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They’re Cheap(er) While I’m all about supporting authors, there are only so many new release hardcovers I can justify buying each month before my budget begs me to take a break. Paperbacks are a great way to snap up titles, especially backlist ones, that you want to own rather than borrow. Paperbacks also feel like less of a purchasing commitment, both because they cost less but also because there’s something about buying a hardcover version that implies a Very Serious Intention for reading this book....

As an aspiring poet, Siken’s debut collection, Crush, cemented my dedication to the genre. In a chain restaurant, I, while waiting to hear from MFA programs, hid the compact title behind my server book in my apron pocket and convinced coworkers to read my dog-eared copy. My excitement brought me a lot of That’s pretty and You really love this stuff. Months later, in grad school, my eyes focused on beige ceiling tiles, I recited Crush’s opening poem....

The Book The first issue of Locke & Key’s original 37 book run was released in February 2008. Written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez and Jay Fotos, with lettering by Robbie Robbins, the story of Key House and its inhabitants would continue on a monthly basis (excluding hiatuses between acts) until December of 2013. Also part of the universe are 2011’s Guide to the Known Keys (containing an expanded version of the titular story, the “Guide to the Failed Keys,” and the original story “Open the Moon”) and Small World (a Key House monster story)....

The prestigious accolade was announced by the Swedish Academy on Wednesday. This isn’t Glück’s first time being recognized for her poetic brilliance—she is a professor and writer-in-residence at Yale University, the 12th U.S. Poet Laureate, the winner of the 2014 National Book Award for her poetry collection Faithful and Virtuous Night, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Wild Iris in 1993. In 2015, President Obama bestowed Glück with the National Humanities Medal, an award that “honors an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience....

The concept of self-care—the things we do to tend to our happiness and well-being—has become incredibly popular in the last two years, but people’s interpretations of how to practice it vary greatly. For some, it means having “treat yo’self days,” spending lots of money on massages and retail therapy. That kind of self-care can be great, but not exactly financially sustainable. I prefer a simpler approach: getting enough sleep, meditating, and making sure I carve time out each day for reading....

This list of 52 book journaling ideas is meant to help get your mind rolling about words, reading, books, and other aspects of a well-read life, whatever that looks like for you. There’s no need for anything fancy to give book journaling a try. Pick up a favorite notebook you’ve got lying around—if you’re like so many others, chances are there are about six you’re saving for just the right reason…and this is that reason....

I was shocked that I didn’t see this coming. It was like going to a restaurant during rush hour thinking that you’ll be fine and learning you’re going to have to wait an hour before you sit. How did I not know that the final book was going to be this long? Was I prepared to read something this lengthy? What happened to the other books in the series being way shorter?...

My First Recommendation I met my boyfriend on Tinder. His profile didn’t say much, but he did include this gem: “Give me a book recommendation and I will do my best to read it.” With an intro like that, of course I’m going to message you! My first recommendation for him was The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, because it is my favorite novel and I wanted him to experience it....

Charles Portis was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, in 1933. His writing career began in college when he worked as a reporter before enlisting in the Marines. He served during the Korean War, and after his discharge, he went back to school and received a degree in journalism. Portis has served as the London bureau chief of the New York Herald-Tribune and a writer for The New Yorker. He is best known for his novel True Grit (1968), arguably the greatest western ever written, which was adapted as a film in both 1969 and 2010....

In this memoir-in-essays full of spot-on observations about home, work, and creative life, acclaimed essayist Mary Laura Philpott takes on the conflicting pressures of modern adulthood with wit and heart. She offers up her own stories to show that identity crises don’t happen just once or only at midlife; reassures us that small, recurring personal re-inventions are both normal and necessary; and advises that if you’re going to faint, you should get low to the ground first....

Of the decision to establish these new awards, co-owner Leah Koch said: “We create something when we feel that there is something unique that we can contribute to a larger conversation. In this instance, other genres have multiple awards given each year, and we felt romance should as well. We want these awards to recognize greatness and be considered a mark of prestige (that’s a big part of why we felt it was so important to have a cash prize)....

If you recall, on December 23, 2019 (about 15 years ago in current time passage), RWA hit its boiling point when it was revealed by Alyssa Cole that her friend and colleague, Courtney Milan, had been heavily sanctioned by the standing Board for an ethics violation right before the RWA office closed for the winter holidays. By the end of the debacle, more than half of the Board had resigned, including the President Elect Damon Suede, as had the majority of the staff....

It seems like everybody and their barista has been reading Sally Rooney. I confess that she has only been on my radar since Normal People—her latest novel—kept invading my Bookstagram feed last year. Before I knew it, I was obsessed. I remember tracking down every article and interview I could find about Rooney to learn anything I could about her. It took me months of reflection during the pandemic to realize how odd it was to focus on Rooney rather than her books, begging the question why....

These services also offer subscription plans like Scribd. Some are even cheaper, and they give you much more for less! Just like Scribd, they have their own apps, too. And if you don’t feel like fully committing now, some of these apps also offer trial plans to see how they work. Without further delay, here are eight Scribd alternatives to try now: Kobo Plus Kobo Plus is the ebook subscription service of Kobo....

HOLIDAYS ARE HAPPIER WITH AUDIOBOOKS. Make your holiday travels, errands, cooking sessions, and all the rest more enjoyable by listening to an audiobook. From bestsellers, to thrillers, to self-care, you can find the perfect listen for any moment. Give yourself the gift of audio this holiday season. I have written about it before; I’m a self-help junkie. I like the emotional high I get from seeing myself as capable of change....

This includes those who work in libraries. Sexual harassment in libraries, as seen, was routinely downplayed, ignored, or outright rejected as a reality of the job. That harassment, prevalent in part because of the interaction those who work in these institutions have with the public and in part because of the workplace cultures themselves, surprised many while also not surprising others. But what has come of sexual harassment, professional discourse, education, and change in the year and a half since?...

The head of audiobooks at Spotify, Nir Zicherman, says this method of purchasing is just the beginning, stating “While we have ambitions to introduce new audiobook business models in the future, in speaking with partners across the industry, we felt that à la carte was the best way to begin activating audiobooks.” A vital component of the possible future business model is the audiobook company Findaway, which Spotify bought earlier this year....

There’s a long-running joke that, after “coming out,” a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. THIS IS THAT INSTRUCTION MANUAL. You’re welcome. Inside you’ll find the answers to all the questions you ever wanted to ask: from sex to politics, hooking up to stereotypes, coming out and more. This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it’s like to grow up LGBT also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations....

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was originally published in 1865. The nonsensical tale has remained so popular that it has never been out of print and has been translated into over 97 languages. Carroll’s whimsical tale has influenced nearly every facet of pop culture over its 150+ year lifespan. The story’s influence reaches far and wide. Film retellings began as early as 1903. From there, dozens of films and TV versions followed....

Are you looking for more great books? Check out our list of the 20 best book club books! If you want something a bit more personalized, consider signing up for TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations! TBR is a quarterly subscription service that offers you personalized book recommendations based only your favorite genres and books you’ve already read and loved. Simply fill out our reader survey, and a real power reader will write you a letter recommending three books, picked out just for you....