Back To School In Style

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Back to School is upon us and with that in mind, do you need a new book bag?  Well, if you are looking to go back to school in bookish style check out Huffington Post's article "17 Tote Bags Book Lovers Will Absolutely Adore" and if these 17 don't work for you check out Out of Print Clothing's selection of totes.  You are sure to find something to send you on your way to school accessorized to the bookish max.  Let us know which tote you'll be carrying here at The Things You Can Read.

Happy Reading & Writing☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books & Writing!

Don't Forget To Be Awesome!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am an educator with over 25 years of teaching experience; I currently teach English in the public school system of Virginia. In my spare time I am an avid reader. writer, reviewer, blogger, writing/art journaler, beekeeper, grad student, and MOTHER. - See more: Here

Why Books Make Us Laugh?

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Why do books make us laugh?  Well, click on over to Huffington Post for all the details.  What it boils down to is this: 

"Why do we laugh just by looking at some ink on a page? Because in our imaginations we recreate the story, parts of us think it's real, and we react to benign violations just like we do in real life. You can read a frightening story, or an adventure story, from the safety of your living room: it's the pleasure of something that feels scary but is actually safe."-Huffington Post

What was the last novel that made you laugh out loud?  Mine was one of the many essays found in the David Sadaris Collection.  

Happy Reading & Writing☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books & Writing!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am an educator with over 25 years of teaching experience; I currently teach English in the public school system of Virginia. In my spare time I am an avid reader. writer, reviewer, blogger, writing/art journaler, beekeeper, grad student, and MOTHER. - See more: Here

The One Word In Everyone's Texts/Conversations Right Now

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The idea of the English language morphing and changing at the speed of light is a concept that is a more recent development-at least in my mind.  I think it is a sign of the times that started with the use of email, but has seen an even more rapid growth with Facebook, Twitter, Et cetera, Et Cetera, Et Cetera. Social media has really been behind the growth of these "new words" that seem to eventually make their way into the hallowed pages of the Merriam Webster Dictionary.  Thanks to Huffington Post recent article "The One Word In Everyone's Texts/Conversations Right Now" I learned all about the SLASH.  Yes, you heard me the SLASH.  I guess it is a verbal way to "air quote".  You be the judge.  According to the article:

"After so much time being delegated to such boring utilitarian functions as dates ("8/30/2014") and fractions ("3/4 cup"), the humble slash mark seems to be getting a linguistic makeover. Anne Curzan, professor of English at the University of Michigan, described the practice among students in her classroom last year. Since then, Curzan told me in an email, she's been studying examples of slash usage on Twitter. The most common use corresponds most closely to "and/or," but she said a fair number are "used to connect one idea to another, perhaps meaning something like 'following up' or as something like a spoken semi-colon." Still, other examples use the slash as a way to indicate "truth values for the elements it connects," Curzan explained. In other words, saying one thing when what you really mean is the next. Like saying you need to rest when what you're really planning is binge-watching TV."  Huffington Post

What do you think of the SLASH.  Are you using it in conversations.  Check out the full article and let us know your thoughts here at The Things You Can Read.

Happy Reading & Writing☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books & Writing!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am an educator with over 25 years of teaching experience; I currently teach English in the public school system of Virginia. In my spare time I am an avid reader. writer, reviewer, blogger, writing/art journaler, beekeeper, grad student, and MOTHER. - See more: Here

The Biggest Heartbreakers in Literature."

"There's nothing quite like the feeling of having your heart metaphorically ripped out of your chest," the Huffington Post stated in their post dealing with, "the biggest heartbreakers in literature."  We loved their choices, but we started to think about what we might add to the list, but we drew a blank, so we thought we'd put it out there in the blogosphere:  What would you add to their list?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read.

Our personal favorite:  Gone With the Wind

Happy Reading☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Summer Reading 2014

You know summer has arrived when all your favorite book sources start sharing their summer reading lists here are a few:

• NPR's "go-to librarian" Nancy Pearl summer picks 
• The Huffington Post recommended "10 super fun teen summer novels that adults will love too," 
• Mental Floss uncovered "6 beach reads from 100 years ago."

Check these out and let us know what you think!

Happy Reading☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

7 Life Lessons from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

In Huffington Post a recent article shared seven life lessons to be learned from reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  According to the article:

The author's wisdom is apparent in much of his nonfiction, particularly his short, piercing essay, "What is Art?" His fiction is full of life lessons too, both intended by the author or gleaned by modern readers. 

To read the seven life lessons from one of Tolstoy's classics, Anna Karenina click on over to Huffington Post.

Having read this classic, we found the lessons to be on target.  What do you think?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read.

