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Diverse and inclusive collections like these prove that there is no one “single story” within a groups of marginalized people. Their stories, their art, and their experiences are just as nuanced and varied as other writers’. These collections are just a starting place, but I hope you discover some new writers in these works: Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the 21st Century edited by Alice Wong This is a collection of first-person essays from disabled writers about the richness and complexity they experience in day-to-day life....

There are numerous reasons why people download word search games. There are people trying to spend less time scrolling their social media feeds. Other people find comfort in language based pursuits and prefer finding words to getting fish to eat each other. Still others recognize that all puzzle games can sharpen your brain while they pass the time. Below I’ve gathered eight of the best word search games available right now....

It’s the planet-conquering, prince-rescuing, and ramen-eating new graphic novel – Full Tilt Boogie! Young bounty-hunter Tee, with her grandmother and cat, rescue the narcissistic Prince Ifan from a debtor’s prison but along the way they wake up a two-thousand-year-old assassin, are pursued by Ifan’s sister and, oh, accidentally re-start an intergalactic war! This brand new space opera from Alex de Campi and Eduardo Ocaña is “Saga meets The Last Airbender”!...

50 Nifty Thrifty Upcycled Fashions: Sew Something from Nothing by Cynthia Anderson Maybe you’re a fashionista with designs (heh) on your local couture scene. If so, then you need to start sniffing around thrift shops for a sewing machine. (There are always like five. Seriously. Go look, there’s one right now.) Sewing is the next step for the real fashion-forward self-designer, not to mention a proud and chic upcycler....

Finding comics and even literature that depicted lesbian relationships was really difficult when I was younger. There are so many more options now, especially in fantasy and romance, but comics are really stepping up their game as well. The titles I’ve pulled together for this list appeal to my sensibilities as someone who always wanted to dive headfirst into a fantasy world, but there are so many amazing comics that center women and their relationships....

Now, maybe you really don’t care about reading lists, spreadsheets or charts, but you still want a small book to tuck away in a pocket somewhere as you hide from being asked what on earth you’ve finally decided to do with your life. (I’m over 30. You can stop asking that now, Aunt Jan!) Earlier this year, I stashed a poetry collection in my bag and had annotated the entire thing by the time I was done waiting for my turn for the COVID vaccine — one can never be too prepared!...

What is Gothic Fantasy? Gothic literature emerged in Europe in the late 18th century from the romantic literary movement. It’s characterized by passionate emotion—pleasure and terror alike, darkly lush scenery, macabre elements, and an eerie atmosphere. Gothic fantasy is a sub-genre of both gothic fiction and fantasy, and a strict definition is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett (known by her pseudonym Francis Stevens) is usually credited as the woman who invented the sub-genre of gothic fantasy....

Technology has made extremely broad distribution possible for political memoirs. Cheap ghostwriters are also easy to find. The Information Age has turned memoir from a mountain where a candidate might plant their flag for history to another critical channel for an electoral edge. That changes everything. Historical Presidential Autobiographies Early presidents occasionally wrote memoirs of their time in politics. Jefferson, Van Buren, and Buchanan were all excellent examples. Of their three books, two are essentially forgotten....

When scientists discover a rare and mysterious mineral in the Earth’s crust, they have no idea that it happens to be a material so precious that alien forces are willing to start a war over it. Soon, Leo and his family decide it’s best for them to leave Earth behind. But when their ship is attacked and Leo’s father is kidnapped, Leo and his brother find themselves stranded in space....

Instant Digital Card – Bring new users to your library in just 30 seconds. Did you know 160 million people in the United States don’t have a library card? That means half the country can’t discover the valuable programs and online services that libraries offer. That’s why OverDrive developed the Instant Digital Card to connect readers with your digital collection as quickly, safely and cost-effectively as possible. Learn more about using the Instant Digital Card to help more of your community discover the library....

