#Essays

Charlie Bucket is a “Final Girl” and We’re All Gonna Die

Charlie Bucket is a Final Girl, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a horror story. It's not the only Roald Dahl horror story, either.

A Perfectly Inoffensive School Library

What would a perfectly inoffensive school library look like?

True Crime vs. Murder Mysteries: Two Sides of the Same Coin, or Mutually Exclusive?

Do readers of murder mysteries read true crime, and vice versa? I talked to readers and writers of both genres about their preferences.

Lies Diet Books Tell

Diet books promise that weight loss is always healthy and that being thin will solve your problems. But those are lies.

Black Romance Has Always Been Here

While there are more Black authors helping bring Black romance into the mainstream, Black romance has a long history.

What It’s Like Being an Ebook Developer?

Few know about this esoteric gig in the bookish world, an here, one writer shares their process for creating ebooks.

Book Genres That Don’t Exist But We Wish They Did

Imagine walking into a bookstore looking for books with a bonkers plot when you see it: the Bananapants Plot section. A dream!

A Ranking of New York City Bookstores

A ranking of New York City bookstores, including language-focused stores, comics stores, gift spots, and more.

Books That Have Gotten Better With Age

While some older classics contain outdated values that are hard to stomach now, there are also some stories that have aged like a fine wine.

6 Questions to Help You Shape Your Reading Practice

Just as many people have spiritual practices, these questions help to cultivate a thoughtful reading practice to achieve your goals.