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India is a land of contradictions and unlikely co-existences that are only truly captured in the languages of its people. Thanks to a set of talented translators and independent publishing houses, the unique essence of various regional languages are available in English, despite immense pressure from globalization and digitization. Here I have compiled a list of my favorite books in Indian languages that have been translated to English. This is a very short and very incomplete introduction, as even the number of recognized official languages in India is more than double the number of books I have included in the list....

Of course, this all depends on which Deadpool you are into. Are you a classics kind of Deadpool with awesome tats declaring your undying love? Are you a Deadpool contemporary, quoting direct from the movies? Or maybe you just love the heart of gold and the collection of t-shirts to go with it? The thing is, Deadpool is a complex character; he must be, considering the number of therapists I know who ADORE him....

While I would like to think that society’s mermaid craze began with Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the truth is mermaids have been mesmerizing humans in every part of the world for thousands of years. Myths of merfolk, sightings, and fake exhibitions crop up throughout history and in various cultures. We aren’t immune to their siren calls! My kids are as crazy as I am about mermaids. Here are our favorite mermaid picture books, voted as the most artful, fanciful, and captivating ones out there....

You guys know the gist. This list is by no means complete or comprehensive. There are dozens of new books published every month. That being said, I did try to choose a bit of everything for you guys to find something you’ll love. This list includes anticipated sequels, new fantastic sagas, adventurous sci-fi and even some paranormal romance. Because that’s the beauty of SFF: it’s such a versatile genre you really can find something for everyone....

An adaptation of Shaftesbury’s award-winning, groundbreaking queer vampire web series of the same name, Carmilla mixes the camp of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the snark of Veronica Mars, and the mysterious atmosphere of Welcome to Nightvale. Ever since Bram Stoker came out with Dracula in 1893, vampires have regularly fallen in and out of favour. Right now, they’re out. After the huge wave of vampire novels in the late noughties (Twilight, Vampire Academy, House of Night, Vampire Diaries) we turned to less well-worn tracks like werewolves and zombies....

From the bestselling author of Caraval, the first book in a new series. For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. How far would you go for happily ever after?...

The quote from above serves as epigraph to the constant battle that Lady Chatterley’s Lover as a title has been through; from proving its literary merit to justifying its themes, there is not much about this title that has not been challenged. Let’s take a look at the brief history of this title. Plot Set in post-war England, Lady Chatterley’s Lover tells the story of our heroine, Connie Reid, who is married to Clifford Chatterley....

olive oil, coconut oil, or vegetable oil 1 copy of Get in Trouble by Kelly Link 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1/2 jar of your favorite salsa 1 can pinto beans, drained 1 package Mexican Four Cheese shredded cheese-food-product approx. 1/2 cup of crushed tortilla chips Feeds two, or one plus leftovers (with apologies to Mark Bittman’s Baked Pinto Beans, Enchilada Style recipe from How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees....

I chose to assess this situation through a Media Studies lens because that’s what I have a degree in, but there are a lot of different ways to attack this problem. Hopefully, you can find a productive way to explore this issue and push for better representation. Framing Arguments In Ariella Azoulay’s book Civil Imagination: A Political Ontology of Photography, she interrogates what a photo tells us by what it leaves off to the side....

Star Wars/Darth Vader If you’re not sure where to start, the comics Star Wars (Jason Aaron, John Cassaday, Laura Martin) and Darth Vader (Kieron Gillen, Salvador Larroca, Edgar Delgado) are a good bet. They take place between Episodes IV and V and work best as companion pieces. They’re not going to spoil anything for you and are just awesome stories. They’re ongoing comics, but the first couple of trades for both are out now....

A few rules before we get to the list. Who counts as a “hero,” or love interest, to use a better term? For my purposes, any male character who begins one of Austen’s novels single and ends up married or engaged, unless they are a fairly minor supporting character like Emma’s Mr. Weston. My most important criterion is “this man is someone you would actually want to be with in real life....

If you’ve ever questioned the logic of basing an entire identity around what you have between your legs, it’s time to embark on a daring escape outside of the binary box… Open your eyes to what it means to be a boy or a girl – and above and beyond! Within these pages, you get to choose which path to forge. Explore over one hundred different scenarios that embrace nearly every definition across the world, over history, and in the ever-widening realms of our imagination!...

On a recent Tuesday morning, I woke up to find that you had tweeted about the ongoing discussion about the lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations, saying “I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.” — Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 14, 2020 I have long admired your work and your straightforward perspective on writing. I’ve been lugging your giant books around since I was in high school, and I have nearly all of your books proudly displayed on my bedroom wall....

It’s easy to see why it was so short-lived: it did not gel at all with Robert Downey Jr.’s interpretation of the character, and the animation was, well, not up to What If…? standards. (It barely meets original Toy Story standards, if I’m honest.) But I find it rather charming. Part of that may be nostalgic gratitude, since this was my first real introduction to Iron Man. But the most noticeable aspect of the show is the fact that Iron Man was really more like Iron Boy: he and his friends were just 16 at the start of the show and 18 at the end....

You’ll find some YA, historical mysteries (one with a Jane Austen twist, knowledge of classics not necessary), cozies with witches (for fans of Practical Magic), dark academia (not one, but two new releases!), a mystery for word fans (Scrabble is still hot, Wordle be damned), return-home mystery, and even a museum heist. And as a bonus, for paperback lovers, I’ve added some now-in-paperback excitement for some of last year’s excellent hardcover releases....

Jaime, a Mexican American teenager from El Paso, is the third character to use the title of Blue Beetle. He gets his powers when a mysterious blue scarab (mystical in some versions of the story, alien in others) attaches itself to his spine and becomes his flying suit of armor/telepathic and slightly homicidal ride-along. Think Iron Man meets Venom, but 16 years old. Jaime is one of the few heroes whose close friends and family know his identity, and his supportive circle of loved ones is one of the most wonderful aspects of his story, as is his staunch moral center and warm heart....

HOLIDAYS ARE HAPPIER WITH AUDIOBOOKS. Make your holiday travels, errands, cooking sessions, and all the rest more enjoyable by listening to an audiobook. From bestsellers, to thrillers, to self-care, you can find the perfect listen for any moment. Give yourself the gift of audio this holiday season. Reading resolutions aren’t just for grown-ups. They can be a great way to help kids diversify their at-home reading diets. (My 10-year-old, if left to his own readerly devices, might read only about dragons....

Earlier this year, I attended a virtual reading and conversation with Kazuo Ishiguro, who was promoting his latest novel, Klara and the Sun. It was during this event that I learned his daughter, Naomi, is also an author. Just a few months earlier, I’d stumbled across some papers from a college creative writing class and noticed my teacher’s name: Paula Saunders. I’d loved her class and have never forgotten the time-tested principles I’d learned from her....

From the classics to recent releases, there are many books that have been banned or censored by schools, libraries, and even countries for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons range from things like language and sexual innuendos to depictions of racism (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hate U Give) and alternative values (The Handmaid’s Tale). As the list of banned books grows longer, so does the list of reasons for banning them....

Ranging from kids’ books to YA to adult fiction in genres including literary fiction, romance, and fantasy, here are Barnes & Noble’s top 10 books of 2022 so far: Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan Book of Night by Holly Black Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Book Lovers by Emily Henry The Candy House by Jennifer Egan The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas I Will Die in a Foreign Land by Kalani Pickhart To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara...