Happy Me: A fairytale quiz! Second Guessing Me: Margaret, you’ve written about fairytales a lot. You should branch out and do something different. Me: Like what? Happy Me: Fairytales! Me: You know what the world needs more of right now? Fairytales! Second Guessing Me: Sigh. You’ve already completely written it in your head, haven’t you? Me: … Happy Me: clapping (I’ve listed all the options at the end of this post....
That wasn’t the only book that Cruz boosted during the hearings, however. He also presented a page from Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, asking Jackson, “Do you agree with this book, that babies are racist?” Her answering sigh and pause before responding went viral on Twitter. — Alex Vitale (@avitale) March 23, 2022 Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
Nearest City: Glasgow (86 miles) Shop: The Open Book, #2 High Street Average wait: Approx. 1 year (list is now capped due to increasing frequency of cancellations) Population: Wikipedia says 1000. That’s…generous. The town is like, five streets. We accidentally walked to the next town one day. I’d put it at more like 400–500. Number of Bookstores: 7 (not including antiques shops that also have book stock) Nickname: Scotland’s National Book Town Know for: Scottish National Book Festival (held late September/early October), Spring Fling Gallery Crawl Canon Quidditch Team: Wigtown Wanderers...
Censorship is not, nor has it ever been, a culture war. A “culture war” is what happens between two (or more) factions working to assert dominance for their belief system. Keeping to this part of the definition, censorship might fall under the umbrella of the term. But “culture war” describes more than a fringe movement — and to be clear, despite the power groups like Moms For Liberty, No Left Turn, and others have, they’re still fringe groups....
When selecting a bookshelf, there are many factors to consider. There’s height, color, size, materials, and space. On top of that, the age of the child should also be considered when looking for the appropriate shelf. Some bookshelves will suit a kindergartener while others would be better for a middle schooler. If you’re not concerned about age, but would rather have something different or uncommon, check out our other post on Fun, Clever, and Unique Bookshelves....
First, the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz Awards! These awards honor the best in children’s literature, picture book illustration, and young adult literature respectively and are the most prestigious of the ALA YMA offerings. This year’s Newbery was The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. The Caledcott went to Watercress, illustrated by Jason Chin and written by Andrea Wang. And the Printz Award winner is Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angline Boulley....
Fear not, because I’ve scoured Goodreads to find what other fans think and came up with 25 of the best comic books, one of which could be your new favorite. Our Rating System For The Best Comic Books I perused Goodreads for the top comics, which for us means the comic has an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars with 10,000 ratings or more. This was by no means a statistically sound process because I made it a point to avoid Statistics in school (my sister does the spreadsheets in the family)....
Slang terms can evolve, like how “social network” referred to in-person networking (Oxford English Dictionary added it in 1973). Some overlap, as in Captain Francis Grose’s A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (first published in 1785, it was just recently republished in pocket-size form). According to the book’s introduction, Grose compiled the lexicon with terms he overheard in “slums, dockyards, and taverns”. Many are still avidly used (“brat”, “sandwich”)....
Fonts are born in type foundries, which are companies that specialize in the design and creation of typefaces. Although the majority of type foundries today are digital, they led very different lives before the age of the internet, and have a fascinating history. The Beginning of Print Before type foundries were even a glimmer in their founders’ eyes and printing was even a thing, books were quite obviously transcribed and bound by hand, making them extraordinarily valuable and expensive....
If you want to read the best Batman comics, there is seventy years of material at least. He has many iterations, from the somber vampire hunter of the Golden Age to the comical late Adam West from the 1950s. Below are my recommendations for the best Batman comics and stories. And in case you need to hear it: There be spoilers. . . . . . Trade Paperbacks and Collections 1....
“So, you’ve started your book club, you’ve bought enough wine to satisfy even your thirstiest pals, plus plenty of cheesy snacks. Now comes the difficult part—shaping your friendly chatter into an elevated, incisive conversation about the book you all agreed to read. That can be a challenge. Which is why we’re providing you with this list of top book club questions that will generate general discussion whether you’re focused on nonfiction, a self-help book, a juicy historical romance novel, or one of Reese’s, Jenna Bush Hager’s or, of course, Oprah’s favorites....
The study looked at the 200 biggest cities across the United States, comparing access to a wide variety of book acquisition variables. Among them were public libraries, bookstores, Little Free Libraries, book clubs, and events dedicated to books and reading. Another variable they looked at was the availability of books “in the wild,” based on users on BookCrossing who share books they’ve found, released, and tracked via the website. The company ranked the top 200 cities from best cities for book lovers to worst cities for book lovers, based on overall scores out of 100 possible points....
Adulthood Is a Myth (Sarah’s Scribbles #1) by Sarah Andersen (Andrews McMeel, 2016) I picked this up at NYCC and read it in one quick setting, and then immediately ordered the next two books of hers. Nearly every page had a comic that was pure truth. They’re simple black and white comics that illustrate so much of everyday life and awkward events. Hugely relatable and I loved it, as well as the other two books of hers, Big Mushy Happy Lump and Herding Cats....
Out of Print Totes, bookish shirts like this Book Nerd pride ringer, mugs, cozy book socks, and more. Out of Print has some of the best gifts for book nerds you’ll find anywhere. Obvious State Obvious State designs gorgeous literary art prints and floral totes featuring famous poets that I just can’t get enough of. Book Beau Keep your favorite books safe with beautifully designed book sleeves like this composition notebook design and modern marble from Book Beau....
Among the books I occasionally return to, often when in a reading slump, are those I wish I could experience again for the very first time. There are those that were such a fun ride, I found myself laugh-crying while reading them. Others were so relatable, they felt like a warm hug. And some were so thought-provoking, they made me reconsider my entire way of life. “But do you really end up rereading books?...
As someone who has been out of the closet for my entire adult life, I am able to look back on these stories with fondness. They make me feel nostalgic. However, they don’t offer me anything especially new. I enjoy hearing about other peoples’ journeys, about what they have fought through and experienced, but in regards to my own life? It’s not quite as simple. Beyond the Singular Coming Out Narrative One of the problems of the typical “coming out narrative” is its linear finality....
Sit with that a moment. A little longer. I really want to say that I just made that up to prove a point, but I didn’t. And what pains my soul the most is that I started this post by scrolling through my mental Rolodex of pretty extensive plot twists in the mystery genre that use mental illness as the boogeyman. There were so many to pick from that it feels like the mental illness boogeyman plot twist is an actual trope of the mystery genre....
Book burning began shortly after the Nazi Party took control over the government: “Beginning on May 10, 1933, Nazi-dominated student groups carried out public burnings of books they claimed were “un-German.” The book burnings took place in 34 university towns and cities. Works of prominent Jewish, liberal, and leftist writers ended up in the bonfires.” However, this was not the first time Germans had burned “un-German” books. In 1817, groups of students demonstrated their patriotism for the unification of Germany by mounting massive bonfires of books....
Humor Writing The Importance of Being Earnest introduced me to the LOLz that incredibly, magically, can come off a page. It was my introduction to humor writing. Humor that came from the black and white of ink on paper! It was incredible! I was laughing at a witty arrangement of words. “I’m not sure why, but laughing at a book you’re reading somehow feels different than laughing at, say, a movie or TV show you’re watching....