Happy reading to all! ☮ 

Happy Reading☮
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

One Hit Wonders

Well, one hit wonders are not limited to the music world, you can find them among writers too.  Trake a look at the most famous of the "One Hit Wonders" as determined by Huffington Post.

Every single writer can't be Charles Dickens, James Joyce or Jane Austen.

Most authors only end up with one hit book, and the rest are duds, or just don't get the same pick up (or they only wrote one book to begin with, a la Harper Lee with "To Kill a Mockingbird").

But that's really nothing to be sad over. When you write something as enduring as "Gone With the Wind" or "Paradise Lost" you're still certain to never be forgotten.

(For the record, by "one hit wonder," we mean books that were actually HITS. They don't just have to be good. They have to be popular. Therefore, some of these authors probably wrote other good books, but they just didn't reach popularity).  Huffington Post

Can you think of any "One Hit Wonders" left off the list?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Happy reading to all! ☮

Happy Reading☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

'Harry Potter' Quotes: 10 Comforting Words Of Wisdom From Albus Dumbledore

Image Credit: marcedith

If you are looking for some positive vibes to help you get through the day, checkout Dumbledore's words of wisdom at The Huffington Post. Shelf Awareness asked the question, "What would Dumbledore do?" Well, find out!  We liked:

Image Credit:  Huffington Post

Which one is your favorite?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Happy reading to all! ☮

Happy Reading☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

 

What Creates the Smell of Old Books?

What creates the smell of old books?

DNews, which is associated with Huffington Post, has created a video to explain this phenomenon  as well as that of cut grass, gasoline and new cars. Check it out here on The Things You Can Read!

Do you have a memory that you associate with that "old book" smell?  Share it with us here at The Things You Can Read.

Happy Reading

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Is Barnes & Noble in Big Trouble?

Just recently, I was talking with a fellow teacher, and commenting on the number of Barnes & Noble stores that were to be closing their doors. These announcements were coming in at about one or two a week...from all over the United States, now this...What are your thoughts? Will Barnes & Noble be around in the next five years, or will we see another major bookseller close their doors? Let us know your thoughts here at the Things You Can Read.

NEW YORK — Sales plummeted at Barnes & Noble bookstores in the latest quarter and its Nook e-book devices failed to keep up with competitors, pushing the company to a net loss that more than doubled from a year ago.  The largest traditional U.S. bookseller said Tuesday that it will stop making its own Nook color touchscreen tablets as a result, a move intended to stem the losses it's suffering from its digital unit. Huffington Post
 

Here is some more information on Barnes & Noble as reported by Shelf Awareness:
Barnes & Noble plans to open five stores and close 15-20 in the current fiscal year; in the past year, B&N opened two stores and closed 18. The company also said that despite speculation to the contrary, it hasn't reduced book title inventory "substantially" in the past two to three years. This and other information was given by B&N in a conference call with stock analysts after its quarterly and fiscal year results were announced on Tuesday (transcript courtesy of SeekingAlpha.com)-Shelf Awareness

Again, what are your thoughts on Barnes & Nobles problems?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Happy Reading and Happy Blogoversary to

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

 

Classic Books' Original Titles: Some Truly Awful Titles

Classic Books' Original Titles

The Kingdom by the Sea was the original title of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. The Huffington Post highlighted "24 classic books' original titles." Shelf Awareness







In your opinion, what title is the worst?  We think Trimalchio in West Egg has to be one of the most atrocious.  Let us know your thoughts here at The Things You Can Read.

Happy Reading and Happy Blogoversary to
The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Random SHOUT OUT: Happy Birthday, Diego Velazquez

Happy Birthday, Diego Velazquez, one of our favorite painters!

Today we would like to celebrate the birthday of famed portrait artist and friend of Spanish royalty Diego Velazquez. The painter, who The Metropolitan Museum of Art once described as "the most admired -- perhaps the greatest -- European painter who ever lived," would turn 414 years old today if he were miraculously still alive-Huffington Post

To learn more about Diego Velazquez check out the full post on Huffington Post, and let us know the name of your favorite Velazquez painting.

Happy Reading and Happy Blogoversary to
The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Burning the Page: The eBook Revolution and the Future of Reading.

Burning The Page: Jason Merkoski Tells Inside Story Of Amazon Kindle

Huffington Post shared a five part excerpt of Jason Merkoski's new book Burning the Page: The eBook Revolution and the Future of Reading.  Did you know the first Kindle was called the Fiona?  If this sounds like something up your alley check it out!  

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

What did you find most interesting?  Let us know at The Things You Can Read.

