E-mail, snail mail, junk mail, mistake mail...no matter what the format, letters have always been at the center of how we communicate. They can be casual; romantic; secret; public; heartfelt; hel...
https://offtheshelf.com/2019/05/books-about-love-letters-e-mails-and-postscripts/
One of our all-time favorite authors is Taylor Jenkins Reid. Over the course of five books, Taylor has become a master of blending strong female leads with adventure, drama, reality, and romance....
https://offtheshelf.com/2019/02/books-by-taylor-jenkins-reid/
Love is a many-splendored thing, but sometimes it can also straight up stink. Since the beginning of time, we’ve had breakup songs, but what about breakup books that can help us sift through th...
https://offtheshelf.com/2019/02/best-breakup-reads-based-on-breakup-album/
Step right up, step right up! The circus is in town! There’s something mysterious and magical about a traveling troupe of extraordinary performers, and stories about them always make for entert...
https://offtheshelf.com/2019/01/come-one-come-all-circus-novels/
Usually when someone asks me what book to read, my mind goes completely blank. It’s embarrassing, really—my entire life is reading and recommending books, after all—but it’s just so much ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/11/i-was-anastasia-by-ariel-lawhon/
It’s a common belief here at Off the Shelf that you can never have enough books—but what about multiple copies of the same one? (Spoiler: we don’t believe you can have too many of those, ei...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/11/the-best-designer-classics-for-your-bookshelf/
Here at Off the Shelf, we’re big fans of fall. The leaves are turning; the moon is rising; the temperature is cooling; the apples are ripening; and, of course, the cauldrons are bubbling. That ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/10/witch-please-books-to-add-to-your-spooky-season-tbr/
We’re all thinking it. Nowadays, things are pretty exhausting. Whether it’s turning on your television, scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, or even just catching up with friends, news head...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/10/great-books-to-read-when-you-need-a-break-from-politics/
If there’s one thing I’m a sucker for, on-screen and on the page, it’s a good story about a friend group. Not only are they fun and give you a wide range of characters to identify with, but...
During any season, but especially the beginning of fall, I love to add narrative nonfiction to my to-read list. Maybe it’s the feeling that a fresh school year is upon us and it’s time to lea...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/09/8-exciting-and-epic-nonfiction-books-perfect-for-fall/
In 2015, a study showed that nearly half of all Americans believe in one or more widely held conspiracy theories. Whether it’s assassinations, aliens, political setups, or unexpected disasters,...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/08/i-have-a-theory-conspiracy-books-are-the-best/
There are tons of reasons to love book clubs—an opportunity to get together with friends and get through the books on your reading list, the conversation, and, of course, the wine. But let’s ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/07/pick-perfect-book-club-book-7-steps-2/
Off the Shelf’s Julianna describes the iconic THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Ernest Hemingway in 5 seconds. The post 5 Second Summaries: THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA appeared first on Off the Shelf .
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/06/5-second-summaries-with-off-the-shelf-the-old-man-and-the-sea-2/
Though we first met her onscreen as our favorite writer, Carrie Bradshaw, actress Sarah Jessica Parker has quickly become one of our favorite off-screen readers as well. Whether she’s balancing...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/06/12-sarah-jessica-parker-approved-books-you-dont-want-to-miss/
When Younger—a television show from Sex and the City creator Darren Star set in the publishing world—hit my television screen, I was hooked. Not just by the drama, the jokes, and the fashion ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/06/10-books-you-should-read-if-you-love-the-tv-show-younger/
There’s no question that words can come to life on the page, but for me, there’s nothing as exciting as movies made from books. All those scenes you imagined, those characters’ voices you t...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/05/11-books-to-read-before-they-hit-the-silver-screen-this-summer/
If I’ve said it once—or five times—on this website, I’ll say it again: Ahem. *Oprah voice* I LOVE HISTORICAL FICTION! Whether it’s through the eyes of famous wives, artists, writers, o...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/04/13-wonderful-novels-based-real-people/
I’m a New Yorker through and through, but there’s just something about Paris that makes me consider cheating on my home city. Maybe it’s the food, the architecture, the history, the romance...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/04/the-ultimate-guide-to-reading-your-way-through-paris-in-15-books/
There’s a saying: “So many books, so little time.” As bookworms, we know this to be a personal truth. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to get to every book we’d like to read. A...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/03/better-late-never-11-books-might-missed-2017-totally-read/
When it premiered in 2016, Ryan Murphy’s anthology TV series "American Crime Story" immediately had me hooked with its incredible casting and fresh look at the notorious trial of O. J. Simpson....
