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Articles by Cassandra Neace
Andy Serkis Will Read THE HOBBIT for the NHS
Actor and director Andy Serkis, known for playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will be doing a marathon reading of The Hobbit, cover to cover, to raise money for the NHS. The continuous reading will be streamed live on Friday, May 8, beginning at 10:00 a.m. GMT (5:00 a.m. EST/2:00 a.m. PST); it is expected to run about 10–12 hours.
Daniel Radcliffe Leads All-Star Harry Potter Read-Along
Wizarding World, the online home of Harry Potter and all his wizard friends, has gathered an all-star cast to read Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stoneone chapter at a time on the Wizarding World site, as part of the Harry Potter at Home program. Chapter one is read by none other than the original Boy Who Lived, Daniel Radcliffe. Surprise! We've got a treat for you…From today, amazing friends of the Wizarding World are going to take turns reading Harry Potter book one.
Experience Shakespeare Online During Quarantine
April 26, 2020 marks the 456th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth, and while that is certainly noteworthy, it is not the reason that Shakespeare has been all over social media in recent months. At least, it’s not the only reason. When schools shifted online, along with most of our daily social interaction, culture shifted online, too. Now, there are more ways to experience Shakespeare online than ever before.
Why Reading Pandemic Lit Gives Me Hope
I have been glued to social media in these days of self isolation. As I read through my feeds, I notice a distinct divide: those who want to dive right into books (and movies/TV/games) that feature pandemic plot lines and those that want to get as far away from that sort of thing as is possible. I fall into the first category. Pandemic lit has always been my favorite kind of reading. It’s not because I have some sort of morbid fascination with death and disease.
5 Books Set on the Moon
More than 50 years have passed since humans first stepped foot on the moon. It is a thing that most all of us are aware of, but it is not an event that gets us as excited as we were that day, crowded around our television sets. Until the Chinese landed a lunar rover on the far side of the moon last year, most of us hadn’t really thought about it in a good long while. “Most” does not include authors, however.
COVID-19 Updates from the Bookish World
COVID-19 continues its spread across the world, disrupting every aspect of life, including books and reading. We’re covering the effects of the pandemic on the literary world, and of course, recommending books to read while we’re all practicing social distancing (you are practicing social distancing, right?). This post will automatically update with new COVID-19-relevant content as we publish it.
Finding Mongolian Literature in Translation
When I moved to Mongolia to teach last fall, I started looking for Mongolian literature in English translation. I had looked before leaving the United States, but I didn’t have any luck. I thought maybe it would be easier once I was actually here. In the first weeks after I arrived, I took great joy in locating bookstores and popping in to see what I could find. I saw shelves of books whose covers and authors I recognized from the English speaking world that had been translated into Mongolian.
Bookish Ways to Keep Busy During a Quarantine
I am currently living in Mongolia, and we’ve been under some level of quarantine since January 27. For me, this means that I spend a few hours a day in Google Classroom. The rest of the time, I stick close to home. When I first heard about the five week quarantine, I thought I would use the time to catch up on my reading and do a little writing, and I have. But the pure joy in such activities can only last so long. I never thought I could get bored with reading, but it happens.
Homage vs. Rip-off: An Interview with Lev Grossman and a Guide to Literary Allusions in The Magician King
The first story of Patty Yumi Cottrell’s that I encountered was about a harsh school mistress chastising her students during a trip to the zoo. Her voice struck me as singular, her characters, haunted, abject, and captivating. They still do. But don’t take my word for it, read her “Young Robert,” read her “Peace.” She has said that when she writes she pictures herself “as a lonely old man who has just taken a room in a decrepit boardinghouse.
Check Out Obama's Summer 2019 Reading List
It’s that time of year again, when our very well-read former President Barack Obama shares his summer reading list. This list is a little heavier on novels than past lists, but it has the same level of depth and introspection that those who read along with Obama have come to expect. Obama begins his list with a heartfelt suggestion that we all read and/or revisit the collected works of Toni Morrison, the American literary giant who recently passed away.
