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[source: The Addams Family, 1991, Orion Pictures & Paramount Pictures]

It’s time to break out the black eyeliner. May 22 is World Goth Day! From the early days of the subculture steeped in goth-rock, the goth world has expanded to encompass a whole range of ways to rock the black — from the cute to the historic, and the old-school to the surprisingly colorful stylings of pastel and raver goths. And of course, being the bookworms that we are, we’ll be celebrating this May 22 with the perfect literary picks for every goth, no matter your style.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. We’ve heard this all our lives, and the saying is true. However, there are some gorgeous covers out there — and some of them can even double as decor.

This is Us is on hiatus until September and we’re jonesing for a Pearson fix, stat. Short of writing some pretty elaborate fanfic about Randall, Kate, and Kevin or rewatching seasons one and two on Hulu, there’s not a whole lot we can do to fill the gaping hole in our hearts, right? Not true. As This is Us fans and literary connoisseurs, we’re in the that sweeping family drama sweet spot. So, snuggle into the couch with one of these incredible novels, guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings and maybe – maybe! – produce a few This is Us worthy tears.

R. L. Stine was a man ahead of his time. In the early ‘90s, he started a children’s horror series that would go on to sell over 400 billion copies worldwide. His success was largely due to an impressive ability to connect with children: the cover art alone was like visual candy (credit Tim Jacobus). The first chapter reeled us in with something relatable (sibling rivalry). And the next thing we knew, we were under the covers, frantically hoping Carly Beth could escape the Halloween mask before it was stuck on her forever (The Haunted Mask, 1993).

There was one other aspect of Stine’s formula that was critical to his success: the titles. By his own admission, this was the first thing he’d come up with before starting a new book. And while most of them seem pretty silly, a strange pattern reveals itself once you review them as a whole. Stine wasn’t just writing horror for kids. He was writing about the horror of being a kid. In fact, most of his titles perfectly summarize the single most terrifying thing his readers were going through at that time: puberty.

Photo by Pietro Jeng from Pexels

Whether you know her as Beth March, Juliet, Cosette, Julia Vaughan, or Mirabelle, we can all agree on one thing: Claire Danes is a literary dream. Her extensive resume is peppered with literary adaptations that we love. And while we’re steadfast in our belief that the book is always better, we would happily watch Claire Danes embody our favorite characters for hours on end. 

[source: The Princess Bride, 20th Century Fox]

We love heroines above all, be them scorned, femme fatale, or, yes, plucky. And while we’re in love with the choices our favorite heroines make, we sometimes find ourselves wondering what would happen if they’d done things a little differently.