Reading Lists

Electric Lit’s Best Short Story Collections of 2023

Collections by Alexandra Chang, Kelly Link, Yiyun Li, and Jamel Brinkley are among the year’s finest books of short fiction

10 Memoirs and Essay Collections by Black Women

These contemporary books illuminate the realities of the world for Black women in America

Electric Lit’s Best Poetry Collections of 2023

Gabrielle Bates, Sam Sax, Sally Wen Mao, and Edgar Kunz highlight a year of celebrated poetry collections

8 Books that Explore the Power Dynamics of Love Triangles

Sarah Blakley-Cartwright recommends stories about the shifting allegiances and power dynamics of a threesome

7 Heart-Pounding Heist Novels

Lee Matthew Goldberg recommends crime stories that subvert the expectations of the genre

Which Looks Better, Hardcovers or Paperbacks?

7 Dark and Unsettling Books by Korean Women Writers

Chin-Sun Lee recommends subversive works of fiction about women fighting against the patriarchy

10 Daring Bilingual Poetry Collections

Reyes Ramirez recommends poetry with a healthy disrespect for English that toss away rigid notions of language

7 Novels About Characters Driven by Their Cravings

Garnett Kilberg Cohen, author of "Cravings," recommends books about characters shaped by what they desire most

10 Books About Nonhuman Consciousness

Bennett Sims recommends stories that imagine what animals or inanimate objects might be thinking

7 Horror Novels About Mysticism

Samsun Knight, author of "The Diver," recommends books about characters who use occult rituals to explore the dark underbelly of our society

7 Books About Objects That Changed the World

Amy Brady, author of "Ice," recommends the secret histories behind everyday items