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/03/6-books-read-cant-get-enough-american-crime-story/
Sometimes, we’ll admit, nonfiction can be intimidating. There are dates and details, people and places to remember, and the endings aren’t necessarily happy. But those details don’t mean th...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/03/9-nonfiction-books-read-like-novels/
By now, I think I’ve shown myself to be a lover of history, both real and imagined. Biographies and sweeping narrative nonfiction titles line my shelves, but historical fiction, in particular, ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/01/the-scribe-of-siena-by-melodie-winawer/
Proving to us that we can indeed have nice things in 2018, Barack Obama recently released his list of favorite books (and songs) of the past year. A semi-annual tradition from his time in office�...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/01/new-o-book-club-2-0-12-obamas-favorite-books/
People ask me all the time what I like most about working in publishing, and I always have the same answer: it’s like being in school, but you actually want to read your textbooks! You’re alw...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/01/the-5ish-best-books-i-read-last-month/
From the day it first aired, I have been completely, unapologetically hooked on This Is Us, a brilliantly written, heartwarming, and heartbreaking show about a single family—the Pearsons—as t...
https://offtheshelf.com/2018/01/love-this-is-us-here-are-the-11-books-you-need-to-read/
Many of us know Bravo’s Andy Cohen as a journalist, host, producer, and friend to many of Hollywood’s famous faces, but there are other titles he’s happy to add to his résumé: writer and,...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/12/watch-mean-read-happens-live-andy-cohen/
One of the best things about working in publishing is the number of times you get to talk about a book you love. When the book is acquired, when it’s in galleys (those early copies you see all ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/12/the-impossible-fortress-by-jason-rekulak/
We recently gave you a list of must-read biographies of American greats. But, as the saying goes, sometimes the stories are best when they come from the sources themselves. If you’d rather read...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/12/10-american-icons-in-their-own-words/
If I have one literary weakness (aside from Hemingway, of course), it’s big, comprehensive biographies of fascinating cultural figures. I’m always up for a deep dive into the remarkable lives...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/11/stars-stripes-10-must-read-biographies-favorite-american-icons/
The English language only has one word for “love,” but a whole lot more for how it makes us feel, think, and react. No experience with it is the same, yet we all experience a need to understa...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/11/13-books-need-read-understand-modern-relationships/
In today’s world, there are a thousand ways to resist, and it’s becoming more and more mainstream. No matter your perspective, and no matter what you speak up for—health care, civil rights,...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/10/power-people-9-protest-books-read-right-now/
Pick your boy band and lace up your Jordans: The '90s are back! It’s often called a boring decade, but much of what we are experiencing today, from our politics to our pop culture, is a direct ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/10/bop-pull-read-9-essential-books-90s/
When I was in college, I double-majored in English and history, which means that I love both fact and fiction, the imagined and the actual—and that historical fiction sits squarely in my wheelh...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/09/reading-history-behind-historical-fiction-must/
Have you ever read a book at the wrong time? You were busy or stressed or something else was going on that completely affected the way you experienced a story that you know for a fact you would h...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/09/ten-thousand-saints-eleanor-henderson/
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching "Everything Is Copy," the fantastic documentary about the late, great, iconic writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron, when someone said that she was also well-know...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/09/please-come-to-my-literary-ladies-dinner-party/
Everyone has a story about where they were when the world changed on September 11, 2001. It’s simultaneously the most upsetting, most uncomfortable, and most fascinating conversation to have—...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/09/11-novels-911-worth-reading/
Whether you listen to them or not (and we hope you do!), podcasts are everywhere nowadays—if there’s a topic you’re interested in, there’s probably an episode somewhere dedicated to it. T...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/08/ear-candy-14-favorite-podcasts-14-terrific-reads/
As the saying goes, there are two—sometimes three!—sides to every story. We all know stories and characters like Cinderella, Huck Finn, Peter Pan, and Romeo and Juliet, but what if there was ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/08/waiting-wings-11-famous-stories-told-another-point-view/
A few weeks ago, word spread that a photo had proved Amelia Earhart had survived her suspected plane crash in 1937, sending history buffs everywhere into a frenzy. The theory has since been debun...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/08/10-gripping-unsolved-mysteries-will-leave-wondering-whodunit/
Sometimes there’s nothing better in the summer than the sticky heat of city concrete, where, as temperatures rise, so does the drama. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it always makes for ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/08/theres-nothing-like-summer-city-14-metropolitan-must-reads/
If there’s one thing I love, it’s an untold story, especially when there’s a badass woman at the center of it. More often than not, history is told through the eyes of those who hold the po...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/08/sheroes-15-incredible-stories-coolest-women-youve-never-heard/
Though he’s known best for his love of writing, wives, and world traveling—and yes, fine, the booze—Ernest Hemingway was so much more: a failed KGB spy, a self-proclaimed “liberator” of...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/07/papa-paris-pilar-16-books-help-celebrate-heming-day-heming-way/
There’s no one who understands a reader better than a fellow reader. Whether it’s the mindset, the emotional experience, or our general love of character, plot, and getting lost in sentences,...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/06/13-tales-of-reading-for-bookworms-everywhere/
Though it’s experienced its fair share of controversy, Lena Dunham’s television series “Girls” profoundly changed the way we see and discuss women on-screen. Portraying the good, bad, and...