10 Terrific Dinosaur Books for Adults
The continued success of the Jurassic Park franchise just goes to show that most of us never got over our childhood fascinations with our prehistoric pals the dinosaurs. The difference between now and then is that we can appreciate more of the mystery and the science than we could back then. The books on this list will allow you to do a deep dive into the secret lives of dinosaurs, both factual and fictional. Here are 10 of the best dinosaur books for adults.
The 5 Best Bookish Episodes of M*A*S*H
I have relied on the darkly comedic stylings of Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce, BJ Honeycutt, Klinger and the rest of the 4077th M.A.S.H since I was a small child, speaking gibberish to the TV while I watched the series finale the first time it aired. As an adult, I have cycled through the series from start to finish many, many times. First, it was via the DVD box sets. Most recently, I have relied on the Hulu for streaming the series.
12 Ways to Sneak in Extra Reading Time
This giveaway is sponsored by Oyster. Oyster offers readers the opportunity to browse thousands of titles whenever and wherever the urge strikes them. They offer immediate and unlimited access to more than 100,000 titles, ranging from familiar favorites to books from across the genre spectrum. Readers will find award-winners and bestsellers and the titles that have been staring at them from bookstore displays, begging to be read. Their time has finally come.
Literary Tourism: Galveston, TX
It may not feel that way in large portions of the country, but we’re inching ever closer to beach weather. At the very least, we’re getting close to sitting on the beach under a blanket with a book in hand weather. My favorite little stretch of beach is on Galveston Island, looking out over the Gulf of Mexico.
Watch the Trailer for Neil Gaiman's GOOD OMENS
For all those who have been waiting for some bright spot in the increasingly cloudy news cycle, New York Comic-Con has delivered the first trailer for Good Omens, the limited series adaptation of the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Before Pratchett died in 2015, he asked that Gaiman write the adaptation of Good Omens himself, and it was a request that Gaiman could not refuse. He also serves as the showrunner, and he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of production along the way.
Fall into Fall Readathon Wrap-up
Our Fall into Fall Readathon is sponsored by Swoon Reads — publishing the latest and greatest in YA fiction recommended by readers like you. See all the readathon posts here. You’ve got the power to get books published! Swoon Reads publishes the latest and greatest young adult fiction recommended by readers like you. From heroic epics, to alien adventures, to all-the-feels romance—if you’re loving it, we’ll publish it.
Fall into Fall Readathon Day Five: Read
Our Fall into Fall Readathon is sponsored by Swoon Reads — publishing the latest and greatest in YA fiction recommended by readers like you. See all the readathon posts here. You’ve got the power to get books published! Swoon Reads publishes the latest and greatest young adult fiction recommended by readers like you. From heroic epics, to alien adventures, to all-the-feels romance—if you’re loving it, we’ll publish it.
Fall into Fall Readathon Day Four: Get Thee To the Library
Our Fall into Fall Readathon is sponsored by Swoon Reads — publishing the latest and greatest in YA fiction recommended by readers like you. See all the readathon posts here. You’ve got the power to get books published! Swoon Reads publishes the latest and greatest young adult fiction recommended by readers like you. From heroic epics, to alien adventures, to all-the-feels romance—if you’re loving it, we’ll publish it.
7 Childhood Faves That Hold Up (And Are At Your Library): Fall into Fall Readathon
Our Fall into Fall Readathon is sponsored by Swoon Reads — publishing the latest and greatest in YA fiction recommended by readers like you. See all the readathon posts here. You’ve got the power to get books published! Swoon Reads publishes the latest and greatest young adult fiction recommended by readers like you. From heroic epics, to alien adventures, to all-the-feels romance—if you’re loving it, we’ll publish it.
13 Of The Best Luxury Harry Potter Gifts for Adults
Growing up does not mean that one has to give up on their fandoms. These items are a bit more expensive than the average Harry Potter merch, but that just means you will appreciate these items that much more, and for that much longer. You’ll want one of everything, and for those of you who have enough money to accomplish that…I hope you’re feeling generous. Here’s a guide to luxury Harry Potter gifts that every fan of the wizarding world will enjoy.
