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Goodreads Hack: The Power of the Want to Read Shelf
Posted by Cybil on April 12, 2018
Posted by Cybil on April 12, 2018
Every month, more than 18 million books are added to “Want to Read” shelves on Goodreads.
What's a Want to Read shelf, you ask? You'll notice the green "Want to Read" buttons near each book cover on the site. When you click on that button, not only do you make it easier to plan your future reading, you also unleash the power of the Want to Read shelf.
Let us explain: Adding books to your shelf isn't just an easy way to track books you're interested in; it also helps build a book's buzz and gives you inside access to when that book is on sale, or free as part of our Giveaways program!
We'll break it all down for you! But first things first…
Never forget the books you want to read
Remember that book your friend was telling you about? Or that bestseller you've been meaning to read but keep blanking on the name? If your Want to Read shelf is up to date, you're always ready for your next trip to the bookstore or library. You can also view your Want to Read shelf on Kindle when you connect your Goodreads and Kindle accounts.
Pro Tip: Scan book covers straight to your Want to Read shelf
You can use the Goodreads smartphone app to easily scan book covers to your Want to Read shelf, which is really helpful when you're snooping through a friend's bookshelf. You can learn more about the scan function here.
You determine which upcoming and new books have the most buzz
If you shelve a prepublished book, you'll be notified when that book hits the stores. In addition, those shelvings on a book page let our editorial team measure the excitement for an upcoming book. We use that data to alert readers to the hottest books of the month, season, and year.
Share your future reading plans with your Goodreads friends
Adding books to your WTR shelf also creates a newsfeed story on your Goodreads homepage, depending on your newsfeed privacy settings. This lets your Goodreads friends know what you're looking forward to reading. If you're nice, they may even loan you their copy.
Get a great deal on a book you've got your eye on (and maybe get it for free)
United States-based Goodreads members will be notified if there's a Goodreads Deal for a book on their shelf. Your WTR shelf is also used to personalize your Goodreads Deals landing page. In addition, when you add a book to your shelf, you'll get an email alerting you to a chance to win that book if it becomes part of the Goodreads Giveaways program. The best part? Because publishers often run a giveaway to build early buzz on a book, you can sometimes get your book for free before it's in stores!
What's a Want to Read shelf, you ask? You'll notice the green "Want to Read" buttons near each book cover on the site. When you click on that button, not only do you make it easier to plan your future reading, you also unleash the power of the Want to Read shelf.
Let us explain: Adding books to your shelf isn't just an easy way to track books you're interested in; it also helps build a book's buzz and gives you inside access to when that book is on sale, or free as part of our Giveaways program!
We'll break it all down for you! But first things first…
Never forget the books you want to read
Remember that book your friend was telling you about? Or that bestseller you've been meaning to read but keep blanking on the name? If your Want to Read shelf is up to date, you're always ready for your next trip to the bookstore or library. You can also view your Want to Read shelf on Kindle when you connect your Goodreads and Kindle accounts.
Pro Tip: Scan book covers straight to your Want to Read shelf
You can use the Goodreads smartphone app to easily scan book covers to your Want to Read shelf, which is really helpful when you're snooping through a friend's bookshelf. You can learn more about the scan function here.
You determine which upcoming and new books have the most buzz
If you shelve a prepublished book, you'll be notified when that book hits the stores. In addition, those shelvings on a book page let our editorial team measure the excitement for an upcoming book. We use that data to alert readers to the hottest books of the month, season, and year.
Share your future reading plans with your Goodreads friends
Adding books to your WTR shelf also creates a newsfeed story on your Goodreads homepage, depending on your newsfeed privacy settings. This lets your Goodreads friends know what you're looking forward to reading. If you're nice, they may even loan you their copy.
Get a great deal on a book you've got your eye on (and maybe get it for free)
United States-based Goodreads members will be notified if there's a Goodreads Deal for a book on their shelf. Your WTR shelf is also used to personalize your Goodreads Deals landing page. In addition, when you add a book to your shelf, you'll get an email alerting you to a chance to win that book if it becomes part of the Goodreads Giveaways program. The best part? Because publishers often run a giveaway to build early buzz on a book, you can sometimes get your book for free before it's in stores!
