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“Now, I have 12 years before I must choose the book that I’ll bestow on my oldest niece when she graduates, which means 12 years to decide the type of graduation gift-giver I am. Will I go the sentimental route? The concerned about her nutrition/finances/study habits route? Will I just want to pump her up before she heads off to change the world, like the incredibly gifted and kindhearted young woman she’s already poised to be?...

I love the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. It is one big, fabulous celebration. And there are so many ways to be involved. That’s one of the things I love about Sydney too: we do love a party and we love to support any celebration. The main feature of the Mardi Gras is the parade, right down the centre of Darlinghurst and all the way to Centennial Park. It is the greatest display of love and life, colour and commentary....

It’s also possible that you’re looking into recycling an ereader. Technology can be hard to recycle due to tons of different laws surrounding batteries used in the devices. Be sure to double check for the specific requirements in your area, as sometimes there can be differences in policies from city to city. The world of book recycling is complicated, but I’m here to help guide you through it. When in doubt, be sure to check with your local recycling plant to ensure that you’re doing what’s best for your area....

at Bitch Media: 9 YA Books Feminists Should Read in November at Brightly: 10 Middle Grade Stories Featuring Boys Tweens Can Admire at Bustle: 10 Books Like The Queen’s Gambit That Prove Chess Is Far From Boring at BuzzFeed: 5 Comfort Books We Love And 5 Books We’re Highly Anticipating This November at Crime Reads: 6 Books Featuring Dark Anti-Heroines Who Test the Limits of Morality at Electric Lit: Our Favorite Essays and Stories About Comforting Things at Epic Reads: 41 Books to Help You Escape the Madness of the Election For a Bit at Lit Hub: Desert Stories, Clean Energy Transition, and Other Climate Readings for November at POPSUGAR: Every Captivating Thriller and Mystery You’ll Want to Read in November at Riveted Lit: Books to Read If You Need an Escape at Shondaland: The 5 Best Books for November 2020 at Tor....

“In the late 1960s, a lawyer named Edward Packard started giving his children options on the best way to conclude his bedtime stories. Before the advent of interactive computer games, the kids thought plotting their own course was a thrill. Packard later wrote Sugarcane Island, which allowed the reader to choose multiple endings. And with collaborator R.A. Montgomery, the Choose Your Own Adventure book series was officially launched in 1979....

“In this episode of History Becomes Her, we learn about some of the fascinating women who changed the course of history but didn’t get a mention in the books we read at school. You’ll learn about U.S.-based peace activist Concepción Picciotto, Chinese pirate leader Ching Shih, and the Mirabal Sisters, who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. You’ll hear the story of Mary Ann McCracken, a Belfast-born social reformer who championed female equality and campaigned against slavery....

If you’re not willing to do those things, then stay in your own lane because people who think the whole world is up for their grabs have already done plenty of damage, and no one needs any more of your appropriative “it was just a bit of fun” takes. I see you wondering why I think I have the right to say anything about this and that’s fair. Here’s the thing: surface, I look like a lot of other ally-type early-middle aged ladies, but I grew up in a Conservative Jewish household....

Some of these challenges have gone well. Some have been less successful (why does this lace pattern scarf suddenly have 107 stitches? I don’t…damn it). As I was contemplating the sum total the other day, however, I realized I hadn’t yet done any sort of comics challenge. And thus Comics A–Z was born. We’ve finished up our first challenge: pairing comics/graphic novels. This week, we’re tackling part two of challenge number two: a hero for every letter of the alphabet....

Here’s a list of fascinating standalone comics about mental health to read during mental health awareness month. For more recommendations, check out 6 Comics About Mental Illness and Comics For People With Anxiety.

We are about to enter the realm of discussing Legend of Korra, so I have to put this warning up: Avatar: the Last Airbender is a story about children having to fight in a war they never wanted. Certain people can use the elements of nature via “bending,” and the Avatar can bend fire, earth, air, and water to bring peace to all nations. In Aang’s case, as the Avatar he has to save the world, but that means forcefully shedding his old life....

via GIPHY Originating from the Middle East, hummus has been eaten since the 13th century and is widely eaten to date. I have never eaten two hummuses like each other. Every platter of hummus brings something different to your tastebuds, and I think that’s where its magic lies. So what makes it a contender for a showdown? The fact that there is nothing like a batch of fresh homemade hummus....

What do you think? Here’s the hardcover: And here’s the paperback: Pretty different, right? What do you think, which one of these are you more likely to pick up? Lee Child said this about Need to Know: “Prediction: If you read chapter one, you’ll read chapter two. If you read chapter two, you’ll miss dinner, stay up far too late, and feel tired at work tomorrow. This is that kind of book....

I look forward to pairing my next dark beer (Oktoberfest or amber for fall, porter or stout for winter) with Iain Reid’s psychological thriller Foe. I am not claiming to know an actual science behind which dark beers should be paired with which dark read. You could pair your favorite dark beer with any dark book, but I have a few book and beer recommendations. Whether you could choose to utilize them or not is up to you....

Among top results for the term, Infobloom describes it as an alternate term for horror, but this ignores a widely and commonly agreed upon use for the term that is much broader. Crime Reads argues that the core trait of a dark fiction story is a sense of dread. In a Book Riot post about dark romance, Jessica Avery describes the genre as “a catalog of our deepest fears.” This gets even murkier when you start exploring titles marked as “dark young adult fiction....

The movie is based on the immensely popular manga, which follows the young coal seller Tanjiro living in Japan in the early 1900s. After his family is massacred by demons and his sister, Nezuko, turned into one, he sets out on a quest to cure her, becoming a demon slayer in the process. The trailer also teases with brief moments featuring mysterious Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito and bubbly Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji in action, who haven’t been seen since season one....

Maybe it’s that last revelation that really got me: the fact that horror explores our darkest impulses. In a world in which girls are raised to be “good,” whatever that means (and I was such a goody-goody), horror allowed me to indulge my darkest self, the ugly thoughts and the hateful impulses so many of us are forced to keep hidden. And demons? Well, they feel like a physical manifestation of that darkness and that ugliness and that hate....

To understand the significance of happy endings in queer stories, you have to know the history of queer representation in media. Obviously throughout history there hasn’t been a ton of representation of queer people, and when there was, it usually wasn’t very positive. There are exceptions to that, but it’s only really recently that we’ve seen mainstream representation in TV and books. Historically, queer characters have acted to serve a couple of functions....

We’ve got Creepy Carrots and The First Rule of Punk and Do Not Lick This Book and Ghost and Karma Khullar’s Mustache. Yet with my limited shelf space, I am also questioning the value of old books. There are the old books that no one reads because they are too tattered to look appealing. There are the old books that have weird old ’80s or ’90s covers that kids in 2018 are not going to pick up....

It’s not unusual for comic book heroes to go through a bit of a weird phase in their early days (e.g. Superman leaping instead of flying, or Batman wearing tiny purple gloves and casually murdering people). Iron Man, who spent his first five years headlining Tales of Suspense before getting his own title in 1968, is no exception. Aside from the bulky, monochrome armor, he had to deal with what I can only describe as a grab bag of bizarre, mostly one-shot baddies....

My role was to discuss ways I promote reading for pleasure to the students I work with who are living in an unpredictable, scary place. I’ve written before on the importance of reading for pleasure and empathy. We need these books more than ever. Here are some of the ways I’m trying to create a safe, welcoming place in the library, and how I hope that they will forget some of their worries for a little while when they enter the doors within the school....