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Ah English class, where we learned how to write an essay, edit our grammar, and NEVER EVER use CliffsNotes when we haven’t done the reading (like, ever). Most of all, we learned about the work of some of the great authors of the English language. Time goes by, but these timeless tips from some of the English canon’s biggest names remain excellent advice on writing.

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We haven’t seen the lifeguards of Baywatch since Mitch Buchannon – on the road to recovery from amnesia – returned to Hawaii to get married (again!) in the made for TV movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Reunion. A lot has changed since 2003, and to celebrate the lifeguards’ return to the screen in the latest Baywatch movie, we’ve asked them to recommend their favorite beach reads. After all, they have a lot of time to kill in that lifeguard chair.

[Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash]

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been making heart eyes at the Everything, Everything trailer for the last few months. And while we’re busy mentally matching scenes from the book with frames from the trailer, Amandla Stenberg is busy making more movies based on our favorite books. So, grab a bag of popcorn and settle in as we geek out about Amandla Stenberg’s incredible literary resume.

Rue from The Hunger Games (2012)

Amandla Stenberg captured our bookworm hearts with her supporting role as Rue in the first installment of The Hunger Games, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins. Her heartbreaking portrayal of Rue, a competitor from District 11, was short-lived but essential in the story’s four-film saga. Stenberg was just 13 years old when the movie was released, setting in motion what is sure to be a long and fruitful career.  

Macey Irving from Sleepy Hollow (2013 – 2014)

In 2013, Amandla Stenberg turned to television, guest starring on Sleepy Hollow, a modern adaptation of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. In her small screen debut, Stenberg portrayed Macey Irving, daughter of Police Captain Frank Irving. Stenberg’s season one arc only lasted four episodes, but how many teenagers can claim a television credit where they were possessed by a demon?

Ruby from The Darkest Minds (2018)

With Everything, Everything in theaters, Amandla Stenberg is hard at work filming her next bookish project. The Darkest Minds, based on the series by Alexandra Braken and co-starring Mandy Moore, is anticipated to be in theaters next year so start your countdown now. There’s still so much we don’t know about this movie, but long-time fans of The Darkest Minds know Ruby as a survivor of the plague that killed 98% of the population and the recipient of a new set of supernatural powers. If you’re looking for us, we’ll be over here refreshing Alexandra Braken’s Twitter page for the next year.

Starr from The Hate U Give (in development)

Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give is so incredible that the movie rights were acquired a year before the book was released. Can you imagine? Amandla Stenberg was attached to play Starr from the beginning, paired with director George Tillman, Jr. of This is Us and Luke Cage fame and screenwriter Audrey Wells, known for her adapatation of Under the Tuscan Sun. The movie hasn’t even begun filming yet, so there’s a lot of exciting news on the way. In the meantime, we’ll be hanging out on Angie Thomas’ Tumblr and buying copies of The Hate U Give for everyone we know.

[All movie stills from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm]

This May the Fourth, invite the ones you love (who also love Star Wars) into your home with all the festivity and joy of a traditional Ewok gathering. The rules of receiving guests in an Ewok community are simple, straightforward, and have led to many seasons of happy living for the tree-dwelling culture. After some time living this way, you too may feel ready to dance like you’re celebrating the fall of an evil empire!

From left to right: @powellsbooks, @booksaremagicbk, @literatibookstore, @harvardbookstore

Independent Bookstore Day is April 29^th! And while we wish we could suspend time and space just so we could visit all our favorite bookstores in one day, we can’t. Luckily, Instagram is there to transport us wherever we want to go. Here are our absolute favorite independent bookstores on Instagram.

You find yourself stuck on a Vogon ship and are brought forward for a poetry reading. Shoved out of line before the Conehead Highmaster, you are instructed to Gnarfle the Garthok. You enter a glossy black throne room, and are confronted with Darth Sidious/Galactic Emperor Palpatine. What do you say in a moment like that? How to you even begin to converse with an alien who has complete control over you, your ship, and maybe even your planet? Anyone can be flustered by small talk, but when you’re under pressure like this it’s important to prepare. Before you discuss the future of your species with a hostile alien overlord, here are a few tips to help you get ready.