Check out more recent blogs:
A New Novel Lets You Choose Your Own Romantic Adventure
7 Buzzy Books Hitting Shelves This Week
The Places Veronica Roth Will Go and the Books She'll Bring With Her
A New Novel Lets You Choose Your Own Romantic Adventure
7 Buzzy Books Hitting Shelves This Week
The Places Veronica Roth Will Go and the Books She'll Bring With Her
A New Novel Lets You Choose Your Own Romantic Adventure
Posted by Hayley on April 10, 2018
Posted by Hayley on April 10, 2018
Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris, the creative team that brought us The Secrets of the Starbucks Lovers (a YA mystery about Taylor Swift receiving threatening messages on her skinny mochas, obviously), are back to reinvent the romance genre. After all you deserve love just as much—if not more—than a stuffy fictional heroine. That's why their new book, My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel, puts you in the driver's seat, letting you make the decisions, change your destiny, and fall in love. Curran and Zageris share an exclusive excerpt with Goodreads.
The course of true love never did run straight—and neither does this book. Do not submit yourself to woe and confusion by turning the pages in numerical order! Skimming to a different section or letting your eye linger too long on the entry next to your intended destination could have the same result as committing a similar act of impropriety while at a ball: SCANDAL! HEARTBREAK! UTTER RUIN!
In other words, no cheating.
Instead, begin your romantic journey on page one, and follow the instructions at the bottom of each page. These choices will guide you from the sweeping Highlands of rugged Scotland to the mysterious moors of foggy Yorkshire to the exotic plains of sand-swept Egypt. Every decision has the potential to bring you everlasting happiness or deepest despair—so select with care!
Choose wisely, and you could end up the talk of the ton, wrapped in the embrace of an exciting, eternally faithful, extremely becoming mate of superior charm and devotion. Choose poorly, and you may end up destitute and begging for scraps in the slimiest slums of London. Truly, in matters of love, anything is possible.
Now on with you—your romantic fate awaits!
“Move that leg, girl!” the dowager Lady Craven hisses as she prods you with her cane. The two of you are sitting in the back of her rather shabby carriage, on the way to your first social event since you started working as her lady’s companion more than a year ago. Sadly, this behavior is far from extraordinary, so you merely sigh and squeeze yourself into an even tinier part of the seat. At this point, one more prod and you would be making love to the carriage door.
“Such a miserable occasion. I can’t think why Evangeline is making us attend,” Lady Craven mutters.
“Well, it is for the widows and orphans of the war—” you venture to say politely, before being cut off with a glare that could strip paint.
“Did I sound like I wanted your opinion?” You know what’s good for you and stop talking immediately. Lady Craven continues on her tirade. “Truly, you are just as woolheaded as your grandfather was. Odious man! I have no idea what your grandmother was thinking when she married him—and with no fortune to recommend him, either! I daresay your late father was just the same, seeing as he didn’t see it to provide for you after his death….”
Spending most of your time with Lady Craven has made you a master at biting your tongue, yet her cruel words about your beloved papa cut you to your core. Still, you depend upon the old dragon for your entire livelihood, so you have no choice but to grit your teeth and clench your fists into the worn fabric of your dress. An old castoff from Lady Craven, the frock is at least twenty years out of date, and you highly suspect that she chose it for you because the mustard-yellow color clashes horribly with your complexion.
“If it wasn’t for the affection I still hold for your late mother, I should have cast you out into the street! And what would you have done then, eh?”
You brood silently yet demurely.
“Probably try to find yourself a protector, no doubt!” she continues. “Just as you have shamelessly set your cap at Sir Charles Burley-Fanshaw. Though I doubt anyone would want to have anything to do with such a silly little chit!”
Your fists grip even tighter around the fabric of your skirts. The repellent Sir Charles is old enough to be your grandpapa and has indeed been sniffing around your person, looking no doubt for a pretty, compliant, and much younger bride. Still, would life in a loveless marriage be any worse than the one you live now?
