“A great poem can be there for you — the same way other works of art you hold dear can. Franny Choi, an educator and co-host of the poetry podcast VS (pronounced like ‘verses’ or ‘versus,’ get it?), says a great poem ‘makes me want to get out of my chair and pace around the room. It makes me want to throw my hands up and show it to somebody or say it out loud or shout it from the rooftops … when I have [it], it’s the only thing that matters....

In 2019, I stopped writing, stopped performing, and stopped showing up to listen to my friends. Depression (and the anhedonia that went with it) made the idea of picking up my pen or leaving the house seem impossible. My favorite poetry collections stopped collecting notes in their margins and gathered dust instead. I turned to the mindless entertainment provided by sitcoms with laugh tracks that let me know when I was meant to emote....

The New York Times suggests that Black Lives Matter is the biggest movement in U.S history. Around 15–26 million Americans took part in the protests as of June. This year marked a sharp 26% increase in approval of the movement. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the national movement affected book media. In June, various book news websites shared lists of independent Black-owned bookstores and reported on the record sales....

Instant Digital Card - Bring new users to your library in just 30 seconds. Did you know 160 million people in the United States don’t have a library card? That means half the country can’t discover the valuable programs and online services that libraries offer. That’s why OverDrive developed the Instant Digital Card to connect readers with your digital collection as quickly, safely and cost-effectively as possible. Learn more about using the Instant Digital Card to help more of your community discover the library....

How to make a paper bag book cover: the overview Here’s the steps for how to make a paper bag book cover, with more info on each step below. 1. Prepare your paper bag. Depending on the size of the book you want to cover, you can use a paper grocery bag (usually enough paper for two standard hardcovers, maybe a textbook) or a brown paper lunch bag (good for one smaller hardcover)....

Beyond Fear: A Toltec Guide to Freedom and Joy by Don Miguel Ruiz I am reading this book because I genuinely enjoyed The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz. I have been experiencing a lot of anxiety lately, and his teachings are always great reminders that there is plenty of joy in our lives. Fear is the source of all the negative agreements we’ve made with life. It can alienate us from the joy that is our birthright....

Active Reading Think back to when you were in school and the books that you studied. Think about what you remember about those books vs. what you remember of the books that you’re reading now. Most likely, you’ll find that you actually remember quite a lot about the books you read in school, maybe even more than what you remember about books you’ve read recently. And that’s because of the ways that we read books in school....

Through middle and high school, I wrote fanfic for a ton of different fandoms but mainly The Avengers. Fan fiction not only helped me practice character development but also come to terms with my queer identity through pairings I enjoyed, especially since I grew up in a fairly conservative area where being queer wasn’t something I could share without losing friends. These days, I’m a reader of fanfic more so than a writer of it — in part because I have other writing projects that take up more of my time, and a day job, and non-writing hobbies that help me avoid burnout but also take up time, et cetera, et cetera....

Here’s the thing, chicken wing. I totally love staying home, but usually it’s on my own terms and not, you know, government mandated. Destroy the idea that people like introverts and bookworms are not affected by having to stay inside indefinitely. Destroy the idea that we all suddenly have “so much free time” on our hands to catch up on our reading and should feel guilty if we aren’t making progress on our TBR piles....

But alas, that was never the case back then. If you too have ever felt the desire to gauge whether a book is meant for you by finding out its direct nemesis, then I have some — lifechanging, I’m sure — recommendations for you. Interested in reading more juicy things about books? Check out some of the most controversial book opinions. Want to know what other sassy and sarcastic things I’m thinking when it comes to books?...

I’ve written before on the importance of funny signage & displays around the library and how they can bridge an often large gap between the librarian and the student. Humour can really be an effective way to connect with youth, but you can’t try too hard and you need to be honest and come a from a place that you are familiar with in order to come across as genuine....

One of my favourite things to read about is food, both in terms of adult books and children’s books. Happily, there are a lot of delightful children’s books out there that are either about food or where food is a focal point. But there still weren’t any that fit my wishlist of a beautifully illustrated, good read-aloud, where I can see myself or my child in the book. And then I came across the Big Cities Little Foodies series, and it turns out the creators of that series, Cheryl Yau Chepusova and Isabel Foo, felt similarly to me and instead of just moaning about the books they wish existed but didn’t, they actually went out and created the books....

So, come on in, and get warm by the fire with us:

I can’t say that I deeply dislike the classics, or that I have a lot of strong opinions about them, but from my experience with the classics I have read – or have tried to read – I consider most of them particularly challenging, and I always approach them in a different light than I approach any contemporary fiction. It is important to start by noting that classics aren’t necessarily the best books of their time; they stand out for one reason or another and, in general, they are works that either truly represent the times they take place in, or they defied the societal rules of a certain era, making them innovative, provocative, and probably also outrageous....

In recent years, I started to notice that many of the movies and books I really love would often receive fairly mixed reactions from the general public or people around me. The criticisms I most often see and hear: “open ending” and “nothing really happened.” Which was weird to me because I enjoy both these things, which reflect real life so much better. Frankly, I am no scholar of story or narrative, just a gal who happens to like books, so it didn’t really hit me what was going on until seeing many more conversations and putting the pieces together....

All of that said, it is now the fictional relationship with the beautiful Roxane for which Cyrano the author, libertine, and poet is best known. The romance hinges on what is called the Cyrano trope, which is when a nerdy person helps a physically attractive but less emotionally sensitive person gain the object of both their affections. The trope is widely used in film and books, with adaptations and gender-switching all over the place....

Sweet Librarian Shirts and Librarian Sweatshirts Choose from a number of colors for this vintage librarian tee. $25 and up. The perfect tee for so many librarians: We grow readers in the library. $25 and up, with color options. Because the library is your home and helps you find your way again. $33. Whether you work in one or just love ’em, don this shirt if the library is your happy place....

“The Library of Congress, led by current ‘innovator in residence’ Brian Foo, is launching an open-source hip-hop sample tool called Citizen DJ. A preview is currently available, and the full service will launch this summer. Users will have access to a massive audio collection that dates back over a hundred years, almost to the invention of the phonograph. According to the L.O.C., there will be three ways to access these sound files: an interface for searching by sound and metadata; a simple music-creation app that easily allows the collection to be remixed with hip-hop beats; and various ‘sample packs’ full of thousands of clips from particular collections....

I am a 37-year-old fat woman who spent decades of my life trying to shrink. I know diets. As a child I bopped along with Richard Simmons on his Sweatin’ to the Oldies VHS. I used smaller plates to simulate portion control. When I became a teenager, I decided to try recording everything I ate. I also learned that I enjoyed jogging and felt triumphant when I finished a short run in my neighborhood....

Here are some booktastic locations to check if you find yourself in the Crossroads of America: Academia The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library Born in Indianapolis, Kurt Vonnegut is famous for many novels, such as Slaughterhouse Five and Cat’s Cradle. You can visit the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library to see his typewriter, first editions of his works, and rejection letters he received. Just this month, the museum was able to exceed its donation goal to purchase 543 Indiana Avenue as its “Forever Home....