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If I were a cartoon character, this would be the moment my heart starts beating through my chest with enough force to push the skin and skeleton three feet apart. I’ve become “the book friend.” I didn’t used to get many requests for book recommendations. For a long while, I just foisted these opinions onto strangers on the internet. But now, either because my friends are all in their late 20s or early 30s or because I’ve gotten better friends, I field this question regularly....

An adaptation of Shaftesbury’s award-winning, groundbreaking queer vampire web series of the same name, Carmilla mixes the camp of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the snark of Veronica Mars, and the mysterious atmosphere of Welcome to Nightvale. Content Warning for Discussion of Rape and the Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Ever since the idea of the vampire really caught fire in Western culture, it has been recognized as a predator. William Patrick Day, in his Vampire Legends in Contemporary American Culture: What Becomes a Legend Most, identifies the vampire story, from John William Polidori’s The Vampyre on to the modern day, as being the tale of a “dangerous, though charismatic, sexual predator” (3), specifically, conjuring up the fears inherent in many older vampire narratives, particularly from the Victorian era, of uncontrolled sexuality....

DIY The Very Hungry Caterpillar Sensory Storytelling Tub Sensory bins let children explore textures, colors, and sounds while they play. This DIY activity tub features elements from the storybook that toddlers will absolutely love. As you play together, count the foods, recall the caterpillar’s journey, and build motor skills like pouring and scooping. For full instructions and inspiration, follow the linked tutorial on how to create this fun sensory bin at home....

So what happens when the movie turns out to be a total flop? Yes, it’s disappointing, but it’s so much more than that. Now the books we love will be forever associated with a movie that practically no one enjoyed. If you ever reread the book, you won’t be able to stop yourself from visions of the (very bad) movie in your head. So yeah, it’s more than just a bad movie....

Scrooges aside, there are several very fruitful categories of terrible names in literature. Today I would like to identify some of the worst. And by “worst” I mean I would not like to have them as my own name. I reserve the judgment their literary merit to you, reader. The two categories I’m going to focus on are on-the-nose names and names that are straight up awkward. Let’s proceed. Names are important, and you can find a lot of inspiration in literary names, if you’re looking for a change yourself or if you’re thinking of naming something like a baby or a pet....

Roger Willis might be one of the most fleeting friends I’ve covered so far. With one notable exception, he only appeared in one storyline in Thor back in the 1980s. But given the huge impact that storyline had, and Willis’s impact within that storyline, I think he’s worth talking about. Also, I wanted an excuse to reread that storyline and get paid for it. The Willis family history is quite the tale....

The trains in New York are a bit scary, aren’t they? You and your mother even had the misfortune of getting on one of the older trains with navy blue benches and harsh fluorescent lighting yellowed with age. One of the lights was out, so the car was darker than usual. Your mum tried to get you to sit beside her, but you clambered onto her lap. I would’ve done the same if I were in your sparkly pink shoes....

Apparently, our brains are hardwired for visual content. Not only are we built to read images faster, but generally speaking, we’re also able to remember visuals better than we are able to recall spoken words or written text. That’s thanks to something called the Picture Superiority Effect. When we read a text or listen to words, we will likely only remember 10% of the information three days later. Comparatively, if the text is presented with images, we are likely to remember 65% of the information three days later....

While it’s clear to most that a library is the most productive place to teach book handling skills, conduct book studies, explore Makerspace materials, tackle digital citizenship, and in general meet the standards that school librarians impart, it’s possible to make it work on the road. Below I’ve gathered some tips that have helped me be successful teaching on a cart. Whether I’ve been displaced by state testing, professional development, or some other disruption, these ideas have allowed me to support my students and be flexible, no matter the reason....

Why have a school library website? Students today can expect to spend a great deal of their lives interacting with some sort of digital technology, whether for education, work, or recreation. Creating a school library website that gathers resources for tasks such as research projects and learning about digital citizenship allows students to cultivate skills they will need later in life. It also makes it easier on you, as the librarian, to create a single place to refer students and teachers to when they are looking for resources....

