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Detective Gerard Mallory has reached out to Dr. Caroline Singer for professional help for a troubled man named Bradley Davis. Davis has been caught peeping into the house of a local citizen, and Mallory believes therapy will aid Davis in overcoming his problem. Davis is a single young man who works as a librarian but is viewed as a disappointment to his oppressive mother. Davis acts out by engaging in voyeurism. Davis is interested in a woman named Grace, whose life is about to come undone dramatically. As Davis begins his sessions with Dr. Singer, Mallory can devote his efforts to finding a killer. A woman named Ann Wallace was found murdered, and the crime was particularly brutal. The motive is unknown, and the possible suspects are limitless. Mallory has his work cut out for him. ... (read more)

The Journey

Author Jeffries recalls his personal history, expanding it to a broad vision of his nation and the world. Born during World War II, he recognized early on that men in his parents’ “Greatest Generation” were spurred by the trauma that all warfare can evoke and, therefore, strove to achieve more once they returned home, building new neighborhoods and aiming for meaningful employment. Similarly, American women who had contributed industrial efforts to the nation’s defense, symbolized by the popular image of “Rosie the Riveter,” resolved to be conscientious wives and parents while also starting to seek outside employment. The postwar years thus wrought numerous upswings in ordinary American life. Meanwhile, citizens of central Europe, where whole cities had been obliterated, were still grappling with extremely challenging aftermaths. One ominous signal was the burgeoning of Russian communism and its concomitant movements of socialism and similar, politically far-left movements. ... (read more)

The names Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky will forever be intertwined for all the wrong reasons. With the end of the twentieth century nearing, the world's eyes were seemingly on the sitting president’s extramarital affair. While this topic will undoubtedly be covered in the history books for generations to come, Lichtman's research, which includes speaking to many of the chief players, has resulted in a candid presentation of the content that is simultaneously insightful and entertaining. ... (read more)

Clear Philosophy

The free will debate has raged for over 2,000 years. Do individuals have control over their own actions and decisions, or are these actions and decisions predetermined by the gods, logic, nature or nurture, or many other forms of determinism? In this new work by Kral, he takes the reader on an intellectual journey that attempts to provide an alternative to the free will question. Upon initial inspection, the question, at its heart, seems to imply either a yes or no with explanations while excluding other answers. However, Kral manages to create a compelling third option, which posits that the question itself is flawed. He argues that “will” cannot be considered free or not free. His reasoning breaks down what the word means in the context of this question, and his results lead him to create an additional theory about the source of human behavior. which he has titled procirclism. ... (read more)

Extraordinary Read

Four young Irish immigrants seek their fortunes in Denver, Colorado, filled with enthusiasm and dreams for their new futures. Emmett Kelly, the titular butcher, has meat-packinghouse experience in Chicago and longs to open his own butcher shop or grocery store. He may be considered the lead protagonist because the novel opens and closes with his predicaments, but the story is truly not Kelly’s alone. He becomes acquainted with Thomas Quinn on the train to Denver, a young carpenter who is quieter and much less brash. The young men soon find a wealth of job opportunities and female companionship in the rapidly growing city. Despite the era’s restrictions for women of all ages, Alice Butler and Maggie Sullivan are high-spirited young ladies with viable dreams of their own. More interested in romance than in making a headlong rush toward marriage and motherhood, they’re inclined to seek both adventure and respectability in their new environment. ... (read more)

By the Word

When the COVID-19 virus shuts down the Boston theater scene, Hallie, a theater set designer, loses her job, boyfriend, and apartment. Her friend, Maria, offers a lifeline when she invites Hallie to move in with her and her husband, Mike. Maria’s friend Lisa invites Maria, Mike, and Hallie to come to their vacation home on the Cape for an extended stay away from the horrors of the virus. The very wealthy Lisa and Paul also invite a friend, Quinn. As everyone settles in for a relaxing first night, it is obvious that Hallie and Quinn are very compatible. ... (read more)

Live Positive

In this intimate book, Davies shares a deeply personal story about reckoning with death, grief, and life after losing a loved one. The author recounts her story of losing her husband in daily journal entries. These entries help readers understand the process of acceptance that happens after someone dies. They also learn about how the support of one’s family and community can make the grieving process more navigable. Throughout the collection, poems appear with certain journal entries, and these poems help memorialize the author’s husband, Butch. However, the poems’ inclusion is also a testament to the healing power poetry and literature offer during difficult times. As readers progress through the journal, they learn that the author’s assertion, “Grief demands to be handled on its own terms and in its own time,” is an adage to adopt and live by when facing grief and trauma ... (read more)

Designed Success

Writer Miller focuses on small businesses, specifically those that deal in remodeling and building trades, to demonstrate the need and the method for creating a comprehensive corporate plan. Any small business may struggle to survive. However, with a structured, all-encompassing proposition and the step-by-step processes that accompany its development, chances for success will greatly expand. ... (read more)

A New Favorite

From the outset, Oscar and Otto are destined for confrontation. Oscar loves to fish, while Otto loves to trick fishermen. One day, Oscar’s fishing takes a turn. He keeps putting worms on the line, getting a nibble, but hooking no fish. He soon runs out of worms. While sitting in wonder in his boat, Otto approaches, thanks Oscar for all the worms, then splashes him and laughs as he swims away. Of course, this angers Oscar. He begins to plan and plot, but Otto still seems to get the best of him, and Oscar ends up falling out of the boat into the lake. Meanwhile, Otto is bragging more and more to his friends. Finally, Oscar comes up with a more devious plan and hooks Otto. Although Otto gets away, he is no longer bragging as he has a hook stuck in his mouth. When winter comes, Oscar is still fuming and making plans, while Otto has trouble eating. When Oscar forgets to be cautious and falls through the ice, Otto has a decision to make as he sees Oscar fighting fearfully to find a way back to the surface. ... (read more)

Transformation

Fred counts on his dad when his inability to keep a job and keep his weight in check causes conflict with his mom and sister. When Fred’s dad dies and his sister (his primary income buffer) moves away, Fred and his mom are on their own until Fred’s wrestling champion girlfriend, Mary Ellen, arrives, giving Fred the boost he needs to defend himself, literally and figuratively. ... (read more)

Transporting audiences into a riveting espionage thriller, Bornstein pushes the limits of science and technology to create a potentially cataclysmic outcome that is as plot-centric as it is character-driven. Loyalties are tested regularly, revealing the fortitude of the main characters and their determination to achieve their goals at all costs. Not your typical thriller, the narrative is tied to one’s roots, family, and being wronged in a way that can’t easily be forgiven. ... (read more)

Cast of Characters

The relationships between instructors working in a dysfunctional sociology department at a fictional Florida university in the late 1980s are realistically explored in this novella by educator McNeill. While many workplaces, whether in government, the private for-profit sector, or even non-profit organizations, have these ego-driven, ideological clashes that create a hostile environment for some employees but provide unfair advantages to others, this story reveals the particular problems that arise in academic settings, and in this case, with dramatic, destructive results. The drama is also a cautionary tale determined by various departmental cliques that disregard the warning signs of trouble ahead for not only department faculty but for the entire university and the outside community as well. ... (read more)

Triump & Tragedy

Odell, a television video editor and faculty emeritus at the City College of San Francisco, compiled his father and mother’s love letters from 1939–1944 in this award-winning epistolatory memoir of their love affair, engagement, and early marriage. Set against the dramatic backdrop of World War II, the letters shine a light upon the strength, determination, and resilience of the youngest members of the Greatest Generation, many of whom were lost in the seas, skies, and battlefields of the European and Pacific theaters of war. In this case, the author’s father and mother wrote quite often to one another—every few days, just as they did when pursuing their educations before the war. They steadfastly proclaimed their love in each letter, commenting upon their daily activities and planning for their future after the war, giving readers a concrete, vivid look at early 1940s life and culture during the European air war and on the American homefront. ... (read more)

Myths & Magic

Prince Khael Stratton is a mystic who seeks to deepen his knowledge of such arts to help those in need. Following a mission, he reports to the city of Cambridge—ruled over by his brother—and has a close encounter with a pickpocket who steals his signet ring. Alongside his bodyguard, Grant, the prince manages to track down the young woman, Vixen, who suffers from a foggy memory while demonstrating a great talent for skills associated with assassins. Prince Khael finds it an odd happenstance in a time when a terrorist group known as the Chelevkori are making active attempts to eliminate the royal family for a perceived wrongdoing by his grandfather, Loren, and it is further compounded by reports that tyrannical rule has seized the city of Skemmelsham over which he rules. Prince Khael forges a contract with Vixen, and with Grant, they go on a journey to liberate the city. ... (read more)

Juhani Murros made an unexpected discovery during his visits to art galleries when he worked for an organization in Ho Chi Minh City in 1990. A small still life in an unobtrusive gallery commanded the Finnish physician’s attention. “It was an unpretentious oil painting, yet its dark, mysterious colors and the emotional tension of its disciplined composition set it apart.” Thus began a long journey of discovering the art and life of Van Den, a frugal and kind Buddhist of mixed Chinese and Vietnamese ancestry who studied in Paris for less than two years during 1950-52, a volatile period during the first French Indochina War. ... (read more)

Pleasingly Complex

In this unique novel, readers meet Raymond Dover, a self-trained piano tuner. In pursuit of business, Raymond finds himself in Bucksnort, a town entirely its own. Raymond embarks on his unique calling of providing services for a veterans' nursing home. However, shortly after his arrival in Bucksnort, a mysterious mental illness overcomes him, and readers watch as the protagonist’s idiosyncratic road to recovery unfolds. What readers also find in this book is the seemingly charming town of Bucksnort. However, like any other small town in America, Bucksnort is full of its own quirks, bureaucracies, and secrets, which leave Raymond, at times, scratching his head in bewilderment. Amid Raymond’s own story, the narrative details the ins and outs of the lives of those who inhabit Bucksnort and make it a town unlike any other. ... (read more)

In this intimate book, Davies shares a deeply personal story about reckoning with death, grief, and life after losing a loved one. The author recounts her story of losing her husband in daily journal entries. These entries help readers understand the process of acceptance that happens after someone dies. They also learn about how the support of one’s family and community can make the grieving process more navigable. Throughout the collection, poems appear with certain journal entries, and these poems help memorialize the author’s husband, Butch. However, the poems’ inclusion is also a testament to the healing power poetry and literature offer during difficult times. As readers progress through the journal, they learn that the author’s assertion, “Grief demands to be handled on its own terms and in its own time,” is an adage to adopt and live by when facing grief and trauma. ... (read more)

Moscow Intrigue

Illya Podipenko is a Moscow investigator who is not esteemed in the eyes of his superior. Only his famous father’s military service prevents him from being sacked. When his young, new partner drags him out of his slovenly routine to investigate an apparent suicide, Podipenko is not amused. However, as the investigator begins piecing the clues together, and as everyone insists the case is a suicide, Podipenko becomes more and more interested. When he learns there are a total of five siblings, and they are rapidly becoming deceased, he becomes engrossed. It helps that the one female sibling is absolutely stunning. Soon, the case will expand in scope, and Podipenko will find himself on the wrong end of several corrupt officials and a powerful American entrepreneur. On top of all that, lurking in the distance is the haunting figure of the feared and hated religious prophet Rasputin. ... (read more)

Innovative Ideas

This unique work of historical fiction takes readers to seventeenth-century Amsterdam, where they meet Anneke, a young girl who, along with her brother Lucas, learns the art of map coloring. Anneke learns map coloring from her mother, and soon, her skill surpasses her mother’s. At its core, however, the book provides readers with a careful examination of the historical role of education for women and how historical-artistic and scientific endeavors performed by women were frequently stolen by or wrongly attributed to men. ... (read more)

Positive Encouragement

Miles' insightful book gives one the proper instructions to work towards successful personal growth. In its pages, the reader learns about mindset shifts, behavioral shifts, and how motivations and intrinsic values influence one’s actions. Additionally, the author's book teaches the differences between passion and wisdom, and readers can also assess how their self-mastery of certain skills influences the passions and interests that they pursue. ... (read more)

With the holidays approaching, quality family time for Lord William Steele gets interrupted by an urgent request from Henry II, king-in-waiting and the rightful claimant to the throne. The fear that King Stephen has something nefarious planned to wipe Henry out has Henry himself making his own moves. What ensues is a whirlwind adventure that transports William to ancient lands while testing his integrity and loyalty to Henry, often at the risk of his own existence. Fusing genres to traverse into the historical fantasy space, McColgan sets the stake high (the throne of England itself), prompting William to journey through a life-threatening mist to a long-forgotten land, the Cabalian Islands, and negotiate a deal that would ensure Henry’s security, and in all likelihood, the throne. ... (read more)

