Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
How the New York Times Picks the Best Books of the Year
Ever wondered how the New York Times makes it lists of 100 notable books and the 10 best books of the year? Times book editor Gilbert Cruz stopped by the Book Riot Podcast to take us behind the scenes of the year-long process. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your other podcatcher of choice.
Children’s Booksellers Share Their Holiday Highlights
When you’re in need of a great book for a hard-to-shop-for reader of any age, you can’t do better than asking an indie bookseller. When you want to get beyond the current kids’ bestsellers, reach for some of these tried-and-true handselling highlights.
Fold It In
Am I sharing this list of the 16 best cookbooks of the year mostly so I have another excuse to tell you how terrific Julia Turshen’s What Goes With What is? Yes. Should you peruse the picks for your next favorite cookbook and/or the perfect gift for the passionate home cook in your life? Also yes. One for you, one for me.
The Hallmark-Movie-to-Romance-Novel Pipeline is Real
The Venn diagram of people who like Hallmark holiday movies and people who read romance novels isn’t a circle, and it really should be. Good romance books have everything you love about a Hallmark movie and then some. The dialogue is better. The tropes are deployed more creatively. Some of them are spicy! Here’s a nice, short list of holiday romances for Hallmark movie fans, with something for everybody. Season’s readings!
What are you reading? Let us know in the comments!