3 Reasons Teachers Love Audiobooks
Before we go any further, I just want to make it clear that audiobooks are books, and listening to them definitely counts as reading. Got it? Good. We’re on the same page. As many a classroom teacher can attest, especially those who teach literacy skills, books can be very intimidating to a student. This is true of both the first graders who are just learning to decode words and the high school students who are learning the skills necessary to analyze literature.
Picard is Back! Patrick Stewart's Best Bookish Moments on TNG
In case you missed the news, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is making a comeback. In light of this super-exciting, life-affirming news, here is a look at 5 times when Patrick Stewart and his space-exploring alter ego brought books to the bridge of the Enterprise. That he did so should come as no surprise, as Stewart is known as a particularly bookish actor, having brought the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Melville, and so many others to life on both stage and screen. Okay.
Where To Buy Absolutely Beautiful Book Sleeves
While books are not sacred objects, they are pretty darn important. Some of them are even priceless. For most readers, “priceless” is not a measure of their monetary value (though, in some cases, that can be a motivating factor), but an indication of their emotional significance. We have rules for reading, shelving, and lending. And when one of our books is damaged, we mourn. It only makes sense, then, that we protect our precious books. Enter the book sleeve.
25 Dr. Seuss Quotes To Remind You To Be Good and Do Good
Many days we wake up and feel like there isn’t a whole lot to be inspired about. The news is filled with reasons to feel angry and hopeless. We need reminders of the good, too. Reminders that we can do good. This is an idea that Theodore Giesel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was well acquainted with—just check out his perennial favorite Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Here are 25 Dr. Seuss quotes from the man and his books to provide inspiration on those days you could use a little boost.
7 Crime Titles Recommended on MY FAVORITE MURDER
On of the best things about the very popular podcast My Favorite Murder is that hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark are readers. Big readers. They will literally read anything you put in front of them – particularly if it has to do with true crime. In the course of their podcast, they have recommended numerous books, from self-published books by amateur sleuths to blockbuster True Crime, like I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.
Book Fetish: Volume 315
We’re giving away $500 of the year’s best YA! Click here, or on the image below to enter: Walrus Bookends: I feel like this walrus would shame me into reading the books between his two ends a lot faster than I might otherwise. Those eyes… “Not your babe” Coasters: When I get around to opening my own bar, I’m going to only hire women bartenders, and I’m going to give them a stash of these for annoying customers who need the reminder.
25 Fun and Frightening Zombie Books for Kids
Zombies are, oddly enough, a favorite topic of ours. They are a staple of monster movies. They have inspired a number of popular TV shows, from the post-apocalyptic hits The Walking Dead and Z Nation to less traditional takes on the genre, like iZombie and Santa Clarita Diet. They are staples in comic books and novels. There’s a trend here: these things are all aimed at adults and teens, and that kind of makes sense.
The Best of #RockBandLiterature
Hashtag games are one of the bright spots on a social media platform that increasingly becomes a place for bad news and conflict. Yes, Twitter, I’m talking about you. BUT that doesn’t mean that it can’t also spread a little joy. This time, that joy comes in the shape of the hashtag #RockBandLiterature.
25 of the Best, Most Fun, and Super Useful Crochet Books
My mother started teaching me crochet when I was 6 or 7 years old. It didn’t really stick, though, until about 20 years later. In a fit of intense boredom while visiting my mom for Christmas, I picked up some yarn and ended up with an afghan. I have never stopped crocheting. Crochet is very therapeutic. It’s very calming to be able to create something, make a mistake, and unravel it and pretend that it never even existed. There’s (usually) no evidence of the mistake, other than a long strand of yarn.
Watch the Teaser for THE HATE U GIVE
Attendees at VidCon were treated to a sneak peak at the trailer for the upcoming The Hate U Give, based on Angie Thomas’s amazing novel. The author shared the teaser via Twitter for the world to see last night. Responses were, as one might expect, enthusiastic. A full-length trailer will be shown at the BET Awards on Sunday, and will be available for everyone to see on the movie’s official website. The movie hits theaters on October 19. If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?
