Our Blog

How-To Tuesday: How to Survive Summer

 
 
Most people love summer. I hate it. For three very simple reasons: hornets, heat, and humidity. Those three H’s are nightmarish enough to make me wish us humans had some strange form of summer hibernation. I’d love to sleep through the season and wake up just when the air starts to cool. 
 
Unfortunately, that’s not possible. If you, like me, feel like summer’s nemesis, here are five things that can help you survive the next few months:
 
Sunscreen! Every publication goes on and on about sunscreen. It’s annoying. But they have a point. The only way to successfully survive the summer is to battle the sun. Sure, shade, sunglasses, and loose-fitting clothing can help, but sunscreen is the ultimate shield. My partner is allergic to the sun and even he doesn’t wear sunscreen on most days. This year, listen to the magazine articles you usually skip over.
 
Books! I’d roll over and quit every day of the summer if it weren’t for finding the perfect summer reads. Sitting on a balcony with iced coffee and a book is the only decent summer day (seriously). Choose shorter books to read in the summer, stories that you can get through in one afternoon.
 
They’re the perfect escape from the hellish weather. Need some recommendations? The Great Gatsby, Breakfast At Tiffany’s, and The Turn of the Screw are all short novels/novellas that will keep your interest for just long enough. Short story collections are also perfect for reading on summer vacation.
 
Television! It’s too easy to forget the days of the week in the summertime when you don’t have TV shows to keep you in line. Now that every major network is on a break, take some time to binge-watch shows you’ve been meaning to watch for forever. Pick something with way too many seasons and use it as an excuse to hide from the season. Close the curtains, turn off all the lights, and you’ll soon forget that it’s even summer. Enjoy your re-watch of a decade of Friends.
 
Water! This is quite possibly the only good thing to come from summer. Jump into a body of water! Drink water! Throw water balloons! Have a water gun battle! Hell, just wander down the street and run through your neighbors’ sprinklers.
 
Libraries! Your local library is the best place in the summertime. Libraries have air conditioning. Surround yourself with all those wonderful, free-to-read books and escape the heat. Libraries also have amazing programs throughout the summer months: take a class and learn something new or join a bookclub!
 
Keep your days busy and summer will be over before you know it.
 
 
 
Maria Vicente is an associate literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency. She likes books, coffee, design, & magic. You can find her on Twitter (@MsMariaVicente) or her blog, ibelieveinstory.com.
 

Posted by Maria Vicente

Five Classic Children’s Books That Should Be Adapted by HBO

 
There are so many classic children’s books that have dark, meaningful storylines and HBO shows are often groundbreaking and thought provoking.
 
The two truly go hand in hand. Here are five children’s books that would be excellent on the network.

Posted by Maria Vicente

Ten Amazing Literary Names For Future Bookish Babies

Image via Flickr

It's a truth universally acknowledged that most of us would much rather raise lovers than fighters. What better way to ensure this than to honor your favorite characters from some of history's most romantic literature?

Get inspired by our list of beloved authors, characters and muses who will surely win your affection throughout the ages. "What's in a name?" Juliet Capulet asked, to which we answer, "More than the usual suspects." Here are ten literary-inspired picks for baby bookworms.

Posted by Kim-Thao Nguyen

How to be Awesome at Giving Books as Gifts

 
 
I make it a personal mission to gift books to everyone for every occasion, even if the giftee doesn’t read on a regular basis. If you’re a bookish type of person like myself, chances are good that you like giving books as gifts too. Instead of listening to your friend’s pretend excitement — “Oh, this is perfect! Thank you so much!” — take the following five tips to heart. 

Posted by Maria Vicente

TWO IN A ROW: THE TRUE STORY OF X AND O

 

              

Tic-tac-toe. It’s a familiar game, and we all know the players: the X, the O, locked in an inevitable struggle for control of a 3 x 3 grid. But what’s at the route of their seemingly endless conflict? Is it a friendly rivalry, a long-term grudge, a bitter enmity…or something more complicated?

For the creation of Tic-Tac-Tome, the first-ever book that can play a game of tic-tac-toe, the two adversaries came together for their first major project since the revival of Hollywood Squares. This seemed like an ideal time to try and square their differences.

But even though these two characters sometimes stand in for hugs and kisses, their feelings about each other don’t by any means fit into neat little boxes.

Posted by Rick Chillot

Worst-Case Wednesday: How to Win a Sword Fight

Just because Game of Thrones finished its fourth season and won’t return to our TVs for only the gods know how long doesn’t mean it’s totally over.

Suppose you’re yearning for that excitement of watching one of the epic sword fights and that suspense of not knowing what’s going to happen, and you decide you want to have a sword fight of your own. Or, someone else is feeling this way and challenges you to a duel (you never know).

Whether you have a tiny poker like Arya Stark’s Needle or a big ol’ slab of Valyrian steel, you also have The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook to lead you to victory. And if all else fails, just remember to stick your opponent with the pointy end. Read on to find out how to win a sword fight:

Posted by Marissa Stern