Notes: The toddler in question was 19 months old at the time of logging. All books logged are ones that she brought to me or my husband for us to read to her, and I didn’t pick any books that week. This is all her tastes. Sometimes we read books several times in a row. And sometimes she will read the book herself. 13 May (11 different books; 19 books total including rereads) Morning Baby Loves Structural Engineering by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Irene Chan....

I have a theory, not very well developed, that summer is my worst reading time as a product of spending every year from age five to twenty-four in school and getting summers off. Summer was the time to play. I wrote all the things I’d spent the school year thinking about but not getting to because of homework. I let the strictness of academic writing loosen its grip on me just a little, or at least I tried....

There’s only a select few Bibliologists working in the TBR secret volcano lair, but what would your honorary Bibliologist name be? Use the fun chart below! (P.S. It’s perfect for sharing.)

Of course, we Book Rioters are very familiar with things that FEEL like reading but sadly aren’t. We live bookish lifestyles 24/7, but that doesn’t mean we always actually, you know…read. Whether it’s because life is particularly stressful (no idea why that would be) or we’re just in a bit of slump, sometimes we prefer to live out the fantasy of being a reader without putting in the work of processing text or audiobooks....

A post shared by Leah Rachel von Essen (@whilereadingandwalking) on Mar 11, 2019 at 7:58pm PDT Here are a few of the takeaways: On Aziraphale and Crowley “It’s the only part I’ve ever played that when I think of the character, I don’t just think of the character. I can only think of Aziraphale with Crowley,” said Michael Sheen, who plays angel-and-bookstore-owner Aziraphale, about the angel and demon duo. “They complete each other,” added David Tennant, who plays demon Crowley....

The Pin One Direction was about visible and enthusiastic love, and being earnest in your desire, and a view of the world that seemed simple and good and beautiful. They saw the blood and light within me and loved it all. Since the indefinite hiatus, I’ve felt a little less agonizingly in love with them, but I feel that they are still inscribed on my DNA. They crawled up next to my heart and have never left....

But now, we can all stream just about anything we want just about any time we want to! I am just as guilty as the next person of taking this for granted and sighing when I have to pay a whole $1.99 to stream a film. How dare they! Kids these days! Adults these days! I don’t even know who I’m shouting at anymore! I want to get back that total awe and wonder at being able to press a button in my living room and seeing a moving talkie come to life....

As I am now much older—though not classic-old—I realize that the books we consider classics are called classics because they have staying power. These are the ones society threw on the wall of the literary canon like book spaghetti, and they stuck. I even admit that I have gone back and reread some of the books I read in school and enjoyed them a lot more. As we know, so much of reading is subjective....

But why do reviews matter? Is it just so that they can feel good about their book? No. Although, let me tell you, nice feedback about your writing goes a long way, especially when your book isn’t selling as well as you’d hoped or you’ve seen some discouraging comments. But lots of writers don’t read their reviews at all. Arguably, that’s healthier. No good can come of seeing negative reviews after the book is already published and out there....

https://twitter.com/wawoodworth/status/1063054948664070147 — Katrina Elsi (@katrinaelsi) November 16, 2018 — Menditso (@Menditso) November 16, 2018 — OhGaadIvolunteeredagain (@mannymiracle) November 16, 2018 — Ahsoka is Awesome (@hennasarai) November 16, 2018 I have never been so happy and fulfilled in a job in my life. https://t.co/EGnVLH6LhW — Rose Redrum (@Rose_Redrum) November 16, 2018 — Skee-Ball Librarian (@oodja) November 16, 2018 — Samantha Hay (@sambrarian) November 16, 2018 — LibrarySocks (@LibrarySocks) November 16, 2018 — Jennifer Burke (@theinfohound) November 16, 2018 — Maria Atilano (@mdatilano) November 16, 2018 https://twitter....