Epic Whirlwind

The battle to restore the balance between good and evil continues in this sequel to Chronicles of Alluvia: Birthings . Abkhas, the quintessential embodiment of evil, turns his attention to Contradista, the next in a long line of civilizations fated for the brutality of Abkhas’ subjugation. With demon lieutenant Niphyus and shapeshifter Breyfirr, Abkhas takes the next steps in the campaign for total domination of Alluvia. As Contradista is infiltrated by evil and mayhem, demonic possessions plague the land. Meanwhile, Abkhas’ forces use trackers to locate the birthings. ... (read more)

It is 1989, and Bobby, Joe, and Max are best friends enjoying their final months of sixth grade and their last summer before junior high. Bobby possesses a vivid imagination and lives in a world of constant make-believe. Joe is the rebel torn between childhood fun and his desire to grow up. Max is sensitive with a dramatic flare. The trio’s friendship is a complicated mix of competition and camaraderie. Their afterschool play and sleepovers consist of video games, action figures, and acting out scenarios from Bobby’s imagination. Despite their perpetual battle for one-upmanship, the boys’ time together frequently ends in fits of hilarity. But junior high tests the bonds of their friendship. While Bobby clings to the innocence of childhood, Joe and Max make new friends and try to reinvent themselves as cool. When a school project exposes Bobby’s struggles with growing up, he discovers sinister forces at work. Bobby soon realizes there are worse things than leaving childhood behind. ... (read more)

Wholesome Story

When socially awkward seventh grader Mindy Bright relocates from Chicago to her dad’s small country hometown of Oglesby, she leaves behind the familiar order and structure of her private school, St. Mary’s Academy. Accustomed to school uniforms, challenging academics, and extravagantly themed school socials, Mindy is anxious about fitting in at her new school, Korn Wotel, where the highlight of the academic year seems to be the Fall Carnival with homemade games. Although disappointed by Korn Wotel’s shabby condition and limited resources, Mindy is determined to use her abundant imagination and knack for building things to create a fantastic carnival game guaranteed to help her make new friends. But from the very first day, everything goes horribly wrong. It seems the harder Mindy tries, the less popular she becomes. ... (read more)

This story within a story begins with a teenage girl telling the younger clan children about how she wasn’t allowed to do things that males were allowed to do and that she was only allowed to do girl things. Manda, the teenager, wanted her father to teach her how to fish, but he would not allow this as it went against the rules of the Haudenosaunee tribe. She grew up watching her father and brothers fish and thought she would enjoy this. So, one day, she decided to go out on her own. She borrowed her older brother’s fishing pole, swore her younger brother to secrecy, and went fishing. She caught a bunch of fish, which she put in her mother’s borrowed basket. Her father caught her doing this, and there were consequences. But from her defiance came progress as the tribe began to allow girls to do traditional boy things and boys to do traditional girl things. ... (read more)

Saving the Day

In this fantastical tale inspired by The Lord of the Rings , the beautiful parallel world Multiria is plagued by a long history of perils. Rogius is an evil, powerful sorcerer and expert in dark magic who was imprisoned by the Sirigian warrior hero Ellios and the supreme magician Adriano using the power of the Sun Sword. But when Rogius is freed many years later, a new generation of warriors must rise to defeat him and protect Multiria from utter destruction. ... (read more)

Truth Seekers

At the core of the author’s effort is a determination to make the Bible more comprehensible and relatable to all audiences. What ensues is a work that delves into the well-known stories of scripture minus the intricate complexities and dense language. Though one can make the claim that there is nothing new within this work, it is imperative for readers to understand the unique commentary and angles that add immense insight to monumental biblical events like Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. ... (read more)

In this inspiring novel, each obstacle stacked against the protagonist solidifies her resolve. After the parents of Magnolia (Lia) die helping at a hospital in WWII, she is raised by her grandmother with the help of her parents’ friends in the medical community in Chicago. Channeling her mourning into her studies, Lia graduates high school and college early on a beeline to medical school to fulfill her parents’ legacies. Lia escapes to California to start anew when the high school sweetheart she marries betrays his promises. ... (read more)

Max Schwartzvoete, the protagonist of this historical satire, began his journey as a former hardware tradesman who migrated from South Africa to Australia during apartheid. He guides us through his years as a lecturer at Prosper Institute of Technology, which is later taken over by Her Royal Lamb Institute of Triumphal Technocrats. He becomes a member of the HRLITT Business Faculty and ventures into the world of business ethics. He gains admission to an ethics conference in New York by writing a paper titled, in part, “A Philosophical Investigation Guided by King Hammurabi’s Teachings of Robert Nozick’s Comprehension of Immanuel Kant’s Second Formulation….” His primary motive for traveling to New York is not to attend the conference, however. Instead, he travels to meet up with his uncle Izaak, who had double-crossed Max’s father in past illegal business deals. Despite his ironic and ostensible interest in ethics, he exacts revenge in a surprising way. ... (read more)

Mental Order

Originally published as an essay in The Montreal Review , this book first summarizes the numerous historical theories on the cause of mental illness—from complex brain disorders to childhood emotional trauma to chemical imbalances. Deviating from the theories of his predecessors, Wylie maintains that severe psychiatric conditions are not a distortion of emotion but an excessively intensifying repetition of ordinary social emotions. The book explores mental disorders against the backdrop of human evolution. The fears that emerged as the earliest primates began to engage in social interaction still permeate society today as a shared emotional heritage and may manifest as obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and panic disorders. More recent evolutionary developments, such as biases and individual ambition, may contribute to the symptoms of conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. ... (read more)

Jake is taking care of Trevor, a victim of human trafficking whom he and his brother Zack rescued. Jake wants to ensure Trevor gets the best possible care, so he decides to set up a home called Glacier House. This home will be a haven for victims of human trafficking, where they can readjust to the outside world with the help of counselors. Meanwhile, Trish is a nurse who has recently left an abusive relationship, but her ex-boyfriend Dillon is still stalking her at work and home. One day, Dillon assaults Trish and her neighbor when he tries to defend her. Trish files a restraining order against Dillon, but he violates it after being released on bail. To protect herself, Trish has no choice but to move somewhere where Dillon cannot find her. As their lives intersect, Jake and Trish will face some obstacles along the way. ... (read more)

After her best friend, Rog, is killed in a firefight where she is wounded, Jen leaves the military, taking Rog’s service dog with her. She takes over work at her family’s cabin rental business. The work is easy, and she isn’t struggling for money, but Jen realizes she misses the intelligence work she did in the military. Two kidnapping incidents in a matter of a day get her interested in gathering intelligence on a human trafficking ring. The handsome homeland security agent Zack Julion makes the work even more tempting. When Jen’s lifelong friend, Paulie, is targeted by the human traffickers, Jen and Zack realize they need to work quickly. Unbeknownst to any of them, danger from Jen’s past is also hunting her. As the risks grow more deadly, so does the heat in Jen and Zack’s relationship. Unfortunately,each carries baggage and fears that lead to poor decisions. ... (read more)

Action-Packed

Scheel uses a curious blend of biblical concepts and characters from Greek and Norse mythology to create this fantastical tale of gods, demons, angels, magic, and multiple dimensions. This third installment of The Underworlds series explores the depth of pain associated with the loss of a child and sharply contrasting responses to grief. Denida and Nina are both traumatized by the murder of their son, Daniel. Rather than leaning on one another for comfort and support, the couple allows their mutual tragedy to divide them. ... (read more)

Life of Joseph

This study of the life of Joseph centers upon four great trials in Joseph’s life. These events include his time in the pit at the hands of his brothers, his years spent as a household slave in the home of Potiphar, his incarceration in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and his time spent as the vizier for the Egyptian pharaoh. Though in situations sometimes dire, Joseph grew spiritually during each of these life events. Tailly identifies the four pillars of durable power as humility, integrity, reliability, and efficiency. Joseph attained each of these pillars through his trials. In the pit, he gained humility; in the house of Potiphar, integrity; in prison, he built reliability; and in the palace of Pharaoh, he learned efficiency, which placed him as Pharaoh's second in command. Each chapter includes a section concerning the ways in which each pillar can be incorporated into one’s life, especially in the workforce. ... (read more)

Distinct Phases

Young Diana’s dream is to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a successful surgeon. Her parents want a different life for her, but after trying to convince her otherwise, they allow her to work part-time as a nurse in the hopes she will lose a taste for medicine. Years later, the experiences have steered Diana toward a career teaching English. After her first year of university, a chance encounter with an unfamiliar young man in her train car blossoms a feeling of romance that burns for the entire journey. Just as quickly, the piece of paper with his phone number on it slips out of her hand and leaves her with no way to reach him. Older, divorced, and with children of her own, fate intervenes once more and gives Diana a chance to reconnect with someone she never thought she would ever see again. ... (read more)

Genuine View

Called to serve and spread the gospel in other countries, the author of this book and her family prepare and pack to move across the world for their mission. Bureaucratic power plays, duplicitous dealings, and a global pandemic take an already challenging prospect and make it nearly impossible. Back home and still eager to serve, they find themselves ostracized and scapegoated by their community leaders and those who claim to support them. Their faith is challenged through this isolation but remains steadfast in this harrowing tale of a religious institution that does not practice the things it preaches. Charged with helpless anguish and dogged determination, this account demands accountability for spiritual leadership and uses the Bible to back up its position that congregations must be served and supported by their leaders instead of the other way around. ... (read more)

Genetic Control

A scintillating commentary on philosophy and metaphysics, Garcia-Gonzalez’s work forays into numerous aspects of our existence to probe into the constraints of the human experience. What is reality? What incites the disparity between one individual’s observation of reality and another’s? As the author dives deeper into his immense understanding of what is, he provides a series of intriguing, thought-provoking insights that cut right to the core of one’s belief system, yet he does so with grace and knowledge that impels readers to at least consider what is being proposed. ... (read more)

A Spry Thriller

After helping the Mossad take down the V2 rocket program being co-developed by the Egyptians and ex-Nazis, Michael Janssen thought that his life would start to return to normal. He’d met the love of his life and had returned to the United States. He was now putting his full attention on his fashion business and his family. Yet the shadowy remnants of those hostile groups remain, and a man by the name of Walter Schmidt wants revenge against Michael and his wife for ruining the operation. An assassination attempt wreaks havoc in their lives but ultimately falls short of its goal, bringing Michael back into action once more, determined to get payback of his own. This time, his travels take him to Britain, Germany, Israel, and more, as the lingering expectation of war against Israel gives him and his allies a strict time limit to work against. ... (read more)

The book opens with a bold declaration that all forms of perfectionism are unhealthy. Collins and Molitor denounce the concept of “normal” perfectionists who are more productive and achieve greater success. As perfection is inherently unattainable, its pursuit is an inevitable path to frustration, which adversely affects mental and physical health, relationships, creativity, and productivity. Inspired by Kintsugi—the Japanese art and philosophy of “golden repair”—the authors advocate rejecting perfectionism and adopting the “Flawsomism” mindset of celebrating imperfection, striving for excellence, and embracing failure as an opportunity for growth. ... (read more)

Good YA Read

This collection of twenty short stories is reminiscent of the stories found in the adventurous Boy’s Life magazine, whose title was changed to Scout’s Life in 2021. Anyone who has ever dreamed, as the character in the quote above, of being someone more intrepid than the person they see in the mirror can relate. The influences in these stories range from writers like Jack London to Earnest Hemingway and draw comparisons with characters such as Indiana Jones, pirates, and special ops personnel. These characters are seeking to leave a mark on the world. ... (read more)

Eternal Love

It is 1863, and Clarissa Fontaine lives in the Virginia countryside with her two children, awaiting the return of her beloved husband, Charles, from the war between the states. She comforts herself by confiding her innermost thoughts in a diary. One of these thoughts relates to how she cast a spell to compel Charles to return to her. The horrors of wartime lead to the couple’s separation, and Charles becomes a broken man, aimlessly wandering the streets. In 2007, Claire LePaige is a widowed mother of two taking her kids on an impromptu vacation. When driving in Virginia, she is awestruck by a splendid home she comes across in Shenandoah. She decides to rent it despite warnings from the realtor that the place is haunted. Claire is nonplussed until her children tell her of seeing and interacting with an apparition named Charles. ... (read more)