The carriage arrives at your destination, and you are shaken from your gloomy thoughts—if only for a moment. Perhaps tonight will be the night when everything changes?
Do you accompany your tyrannical employer to the fundraising ball for the Society for the Protection of Widows and Orphans of the War? The company may be atrocious, but balls are fun! If so, turn to page 67.
Or do you run away from Lady Craven, only to find yourself with no other means of survival than to sell your young body into the cold, cruel night? If so, do not go to any other place in this book, for you will be utterly doomed and dead from syphilis within a year.
Sorry. This may be a choosable-path adventure, but as a penniless young unmarried woman at the start of the nineteenth century, your options are somewhat limited. They will get better, though! Turn to page 67.
Want to find out what happens next? My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel is now available at a bookstore near you! Add it to your Want to Read shelf.
In other words, no cheating.
Instead, begin your romantic journey on page one, and follow the instructions at the bottom of each page. These choices will guide you from the sweeping Highlands of rugged Scotland to the mysterious moors of foggy Yorkshire to the exotic plains of sand-swept Egypt. Every decision has the potential to bring you everlasting happiness or deepest despair—so select with care!
Choose wisely, and you could end up the talk of the ton, wrapped in the embrace of an exciting, eternally faithful, extremely becoming mate of superior charm and devotion. Choose poorly, and you may end up destitute and begging for scraps in the slimiest slums of London. Truly, in matters of love, anything is possible.
Now on with you—your romantic fate awaits!
“Such a miserable occasion. I can’t think why Evangeline is making us attend,” Lady Craven mutters.
“Well, it is for the widows and orphans of the war—” you venture to say politely, before being cut off with a glare that could strip paint.
“Did I sound like I wanted your opinion?” You know what’s good for you and stop talking immediately. Lady Craven continues on her tirade. “Truly, you are just as woolheaded as your grandfather was. Odious man! I have no idea what your grandmother was thinking when she married him—and with no fortune to recommend him, either! I daresay your late father was just the same, seeing as he didn’t see it to provide for you after his death….”
Spending most of your time with Lady Craven has made you a master at biting your tongue, yet her cruel words about your beloved papa cut you to your core. Still, you depend upon the old dragon for your entire livelihood, so you have no choice but to grit your teeth and clench your fists into the worn fabric of your dress. An old castoff from Lady Craven, the frock is at least twenty years out of date, and you highly suspect that she chose it for you because the mustard-yellow color clashes horribly with your complexion.
“If it wasn’t for the affection I still hold for your late mother, I should have cast you out into the street! And what would you have done then, eh?”
You brood silently yet demurely.
“Probably try to find yourself a protector, no doubt!” she continues. “Just as you have shamelessly set your cap at Sir Charles Burley-Fanshaw. Though I doubt anyone would want to have anything to do with such a silly little chit!”
Your fists grip even tighter around the fabric of your skirts. The repellent Sir Charles is old enough to be your grandpapa and has indeed been sniffing around your person, looking no doubt for a pretty, compliant, and much younger bride. Still, would life in a loveless marriage be any worse than the one you live now?
The carriage arrives at your destination, and you are shaken from your gloomy thoughts—if only for a moment. Perhaps tonight will be the night when everything changes?
Do you accompany your tyrannical employer to the fundraising ball for the Society for the Protection of Widows and Orphans of the War? The company may be atrocious, but balls are fun! If so, turn to page 67.
Or do you run away from Lady Craven, only to find yourself with no other means of survival than to sell your young body into the cold, cruel night? If so, do not go to any other place in this book, for you will be utterly doomed and dead from syphilis within a year.
Sorry. This may be a choosable-path adventure, but as a penniless young unmarried woman at the start of the nineteenth century, your options are somewhat limited. They will get better, though! Turn to page 67.
Want to find out what happens next? My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel is now available at a bookstore near you! Add it to your Want to Read shelf.
7 Buzzy Books Hitting Shelves Today
Posted by Hayley on April 10, 2018
Posted by Hayley on April 10, 2018
Need another excuse to go to the bookstore this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day.
