The 1950s saw the emergence of literary lights including J.D. Salinger and Jack Kerouac, authors whose books questioned the status quo and the midcentury preoccupation with conformity. The decade’s best books were mired in the dark realities of recent history, and looked forward to seismic social shifts to come. Novelists explored cultural norms through timeless dystopic visions, and […]
Dear Literary Lady, My friends never finish the books I lend them. What’s up with that? What’s up with that? Alas, dear reader, it could be any number of things! And without a bit more information to go on, we can only guess at the source of the problem. It could be that the books […]
It’s election season! Yes, still. And now that the field of candidates has narrowed, perhaps you’re mourning the loss of slogans like “Jeb!”—that exclamation point was everything. But we’ve still got some gems in the running—like the ominous “A Political Revolution is Coming” (Bernie Sanders), the demanding “Make America Great Again!” (Donald Trump), the don’t-you-know-who-I-am? “Hillary […]
In The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half-Baked Heroes from Comic Book History, author Jon Morris uncovers the saddest costumed avengers from the long history of funny books, heroes probably better left crumpled in a ball at the bottom of their creators’ trash cans. Luckily, they hit print, if usually only for an issue or two, providing plenty of hilarious material […]
Chatting up strangers in public can be an awkward proposition, but having an awesome icebreaker like a book can be a great way to get the conversation going. Just be sure to steer clear of tomes with titles like Don’t Talk to Me and I Have Enough Friends Already, Thankyouverymuch or anything akin to comedian […]