The Essential Anthony Bourdain Reading List
People were pretty shaken by the news that Anthony Bourdain had died. Whether they had watched him on one of his several TV shows, had eaten in one of his restaurants (or one that he recommended), or read any Anthony Bourdain books, many felt as though they had lost someone close to them. The way my ex-boyfriend described it, Bourdain was a guy you felt like you could have a beer with, one who would welcome you to his table and make you feel like an old friend until the food ran out.
Barack Obama Shares His Recent Reading List
It has become something of a tradition for former President Barack Obama to share his summer reading list. It’s not quite time for that, but he did start what we can only hope is a new tradition of stopping by his Facebook page and telling us what he has been reading lately.
James McAvoy and Clarke Peters Join Cast of BBC One's HIS DARK MATERIALS
James McAvoy (X-Men) and Clarke Peters (The Wire) have joined the cast of BBC One’s 8-part series adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, starting production later this month. They join Dafne Keen (Logan) and Lin-Manuel Miranda. It will be directed by Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech). McAvoy will play Lord Asriel, father of Lyra Belacqua (Keen), the story’s main character.
Watch the Trailer for Phillip Reeves's MORTAL ENGINES, Adapted by Peter Jackson
It’s here! The first trailer for Peter Jackson’s take on Mortal Engines, based on the novel by author Phillip Reeves. Take a look: In this futuristic, steampunk tale, whole cities have been mechanized and mobilized. They prey on each other, fighting over a dwindling supply of natural resources. Some people, like Tom Natsworthy, have never even set foot on the ground. He has always lived in the moving behemoth that is London.
Watch the NEW Avengers: Infinity War Trailer
Guys. GUYS. It’s here. The NEW Avengers: Infinity War trailer is here and it does more than just flash pretty super hero faces. Take a look:VIDEONow, I have not been following this movie, or even the Marvel cinematic universe all that closely, to be honest. But I have seen the first trailer many times, including just this past weekend as a preview before Annihilation.
The Wise Words of Ursula K. Le Guin
The literary world lost one of its giants recently. Ursula K. Le Guin was an American Novelist (her preferred title), and her influence extended far beyond the science fiction/fantasy realm that she was so at home in. In her 88 years, she wrote more words than I can begin to count. Here are a few of the most memorable. “If civilization has an opposite, it is war. Of these two things, you have either one, or the other.
DIY Bookshelf: Flea Market Flip Edition
In this, the era of binge watching, we all find ourselves fascinated with the most surprising things. One of my binge-worthy obsessions this summer was the HGTV show Flea Market Flip. Lara Spencer hosts as two teams comb through a flea market looking for items that can be transformed into super chic furniture items to be sold as finished items at another flea market. The team that earns the most profit wins. It is highly addictive.
Bookish Signs from the Women's March 2018
January 20, on the one year anniversary of the first Women’s March, we assembled again. This time, the focus is on voting, with the Power to the Polls initiative. Votes matter. If we didn’t know that before, the past year has provided a number of noteworthy examples. Remember Alabama? For me, the best part of any march or protest is getting to see all of the very clever and creative signs.
21 Memorable A WRINKLE IN TIME Quotes
You may have noticed that we’re pretty excited about the upcoming A Wrinkle in Time movie. Some of us have been rereading the book in anticipation. Others have been experiencing it for the first time. I read the book for the first time while I was still in middle school, and one of the reasons that it has stayed with me in the way that it has with language. Madeline L’Engle had quite the way with words. Here are 25 of my favorite unforgettable A Wrinkle in Time quotes.
See the First FAHRENHEIT 451 Trailer
It may seem like HBO’s Fahrenheit 451 adaptation is particularly relevant these days, driven by the current political climate, but it’s a film that has been in the making since before the 2016 presidential election. Fahrenheit 451 is a story that was relevant long before Ray Bradbury wrote it, and it will likely be relevant far into the future.
