The Future of Libraries
During small talk not long after meeting someone new, inevitably the question “So what do you do?” comes up. When I tell them I’m a librarian,...
8 Memoirs About Getting Older
I pee my pants a little when I sneeze too hard. I get drunk — and then later get a hangover — from a single glass...
New Book Puzzles for Cozy Winter Enjoyment
I didn’t used to do puzzles. I have a lot of four-legged creatures in my home, many of which have made doing anything with small parts...
9 Cheerful Books to Chase Away the Winter Blues
The short days and gloomy weather of winter can lead to the winter blues, and for some people, seasonal affective disorder. Winter is my favorite season, but...
It’s Not Just The Covers: Some Ways in Which the UK and U.S. Book Worlds Differ
Famously, the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said that “England and America are two countries separated by a common language”. As a Brit who lived...
“Read What’s There”: How I Learned to Avoid Shortcuts
I vividly remember analog media and the switch to digital. Sometimes I’m still amazed that I can check a word’s definition by tapping on it. As...
Amina Cain Writes Toward Authenticity
A Horse at Night is Amina Cain’s first book of nonfiction, an essayistic rumination on the practice and philosophy of writing. The book mostly focuses on Cain’s...
John Hendrickson Tells the Truth
Two stutterers walk into a bar. No, really. John Hendrickson and I arrive at The Library in the East Village on a Sunday afternoon. We wave...
My Pregnancy Didn’t Include a Prenatal Glow
When Frank Cotton opens the Lament Configuration in Hellraiser, he is disappointed. He was told that doing so would expose him to pleasures wholly unknown to...
9 Novels About Losing (and Finding) Yourself in Work
I love reading about work, probably because it’s more fun to read about jobs than it is to actually do them. Not that I haven’t experimented...