To create our list, we focused on the top books Goodreads members can't wait to read, which we measure by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. All these highly anticipated titles are now available! Which ones catch your eye?
To create our list, we focused on the top books Goodreads members can't wait to read, which we measure by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. All these highly anticipated titles are now available! Which ones catch your eye?
You should read this book if you like: Fantasy, Greek mythology, The Song of Achilles, wild beasts and witchcraft, complex heroines, transforming your rivals into monsters
Check out Miller's book recommendations here.
Check out Miller's book recommendations here.
You should read this book if you like: Nonfiction, thrilling true stories of heroism, Yemen, powerful friendships, daring escape plans, finding hope in the darkest times
You should read this book if you like: Murder mysteries, suspiciously perfect second marriages, dark secrets, vengeful mothers, searching for the truth
You should read this book if you like: YA fantasy, Las Vegas (but with more real magic), proper young ladies on dangerous adventures, dashing con men, games with deadly stakes
You should read this book if you like: Contemporary romance, Beautiful Bastard, second-chance love stories, bonding over books, avoiding boring marriages
You should read this book if you like: Memoir, fiercely honest accounts of becoming a mother, dark humor, building up maternal self-esteem
Check out O'Connell's book recommendations here.
Check out O'Connell's book recommendations here.
You should read this book if you like: Fiction, dysfunctional families, wedding chaos, therapy sessions with your mom, hilarious and heartfelt high jinks
What are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Spring's Biggest Book-to-Screen Adaptations
The Places Veronica Roth Will Go and the Books She'll Bring With Her
Fierce, Willful, and Defiant: Our Readers' Favorite Fictional Heroines
Check out more recent blogs:
Spring's Biggest Book-to-Screen Adaptations
The Places Veronica Roth Will Go and the Books She'll Bring With Her
Fierce, Willful, and Defiant: Our Readers' Favorite Fictional Heroines
The Places Veronica Roth Will Go and the Books She'll Bring With Her
Posted by Marie on April 04, 2018
I like to travel light. I almost never check a bag, even on a two-week book tour. This is great for maneuvering around an airport, but not so great for reading. Most of the time, I am strictly analog about reading. Our brains process information differently when it’s on screens. For me, so much of remembering what happened in a book is about its physical location on the page and in the book itself. You don’t really get that with an ebook.
But I also want to be able to bring my favorite sneakers on tour, so I do read ebooks when I travel. I load them on my massive phone (a Pixel XL—the size is in the name) so I don’t have to carry an ereader. I also listen to audiobooks, but they carry the unfortunate risk of lulling me to sleep when I’m on an airplane. Not because they’re boring—because pretty much anything lulls me to sleep on an airplane.
Anyway, here are the reads I’m planning to bring on tour with me:
This is a bit of a cheat, but I’m very fortunate to be able to tour with two other authors, Somaiya Daud and Kara Thomas. In a way, their books are part of what I’m bringing on tour, even though I’ve already read them.
I think this is probably ambitious for book tour, but right around my third airport, I know I’ll be glad I planned ahead. Travel can be exhausting, so it’s good to remind myself why I do this job. Reading good books is one way to do that. Books are the best travel companions around.
Posted by Marie on April 04, 2018
Veronica Roth is the bestselling author who rocked the YA world with the Divergent series. This April, she'll be on tour to promote her latest novel, The Fates Divide, the sequel to the 2017 Goodreads Choice Award nominee Carve the Mark. As she prepared for her trip, we asked her what books she'll pack along for the ride and how she'll include reading as part of her travel plans.
But I also want to be able to bring my favorite sneakers on tour, so I do read ebooks when I travel. I load them on my massive phone (a Pixel XL—the size is in the name) so I don’t have to carry an ereader. I also listen to audiobooks, but they carry the unfortunate risk of lulling me to sleep when I’m on an airplane. Not because they’re boring—because pretty much anything lulls me to sleep on an airplane.
Anyway, here are the reads I’m planning to bring on tour with me:
I’ve been looking forward to this read for a long time. It’s mostly because of going on writing dates with Laurie. “Do I need to explain why Nell wants to be the best? You wouldn’t ask a boy that question,” she said once, and it really stuck with me. Nell, Winner Take All’s main character, wants success because she wants it. And I want to read about that ambitious girl with the sharp edges.
