Latest news with #books
The Independent
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
10 best thriller books to read in 2025, from classics to new releases
If you're in a reading slump and want something to capture your attention, we've found the best thriller books that will have you hooked from the get-go. With everything from red herrings and unreliable narrators to disappearances, blackmail, toxic relationships and plenty of twists, the thriller genre consistently dominates the charts. Plus, with subgenres including spy, crime, suspense and mystery, there truly is something for everyone. Many thriller books have become classics, adapted for the big and small screens (Gone Girl and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo have become blockbuster movies). But there are plenty of releases that are lesser-known or a bit out of the ordinary but just as riveting (Wrong Place, Wrong Time, for example). As someone who reads several thrillers a month and always keeps an eye out for the latest and greatest releases, I've compiled a list of the best of the best, highlighting authors who should definitely be on your radar. How I tested Taking into consideration a number of popular reads and emerging subgenres, I've curated this list based on the books that feature great storytelling, characters, twists and shocking moments, to find the ones that kept me gripped the whole way through. I assessed how the story flowed as a whole, along with the accessibility of the writing. Drawing up my final list of top titles meant whittling down the stories to those that have stuck with me for months (and on some occasions years). Why you can trust IndyBest reviews Ellis Cochrane is an avid reader who has thumbed her way through hundreds of thrillers over the years, so, she knows how to spot great storylines and compelling characters. She's reviewed a wide range of literature for IndyBest, from the best romance novels to epic fantasy books, and will only recommend titles she believes are worth a spot on your bookcase. The best thriller books for 2025 are:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former Inmates Shared Secrets About What Being In Prison Is Really Like, And I Have No Words
A while back, people from the BuzzFeed Community and on Reddit revealed what it's actually like to be incarcerated based on their experience (or the experience of others they know) — and their responses range from shocking to utterly heartbreaking. Here are some of the most eye-opening ones: 1."The guards can decide an inmate can't have something whenever they feel like it. Even though it's something they've been getting and having all the time. I would bring my mother things I know for a fact she was allowed to have because I read the list a million times over. But after standing in line forever, you get to the window and give them the stuff. They will give back the things she suddenly isn't allowed to have, but could, like, a week before. All because they feel like it and would take whatever they wanted." "I was told more than once that they would open what I gave her and take things. They took brand new no-name sneakers I got for her because I guess they wanted them more. I would get her a replacement pair, and they would take those, too. I got her a third pair, and she finally got them because it was a different guard." —pullhandlesupnotout 2."Jail sucks. I wouldn't have survived if my husband hadn't sent me books every few days. I was in jail for six months, and books were the only thing we had. I had read hundreds of books by the time I left. I had stacks in my cell from floor to ceiling, and I would rent them out to the women in my pod for things they made, like Jolly Rancher wrapper picture frames, drawings, soap sculptures, ramen, etc. When I left, I gave the women all my books, and you would have thought I gave them each $5,000 or something." "The library only had maybe 1,000 books, so if you're in there long enough, you go through them in no time; you end up reading things you don't even wanna read. I was never a big reader before jail, but it's one thing I've continued to do outside of those jail walls — that and using the coping skills I was forced to learn out of desperation. But if you ever need to get rid of books, donate them to a county jail. They will get read and be appreciated by everyone who picks them up. I promise you. They will go to good use. To this day, I donate books to the county jail because I understand what it's like. Also, not every person in jail is a bad person. You learn quickly that even the smartest, nicest, and most promising people end up in bad situations that land them there. So, you learn to be mindful and never judge a book by its cover." —emmajeanl2 3."My ex was in Rikers a few times and also upstate. Phone calls and commissary are expensive because the companies the prison contracts with are price-gougers. Inmates are often transferred to another prison without notice, and the guards toss everything in their cell when they do — letters, photos, etc. You completely lose your agency in there. When inmates leave, they don't know how to run their own lives. It's a shame because most people serving time get out and have to live in society with us. You'd think we'd want them prepared to take on life's challenges so they don't offend again. But in America, prison is not rehabilitative; it's punitive." "Compare that to Norway, where you live basically like you did outside, just sequestered. Recidivism rates are super low. In America, we have to contend with institutionalized racism. It sucks." —jenmas 4."Your word is everything. Breaking your word puts you roughly on par with a sex offender. You give your word on something, it needs to be gospel. Someone gives you theirs, assume it is too — and be ready to go if it isn't." —u/Cerinthus 5."Everything is for sale, or at least