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books

Learn to ‘Cosplay Like a Pro’ with Humble Bundle

by Tori Ann May 28, 2020

written by Tori Ann

Humble Bundle

While many of us are still staying at home, you might have an interest in either improving your cosplay game or getting started in anticipation of when conventions open up once again. If so, Humble Bundle has just the pack that you might be looking for. They’ve assembled their Humble Book Bundle: Cosplay Like a Pro bundle to help you either get started in making your own cosplays or leveling up your skills.

You can pay as little as $1, or as much as you want, with five different pay levels going up to $20 or more if you wish. If you buy the entire bundle, you can get 31 different books about cosplay, sewing, fabric, foamsmithing, wig styling, LEDs, cosplay photography, armor building, and much more! Some of the featured authors are Bill Doran of Punished Props, Svetlana Quindt of Kamui Cosplay, Steven Meissner of SoloRoboto Industries, and Mood Designer Fabrics.

Here are the five different pay levels, and what is included with each:

$1 Level:

Getting started with Cosplay – A Beginner’s Guide
First Time Sewing
Sewing 101 Revised and Updated
Sewing Machine Magic
The Hero’s Closet: Sewing for Cosplay and Costuming
The Mood Guide to Fabric and Fashion: The Essential Guide From the World’s Most Famous Fabric Store
Foamsmith

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$8 Level:

Everything from the previous level
First Time Garment Fitting
The Complete Photo Guide to Clothing Construction
Singer New Sewing Essentials
Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More
The Book of Foam Armor – Comfy & Affordable
Foamsmith 2
A Robot’s Guide To: Sanding
Cosplay Makeup Tips and Tricks

$15 Level:

Everything from the previous levels
The Cosplay Handbook: A Book of Cosplay and Prop Making Techniques
The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting
Singer the Complete Photo Guide to Sewing (3rd Edition)
Advanced Prop Making – Creating Guns & Rifles
Advanced Armor Making – Helmets & Pauldrons
Painting and Weathering For Props and Replicas
Steampunk & Cosplay Fashion Design & Illustration
The Spoonflower Handbook: A DIY Guide to Designing Fabric, Wallpaper & Gift Wrap with 30+ Projects

kamui cosplay

$18 Level:

Everything from the previous levels
1,000 Incredible Cosplay and Costuming Ideas
Tailoring
The Spoonflower Quick-Sew Project Book: 34 DIYS to Make The Most of Your Fabric Stash
Foam Armor Fast
Advanced Cosplay Painting: Airbrush and Weathering
Wig Styling for Cosplay
The Book of Cosplay Photography – In Front and Behind the Camera

$20 Level:

Everything from the previous levels
Successful Serging
Sewing Knits from Fit to Finish
Hand Dyed: A Modern Guide to Dyeing in Brilliant Color For You and Your Home
A Robot’s Guide To: Bondo
The Art of Extreme Wig Styling
Shoulders Armor Pattern
Horns Armor Pattern
Female Breastplate Armor Pattern
Male Breastplate Armor Pattern

That’s over $600 worth of books, and they are available in a variety of formats, so it’s bound to work with whatever e-reader you own. As with all Humble Bundles, the money goes directly to charity. The charities supported by this collection are The Hero Initiative and Book Industry Charitable Foundation.

The Hero Initiative “is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book artists and craftsmen in need. Hero Initiative creates a financial safety net for yesterday’s creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.”

Book Industry Charitable Foundation “has helped bookstore and comic book store employees and owners who encounter unexpected financial crises. The Binc Foundation works to keep book people in their homes, in their jobs, and with their families – stabilizing the brick and mortar bookstore community. The Foundation is the only 501(c)(3) in the country dedicated exclusively to strengthening the book industry by supporting the people who work in bookstores and comics shops.”

Since the money goes directly to charity, anything you choose to pay over the minimum suggestion price is greatly appreciated. Also this collection is only available for a limited time, and will go away on June 17^th.

May 28, 2020 0 comment

Collectibles Contest / Giveaway

[Contest] Book Lovers Giveaway

by April Carvelli March 8, 2019

written by April Carvelli

On March 31st, at 8:00 P.M., PopCultHQ will be giving away a book lover’s dream. A box full of books, 14 novels to be exact. All thanks to the generosity of Baen Books.