South & North

This book offers readers a well-researched and detailed overview of social and diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico. It begins with an explanation of what life was like before the Europeans arrived on the North American continent. Then, readers discover the influence of the British, the establishment of the American colonies, and the role of the Spanish empire in exploration, trade, and economics. As the book progresses, insights are given into many events, such as the independence of Yucatan and the Zapatista Rebellion, which are frequently overlooked in American history books. The book also touches on economic and socio-political US-Mexico relations. Topics range from a brief overview of Mexico’s long history with drug trafficking to the hot topic of US-Mexico immigration policies. Uniquely, the book also incorporates information about the United States’ relationship with China and how the United States’ relationship with Mexico influences US-China relations. ... (read more)

Stepping Out

Simultaneously a memoir and a blueprint on how to take the reins of one’s life, this book wastes no time in telling the author's story and using it to weave pertinent themes centered around reflection. True to the genre, the “My Lesson” section is intensely vulnerable. When readers see the author not just accept but embrace what happens to her, it is a resounding vote of confidence for them to emulate that mindset. Carter-Scott is adamant that when a breakdown occurs, the path to a breakthrough opens. Thus, all things, even adversity, should be viewed as learning experiences that add unique skills to deploy later in life. ... (read more)

A Practicing Christian

Gaymon’s work records a multitude of examples of, and the reasons for, tithes and gifts presented under Mosaic law. The text is written partially as a history of traditions and interpretations of religious practices using many versions of the Bible and other sacred texts as references. According to some examples in the book, tithes were fixed by religious leaders through divine instruction to demonstrate the worship of God, as well as to provide sustenance to people in need and those whose vocations or life situations precluded their growing or raising food. In addition to providing historical examples of tithing throughout millennia and the reasons for them, the author challenges the reader to accept an active faith and to seek that which God truly wants of us beyond nominal religion: an offering of ourselves. ... (read more)

Loving & Caring

Stella is on a school field trip and sees garbage strewn on the side of the road. Later, she witnesses her peers adding to the litter. Something has to be done. ... (read more)

Notable Scope

This unusual guidebook offers some blueprints for humans to change Western society into a "selfless economy" and perhaps save the planet by rebuilding its infrastructures. The author’s concepts are revolutionary. For example, Matthew’s idea of a "climate change bridge" outlines an interactive dashboard by which practitioners and specialists from a variety of disciplines would be able to share information and draft legislation. Although some countries in Europe have smaller forms of this model in which specialists in diverse fields work together to address environmental issues, this has yet to be implemented on a larger scale. Another idea is that people who are in legal trouble or disenfranchised in other ways may be sent to "planet infrastructure sites" to address major climate issues. The book ends with previews of situations that the author wants to address. Matthew's ultimate goals are a healthy planet, healthy people, and healthy societies. ... (read more)

Poetry Exploration

In this poetry collection, readers discover a careful embracing of both long and short forms. They also discover an attentive and meticulous speaker who observes the world around them with grace, gentleness, and understanding. Some poems celebrate human interactions. Others celebrate the mystique of the spirit. The dream world also plays a significant part in many of these verses, and these pieces give the collection an otherworldly tone. The speaker lives in awe and wonder at the world, and their articulations of that world encourage readers to live fully and seek places where the “energy is running wild.” Other poems explore the fine lines existing between life and death and how one leads to the other “all too soon, all too fast.” Thus, readers discover a book that not only performs a balancing act within itself but encourages one to live a balanced life in order to live fully. ... (read more)

Scope & Depth

Wading through biblical commentaries in an attempt to understand the Old and New Testaments can be as daunting as reading the Bible without any direction at all. Early has rendered the task manageable. In just under 250 pages, the author effectively guides the reader from Genesis to Revelation, tying together the Bible’s major themes. He also emphasizes the importance of symbolic language found in the words of the Bible’s prophets, storytellers, and, in the New Testament, of Jesus and his disciples. The book is organized into two major sections, with the first acting as an introduction to the historical, social, and political forces that would have influenced Jewish oral tradition and, subsequently, the Bible. The second section examines “the moral problem of humanity” from the Garden of Eden to the beginning of the “Jewish Epic” and through the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. ... (read more)

Comprehensive

The Kawasaki Superbike Series Z1000R and Z1100R were born when Team Kawasaki rider Eddie Lawson won the 1981 and 1982 American Motorcycle Association’s (AMA) Superbike Championship. The racing competition, created in 1976, featured modified stock bikes and was a means to “promote the street legal products of motorcycle manufacturers.” After Lawson’s 1981 win, Kawasaki used his “mean green machine” as the model for their new street bike, which continued through the next year with the Z1100R model. Though sales never hit high marks, this iconic Eddie Lawson replica bike remains a popular motorcycle in the biking community with its signature lime green base with blue and white strips. Some of these first Eddie Lawson replica models are highly valued by collectors with a limited edition series of racing bikes listed in the six figures. ... (read more)

A Cute Story

What is the relationship between fairies and dragons? A very long time ago, a baby dragon named Hunter got lost when flying and ended up in the land of fairies, where he was found by his father, the King of Dragons. Being appreciative of the fairies who took care of the baby dragon, the father promised he would protect the fairies from dragons who weren’t nice. Hunter made the mistake of telling his friends about the fairies to his friends, and he was overheard by other dragons. He told his father the truth about his mistake and was forgiven. Another day, his fairy friend Sylvie came to visit and told Hunter that the mean dragons had come, and they were afraid they would destroy the fairies’ land. In the end, Hunter, his father, and his friends protect the fairies and teach the mean dragons important lessons. ... (read more)

Avenues of Exploration

The author has crafted a poetic and personal story of loss and isolation with suggestions on how to cope. Not a “how to” tome, these mindful observations share a unique journey through an isolating physical disability and the sudden death of a partner, inviting the reader to be curious about their own lives. In a Marcus-Aurelius-meets-Louise-Hay fusion, past-life and near-death experiences, meditation, and astral projection are intertwined with lists, charts, “short short stories,” and poems that encourage contemplation, self-growth, and self-expression. ... (read more)

Encouragement

In this poetry collection, readers discover poems that address race, faith, love, and human interconnection. The poems address current social justice issues like being Black in America. They also explore faith and devotion and the peace that faith can bring during turbulent times. “In His Eyes” reminds readers about the acceptance and salvation Christ offers to his believers. These types of poems encourage one to embrace the concept of accepting others. Other poems, like “Keep On,” encourage a person to continue going forward even when “trying is no longer good enough” and “your feelings inside are worn and torn.” A few of the poems, such as “Star,” celebrate the beauty and light nature offers in times of darkness. “Autumn Leaves” acknowledges the shifting of time and seasons and the role those play in one’s existence. ... (read more)

Fossils Alive

This book is about wishes, imagination, intelligence, and superpowers. Ralphie, known as Kid Dino, asks his mother what superpower she would like to have, and she replies she would like to read minds or turn invisible. He states he wants to be an extinct animal and debates with his sister Valencia about this. They discuss whether a T. Rex would defeat a Megalodon and the strengths and weaknesses of the T. Rex. When getting out of the car after getting groceries, he smashes his hand and has to go to the hospital where he’s treated. Having gotten an Amazon package with dinosaur fossils, he finds a fossil coming alive and grabbing his mother with its tongue, turning her into “Momzilla,” and splattering the dishes. Kid Dino grabs another fossil, and a battle ensues. ... (read more)

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Stay tuned as we reveal the top book review sites for 2024!  Whether you’re in the mood for a classic drama, a modern thriller, or an enlightening non-fiction, there’s a review site that can point you in the right direction.

We’ve also included the advantages of every book review site for readers and authors. So without wasting time, let’s get started! 

Ensure your book gets the glowing reviews it deserves! Learn more

1. Goodreads

Goodreads stands out as a titan in the field of book review sites, especially in 2024. As the biggest community of readers, authors, and reviewers on the internet, you can find reviews for almost every book on Goodreads. 

You can also join reading groups, catalog books, engage in discussions with fellow readers, and follow your favorite authors. Moreover, by integrating Goodreads with your Kindle account, you can track your reading progress, get personalized book recommendations, and write reviews that get posted on both Goodreads and Amazon automatically. 

Subscription Fee: None

2. Kirkus Reviews

Present since 1933, Kirkus Reviews is one of the oldest book review websites that has earned a reputation for its authoritative and unbiased reviews. You can access quality book reviews for a variety of genres either on the website, by subscribing to the free weekly email newsletter, or by subscribing to the paid semi-monthly magazine.

The main advantages of Kirkus Reviews include access to “best of” lists across many categories and reviews about each book mentioned in the list. The only downside to Kirkus Reviews is the paid nature of the magazine, which can limit access to reviews of new bestsellers to only a few people.

Subscription Fee: Ranging from $49 to $179, based on the chosen duration of the subscription.

3. LibraryThing

LibraryThing, a book lover’s haven for cataloging books, is one of the best book review websites. It offers a robust platform for readers to explore reviews, rate books, and meticulously organize their collections by genre.

The charm of LibraryThing lies in its social features—you can connect with fellow readers, share your bookshelves, and exchange thoughts on your latest reads. It’s a cozy corner on the internet for those who take pleasure in tracking their reading journey and finding kindred spirits within the pages of their favorite genres.

Apart from these features, LibraryThing provides a feature for authors to create their own Author’s page. Besides this, LibraryThing provides readers the opportunity to meet with fellow readers and authors by releasing updates about local book events. 

4. Book Riot

Book Riot is one of the most versatile book review sites where you can access fictional and non-fictional book reviews, articles, and essays about top books across different genres. In addition to this, you can access information about discount deals for e-books and printed books and purchase from a huge variety of book merchandise.  

The one thing that sets Book Riot apart from other sites is access to podcasts, which you can listen to if you don’t feel like reading book reviews. The only downside to Book Riot is that the site’s format doesn’t provide the feel of a traditional book review experience. 

Subscription Fee: $4.99/month for authors who subscribe to Book Riot Insiders for information about new releases.

5. LoveReading

LoveReading emerges as a cherished resource among book review sites, particularly for its UK-based but globally accessible content. As one of the top professional book review sites, it allows you to access ebook and audiobook reviews across multiple genres. 

The advantages of LoveReading include access to books and debuts of the month, weekly staff picks, and yearly list features. The only downside to LoveReading is the limited availability of reviews about books published outside the UK. 

Amazon is one of the top free book review sites in 2024. It allows readers to rate books using a 1–5 star scale and receive a verified purchase tag after they have purchased books, increasing the authenticity of their reviews. Additionally, readers can engage with each other by adding comments to other reviews and stand a chance to receive a higher ranking if their reviews are well-received by a larger audience. 

7. Booklist

Booklist, a veteran publication by the American Library Association since 1905, has evolved into a premier online destination for book reviews. You can look at the reviews of many print and audiobooks from various genres on Booklist. 

The benefits of using Booklist include access to webinars and a variety of newsletters like Read Alert, Booklandia, and more. The only downside to Booklist is that it doesn’t provide a space for reader interaction or discussion, which restricts the community aspect of the reading experience.

Subscription Fee: $184.95/year

8. Publishers Weekly

Dominating the publishing world since 1872, Publishers Weekly is one of the oldest children’s mystery and romance book review sites. Apart from book reviews, it provides access to news about upcoming books. 

The advantages of Publishers Weekly are access to the latest industry news, stats, bestseller lists, and exciting podcasts about authors and contemporary books. The only downside to Publishers Weekly is that you need to pay a subscription fee to have complete access to the content present on this site.

Subscription Fee: $15/month

9. NetGalley

NetGalley is one of the top book review sites for authors and readers alike. Readers can view reviews, request advanced reader copies (ARCs), and write reviews about pre-released books by various authors. Also, readers can check out book reviews, recommendations, and the must-read section at Bookish, an editorially independent division of NetGalley. 

The only downside to NetGalley is that it can be difficult to secure ARCs of highly anticipated books due to fierce competition among reviewers. 

10. Fantasy Book Review 

This site includes various categories for book reviews such as urban fantasy, high/epic fantasy, dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction, magic users, and heroic/ sword and sorcery, etc. Depending on the category, book reviews for the best fantasy books are added to the website. With this, the site also provides readers with a list of the top 100 fantasy books of all time, recommendations of fantasy series, and interviews with fantasy authors.  

Check out the top ten book review sites mentioned above to find your next best read, and let these curated sites lead you to memorable stories and transformative literary adventures. If you need help to create perfect book reviews or refine your book, consider our professional editing and proofreading services for assistance.

