Story Tags

Act Like It

Contemporary Romance Novels

Real world romance with no historical or magical obstacles

Contemporary romance is one of the hardest genres to pull off. Readers know a "happily ever after" is coming, unlike in other genres where the ending isn't guaranteed, which makes believable plot machinations that aren't too predictable or too stupid hard. It can be hard to generate conflict between characters that's believable and keeps you rooting for the ending. With historical or fantastical romance, writers can generate obstacles but when a book takes place in a recognizable world, the author has to make the conflict truly believable for the reader to care.

Ready Set Baby

New Baby Books

introducing a sibling to a new baby

It can be hard to become a new sibling. You used to be the center of attention, but now there's this new loud crying tiny thing taking up your parents attention. Luckily, there are lots of books out there to help explain to new big siblings how to help and why that new baby isn't so bad after all. My colleague Abby made a list last year, but there are tons of books on this topic so I wanted to share some of my favorites as well!  

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Literary Coming of Age Fiction

Literature often isn't about an event happening; often the best stories are about small events and how they change someone. One of my favorite types of story is one where the narrator grows up and into themselves. Adolescence is a time of so much growth, development, and change that is ripe with narrative power. Here are some of my favorite coming of age stories:  

So You've Been Publicly Shamed

"Right to Be Forgotten"

A reading list for the Arena Stage Production

What is “the right to be forgotten?"  Besides the name of the play coming to Arena Stage in October, it is also a legal right in much of Europe, which allows individuals to apply to media and internet companies to have links to past indiscretions like debts and small crimes erased from search results. Advocates claim utility for people like victims of revenge porn, while those opposed contend it can allow history to be re-written and violates free speech rights.

Milkman

Tournament of Books 2019

It's back!

I like to read all the books in The Morning News' Tournament of Books annually, so that I can ensure I've read at least some well-regarded adult fiction. This is my favorite way to do that, as the list is usually diverse in terms of genres, perspectives and styles. You can find my picks from last year's tournament here. I have to admit, this year's overall list was not my favorite - three of my top five picks are from the play in round!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Wintery Picture Books

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I have a confession: I love snow. Okay, so I prefer to be inside while it's happening, but I love the way snow looks as it descends on the city. Here are some picture books that reflect and showcase the childlike joy snow can bring.   Walking in a Winter Wonderland illustrated by Tim Hopgood

Blame it on the Duke

Historical Romances to Distract You

More favorites

I've been increasingly reading only romance and speculative fiction recently, as general fiction ceases to distract me from the news of the day. I prefer to read books that allow me to escape into another time or place. I've written before about Regency-inspired romances I've enjoyed and also about some highlights of our e-book romance collection, so here are some more romances I've read recently that are set in another time and/or place.

Her Body and Other Parties

Supernatural Short Stories

Collections featuring the unexplained and unexplainable

I love novels, but a great short story can be so satisfying. Sometimes you want to read something quick; but fast-to-read doesn't necessarily mean that that work will be any less profound or compelling than something that takes much longer to read. This is a list of short stories—some all by one author and some by many authors grouped by theme—with fantastical elements.

The Lady Most Likely

E-Book Historical Romances

Regency Favorites

I've written before about my love for historical romances, particularly regencies. Regencies are romance novels set in England in the early 19th century, usually with upper class characters during the social season, but often are historical, with characters behaving according to more modern values. Here are some I've particularly enjoyed. While some of books in this genre delve into real historical issues, these ones are more fun than serious. All of these books are only in DCPL's e-book collection.  

The Animators

Tournament of Books 2018

March is here - fill out your brackets!

March is here, and that means it's time for brackets. Every year, I spot brackets of best sandwiches, villains and more on the Internet to accompany NCAA brackets, but my favorite brackets are always the book ones.

Pages