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I can’t help but love poetry like this, and these dark months of winter have inspired me to share a few of my favorites. Below is a collection of full poems, excerpts, and poetry readings that walk in shadow. They contain darkness in all of its forms: grief, death, anxiety, rage, despair, loneliness, jealousy, doubt, heartbreak, and betrayal. Though you probably shouldn’t read dark poems every day, sometimes they are exactly what you need....

As my baby grows, she plays with her soft books in different ways. When she was first beginning to touch and feel the things around her, she loved the crinkly pages. What a surprise! As her hands became more agile and she could actually grasp toys, she loved grabbing and shaking and playing peek-a-boo with them. Once she started teething, they became her teethers. And now that she’s actually enjoying bath time (she hated it at first), she loves splish-splashing with her bath time soft books....

The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and Yuko Uramoto That’s right, the book that swept through the world and spurred my friends to go through their possessions is now a manga! The graphic novel follows a fictional character, Chiaki, learning the life-changing magic of tidying up with an illustrated version of Marie Kondo by her side. You learn all of Kondo’s ideas and tips to tidying up, including step-by-step comics of the Kondo method of folding clothes....

Fantagraphics You’ve most likely already heard of Fantagraphics, but if you haven’t, you probably will soon… Or right now. Fantagraphics is an indie publishing company that’s been putting out amazing comics, art books and guides for the last 40 years. What’s really special about them is their range of range of diversity in not only their books, but in their creators as well. More recently they’ve put out Hip Hop Family Tree, Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia, and the horrific Mox Nox by Joan Cornella....

Heavy Vinyl by Carly Usdin, Nina Vakueva, Irene Flores, Rebecca Nalty, Kieran Quigley, and Walter Baiamante (2017) At first glance, this 1990s record store–set comic may seem an unlikely candidate for the “Arthurian-inspired” label, but hear me out. When Chris joins the staff of Vinyl Mayhem she thinks she’s landed her dream job, but there’s even more to it than hanging with the cool girls and spending her days listening to the best music: from the moment she’s hired, Chris is being tested....

After her parents die, Camille must find a way to provide for her sister by transforming scraps of metal into money. But soon she begins to pursue a more dangerous mark: the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Camille transforms herself into a baroness and is swept up into life at Versailles. She meets a handsome young inventor, and begins to believe that love and liberty may both be possible....

Jonathan and Annika first meet at chess club in college, where Jonathan loses his first game of chess, and his heart, Annika. Brilliant but shy, Annika prefers to be alone. But Jonathan accepts that about her, admiring Annika, quirks and all. Their relationship that follows is tumultuous, but strong, until an unforeseen tragedy forces them apart. A decade later, fate brings them back together… She’s a librarian and he’s a divorced Wall Street whiz seeking a fresh start....

Am I There Yet? The Loop-de-Loop, Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood by Mari Andrew Even though this book mainly caters to 20-something-year-olds, it can be read by people of all age groups as there is no age limit for feeling lost. Fortifying yourself against negative self talk is way harder than you might think. Spiraling down the black hole of self pity and feeling shitty later for whiling away your time is a vicious cycle that never ends....

You know how sometimes you’re like, okay, I don’t have time to take a class about this thing, but I would like to feel like I am pretty informed about it/know more about it than I would learn from a Wikipedia skim? And sometimes you go on and are like, okay, but I would like to learn a LOT about this thing. That’s why we have deep-dive reads! Books where the author rolled up their sleeves and said, we are going to get into this today....

An irresistible story about an ordinary Japanese-American girl who discovers that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan! Which means outspoken, irreverent Izumi Tanaka is literally a princess! In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan and finds herself caught between worlds—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will she crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after?...

Reading corners come in all shapes and sizes, what matters is that your kids really love and enjoy reading in their nooks. I’m here to share some ideas and tips to inspire and help you create great kid’s reading nooks. Find the Perfect Spot First up, you have to find the perfect spot for the kid’s reading nook. A spot where they can relax and peacefully read their books without any distractions....

What’s this? Not enough night terrors for your weird and sordid appetites? Maybe you’d prefer the experience of reading horror in your very dreams! Then again, maybe you’re just looking for a good night’s sleep. Try these bookish bedtime tips for a healthier rest.

In her 1993 Nobel Prize Lecture when Toni Morrison won the award for Literature, she asked: “Tell us, what it is to have no home in this place. To be set adrift from the one you knew. What it is to live at the edge of towns that cannot bear your company.” Immigration is not a spreadsheet with statistics. It is the stories of mothers and fathers, telling their stories of dreams and hope that involved—at the very minimum—tremendous risk and great courage....

Whether you have Irish heritage or not, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year by reading a book by an Irish American that wasn’t on your high school required reading list. Note: There is currently a dearth of books by Irish American people of color. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt Teacher Man is McCourt’s memoir of teaching rowdy New York City teenagers. Heartbreaking and hilarious, Teacher Man will be familiar to anyone who has taught....

We know ourselves, though. And we know we’re not the kind of species to nail intergalactic exploration and ambassadorship without a few unfortunate incidents. And if we act this way, it stands to reason more than a few other extraterrestrial races act the same. Other species may not come in peace; they may come just to screw with us. Science fiction has a history of shining the light on some of these hellish cruises into the great wild yonder, detailing all the various potential problems with leaving Earth (tip of the hat to you, Octavia Butler)....

I know. I’m a weirdo. But I find it cathartic. I mean, have you seen those video roundups of the saddest moments in Disney movies?? I have leaked tears and snot all over my laptop while going through those things, and afterward? I have felt cleansed. Now that we’re all under lockdown, however, my feeling are all over the place and I need more than just a good, purifying cry to feel better....

When Cordelia Hatmaker’s father vanishes on an ingredient expedition, Cordelia refuses to accept that he’s gone. Her grief-stricken aunt and uncle forge ahead to fulfill an order from the king for a magical Peace Hat. But then the Peace Hat is stolen—along with the Peace Boots, Cloak, Watch, and Gloves crafted by the other Maker families. Cordelia realizes that there is a menacing plot against the Makers, and that Prospero Hatmaker’s disappearance may be connected....

Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart. When her imposing—and attractive—new neighbor demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes. Gabriel Duke, who clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society, finds this easier said than done....

The Toniebox is an imagination-building, screen-free digital listening experience that plays stories, songs, and more. Designed for little listeners ages 3+, it’s the perfect storytime companion for tiny hands and active imaginations. The Toniebox comes to life when paired with our whimsical collection of Tonies, hand-painted characters with hours of stories to tell, worlds to explore, and songs to sing. Whether educational content, audiobook or sing-along songs, each hand-painted Tonie figurine is a unique listening experience....

Fiction Books 2019 Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis September 3 | Knopf Uruguay, 1977. The military regime rules with brutal force and hundreds of citizens are disappeared to be tortured or killed. In this dangerous climate where homosexuality is transgression worthy of cruel punishment, five cantoras–women who “sing”–find refuge on an uninhabited cape. Quichotte by Salman Rushdie September 3 | Random House Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, this modern day retelling of Cervantes’s classic tale follows the adventures of Quichotte, a salesman who falls in love with a TV star and sets off on a quest across America to prove himself worthy of her love, as seen through the eyes of his creator, a mediocre writer named Sam DuChamp....