Baen Books is known for publishing top quality science fiction and fantasy novels, and all of them can be yours.

How do you enter? Simple, just fill out the form and share this post. You can have multiple entries if you share your link on Facebook and Twitter. Each new person that signs up via your link gets you an entry.

Prize pack includes a randomly selected grouping of novels:

1636: The Vatican Sanction by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon
Worlds 2 by Eric Flint
Down and Out in Purgatory by Tim Powers
Neogenesis by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
The Outposter by Gordon R. Dickson
Avalanche by Mercedes Lackey, Cody Martin, Dennis Lee, Veronica Giguere
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold
Sheepfarmers Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
A Star-Wheeled Sky by Brad R. Torgersen
Sleepwalkers World by Gordon R. Dickson
Princess Holy Aura by Ryk E. Spoor
Sins of the Father by Mike Kupari
Fleet Insurgent by Susan R. Mathews
Man-Kzin Wars XV by Larry Niven

Contest Ends March 31st, 2019 at 8:00 CST and winner will be chosen by random drawing.

NOTE:
Some spam and advertising blockers will block the entry form.
Some iPhones will also block the entry form.

RULES:

Continental U.S. entries only
Must not have won a PopCultHQ.com giveaway in the last three months

Winner will be contacted via the email address provided and physical address verified for shipping.

[giveaway id=120998]

March 8, 2019 0 comment

Novels/Books

[Book Review] Baen Books: ‘Expiration Date’ by Tim Powers

by April Carvelli October 11, 2018

written by April Carvelli

Ghosts can be caught, and bottled, and sold by covert dealers to addicts who inhale the things—and when a young boy named Kootie accidentally inhales the ghost of Thomas Edison, he finds that all the factions of Los Angeles’ occult underground are after him, determined to kill him and get Edison’s powerful ghost for themselves.

Aided by Edison’s confused and irascible ghost, Kootie flees—and finds himself dodging perils natural and supernatural in the gritty alleys and trainyards of a Los Angeles that tourists never see.

Fromm the slums around the L.A. River, to the abandoned Houdini mansion in the Hollywood Hills, to a final dramatic confrontation on the haunted ocean liner Queen Mary docked in Long Beach, Expiration Date is a heart-stopping supernatural adventure from one of fantasy fiction’s most original talents.

Expiration Date by Tim Powers is apparently the second book in the Fault Lines series. I did not know this was book #2 of a series.

There was no indication that there was a previous book, unless I looked at the inside page where it listed “Books by Tim Powers” where the middle of the page it lists the Fault Line Series. This probably contributed to some of my confusion while reading the novel.

Expiration Date is an interestingly complex tale that weaves the paranormal, mythos, and the supernatural in a modern Los Angeles setting. The concepts utilized are interesting, but not always explained and you are frequently left wondering what they are referring to (perhaps book 1?).

The book starts out with a mystery about a bust of Dante and then quickly folds into a tale of a runaway with murdered parents and a crazy stalker. From there the adventure only gets even more insane as Mr. Powers brings in a touch of history with Houdini, Edison and the Queen Mary.

This is not an easy read and sometimes you find that you just need to take a leap of faith that things will come together later. There are a lot of slow, boring areas with extraneous detail that can be easily edited or skipped without losing anything from the plot. In the end, your perseverance pays off and you will find that you have been taken on a wild ride that seems to cross all realms from historical to fantasy to science-fiction.

This is not a book you want to take on vacation for a light easy read, and it’s something you would only recommend to the most die-hard readers.

We gave Expiration Date this 3.5 Stars

PopCultHQ Rating – 3.5 Stars

Written by: Tim Powers
Cover Art by Adam Burn
Published by Baen Books

How we rate our Books

1 = We finished the book with effort

2 = Readable, but more fluff than substance

3 = Good

4 = Pretty Good and worth passing on to your friends

5 = We couldn’t put the book down

October 11, 2018 0 comment

Movies / TV Novels/Books

The Walking Dead Pop-Up Book is Terrifyingly Beautiful

by Amanda the Brainy Librarian February 19, 2016

written by Amanda the Brainy Librarian

Pop-up books are not just for children. At least, this one is definitely not for the younger ones. The AMC hit show, The Walking Dead, now has its very own pop-up book! The detailed, gory pages take you from Rick’s hospital, to Hershel’s Farm, to the Prison and Terminus. Some favorite walkers make appearances as well, such as Bicycle Girl and The Well Walker.

