So my promise to myself next week, when I've got some time off for the holidays, is to spend more time with just my book and my animals. And maybe a mug of hot chocolate.
Read moreBook Review: Of Fire and Stars
Audrey Colthurst’s debut novel, Of Fire and Stars, is a captivating story that follows the young royals as they grapple with the roles they’ve been assigned and their true passions.
Read moreSpecial Critique Rate for NaNoWriMo Authors!
You survived NaNoWriMo! And, what's more, you have a great new manuscript to show for it! First, celebrate. Then, edit. I'm here to help.
Read moreMy Top 5 Literary Moments in Gilmore Girls
My mild obsession with the seven season mother-daughter dramedy is no secret, so today I’d like to honor it by examining the bookish side of Stars Hollow.
Read moreNavigating the Holidays: Defending Print
When people — family friends or uninvited acquaintances of invited guests or that couple I found myself sharing awkward wall space with — hear the word “books,” they immediately start trying to dissuade me from a future of certain, abject poverty.
Read moreCan Books Be Our Safe Spaces?
I can’t help but wonder, when physical safe spaces are hard to come by, whether our books offer us the sanctuary we need to begin moving forward.
Read moreIndependent Bookstores: McNally Jackson Books, New York
Founded in 2004, McNally Jackson thrived during the economic downturn that shuttered so many independents by using books as the centerpiece of several revenue streams, including a café, events, and printing and self-publishing services.
Read moreIndependent Bookstores: Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle
When we walked into the store, I knew right away that this was a good one. The books extended as far back as I could see, with carefully curated selections on every endcap, handwritten staff recommendations dotting the wooden shelves, a coffee shop in the back and an upstairs whose low ceilings made it feel like a treasure-filled attic.
Read moreBook Review: Beast
Hairy all over and rapidly approaching seven feet tall, 15-year-old Dylan resents how perfectly he fits his nickname: Beast. After a particularly bad first day of sophomore year, Dylan climbs out onto his roof to get some peace and quiet, and wakes up in the hospital. His leg is broken, and he’s been enrolled in group therapy for self-harmers. Though he’s determined to stay detached in group, to say nothing and hear nothing, he can’t help but notice beautiful, confident Jamie—and she notices him, too. The two connect in a way Dylan’s never connected with another person before—let alone a girl—but Jamie has a secret. It shouldn’t change anything, but it changes everything.
Read moreMy Favorite Fictional Witch
In honor of Halloween I want to take a moment to celebrate my favorite fictional witch. There are a lot out there, from Macbeth's Three Witches, to The Grand High Witch, to Big Witch and Little Witch. But my favorite is, and always will be, Old Black Witch.
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