Take a Look, It’s In a Book…
In times of stress we often turn to books for comfort, or even guidance about what to do. In a practice known as bibliomancy, or “book magic,” a person faced … Read More
Nicholas Allred
Blind Dates With Books
Who doesn’t want to be set up with an enchanting stranger — particularly one you can simply put down on the shelf if you don’t find a spark? In the … Read More
Books and Reality Shows
Reality shows: fun to watch, and sometimes a bummer to binge. So if The Real World (not to mention the real world) has you down, why not dip into a fictional … Read More
Plays We Read?
New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley has a suggestion in the March 27 issue of the New York Times for entertainment during the pandemic era: reading plays aloud! Now is … Read More
Rutgers University Groups Reading Alone Together (RUGRAT)
This current moment of social distancing and public anxiety has left many of us with the contradictory needs to both feel connected and to escape: to feel less alone, … Read More
Staff Picks: One Hundred Years of Solitude
“Muchos años después, frente al pelotón de fusilamiento, el coronel Aureliano Buendía había de recordar aquella tarde remota en que su padre lo llevó a conocer el hielo. [Many years later, as he faced … Read More
Staff Picks: Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year
If you’re looking for reading material to escape from the anxiety of living in a pandemic, that’s a great idea — we have plenty of suggestions for you, but you … Read More
A Follow-Up to “Classics for the Coronavirus”
We haven’t been the only ones offering reading suggestions for the current pandemic! An opinion piece at Vox today outlines what Albert Camus’ The Plague, one of our recommended reads, can … Read More
Classics for the Coronavirus
Literature has long been a way for people to work through unsettling events — and epidemics are no exception! Here are some of the classics, for the historically inclined. You’ll … Read More
Jill Lepore at Rutgers
Cross-promoting an exciting event: Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore will be speaking at Rutgers on March 5th, as part of the Rutgers Book Initiative! Dr. Lepore’s … Read More