has a market value. Don't do anything for free unless it's for someone you know." —u/Cerinthus 6."Sustained eye contact means you're starting something. Someone makes it with you, assume they're sizing you up." —u/Cerinthus 7."Current prisoner here in the Philippines. Anything can be smuggled in if you pay the right guards — even sex workers. Money is power." "You can get away with almost anything if you have enough money." —u/TotallyDepraved 8."There are people to avoid, and if you have a decent celly (cellmate), they'll point them out, somewhat like Shawshank." "I was in medium security for six months on credit card fraud, so I wasn't near any expected dangerous people anyway, but there were still the territorial guys you were just better off avoiding." —u/ripplecutbuddha2 Related: "I Know You Aren't Trying To Hurt Me." Doctors, Nurses, And First Responders Are Revealing The Most "Haunting" Last Words They've Heard From A Patient 9."Keep to yourself, and don't stand out in any way. This also means don't be the 'funny' guy who makes everyone laugh. You want to be as invisible as possible, really." "For the most part, it's nothing like what you see in TV and movies. Don't start anything, but be willing and able to defend yourself if need be." —[deleted user] 10."Not being able to leave is incredibly frustrating and nearly impossible to put out of your mind. The entire time, part of your mind is raging at your captivity." —[deleted user] 11."People gamble a lot. Sometimes you will enter a unit, and people gamble on everything. You wanna play chess? You need to gamble to play. Dominoes? Gamble to play. Basketball? Gamble." "I remember we watched The Bachelor, and we all had money on which woman the guy would kick off the show. Meanwhile, the guard is confused about why 30 people are all watching The Bachelor rose ceremony." —u/61pm61 12."The guards just sat and watched YouTube all day and night. Seems like a dream job if you've got no soul." —u/DrMeowbutuSeseSeko "Had an uncle who was a guard. Said it was the most soul-destroying job he'd ever had. He also said that most of the time, he got along better with the prisoners than with the other guards." —u/foul_ol_ron Related: 26 People Who Had Overwhelming Gut Instincts They Couldn't Were Right 13."Not a longtimer here, but show everyone respect. If you bump into someone, it's critical to say, 'I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention.'" "You never shake hands, you fist-bump. You can't be nice to the guards — just polite. There are a LOT more illiterate people than I ever thought possible." —u/drank-too-much 14."For me, the loss of everything outside of my body was the biggest shock. You don't have anything they don't want you to have when you first go in, so in a way, it's like being born into a new world, but fully aware." —u/ripplecutbuddha2 15."I was a female inmate in a state prison. Anyway, I know there's a huge difference between men's and women's jails, and a huge difference between jail and prison. But one thing that no one tells you is that it's going to be so boring. So endlessly boring." "For women's and state prison, there are a lot of programs and jobs available to fill your time, but there's always a wait — and you have to be in for a certain amount of time before you qualify for a lot of things. While I didn't enjoy my stay there, I always ended up being able to make the most of it and have a good time." —u/chchchchia86 16."Wear slippers in the shower, and shower every day. Not doing one of those gets you beat up here in California." —u/hb_simon 17."Summer vacations. A friend of mine was recently locked up during summer months. Because guards take vacation the same time as everyone else, three days a week were spent on lockdown — meaning that one to two hours of outside time didn't apply because of staff shortage." "He's out now, and very thankful for his freedom." —u/FattyDD 18."A friend of mine did some time. He had internet and PlayStation, and a chef made breakfast and dinner every day. They had to make lunch themselves with access to a full complimentary kitchen. Knives, cutlery, and so on were freely available." "They often went outside to shop groceries, and some even went to work. Basically, the only thing was to stay away from the sex offenders. This was a medium-security correctional facility in Norway." —u/Sensur10 19."No one tells you how hungry you're gonna be. The food sucks — and not just sucks; it's absolutely not fit for human consumption. But you get hungry enough to eat it. They only serve 1,200 calories a day in women's prison (at least mine did)." —u/chchchchia86 20."A lot of people were uneducated. No idea about geography, history, science, or anything. This led to me being a tutor in there for people taking the GED." —u/61pm61 21."It's WAY louder than you think it would be. There are always people who never seem to sleep." —[deleted user] 22."There is a store there, and you can get anything you want. The way a store works is that one or two people in the unit have every possible commissary item you can get." "You want a bag of sour cream potato chips? He'll give it to you, and next week, you owe two bags. Or you get two ramen soups and owe him three next week. I will never forget when Hurricane Sandy hit, and the unit ran out of coffee. People couldn't function and stopped working out, and coffee throughout the jail was going for super-high prices." —u/61pm61 And finally... 23."Try not to talk about your time or open up about how you are feeling about it. There's always somebody who is going to do way more time than you and doesn't want to hear it." "Let's say you're fighting a case, and that case has you doing 16 months. I understand that a lot of people would be stressed about it — I get it; jail sucks. That being said, try to keep that to yourself unless somebody you are cool with asks." —u/hb_simon Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Have you (or someone you know) ever been in prison? What was the surprising thing about your experience? If you feel comfortable sharing your story, you can use the comments or this anonymous form below. Also in Internet Finds: 51 Wildly Fascinating Photos Of Disorders, Injuries, And Variations In The Human Body That I Cannot Stop Staring At Also in Internet Finds: 23 People Who Tried Their Best, But Crapped The Bed So Bad Also in Internet Finds: 27 Grown-Ass Adults Who Threw Such Unbelievable Temper Tantrums, Even The Brattiest Toddler Couldn't Compete