Here are some other articles you might find useful: 

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Find book review blogs, vlogs, and bookstagrams to promote your book

Reach the most popular book blogs

The book blog sites listed in our directory are vetted for quality: they are active, have clear review policies, and usually have a good following on social media. In fact, the ~1000 book blogs in our catalog have a cumulative following of over 1,000,000 readers . The most popular book review sites in our catalog have between 10,000 and 70,000 followers.

Many of these sites not only review books but also accept guest posts, do cover reveals, and participate in blog tours. While the top book blogs tend be YA book review blogs and romance book review blogs , we also feature less common genres like travel book review blogs , business book review blogs , comic book blogs , and paranormal book blogs .

Increase your response rates

Book promotion blogs are in demand because they provide a valuable service: free book reviews and book promotion. We surveyed ~500 book bloggers and learned that ~25% of book pitches they receive don ' t match their preferences. Some bloggers reported as high as 50%! Not only are book bloggers often getting irrelevant requests, but they are also busy. Book blogging is their spare-time hobby, not their job.

We have curated a large book blogger list so you have the necessary information at your fingertips to craft a personalized and relevant book pitch to book bloggers. These bloggers have opted-in to be in our directory , so they are expecting your email.

Here are some tips to optimize your response rates:

• Address them by their first name. Bonus points if you also peruse their blog and find something in common to break the ice.
• Mention how your book ' s genre fits into their reading preferences. For example, don ' t send your mystery novel to horror book review blogs . Send it to mystery book review blogs instead.
• Provide them a format of your book that they will actually read.

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We surveyed ~100 indie authors and publicists and learned that the average indie author spends between 6-24 hrs contacting book reviewers to review their book. Our search tool will reduce your time investment considerably, so you can win back your time and do what you do best — write! And best of all, it is free :)

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The 6 Best Book Review Sites

Are you looking for websites with the best book reviews online?

This post is for you.

By the end of it, you will know where to go when you need detailed and unbiased reviews of non-fiction books.

#5. Google Books

#4. goodreads, #3. derek sivers, #2. nat eliason, #1. the power moves, the new york times, book review websites, what to look for in site book reviews, best book review sites.

This list of best book review sites is not for all kinds of books.

It indeed focuses on non-fiction books. Specifically, for the types of books that will help you grow, learn, and move forward in life.

Albeit some novels might also fit in that category, most do not. So all the sites focusing on reviews of novels, romances, and generally reading for reading’s pleasure, are not included here.

You might have heard of this one :).

Amazon is the most popular book review site.

I make a stop on Amazon for almost every single book review I write . First of all, because I get affiliate links from Amazon :). And once I’m there, I also always visit the review section.

With time I have learned the ins and outs of the system, and this is my opinion on Amazon as a book review site:

• Quantity of books: there is a review for almost any book out there
• Quantity of reviews: plenty of reviews for each book
• Sorting: I love the option of sorting by stars or by highest voted
• No expert reviewers: anyone can review on Amazon. That’s a bigger issue for information products than for, say, a vacuum cleaner.
• Average rating = average of average folks : most people are average, and few are experts. Average people are less likely to be power-aware , logical, and critical thinkers. And they’re more likely to fall -and mistakenly provide high ratings- to useless naive self-help
• Swayed by fans/hater reviewers : at Amazon, you don’t even need to buy a book to review it.  I’d be surprised if lots of reviewers didn’t even read the book, but only vented their opinion or supported a friend/idol ( or trashed an enemy )
• Most fake reviews : since Amazon is mostly there to sell books, and not to review them, it also happens to be the most targeted by fake reviews. Including, of course, from the author themselves
• Smaller book reviews are completely unreliable : albeit all books have fake reviews, the less popular ones are the easiest to swarm with fake reviews
• Confirmation bias : people tend to buy what they like, so you get more fans and fewer critical reviews
• Not really a book review site : finally, Amazon reviews are not a content reviews section. Many conflate the book quality with the Amazon or seller service. You’ll often see 1-star reviews complaining about the book handling, shipping, or status. Those add up in the final rating.

I’ll give you an example that covers a lot of the cons of Amazon as a book review site: the book The Secret .

The Secret is a book that tells you not to work on your dreams and goals. Anyone in his right mind who wants to achieve his goals wouldn’t know what to do with such advice. But The Secret is a best seller and it has a sky-high rating.

People who buy The Secret are probably already the law of attraction aficionados, so their ratings are as credible as Trump supporters on Trump’s mental fitness (or Clinton supporters on her pay-per-play habits, let’s not be partisans).

A solid, all-season place to get book reviews from all sorts of readers. Just keep in mind the shortcomings (and the high number of fake reviews).

Google Books is smaller than Amazon, but I found the book reviews to be slightly better and more objective.

As an open, grassroots project, it has many of the same advantages and disadvantages as Amazon. Such as:

• Higher quality reviews compared to Amazon
• Easily deceived, especially for smaller books. If you read a book like Published you will realize that in an open system, lots (most?) of the reviews can be fabricated.

Goodreads is a social network of book reviews.

The idea is just awesome: you can write your own reviews, exchange opinions with friends, or simply just follow people you trust.

• You know the reviewers
• You can better target subject matter experts compared to Amazon/Google Books
• Facebook of books : I joined it with the idea of only following reviewers I liked, but I immediately got friend requests from pretty much all the Facebook friends who were also in there 🙂
• The best reviewers are not there : not all the top reviewers are on Goodreads because they have their own websites

I sent an email to Derek some time ago and I can attest that he really replies to all the emails he receives :). I love the honest reviews and I am adding several titles from his list to my reading list. Good stuff!

• Does not mince words
• He’s been a successful entrepreneur: he has the results to back his business book reviews
• No categories: summaries are all mixed on a single page, going from history to biographies to self-help

I love Nat’s articles and reviews.

Nat has a very critical mind, and he’s not afraid of calling things like they are.

I find that we often agree on many books -with some due exceptions-. I discovered Nat’s website recently and I will soon be going through some of his top book picks that I haven’t yet read.

The book reviews page on this website is one of the biggest available on the Internet.

In terms of quality, well, I might be biased here so I will not write much. You be the judge of that.

Not Good Book Review Sites

I didn’t find the following book review websites to be very good sources for prioritizing your reading list:

The New York Times reviews read more like a book themselves than book reviews. You might like that, or you might not. Personally, I don’t.

There are many book review websites. But they are more for people who want to sit with a cup of coffee, a blanket on their feet, and a cat nearby. Best if with a partner nearby and with a fire during winter.

These websites cater a lot to people who “read for reading’s sake”.

That doesn’t fit my goals and my audience’s goals. We read to improve, develop and move ahead in life -of course, most of us also love reading too, but it’s not the only motivator-.

General book review websites include:

• Omnivoracious.
• Bookreporter.
• You can find quality men and quality women for good, loyal , and stable partners
• No for high achievers: reading for reading’s sake is not for highly driven people

How to Use Book Review Websites

As I explain how to efficiently absorb knowledge , I often read reviews before I start reading the book.

It helps me prepare my mind for the information I am about to absorb, which makes my reading and my knowledge acquisition all the more efficient.

I also read reviews after I read the book, especially so when I’m not sure I fully got the message.

On my after-the-book review reading, I look for the following:

• Criticism of the book (some imperfection I missed?)
• Opposing information (what are other theories in the field?)
• Similar books (which I might get)
• Is the book still valid (or are there new current thoughts and/or studies that disprove the book?)

To make your reading efficient, you should find book review websites that give you clear and concise information. I especially look for reviews that highlight:

• Main concepts in the books
• Main drawbacks
• Criticism (from the reviewer or from the rest of the literature)
• And finally: does the reviewer recommend the book?

That’s why for me it’s so crucial to trust the reviewer. I need to trust the reviewer almost, and sometimes even more so, than the author of the book.

That’s why I’m not the biggest fan of Amazon reviews.

And that’s why I don’t like book reviews from big newspapers -like The New York Times-. They all tend to be too flowery, long, and unstructured. You finish reading the book review and you’re not even sure: did the reviewer liked the book or not. Does he recommend it or not?

I’m not looking for a literary piece. I’m looking for information that makes my knowledge acquisition as efficient as possible.

Also, read:

• Best book summaries websites
• Book reviews

About The Author

Lucio Buffalmano

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Top 5 Book Review Sites Every Author Should Submit To

Written By Write With Light Publications, LLC

0 comment(s), october 13, 2021, don’t rush your book.

We can’t say it enough and yet we see it happen all the time.

When on the verge of publishing a book, we see one big mistake happen, especially if the author is rushing the publication process of their book.

Many times, we see them write, edit and then publish, giving no time or space to properly market or get the word out about their book.

So how is a reader supposed to find your book if it’s not even out there yet? How will they see it without proper awareness?

Authors who self-publish for the first time (usually) are missing a crucial piece to the publishing process: Submitting their book to book review sites.

Why Do I Need to Submit My Books for Review?

Submitting your book to review to a good review source can help you leverage your book before it’s even launched.

Having people review your book from these five book review sites we are talking about later, even if the reviews are positive or negative, can be powerful.

There are a few reasons all authors should be submitting their book for review.

• You can gain quality reviews
• Create awareness for your book
• Book reviewers could possibly share your work with others (word of mouth marketing)
• Can influence readers to pre-order your book
• It’s free marketing!

Although sharing your work with others to get their opinion on your book is daunting, it’s still a necessary step to take before you even publish. Don’t forget this crucial step in the publishing and promotion process if you don’t want to sabotage your book .

How Long Does the Review Process Take?

The review copy process can take some time, which is probably why a lot of people skip the process. But if you want a good quality review from a quality source, you need to take the time to fit a book review process into your book publishing timeline.

The review copy process can take anywhere from 3-4 months. So why is that?

A majority of book reviewers and credible book review sites require at least 3-4 months after submission and before launch to review your book.

Reviewers get a lot of inquiries and a lot of books, some of which they give to two different readers for review. If they choose your book for review you need to give them 3-4 months to review it.

The downside is, you just have to be patient.

When Should I Submit My Books For Review?

If you’re finished writing your book, we highly recommend getting it edited by a professional before handing it off to reviewers.

Before you even submit your books for review, edit your book. Period.

Even if you have an amazing cover with a captivating synopsis, it will mean nothing if you send a book in with a wealth of mistakes roaming freely.

Reviewers will not read through your book if there are mistakes. Only send your book out for review when it is 100% ready.

Who Should I Be Submitting Books to For Review?

If you do decide to work this book review timeframe into your schedule, there are five sites you can get started with, some of which are free and some of which are paid.

So the top 5 book review sites you absolutely should at least consider,

• Publisher’s Weekly
• Write With Light Publications

We’ll explain all of them and their benefits below!

It’s also important to keep in mind that there are multiple other avenues for getting book reviews including having bookstagrammers on Instagram review your work, or sending it out to other smaller publications that would fit your niche.

For now, we’ll just cover some of the essential sites that will give you actual reviews without you having to ask freelance book reviewers.

Kirkus (Paid)

Kirkus has been around since 1933 and was founded by Virginia Kirkus. Back then, she realized there was a need for book reviews not backed by the publisher themselves. Seeing this need, she started a business that would give writers the book reviews they need while also allowing American booksellers to buy products backed by unbiased opinions.

As far as book review sites go, Kirkus is one of the most prestigious and trusted book reviewers in the business and offers an unbiased assessment of your book—which could be negative or positive. But their outstanding reviews come at a price. That being said, the review is worth it to many.

Here are some of the prices for Kirkus Reviews:

• Traditional Reviews: Costs $425 for a 250-word review.
• Expanded Reviews: Costs $525 for a 500-word review.
• Picture Book Reviews: Cost $350 for a 200-word review.

All of the reviews are turned around in 7-9 weeks but can be expedited for an additional fee. After receiving your review, you can add some of the best quotes to your product listings on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other sites to help promote the book.

You also have the option to publish your review on Kirkus if you like what they have to say. If you do choose to publish it, Kirkus may consider your review for publication in their magazine which reaches 50,000 users.

If you’re ready to get your book reviewed, visit Kirkus to get started .

Booklife (Paid)

To receive another guaranteed book review for a price, you can also choose Booklife .

Booklife is an extension of the popular site, Publisher’s Weekly, and provides publishing advice and assistance to find authors.

Booklife is usually great for indie authors who need a great review from a reputable source. It is also slightly less in cost than Kirkus.

A Booklife review costs $399 for 300 words.

Authors will get their review back in an estimated 4-6 weeks. The one downside of submitting for review with Booklife is there is a word count limit. Only books 100,000 words are less can be considered for a review.

