Dev Patel's Monkey Man is 'a revenge film about faith'

Welcome to Read this Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that needs to jump onto your TBR pile! Sometimes these books are brand new releases that I don’t want you to miss, while others are some of my backlist favorites. This week, let’s talk about the most recent winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Over half of all women and nearly one-third of all men in the United States have been victims of sexual violence in some capacity. Those numbers are, of course, for those who’ve reported their experiences; the likelihood of those numbers being much higher, especially for men, is great. People of color are at even higher risk than white people for sexual assault. 82% of all victims under the age of 18 identify as female, and girls between 16 and 19 are four times more likely to be victimized than anyone else in the population.

Trans people experience sexual assault at a rate four times higher than their cis peers.

One thing that the far right gets correct in their complaints about bathroom and locker room use arguments is that the instances of sexual assault are indeed higher when transgender people use the bathroom they feel most appropriately aligns with their gender. The thing the far right gets wrong, though — and we know it’s purposeful mis- and dis- information here — is that it’s not the cisgender bathroom and locker room users who are being attacked. It’s the trans individuals, A quarter of those between ages 13 and 18 were assaulted when simply trying to do their business.

Victims of sexual assault experience many mental health consequences as a result. They might find relief short-term in substances like alcohol or marijuana, but the addictive nature of those substances may lead them to dependence in the long term. But that trauma lives in their bodies, and they’re far more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression than their peers who haven’t been sexually victimized. Over 9 out of 10 times, the victim knows their abuser.

From videogame adaptation Fallout to The Sympathizer starring Robert Downey Jr

Well, folks, we’ve officially made it a quarter of the way through the year! How’s it going so far? Don’t answer that. I get it: there’s a lot to be angry and scared about these days. I’m scared and angry, too. But I am also happy and hopeful, in part because of how many thoughtful, uplifting, and inspiring comics and graphic novels are being published this year.

Obviously, no comic, no matter how good, will solve all our problems. But they can provide a much-needed respite from daily stress. If you’re in a nostalgic mood, we’ve got a couple of titles here that are perfect for feeding your inner child. Or, if you’d prefer to disappear into an exciting, high-stakes world that promises adventure and romance, we’ve got you covered there, too.

When they’re especially good, comics can even give us clues about how to deal with real-life problems. Some of the selections here deal with characters learning to move on from a failed relationship or how to tell a loved one something you know they don’t want to hear. They can provide you with indirect advice for your own situation or catharsis after a difficult encounter.

No matter what you’re looking for in a comic, this April will deliver. All that’s left for you to do is to click on the title of your choice below, make sure the release date hasn’t changed (that does happen sometimes), and get reading!

Happy April, readers! It feels like just yesterday I was talking to y’all about the Japanese concept of shinseikatsu, the time of year when people get to start fresh in conjunction with the start of the new fiscal year. But shinseikatsu is in April, which means it was an entire year ago! Dang. Anyway, in keeping with shinseikatsu, ‘tis the season for new beginnings and renewal, which also means the renewal of this regularly scheduled new manga release roundup programming to a quarterly cadence! So have no fear, we will still be bringing you the best new manga releases, just at three-month intervals going forward.

For this first edition of our revamped new manga roundup, we’ve got plenty of excellent titles of all sorts to choose from! Whether you’re a long-time manga lover, exploring the medium for the first time, or somewhere in between, there’s something for everyone here. This month, enjoy an inspiring story of teens working together to make their dreams in the beauty and fashion world a reality, a fun romance between two gamers that also inspired a popular anime series, an action-packed dark fantasy about a brother’s devotion to protect his family, and more. Plus, we’ve got a few extra recommendations for titles that are due to be coming in May and June to keep all you readers satisfied until we next meet.

April is here, and it’s raining new book releases! Last month, I mentioned how abundant March children’s book releases were, and I’m surprised to say I had just as many April new children’s book releases on my longlist as I did for March. Once again, I encourage you to subscribe to Book Riot’s kidlit newsletter to read my reviews of even more April children’s book releases. It was next to impossible to choose my favorites for this list, so I will be reviewing my other favorites for the newsletter.

This month has many returning favorite picture book creators: Sophie Blackall, Dan Santat, Gabi Snyder, Samantha Cotterill, and more. Myths and folklore are explored in many of April’s children’s book releases regardless of age group, as are music and the power of imagination. I had such a hard time narrowing down picture books that I actually read my top ten picks with my six-year-old daughter and had her help me narrow it down to five for this list.

April’s middle grade releases were just as challenging to narrow down, but alas, my daughter could not help me there (yet). In middle grade, I include a fantasy graphic novel, an excellent middle grade history, a phenomenal novel-in-verse about puberty for boys, and more.

I hope you find some books you want to read on this list of April children’s book releases.