To Read or Not To Read

This year hasn't been what we expected, to say the least, and it was hard to find any escapes from it all. Maybe social media helped make us feel like we were less alone, or maybe we were able to stay in connect with those we loved. But we all dreamed of an escape from this reality, whether that be back to what we consider normal, or to somewhere entirely else. Christina Lauren, seeming to predict our need for an escape, provides the beautiful, holiday-themed vacation from our lives with their newest novel, In a Holidaze . Heartwarming, inspiring, and swoon-worthy, In a Holidaze  has the power to remind readers about the power of our voices, the need for family, and how triumph is born from disaster.  Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 internationally bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Dating You / Hating You, Autoboyography...

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her novel remains widely read and has inspired many theatrical and film adaptations. Shelley's works often argue that cooperation and sympathy, particularly as practiced by women in the family, were the ways to reform civil society.  Below, find the best quotes from Frankenstein  with their corresponding chapter numbers! Frankenstein Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The tarry sky, the sea and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seems still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth. Such a man has a double existence: he may suffer misery, and be overwhelmed by disappointments; yet when he has retired into himself, he will be like a celest...

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. His works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. They continue to be studied and reinterpreted.  Below, find the best quotes from  King Lear, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Casear, Othello,   Macbeth, and Hamlet  with their corresponding act and scene numbers!  King Lear Nothing will come of nothing.  Act 1 Scene 1 Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your majesty according to my bond, no more, nor less.  Act 1 Scene 1 Now gods, stand up for bastards!  Act 1 Scene 2 Mark it, uncle: have more than thou showest,...

Books with bookish characters automatically are more interesting to me, because I know the main character and I will have something in common. But make that book an adult combination of Fangirl and The Start of Me and You , then sign me up! That's exactly what I thought when I spotted The Bookish Life of Nina Hill --how fascinating it would be to see two storylines I loved merged into one adult novel. If you like surprise families but hate change, love books and judge people who don't, and overall want a light-hearted read about intense topics, then I recommend The Bookish Life of Nina Hill . Waxman is able to take heavy topics and transform them into something easier to swallow, while also focusing on the candid and poignant moments that define our lives.  Abbi Waxman, the author of The Garden of Small Beginnings and Other People's Houses, is a chocolate-loving, dog-loving woman who lives in Los Angeles and lies down as much as possible. She worked in advertising for many ...

Would you make a good hostage? Is there even such a thing? In Fredrik Backman's recent publication, he examines these questions and much, much more. But not only does he examine hostage identity, but adult identity in general in the world we live in today. Emotionally packed with the exploration of so many sensitive subjects, Anxious People doesn't shy away from the difficult or the heavy. In a refreshing narrative style with characters you'll find yourself relating to, Anxious People is a book that sticks with you long after the pages have run out.  Fredrik Backman is the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime , as well as one work of nonfiction, Things My Son Needs to Know about the World . His books are published in more than 50 countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, wit...

There are parts of your identity that you are told, but others that you can go and make for yourself. That's the fascinating thing about identity: that it's yours, and hopefully that it stays that way for the rest of your life. The fluidity of identity is also necessary if one wants to have a great life, because it'll reflect that you're listening to yourself as you change and grow. Identity is imperative in The Vanishing Half , as the women grapple with their racial, sexual, and familial identities. Not only is this book thought-provoking, but it is pure genius, compassionate, and heart-warming and heart-breaking all at the same time. A book claimed as the book of the summer, I think this book is perfect for the fall - grab a blanket and sit by the fire with The Vanishing Half - I promise you'll stay up all night reading it, trying to guess what happens next for the Vignes women and their daughters.  Brit Bennett is the author of the bestselling novel The Mothers ,...

A crow remembers the face of a person who's done them wrong, and Kaz Brekker is no exception in this phenomenal sequel by Leigh Bardugo. Not only are there more impossible jobs, but limits are tested, relationships put on the line, and the entire fates of nations rest on the shoulders of this motley, beloved crew. If you missed the world of Ketterdam, welcome back to the den of righteous thieves. With this fantastic story, we dive deep into character motivations and past, a world built to destroy all but the rich, and moments that stick with you until the very final word. Don't miss out on the masterpiece that has become the Grisha world, or on the crew that discovers exactly how crooked that world can be.  Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author of fantasy novels, her most notable being those involved with the Grishaverse. Those include the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows duology,  The Language of Thorns ,  King of Scars   and The Lives of...