Books Briefing: The sexy dragon series ruling the best-seller list

Plus: Barbra Streisand's memoir arrives.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story November 7, 2023 Rebecca Yarros at Comic Con, where she greeted crowds of ecstatic fans. Nina Westervelt for The New York Times Hi readers, If you've looked at the best-seller list recently, you might noticed a relatively new name shoot to the top, then linger there for months: Rebecca Yarros. Yarros was a romance novelist with dedicated readership when she crossed over into "romantasy" — a mash-up of fantasy and romance — and was catapulted to an echelon of fame she's still trying to comprehend. Her novel "Fourth Wing," about telepathic dragons and their riders, has sold more than two million copies since its release in May, her publisher said. "It was a slow, steady build, and then it went absolutely mental," said Rebekah West, one of Yarros's editors. My colleague Alexandra Alter dove into Yarros's life, and it is fascinating — Yarros is part of a military family, a mother of six and the guardian of several pets. And that's just the beginning. "With writing you get stuck in a brand," Yarros told Alter. "If this is what you've written once, this is what they want you to keep writing, and my brain's never worked that way." Her new book, a sequel called "Iron Flame," is out today, and hundreds of readers feted its arrival in midnight book launch parties, a throwback to the fan fervor for "Twilight" and "Harry Potter." Maybe you're one of them, or maybe this is new territory to you. Either way, I'll wish you a good week of reading ahead. See you next week, Joumana Khatib P.S.: For the rest of this week, we're still on the hunt for any questions you might have about the Book Review and our coverage. Email your most burning inquiries to books@nytimes.com and we might answer some on an upcoming podcast episode. WHAT SHOULD YOU READ? Kobal/Shutterstock Nonfiction Her Name Is Barbra, but It Wasn't Always In a chatty and candid new memoir, Barbra Streisand talks about her early determination to be famous and tallies the hurdles and helpers she met along the way. By Alexandra Jacobs What Book Should You Read Next? Finding a book you'll love can be daunting. Let us help. By The New York Times Books Staff The New York Times 16 New Books Coming in November Barbra Streisand's mammoth biography, Stephanie Land's follow-up to "Maid," Sigrid Nunez's new novel and more. By The New York Times Books Staff Editors' choice 9 New Books We Recommend This Week Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT In other news Barbra Streisand's long-awaited (10 years in the making, by some accounts) memoir is here, and it's enormous — and very entertaining. "She may be megawatt famous," our critic Alexandra Jacobs writes in her review, "but between these covers she's just Bubbe Barbra at the kitchen table talking about fabrics and fellows who got fresh." What will happens to book illustrators when robots can draw robots? As Words Without Borders, a magazine dedicated to literature in translation, turns 20, it grapples with a deeply existential question: How best to celebrate words when bombs are dropping? RECENT BOOK REVIEWS nonfiction His Mother Spoke Truth to Power, Until She Was Killed for It Daphne Caruana Galizia devoted her life to exposing Malta's pervasive corruption, writes her son, the journalist Paul Caruana Galizia, in "A Death in Malta." By Clyde Haberman Fiction Paul Auster Walks the Long Valley of Grief in a New Novel In "Baumgartner," a professor contends with mortality and the haunting memory of his wife. By Fiona Maazel nonfiction For Stephanie Land, College Was the School of Hard Knocks In her second memoir, the author of "Maid" recounts the struggle of getting educated in America below the poverty line. By Nelson Lichtenstein Fiction In 'The Future,' Earth Barrels Toward Fiery Destruction Naomi Alderman's new novel imagines an end of the world that only the wealthiest can survive — or can they? By Ian Wang Nonfiction The Hard-Partying College Kids Who Were Also Drug Lords Max Marshall's "Among the Bros" investigates a multimillion-dollar crime network among fraternity brothers at the College of Charleston. By Rachel Fleit Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Gain unlimited access to The Times — with just one subscription. Independent reporting. Recipes. Games. Product reviews. Personalized sports journalism. Enjoy it all with an introductory offer. Love this email? Forward to a friend. Want this email? Sign-up here. Have a suggestion for this email? Then send us a note at books@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Books from The New York Times. To stop receiving Books, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018