Washington Independent Review of Books

Join the Sugar & Spice Book Club at @peoplesbooktakoma.com in Takoma Park, MD, today at 5 p.m. for a discussion of @mbguel.bsky.social's THEY AIN'T PROPER (@bellabooks.bsky.social). It's our Spotlight Event! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/sug... #booksky

If you need us, we'll be in our bubble talking books all week! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/a-l... #booksky

Our Week in Reviews: 2/28/26. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/our... @putnambooks.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social @wmmorrowbooks.bsky.social #booksky

Planning to register for the 2026 Washington Writers Conference? Don't wait! Our Early Bird Rate ends tomorrow night! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/our... @dcwriterscon.bsky.social #booksky

Not to be alarmist, folks, but the Early Bird rate for WWC26 is about to fly away! Register by 2/28 to pitch 3 agents or small presses, learn from publishing pros, & find your writing tribe! @dcwriterscon.bsky.social @wirobooks.bsky.social
www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/page/the-202...

A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing: A Novel | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

A family’s fantastical secret is rooted in China’s violent past. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/a... @wmmorrowbooks.bsky.social @marciegeffner.bsky.social #booksky

I am squarely within author James Cheshire's target audience of people who love maps; check out my review to see if you're there, too. @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social @wirobooks.bsky.social
"We’re not the first country to use maps as a saber-rattling exercise, but it does seem awfully 19th century."

Miss you every day, Dad. Thank you for so much, including making me a reader, which in turn made me a writer.

The Library of Lost Maps: An Archive of a World in Progress | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

An exquisite homage to the charts that plot the way. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/t... @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social @jbywrites.bsky.social #booksky

Coming to @awpwriter.org's #AWP26? Visit your friends from @wirobooks.bsky.social at Booth T845. We'll have some drawings & WWC discounts, & we're just generally fun and chill to hang around in the mayhem. Also, remember our new slogan: "The Washington Post doesn't cover books anymore--but WE do!"

The Washington Writers Conference Presents Stefan Fatsis. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/the... @dcwriterscon.bsky.social @stefanfatsis.bsky.social @groveatlantic.bsky.social #booksky

Simple Heart: A Novel | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

A Korean adoptee searches for her origins in this too-neat tale. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/s... @alicestephens.bsky.social #booksky

I love how WIRB drops these little insights into their reviews:

On the TV show “Crossfire,” conservative commentator Pat Buchanan asked her, “What is this preoccupation with sex in books for 10-year-old children?” Blume smiled. “Are you hung up on masturbation?” she retorted.

#FreedomToRead

An Interview with Margena A. Christian. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/an-... @drmargenaxan.bsky.social #booksky

Judy Blume: A Life | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

An adoring ode to the beloved author. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/j... @putnambooks.bsky.social @judyblume.bsky.social #booksky

Fantastic tips for AWP!

An AWP Conference Survival Guide! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/an-... @cabockwrites.bsky.social @awpwriter.org @masonjarpress.bsky.social @thewriterscenter.bsky.social @baltimorereview.bsky.social @mocounderground.bsky.social @modernartistpress.bsky.social #booksky

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The Doctors’ Riot of 1788: Body Snatching, Bloodletting, and Anatomy in America | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

Extraneous details bury the thrills in this corpse-stealing tale. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/t... #booksky

Black in Blues | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

ICYMI: A mesmerizing ode to a hue and a history. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/b... @eccobooks.bsky.social @imaniperry.bsky.social #booksky

More snow? More like "an extra excuse to stay in and talk books." See? It's all in the framing! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/a-l... #booksky

Kin: A Novel | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

“Family is more than blood in ‘Kin,’ and it’s stronger than all the pain and heartbreak life serves up.”
In @wirobooks.bsky.social‬‬, Tara Campbell reviews Tayari Jones’ new novel, “Kin” - www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/k...

Our Week in Reviews: 2/21/26. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/our... @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social @aaknopf.bsky.social @pantheonbooks.bsky.social @amazonpublishing.bsky.social #booksky

One Aladdin Two Lamps | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

"Winterson uses her imagination to offer us a world better than our own."

Read the full review of Jeanette Winterson's ONE ALADDIN TWO LAMPS in @wirobooks.bsky.social here:

The Water Lies | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

Was a young woman’s accidental drowning actually murder? www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/t... @amazonpublishing.bsky.social #booksky

On Poetry: February 2026. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/on-... @stevenleyva.bsky.social @riotinyourthroat.bsky.social #booksky

The Neighborhood: Space, State, and Daily Life in a Manchurian City | Washington Independent Review of Books The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

"An unremarkable Chinese crossroads proves anything but." www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/t... @uchicagopress.bsky.social #booksky

The Washington Writers Conference presents Bethany C. Morrow! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/the... @dcwriterscon.bsky.social @bethanycmorrow.com @tornightfire.bsky.social #booksky

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Come talk book reviewing with us at the University of Baltimore TONIGHT at 6 p.m.! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/the... @stevenleyva.bsky.social @hsmithwrites.bsky.social #booksky