The upside is the review with be featured on Booklife’s website and Publisher Weekly’s website. To learn more about the submission guidelines and get reviewed, visit Booklife’s Review FAQs page .

Reedsy (Paid)

Probably one of our favorite places to get books reviewed is Reedsy .

We love this site because it is so affordable and you get an honest book review from a professional book reviewer. See a Reedsy book review for one of our authors!

Like Booklife and Kirkus, you will get a quality book review but at a much lower price and it is guaranteed. Reedsy can also be synced with Goodreads, which allows your reviewer to publish their review before the book even launches.

Authors who choose to get their books reviewed with Reedsy will spend only $50 per book for a lengthy review from a frequent book reviewer.

The great thing is, your book is available to be reviewed by anyone who is interested. Additionally, you can contact the reviewers to ask them to review your book

On Reedsy, your book can only be reviewed once, although, we really wish they would allow more, especially if other reviewers want to take a peek.

Publisher’s Weekly (Free)

Like we mentioned earlier, Publisher’s Weekly is associated with Booklife, which is a paid review service.

Publisher’s Weekly, however, is a free review service , which will bring a smile to most indie authors who are on a tight budget with marketing.

The one downside of submitting a book review to Publisher’s Weekly is your review is not guaranteed. Publisher’s Weekly reviewers take a very slim amount of submissions for review, which means they take the elite when it comes to books.

If your book is chosen for review by Publisher’s Weekly, you’ve probably got yourself a great book. Although there is no guarantee for a book review, it’s worth submitting anyways.

To get your book reviewed with Publisher’s Weekly, check out their submission guidelines .

Write With Light Publications (Free)

We know we have a long ways to go to be as great and revered as websites like Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus. But hey! We all have to start somewhere!

At Write With Light Publications, we have a deep desire to help indie authors get their books out there in the world. One of the best ways to do that is to read your book and give you a quality review.

Our reviews are completely free to you as long as you follow our strict guidelines.

To learn more about our book reviews, check out our submission guidelines !

New More Publishing Help?

Write With Light Publications offers a variety of publishing services that are intended to support indie authors with their self-publishing endeavors.

If you’re feeling lost with marketing, publishing, or even creating your book, consider getting some assistance from us!

You can see more about our services here .

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Karlene Cameron Books

5 best online book review sites for indie authors.

One of the best ways to gain exposure for your new book is through a book review site. But there are so many different online resources available that it can be overwhelming to select which site is the best option for your masterpiece. I know. I think I’ve combed through them all.

But don’t despair! Today, I’ll show you the top five book review sites for authors. We’ll explore how much each of these sites will cost you to use and what sets them apart from the competition. Hopefully, you’ll come away with a better understanding of where you can start.

Reader’s Favorite

Reader’s Favorite is the ideal option for new and experienced authors. They have over ten years of experience serving traditional authors, indie authors, including romance novel writers and bestsellers. They offer a wide variety of packages for authors, including a free option. However, this free review does take up to three months, so you are far better off opting for their $59 express package or the $129 package for three express reviews.

Readers’ Favorite will post reviews to both Goodreads and Barnes & Noble , but unfortunately not Amazon . Your reviews will also be placed on their site, and all of their reviews are created by real-life readers. As an author, you’ll also get the opportunity to rate your reader, just as they have rated your novel. The site prides itself on only posting four and five-star reviews. If you do happen to receive a poor review from the reader, they’ll provide you with private and constructive criticism instead, as their priority is to help authors. While the company’s primary goal is to review new and self-published authors, they’ve also worked on reviews for well-known authors in the past.

Reader Views

Established in 2005, Reader Views is a great option for independent authors. They offer a variety of services to help capture the attention of potential readers. One of their best services for independent authors includes a review consultation service for free, where you can submit your book or e-book for review consideration. The basic package starts at $119 for one review, and there are also many add-ons available to suit different budgets and marketing needs . By choosing one of their publicity campaigns, you’ll be able to spread the word about your book on blogs and social media.

The company also offers in-house editing, book translations, eBook conversion, and manuscript critiques, so they are a good one-stop-shop for authors. For reviews for Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes & Noble, ask about their book giveaway service on top of your book review. A unique feature of this service is the fact that you are given your reviewer’s email address to contact them after to thank them for their review .

The US Review of Books

By using The US Review of Books , you’ll be able to connect with a professional book reviewer and have your review placed in front of the company’s over 18,000 newsletter subscribers. They cater to both fiction and nonfiction books, so it’s ideal for your romance novel, biography, or fantasy book. The site ranks in the top 25 for book reviews on Google, so you are in safe hands getting your novel out into the world with this site. They use a consistent team of staff to ensure the reviews are focused and adhere to a particular style.

Thanks to their subscription base and social media following, your book will receive good online exposure with this site. At the same time, the site also doesn’t use advertising, so there will be no distractions from your book coverage. The site is fully focused on reviews, with their basic review package starting at $75, although you can upgrade to express delivery for $129. They don’t sell editing or manuscript review services on the site, as they believe this would be a conflict of interest with the review services they offer.

From Publishers Weekly comes BookLife , which is one of the few sites to offer free reviews for indie authors. If you work with a larger publisher, you will need to submit your book through their main portal, but this is ideal for anyone writing a new romance novel or their first piece of work. However, to receive a free review on the site, your book will have to meet their standards and criteria. Your basic review will be about 300 words long and can be used on your book’s cover or on your Amazon or Goodreads page. While the review service is free, the site offers plenty of other paid services to run their site. If you do need social media posts or publicity on top of a review, you’ll also be able to find this on here. For no additional charge, you can also opt to have your review published in the BookLife section of Publishers Weekly each month, which will give you even greater exposure to attract publishers and readers.

Pacific Book Review

While this is the most expensive option on our list today, with their basic package starting at $300, you’ll find that Pacific Book Review can offer you wide reach online. Your review will be posted to Barnes & Noble, Google Books , and a couple of other online sites. Their professional reviewers offer top quality reviews, and know what they are looking for in an action-adventure book, biography, or romance novel.

Your review will be distributed to news sites, search engines and posted on all the major book retail websites. The company is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, so you know you are in good hands with your purchase here. Once your review is complete, you’ll receive a PDF with the review and link to the site, which you can then use however you wish for marketing purposes.

By choosing any of these five online book review sites, you’ll help get your book out into the world and attract further potential readers. All of these sites offer professional reviews that are of a high quality, and by opting for some of the add-on services they offer, you can also benefit from social media and online marketing to further spread the word about your writing.

What online book review sites have you used? Drop me a line below…I’d love to check them out.

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kcameron9767

5 responses to “5 Best Online Book Review Sites for Indie Authors”

Thanks for the information, Karlene. But you didn’t mention Kirkus Reviews. This is more expensive (if you do the paid one for Indie writers) but it’s a widely recognized review and I’ve had two Kirkus Reviews, using their quotes on my book covers. I would love to see an updated blog on this topic.

That’s a great idea, Maggie! Thanks for the suggestion. I haven’t used Kirkus…yet! But it’s on my radar.

One of my 3 Kirkus reviews contained reference to something that was not in my book (The Kovalenko Secret). I felt compelled to write to them to explain the problem. Although they adjusted the review appropriately, I was left with a feeling of not having gotten a competent reviewer. For what they charge, that should not have happened.

Reedsy (Discovery). I received a review from them for my first memoir, The Gosling Bride and I was quite happy with it and their review dashboard in general. It was only $50 and the reviewer posted their review to Amazon. Like an reviewer authors need to be aware that you can get anything from a 2 star to a 5 star rating, so make sure your book is ready!

That’s fabulous, Eileen. I haven’t heard of them — I’ll definitely check them out. Thanks for sharing!

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Where Writers Win

Marketing, websites, training and tools for emerging authors, the ultimate list of book review websites.

Nearly all book review sites experience lots of web traffic. They’re great places to find a read, no matter your genre preference, and better places to place yourself as an author. Many offer links to your website, author interviews (print, podcast, even video), guest author blogs and more.

So let’s create the ULTIMATE list! Here are TWENTY — a mere starter dough of potential review sites to get you rolling. And, to be politically correct (since traffic comes and traffic goes), we’ve listed them in alphabetical order.

NOTE: Each entry links to that review site’s URL. Please do add more sites — or your comments about the sites we’ve listed — in our comments section below. Or, comment at any of the various LinkedIn or Facebook groups where we’ve posted this challenge. Within a couple of weeks we’ll cobble together what WILL be the ultimate list and put it all in a Google doc for anyone to access and add to…

• Allreaders.com (it’s not sexy, but it’s functional, and you can submit a review and be a “scholar”)
• Alltop.com (specifically books.alltop.com – a list of blogs related to books and an easy place to begin your search).
• Bookfetish.org (specializing in genre fiction reviews from horror to true crime to romance).
• Bookpage.com (with hundreds of reviews a month, it’s a great place to discover new talent).
• Bookslut.com (gotta’ love the name – Bookslut is a monthly web magazine and daily blog dedicated to those who love to read)
• ForewordReviews.com (ForeWord has exclusively reviews books from small presses)
• Goodreads.com (The “Razzles” of book review sites – it’s reader candy and social networking gum to chew on all in one neat package)
• Galleycat.com (with great traffic, great lists, great reviews and great e-blast updates, this one is a great favorite of the WWW team!)
• IndieAuthorNews.com (book reviews, interviews, ebooks, even self-publishing advice)
• LibraryJournal.com (news and reviews from Library Journal staffers)
• LibraryThing.com (like GR, a hybrid community of readers, writers and reviewers, boasting 1,500,000 readers)
• MidwestBookReview.com (lots of resources and easy links to get a book reviewed or become a reviewer)
• WriteMyFirstEssay.com (like other essay services, but with good customer support to help with reviews and books in coursework)
• NPR.org (with an ongoing commitment to serious books and authors, lots of lists, author interviews and reviews)
• NewYorker.com (Page Turner is the name of the blog here, with “criticism, contention, and conversation about books that matter.”)
• NYBooks.com (The New York Review of Books – great traffic, lots to read)
• NewYorkTimes.com (okay, not everyone can crack the NYT best-seller lists, but the lists will surely lend insights… 50 Shades of What?!)
• PublishersWeekly.com (a world unto itself)
• Riffle.com (brand new – click on the link to get invited to its anticipated launch)
• Shelfari.com (owned by Amazon, you can click thru to buy in an instant – and like Goodreads has the benefit of “groups” where you can find your reading tribe)
• ← Writing Rules!
• POD Publishers: Scams and Frauds →

12 thoughts on “ The Ultimate List of Book Review Websites! ”

The Ultimate List of Book Review Websites! | Where Writers Win, was a fantastic name to give this valuable blog post. Exactly where can I actually browse more related to this?

Here are 7 more for you. Make sure that you *always* check their review policy page as sites open and close for reviews depending on their reading backlog. Enjoy!

http://shewolfreads.com http://wefancybooks.blogspot.com http://www.sithereandread.com http://www.roofbeamreader.net http://manoflabook.com http://fadeintofantasy.com http://novelreaction.com

GREAT! Will add to list and publish soon!

Thanks for the mention Adonna!

Also look at these: http://greenmanreview.com/ http://www.rambles.net/

And, with all modesty: http://johnadcox.wordpress.com

Great — will add ’em to list — thanks so much (think these will get us over 50 so far…)

Excellent info in this post. I’ve updated my book review database to include some of your suggestions.

Jane Lassar Publicist Blog: “Dear Author; A publicist’s guide to the ever-changing world of book PR” http://www.janelassar.wordpress.com @clevelandbookpr

Bookgasm: http://www.bookgasm.com/ Also, http://popcultureguy-don.blogspot.com/ reviews books if they are pop culture related, but that might be too specific for your list.

No, these are both great – thanks! (We’ve got one for just paranormal, so there ya go!)

I will run a reference to it in the August 1 issue of Publishing Poynters. BTW, you might like to divide the list in the those that review free and those that charge.

Bitten by Books http://www.bittenbybooks.com

Great – thank you!

Comments are closed.

• Library of Congress
• Research Guides
• Main Reading Room

Finding Book Reviews Online

Sources for general book reviews.

• Introduction

General Inquiries : Ask a Librarian

Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.

Chat with a librarian , Monday through Friday, 12-4pm Eastern Time (except Federal Holidays).