Here at Off the Shelf, we don’t just love books—we love books about books. There’s something both exciting and comforting about meeting a character who is just as wrapped up in words as we ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/05/12-novels-about-writers-what-more-could-a-bookworm-want/
Whether we like it or not, books about the rich and powerful always seem to hook us from the start. There’s just something, perhaps, about sitting in a crowded subway car, reading about a world...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/05/how-the-other-half-reads-11-novels-about-the-rich-powerful/
Behind every strong man, there is an even stronger woman. It’s an expression that’s been used for centuries, and as I’ve studied and read history, I’ve come to believe that it’s one of ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/05/mrs-hemingway-by-naomi-wood/
There’s no better way to learn about the lives of others than through books. Though novels can put us in the heads and hearts of interesting and unforgettable characters, it’s through immersi...
Every day, teachers across the country inspire and empower their students to see the world in a new way through classic and contemporary novels. But we know there’s a lot to worry about in high...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/04/13-high-school-classics-worth-rereading/
Attention, bookworms! Spring Daylight Saving is upon us, which means more time with the sun—and more time to read in it. To get you ready, here are some beloved time-travel reads that are known...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/03/lets-do-the-time-warp-again-11-books-to-celebrate-daylight-saving/
For almost a century, the world (this list writer included!) has been fascinated by Zelda Fitzgerald, the tempestuous and troubled wife of one of America’s most beloved writers. The epitome of ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/03/z-is-for-zelda-11-novels-to-cure-your-fitzgerald-fever/
When you think of the word “immigrant,” different images may come to mind: perhaps it’s of Ellis Island, or colonists landing at Plymouth, or someone getting off a plane and starting fresh....
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/03/coming-to-america-13-immigrant-stories-that-represent-our-history/
Shortly before President Obama left office, Powell’s—the great independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon—sent him a going-away present: 10 books, thoughtfully selected by Powell’s custome...
President Obama has made it clear over the past 8 years that books are a big part of his life—whether he’s shopping on Small Business Saturday or releasing his vacation reading list. (Plus, h...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/01/the-new-o-book-club-12-fiction-picks-from-president-obama/
Whether they’re in the zoo, the wild, or our living room, animals are all around us. We recognize their smarts and savvy, but how much do we really know about what they know? Here are 14 books ...
Every year in classrooms across the country, students learn the names Einstein, Bell, Turing, Oppenheimer, and Salk. The list is important, but it’s also incomplete. Behind every great scientif...
https://offtheshelf.com/2017/01/the-xy-factor-12-true-tales-of-women-who-changed-science/
When I was a senior in college, I wanted to try something different. Experiment, if you will. I was 20 years old, at a liberal arts college. No parents! No consequences! I was going to rebel, I w...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/12/american-gods-by-neil-gaiman/
One of the most prolific novelists in recent memory, Alice Hoffman is known for magical stories about love, marriage, betrayal, history, and friendship. Many of her books have hit the big and sma...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/11/12-essential-alice-hoffman-books/
In many ways, the 2016 election has been just like a bestselling novel: larger-than-life characters, unbelievable scenarios, heroes, villains, unexpected twists, and drama that’s impossible to ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/11/sex-lies-politics-11-novels-to-read-on-election-day/
It’s seemed that in this election cycle, the only thing that both sides can agree upon is that if their candidate is not chosen, it will be the end of our country as we know and love it. We her...
There’s a saying that goes “Everything old is new again,” and nowhere is that more true than in our newfound nostalgia for the raddest decade in history. The ‘80s had it all: big hair, b...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/10/i-heart-the-80s-12-radical-reads-about-everyones-favorite-decade/
On my Goodreads shelf, you can pretty distinctly divide the books I’ve read into three categories. The first is the classics (Austen & Co.). The second, contemporary hits (yay, publishing!) tha...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/08/the-interestings-by-meg-wolitzer/
As evidenced by my reviews of/obsession with EMPIRE FALLS and & SONS , stories about small towns and big families just hook me. I can’t really explain it—there’s just something about peop...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/08/the-shipping-news-by-annie-proulx/
From children’s classics to fairytale backstories, dramatic thrillers to inspiring biographies, books have always been source material for some of our greatest and most cherished films. Stories...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/08/pass-the-popcorn-10-books-to-read-before-they-hit-the-big-screen/
Daughter. Sister. Mother. Wife. Writer. Feminist. Filmmaker. Icon. These are only a few of the words that describe Nora Ephron, the beloved individual known for her wit, honesty, and countless mo...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/07/reading-nora-12-essential-books-for-every-nora-ephron-fan/
This year, the world’s been turned upside down by the hit musical "Hamilton." Like many, we’ve fallen into what we’ve begun to affectionately call “a Hamil-hole”: blasting the soundtrac...
