“Now is the time to roll back censorship.” Here’s what PEN America’s Kasey Meehan and other freedom to read advocates are thinking after last week’s historic elections.

Spread the word. Share this email with friends.

Best Fiction Books of the Century (So Far)

We’ve arrived at our final categorical Best Books of the Century list, and we chose to end on Fiction. To avoid letting this expansive category get away from us, we focused mainly on literary and contemporary fiction.

• If you’re looking for more specific genres under the fiction tent, peruse our full slate of Best Books of the Century.

From instant classics to books that, decades later, feel like classics, here’s a sampling of novels that made the cut:

• Rebecca Joines Schinsky describes how Colson Whitehead “again takes on racism and racialized violence, and at an even higher level of difficulty, as there are no bells and whistles and no magic” in The Nickel Boys.
• According to Susie Dumond, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar is “a phenomenal first novel from an author we’re sure to still be talking about at the end of the century.”
• Erica Ezeifedi says Olga Tokarczuk’s “fluid writing is steeped in philosophical musings that take its reader on a ride” in Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.
• Alison Doherty speaks to how The Round House by Louise Erdrich “represents a larger shift in Native American literature away from solely telling stories based in history and folklore to explore grittier urban and contemporary stories.”

Explore all of our Best Fiction Books of the Century (So Far), and look out for our list of editorial staff selections covering numerous categories in December.

Public domain is a double-edged sword

Photo by Thành ‎ on Unsplash

Great Gatsby police procedural is a phrase I didn’t see coming, but anything can—and will—happen when a classic book hits the public domain.

• Gatsby, in development at NBC, is a modern-day series with a gender-flipped twist: Jay Gatsby is “a devilishly charming investigator with a con-man’s gift for reading human behavior” partnered with Nicole “Nicky” Carraway, who was born to be a cop but dreams of becoming a writer.

While details remain TBA, we have some questions. Just to name a few:

• Will the storylines have anything to do with Fitzgerald’s novel at all, or are we just playing on a recognizable title?
• How big (or not) is the Venn diagram of network TV police procedural viewers and people who know enough about the book to pick up on the Easter eggs in the series?
• Why not base the crimes in the show on the rich-people-being-messy events of the book? Gatsby is the crook, not the crime-solver!

Pour a drink, Old Sport, and hear our conversation about this and more of the week’s biggest book news on the Book Riot Podcast.

Epic romantic fantasy

Romantasy has exploded as a genre recently, but it’s not the only place to find love stories set in fantastical worlds.

• Where romantasy novels often emphasize the romance, in epic romantic fantasy books, the politics and plot are just as important.

In these epic romantic fantasies, swoonworthy love stories are complementary to the high-stakes political intrigue.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

This epic fantasy follows several factions all set on overthrowing a despot, but with very different ideas of what kind of sacrifices are acceptable in pursuit of burning down the empire. Alongside conflicting political movements and religious groups, we also get a slow-burn sapphic romance between a ruthless princess and a priestess in hiding.

Traitor Son by Melissa J. Cave*

Remin was a hero as a knight fighting for the Empire, but because he’s also the son of traitors, his future is uncertain. He has been rewarded with an obscure duchy and a noble title that bring more trouble than they’re worth. He’s also been given the hand of a disgraced princess he can’t trust—one who is keeping a secret that could destroy the Empire.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

In this portal fantasy, Maggie wakes up within the fantasy series she’s been obsessively rereading. As she befriends her favorite characters, she becomes less interested in getting home and more invested in saving these people from the bloody war she knows is approaching. One advantage on her side: inside this fantasy world, Maggie can’t die.

^{*A message from our sponsor}

They will not use my tears for their entertainment

Chances are you’ve seen promotion for the November 20 release of Sunrise on the Reaping. The adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s 2025 book of the same name is a prequel set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games.

• Taking place during the 50th Hunger Games, it provides the backstory of Haymitch Abernathy, a major figure in the rest of the series.

Although propaganda has been a key theme throughout the blockbuster series, Sunrise puts a laser focus on our modern age of misinformation.

• “I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few,’” Collins said in a statement when the book was first announced back in 2024.
• “The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.”

Sophie Hanson at Junkee writes about the repeated discourse that arises online whenever the franchise sees a new adaptation. It’s a worthwhile read, especially for its searing final line: “It’s worth noticing when the way we talk about the story starts to look less like a response to it and more like a scene from it.”

It’s hard not to feel like living in America is living in Panem. But even beyond the ways American politics have all but sent children to a bloody battle for citizen entertainment (err, ignoring The Patriot Games and whatever came of that), the promotional push for Sunrise, as in film adaptations of the franchise before, feels as though we’re in the story itself.

Capita(o)lism is the name of the game, and good little consumers–us–flock to the franchise’s offerings. It’s hard not to when pop culture and consumer favorites get the Hunger Games treatment.

• Taking inspiration from the prequel’s title, Diff eyewear and the film have teamed up to offer four different sunglasses inspired by the lead characters. You can snag ray protection honoring Effie (“iconic and elegant”), Snow (“sleek and structured”), Haymitch (“classic and cool”), or Lenore Dove (“strong and sweet”).

