I hate the phrase “post-truth era,” but truly we’ve stopped agreeing that there is such a thing as truth and that some things are truthful and some things are facts and it’s not a matter of opinion. Opinion is one thing that’s very different from truth and, unless we all can agree that at least […]
Quotation: In a “Post-Truth Era” Read More »
One of the reasons why we read is to practice life, to look at particular circumstances and wonder what we’d do if we found ourselves in them. For example, I don’t think I’d ever kidnap a child. But what if someone called me and told me she had kidnapped my daughter, and to get my
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How the Pandemic Has Changed Our Reading Lives “Many of the readers who have more reading time are finding that the mental toll of current events is hurting their attention spans, or seeing their genre preferences shift and twist.” Leah Rachel von Essen “talked to authors, book bloggers, librarians, and general readers to investigate how
14 of the Scariest Books Ever Written Halloween reading season is upon us. Leila Siddiqui, declaring that “as readers, we love the sensation of being scared—it is adrenaline-inducing and addictive,” offers her list of reading material for the season. THE WOMEN WHO SHAPED THE PAST 100 YEARS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE This article from Smithsonian Magazine
This month we start with The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, an appropriate choice for the Halloween season because it features ghosts. Or does it? The most salient feature of James’s novella is its ambiguity. Are the ghosts the governess sees real, or are they the product of some psychological projection such as
6 Degrees of Separation: Ghosts! Read More »
Every September, I look over the new list and sigh, “How could anyone object to these great-looking books?” This year, instead of just sighing, I read all the books. The experience introduced me to some great new titles and, by implication, the anxieties of too many censorial Americans. Source: For Banned Books Week, I read
This October marks the ninth year of Star Wars Reads, a month-long celebration of Star Wars and reading. Source: Star Wars Reads Begins Today!
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I occasionally come across articles criticizing Goodreads. The latest one is “Why Goodreads is bad for books.” I’m always surprised at the vehemence with which some people criticize Goodreads. Sure, the platform is owned by one of the biggest retailers on the planet and therefore doesn’t have much incentive to improve. But as I read this
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Celebrate Hobbit Day with a feast fit for the Shire and these Tolkien inspired recipes for your second breakfast and more. Source: 9+ Tolkien-Inspired Recipes to Enjoy on Hobbit Day Happy Hobbit Day, a celebration of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthdays.
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J.K. Rowling’s ‘Troubled Blood’ is her most ambitious Robert Galbraith novel yet — and likely the most divisive I have liked J.K. Rowling’s mystery novels featuring Cormoran Strike—published under the pen name Robert Galbraith—very much. But Rowling herself has been criticized recently for transphobic remarks she made earlier this year. (This article contains a link
