I have an irrational fear of jellyfish. Scientifically-minded folks tell me that the real name for my fear is scyphophobia, presumably from the Greek word for squishy monster.* If they ever say anything more about jellyfish, I never hear them over the sound of my screaming. I had thought that my life was mostly insulated… Continue reading People are Making Books Out of Jellyfish Now
It is strange to realize that your favorite book by an author is sometimes overlooked by other readers. Young adult author Francesca Lia Block is probably best known for her Weetzie Bat series (otherwise known as Dangerous Angels). The books follow the adventures of a young woman named Weetzie who lives in a magical version of Los… Continue reading When Other People Don’t Remember Your Favorite Book
Lately I’ve been thinking about how we could all use a little more joy in our lives. When I was young, the library at my school had the best displays seasonal displays. They were bright, creative, and made me never want to leave the shelves. (Which wasn’t all that out of character, now that I… Continue reading Holiday Library Displays for When a Book Tree Isn’t Enough
It’s no secret that bookstores have had a tough decade. Independent shops have struggled. Behemoths like Borders shuttered. And every other day someone publishes a think piece about the imminent demise of the book industry. In response, bookstores have tried to become increasingly creative about the ways they make money. Their shelf space has shrunk,… Continue reading Barnes & Noble to Save Itself through…More Books?
I recently took quite the hiatus from this blog, but I found just the thing to get me back into the swing of things. Capitalism! I’m kidding. Mostly. The season between October 1 and January 1 fills me with an absurd joy. It begins with “Give me pumpkin decorations or give me death” and culminates… Continue reading Personalized Book Recommendations and the Penguin Hotline
Words can be dangerous. Though we tend to think of censorship and book banning as modern phenomena, the prohibition of books has existed since the creation of the written word. In honor of Banned Book Week, I want to take a quick look back at censored books in history. Traditionally the people who banned books considered… Continue reading From the Qin Dynasty to Concord, MA: A History of Book Banning
Sabrina the Teenage Witch brings back memories of the neon 90’s. It was a time when witches were blond, magic went sideways, and cat-familiars-that-were-once-warlocks-bent-on-world-domination looked like terrifying murder puppets. But now Sabrina will no longer live solely in the realm of nostalgia; the CW and Warner Bros. television are rebooting a drama based one Sabrina.… Continue reading Sabrina the Teenage Witch Comics to Read before the TV Reboot
When I worked in a college library, I had to periodically go around and wake people from where they had fallen asleep in the book stacks, on tables, or in quiet corners. I didn’t wake them to be cruel but because the library had to close sometime, and they couldn’t spend the night even… Continue reading Sleeping in the Stacks
“Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil,… Continue reading Friday Quick Quote: Solzhenitsyn’s “The Gulag Archipelago”
“Readers hoping for an expansion of the Harry Potter universe can rejoice; there is another Harry Potter Film on the horizon. This one will be about how a young boy named Tom Riddle grew up to become the best loathed snake-faced villain in the realm of witches and wizards. Last summer Tryangle Films began working… Continue reading A Movie about Voldemort (But Will He Look Like a Snake?)
Kristen Twardowski 