Marcus, Pete , Jim and Andy are here to preview that most wonderful time of year: FA Cup third round weekend, baby! 

While Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr debut descends into chaos, we hear about scores being settled at Stevenage vs Newcastle in 2009, Accrington Stanley’s war with the council, and Vinnyball at Burnley! Plus, some not-so-bright ideas from Crawley Town’s resident crypto bros and – as usual – Jamie O’Hara!

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On the two year anniversary of the day when right-wing terrorist radicals attempted to overthrow American democracy, it seems fitting to talk a little bit about the groups across the country working to ensure democracy remains a fundamental right for every single person in this country. We’re deep into the second year of seeing books by and about queer people and people of color being demeaned, belittled, and ripped from public library and school shelves, thanks to groups — and people affiliated with groups — like those who attended the insurrections. Anyone doing this work knows, of course, this isn’t about the books. It never has been and never will be, and no amount of pleading that these people read the books or spend any time in the classroom will change their minds. They’re part of a well-funded cult.

That said, this is the year people who are fighting for the rights of all demand to be heard.

Over the last year, several grassroots parental and professional anti-censorship groups have worked hard to have a voice in local, state, and national politics related to book banning. These include groups like Florida Freedom to Read Project (who’ve offered incredible tips on beginning a local anti-censorship group), the FREADom Fighters in Texas, Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, North Hunterdon-Voorhees Intellectual Freedom Fighters (New Jersey), and Moms For Social Justice (Tennessee). This is but a tiny fraction of the groups out there doing the work to protect the freedom to read and intellectual freedom. Now is the time to not only find the other groups doing this work across the country but to share that information more broadly others who are ready to fight for the rights of all can do just that.

Like with the database of groups banning books shared here, this database will require input from those who are working toward anti-censorship goals. Moreover, it might include groups that have a wider scope than just ensuring books are not banned — groups like Defense of Democracy, Students Rights Coalition, PEN America, and EveryLibrary fall into this category.

If you’re part of one of these anti-censorship groups or know of one in your area, let’s hear about it. This database will not be shared publicly, as some of the questions will include personal information. But the list of anti-censorship groups, their locations, and their web presence (social media or websites) will be shared in the coming weeks to help connect people who are eager to join in the fight.

For a while, I thought I was an expert at recognising by the cover alone if a book was a young adult novel or a novel for adults. Then, one day, I picked up an audiobook I was absolutely convinced was YA, but got to such steamy scenes, that I had to stop in my tracks to reevaluate everything I thought I knew about book covers. I learned my lesson.

Of course, while all this sounds like a mere lack of attention on my part – an assumption that all YA covers look one way while adult novel covers look another – it is interesting to note that I, like many others, often have a tendency to associate illustrated covers with YA, or with romance novels.

Our editor Kelly has written an excellent analysis on the illustrated cover trend in romance, and what that says about women’s interests, so you may want to read it as a thought-provoking addition to this quiz.

But onto the quiz! Because, after my steamy scene incident (which I consider a happy accident), I started to pay more attention to covers and learned to assume less and look for signs more. And I’ve been seeing some progress in my game of spotting YA vs Adult based on the cover alone.

Are you willing to test your own detecting senses?

Paperbacks are the ideal book format for me. There’s no screen glare. There’s no figuring out how or where to store a dust jacket. There’s simply a flexible binding and cover that allow for folding and curling pages. I know — many of you likely flinched at the idea, and that’s fine. You can keep your books as pristine as you prefer. For me, I love giving my books a workout and putting them to use. As we settle in for the long cold season, I invite you, whatever your preference, to stock up on some new winter 2023 YA paperbacks. They’re perfect for your side table and for toting to your reading space and getting snuggly with.

Find below some of the most exciting YA paperbacks hitting shelves this winter. Because of the paper sourcing challenges still impacting publishing, some of these dates may shift or change, but this is the closest to accurate as possible, per publishing catalog information. Some of these books are paperback originals, meaning they’ll only ever release in paperback, while others are first releases in paperback of books that have already been published in hardcover. I’ve stuck to first books in a series only, so know there are additional paperback releases of series books that are not the start of those series. First titles in a series are marked with a *.

You’ll find something of every genre in this roundup, making your winter 2023 YA paperbacks a wealth of choices. Descriptions for the titles below come from Amazon because much as I wish I’d read all of them, I have not, and this is a sizable list. This is one of the rare times I do that, if only because of how lengthy the list is.

Note: you may need to toggle your view when you click the link to access the paperback edition.

Winter 2023 YA Paperback Releases

January

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At the start of a new year, I’m always hopeful — nay, overzealous and unhinged — about how many books I can actually read in the whole year. But it’s so much fun to flip the page, start brand-new, and dive right into the challenge! And when I get behind on my reading goals, reading challenges and readathons are a great way I make up some time and knock out a few of my reading goals. I also like to participate in readathons that will help expand my reading into more diverse and inclusive spaces. Focused readathons do just that — help readers spend time finding and reading books that broaden horizons and may not be at the top of bestseller lists but should be read widely all the same. 