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Author John Green has advice for Gen Z to ‘shrink the empathy gap'
John Green is best known for his tear-jerking young adult novels. But beyond the emotionally charged lives of two teens bound by more than their illnesses in his bestseller, The Fault in Our Stars, Green has become widely recognized for giving his curious audience a crash course in everything from history and philosophy to science and current events. He's known to his over two million social media followers as an expert in centuries-old historical events, global health, and our modern technological landscape. Green is able to connect with a broad audience because of his uncanny ability to understand the dark and complex realities of people—particularly young ones. And he has a message for them. 'I worry a lot that young people are affected by the terrible disease of loneliness at a scale that we haven't seen before,' he tells Fortune. With the rise in social media came a decline in mental health, and a global pandemic that shut down schools and isolated kids as they were coming of age only worsened things. In one recent analysis, a fourth of people aged 15 to 18 reported feeling lonely, which can exacerbate mental health issues. Dubbed the 'anxious generation' by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, young adults today may be the loneliest group of all. With looming uncertainty about the future of work, AI, and the economy, Green has a simple lesson for young people. 'I think they should be reading more books,' Green says. 'But I'm biased. That's like asking a musician if people should listen to music.' Nonetheless, he sees reading as the most significant character development tool for young people. 'My case for books is that they shrink the empathy gap,' Green says, 'because when I read Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield isn't my friend or my spouse or my anything, [but] he is as close as I can come to being someone else.' Being socially isolated can block people from feeling empathy for others. In the latest annual World Happiness Report, a ranking of happiest countries in the world, the U.S. dropped out of the top 20, largely because of young Americans' discontent due to social isolation and worsening mental health. A key marker of happiness, per the report, is believing in the good of others. Lacking valuable social connections can make believing in the goodwill of others more challenging. Finding a way to bridge the empathy gap, as Green says, could encourage us to reach out to people, beyond the pages of a book. 'Through the process of imagining with clarity and sophistication what it's like to be someone else, we both learn what it's like to be ourselves, but we also learn what it's like to be one of the 8 billion other people on this planet,' Green says. This story was originally featured on
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Kinokuniya's Kenny Chan on intuition, empathic connections, and his moral compass
CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Kinokuniya's Kenny Chan on intuition, empathic connections, and his moral compass Kenny Chan led Kinokuniya's business in Singapore and the region for almost 20 years. He's credited for building the Japanese bookstore's presence in Singapore, and seeing it through particularly challenging times in the book business. Kenny shares how his "rollercoaster of a journey" took him from the carnival, to a diplomatic posting in London, and finally, to the defining chapter of his career — which began when he was "ambushed" with a single question: "Do you love books?" 55 mins CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Businessman Anwar Tahar's path to success is paved with compassion and grit Mohamed Anwar Tahar is the founder and managing director of POS TKI, a logistics and shipping company. He is especially well-regarded as a pillar of the Indonesian foreign domestic helper community here, as he's known for his dedication in promoting their wellbeing and dignity. Anwar's road to success has taken a few detours, but along the way, he gained valuable lessons in hard work, compassion, and humility. He shares his journey in this interview. 37 mins CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: How The Social Outcast's Chef Mint found his authentic self in culinary artistry Aminurrashid Hasnordin — better known as Chef Mint — is co-owner of the acclaimed omakase restaurant, The Social Outcast, which used to be at Katong. But on the road to culinary success, he's had to overcome many challenges, especially during his youth. Chef Mint shares the most valuable lessons he's gained through his journey. 36 mins CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: How former investment professional Qi Zhai-McCartney found her calling as a psychotherapist For almost 20 years, Qi Zhai-McCartney thrived as an investment professional, working for large investment houses in the US, China, and Singapore. But the native of Harbin, China, always felt something was amiss. The passing of a close family member caused her to re-evaluate her life's calling. Today, as a psychotherapist and coach, Qi helps individuals and couples through rough periods in their life. She shares the most valuable lessons her journey has given her. 35 mins