Take a look at the video promo. Simply beautiful.

The hardcover book retails at $38.68 on Amazon.

February 19, 2016 0 comment

Comic Reviews Fantasy Movies / TV Novels/Books Pop Cult News

“The Shannara Chronicles” – A New Fantasy Series on MTV: PopCultHQ Review

by Manny Popoca February 4, 2016

written by Manny Popoca

A fantasy TV series on MTV? Based on a semi-popular young teens’ novels? There is no way this could turn out to be any good. Guess what folks? The Shannara Chronicles is actually a surprisingly, wondrously great tale steeped in its magical lore of elvish fantasy. Created by Terry Brooks as a young readers fantasy series, the novels have been brought to life on the small screen.

A tale of a defiant, but strong-willed, elvish princess Amberle (Poppy Drayton) who defies traditions to become a scout warrior to her father’s kingdom. Much to the dismay of many of the male elves that tried to stop her, she persevered with her undying strength of heart to prove she, too, is a worthy elf.

But there is an evil darkness that grows restless and is becoming more bold in their efforts to regain strength in the Four Lands. This is when the epic action of the story takes place as armies must face armies to vanquish any and all evil that threatens the 4 lands. The Elvish tree, known as the Ellcrys, is dying and Amberle is called upon to unlock magic that the Elves haven’t used in thousands of years. With the help of Wil Ohmsford (Austin Butler), she travels to find the that lost magic.

The cast is top-notch with some well-known actors mixed in, along with a crop of upcoming young talent. CGI effects used, looks like they cost tons of money, with top production given to gorgeously done cinematic scenes of this exquisite new world. What the show was lacking in the more practical effects of creatures, make-up, and sets in the first half of the season, look to have gotten much better for the second half. Sets and costume designs are not spared any expense either, which does give the show plenty of depth. Having a good fan following will pull more production money in future seasons, hopefully, since the second half of the series is looking to be much larger and more explosive with action. Yes, I do feel The Shannara Chronicles will do very well with teens, especially fans who stick around and gave this show a chance. You will be in for some fantastic television as the newest official MTV trailer (bottom) shows.

It may not be as hard-core fantasy as say Lord of the Rings, but Shannara seems to come very close and hold its own. What does help the most is having heavyweight dramatic actors – Manu Bennett (Spartacus) and John Rhys-Davies, who played the troll Gimli in the original LOTR movies. The younger cast really ‘bring it’ to a fantasy set, which can be ridiculously hard to do, but the professional veterans help keep everyone focused.

I like what I’ve seen so far out of the first half season of episodes and I was truly shocked this was better than other shows like Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, who are not using as much production value for a massive following. At first I was saying I would only watch as long as Manu keeps showing his greatness as a warrior actor, but I do admit, this show is not too bad and the second half looks even more amazing. I love that the lead heroine, princess Amberle Elessedil, is a fiercely strong role, which is very intriguing to me to see how she continues to grow. The fight between armies of darkness is looking grand and the magic we are seeing, with special effects that rival a motion picture, keep it very ‘cool’. I do call this a hit TV show that you should not be missing.

*** PopCultHQ 4 out of 5 stars ***

Rating: 4 out of 5

February 4, 2016 0 comment

Novels/Books Pop Cult News Right in the Feels

Books to Read Before the Movie Release [part 2 of 3]

by Amanda the Brainy Librarian December 14, 2015

written by Amanda the Brainy Librarian

Here is our second part to Book to Read Before the Movie Release Part 2 of 3. There are a lot of fantastic movies being screen played for film treatment and we decided to give you the best of the best of what’s to come in the movie world, by giving the fans the chance to read the story first! Make sure to check our Part 1 of 3.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Synopsis: Weary of her storybook, one “without pictures or conversations,” the young and imaginative Alice follows a hasty hare underground–to come face-to-face with some of the strangest adventures and most fantastic characters in all of literature.