Whatever our relationship with them, fathers are an important part of our lives, providing guidance and wisdom—or at the very least, a few good stories. To celebrate and commemorate the paterna...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/06/whos-your-daddy-15-stories-that-celebrate-fathers/
Though I spent most of my high school and college years writing for newspapers, I never wanted to be a journalist after graduation. I do, however, like reading journalists’ memoirs, which is ho...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/02/the-taliban-shuffle-by-kim-barker/
Some of the most beloved and respected films throughout history have found their stories in books. Just look at some of this year’s nominees—The Danish Girl, Brooklyn, The Revenant, Room, Car...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/02/12-oscar-nomimnated-films-you-never-knew-were-based-on-books/
We like big books and we cannot lie—we buy them, we shelve them, and we stare at them, promising that someday, when we have the time, we’ll read them. Winter is the perfect season for crossin...
I came upon David Gilbert’s novel & Sons by chance: I was browsing the shelves of The Corner Bookstore, an Upper East Side landmark, during the summer of 2013 when I noticed that the staff was ...
The New Year may have just begun, but as any bookworm will know, our to-read lists have been building for months! This year, one of our resolutions is to embrace the old and the new by means of r...
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/01/no-time-like-the-present-10-books-well-finally-read-in-2016/
Children the world over love Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Between film and literature, everyone knows of the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat, the Walrus, the Carpenter...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/12/alice-i-have-been-by-melanie-benjamin/
About a month ago, there were two things that I considered to be steadfastly and unavoidably true. The first was that I loved Matt Damon. The second was that I had a feeling significantly less th...
For years, authors have found inspiration in the ivy-covered halls of American colleges, resulting in fascinating and often humorous portrayals of academic life. In honor of the back-to-school se...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/09/11-novels-set-in-the-hallowed-halls-of-academia/
Since the beginnings of film, literature has played a significant role in developing the medium. Adaptations are everywhere, but Philip Seymour Hoffman’s stunning portrayal of Truman Capote in ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/09/11-literary-biopics-we-need-right-now/
While the classics have always had a reputation for intimidating length (Tolstoy, Dickens, I’m looking at you), we are now living in the era of an entirely new trend: the big, fat, juicy debut ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/08/11-big-fat-debut-novels-to-keep-you-reading-all-summer/
It’s an age-old saying that behind every great man is a great woman. In the last few years, a number of fantastic novels have told the fictionalized stories of the wives, mothers, sisters, and ...
The sun is shining, the flowers are abloom, and summer reading is here! Now’s the time to sit out on the porch and catch up on all of those great books you’ve been meaning to read. These summ...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/06/beat-the-heat-with-these-summer-book-club-picks/
As the eldest of eleven children in small-town New Jersey, Rinker and Kern Buck were in possession of a few things: absurdly cool names, a love of flying, and a dream of adventure. So, they did w...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/06/flight-of-passage-by-rinker-buck/
There’s an age-old saying (and Bruce Springsteen lyric) that you can’t start a fire without a spark. This is often true in literature—sometimes all it takes to create a great story is to fi...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/06/random-family-adrian-nicole-leblanc/
In magnificent New York tradition, the 69th annual Tony Awards will take place this week at Radio City Music Hall, celebrating the finest Broadway has to offer. Musical theater is one of the most...
During the spring of 2014, exactly one year ago, I was getting ready to graduate from college. I had started packing up my dorm room, writing my last papers, thinking about loose ends, and mental...
It can be easy to get stuck in a reading rut, so here’s a fun and untraditional angle to inspire your reading: a fantastic book for every day of the week. The post 7 Literary Adventures for E...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/05/7-literary-adventures-day-week/
The 2015 baseball season is now upon us, which means hot dogs and long sunny days spent in stadiums. We were inspired to look back at the stories and players who have made baseball such an integr...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/04/batter-up-the-best-baseball-books-to-kick-off-your-season/
Every January, young children throughout the United States learn four of the most famous words in American history: “I have a dream.” They learn about the man who spoke those words, Martin Lu...
https://offtheshelf.com/2015/01/a-thought-provoking-exploration-of-dr-kings-legacy/
For many, the question “What’s your favorite book?” elicits feelings of terror, dread, and exhaustion. Racking your brain for that semi-impressive title that will show you pay attention, th...
https://offtheshelf.com/2014/12/empire-falls-by-richard-russo/
Working in publishing, one sees as fair amount of imitation, both good and bad. Authors model their own work after the books they love, or those that they feel have sold well in the past. It some...