A small-town librarian looks forward to her daily repartee with an ever-grumpy elderly patron, so when he unexpectedly goes incommunicado, she sets out on a mission to bring a little bit of the library to him. Charming and cheerfully told, The Lonely Hearts Book Club reminds us that books are a perfect way to find each other — and ourselves. Keep reading to hear book recommendations from the book club itself
Americans love their pets, especially cats and dogs—there are about 150 million of the critters in our homes right now, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. So it’s no surprise that cats and dogs turn up pretty often in literature, either as companions to fictional people, or (occasionally) as the primary characters. If you […]
Summer is the season of big movies, from blow-up-the-White-House blockbusters, to family-friendly animation, to gross-out, screwball comedies that are heavy on celebrity cameos and bodily fluids. But if you don’t feel like shelling out for tickets to this year’s slate of movies, why not enjoy a book of a similar flavor? These read-alikes are guaranteed to satisfy, […]
No one knows what happens when we die. Religions, pyramids, and entire industries have cropped up in response to humanity’s quest to solve the mystery without, you know, actually dying. Arguably the entire institution of literature is a response to death—either to ruminate and philosophize on The End, or to snatch a piece of literary immortality. A few authors […]
In order for the protagonists in middle grade novels to shine, their parents often fade to black and exist on the pages much like all the adults in a Charlie Brown cartoon; dads, even more so. However, every once in a while there are a few stand-out fathers who shape the story as well as our […]