I will recommend the Binti series to anyone who has ever liked science fiction. They’re quick reads, but packed into those pages is some seriously good world-building. Binti gets accepted to the most prestigious university in the galaxy, but going there means in some way betraying her people—and that’s just where the story starts. I am excited to finally see how it all ends!
This is another conclusion to a series, but if you haven’t read the Illuminae books, you’ve got to! This is the one volume I’ll bring in paper form because these books are like works of art. They are funny and clever, and despite their substantial length, they fly right by.
This is a bit of a cheat, but I’m very fortunate to be able to tour with two other authors, Somaiya Daud and Kara Thomas. In a way, their books are part of what I’m bringing on tour, even though I’ve already read them.
The worst part about this book was that it ended. It’s about Amani, who is kidnapped by her people’s conquerors, the Vathek, to be a body double for the half-Vathek princess. Any wrong move and she’s pretty much doomed. Amani is smart, observant, and a passionate lover of poetry. The world-building is lush and detailed. And the love story—oh my. Add this one to your Want-to-Read shelf, for sure.
Mirage will be available on August 31.
Mirage will be available on August 31.
Kara Thomas is the author of the upcoming novel The Cheerleaders as well as Little Monsters and The Darkest Corners. These YA mystery-thrillers will take over your life and your mind until you finish them. All of Kara’s books are about thorny, complicated young women. I recommend all three books highly, if you haven’t gotten your hands on them yet.
The Cheerleaders will be available on July 31.
The Cheerleaders will be available on July 31.
The Fates Divide is now available at a bookstore near you. Don't forget to add it to your Want-to-Read shelf!
Check out more recent blogs:
Spring's Biggest Book-to-Screen Adaptations
Twisty Teen Mysteries: Sara Shepard's YA Must-Reads
Fierce, Willful, and Defiant: Our Readers' Favorite Fictional Heroines
Check out more recent blogs:
Spring's Biggest Book-to-Screen Adaptations
Twisty Teen Mysteries: Sara Shepard's YA Must-Reads
Fierce, Willful, and Defiant: Our Readers' Favorite Fictional Heroines
Spring's Biggest Book-to-Screen Adaptations
Posted by Cybil on April 02, 2018
Posted by Cybil on April 02, 2018
Order your movie tickets and fire up your queue! A brand-new season of thrilling adaptations is under way, including Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One and HBO’s Fahrenheit 451. In fact, there's still time to dig out your dog-eared copies from English class before watching either of these beloved classics on the big and little screen.
For this roundup, we focused on film and television adaptations with release dates from March 20 to June 20—essentially when spring fever hits the Northern Hemisphere. The release dates are also based in the U.S., which means our friends from across the pond might have already seen The Child in Time or Little Women before their premiere on PBS.
Try to keep the comments spoiler-free. Or better yet, prepare for your viewing experience by adding your favorites to your Want to Read shelf. If a particular adaptation catches your eye and you'd like to know more, you can always click on the book cover for more information.
For this roundup, we focused on film and television adaptations with release dates from March 20 to June 20—essentially when spring fever hits the Northern Hemisphere. The release dates are also based in the U.S., which means our friends from across the pond might have already seen The Child in Time or Little Women before their premiere on PBS.
Try to keep the comments spoiler-free. Or better yet, prepare for your viewing experience by adding your favorites to your Want to Read shelf. If a particular adaptation catches your eye and you'd like to know more, you can always click on the book cover for more information.
Moored in an Arctic wasteland, the crew members of a Royal Naval expedition must fight for their survival against a bleak and icy landscape—and a monstrous predator. This series stars Jared Harris, Ciarán Hinds, and Tobias Menzies.
In the dismal reality of 2045, the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS has died and posthumously released a video in which he challenges all players to solve his game—and win his fortune. This Steven Spielberg-directed movie stars Olivia Cooke, Hannah John-Kamen, and Ben Mendelsohn.
