcove to hold baseball books and memorabilia. Not to mention my husband’s extensive library of plays, poetry, science and philosophy. Books took over every room of the house Dick and I shared in Concord, Mass., as they do now in my Boston home.

What books would people be surprised to find on your shelves?

Stacks and stacks of mystery and detective stories. As W.H. Auden wrote, “The reading of detective stories is an addiction like tobacco or alcohol.”

Did spending so much time with your husband’s letters and journals influence your beliefs about how history gets told?

Too often, history is told and remembered with the knowledge of how events turned out. For 50 years, Dick had resisted opening the 300 boxes he had saved, a time capsule of the 1960s. The ending of the decade — the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Dick’s close friend Robert Kennedy, the riots, the violence on college campuses — had cast a dark curtain on the entire era for him and the country.

But when Dick turned 80 and we finally opened the boxes in chronological order, what struck both of us were not the tremendous sorrows of the time, but the exhilarating convictions that individuals could make a difference. This was the impulse that led tens of thousands of young people to join the Peace Corps, participate in sit-ins, freedom rides, marches against segregation and the denial of the vote.

Reading all that alongside him must have been head-spinning.

I‘ve often called the subjects of my books — Abraham Lincoln and both Roosevelts — “my guys,” because I spent decades immersing myself in their letters, diaries and memoirs. I would often talk to them and ask them questions. They never answered. But now, my actual guy, my husband, was sitting across the room from me — arguing, correcting, laughing as he read aloud from his own letters and diaries. Head-spinning for sure!

Which of you was the better writer?

I could never have withstood the pressure and time constraint under which Dick drafted his most important presidential speeches. History is far more patient, far better suited to my slow pace of research and writing. It took me twice as long to unwind the interrelated stories I wanted to tell about the Civil War and World War II as it took those wars to be fought. Dick and I were never in competition. We complemented one another. He was more interested in shaping history, and I in figuring out how history was shaped.

What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?

This past Christmas my son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Veronika, gave me a signed first edition of Barbara Tuchman’s “The Guns of August” — a gift that carried me back to the first time I read the book 60 years ago in college. Here was a woman writing about the field of war traditionally reserved for men. Here was a master storyteller who believed historians must write only what was known by the people at the time, resisting the urge to reference future events.

What’s the most terrifying book you’ve ever read?

“2666,” by Roberto Bolaño.

What do you plan to read next?

James McBride’s “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” and Geraldine Brooks’s “Horse.”

You’re organizing a dinner party. Which three storytellers, dead or alive, do you invite?

Lincoln, F.D.R. and L.B.J. I know what they liked to drink and eat. So I would serve water, oyster stew and chicken fricassee with biscuits for Lincoln; martinis and hot dogs with all the fixings for F.D.R.; and Cutty Sark Scotch, chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes for L.B.J. And for once I would keep my mouth shut and listen to three of the most entertaining and enlightening storytellers America has ever produced.

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

How did fan culture take over? And why is it so scary? Justin Taylor’s novel “Reboot” examines the convergence of entertainment , online arcana and conspiracy theory.

Jamaica Kincaid and Kara Walker unearth botany’s buried history to figure out how our gardens grow.

A new photo book reorients dusty notions of a classic American pastime with a stunning visual celebration of black rodeo.

Two hundred years after his death, this Romantic poet is still worth reading . Here’s what made Lord Byron so great.

Harvard’s recent decision to remove the binding of a notorious volume in its library has thrown fresh light on a shadowy corner of the rare book world.

Bus stations. Traffic stops. Beaches. There’s no telling where you’ll find the next story based in Accra, Ghana’s capital . Peace Adzo Medie shares some of her favorites.

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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