• Before you don those specs, though, glamorize your eyes with the Stila x Sunrise collaborative makeup offerings (Stila is “the official makeup partner” for the film). Find eyeshadows, eyeliner, highlighter, and all-over glitter to create “epic looks.”

• And never fear what the people of Panem may smell like. You can know, thanks to the collaboration between Jukebox and Sunrise.

That’s not to touch upon Sunrise on the Reaping’s powerhouse soundtrack, with a who’s who of long-time and contemporary favorites comprising its tracklist. Soundtracks have been gaining in popularity again after falling off in the 2010s, and it’s hard not to see the rumors, speculation, and excitement over Sunrise’s as reminiscent of the excitement of film soundtracks . . . 24 years ago, an era of many of our own origin stories.

This isn’t an indictment of The Hunger Games series or the forthcoming film. Rather, it’s an important reminder of the power of this franchise to YA literature and our culture. The books have long-predicted what’s come to pass in reality. The mirror holds up the mirror, reflecting our reflections to our reflections and back again.

“Hurry,” writes USA Today on the numerous collaborations happening in anticipation of the film. “They could sell out fast. May the odds be ever in your favor.” – KJ

Reads for fans of Stephen King

Stephen King has been hailed as the grandmaster of horror for the last five decades. He’s published over 60+ novels, including several modern classics, and continues to inspire horror writers of a new generation.

If you’ve blasted your way through his expansive oeuvre or are just looking for more writers like King, here are a few novels you might enjoy.

• Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman – For lovers of the fantasy aspects of King’s novels, a work of medieval horror set during the Black Death about a disgraced knight and an orphan who claims fallen angels speak to her

• The Good House by Tananarive Due – A woman returns to the hometown she left two years ago after the death of her son, where she finds an evil lurking in her once beloved grandmother’s house

• Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, Megan McDowell (translator) – This doorstopper from one of Latin America’s most exciting horror writers follows a father trying to save his son from one helluva birthright: a place in his deceased mother’s family’s unhinged cult

• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones – From one of the new masters of horror, the story of a group of friends who encountered something supernatural as kids—a something that is back for bloody revenge now that they’re all grown up.

More Stephen King readlikes. — LH

Aren’t all teenage girls weird and witchy?

Photo credit: Lindsey Flicker

Gloria Muñoz is the author of They Called Us Wicked, out now from Holiday House. Below, she recommends four more witchy, weird-girl YA novels.

When my book was marketed as “witchy, weird-girl YA,” I thought, aren’t all teenage girls weird and witchy in their own way? Here are some of my favorite recent books with witchy, weird-girl YA characters:

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran: This coming-of-rage novel follows Noon, who is haunted by a terrible thing that happened to her. It’s a story of survival, grief, and stepping into one’s power. In the wake of a hurricane, red algae blooms appear in the waters of Mercy, Louisiana. Like the animals in the Gulf, Noon may be mutating and transforming into another version of herself.

A Wild Radiance by Maria Ingrande Mora: With an electric magic, the main character of A Wild Radiance, Josephine, is driven to question everything she once believed to be true. Following rules and believing lies that disempower her is no longer an option for Josephine. What is she willing to face to become who she’s meant to be? This novel asks how we stand up to a rigid monolith that doesn’t see us or value truth and community.

A (Dead) Thing Like Me by E.G. Young: In this paranormal coming-of-age story about friendship, two unlikely friends meet at a house party in Florida: Logan, an artist who is grieving her BFF, and Hot Dog, a ghost … the rest is history. These two quick friends have the same goal: they want to each be seen for who they are. Life is already hard and awkward enough for 18-year-old Logan, but she will do anything to help keep her new friend from a ghost eater lurking in the shadows of her house.

(S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi: This stunning novel in verse alternates between Marisol, the daughter of a soucouyant in Brooklyn, and Genevieve, a teen whose life is overshadowed by newborn twins and a painful struggle with cystic acne. Both characters are trying to navigate teenagehood and living as girls who have never felt at home in their own skin. Rooted in Caribbean folklore, a family secret comes to light. And they discover a racial trauma and history that binds them and makes them want to fight for answers to questions they’ve held onto for a long time.

Tahereh Mafi, born November 9, 1988

Did you know? Mafi was taking a year off after college to rest before grad school, but she got bored. And wrote five manuscripts.

You are now free to roam about the internet

Here’s a ranking of every spicy scene in ACOTAR.

Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet.

Pan Macmillan has pulled Russell Brand’s books following his conviction for rape and sexual assault.

Off Campus season 2 has a release date.

Lorrie Moore offers advice for young people.

Written by Rebecca Schinsky, S. Zainab Williams, Danika Ellis, Kelly Jensen, Vanessa Diaz, Liberty Hardy, and Jeff O’Neal. Thanks to Vanessa Diaz for copy editing.

Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here.

_{Got a tip, question, comment, or story idea? Drop us a line: thenewsletter@bookriot.com}