Utah’s book banning blitz reached a new milestone Friday, as the state added Lucky by Alice Sebold to the list of books that must be removed from every public school in the state.

The ban comes amidst a lawsuit challenging these state-sanctioned bans filed in February.

The average publication date of the titles banned by the state of Utah is now 2008–that’s nearly 20 years ago.

Despite claims this is about “local control,” schools in the state are forced to follow the decisions made in other districts. Just two school districts in the whole state account for the vast majority of bans.

🛑 Learn more about Utah’s book banning law and see the full list of censored titles. — KJ

Three of the season’s most anticipated novels arrive today. Take your pick!

Also hitting shelves this week:

📘 Stack up more of the week’s best new releases.

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Gutsy girls make history.

The American Stories for Gutsy Girls series brings young readers into pivotal moments in American history through the eyes of heroines who refused to back down. A Black orphan girl finds hope amid the upheaval of Civil War-era New York in The Four Seasons of Florence Wallace. In Five Days at the Hotel Adams, two Latina girls in 1910 Arizona uncover a dangerous plot and defy everything society expects of them.

Diverse, empowering, and grounded in real history, these books are for young readers ready to find their own courage.

Few people know more about what to do with intimidating classic books than Emily Wilson, who—among many other accomplishments—was the first woman to produce a full English translation of The Odyssey.

🤝 Hear all of Emily Wilson’s tips, and join our guided read-along of The Odyssey. You don’t have to go it alone!

Camille Perri is the author of Social Animals, out today from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Below, she explains how she reluctantly became a dog person, thanks to the dog that inspired the cover of her new novel.

A funny thing keeps happening when I tell people about my new dog-friendly novel, Social Animals. Along with affable support for my creation comes a deep, dark confession: “…and I don’t even like dogs.” Or they will whisper, “…but I am not a dog person.” To which I respond, “Same!”—until, of course, I somehow became one.

Before my animal-loving wife convinced me to allow a furry little Brussels Griffon into our home, I would have never imagined myself as the person I have become—someone with dog hair on all my clothes, treat crumbs in my pockets, and my pet’s face as my phone’s background. I used to be whatever the opposite of a dog person is, which is not to say I was a cat person, but that I was not about to give a chihuahua a pat on its tennis-ball-sized head, and if a golden-doodle on the sidewalk tried to cop a sniff of my pant leg, I would promptly cross the street. 

So, what the heck happened to me?

Dear reader, I wish I knew. All I can tell you is that my heart used to feel average in size and shape—if not a little underweight—and shortly after my new puppy began nuzzling my ear, that unlikely thing that happened to the Grinch who stole Christmas—when his heart grew three sizes—happened to me. Perhaps what I’m trying to say is: be careful! If I could be turned into a dog person, anyone can. So, yes, please do read Social Animals—but check your heart as you do so. Otherwise, you just might end up falling in love.   

She slaughtered the king’s soldiers. A goddess gave her wings.​

Kissed by the Gods is a thrilling romantasy in which love is the most dangerous weapon of all.

Leina has spent her life watching the powerful take everything. When soldiers come for her brother, her fury turns fatal — and instead of execution, she’s delivered to a military fortress where a goddess’s gift thrusts her into a realm of war, winged horses, and a gods-blessed warrior who keeps getting harder to hate.

Mr. Darcy and the guys from Heated Rivalry would probably be friends in real life, right? Grand gestures and swoon-inspiring speeches aren’t all they have in common now that they’re also on Libro.fm’s list of the bestselling audiobooks of 2026 so far.

Word-of-mouth hits The Correspondent and Theo of Golden have been neck-and-neck in the discourse, but Virginia Evans has a wide lead with listeners.

Freida McFadden remains the reigning queen of the bestseller list with four titles in the top 20.

Rom-coms old and new continue to steal listeners’ hearts.

Book club favorites The Women by Kristin Hannah (#4), The Wedding People by Alison Elspach (#10), and My Friends by Fredrik Backman (#13) also make the cut, along with Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry, the lone romantasy on the list. — RJS

Zinzi Clemmons is the author of Freedom: Essays, out today from Viking. Below, she discusses the authors who inspire her in fighting for the freedom of expression.

“We cannot lie in our books and we cannot lie in any of the things that we do. And perhaps this is the one good thing that has come out of the war,” The Italian writer and politician Natalia Ginzburg wrote in a 1946 essay titled “The Son of Man.”

Ginzburg, born into a prominent Italian family of academics and politicians, depicted her home life in her autobiographical novels and later was elected to the Italian parliament.

Ginzburg and her husband, Leone, were Jewish anti-fascist activists; Leone died in 1944 after being imprisoned and tortured for his political activities.

“The Son of Man,” one of many polemics she published, directly addresses how World War II uniquely impacted the younger generations, separating them irrevocably from the older ones.

Ginzburg’s work, and this essay specifically, served as inspiration for my essay collection, Freedom, where I reflect on how events like the Great Recession, Covid-19, and the rise of far-right political movements have shaped the experiences of young people in America. 

According to Ginzburg, this generational disadvantage made her generation “close to the truth of things,” and I believe the same to be true today.

In Freedom, I contemplate and celebrate the importance of freedom among which, as a writer, I hold freedom of expression paramount.

As we near the United States’ 250th anniversary at a moment of heightened tension for the country, as book bans and repressive legislation have reached a nadir, celebrating and supporting freedom of expression is more important than ever.

This summer, I will read and re-read writers like Ginzburg, James Baldwin, and others, who made deep sacrifices to champion the freedom of others. 

Two women. Two generations. One battle only one of them can win.

From Booker Prize nominee John Lanchester, Look What You Made Me Do is a sharply observed, darkly funny social satire skewering Netflix, gossipy book clubs, toxic parents, and the war between Olds and Youngs with gleeful precision.

Fans of Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Meg Wolitzer, and Maria Semple will love this “twisty novel of deceit and comeuppances.” (The Wall Street Journal).

Did you know? Paul Beatty was the first American to win the Man Booker Prize (The Sellout, 2015).

💍 Say “I do” to 11 great novels for wedding season.

🏖️ Pack your bag with the year’s best beach reads.

🎧 Chart the continued rise of audiobooks.

🏳️‍🌈 Queer your TBR all year by signing up for Our Queerest Shelves.

📚 Read these books by d/Deaf authors, from comics to memoirs to poetry.

Written by Rebecca Schinsky, Kelly Jensen, Jeff O’Neal, and Danika Ellis. Thanks to Vanessa Diaz for copy editing.

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