I have a tradition I keep when I travel. I find and visit a local bookstore, buying at least one book and hanging onto the receipt so I know where it came from. However, spending an entire month in a UNESCO City of Literature teeming with bookstores, I wanted more of an adventure. Before I ever boarded the plane to leave the USA, I put together a list of 19 bookstores to visit: my journey through Edinburgh’s bookstores....

And if you’re me, you think of the several guides to etiquette on your shelf, stretching back decades and used for several friends’ reference when they got married. I think of the crowning jewel of American etiquette, Emily Post, and would dearly like to know why we have not yet had a biopic about her life. Because you are not me, at this point you may be wondering why on earth a person would want a biopic about the woman who had the absolute gall to publish a guide to civil behavior in the 1920s....

A typical manga is easy to read. Unlike traditional superhero comics, there aren’t major continuity-influencing crossover events. Characters don’t regularly pop up in other series. For most titles, there isn’t 50 years of back issues that form a canon. With a manga, all you need to do to begin is pick up volume 1 and continue with the successive installments until you reach The End. And when you reach the end, you’ll have a complete story....

The winner of the 2019 prize will be announced on May 21, with the £50,000 prize being divided equally between the author and the translator of the winning book. Next year, the prize will be known as the International Booker Prize, as the sponsorship from the Man Group comes to an end and the prize’s new sponsor Crankstart begins funding. — The Booker Prizes (@TheBookerPrizes) April 9, 2019 The list spans five languages—Arabic, French, German, Polish, and Spanish—and is dominated by independent publishers....

What Exactly Are Algorithms? Let’s start with the most important question: what the heck are algorithms? Algorithms themselves are specific sets of steps that need to be done to perform computations, Wachter-Boettcher explains. They’re not magic. Algorithms perform mathematical computations humans could do but at a scale we could never manage. And we use them everywhere, to do everything. “Algorithms now control a huge number of systems that we interact with every day—from which posts bubble up to the top of your Facebook feed, to whether image recognition software can correctly identify a person, to what kinds of job ads you see online,” Wachter-Boettcher writes....

Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller is awarded to a Canadian novel or book of short stories published in English (including translations). It’s often referred to as Canada’s most prestigious literary prize. This year, the shortlist consisted of five novels: How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa, Ridgerunner by Gil Adamson, Here the Dark by David Bergen, Polar Vortex by Shani Mootoo, and The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. The winner was How to Pronounce Knife, a book of short stories about characters struggling to find their bearings, often as they work at the kinds of jobs that others overlook....

Add Fairy Lights & Reposition Your Books There are many ways you can show off your book collection, but the best way is to add lighting. Fairy lights are cute and cost-effective and will brighten up any room. Turn your books so they face outward and show off your covers. Fairy lights look best on white bookshelves, but any color will work. Decorating Ideas for Bookcases by Fireplaces If your bookshelf is in the living room, it’s best to find bookshelf decor ideas that will tie in well with the rest of the room....

With more years of reading, my choice of themes, genres, and eras got diversified. I read more and more as I kept getting introduced to newer perspectives. Except now, there was no one to discuss these books with. I love being filled with marvel and joy from words on a paper. But I also love being able to share this joy. I was able to do this again at Book Riot, my online bookish community....

General Canadian Cookbooks Canada’s Favourite Recipes by Rose Murray and Elizabeth Baird Rose Murray and Elizabeth Baird are respected Canadian food writers. This is one of my go-to Canadian cookbooks because it’s a great introduction to many basic Canadian dishes. Canada has so many different cultural influences, from French and British colonists to more recent waves of Eastern European and Asian immigrants, that many of our most-loved dishes are variations on foods from other countries (like the recipes for Scotch eggs and borscht in this book)....

I read a lot of queer books, and I spend a lot of time thinking about queer representation. There’s one thing that comes up all the time in these conversations: queer suffering. Reading about queer suffering can be hard for queer readers. I get it. I don’t always have the capacity to read dark and upsetting books. But I’m exhausted by the discourse around queer suffering. It’s not the conversation I want to be having....