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Names Inspired by Book Characters

The Huffington Post showcased 12 "Baby Girl Names Inspired by Beloved Book Characters."  If you were going to name your child after a character in a book...what would you pick?  We'd look at the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird  for a name or we'd move to authors names.  What author's name would you use?  We like Harper Lee or Leigh.

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

 

Lemony Snicket On Twitter: This Friday On @HuffPostBooks

Lemony Snicket On Twitter: Author Helps You Conquer Your Fears This Friday On @HuffPostBooks

We don't have a Twitter account, but many of you do, so here is a great opportunity for all those whoTwitter out there:

Lemony Snicket is a man who knows about fear. And he's taking over our Twitter feed this Friday to prove it. 

His A Series of Unfortunate Events books were filled with deliciously dark slaughter and amusement. His ongoing series, All The Wrong Questions, is crawling with creep and cretinous creativity in the town of Stain'd-By-The-Sea. 

And Snicket's latest book, The Dark (illustrated by Jon Klassen, author of I Want My Hat Back and This is Not My Hat) is about a boy named Laszlo who confronts The Dark in his own house. It's scary and awesome and Neil Gaiman narrates the audiobook, so what more do you need to know? 

And so, to celebrate its publication this week, the mysterious figure himself will take over @HuffPostBooks on Friday, April 5th between 3.15pm and 3.45pm ET to answer your questions on being scared. He's done it once before, and he made us all fall in love. This time, it's time to confront your deepest fears.-Huffington Post

Let us know what you would ask Lemony Snicket.

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

  

Update on Publishing World in Flux: Random House and Penguin to Merge!

Last week, we shared the Huffington Post article that illuminated some rather important information with regard to two of the world's largest publishing houses.  According to last weeks post on Huffington: 

"British publishing and education company Pearson PLC says it is in talks with German media group Bertelsmann SE over merging the firms' Penguin and Random House publishing operations."

However things have now changed, according to Shelf Awarness, which posted the following:

"Four days after officially confirming that Pearson and Bertelsmann were in discussions about combining their book publishing operations, the companies announced this morning that they are creating a joint venture named Penguin Random House. Bertelsmann will own 53% of the joint venture, and Pearson will own 47%."

Additional Resources:

NPR Report from Last Week

Again, what do you think about the news? For the full article checkout Huffington Post and Shelf Awareness. Let us know your thoughts about the publishing world. Do you expect big changes in the publishing world in the coming year?

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Publishing World in Flux: Random House and Penguin to Merge?

Huffington Post shared some rather important information today.  According to the post: 

"British publishing and education company Pearson PLC says it is in talks with German media group Bertelsmann SE over merging the firms' Penguin and Random House publishing operations."

However the announcement did contain the cautionary note that these are just talks and there is always the possibility that these talks will not lead to a transaction.  What do you thingk?  For the full article checkout Huffington Post article.  Let us know your thoughts about the publishing world.  Do you expect big changes in the coming year?

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Things To Say About Books You've Never Read

Image Credit: A Postcard a Day

"The vast majority of the world's books, music, films, television and art, you will never see. It's just numbers." Linda Holmes, NPR culture blog Monkey See

Unfortunately, as much as we try, we can't read it all, but oh boy wouldn't we like to!  Take a look at two Huffington Posts articles: 7 Things To Say About Books You've Never Read and 9 Spoilers For Classic Books.  Both address this idea of offering tips on how to bluff your way through conversations about key classic novels you've never read.  A word of caution, the articles contain spoilers, so BEWARE!   What do you think of these articles?  For us here, at The Things You Can Read, we prefer actually reading the classics verses pretending to have read them.  Again, what is your take?  Leave a comment and let us know.

Happy Reading!
Things You Can Read

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Day 5 of Banned Books Week: September 30-October 6, 2012

Image Credit:Banned Book Week

In celebration of Banned Books Week, The Things You Can Read will be sharing quotes 

from authors of banned works...

“Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect.” 

― Margaret Mitchell

“Burdens are for shoulders strong enough to carry them.” ― Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind

“Never pass up new experiences [Scarlett], They enrich the mind." - Rhett Butler” ― Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind

What do you think of this quotes from Margaret Mitchell, an author of banned works?  Let us know your thoughts by sharing a comment!

Image Credit: Gone With the Wind

Huffington Post is not letting Banned Book Week go by without some great articles.  Yesterday, we shared their article on  censorship entitled "Banning Books is Censorship" by Jane Friedman.  Check out another of their posts entitled "9 Books You Should Have Read in High School" by Madeleine Crum.  What book would you like to see added to the high school curriculum in your area?  Let us know!  Post your selection. 

Post a comment sharing how your celebration of Banned Book Week is going.  We'd love to know.  

Happy Banned Books Week Reading!
Things You Can Read

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!