by Michael Christie At age 11, Will Cardiel thinks his life is pretty normal. His mother Diane is agoraphobic and Will has grown up believing that the Outside is full of danger. He lives life indoors, painting “masterpieces” and opening the door for the delivery men that help Will and his mother maintain their lifestyle. […]
by Paulo Bacigalupi Depleted aquifers, drought, and dust storms in the American Southwest bring out the worst in people and their politics, allowing gangs and militias to run rampant, loosely controlled by the remaining city-states. Each city is struggling not to dry up completely, everyone trying to score enough water to stay alive for another […]
By Elizabeth Gilbert The Lily Playhouse is a crumbling theatre in 1940s New York, hosting shows with chorus lines, flashy dancers, and not much plot. Vivian Morris, a 19 year old girl recently kicked out of Vassar College, is set to spend the summer there with her Aunt Peg, the Lily’s owner. What follows is […]
The Library BookBy Susan Orlean The fire that gutted the Los Angeles library in 1986 was shocking to staff, patrons and the community at large. This was a library that housed research collections, the largest record of patents in the U.S., a history of the entertainment industry in L.A., a huge collection of maps, as […]
Vivian Shaw Dr. Greta Helsing has the most unusual medical practice in modern London: most of her patients are dead. But if you are a banshee with laryngitis, a vampire with a head cold, or a mummy slowly succumbing to the ravages of time, who else are you going to call. Her family has had […]
By A.J. Hackwith Join the Library. Raise Hell! Stories are powerful things. As such, they must be contained. All unfinished stories go to the Library of the Unwritten, a neutral space in Hell overseen by a Head Librarian. The Head Librarian is responsible for organizing and repairing the books, keeping them safe, and most […]
Beyond the TreesBy Adam Shoalts Deemed by some to be “one of Canada’s greatest living explorers”, Adam Shoalts does what most of us would never dare to do – explore Canada’s wild places for months on end, alone. Shoalts clearly loves the wilderness and feels comfortable with solitude. But four months alone in the arctic […]
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston delivers a nice, optimistic, and fun love story that’s a perfect start to a new decade of enjoying books and stories. In an alternative reality, but similar enough to seem absolutely possible, Alex Claremont-Diaz is the half-Mexican son of […]
Little Fires EverywhereBy Celeste Ng Shaker Heights is a perfect town outside of Cleveland. It’s been planned, manicured and held to the highest standards for over a hundred years. Well-educated parents raise children in Shaker who grow up to be the next generation of perfect. Elena Richardson is no exception. A journalist by trade, Elena […]
I first encountered Caitlin Doughty while watching Ted Talks. Her talk, A burial practice that nourishes the planet, explores different ideas for burial that don’t pollute the environment with toxic, cancer-causing formaldehyde. It was absolutely fascinating, so when I learned that she was a published author with three books, I wasted no time getting my […]