By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 15, 2020
Have you started cheating on your diet yet? Has your goal to be more productive got you feeling frantic? If you’re tired of seeing your New Year’s Resolutions fall by the wayside after a couple weeks, we have some ideas for you. This year, consider resolutions that will not only improve your life, they’re even enjoyable.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 10, 2020
January is National Soup Month (an obvious choice!) and everyone's always looking for the next great soup recipe, right? So, we decided to help out by recommending five great soup cookbooks. Whether you're looking for a good vegan stew, an exotic new concoction, or just trying to figure out how to put your new Instant Pot to use, we have an option for you.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 08, 2020
This week we celebrate the birthday of writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Largely unappreciated in her lifetime, the trailblazing author's writings saw a resurgence after Alice Walker's 1975 essay called her "the patron saint of black women writers." Here we review five of her essential titles.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 03, 2020
A new year means new books! Here are nine of the most highly anticipated titles in the first few months of 2020, plus related recommendations you can read now.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 01, 2020
Happy New Decade! We are embarking on a brand-new era. It may seem a bit arbitrary, but we humans like to retrospectively infuse these tidy ten-year periods with distinct personalities. Here we review the character of the last five decades and make some guesses about how the 2020s will be remembered.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 27, 2019
This is our fifth (and final!) installment of the best books of the past decade. Each week for five weeks, we’ve presented top-ten lists of the best books of the past decade in two different genres. A total of ten lists of ten: 10 x 10 = 100! This week’s lists are Poetry Collections and Romance. Here are our picks for the top ten of each.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 25, 2019
This can be a rough time of year for many. Grief, loneliness, and scarcity are among the reasons people may feel particularly isolated and sad during the holidays. It's an opportunity to reflect on these difficulties and how we can help. Here are twelve books that offer perspectives on empathy and awareness.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 20, 2019
Here's our fourth installment for the best books of the past decade. Each week for five weeks, we are presenting top ten lists of the best books of the past decade in two different genres. A total of ten lists of ten: 10 x 10 equals 100! This week's lists are SciFi/Fantasy and Thriller/Mystery. Here are our picks for the top ten of each.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 18, 2019
You may be gearing up for some boisterous (read volatile) holiday get-togethers with the family. How about some stories of highly dysfunctional clans to get you in the right frame of mind? Here are twelve books that will leave you thinking, "Well, we're not that bad!"
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 13, 2019
Here's our third installment for the best books of the past decade. Each week for five weeks, we are presenting ten of the best books of the past decade in two different genres. A total of ten lists of ten: 10 x 10 equals 100! This week's lists are Humor and Short Story Collections. Here are our picks for the top ten of each.
By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 11, 2019
Hosting a holiday party is a rite of passage, but it can be daunting. Where to begin? The key is good planning and preparation. Here is everything you need to get started on yours (including an easy recipe for wassail!).