A children's book author confronts the unthinkable when his three-year-old daughter is taken at the supermarket. Now grief and devastation wreck his world as his marriage falls apart. This film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kelly MacDonald, and Stephen Campbell Moore.
When a high-ranking politician hires an ex-FBI agent to save his teenage daughter from a Manhattan brothel, our hero uncovers a web of corruption that even he may not be able to unravel. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, and Alessandro Nivola.
E.M. Forster’s classic novel is coming to the Starz network as a four-episode series, which has already aired on BBC One in the U.K. It stars Hayley Atwell, Philippa Coulthard, Matthew Macfadyen, and Tracey Ullman.
A young man is forced to leave his geodesic dome with nothing but the teachings of futurist philosopher R. Buckminster Fuller to guide him. This journey of self-discovery is now a film that stars Asa Butterfield, Alex Wolff, and Nick Offerman.
A lush, raw, thrilling novel of the senses about a year in the life of a uniquely beguiling young woman, set in the wild, alluring world of a famous downtown New York restaurant. It stars Evan Jonigkeit and Ella Purnell.
A young man is paralyzed after a car accident and turns to drawing as a form of therapy. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, and Rooney Mara.
This enduring classic follows the lives of the March sisters as they come of age in a time of war. Adapted multiple times through multiple generations, this beloved favorite is now set to premiere on PBS as a miniseries starring Maya Hawke, Kathryn Newton, and Dylan Baker.
England, 1962. An idyllic romance between a young musician and an earnest history student falls prey to societal pressures. Now they face their wedding night with doubt and uncertainty. This film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emily Watson, and Samuel West.
HBO is adapting Ray Bradbury's classic dystopian novel about "firemen" who spend their time burning books. The movie stars Sofia Boutella, Michael Shannon, and Michael B. Jordan.
20 Top-Rated True Crime Books on Goodreads
Posted by Cybil on April 02, 2018
If anyone knows that truth is often stranger than fiction, it's the true crime reader. So for those murderinos out there, we've rounded up 20 of the top-rated true crime tales on Goodreads.
In order to make the lineup, every book on this list had to have at least a four-star rating from the Goodreads community as well as several thousand reviews. That means, you may notice that some of the usual suspects may be absent.
Just missing the cut are The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (one of the most-reviewed true crime books on Goodreads, with a 3.99 average rating) and Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith (another popular book with a 3.99 rating).
If you're looking for a new book, check out 2018's four-star true crime tales that are just now gaining a mass following, most notably the February release I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer as well as The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist and the upcoming release The Feather Thief.
Posted by Cybil on April 02, 2018
In order to make the lineup, every book on this list had to have at least a four-star rating from the Goodreads community as well as several thousand reviews. That means, you may notice that some of the usual suspects may be absent.
Just missing the cut are The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (one of the most-reviewed true crime books on Goodreads, with a 3.99 average rating) and Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith (another popular book with a 3.99 rating).
If you're looking for a new book, check out 2018's four-star true crime tales that are just now gaining a mass following, most notably the February release I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer as well as The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist and the upcoming release The Feather Thief.
What true crime book got you hooked on the genre? Share it with your fellow readers in the comments!
Check out the complete coverage of Mystery & Thriller Week:
20 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of Spring
50 Hidden Gems for the Well-Read Mystery Fan
Top 100 Mysteries & Thrillers on Goodreads
Check out the complete coverage of Mystery & Thriller Week:
20 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of Spring
50 Hidden Gems for the Well-Read Mystery Fan
Top 100 Mysteries & Thrillers on Goodreads
Mystery & Thriller Week 2018
Posted by Marie on April 02, 2018
Top 100 Mysteries & Thrillers
From Miss Marple to Gone Girl, check out our readers' all-time-favorite picks.
Suspenseful Reads for True Romantics
Get intoxicating recommendations from romantic suspense queen Linda Howard.
What will you be reading for Mystery Week?
Let us know in the comments!
Posted by Marie on April 02, 2018
It's time to gather the clues, round up the suspects, narrowly escape danger, and savor the thrill of figuring out "whodunit" in our best pulse-pounding reads.