Readathons happen all year long and are hosted all across the internet, from influencers and bloggers to big pop culture sites, like Pop Sugar’s annual reading challenge and Book Riot’s own Read Harder challenge. But if you’re looking for more readathons to try your hand at, there are plenty out there. 

Here are six readathons happening throughout 2023 to help you tackle your toppling TBR piles and stretch your reading goals to branch you out of your comfort zones.

The Unread Shelf Project Readathon (Yearlong 2023)

Whitney from the Unread Shelf Project hosts this annual readathon to help and encourage readers to tackle their existing TBR piles at home without adding to the stack. Featuring beautiful printables, lists, and challenges, this readathon is perfect for readers who have a giant backlog of books and are ready to do something about it.

Anyone can participate at any time, and with no set limits on number of books, types of books, or hours needed to complete, this is a great challenge to jump in at any time to tackle whatever reading goals you may have.

Book censorship in school libraries continues to rise. A Texas school district pulled 41 titles from the shelves, including the Bible, to put them under further review. Missouri passed a bill that makes any text with “visual depictions” of “graphic material” illegal to have available in schools. This has caused the removal of many graphic novels. Some groups, like Moms for Liberty among others, have suggested giving books a rating system, like movies. Julia Rittenberg explains in depth why that won’t work. Kelly Jensen reports extensively every week on censorship news around the United States. Weekly, I check in about what is going on in an effort to stay informed for when the books in my library will inevitably be challenged and possibly banned. It’s important I stay apprised of the falsely named “culture wars” around book banning. 

This got me thinking: What would a school library look like if it didn’t have any books that could be considered offensive? What kind of books would be removed and what books would be safe to remain? 

Obviously, religious books would need to be removed so as not to offend observers of other religions and pacifists. More than that, many religious texts are full of “graphic material” deemed unfit for the shelves of a school library. In the Bible, there are instances of incest and polygamy. Both deeply inappropriate for children to read about. More than that, there are graphic descriptions of violence. One story in the Old Testament, for example, describes how a woman kills a man in his sleep by driving the stake of a tent through his temple, fixing him to the ground. This story directly follows an account of 10,000 warriors killing an entire people in battle, not sparing a single soul. Similarly, the Quran suggests that its followers capture any non-believers and kill them unless they pray to Allah, repenting, and pay Zakah a portion of their savings. 

Likewise, fantasy books would have no place in a school library. Most fantasy contains magic or some sort of witchcraft. Definitely not okay in case it offends those who don’t believe in magic or think that witchcraft is evil. These books often get violent, too. They can be full of epic battles, deception, and spies. There are dragons and quests. It’s inappropriate to suggest the existence of mythical beings or to encourage children to go on adventures that could cause them to question authority or learn about themselves. 

Inspiring young people to develop critical thinking skills is dangerous territory. If they start to think critically, then they might learn to disagree with what they’ve been taught. That offends innumerable parents, religious groups, authority figures, and educators. Better go ahead and take out all the coming-of-age stories and books about learning independence. This removes most young adult, middle grade, and children’s realistic fiction. 

It’s 2023, horror fans! Which means we have a whole new year of horror books to look forward to reading. January is starting off with a bang with a bunch of great new horror novels to choose from. Seriously, these books are a great way to start off a whole year of horror. Will you be adding them all to your TBR for the month? I know I will.

Before we get into the books, let’s talk about some of the trends we’re seeing for horror in the first month of 2023. First of all, looks like oranges, reds, and yellows, are the vibe for cover designs. Are the hot pink and bright purples of 2022 horror over? I guess we’ll have to keep an eye out on horror to come to track that.

What else can you expect from your January 2023 horror novels? Ghosts. Claustrophobia. Unreliable narrators. Haunted houses. Bad dreams. Dark memories. Dark gothic vibes. Ghost hunters. Monsters. Creepy hotels. Vampires. Fights for survival. These books include many of the horror tropes we’ve come to know and love. But there are plenty of surprises within these pages as well. What kind of surprises, you ask? You will have to read all eight of these January 2023 releases to find out!

Ah, January. Sure, it’s the start of a new year, new beginnings, and all that, but it’s also the start of a whole new year of new releases to look forward to. Think of all the fabulous books that will be released in 2023! (My wallet is crying and I’m sure my already overflowing TBR pile isn’t too happy, either).

It might also be the start of some new reading challenges or some new reading resolutions, or you might just want to explore something different. Lucky for you (and for everyone, really), January nonfiction is full of different options. It’s the perfect opportunity to grab a book that looks interesting, sit by the fire with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa, and layer on the blankets while you read the day away.  

There’s a personal essay collection about pre- and post-transplant life, a book exploring what it’s like to be mixed race and issues of belonging and acceptance, memoir/cultural criticism about alcohol’s role in our culture and what happens when you don’t partake, a reported memoir about stuttering, and much more.

This is not a comprehensive list of every nonfiction book being released in January, but these are the ones that especially caught my eye. Let’s take a look!

Including Cocaine Bear and Barbie