Before you start your search you should know the title and author of the book being reviewed. The date of publication will sometimes also be required. Some databases offer a search option to limit search results to book reviews. Where not present, adding a keyword search that includes the phrase "book review" should help. Reviews of popular books are typically published close to their publication dates; find them via book-related websites and indexes that cover general interest periodicals. Reviews of scholarly books may take months to appear in scholarly journals. For more databases that cover scholarly journals, visit the Library of Congress E-Resources Online Catalog .

• Free Web Resources
• Book Review Databases
• Selected General Databases
• Historical Book Review Databases

Free contemporary book reviews are widely available on the web. The sources listed below are some of the most common places to find them.

• Amazon.com External Amazon.com offers book reviews of many of the book titles it sells. Some reviews are by professionals; many are by readers. Find a book and scroll down its entry to read the reviews, where present. For balance, try a variety of positive and negative reviews.
• Barnes & Noble External Barnes and Noble includes professional book reviews with the descriptions of many of the books it sells.
• Complete Review External The Complete Review contains a selected listing of old and new book titles with reviews and links to more reviews.
• GoodReads Reviews External GoodReads offers millions of book reviews contributed by its community members which include librarians, journalists, and many other readers.
• Kirkus Reviews External Kirkus Reviews includes reviews new and forthcoming fiction, non-fiction and Young Adult (YA) books. Kirkus also has a print magazine available by subscription.
• Library Journal Reviews+ External Library Journal reviews books on a wide array of popular and scholarly topics expected to interest a broad spectrum of libraries. Reviews from the most recent 24 months are free online.
• LibraryThing Reviews External LibraryThing Reviews are written by members of the LibraryThing community of readers and book collectors. Reviews are grouped in various ways, including by genre or may be searched by author or title.
• New York Times Book Review (free selections) External A free collection of book reviews published in The New York Times since 1981. A more extensive paid subscription database is also available.
• School Library Journal Reviews+ External Features reviews from School Library Journal from the most recent twenty-four months. Browse by genre, grade level, award winners and other criteria.

Subscription databases are great sources for current and recent book reviews. Many also include historical coverage.

• Children's Literature Review, Vols 1-216

These more general subscription databases cover a wide array of periodicals which include book reviews. Using the phrase "book review" in your search can be effective if no check-box option for book reviews is available in the database's search function.

Some researchers seek reviews that are decades or even centuries old, for example, to see how a book written in the 19th Century was reviewed when it was first released. This listing includes general and book review resources. For the general sources, be sure to Include the phrase "book review" in your search if no check-box option for book reviews is available.

• African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 (Series 1 and Series 2)
• American Business: Agricultural Newspapers
• American Business: Mercantile Newspapers
• American Gazettes: Newspapers of Record
• American Politics: Campaign Newspapers
• American Religion: Denominational Newspapers
• Early American Newspapers, Series 1, 1690-1876: From Colonies to Nation
• Early American Newspapers, Series 2, 1758-1900: The New Republic
• Early American Newspapers, Series 3, 1783-1922: From Farm to City
• Early American Newspapers, Series 4, 1756-1922: The Rise of Industry
• Early American Newspapers, Series 5, 1777-1922: An Emerging World Power
• Early American Newspapers, Series 6, 1741-1922: Compromise and Disunion
• Early American Newspapers, Series 7: 1773-1922: Reform and Retrenchment
• Early American Newspapers, Series 8, 1844-1922: A Nation in Transition
• Early American Newspapers, Series 9, 1832-1922: Protest and Prosperity
• Early American Newspapers, Series 11, 1803-1899: From Agrarian Republic to World Power
• Early American Newspapers, Series 12, 1821-1900: The Specialized Press
• Early American Newspapers, Series 13, 1803-1916: The American West
• Early American Newspapers, Series 14, 1807-1880: The Expansion of Urban America
• Early American Newspapers, Series 15, 1822-1879: Immigrant Communities
• Early American Newspapers, Series 16, 1800-1877: Industry and the Environment
• Early American Newspapers Series 17, 1844-1922: American Heartland
• Early American Newspapers, Series 18, 1825-1879: Racial Awakening in the Northeast

C19 Index draws on the strength of established indexes such as the Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue (NSTC), The Wellesley Index, Poole's Index, Periodicals Index Online and the Cumulative Index to Niles' Register 18111849 to create integrated bibliographic coverage of over 1.7 million books and official publications, 70,000 archival collections and 20.9 million articles published in over 2,500 journals, magazines and newspapers. C19 Index now provides integrated access to 13 bibliographic indexes, including more than three million records from British Periodicals Collections I and II, together with the expanded online edition of the Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century Journalism (DNCJ).

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• Last Updated: May 31, 2024 8:50 AM
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Best Book Review Blogs in 2024

Showing 223 blogs that match your search.

Children's Book Daily

http://www.childrensbooksdaily.com/

We are happy to receive books and products suitable for Children's aged 0-16 years old (approximately). If you would like to submit a book or a child related product for review with Children's Books Daily, please bear in mind the following policy points, which you can find on our book blog.

Blogger : Megan Daley

Genres : Children's

🌐 Domain authority: 40

👀 Average monthly visits: 7,000 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Email

⭐️ Accepts indie books? Yes

Jen Meds Book Review

http://www.jenmedsbookreviews.com/

I try to review everything I read, although I have a policy not to review Allthing that I feel to be below a 3 star rating on the book review blog. I truly believe that even though it may not be to my taste, every book has its audience, even if it is not me.

Blogger : Jen Med

Genres : Crime, Contemporary Fiction, Romance, and Mystery/Thriller

🌐 Domain authority: 21

👀 Average monthly visits: 3,000 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Website contact form

A Life in Books

https://alifeinbooks.co.uk

Most of my working life has been spent in the book world, first as a bookseller then as a freelance writer and reviews editor for two magazines, and I can't think of a nicer place to be. In this blog I pick out snippets of book news that interest me, talk about some of the books I've just read and alert readers to titles that might not find themselves in the glare of the publicity spotlight.

Blogger : Susan

Genres : Contemporary Fiction

🌐 Domain authority: 31

👀 Average monthly visits: 5,000 p/mo

⭐️ Accepts indie books? No

https://barbtaub.com/

As a writer myself, I welcome the work of others. If you're interested in having me review a book, please see the submission guidelines below the Contact Form.

Blogger : Barb

Genres : Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction, Paranormal, and Urban Fantasy

🌐 Domain authority: 30

Shelf Awareness

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/

To have your book considered for review, please send two copies of a galley at least three months in advance of publication, and a finished copy when the book is finished.The book must be available through national distribution, i.e. Ingram and/or Baker & Taylor. Currently, we do not review ebooks or print-on-demand titles. We send galleys out for review consideration, but do not guarantee reviews.

Blogger : Stefanie & Si̢n

Genres : YA, Contemporary Fiction, and Children's

🌐 Domain authority: 63

👀 Average monthly visits: 47,500 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Mail

Early Bookish Birds

https://earlybookishbirds.wordpress.com/

Hello beautiful person, I am Nada Hosny, an Egyptian, 20 years old bookworm; trying to share my little thoughts about books. I'm a College student, Engineering Major.

Blogger : Nada

Genres : YA, Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction, and New Adult

🌐 Domain authority: 18

https://bookvue.wordpress.com/

Book Vue was born out of the editor's restless desire to share with the world thoughts and opinions on some of the greatest books out there. The honesty behind each review is the essence of the blog.

Blogger : Chitra Iyer

Genres : Children's, Christian, Contemporary Fiction, Crime, Erotica, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBT, Mystery/Thriller, Non-Fiction, Paranormal, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Sports, Urban Fantasy, and YA

🌐 Domain authority: 5

👀 Average monthly visits: 100 p/mo

Thoughts on Papyrus

https://thoughtsonpapyrus.com/category/book-reviews/

A book review site with a difference, providing in-depth book reviews, while focusing on character analyses and exposure to different cultures and countries.

Blogger : Diana

Genres : Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Non-Fiction, and Science Fiction

🌐 Domain authority: 7

👀 Average monthly visits: 3,700 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Social media

By The Letter Book Reviews

http://www.bytheletterbookreviews.com/

Please be aware that I get a lot of requests and will only reply to people on the books that I can commit myself to. If you have not had a reply within 2 days of sending me an email it will more than likely be that I am unable to take on more books at the present time.

Blogger : Sarah

Genres : YA, Crime, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction, Paranormal, New Adult, Children's, LGBT, Humor, Horror, and Urban Fantasy

🌐 Domain authority: 36

From First Page to Last

https://fromfirstpagetolast.wordpress.com/

I like to read different genres of books, both fiction and non fiction. If the blurb grabs me then I’ll want to read it. I cannot promise a review deadline but will honour all review requests I accept. Please let me know if you have a preferred timeframe for reviews to be published and I will aim to review within that time.

Blogger : Janet Emson

Genres : Children's, Contemporary Fiction, Crime, Non-Fiction, and Romance

🌐 Domain authority: 15

Crime Book Junkie

http://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk/

I am glad to accept books for review consideration on my book review blog CrimeBookJunkie. My reviews are only my opinion and I always try to be constructive, say what I liked about a book or explain why it was not particularly to my taste. If I do not like a book, I will be as honest as I can in a constructive manne. I appreciate that writing is hard work so will not be negative/overly critical.

Blogger : Noelle

Genres : Crime

🌐 Domain authority: 34

https://www.chapter92.com/

Writer, book blogger, tea drinker, late night snacker. Professional cryer who spends way too much time online, eating books for breakfast. Basically, your bookish best bud.

Blogger : Marilù Iacona

Genres : Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, LGBT, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, and YA

👀 Average monthly visits: 1,500 p/mo

HEA Novel Thoughts

http://heanovelthoughts.com/

Single mom who loves love along with love and murder, and is committed to sharing with you the best Kindle Unlimited Romance Novels.

Blogger : Joy

Genres : Mystery/Thriller, Romance, and YA

🌐 Domain authority: 16

👀 Average monthly visits: 2,000 p/mo

Reedsy Discovery

https://reedsy.com/discovery

Give your indie book the launch that it deserves! Submit your book to over 150 reviewers and gain exposure to thousands of readers in your genre. If our reviewers like what they read, your book will get a high-quality review and will be promoted on the Discover feed, where readers upvote their favorite titles. The top books from each week will be featured in our weekly newsletters.

Blogger : Reedsy

Genres : Children's, Christian, Contemporary Fiction, Crime, Erotica, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBT, Mystery/Thriller, New Adult, Non-Fiction, Paranormal, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Sports, Urban Fantasy, and YA

🌐 Domain authority: 78

👀 Average monthly visits: 600,000 p/mo

Armed with a Book

https://armedwithabook.com/

Hi, I am Kriti and I write at Armed with A Book. I am an avid reader and I view all my interactions with authors about their books as a relationship. I have much to learn from you and your stories and hope that I will be able to get across the message you are conveying with your work. Please review my ‘Work with Me’ page for more information.

Blogger : Kriti Khare

Genres : Children's, Contemporary Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBT, Mystery/Thriller, New Adult, Non-Fiction, Paranormal, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Sports, Urban Fantasy, and YA

🌐 Domain authority: 29

👀 Average monthly visits: 8,500 p/mo

So you want to find a book blog?

If you’re a voracious reader, you might think of a book blog as an oasis in the middle of the desert: a place on the Internet that brims with talk about books, books, and more books.

Well, good news — we built this directory of the 200 of the best book blogs  to satiate your thirst. Take a walk around, use the filters to narrow down your search to blogs in your preferred genre, and feel free to bookmark this page and come back, as we do update it regularly with more of the best book blogs out there. 

If you’re an aspiring author, you might see a book blog more as a book review blog: a place where you can get your yet-to-be published book reviewed. In that case, you’ll be glad to know that most of the book blogs in our directory are open to review requests and accept indie books! We expressly designed this page (and our book marketing platform, Reedsy Discovery ) to be useful to indie book authors who need book reviews. If you’re wondering how to approach a book blog for a review request, please read on. 

You’ve found a book blog. Now what? 

Let’s say that you’re an author, and you’ve found a couple of book blogs that would be perfect fits to review your book. What now? Here are some tips as you go about getting your book reviews:

• Be sure to read the review policy. First, check that the book blog you’re querying is open to review requests. If that’s the fortunate case, carefully read the blog’s review policy and make sure that you follow the directions to a T.  
• Individualize your pitches. Book bloggers will be able to immediately tell apart the bulk pitches, which simply come across as thoughtless and indifferent. If you didn’t take the time to craft a good pitch, why should the blogger take the time to read your book? Personalize each pitch to up your chances of getting a response. 
• Format your book in a professional manner before sending it out. Ensure that your manuscript isn’t presented sloppily. If the book blogger asks for a digital ARC, you might want to check out apps such as Instafreebie or Bookfunnel. 
• Create a spreadsheet to track your progress. Wading through so many book blogs can be troublesome — not to mention trying to remember which ones you’ve already contacted. To save yourself the time and trouble, use a simple Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your progress (and results). 

