BOOKS

The Highest-Rated Book in Each Country, Mapped

If you read to explore different worlds, this map of Goodreads' top book by a local author in each country is for you.

6 Fascinating Facts About Geoffrey Chaucer

'The Canterbury Tales' author Geoffrey Chaucer's work spanned poetry and prose and ranged from the humorous to the scientific—but there's so much more to know about the "father of English poetry."

A Rarely-Seen Maurice Sendak Story Will Finally Hit Shelves Next Year

'Ten Little Rabbits: A Counting Story With Mino the Magician' was originally part of a museum fundraiser.

The cover of James Baldwin’s novel ‘Giovanni’s Room.’

10 Facts About James Baldwin’s ‘Giovanni’s Room’

James Baldwin's novel 'Giovanni’s Room' was rejected by editors and publishers before it was eventually released in 1956.

10 Amazing Facts About Stan Lee

Comic book legend Stan Lee started out writing obituaries.

Revisit your favorite bestsellers with these Hollywood stars.

13 Audiobooks You Didn’t Know Were Narrated by Celebrities

Uncover the best audiobooks narrated by celebrities, from beloved childhood classics like “Little Women” to hard-hitting contemporary tales like Celeste Ng’s 2022 book, “Our Missing Hearts.”

30 Author Names You Might Be Mispronouncing

If you’ve been pronouncing Roald Dahl’s first name as “rolled,” you should read this.

Some pretty terrible curses awaited history's book thieves.

9 Curses for Book Thieves From the Middle Ages and Beyond

In the Middle Ages, stealing a book was more like stealing someone’s car today. Now, we have car alarms; then, they had chains, chests … and curses.

Add more to your TBR pile this Pride Month with these celebrated fiction and nonfiction works.

15 Incredible Books by Stonewall Book Award Winners

The Stonewall Book Award celebrates LGBTQ+ literature and includes standouts from authors like Alison Bechdel, Rivers Solomon, and Michael Cunningham.

9 Fascinating Facts About Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak's books were shaped by his own childhood: one marked by the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the concentration camp deaths of most of his extended family, and parents consumed by depression and anger.

These books altered history in ways big and small.

46 Books that Changed the World

Here, in no particular order, are just a few of history’s most influential tomes—and how they made humanity look at things in a new light.

This Word Search Features 12 Terms Coined by Authors—How Fast Can You Spot Them?

Do you know which author invented ‘factoid’—or what it really means? But more importantly, can you find it in this word search?

'Weird Tales' was a pioneer in fantasy and horror.

8 Things You Might Not Know About 'Weird Tales' Magazine

The pulp magazine, which turns 100 this year, inspired Stephen King and made a star out of Conan.

The 25 Best Children’s Books of All Time

The best children’s books of all time include works by J.R.R. Tolkien, Maurice Sendak, Louisa May Alcott, and more.

Where does this literary device come from, and why is it named after a fish?

Where Did the Phrase 'Red Herring' Come From?

The figurative phrase is more than 200 years old, but the obscure etymology of a 'red herring' is a fishy story that is itself a red herring.

Man reading from a microfilm machine, which uses a similar technology to Brown's "Readies."

Before E-Readers, a 1930s Writer Reinvented the Book With “Readies”

Machines called “Readies” were writer Bob Brown’s answer to “talkies” in the 1930s.

8 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Joy Luck Club'

Amy Tan's 1989 book represented a breakthrough for Chinese American representation in popular culture.

7 Fascinating Facts About Jhumpa Lahiri

Nilanjana Sudeshna Lahiri, otherwise known as Jhumpa Lahiri, first came to prominence with her award-winning 1999 debut, the short story collection 'Interpreter of Maladies.' Here's what you need to know about 'The Namesake' author.

From left: Gabriela Mistral, José Rizal, Anna Cooper.

6 Little-Known Writers of Color Who Transformed Their Countries

Though their contributions were immense, many aren’t well-known outside of their nations’ borders.

Charles Bukowski on "Apostrophes" French Talk Show

7 Facts About Charles Bukowski

The late, great American writer Henry Charles Bukowski, Jr. was once called the “human embodiment of a raised middle finger”—an analogy that Bukowski would probably have welcomed, or possibly even written about himself. Here's what you should know.

Khaled Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner’ was the first novel written in English by an Afghan author.

10 Fascinating Facts About Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner'

'The Kite Runner'—which was the first novel written in English by an Afghan author—started as a short story that was rejected by 'GQ' and 'Esquire.'

Edited previously published works is nothing new. There's even a name for it: bowdlerization.

Bowdlerized: 8 Famous Authors Whose Works Have Been Rewritten by Their Publishers

Everyone from Richard Scarry to Ian Fleming to Agatha Christie has had changes made to their books by their publishers long after they were released.

Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with these gripping reads.

25 Amazing Books by Asian American and Pacific Islander Authors You Need to Read

For AAPI Heritage Month, check out these incredible books by Celeste Ng, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Helen Hoang, and others.

There are around 2.5 million used, new, and rare books housed inside New York City's multiple Strand Bookstore locations.

The Best Bookstores in All 50 States

In honor of Independent Bookstore Day, we've picked the best bookshop in every state—plus a few others we loved. Did your favorite make the list?

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