Our Blog

Books You Avoided Reading In High School (But Really Should Read Now)

We all did it. It's sort of a universal right-of-passage for teenagers, avoiding the reading assignments for English class. It's not that teenagers despise books, but the numerous "chapter questions" that go along with reading the book that your teacher assigned makes everything about it dreadful. No doubt there are copies of every William Shakespeare play hidden under the contents of messy lockers at this very moment.

Still, if growing up has taught me anything, it's that those books assigned to us in high school actually were worth reading. And now that you're, presumably, able to read for pleasure, I recommend reading (or maybe re-reading if you were studious and actually did your work) the following books. You can enjoy them now as they should have been enjoyed years ago since you won't be quizzed at the end of the month on what colour shirt the main character was wearing in Chapter 7.

Posted by Maria Vicente

The Book Groupies’ Bucket List

The Book Groupies gathered in September 2012 on Cape Cod to talk about The Last Policeman by Ben Winters and specifically, the idea of The Bucket List. We started by accepting the inevitable: Life is terminal. That was hard enough.

Posted by Susan Bernhard

Potato-Apple-Bacon-Sausage Casserole with Irish Butter

Here’s a simple, tasty casserole that starts easily and ends beautifully. Just combine hearty boiled potatoes and sweet slices of apples with sautéed onions and sausages in a skillet coated with Irish butter for a homemade meal that’s comfort in a dish. The exceptionally creamy flavor of rich, Irish butter makes a wonderful base for this rustic, stovetop-to-oven meal, and the topping is perfected with crunchy bacon bits. This homey combination of flavors makes a great entrée or side dish for any meal, any day of the week.

Posted by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Women’s History Month: Amelia Earhart

Posted by Eric Smith

Breathing Life Into Clay: Famous Golems in Literature

Michael Chabon wrote that the myth of the golem endures because it mirrors the creative act itself. While there are many legends about what makes a golem go, they usually involve a learned practitioner of faith, a lot of chanting, a lump of clay and a word. As Chabon puts it, it is not the act of breathing life into the lifeless that makes the story of the golem so interesting, but the element of danger in bringing something to life.

If the danger of creation intrigues you, then you might dig these books where men give life to clay.

Posted by Brady Dale

Swissted’s Mike Joyce on Inspiration, Influences, and Punk Rock History

We asked Mike Joyce, the creative force behind Swissted, the awesome new book of rock and roll posters remixed in Swiss Modernist style, to share some of the people, places, and things that shaped him into the punk fan he is today.

Posted by Mike Joyce