CNA
4 days ago
- General
- CNA
Commentary: Libraries are more than their books – just look at the Yale-NUS uproar
SINGAPORE: It is an oddity in our world of fast fashion and disposables that we're reluctant to dispose of books. While I'm unsentimental about discarding old clothes and furniture, books give me pause: Those that did not move out with me still form a disorderly pile in my parents' place, eliciting occasional mild distress. I'm clearly not alone: The active Facebook group Books Don't Throw (Singapore) is 117,000-strong and growing. Community libraries have flourished, run out of Housing Board void decks or like the Casual Poet Library, where individual shelves are rented and curated by different owners. The outrage over the ill-considered and unceremonious disposal of books from the Yale-NUS College library is more evidence of how many of us feel strongly about books. One of my most prized possessions is a second-hand copy of How the Hills Are Distant, a poetry collection by the late pioneering Malaysian poet Wong Phui Nam, published in 1968. Mr Wong was a beloved friend and mentor, a friendship that bridged our difference in years, before he passed in 2022. A Malaysian friend gifted me this rare book, declining to tell me how he found it. If someone tried to take it away from me, loss of limb, or even life, might ensue. Even without a backstory, the physical book feels sacred in our age of digital reproduction. THE VALUE OF THE SECONDHAND BOOK Perhaps only works of art, national symbols and religious objects share this distinction. We seem to instinctively prize the tremendous value books can bring to the next reader – and the next in its onward journey – above other forms of value generated by secondhand items. (Would a similar disposal of library chairs have triggered a similar outcry? Maybe not.) It's important, however, to recognise that institutions do face different considerations from individuals. NOT A ROUTINE WEEDING EXERCISE Speaking to librarian friends in the wake of the Yale-NUS uproar, some worried that some commenters were taking a simplistic view that books should never be discarded. Libraries around the world routinely practice weeding, to ensure their collections maintain their quality and relevance, given limited space. Damaged books are recycled. Duplicate, outdated or less-used books are withdrawn, given away and sometimes recycled. For example, Nanyang Technological University has said that outdated or older editions of books are sent for recycling. As an author, I've made my peace with the possibility that my books will get damaged, remaindered or even destroyed. Yet it's clear that NUS Libraries should not have treated the closure of the Yale-NUS Library as a routine weeding exercise, which they have acknowledged as an 'operational lapse'. Although NUS Libraries rehomed 80 per cent (or 36,000 books) of the Yale-NUS collection in its other libraries, they still intended to dispose of 9,000 books, without making wider attempts to rehome these books, beyond select faculty members. Two Yale-NUS professors have come out to say that they were not informed of supposed attempts to give away these books to faculty. That the administration did not realise that Yale-NUS students and alumni might have wanted the books speaks of a deep disconnect. LIBRARIES ARE MORE THAN THEIR BOOKS But the issue goes beyond rehoming these books. Libraries develop a significance beyond individual books. One of Singapore's foremost artists, Shubigi Rao, has worked on a years-long project, Pulp, on banished and destroyed books. In her book Pulp II: A Visual Bibliography Of The Banned Book, Rao examines the 1992 destruction of the Vijecnica library of Sarajevo, deliberately targeted by Serbian nationalists. The poet Goran Simic, interviewed by Rao, said: 'It's like they tried to kill the memory of Bosnia, of Yugoslavia, of the world.' In the midst of shells and sniper fire, Simic organised a group of friends to retrieve books and ultimately rescued over a million books. The library and its survival have become a symbol of Bosnia. As I place my copy of Pulp II back on my shelves, I realise that all libraries, including my own, are singular acts of synchronicity. Never again will these books meet in such a constellation. They're an expression of who I am, and used to be. Associate Professor Andrew Hui, a founding faculty member, told CNA that he recalled contributing hundreds of suggestions to build the Yale-NUS library's early collection, before a professional librarian was appointed. These books, which have passed through many hands, connect hundreds of students and alumni across the years. With the closure of Yale-NUS, the remnants of its library have become a potent symbol of the soon-to-be-defunct institution. Ultimately, the university's oversight – not just an ' operational lapse ' – was not recognising the symbolic significance of the library, and its meaning to the Yale-NUS community. I turned up to the Yale-NUS library on Wednesday (May 28), the first day of the book giveaway that has been organised after the furore, as a guest of alumni – one of them, my brother. The place was quickly packed, with book lovers stalking the shelves, trying to moderate the size of their haul. A snaking queue formed to enter the library. Despite the events of the past 10 days, there was an air of carnival about the place. 'This is the best reunion,' my friend remarked. At the end of the day, only about 2,000 books are left for adoption according to the NUS Libraries Telegram channel. It would have been perfect if the book giveaway had been held alongside the Yale-NUS closing reunion, which took place two weeks ago. Yet this also seems a fitting, bittersweet end for this institution, where spirited student action has led to a much better outcome.
