Yes, May is drawing to a close. May Day, Mother's Day, and even Memorial Day--all the holidays of May have come and gone... Now, June starts tomorrow! What will you do? ... Read More

I'm always curious to see just how bad the movie is, compared to the book (particularly when I've loved, or at least enjoyed, the book). Now, Glenn Whipp has put ... Read More

From the first hand-written manuscripts, through the invention of the printing press, following the history of books is an educational and enlightening journey. Read more about how the book has ... Read More

In his review of The Man Who Was Thursday, John Thornton writes: "It's refreshing to see, in The Man Who Was Thursday, a rare harmony between form and content. G.K. ... Read More

This Memorial Day weekend, we remember the men and women who have fought (and continue to struggle) in wars, battles, and conflicts. Here are a few resources related to war ... Read More

In Charlotte Gordon's fascinating biography, Mistress Bradstreet, Anne Bradstreet emerges as "an electrifying personality"--the first New World poet with her bestselling volume of American poetry. Experience Anne Bradstreet like never ... Read More

Dashiell Hammett is perhaps best known for The Maltese Falcon, with the character Sam Spade. He was born on May 27, 1894. Hammett worked as a detective in the early ... Read More

John Donne is one of the most famous poets in English literature. He's known for poems like A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning. For the last decade of his life, John Donne ... Read More

The Hay Festival kicked off today, and it will run through June 4th--with lots of literary events. It's the 19th annual event, and the famous Seamus Heaney is scheduled to ... Read More

In his review of The Immoralist, John Thornton writes: "From the pen of Andre Gide comes one of the most tedious books ever to shock a nation, although the only ... Read More

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an essayist and poet, famous as the leader of the transcendentalist movement. He presented his beliefs quite eloquently in his lectures, but also in his book, ... Read More

Starbucks has been changing up their offerings in their coffeehouses for some time now. Of course, there's always the coffee. Then, there's the CDs. After all, what goes more hand-in-hand ... Read More

In her review of America the Beautiful, Liz Kennedy writes: "The powerful artwork by Chris Gall gives new meaning to the words of Katharine Lee Bates' poem 'America the Beautiful.' ... Read More

The official start of summer isn't quite here yet, but it's never too early to start compiling your reading list for the upcoming months! What authors are you interested in? ... Read More

In his latest review, John Thornton writes: "What can anyone say about Don Quixote that hasn't been said? The book's been around for four hundred years, has inspired virtually every ... Read More

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859 in Scotland. Although he was a physician, novelist, and short story writer, he is perhaps best known for his creation ... Read More

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) was one of the greatest poets of the Enlightenment. He is perhaps most famous for An Essay on Criticism, which appeared in 1711. In that famous poem, ... Read More

Ernest Hemingway spent a good deal of time in Cuba between 1939 and 1960. He even owned Finca Vigia, a house outside Havana, Cuba. Apparently, he left more than 20,000 ... Read More

The wonders of the local library cannot be overestimated. The library is a place where we can learn and grow--where we can commune with the books, walk down the aisles, ... Read More

Oscar Wilde was once vibrant and full of life, but the trial and his subsequent imprisonment destroyed him. On May 19, 1897, Wilde was released from jail. He died just ... Read More

The whole world seems to be up in arms about The Da Vinci Code. With the plagiarism suit just behind us, the recent release of the film version has again ... Read More

Today is the day on which I was born, though I won't say how many years ago that was... According to my parents, my dad was up all night studying ... Read More

On May 17, 1164, Heloise was buried next to Abelard, who had been her husband. The story of Abelard and Heloise is usually considered one of the most famous love ... Read More

On May 16, 1836, Edgar Allan Poe married his cousin, Virginia Eliza Clemm. She was 13 at the time of their marriage, and she died in 1842 of tuberculosis. Her ... Read More

Pay attention to "the man behind the curtain"... Do you know the name of the man who created the magical land in The Wizard of Oz? L. Frank Baum was ... Read More

It's hard to believe that it's this is my first Mother's Day as a mother. Ever since I can remember, I've wished women "Happy Mother's Day"! And, it seems somehow ... Read More

Leprechaun Day is celebrated on May 13. That's today. If you don't know what these little ones are... Well, leprechauns are famous for their hidden pots of gold and ... Read More

Mark Twain is famously associated with the grand Mississippi, as a riverboat pilot and writer. On May 12, 1883, Life on the Mississippi was first published, in all its unforgettable ... Read More

Some of the most memorable events in my life have involved being caught reading a book. Not that reading a book is ever a bad thing... Reading can be such ... Read More

Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) was a Russian poet and novelist, famous for Doctor Zhivago. Although the novel was banned and restricted during his lifetime (and even causes some controversy today), the ... Read More

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if mothers ran things? The idea of mothers (or just women in general) running the world (or society) is nothing ... Read More

We all know how convenient the online bookstores can be. It's as easy as logging onto the Internet and browsing to your favorite online store. You can browse through titles, ... Read More

Robert Browning (1812-1889) was a famous Victorian poet. He carried on a relationship with Elizabeth Barrett through letters, and they eventually eloped. Take a look at Love and the Brownings, ... Read More

What could troubles mothers in fiction? An event or crisis that might have seemed small evolves until it is no longer possible for her to ignore or forget it. Does ... Read More

What is literature? Why do we read it? Why are we fascinated by what happens (and doesn't happen) in literature? Why is literature important? Read more about literature. Then, ... Read More

Margaret Mitchell is the popular author of Gone With the Wind (1936), the tale of Scarlett O'Hara and her tragedies and triumphs through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Mitchell was ... Read More

I've heard some teachers and professors say that there are no "stupid" questions. But, some students still manage to come up with some pretty outlandish queries. Here's how you can ... Read More

May Day (or Mayday) is on May 1st. The day is a celebration of the first spring planting, and has also been celebrated as Beltane, "the day of fire." How ... Read More