So it comes to no surprise that road trips play an important role in American literature. An open road is a ridiculously obvious metaphor for a hero on a journey of self-discovery. They take various stops along the way, where their views of the world are challenged, and they grow more confident to reach their end point. Of course, the road isn’t always clear and is filled with reroutes and stops....
Beyond the science of geology, there’s a ton of history, culture, and art to examine as well. Why are some rocks considered valuable? What do the meanings we ascribe to different gems and crystals say about humanity? If you get deep into rock collecting, you may find related hobbies like rock tumbling or lapidary art, learning about the ways we prepare rocks to adorn our bodies and homes. If you’re on TikTok, go seek out the rock tumblers....
Anderson claims that Kobabe’s work is damaging under the state’s obscenity laws. He suggests: Unfortunately for Anderson, he’s conveniently left out section H of the Virginia obscenity laws, which reads as follows: As indicated before, obscenity laws demand examining a work in relation to its whole. Gender Queer is a book published for adult audiences, and the small excerpts making the rounds on social media featuring sex are age-appropriate and not representative of the whole of the book....
The trailer also gives us a second look this week into Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers joining the Avengers, the first being the post-credit scene from Captain Marvel. Get an intro to Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel here!
Regencycore is, along with dark academia, goblincore, cottagecore, and more, an aesthetic that encourages leaning into one’s interests and passions. In this case, it’s for all things Regency-era inspired, including romance, signature silhouettes, sexiness, and more. We can absolutely thank Bridgerton for making this happen, and we can thank Regencycore for an uptick in things like letter writing and all of the flourishes and finery that can come with handwritten notes....
Educators (from K-12) in the U.S. who apply for the grant can receive up to $2,000 for the purchasing of diverse books, including LGBTQ books, books featuring disabled characters, books by authors of color, and more. They can also be used to host events related to promoting diverse books. In November, an eighth grade in Iowa was reprimanded for teaching a short story contained in Fresh Ink, a YA anthology edited by one of the cofounders of WNDB....
Even trickier is the fact many libraries are seeing the copies of the six books they do own go “missing.” Organizations like the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), ostensibly committed to “freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression,” have been among the groups pushing back against the decision made by Seuss Enterprises. Despite the fact this was a business decision — not all books can be in print forever, nor should they be — coupled with facing the painful realities of the racist depictions within the books, NCAC’s response proved that the business of book selling, as opposed to censorship nor the harm books like these bring to readers, is their actual mission: Statements like this only further muddy the waters of the mission and goals of public libraries and what their responsibility is relating to books like these....
Escape is just the beginning. Twin sisters Becca and Cassie barely got out of the Crazy House alive. Now they’re trained, skilled fighters who fear nothing–not even the all-powerful United regime. Together, the sisters hold the key to defeating the despotic government and freeing the people of the former United States. But to win this war, will the girls have to become the very thing they hate? In this gripping follow-up to James Patterson’s YA blockbuster Crazy House, the world is about to get even crazier....
Often, story starters from other cultures are translated as “once upon a time.” But that’s usually not what they mean—at least not literally. Children’s book author Chitra Soundar wanted to gather story starters from around the world. She started with Tamil: — CHITRA SOUNDAR – AUTHOR & STORYTELLER (@csoundar) April 6, 2019 Across Twitter, readers and writers responded with enthusiasm. “A long time ago” Japanese translator Avery Udagawa responded with the formula: “むかしむかし…mukashi mukashi…long ago long ago....
I have a confession to make. I hope you won’t judge me for it. I’ve never read Kurt Vonnegut. I tried, in eighth grade, when my boyfriend said Slaughterhouse-Five was his favorite book. I didn’t get it at all (in those days, I was big into Lois Duncan), and I’m relatively certain now that he wasn’t being completely truthful. I was never assigned Vonnegut in school (a crime of omission on my instructors’ parts, no doubt), and the memory of feeling spinny-headed and confused from my first attempt at solo reading put me off giving him a second try....
