With movies and shows like Dune and Bridgerton coming out this year, there has been a lot of talk around book to movie/ TV show adaptations. While the changes that are made to change these stories from a book into a more visual media can be controversial, there have also been great adaptations that can …
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Books are not just stories—they are windows into different cultures, times, and experiences. While it’s easy to reach for familiar titles from your own country, reading classic books from other countries offers unique and rewarding insights. If you are interested in traveling or even just to know more about a country, choosing a classic or …
Continue reading “A Global Library: Classics from Around the World”
Setting a reading goal and actually sticking to it can be a hard thing to do. Even finding what kind of reading goal or challenge you want to try can be difficult. When I first think of reading goals, I tend to think of cramming as many books into a year as possible. However, there …
If you have ever stepped foot inside a library or bookstore or tried looking for a book to read online, you may have struggled with where to even start when it comes to finding a good book that will be a good fit for you. Luckily, there are many tips and tricks you can try …
Women’s History Month was created to remember history, highlight issues women face, and showcase the talent and contributions of women that might otherwise go unnoticed. One of my favorite parts of Women’s History Month is the different ways women are empowered through this remembrance and the spaces created. When I think of an empowered woman, …
By Alexandra Goodwin “You are a woman with a brain and reasonable ability. Stop whining and find something to do.”Violet Crawley, Season 3, Episode 4 These wise words come from Violet Crawley, the matriarch of the Crawley family and the Downton Abbey estate. She takes no nonsense, and plays no fool. Her courage and genius …
Continue reading “Strong Female Characters in Period Television: Downton Abbey”
The 18th and 19th centuries saw the emergence of many celebrated female writers for the first time in history. Authors like Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, and Mary Shelley published their books that are considered classics today. However, many female writers faced discrimination in their work, as only some types of writing were …
As February’s Black History Month transitions into March’s Women’s History Month, it offers a moment to reflect on the remarkable contributions of Black women throughout history. The theme for Black History Month this year was “African Americans and the Arts,” and this opened the door for conversations about Black icons in various areas of the …
By Greta VanDenend The author of Enemies in the Orchard is Dana Vanderlugt, an ‘01 Hope College graduate and a former Hudsonville middle school English teacher. During her time as a middle school teacher, Dana worked on and received her MFA in Creative Writing from The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing at …
By Hannah Lever The tenth annual NEA Big Read is about to begin! But something is different this year. For the first time ever, one of the chosen books is a graphic novel! The Middle Read book this year is New Kid by Jerry Craft. Published in 2019, it is the first graphic novel to …
