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Ten Bookish Charities to Start the School Year Right

If you’re someone who saves all their charitable giving for the end of the year, you’re probably not spending too much time daydreaming about which charities can use your dollars right now. You’re thinking instead about pumpkin spice lattes and the fresh smell of new school supplies. But those thought processes don’t need to be mutually exclusive. In fact, there are a ton of charities who can put that tax-deductible dollar to work while still giving you those back to school feelings. We’ve rounded up ten of our favorite bookish charities, perfect for this September sweet spot.

Posted by Danielle Mohlman

Classic Plays That Deserve the High School Comedy Treatment

Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay

Sierra Burgess Is a Loser premieres on Netflix September 7 and from the trailer alone it looks like this movie has everything we love: mistaken identities, marching bands, and Noah Centineo. And Shannon Purser! (Barb!) And while our first instinct is to gush over this 80s-esque teen comedy, the source material for this movie actually goes back further. Like, all the way back to 1897. Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is a high school comedy adaptation of the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac, a play about a cadet in the French army so ashamed of his large nose that he hides behind the identity of a handsome soldier as he professes his love for the beautiful Roxane. Sounds like catfishing, if you ask us. But the play ends happily. Sort of.

Today, we’re imagining what our favorite classic plays might look like if they received the Sierra Burgess treatment. We’re taking you on a theatrical journey – from Shakespeare to Moliere to Oscar Wilde – through the locker clad hallways of high school.

Posted by Danielle Mohlman

If Famous Authors Played Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is like a big ol’ nerd umbrella wide enough accommodate many types of players. Do you like roleplaying colorful characters? Do you enjoy rolling dice, crunching numbers, maxing out damage? Do you have an epic world brewing in your head? You’re all covered. Additionally, the game’s focus on shared storytelling especially attracts creative people, from writers and illustrators to musicians and actors. That got us wondering how classic authors would play Dungeons & Dragons if they were alive today. Grab your D20 and let’s go!

Posted by Neil Floyd

What Would Book Fiends Do During the Purge?

The Purge series of films—and now upcoming television show—imagines a not-too-distant alternate reality where all crime is legal for one 12-hour period every year. Apparently, this leads to impressively-costumed murder-gangs. But if all crime is legal, what are the people who aren’t particularly bloodthirsty during this time of prosecution-immunity? What are the book lovers doing?

Posted by Jadzia Axelrod

Real Talk: Characters Who Need to Practice Self-Care

[source: Taylor Hernandez]

We all know that practicing self-care is important, but knowing when we need that self-care is a whole other story. Everyone needs a break from time to time. Here are a few characters that we think could really have used some self-care in their stories.

Posted by Bree Crowder

Beyoncé’s Literary References and a Reading List for Fans

Image from Beyoncé's music video "Hold Up"

Every Beyhive bookworm knows that Beyoncé is full of literary surprises. From sampling Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TEDtalk in “***Flawless” to sprinkling Warsan Shire poetry throughout Lemonade, Beyoncé is a reader after our own hearts. Today we’re celebrating the birthday of the Queen Bey herself by highlighting some of our favorite literary samples – and suggesting some books for your Beyhive TBR too!

Posted by Danielle Mohlman