Believe it or not, the Holy Bible was among the 10 most challenged books in 2015. The list, prepared annually by the American Library Association (ALA), also includes best-selling young adult and romance novels.

There is much to be praised about Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “All the Light We Cannot See.” From its memorable protagonists to its epic World War II setting, the novel has all the elements of a great read. But what struck me the most is Doerr’s effective use of the unpopular omniscient point of view. Most writing teachers, editors, and literary agents advise writers to avoid the omni POV.

What do you do when you’re stressed out? Do you binge-eat Twinkies or binge-watch Netflix? As for me, it’s neither. When my stress level is off the charts, there’s nothing that can comfort me like reading a kick-ass thriller.

What do book critics outside of the United Kingdom consider the greatest British novel of all time? Hint: The book was written by a woman who used a male pen name.

It’s December—time for year-end roundups. In this article, I’m highlighting the five most popular book reviews posted on this blog. I review only books I like. I don’t always choose new books. I’ve reviewed some books written by authors I know, although they didn’t ask me to do it. Most of my choices were recommended by friends. The rest caught my attention after reading about them.

The romance novel has a reputation for being escapist and low brow. As a romance reader and author, I call it entertaining and accessible. Now you can add empowering and feminist to that description, according to survey results published in Maya Rodale’s book, “Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels.”

A Pew Research Center survey shows young Americans, women, and people with higher education and income are most likely to read books compared with other groups. The patterns hold for both print and e-books.

Seattle jumped from number four last year to this year’s most well-read city in America, according to Amazon.com. Portland, Ore.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Washington, D.C., round out the top five.

Eighty percent of the 10 most challenged books in 2014 reflect works by authors of color and culturally diverse content, according to the American Library Association (ALA).

A group of publishers, literary journals, and independent bookstores established Literary Hub (LitHub.com) as a one-stop Web site where readers will find both original and curated content. The site will go live today.