Our Blog

Doctor Who is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary season. During those tumultuous 50 years The Doctor has come in contact with a number of great characters. Not only does he have an impressive array of companions, but he also comes in contact with historic and fictional characters. He’s met Sherlock Holmes and fought alongside Blackbeard. There is no limit to the Doctor Who universe. Now that Matt Smith is gone and Peter Capaldi has taken the reins (literally) we think The Doctor should run into a few other fictional heroes.

There’s been a blank space in my heart—and my TV schedule—ever since the majority of shows went on hiatus before Christmas. I’ve already welcomed back Supernatural, Community, Parks and Recreation, and Sherlock with open arms. 

TV downtime offers a perfect opportunity to crack open that book series you’ve been meaning to start, right? But wait! Books, unfortunately, have hiatuses, too, and we often have to wait much longer for their next installment. That being said, in the season of returning TV shows, here are four series that have us eagerly awaiting what will happen next.

Bookstores are always magical, teeming with stories and knowledge, but they can be even more wondrous depending on the location.

One of my favorite types is a “book barn,” which is exactly what it sounds like. These bookstores are housed in old barns and are pretty common in the northeastern United States (though there are some scattered across the rest of the country). Beyond the quirk of being in a barn, these bookstores also boast interesting and unique collections.

They're often a bit out of the way and tend to have a lot of cats (so be careful when you are parking)! Come along with me to the book barns that I loved visiting or want to visit soon.

One of the perks of working in a bookstore is that a new person will ask a new question everyday. Sure, there’s the standard, “Where’s the bathroom?” and “I’m looking for that blue book,” and “Where’s that book by Jane Eyre?”

But my favorite questions are along the lines of recommendations. Those are fun and wonderful – because booksellers love talking about books. Hearing you list your favorite books and genres helps us narrow down your interests, and exposes us to new material!

But with children, it can sometimes be difficult. They’re either extremely picky – “She only likes to read books about ballerinas” — or they read everything under the sun. They either have a narrow direction, or their habits are so sporadic even the parent doesn’t know which way to go.

I recently had someone ask for middle grade historical fiction. You’d think it’d be easy, but middle grade fiction is almost exclusively fantasy these days. It can sometimes be made more difficult for boys, because there are very few Dear America and American Girl types of books for them.

The next time you’re stuck in a rut for good historical fiction for younger readers, take a good hard look at this list. It just might point you in the right direction.

I live within a two-hour drive of Hershey, PA. This means I am inundated with ads for “Chocolate-Covered February.” So much so that one year, my husband and I drove to the Chocolate Spa only to learn its cocoa facials and buttercream manipedis are booked months in advance.

So if you’re looking to a get a chocolate fix this February and you can’t get in the door for a Whipped Cocoa Bath or Chocolate Sugar Scrub, might I suggest you indulge in one of the books, films, shows, or comics below.