Speaking Truth To Power A History Of Political Cartoons

Cartoonish figures. Symbolic characters. Poignant captions. Political cartoons have a long history of putting opinions into imagery and using those images to inspire thought and/or action. From lampooning King George III to taking on Trump and Biden, these drawings reflect both the thoughts of the cartoonist and the larger currents that may be flowing through society at a given time. Often seen as a way to speak truth to power, sometimes using humor, political cartoons have an enduring role as a means of reflection and political commentary....

December 11, 2022 · 4 min · 807 words · John Ward

Star Wars Books Series That Deserve Their Own Adaptation

This list focuses on canon books, mainly to avoid confusion. I’d love a Mara Jade TV show, and I’ve heard the rumors about her in Mandalorian season 3 and the rumors about a possible Disney+ Heir to the Empire movie, but forgive me if I’m skeptical. That being said, I would watch the hell out of a TV series based on Legends. Yes, I’m being purposely vague and sweeping: I’d watch any and all of it....

December 11, 2022 · 1 min · 203 words · Christine Salgado

Stock Up On Audiobooks With Libro Fm S Shop Small Sale

But wait! There’s more! If you’re a Libro.fm member, you get 30% off all a la carte audiobook purchases - even on sale prices! So that $7.99 audiobook? It’s $5.59 for members with an active subscription. Not a Libro.fm member yet?- Check out our guide to using Libro.fm then start your membership here. Read on to learn more! And happy gifting. Credit Bundles Give the gift of audiobook credits at a discount....

December 11, 2022 · 1 min · 149 words · John Mathers

Summer Lovin 10 Summer Romances You Ll Love

Beach Read by Emily Henry The only book on this list I haven’t yet read, this much-anticipated read came out in May and is already much beloved by several of my romance-reading buddies (and a NYT bestseller). January Andrews is a romance novelist and Augustus Everett writes literary fiction. Neither of them has a high opinion of the other’s genre. They both have writer’s block. They meet on the beach and agree to swap genres for the summer....

December 11, 2022 · 4 min · 825 words · Branden Billinger

Swords And Swoons 20 Of The Best Fantasy Romance Books

Now I want to explain the method to my madness. To me, these are fantasy romances where the romance elements are integral to the story. Fantasy novels with strong romantic elements are out there, but these are not them. There are also some major names missing. However, I didn’t want to include a series that skews more urban fantasy and develops the romance more so in book two. This is, namely, how I feel about Ilona Andrews....

December 11, 2022 · 1 min · 169 words · Andrea Jackson

Taika Waititi Leads All Star Reading Of James And The Giant Peach To Fund Covid 19 Relief

Across the ten episodes, Waititi will read James and the Giant Peach from start to finish, with various actors appearing as characters in the story. The first two installments are available now, featuring Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Nick Kroll. New episodes will air each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Taika will be reading the whole book to raise money for @PIH – and we’ll match all donations made....

December 11, 2022 · 2 min · 352 words · Cynthia Martin

Talking To Strangers About Margaret Atwood

“Would you like a free book? It’s World Book Night and I’m giving them out!” “What kind of book is it?” “It’s kind of a sci-fi novel, it takes place in the future.” “Oh, like with spaceships and aliens?” “No, no aliens.” It was 9:30 in the morning on April 23, and I was talking to my favorite bank teller. I had maybe been a little ambitious; I hadn’t had my coffee yet, and I was running errands before the bookstore was open....

December 11, 2022 · 3 min · 610 words · Jessica Tyson

The 10 Best Horror Books Of 2022

Horror books in 2022 confronted difficult questions. They blended genres. They incorporated humor and satire. They made us laugh. They made us cry. They made us hide under the covers at night and sleep with the lights on. There were so many great horror novels this year, and everyone’s personal top ten list is probably going to look a little bit different. But for me, the following books were the best horror novels released in 2022....

December 11, 2022 · 1 min · 163 words · Sara Hubbard

The 8 Best Superhero Comic Holiday Specials

But TV is not the only medium to do holiday specials. Because comics are published serially, it was only natural to get comic holiday specials starting in October. Often these comics were very similar to the cartoons we grew up with: some villain trying to destroy Christmas or the Thanksgiving Day parade. Our hero steps in with the assistance of Reindeer, The Ghost of Christmas Past, and other familiar holiday companions....

December 11, 2022 · 1 min · 172 words · Bruce Merritt

The Beer Lover S Big Book List

There is a serious lack of diversity in books published about beer and in the craft beer industry in general. NPR has covered the lack of people of color in brewing over the years (here and here), and a leading industry site Hop Culture has covered the issue of gender diversity. With festivals like Fresh Fest and organizations like The Pink Boots Society fighting for industry change, I think there’s promise for the future....

December 11, 2022 · 4 min · 820 words · Jose Boteilho

The Best Grishaverse Cross Stitch Patterns For Leigh Bardugo Fans

Already know how to cross-stitch? These patterns will help you make the perfect gift for yourself or your Grishaverse loving friends, or gift them to someone who wants to pick up a new hobby while listening to the audiobooks for the fifth time. The possibilities to get bookishly crafty are endless! No Mourners, No Funerals Cross-Stitch ($5): This beginner friendly pattern boasts one of the most iconic line in the Six of Crows duology!...

