Contrary to popular belief, bookish types love a good party. Just because we’re totally happy staying in and reading doesn’t mean we don’t also like to hit up the occasional rager or elegant dinner party. It’s just that we like our parties—like everything else—to be literary-themed. Luckily, you can’t do better for party inspiration than […]
One of the best things about reading historical fiction is its potential to educate while it entertains, showing us glimpses of the world as it once was. And one of the most frustrating aspects of historical fiction is the “fiction” part: without prior expertise we can’t be certain the things we’re reading are 100% accurate. […]
Time is like water—a force of nature that works gradually but with power immeasurable, a slow trickle that can, over time, carve massive caverns. The present often seems mundane, while the distant past fills up with myth, legend, and endless possibilities. Fantasy stories often build on that shifting foundation, imagining worlds based on real history. Some writers of […]
Real-world takes on classics, fairy tales, and even historical lore might not be as common as fantasy versions, but that’s what makes it so cool when an author pulls them off. Whether it’s turning famous literary heroes and historical figures into teens, diversifying the works of Shakespeare and Austen, or turning political work on its […]
Mary McCoy’s I, Claudia is out today, a high school–set, YA riff on Robert Graves’ I, Claudius, a beloved masterwork of political fiction featuring a retiring historian who becomes the emperor of Rome. In McCoy’s novel, Claudius becomes Claudia, a high school student who, despite her reluctance, is pulled into student government. Once there, she’s determined to […]