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USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
How to get out of a reading slump: Try one of these 8 page-turner books
Like the common cold, the reading slump and its symptoms will come to us all eventually. The pages don't turn as fast as they used to. The characters don't feel as relatable. The plots don't hit the same. You don't have motivation to pick up your book at all. If this is you, the dreaded reading slump has arrived. It could be because you read a book so good nothing else compares. Or, on the flipside, your last book was so bad – too slow, too predictable, too unbelievable – you're hesitant to take a chance on another title. Whatever the cause, we've got a prescription. These books have something for everyone – old and new reads spanning fiction and nonfiction, from thriller to romance to memoir. What they all have is inventive plots, intriguing characters and twists sure to keep you glued to the page. 'None of This is True' by Lisa Jewell 'None of This is True' is my go-to slump-buster. This twisty thriller follows a woman who finds herself the subject of her own true crime podcast. Alix Summers, a popular podcaster, meets the unassuming Josie Fair, a woman on the cusp of changing her life, who wants to be the next subject of Alix's series. When she agrees, Alix unravels Josie's strange, confusing and dark past. 'Yellowface' by R.F. Kuang Propulsive, chilling and darkly comedic, 'Yellowface' is about a white author co-opting an Asian American author's work and passing it off as her own. Floundering writer June Hayward is jealous of her friend Athena Liu, a literary darling. When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her barely finished manuscript and turns it into her editor. What follows is a web of lies, cultural appropriation and ethnically ambiguous author profiles, scandals and secrets. 'First-Time Caller' by B.K. Borison Romance readers should pick up this 'Sleepless in Seattle'-inspired love story to get back in the groove. 'First-Time Caller' follows Aiden Valentine, a jaded romance hotline radio host, and Lucie Stone, a single mom and romantic whose well-meaning daughter calls into the show asking for dating advice for her mom. 'Sharp Objects' by Gillian Flynn Any Gillian Flynn thriller makes for a good reading slump cure. Flynn's writing is fast-paced and compulsively readable, and 'Sharp Objects' will have you staying up until you turn the last shocking page. This thriller is about a reporter, fresh out of a psych hospital, returning to her small hometown and complicated family to cover the murders of two preteen girls. 'Educated' by Tara Westover 'Educated' is a memoir you won't be able to put down, and follows one woman's journey from a sheltered, religious survivalist family to a Ph.D. at Cambridge University. It grapples with narcissistic parenting, a strict Mormon upbringing and the deeply ingrained distrust in medicine and education Westover had to unlearn on her own. Some of Westover's stories will horrify, others are heart-wrenching and all will leave you with a compassionate view of her search for liberation. 'Legendborn' by Tracy Deonn Looking for a new fantasy series to get you hooked? Check out 'Legendborn.' This first novel follows Bree Matthews, a 16-year-old looking to escape her grief while at a residential program for gifted high schoolers. But when she witnesses a magical attack on her first night – a flying demon and a secret society of students hunting the creatures – she unlocks her own magic. Now, she'll have to infiltrate the secret Legendborn society and use her powers to face the truth about her mother's death. 'The God of the Woods' by Liz Moore This mystery may be on the longer side at nearly 500 pages, but it's thoroughly unputdownable. 'The God of the Woods' opens on a camp counselor discovering a 13-year-old camper is missing. To complicate matters, the young girl is also the daughter of the camp's wealthy owners, and her tragedy is eerily similar to her brother's cold case disappearance over a decade ago. 'Seven Days in June' by Tia Williams In 'Seven Days in June,' two lauded authors have a chance encounter at a New York panel of Black literati 20 years after they spent a week madly in the throes of teenage love. Over the next seven days, Eva and Shane reconnect and rehash the passionate romance of their youth. But can Eva trust the man who once broke her heart? Williams' contemporary romance explores modern motherhood, chronic pain and second-chance romance. Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
CBC
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
R.F. Kuang comes to Toronto to discuss her latest book with Mattea Roach
Social Sharing American author R.F. Kuang will join Bookends host Mattea Roach on stage on Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. at Koerner Hall in Toronto. The event, which is part of a series by the Toronto Festival of Authors, will be broadcast on a future episode of Bookends with Mattea Roach. Kuang is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, the historical fantasy novel Babel and the satirical thriller Yellowface. She has received Nebula, Locus, Crawford and British Book Awards for her writing and is pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University. Kuang will discuss her previous novels and rise to success. She'll also dive into the inspiration behind her latest book, Katabasis. Katabasis tells the story of two graduate students with an intense academic rivalry who must put aside their feud to save their professor and get a coveted recommendation letter. To do so, they must travel into the depths of hell — a journey that is never without consequences — and bring up feelings they've so desperately tried to suppress. Roach is a Toronto broadcaster, writer and book lover. Now the host of Bookends, they appeared on the game show Jeopardy! in 2022, where they won 23 games, the most ever won by a Canadian contestant. Roach also won Canada Reads in 2023, championing Ducks by Kate Beaton. They are from Halifax.
Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Indian Express
Pastor among 2 arrested over ‘religious conversion' claims in Ghaziabad: Police
The Ghaziabad Police arrested two men, including a pastor, for allegedly attempting to convert members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) by offering inducements, said officers on Monday. The arrest comes following a complaint by a Bajrang Dal member. According to police, Pastor Vinod hails from Kerala and currently lives in Sahibabad. The other arrested man is Premchand Jatav, a resident of Rahul Vihar in Ghaziabad. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Wave City, Priyashri Pal, said the arrests were made after police received a complaint from one Prabal Gupta at the Crossings Republik police station on Sunday. 'Gupta, in his complaint, alleged that he [the pastor] was converting people from SC communities by offering them cash and kind. We have not come to any concrete conclusion yet, but have begun our investigation,' ACP Pal told The Indian Express. 'We filed a case based on the application under relevant sections and arrested both the accused. Further legal action is being taken and an investigation is underway; legal proceedings will depend on the outcome of evidence collection,' the ACP added. Gupta, who said he is a member of the Bajrang Dal, claimed he got information that a 'church' was running illegally inside a house in Rahul Vihar. Claiming that Pastor Vinod was carrying out religious conversions at Jatav's home, he alleged in his complaint, 'Premchand had converted to Christianity several years ago and used to host weekly Sunday prayer meetings at his home and carry out conversions. These meetings served as a platform for the pastor to approach other individuals and persuade them to change their religion.' Gupta also alleged that when Bajrang Dal members opposed it, they were attacked. When The Indian Express visited Rahul Vihar on Monday, the single-storey house, where Gupta alleged religious conversion was taking place, was closed and its gates were damaged. Satish Anand, 54, a neighbour, said Jatav built this house nearly 30 years ago. 'It is not true that he was converting people,' he said. 'He used to hold prayers on Sunday, and people from Rahul Vihar and Buddh Vihar used to attend it. But he never asked anyone to convert,' added Anand, who runs an eatery in the area. 'He owned a dairy and supplied buffalo milk in the area,' said another resident. Neetika Jha is a trainee reporter with The Indian Express, Delhi. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida and Ghaziabad. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee (cold coffee if it is summer). The Thursday Murder club and Yellow face were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Indian Express
Woman's body found stuffed inside suitcase in Ghaziabad, probe on, say police
The body of a 25-year-old woman was found stuffed inside a suitcase in Ghaziabad's Loni border area early on Tuesday morning, police said. 'The suitcase was found on the canal road that goes from Behta Hajipur to Banthla,' said Ajay Kumar Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ankur Vihar, Ghaziabad. Police said they received the information around 7:30 am at the control room. A team then reached the spot along with the field unit, said the ACP. 'First, we collected all the necessary evidence from the spot and then opened the suitcase. Inside the suitcase, we found the body of a woman, aged around 25, wearing vermilion and toe rings,' the ACP added. Singh said they have sent the body for a post-mortem. 'We are making all necessary efforts to identify the woman. We will soon nab the accused,' he added. A senior police officer, part of the investigation, said blood oozing out of her nose appeared fresh, indicating she was killed in the late hours of Monday. Since there were no wounds on the body of the woman, the officer said, she could have been suffocated to death or poisoned. 'The exact cause would be clear after the post-mortem. We have formed four teams. Of the two, four are scanning the CCTV footage of the area while two are working to identify her,' the officer said. Neetika Jha is a trainee reporter with The Indian Express, Delhi. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida and Ghaziabad. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee (cold coffee if it is summer). The Thursday Murder club and Yellow face were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
Indian Express
10-06-2025
- Indian Express
Woman's body found stuffed inside suitcase in Ghaziabad
The body of a woman in her twenties was found stuffed inside a suitcase in Ghaziabad's Loni border area early Tuesday morning, the police said, adding that they are yet to identify her. The police received information about the body at around 7.30 am through the police control room, Ajay Kumar Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Ankur Vihar, Ghaziabad, revealed. 'The suitcase was found on the canal road that goes from Behta Hajipur to Bandhla,' ACP Singh said. 'The police reached the spot along with the field unit. First, we collected all the necessary evidence from the spot and then opened the suitcase. Inside the suitcase, we found the body of a woman, who is approximately 25 years old, wearing vermilion and toe rings. It appears that the woman is a Hindu,' he added. The police said they have sent the body for a post-mortem examination and are working to identify the woman. 'We will soon find out the reason for her death and nab the accused,' said Singh. In a similar incident on May 30, the Hapur police in Uttar Pradesh had found the body of a 23-year-old woman, Neelesh, a resident of Delhi's Trilokpuri, stuffed inside a suitcase. The police had later arrested her friend, Satendra Yadav, for allegedly strangling her with her scarf and then stuffing her body inside the suitcase. Neetika Jha is a trainee reporter with The Indian Express, Delhi. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida and Ghaziabad. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee (cold coffee if it is summer). The Thursday Murder club and Yellow face were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
