Books

Every year, Benicia, California, hosts a Downtown Scarecrow Display where local businesses show off their talents and creativity by making scarecrows. One House Bakery kicked it up a notch . . . or a galaxy or two . . . and created what might be the best set of scarecrows you can imagine. Hannalee Pervan,

The 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards are open for voting! The opening round of the 12th annual Awards, which are decided by readers, runs now through November 8. How It Works Voting is open to Goodreads registered members. Check Your Shelf Newsletter Sign up to receive Check Your Shelf, the Librarian’s One-Stop Shop For News, Book Lists, And

If we’re comparing tragedies this year, one of the smallest possible ones would be how much I’ve missed traveling in 2020. Yet, traveling and exploring new cities has always been one of the anchoring points in my life. Thankfully, I’ve found a small piece of that with Airbnb online experiences, “traveling” to Japan for a

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October, for me, is all about beautiful light and crunching leaves under my feet, adding cardigans back into my wardrobe, and the still relatively new school year full of hope and resolutions. I believe in enjoying each season in its turn and not constantly rushing onto the next thing. If anyone tries to play Christmas

Eleven months out of the year, I read only the occasional horror novel, but as soon as October comes around I’m ready for all the creepy books. Don’t get me wrong, these books are good reading any time of year, but there’s just something about chills and thrills that feel perfectly suited for fall. Witches

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Even though Halloween is a festival of the West, its spirit is not just exclusive to America. Since you can’t party like all the other years this Halloween, what better way is there to celebrate than to curl up with an eerie book on your couch? While you are at it, might as well diversify

“The…what?” I hear you say. Saddle up, partners, and let’s explore western gothic, a genre you have definitely heard of but maybe never had a definition for. What is Western Gothic? Wikipedia defines “gothic western AKA western gothic AKA prairie gothic” as “a subculture that blends gothic and western lifestyles that are notably visible in

At the turn of the new year, I decided to invest in a modest Moleskine journal and told myself that I would document my most comprehensive, most astute thoughts about the books I finished in 2020. It was going to be great! I was already fatigued from staring at computer screens all day while researching

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There is irony in reading a book about the deterioration of our world during a global pandemic; in her revolutionary environmental science book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson writes about our government’s irresponsible use of DDT and Parathion in the 1960s. She accuses the chemical industry of spreading disinformation and condemns public officials for allowing our

In manga, friendship takes many forms. We have the eternally popular bromance. There is the childhood friendship that transforms as the years pass—whether it be to a romantic relationship or an antagonistic one. And who can forget my personal favorite: the enemies or rivals who become reluctant friends. If you’re looking for a particular type

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Whether it’s competing with large wholesalers who are able to offer books at much lower prices or dealing with skyrocketing rents and lower footfall, indie bookshops have faced financial challenges that have caused many to close their doors. However, the challenges experienced by bookshops in recent years aren’t only economic. In the face of a

When was the last time a book made you laugh out loud?  For me it was last week, when I was reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I am admittedly very late to the David Sedaris game, but I’m playing catch up at a rapid pace. I read the book in a

Ahhh parenting. Most people would say it’s one of the most challenging roles that one can take on in this world. It’s me. I’m most people. Especially in the time of corona. That said, it’s never boring. And, unlike most everything else, you can’t really train for it. Sure, you can try to prepare for

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How many times have we as book lovers said, “I know I shouldn’t reread this book when there are so many new books out there” or “I love this book, but I’ve already read it twice, I don’t want to waste my reading time”?  We’ve pretty much all been there. As lovers of books, we

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Former President Barack Obama’s highly anticipated memoir will be published on November 17. The book’s publisher, Penguin Random House, is slated to print 3 million copies according to Politico. The 768-page book will be released in 25 different languages. In 2017, Barack and Michelle Obama each sold a book in a joint deal with Penguin

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Celebrating excellence, originality, and accessibility in writing by women in English from across the world and now in its 25th year, the Women’s Prize for Fiction has announced its 2020 winner: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. In a virtual ceremony, the Women’s Prize for Fiction paid homage to every past winner in its 25 years, celebrated the

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