Looking to learn even more about the process? Awesome 👍 For a detailed guide, check out this post that’s all about getting book reviews . 

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15 Of The Best Book Recommendation Sites To Find Your Next Book

Abigail Clarkin

Abigail can often be found holding a book in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other. When she is not devouring stories (or dessert), Abigail trains for marathons and writes poetry about growing up with eight brothers and sisters. She enjoys working in marketing for a real estate developer and creating Instagram content for fun (@marathonandmunch) about all the tasty eats found in Providence, RI.

View All posts by Abigail Clarkin

At some point, you’ve likely encountered a long, bleak patch when your reserve of recommended books ran dry. A few years ago, there was a stretch when I didn’t have people in my life who understood my taste in books. I’d finish a fantastic series and then be disappointed when I realized that there was no rebound read to help me recover from the last series. Thankfully for the readers like us who are still nursing book hangovers, there are personalized book recommendation websites across the internet to save us.

If you have run out of books you’re interested in reading, look through these fifteen book recommendation sites.

Subscriptions

Book Riot has its very own subscription service called Tailored Book Recommendations . TBR is made up of staff who dedicate their time to carefully tailoring book recommendations for readers based on what they like to read personally. Sign up for either a recommendations-only level subscription or a hardcover level subscription (which includes having three books mailed to you).

Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. By signing up you agree to our terms of use

If you’d like free and discounted reading deals sent straight to your email, sign up for BookBub. Based on the genres you choose when signing up, BookBub will send personalized recommendations of ebooks that can be purchased for a reasonable rate. Themed lists are also available on their site.

22 Books Coming in 2018 Recommended by Librarians https://t.co/Sil3Wvs6Lh @tarawestover @thuglibrarian @CommerceLibrary @randyribay @alicewriterland @anglophilelibr pic.twitter.com/Uu6cIJuuxx — BookBub (@BookBub) March 2, 2018

3. Library-Specific Sites

If you’re a patron at a large library, there’s a chance that your library offers personalized book recommendation services delivered via email. A few libraries currently offering this service include New York Public Library , Denver Public Library , and Sacramento Public Library . Ask your librarians to see if this is a resource for you as well.

Themed Lists

4. epic reads.

Epic Reads is one of the largest young adult fiction communities online. Along with their endless energy and passion for YA, one reason for their popularity is their interactive quizzes, lengthy lists, and colorful book charts that point readers towards their next favorite read. A few years ago when I met a reading slump, I worked my way through much of their amazing Young Adult Retelling Chart . Many of my favorites were found through this resource.

5. Penguin Teen

The Penguin Teen website features book lists, news about young adult authors, and a helpful book suggestions tool that focuses on genre specific book recommendations.

6. Reading Rockets

If you’re looking for children’s books for the kids in your life (or for the child in you), check out Reading Rockets. Reading Rockets provides specific, lengthy themed lists for young readers. With list topics ranging from “Books About Kids Who Find Reading Hard” to “That’s So Gross,” you are sure to find a book for any occasion. This site can be a wonderful resource for teachers, librarians, and educators.

Tor is the online hub for fantasy and science fiction. Check out their many lists to find stories that will transport you to fictional lands.

A project from Netgalley, Bookish offers a wide range of book lists, including fiction, audiobook, and young adult. What makes this site stand out is these are all brand new releases or forthcoming titles, so you can get your library holds or preorders in early.

All of the recommendations on Olmenta are submitted by passionate readers. The site allows you to peruse titles by genre or category, and it’s a fun way to let someone else pick a book for you (without needing to do any real work on your end). You can submit your own suggestions, too.

10. Shepherd

Who could offer better recommendation lists than authors, experts, and passionate readers of books on aa topic? Shepherd offers a wide range of book lists, including everything from best YA books about immigration to novels where something queer’s afoot. In the near future, Shepherd will make it possible to sort lists by genre, as well, so you could find books set in China that are romance, nonfiction, YA, or otherwise.

Made-For-You on the Spot

11. whichbook.

On Whichbook, book recommendations are calculated by one out of two categories: 1. Mood, or 2. Character, setting, and plot. The reader has the choice to use sliders on the “Mood” section to rate what they’re looking for in a book. Do you want a book that is completely happy? Or on the border between safe and disturbing? There is also the option to select your desired character characteristics, the story setting, and/or plot points that you’d like included in the recommendation.

Maybe AI knows the perfect book for you. Readow starts by asking you some simple questions about recent reads and uses technology to pair you with your next great book.

13. What Should I Read Next

14. readgeek.

Registering is optional when using Readgeek to receive book recommendations. In order to get ahold of book suggestions, simply rate a few books that you’ve read on a 1–10 scale. After you finish rating as many as you’d like, Readgeek calculates which books you’d most likely enjoy based on your previous ratings.

15. Literature Map

At Literature Map, you can type in an author’s name and then view similar authors that other readers are enjoying. The site generates a map that displays author names in relative states of closeness. The closer the authors, the more likely other readers enjoyed both.

Another simple but fun AI-driven recommendation site is Gnooks. Pop in your three favorite writers and you’ll get a recommended author to try. It doesn’t end there, though: you can rate whether or not you like the author suggested for even more recommendations.

17. Goodreads

Goodreads provides a space for people to track their reading, write reviews, and view books, lists, and authors that align with their interests. When creating an account on Goodreads, the reader has the opportunity to create original book lists. One of my favorites is the “Want to Read” option: every time you view a book description that sounds interesting, you can save the book to a list that is dedicated to books you plan to tackle later. For those of you who are looking to build a never ending To-Be-Read list, Goodreads is a perfect place to start.

18. Narrative Muse

Are you interested in reading books specifically written by underrepresented voices? Narrative Muse serves as a recommendation site for those who are looking for both films and books created by women and nonbinary writers. Create an account to be matched with books that fall under these categories.

19. The Storygraph

Billed as an alternative to Goodreads, The StoryGraph is a book tracking site, a community making site, and offers book recommendations. You can import your Goodreads information to The StoryGraph, and both the website and app have clean but visually appealing interfaces. Here’s our full StoryGraph review .

20. r/books

Numbering at almost 21 million subscribers, Reddit’s main book subreddit is a haven for book discussion and recommendations. Want to know what Reddit users across the massive site are reading? There’s Reddit Reads for that.

Still looking for more ways to find your next favorite book? Take this quiz on what you should read next to receive an immediate recommendation. If you’re willing to look for suggestions in places off of the internet, check out 31 Ways to Find the Best Book Recommendations .

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June 20, 2024

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Outstanding Personalities

June 8, 2024

Dominique Nabokov

Darryl Pinckney, Oxford, 1991; photograph by Dominique Nabokov

This article is part of a regular series of conversations with the Review ’s contributors; read past ones here and sign up for our e-mail newsletter to get them delivered to your inbox each week.

In our May 9 issue, Darryl Pinckney reviews an extensive survey of “the Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “If anything,” he writes, “the exhibition liberates the individual African American artist. It says how eclectic the past is in its artistic practices and styles.” Pinckney’s review offers a tour of those styles: “splendid, delicate likenesses of Alain Locke and Langston Hughes” by Winold Reiss; a “hallucinatory male nude” by Beauford Delaney; the “stylized and angular” figures of Aaron Douglas; the “formally inventive genre scenes” of Archibald Motley.

Since his first contribution in 1977, Pinckney has written more than a hundred essays for the Review , including on a number of figures associated with the Harlem Renaissance— Hughes , Zora Neale Hurston , Claude McKay , Nella Larsen , Countee Cullen —and on the history of the neighborhood itself. “Harlem exported its tempo, its attitude,” he wrote in 1982 , “and helped make Manhattan the capital of the twentieth century.” Among his other subjects have been the election of Barack Obama , “ Princess Margaret and her scandals ,” Eighties novels “ written from the inside of youth ,” and the life and work of James Baldwin . He is the author of two novels and four books of nonfiction, most recently Come Back in September (2022), a memoir of his years working at the Review and his friendship with Elizabeth Hardwick.

We e-mailed about the Metropolitan exhibition, the centenary days of HBCUs, and why “Toni Morrison didn’t capitalize black.”

Daniel Drake: You open your review with a survey of contemporaneous writing about the Harlem Renaissance. Why do you think writers like James Weldon Johnson and Alain Locke were so “reserved,” as you put it, in their assessments of the visual art coming out of that period, when they were otherwise quite effusive about the literary, political, and cultural production in black New York?

Darryl Pinckney: Johnson and Locke were writing about African American art at what was the start of the careers of most of the artists in the Harlem Renaissance exhibition. There was not as yet much to see of their work. Artists like the sculptor Richmond Barthé went on working for decades, and he lived outside New York in those years. Meta Warrick Fuller belonged to an older generation, as did Augusta Savage. Then, too, the Harlem Renaissance itself was a brief period, little more than a decade, from 1919 to 1931. Was it David Levering Lewis and Jervis Anderson in their histories who date its beginning from James Reese Europe’s band and its first performances in France, with the black soldiers who were in no hurry to come back to the US? Someone else—I forget who—said that the New Negro movement began earlier, with the black boxer Jack Johnson. His victories got films of his bouts banned in the US under interstate commerce laws.

For Langston Hughes, the Harlem Renaissance began with the new music, with the Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle musical of 1921, Shuffle Along . For him, the Harlem Renaissance ended after the stock market crash. He says the party stopped with the funeral of A’Lelia Walker in 1931. That was also the year black gangsters lost control of the numbers racket in Harlem. Gilbert Osofsky in his study from 1963, Harlem: The Making of a Ghetto , tells the story of Harlem’s development that Johnson does not. It was overcrowded and poor from the get-go, which was why figures such as the poet Sterling Brown bitterly asserted that the Harlem Renaissance had little to do with or to offer most African Americans. Brown pointed out that more books by African American authors were published in the 1930s than in the 1920s—Zora Neale Hurston’s among them. But several writers of the Harlem Renaissance could not sustain careers during the Depression. George Wylie Henderson, for example, faded away after having published two novels.

For me, the exhibition took me back to tours of Historic Black Colleges and Universities I made with my parents in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the centenary days of many of these institutions, to the libraries, administration buildings, chapels, and galleries that had murals on themes of Negro histories and portrait after portrait of outstanding personalities. As a teenager I went around somewhat wearied by the duty of the visits. Seeing this kind of art again, gathered together, was like a reproach, but also yet another chance to appreciate what I’d failed to early on.

The whole thing was a discovery. Not all of it would be what anyone would call great art, but that is not the point here. However, an earlier Met exhibition that intended to give Juan de Pareja his due did him little favor. The aim was to show that he was more than a bondsman to Velázquez, which Velázquez clearly understood, given the training he afforded de Pareja. De Pareja was an accomplished painter; but Velázquez had genius, and placing their work side-by-side made the difference dramatic.

Were there any artists or works that you had to cut from your review, or couldn’t fit in the first place, that you think still merit some attention?

Of course there is too much for one exhibition to cover. Graphic art, posters, the music, and so on. It was primarily a literary movement, to start with anyway. By the way, I misattributed a still life in my notes, which led me to say, incorrectly, that Lois Mailou Jones was not included in the exhibition.

I was struck by your observation that representational art predominates over “the purely abstract” at the exhibition, and, perhaps by extension, in the Harlem Renaissance. Why do you think this was the case?

Much American art after the rise of the abstract expressionists was regarded as slightly old-fashioned and out of it, and I remember discussions in which the abstract was promoted as a way for African Americans to escape what were thought of as the burdens of the representational. As if African American history were a limitation. These days a black figure—don’t capitalize me; Toni Morrison didn’t capitalize black; to do so inscribes further the very otherness we’re supposed to be getting rid of—immediately dignifies a work or gives it a meaning it perhaps has not really earned. 

What writing are you working on currently?

I am trying to trace the history of my family during slavery and to write about this journey in the archives. One of the awful things about the Pinckneys of South Carolina is that they were such good businesspeople that they kept detailed records and ledgers, and so I have many clues because my ancestors were considered property. I read an article that ended with a chilling line about how those who declined to take the master’s name can no longer be traced. But two Easters ago I met in Beaufort, South Carolina, a white Pinckney for the first time and was disturbed that I was not disturbed by how much I liked her. My trainer said he would have slugged her. She was ninety-four years old at the time. Then someone I respect a great deal revealed that his mother is a Pinckney, so there you go.