December 11, 2022 · 2 min · 250 words · Keith Lee

The Best Of The Bat Ranking Batman Covers

Got all that? Good. Batman covers — and comic book covers generally — have evolved since the early days. They started out very simple and to the point: a colorful image of Batman and Robin swinging into action, charging towards the reader or attacking a bad guy. The ’50s and ’60s saw a preference for zany, seemingly inexplicable imagery, while the 2000s tended toward dark imagery with little to no text....

December 11, 2022 · 3 min · 553 words · Jill Malloy

The Best Way To Support Independent Bookstores Through Purchases

Looking to support independent bookstores during the pandemic? Here’s a flow chart for how to make your purchases most impactful for your local indie. Order Directly From the Bookstore’s Website Does your local bookshop have a webstore? If so, shop directly on their website. Purchase branded merch, gift cards, and search for in-stock titles. Shopping specifically for in-stock titles or gift cards means the booksellers working in the store can just pluck your order off the shelf, bag it up, and have it ready for you as soon as possible....

December 11, 2022 · 5 min · 919 words · Charles Mosley

The Bookish Life Of Levar Burton

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. was born on February 16, 1957, in Landsthul, Germany, where his father was stationed as a photographer with the United States Army Signal Corps. His mother raised him and his sisters in Sacramento, California, and at 13, he entered St. Pius X Minor Seminary with the intention of becoming a Catholic priest. He left the seminary to pursue acting at age 17, attended the University of Southern California, and made his film debut at 19 in Almos’ a Man, based on the story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” from Eight Men by Richard Wright....

December 11, 2022 · 4 min · 697 words · Emma Diaz

The Most Popular In Demand Books In U S Libraries July September 2022

These are books which are seeing a lot of interest but haven’t necessarily stayed atop bestseller lists for months and/or books with particular interest locally. The data looks at adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and young adult books (which includes fiction, nonfiction, and comics). Panorama Picks groups public libraries by coordinating American Bookseller Association (ABA) regions, which allows for a really neat way of exploring interest on a regional level. A book might be especially popular in California but less so in the Midwest, and looking at that data provides a real opportunity for local bookstores and libraries....

December 11, 2022 · 16 min · 3264 words · Kevin Mcmurray

The Most Terrifying Books 15 Titles Not For The Faint Of Heart

Need even more horror fiction to get you through the spooky season? Try these psychological horror books. Or this list of the top horror books. Or if you want to commit to a lot of terrifying books all together, how about these horror book series?

December 11, 2022 · 1 min · 45 words · Marion Stevenson

The Network Of Suburban Moms Working To Stop Book Bans

Red Wine and Blue is a 504(c)(4) corporation working to drive women in the suburbs into action for good. With 250,000 members strong, they’re mobilizing and empowering women who haven’t been or considered themselves activists to get to work in their own communities. They’ve streamlined and simplified ways to connect, to share information, and to contact politicians, stating their support of accurate, inclusive education. The latest focus? Book bans. “This is not the 1950’s....

December 11, 2022 · 2 min · 294 words · Patricia Draper

The Phantom Tollbooth Author Norton Juster Has Died At 91

Juster was born in Brooklyn in 1929 to Samuel Juster and Minnie Silberman. Samuel Juster was a Romanian immigrant and became an architect, and Norton’s brother Howard was also an architect. Norton studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and then later city planning at the University of Liverpool. His penchant for children’s stories came out during his time in the Civil Engineer Corps of the United States Navy, which he joined in 1954....

December 11, 2022 · 5 min · 916 words · Christopher Workman

The Struggle Of Writing Poetry During A Pandemic

During the last semester, I was in a poetry workshop thematically focused on medicine and mortality, which seems oddly prescient now. Just before spring break, our school moved all classes online and shut down the campus. As the semester trudged along, more and more poems submitted each week were reflecting on stay-at-home orders and COVID-19. But not all poets feel the need to write about our current situation. “As a poet,” Valzhyna Mort told me via email, “I don’t see this news as a writing assignment....

December 11, 2022 · 4 min · 723 words · Harold Kearney

The Weirdest Literary Conspiracy Theories People Really Believe

Lewis Carroll Was Jack the Ripper Yep, I had never heard of this one either, and I read From Hell many times. Is it mentioned in that? It damn well should be, because this is a great conspiracy theory. The idea is that Lewis Carroll (a pen name for Charles Dodgson) sprinkled anagrams throughout his works that admitted his guilt. It’s a huge stretch, and people who claim this to be true have to rearrange Carroll’s work so much that they have to cut the words around to make them fit (see: Jack the Ripper: Light-Hearted Friend), but hey, that’s what conspiracy theorists do, don’t they?...

December 11, 2022 · 4 min · 686 words · Christine Fallon