A Teacher’s Reading Resolutions for 2018
I teach ninth grade at a school in Houston, Texas. I teach three double-blocked classes, meaning that I teach the same group of kids for two class periods in a row, three times a day. That’s 100 minutes of class time. Fifteen of those minutes are dedicated to independent reading. We call it JRB time, because, ideally, kids are reading their “just right book” – a book that is perfect just for them. At the beginning of the year, I felt like this time was well-spent. Kids read.
Sci-Fi Stories in Space: A Reading List
This round of the Riot Recommendation is sponsored by The Human Division by John Scalzi. Following the events of The Last Colony, John Scalzi tells the story of the fight to maintain the unity of the human race. The people of Earth now know that the human Colonial Union has kept them ignorant of the dangerous universe around them. For generations the CU had defended humanity against hostile aliens, deliberately keeping Earth an ignorant backwater and a source of military recruits.
Celebrating 53 Years of Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
This week marked the 53rd anniversary of the publication of Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Did you know there’s no official gift for a 53rd anniversary? The 50th is gold, and the 55th is emerald. I’ve been trying to figure out something that would be appropriate for the momentous occasion, and all I can come up with is a quick and simple video guide to this, the best book that most of us ever read in high school.
5 Scary Stories by Women Writers
When we think of scary stories, we turn to authors like Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft. A well-balanced list might include Shirley Jackson or Mary Shelley – as it should. They aren’t the only ladies to write a story so chilling that it sends shivers up your spine, however. The list of scary stories that follows is a mix of both classic and contemporary short fiction written by women. They are each haunting in its own way.
Reclaim Your Shelf Space With These DIY Bookshelves
There are people who have bookshelves with books on them because they look good. Then there are the people who need bookshelves to house the many, many, many books that find their way home with them. They need shelves with plenty of space. How the shelves look is of minimal concern. They care more about how well the shelves do their job and how much they’ll cost. They wouldn’t want to divert too much from their book buying budgets.
Neil Gaiman's LIKELY STORIES Premiers on Shudder
Neil Gaiman is joining the ranks of Ray Bradbury and Roald Dahl—again. He’s already a well-loved writer of stories that are a little off the beaten path, strange in all the right ways. The three writers have that in common. Now, Gaiman is solidifying his place among them with the launch of his own anthology series, Likely Stories, on Shudder. Likely Stories is now available on the streaming service. The four episodes originally aired in the UK on Sky Arts in in 2016.
100 Must Read Books About Revolutions, Rebellions, and Uprisings
There is an undeniable revolutionary vibe in the air these days. The books that follow tell the stories of people who fight against oppression in many different forms. Some of these stories are based on real rebellions in real places. Others take place in locations that we can only imagine under circumstances that seem simultaneously far-fetched and a little too likely. All of them can serve both as a source of inspiration and as a warning of things that are yet to come.
Book Lovers Unite: Help With Hurricane Harvey Recovery
As has happened so many times, the book community has really pulled together to support Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts, even before the rain stopped falling. From area bookstores opening their doors to provide respite from the storm, to people reading picture books to each other online, here are a few of the ways that readers across the country have committed to helping out in the days, weeks, and months to come. You can help, too.
Two Dead, More Injured in New Mexico Public Library Shooting
On Monday, a man walked into the public library in Clovis, New Mexico, and started shooting. By the time it was over, two women has been killed and 4 others had been wounded. Local police, supported by the ATF, responded quickly and the suspect was apprehended. No clear motive is apparent. Few details surrounding the event are available at this time. Clovis, a small, town near the Texas border, is a very close-knit community. The library was, as most libraries are, seen as a safe space.
5 Books to Read While Waiting Out a Hurricane
I live in Houston, and I’m writing this post from my living room as I wait to see what comes of Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Harvey in my neck of the woods. It made landfall near Rockport, TX. So far Houston has been told to expect a “major rain event” lasting several days. I’ve seen the floods here when there isn’t a hurricane, and so I’m not exactly sure what to expect. All I can do is wait. Wait and read. A hurricane is serious business.
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