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A post shared by Mike (@dsnymvp28) on May 11, 2019 at 7:47am PDT “I designed Comic Sans while I was working at Microsoft. I had been given a beta version of Microsoft Bob, a comic software package designed primarily for young users. The package featured a dog called Rover, with message balloons set in Times New Roman—a system font oddly unsuited to the comic context. My inspiration for Comic Sans came from the shock of seeing Times New Roman used so inappropriately,” said Vincent Connare during an interview with fonts....

At the time it was not a good experience. I’ve changed a lot across the years, and I like to think that I have become a more tolerant, open-minded person, so a lot of the main character’s personality traits fell short with me. I had gone from someone who could relate with Joana, to someone who thought she was rather judgmental and extremely self-assured when there was so much she had no idea of....

Milton argued for something journalists and readers hold dear: the capacity to make personal choices and decisions, based on well-informed and accessible reporting of fact and free expression of opinion. In other words, we should have a chance to see all the info available before reaching conclusions we then rely on. Doesn’t sound too radical, does it? I reckon if you ask most regular people on the street, they’re liable to agree that a free press is a core part of a functioning democracy....

Picture this: You’ve got your latest book in one hand, a cup of warm tea in the other. Perhaps, you’ve lit your favorite candle and found your fuzziest socks. After some time, you finish the book and close it. You set it aside and then what? What do you do? Do you check it off your ever-growing TBR list? Jot down your initial thoughts in a diary? Maybe, you word vomit in your bookish group chat or upload an image of the book to your Instagram story with a thoughtful caption....

“But why?” you ask (or not). “I’m watching a movie because I’m not in the mood to read.” I totally understand that, especially when I’m in procrastination mode. But reading screenplays can truly enhance the experience of watching a film. It’s a crucial step for anyone looking to work in the film industry, yet it still benefits even the most casual audience member. They Provide Details You Might’ve Missed The level of detail varies from script to script, screenwriter to screenwriter, but for the most part, screenplays point out details that you might’ve missed....

The Source of the Brainwashing Myth I believe it’s possible that my mother had at one point read and then forgotten about most of Aldous Huxley’s famous Brave New World. Audio sleep-brainwashing is basically how the dystopian government in this book molds the minds of its specifically engineered citizenry. Apparently this is also a well-established pop culture trope. As a writer myself, I can appreciate the potential for a convenient and easy plot device....

As we are looking ahead to the end of the year, here’s a round up of new YA comics and graphic novels hitting shelves from October through December of 2021 that you don’t want to miss out on. We have a nice mix of original standalone, popular YA book adaptations, and a memoir that, fun fact, had to be signed off on by the CIA before it could be published!...

As a con woman in the streets of 18th century Cairo, Nahri does not believe in magic. She relies on her wits and her healing talents to survive. But when she accidentally summons a sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior during one of her cons, she’s forced to question everything she believes. He tells her that across the hot, windswept sands of the Middle East lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass — home of six djinn tribes, and simmering with old resentments threatening Nahri’s ancestral home....

Before we get to the manga recs themselves, allow me to tell you a little bit about my childhood cat, Ziggy. He was a stray, found alone in a parking garage by my dad’s coworker, and somehow found a home with us despite my mother’s long-standing fear of cats and my long-standing desire for a dog for god’s sake! And thus began our eventful, worthy-of-a-yonkoma-manga life with Ziggy. From that time he fell into the toilet, to the time he tore into and ate an entire unopened box of donuts, to the way he bullied our dogs on a daily basis (yes, my wish did eventually come true), Ziggy was quite the character....

But there is a thriving population today speaking in Greek — Greek that is not Homer’s Greek any more than our English is Shakespeare’s English. Modern-day Greece is haunted by much different ghosts than those of Achilles or Odysseus. From war with Turkey that resulted in many refugees and a large-scale population exchange, to the post–World War II civil war, to the 1960s military dictatorship, to the devastating economic crisis that began in late 2009, Greece’s modern history has room to fill epics of its own....

There’s more to the Anthropocene than the doom and gloom of climate change and global disease pandemics and wars. Green muses about Halley’s Comet and Diet Dr. Pepper with equal importance and eloquence. Piggly Wiggly, the Indianapolis 500, viral meningitis, scratch-and-sniff stickers — no stone is left unturned. Each is as invaluable as the next. Because of all this, the book doesn’t fit neatly into any boxes when it comes to subject matter....

From Bethan Woollvin, creator of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Little Red, comes another bold and spunky feminist tale. A mysterious creature is terrorizing a Viking village! Three little girls know just what the trouble is, but the silly chieftain won’t listen to them. Can this gumptious trio work together to raise their voices and prove who knows best, after all? With strikingly bold and vibrant graphic illustrations, this romping, stomping story with gripping tension and lots of silly mischief and mayhem is perfect for reading aloud....

In the ten Easter books for kids below, you’ll find bunnies on an egg hunt, illustrated retellings of the Easter story, and a book about a Mama Bunny with big dreams. All these books have the kind of fun and colorful illustrations that kids love, as well as chances to talk about the meaning of Easter and learn about its origins, and many of them would make great Easter basket gifts....

My older students are always looking for scary books, but it’s a lot of fun to share the sweeter halloween read alouds with my younger students. Below, I’ve gathered a bunch of Halloween themed books to make your storytimes shine. I’ve grouped them by grade level, but I’ve discovered over the years that older children and even teens love a good read aloud. There is no growing out of hearing a good story....

In a report by Stop AAPI Hate, there were 10,905 hate incidents against Asians between March 19, 2020 and the end of December 2021. Moreover, in a report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, it was revealed that anti-Asian hate crime increased by 339% in 2021 compared to 2020. Unfortunately, many still blame Asians for the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic. I myself have dreams of moving to New York in the near future....

Some of these scary ghost stories had me so shook I swear I heard an automated voice say ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED as I exorcised them the hell out of my house. I might be exaggerating. I might be. Although scary ghost stories in particular are not in my trifecta of evil shit I can’t handle, they still freak me out. Here are some that I think about on a regular basis when my apartment is too quiet....

Get Cozy Take your favorite book, make a cup of cocoa, get a fire going, and take a seat by the window where you can watch the snow falling. This works better for the first couple snow days, but is less effective when you’re on the sixth in 3 weeks. Weather Escapism It’s the perfect time to pull out a series set in the Miami sunshine. The South Florida mystery is practically its own genre....

Where the Crawdads Sing is the debut novel of Delia Owens. Since it was released just over a year ago, it has been dominating book clubs, library holds, book round-ups, and bestseller lists ever since. As of the writing of this piece, Where the Crawdads Sing has spent a total of 24 nonconsecutive weeks at the top of the New York Times Hardcover Fiction list in 2019. Part of its massive success is due to the fact that Reese Witherspoon chose the novel for her book club last year, and has plans to adapt it into a movie....

TBR is Book Riot’s subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes. Been dreaming of a “Stitch Fix for books?” Now it’s here! Tell TBR about your reading preferences and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Visit mytbr....

11 Young Adult Books About Interracial Couples Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli (February 2020) After recovering from a serious back injury, Audrey is ready to get back to gymnastics and compete for a spot in the Olympics. But when her coach is arrested for sexual misconduct, her Olympic dream and the team itself are at stake. Accusations of doping and more fly, leaving the whole team scrambling to get to the Olympics—but even getting there is only half the battle....