Twisty Teen Mysteries: Sara Shepard's YA Must-Reads
Posted by Marie on April 02, 2018
Want to read a twisty mystery? Check out...
Eager for a scary unreliable narrator? You'll enjoy...
Is high school the scariest place ever? Find out in...
Enjoy spooky historical mysteries? These are to die for...
Posted by Marie on April 02, 2018
When it comes to teens who juggle solving crimes with acing class, there's no better expert than Sara Shepard. As the author of The New York Times-bestselling series and hit TV show Pretty Little Liars, Shepard is familiar with the unique challenges these young sleuths face. It's a theme she continues to explore in her upcoming New Adult mystery-thriller, The Elizas (available April 17). Here, she shares her take on the thrill of reading YA mysteries and some of her favorite recommendations.
I haven't been stalked. I haven't been kidnapped. I haven't come upon a dead body in the woods. All things considered, I had a pretty idyllic childhood: roller-skating, summers at the pool, an obsession with my Golden Retriever. There was barely any strife in my family worth noting. So why then was I obsessed with books about mysteries and mayhem and secrets at a very early age?
Why did I devour Stephen King novels under the covers? And why, even in my earliest attempts at fiction, were my stories always about girls going missing, or friends found dead, or—my favorite—a young girl being gaslighted by her crazy older sister? It's a good thing my parents never read those stories. They might have been concerned.
I'm not the only person drawn to reading mysteries and thrillers, though. These stories give us a puzzle to solve and they thrill us. They're packed with twists and turns we can't predict. Their plots have a breathlessness to them. The stories offer us an escape, though it's the opposite of the escape we get from a romance novel because there is no way I'd ever want to be a detective, a victim, or even a side character in a thriller.
But I'm still not totally sure why I loved thrillers as a teen even more than I loved my Converse All-Stars, my Nirvana CDs, or my dingy collection of vintage flannels (I was a child of the '90s). Maybe it's this: When I was a teen, my life sometimes felt like a thriller. Not much was in my control…and that was kind of scary.
There were a lot of plot twists about friends and boys and school and family I couldn't predict: some of it good, but some of it not so good. I could relate to that lack of control the characters in thrillers often felt; that horrible things were happening to them and they just wanted all of this to stop…but they couldn't. Sure, my dilemmas were way less dramatic than those I found on the page, but my emotions were big and bold in high school, so everything really did feel like life or death.
And also, so many thrillers feature secrets: kids covering up an awful crime they committed, the secret killer hiding in plain sight, a buried mistake that unravels everything. I had secrets in high school. I wasn't hoping that my secrets would lead to something horrible happening like they did in the books I loved, but it made me feel better that other people, even fictional characters, were keeping some too. Or maybe it's a lot simpler than that. Maybe I just liked the blood-pumping adrenalized feeling of being afraid!
So happy Mystery Week, everyone. Enjoy staying up late to finish your favorite book…and then being too freaked out to fall asleep. It's worth it.
Why did I devour Stephen King novels under the covers? And why, even in my earliest attempts at fiction, were my stories always about girls going missing, or friends found dead, or—my favorite—a young girl being gaslighted by her crazy older sister? It's a good thing my parents never read those stories. They might have been concerned.
I'm not the only person drawn to reading mysteries and thrillers, though. These stories give us a puzzle to solve and they thrill us. They're packed with twists and turns we can't predict. Their plots have a breathlessness to them. The stories offer us an escape, though it's the opposite of the escape we get from a romance novel because there is no way I'd ever want to be a detective, a victim, or even a side character in a thriller.
There were a lot of plot twists about friends and boys and school and family I couldn't predict: some of it good, but some of it not so good. I could relate to that lack of control the characters in thrillers often felt; that horrible things were happening to them and they just wanted all of this to stop…but they couldn't. Sure, my dilemmas were way less dramatic than those I found on the page, but my emotions were big and bold in high school, so everything really did feel like life or death.