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Can You Find The 14 Book Titles Hidden in This Block of Text?

By J. D. Biersdorfer June 10, 2024

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Book plots featuring fractured civilizations torn by war, public-health emergencies, authoritarian governments and other disruptions have been popular for decades — especially when heroes rise to meet the moment. This week’s Title Search puzzle challenges you to find the names of 14 such novels hidden below within an unrelated text passage. As you read along, tap or click the words when you think you’ve found a title. Correct answers stay highlighted. When you uncover each title, the answer section at the bottom of the screen grows to create a reading list with more information and links to the books.

A new literary quiz lands on the Books page each week and you can match wits with previous puzzles in the Book Review Quiz Bowl archive .

The memory Police Officer 6311 told her to forget will not fade, even now in the silence. She looks at the plastic clock on the stand beside the bed, pulls the tattered wool blanket tighter and tries to organize her thoughts before she sleeps. The departure tomorrow has been hastily planned, but she knows the coded phrases she must speak to the guard to get by the Station Eleven checkpoint. When she gets beyond the wall and out of Zone One, she must find the road marked by the Children of Men resistance group and she will be on her way to paradise — or at least what’s left of it.

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Books | ‘When the Sea Came Alive’ expands…

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Books | ‘when the sea came alive’ expands understanding of d-day invasion: book review, garrett graff creates a rich telling with hundreds of witness accounts, as he did with ‘the only plane in the sky.’.

From books by historian Stephen Ambrose to films like Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan,” there’s ample works chronicling the June 6, 1944, landing during World War II that ultimately led to the downfall of Nazi Germany.

But in “When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day,” Graff weaves together hundreds of eyewitness accounts to create a history that stands alongside those works, expanding readers’ understanding of D-Day and offering a new, complete portrait in time for the 80th anniversary commemorations .

The account begins with a look at the planning of the operation, going back to 1943, and the ensuing buildup of personnel and equipment.

Graff — author of “The Only Plane in the Sky,” a similar oral history, and others — uses a wide array and diversity of voices that give a fuller picture of the lead-up to the invasion, as well as the fighting itself. The book excels in highlighting the experiences of Black soldiers who landed on D-Day beaches and women who were part of the story, such as correspondent Martha Gellhorn.

But it should come as no surprise that the most harrowing portions of the book remain the landing and the battles that occurred on D-Day itself, with vivid first-hand accounts. Graff’s skills at sifting through the accounts and documents propel the action throughout the book.

The book is testimony to the value in preserving memories from grand historical events, demonstrating how much can be unearthed from even the most familiar stories.

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40+ Best Reading Websites for Home and Classroom Learning

Games, e-books, videos, and so much more!

Fluent reading may be the most important skill anyone can master. Just a few minutes a day helps build the reading fluency that provides lifelong benefits. Reading websites for kids are one way to support their reading journey.

How can reading websites help kids, parents, and teachers?

While reading books together is always an important activity, emergent readers also need other types of practice. They benefit from activities that focus more specifically on phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and other key parts of reading fluency. To learn more about these elements, explore the science of reading here.

Many reading websites offer games, exercises, and other activities that give kids a chance to develop these important reading skills. Studies show it only takes 15 minutes of practice each day to build reading fluency. When kids play interactive reading games online, or complete short lessons with follow-up activities, they get those 15 important minutes in an easy, effective way.

How To Use Reading Websites

Teachers can use reading websites as part of their lesson plans or as individual classroom activities. They can be a fun option for fast finishers or a good way to provide extra support for kids who need more practice on a certain skill. Many of the reading websites on our list provide free access for teachers who use the site in their classroom, making them a valuable resource for your toolkit.

At home, parents and families will also find a lot of value in reading websites. To make the most of them, it can be helpful to understand your child’s current reading level first. Ask your child’s teacher to share this information, and then learn more about how reading levels work here . It’s also a good idea to ask your child’s teacher if there are any areas they could use extra help with, and then look for games or activities to support those skills.

The goal of most reading websites is to make reading fun and exciting for students. Take advantage of that to make screen time more meaningful. Look for sites that your student actively enjoys using, and you’ll find those 15 minutes of daily reading practice just fly by!

There are options for all ages, helping students learn to read, discover new books, track and share progress, and more. There’s a big selection of free options, but there are some excellent paid sites that schools and parents may want to check out too.

• Best Free Reading Websites for Kids
• Best Paid Reading Websites for Kids  

These free reading websites give kids practice that won’t break the bank. Get free e-books, games, activities, and more!

This site hooks kids through fun games that meet learning standards. In addition to reading, students can brush up on math, science, social studies, arts, and music. A free account gives you basic access with ads. Paid Premium Family and Classroom plans are also available. (Grades Pre-K–6)

Between the Lions

Watch videos from the popular PBS series, including read-along folktales and fables, clever song videos of letter sounds, and more. (Grades Pre-K–1)

Biblionasium

Think of this like Goodreads for kids. It’s a safe place for reviewing and sharing books, making reading a social adventure. (Grades K–8)

This is another site that bills itself as “Goodreads for kids,” and it offers similar features. Read kid-friendly reviews, post your own, find recommendations, track reading goals, and more. (Grades K–8)

This fantastic digital library service helps people with print-related disabilities read independently. (Grades Pre-K–12)

This library includes thousands of high-interest, standards-aligned reading passages and lessons. You can search for texts by book, genre, grade level, literary device, and theme. (Grades 3–12)

The kid-friendly news articles on DOGONews make it easy to assign reading. Each article has reading/interest-level guidelines, and you can access the site in English or Spanish. It’s free to assign articles for reading. Paid plans provide discussion questions and quizzes too. (Grades 1–12)

If you’re looking for reading websites with digital books, this site has thousands of them, along with audiobooks and videos. You’ll find endless popular titles from your favorite publishers. Teachers can track student progress as they read too. Epic is free for teachers and classrooms, with paid plans available for parents. (Grades Pre-K–8)

Fact Monster: All About Books

Kids who love books will want to check out this site. They’ll find fascinating facts about many of their favorite reads. (Grades 1–8)

Test your vocabulary while earning rice for those in need! Each time you play, you’re helping the United Nations World Food Programme provide food to those around the world who need it. (Grades 2–12)

In addition to learning games and videos, Funbrain has a selection of free books to read online. You’ll find favorites like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Judy Moody. (Grades Pre-K–8)

International Children’s Digital Library

A no-frills site from the University of Maryland, ICDL has more than 4,000 free e-books kids can read online. There are a variety of books in languages other than English too. (Grades K–8)

Into the Book

Into the Book is a reading comprehension site that focuses on reading strategies teachers work on every day. Kids get practice using prior knowledge, making connections, questioning, visualizing, inferring, summarizing, evaluating, and synthesizing. (Grades K–6)

Khan Academy

This is one of the most well-known free learning sites around, and their reading and language arts courses are top-notch. There’s nothing flashy, but kids will get good practice with accompanying lessons and quizzes. (Grades 2–9)

Khan Academy Kids

This reading app and site is designed especially for kids just learning to read. There are supplemental materials for parents and teachers too. (Grades Pre-K–2)

Nat Geo Education

This amazing compilation of nonfiction has all the quality of National Geographic magazine, leveled and accessible for young readers. (Grades K–5)

Created by Oxford University Press, this U.K. site has plenty to offer for any kid learning to read. There are free e-books and games, plus tips for parents and teachers. (Grades Pre-K–2)

Reading Bear

Reading Bear teaches beginning readers vocabulary and concepts while systematically introducing all the main phonetic patterns of written English. (Grades Pre-K–1)

Gain access to several thousand leveled books, including favorites like Curious George and the nonfiction National Geographic Kids titles. Teacher and classroom access is free. (Grades Pre-K–7)

Read Theory

Read Theory offers online reading activities for all ages and ability levels. The program adapts to students’ individual ability levels and presents them with thousands of skill-building exercises that suit their needs. (Grades K–12)

ReadWorks.org

Get literacy lessons that include comprehension and short passages to analyze. Use them online, via your classroom projector, or print to send work home. (Grades K–12)

Roy: Tale of a Singing Zebra

Kids will enjoy the punctuation, reading, and spelling games on this cute, simple site. You’ll also find online guided reading stories and lesson plans for teachers. (Grades Pre-K–2)

Scholastic Kids Press

Students will love reading news articles written by other kids just like them! This regularly updated site includes articles on current events, with kid reporters from around the globe. (Grades 4–8)

Storyline Online

Storyline Online features videos of read-alouds by celebrities with creative illustrations. Each book also has a supplemental curriculum for teachers and parents to use. (Grades Pre-K–4)

Get the experience of going to the library without leaving the house at StoryPlace. Find animated videos of stories, with activities, sing-along songs, and more. (Grades Pre-K–1)

Story Time From Space

What’s better than a read-aloud? A read-aloud done by someone in space! This reading website features real astronauts reading books they love, often with a STEM theme. (Grades Pre-K–5)

Teaching Kids News

TKN provides readable, teachable news articles for kids. You’ll also find media literacy activities and tips on how to discuss challenging news topics with kids. (Grades 3–8)

Vooks bills itself as the first streaming service dedicated to animated storybooks. There’s a small free collection of books, plus teachers get classroom access for one device at no cost. Parents can pay a monthly fee for access. (Grades Pre-K–2)   

Sometimes it’s worth it to invest in a learning program. These are some of the best ones around, according to teachers and parents.

ABC Mouse offers learning that spans the curriculum. Their reading program starts at the very beginning with the alphabet and takes kids through to fluent reading and writing. (Monthly or annual subscription after 30-day free trial; Grades Pre-K–2)

Adventure Academy

Brought to you by the same folks who created ABC Mouse, Adventure Academy offers reading practice for older kids. They can also work on math, science, and more. (Monthly or annual subscription after 30-day free trial; Grades 3–8)

Boost Reading

Students take on a series of personalized quests as they learn and practice reading. The characters and story lines keep them coming back for more. (Contact them for pricing; Grades K–5)

HOMER promises to create a personalized reading program for every child, based on their interests and current skill levels. Membership also includes access to 200+ interactive animated stories, with a whole section dedicated to favorite Sesame Street characters. (Monthly and annual subscriptions after 30-day trial; Grades Pre-K–2)

IXL’s personalized learning experiences cover a variety of subjects. Their language arts curriculum includes spelling, vocabulary, phonics, and more advanced topics. (Family, Classroom, and School/District pricing available; Grades K–12)

Kids learning to read can benefit from Lalilo’s phonics and reading comprehension activities. The adaptive exercises provide an individualized experience for each student. (Free 60-day trial, contact for pricing; Grades Pre-K–2)

This collection of e-books includes titles from around the world in a variety of languages. It’s always growing as publishers and authors upload their new books. (Individual and school subscriptions available; Grades K–8)

Teach younger students the right way to research with PebbleGo. You can be sure they’re using safe, reliable resources as they learn about subjects like animals, biographies, and more. (Annual subscriptions by school; Grades K–3)

This site provides leveled books with interactive quizzes and other activities to reinforce reading comprehension. It includes books in English, French, and Spanish. (Annual subscription; Grades K–5)

Reading Eggs

Play games, sing songs, and practice reading, vocabulary, phonics, and more. Looking for help for older kids who need additional practice? Check out Reading Eggspress. (Monthly or yearly subscription after 30-day free trial; Grades Pre-K–6)

This site teaches children to read with the help of phonetics. Kids sing songs to help them learn and get lots of practice putting it all together. (Yearly membership fee; Grades Pre-K–3)

TeachingBooks

Help students make deeper connections to books with author interviews, read-aloud videos, activities, and more. (Yearly license fees; Grades K–12)

This is a cool reading website for schools, offering talking animated picture books that kids will truly love. School accounts provide access to every computer in every classroom. You can also offer home access through your school website. (Annual subscription; Grades K–8)

Vocabulary A-Z

Give kids vocab practice with customizable word lists. Students can play games online, while teachers can get lessons and printables to support the learning. (One-time purchase; Grades K–5)

Whooo’s Reading

Get your students thinking with open-ended quiz questions that provide a strong alternative to multiple-choice questions. Students get feedback as they write, including reminders to cite evidence and answer all parts of the question. (Free basic trial membership, with premium annual subscriptions for teachers and classrooms; Grades Pre-K–12)

What’s on your list of the best reading websites for kids? Share your ideas in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out the best reading apps for kids ..

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