Sure, you may live in modern times where suitors and courting are a thing of the past, but romance is still oh so real. And falling for fictional characters is a tried and true pastime of bookish persons everywhere. It’s practically a rite of passage. And with the news of a second season upon us, it’s high time to figure out just who, exactly, among the cast of eligible (and maybe not so eligible) Bridgerton suitors is your perfect match....
When I first heard that The Baby-Sitters Club was coming to Netflix I was equal parts excited and terrified. It’s been years since I’ve read a book from the series but there’s something about old favourites, particularly childhood ones, that just seems to have a hold over me. Which is why, as excited I was about the series, I still haven’t brought myself to watch it. There’s something about watching an onscreen adaptation of a book I love that just bothers me....
“The original six Avengers are assembling once again. Chris Evans joined Instagram Friday to announce that he was bringing together Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner for a virtual hangout. Fans can enter for a chance to join the hangout by donating to the All-In Challenge, which benefits organizations helping keep people fed amid the coronavirus pandemic.” Do good (donate money starting at $10) and you could win a virtual hangout with the Avengers stars!...
Because of the shuttering of venues in 2020 due to the corona virus, the board considered performances that were broadcast virtually for the first time. The board also awarded a special Pulitzer Prize to Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed the murder of George Floyd. There will be a combined in-person ceremony for the 2019 and 2020 winners in the fall at Columbia University. The 2021 Pulitzer Prize announcements were introduced on Friday, June 11, 2021 via YouTube livestream by Mindy Marqués and Stephen Engelberg, co-chairs of the Pulitzer Prize board, and all the winners were announced by a narrator....
The setup is pretty simple, but you can also find demos on their YouTube channel. There are some similarities to Goodreads, but LibraryThing offers different features that are definitely worth exploring. Both let you create lists of books, but LibraryThing allows users to catalog movies, music, and other media as well. It can also let you know if local libraries or bookstores have the book you’re looking for, which is pretty dang cool....
2019 has some truly spine-tingling suspense novels to sink your teeth into. Everything from exciting debut authors to new releases from best-selling authors, these suspense titles will take readers to some new, unexpected places and hit readers with more twists and turns than you’ll ever see coming! Strap yourselves in and let’s go for a ride! We love mysteries that are filled with twists and turns, and are page-turners that keep us up way past our bedtime....
These ridiculous cookbooks make great, fun gifts. They’ll enjoy lounging on a coffee table, or sitting on a shelf ready to start a lively and/or hilarious conversation. Maybe even call family and friends and have a cook-off to see which recipes work and which maybe don’t. Spoiler: we can tell you one big fat don’t below, but if you’re adventurous, you may still want to find out for yourself. Now if I’ve left you hungry (?...
Emails between the county’s Deputy Library Director, Ann Burlingame and Frank Cope, Director, Community Services at Wake County on December 13 note that Gender Queer and Lawn Boy were challenged by a local citizen. These were the same two books challenged at the local school district. While Lawn Boy remains on shelves, Gender Queer was removed. The complaint filed against Wake County Libraries by a citizen not only noted the inclusion of profanity in both titles and the “pornographic” images in Gender Queer, but also noted that both books were submitted to the Wake County Sheriff’s office....
Michiko Kakutani’s NY Times Review of Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan But what begins as a sort of cold war le Carré tale about a spy (and the psychology of spying) soon mutates into something else: a tricky postmodern entertainment. That sentence makes this book sound so fun! Like Ian McEwan is pretending to be Jorge Luis Borges writing a spy novel! The result is a clever but annoying novel that lacks both the deeply felt emotion of this author’s dazzling 2001 masterpiece, “Atonement,” and the chilling exactitude of his 1998 Booker Prize-winning thriller, “Amsterdam....
Takahashi is best known for his series Yu-Gi-Oh!, which started as a manga in the popular manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump in 1996. In it, teenager Yugi encounters an ancient puzzle that causes him to be possessed at times by a mysterious Egyptian spirit that helps him challenge bullies to games. Yu-Gi-Oh!’s worldwide popularity saw to it that the manga would run for eight years in Weekly Shonen Jump, granting it a record-breaking trading card game, a popular anime series that ran in the U....