And also, so many thrillers feature secrets: kids covering up an awful crime they committed, the secret killer hiding in plain sight, a buried mistake that unravels everything. I had secrets in high school. I wasn't hoping that my secrets would lead to something horrible happening like they did in the books I loved, but it made me feel better that other people, even fictional characters, were keeping some too. Or maybe it's a lot simpler than that. Maybe I just liked the blood-pumping adrenalized feeling of being afraid!
So happy Mystery Week, everyone. Enjoy staying up late to finish your favorite book…and then being too freaked out to fall asleep. It's worth it.
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What are your favorite YA mystery must-reads? Let us know in the comments!
Check out the complete coverage of Mystery & Thriller Week:
20 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of Spring
50 Hidden Gems for the Well-Read Mystery Fan
Let's Play: How To Make An Ominous-Sounding Mystery Title
20 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of Spring
50 Hidden Gems for the Well-Read Mystery Fan
Let's Play: How To Make An Ominous-Sounding Mystery Title
Let's Play: How To Make An Ominous-Sounding Mystery Title
Posted by Marie on April 02, 2018
Mainstream mystery titles have the uncanny ability to turn the ordinary into the ominous. Like a macabre version of Mad Libs, sometimes all a title needs is a combination of a person and a place to achieve maximum foreboding. The Body in the Library, The Couple Next Door, and The Woman in the Window are all prime examples of this. And if you want to turn the terror up a notch, you can never go wrong with adding the word "girl" to let readers know that trouble isn't too far away.
The rules to this game are simple: Match your birth month and birth date to the chart below. Then stand back for that spine-tingling (or snicker-inducing) effect. Who knows? Your title could be the next big name in the mystery genre!
What's your bestselling mystery title? Share it with us in the comments!
Posted by Marie on April 02, 2018
Mainstream mystery titles have the uncanny ability to turn the ordinary into the ominous. Like a macabre version of Mad Libs, sometimes all a title needs is a combination of a person and a place to achieve maximum foreboding. The Body in the Library, The Couple Next Door, and The Woman in the Window are all prime examples of this. And if you want to turn the terror up a notch, you can never go wrong with adding the word "girl" to let readers know that trouble isn't too far away.
The rules to this game are simple: Match your birth month and birth date to the chart below. Then stand back for that spine-tingling (or snicker-inducing) effect. Who knows? Your title could be the next big name in the mystery genre!
Check out the complete coverage of Mystery & Thriller Week:
'Til (Potentially Imminent) Death Do Us Part: Suspenseful Reads for Romantics
Twisty Teen Mysteries: Sara Shepard's YA Must-Reads
20 Top-Rated True-Crime Books on Goodreads
'Til (Potentially Imminent) Death Do Us Part: Suspenseful Reads for Romantics
Twisty Teen Mysteries: Sara Shepard's YA Must-Reads
20 Top-Rated True-Crime Books on Goodreads
20 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of Spring
Posted by Cybil on April 02, 2018
Picking a new release doesn't have to be a mystery! We've rounded up the top 20 new mysteries and thrillers of the season, from the gothic to the comedic—with tons of suspense and red herrings. These page-turners are guaranteed to keep you riveted.
To identify the biggest new mysteries and thrillers, we focused on the books Goodreads members are most anticipating as well as reactions from early reviewers. We measured anticipation by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. Then we only included books that are coming out between March and June and that have at least a 3.95-star rating. (If you're curious how you can read pre-published books and be among the first to rate them, check out our book giveaways.)
We know the suspense is killing you! So here are the season's buzziest new books for thrills and chills, in order of reader anticipation. How many will you be checking out?
Posted by Cybil on April 02, 2018
To identify the biggest new mysteries and thrillers, we focused on the books Goodreads members are most anticipating as well as reactions from early reviewers. We measured anticipation by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. Then we only included books that are coming out between March and June and that have at least a 3.95-star rating. (If you're curious how you can read pre-published books and be among the first to rate them, check out our book giveaways.)
We know the suspense is killing you! So here are the season's buzziest new books for thrills and chills, in order of reader anticipation. How many will you be checking out?
What new mysteries and thrillers are you excited to add to your Want to Read shelves? Let us know in the comments.