The Ugly Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the weeping Mock Turtle, the diabolical Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat–each more eccentric than the last–could only have come from that master of sublime nonsense, Lewis Carroll.

In penning this brilliant burlesque of children’s literature, Carroll has written a farcical satire of rigid Victorian society, an arresting parody of the fears, anxieties, and complexities of growing up.

Carroll was one of the few adult writers to successfully enter the children’s world of make-believe: where the impossible becomes possible, the unreal–real, and where the height of adventure is limited only by the depths of imagination.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter

Release Date: May 27, 2016

More about the book

More about the movie

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen, Philip Smiley (illustrator)

Synopsis: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, sword fights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.

Starring: Lily James, Lena Headey, Matt Smith

Release Date: February 5, 2016

More about the book

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The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Synopsis: Four minutes changes everything. Hadley Sullivan 17 misses her flight at JFK airport, is late to her father’s second wedding in London with never-met stepmother. Hadley meets the perfect boy. Oliver is British, sits in her row. A long night on the plane passes in a blink, but the two lose track in arrival chaos. Can fate bring them together again?

Starring: TBA

Release Date: TBA

More about the book

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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Synopsis: Laia is a slave.

Elias is a soldier.

Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family seeks out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Starring: TBA

Release Date: TBA

More about the book

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Looking for Alaska by John Green

Synopsis: Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter’s whole existence has been one big non event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the “Great Perhaps” (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

Starring: TBA

Release Date: TBA

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Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle

Synopsis: Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

Starring: TBA

Release Date: December 9, 2016

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The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Synopsis: Run with them. Or fear them–

Bagheera the Panther: A silken shadow of boldness and cunning.

Kaa the Python: A thirty foot battering ram driven by a cool, hungry mind.

Baloo the Bear: who keeps the lore and the Law, and teaches the Secret Words.

Rikki the Mongoose: The young protector who sings as he slays.

Akela and Raksha the Wolves: Demon warriors of the Free People.

Shere Khan the Tiger: The dreaded enemy of all.

And Mowgli the Man-cub: The orphan baby raised by the wolves, taught by Baloo, trained by Bagheera and Kaa. The sorcerer who knows the ways of the jungle and speaks the language of the wild…

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray

Release Date: April 15, 2016

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The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis

Synopsis: The real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn’t shine and the SEC doesn’t dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower and middle-class Americans who can’t pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren’t talking.

Michael Lewis creates a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 bestseller Liar’s Poker. Out of a handful of unlikely-heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier bestsellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our time.

Starring: Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Steve Carell

Release Date: December 23, 2015

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Armada by Ernest Cline

Synopsis: Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and video games he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the video game he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.

Starring: TBA

Release Date: TBA

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Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Synopsis: A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it’s exhilarating–Vee and Ian’s fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they’re directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they’re playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

Starring: Emma Roberts, Juliette Lewis, Dave Franco

Release Date: TBA

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The Revenant by Michael Punke

Synopsis: The year is 1823, and the trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company live a brutal frontier life. Trapping beaver, they contend daily with the threat of Indian tribes turned warlike over the white men’s encroachment on their land, and other prairie foes—like the unforgiving landscape and its creatures. Hugh Glass is among the Company’s finest men, an experienced frontiersman and an expert tracker. But when a scouting mission puts him face-to-face with a grizzly bear, he is viciously mauled and not expected to survive.

The Company’s captain dispatches two of his men to stay behind and tend to Glass before he dies, and to give him the respect of a proper burial. When the two men abandon him instead, taking his only means of protecting himself—including his precious gun and hatchet— with them, Glass is driven to survive by one desire: revenge.

With shocking grit and determination, Glass sets out crawling inch by inch across more than three thousand miles of uncharted American frontier, negotiating predators both human and not, the threat of starvation, and the agony of his horrific wounds. In Michael Punke’s hauntingly spare and gripping prose, The Revenant is a remarkable tale of obsession, the human will stretched to its limits, and the lengths that one man will go to for retribution.

Starring: Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Domhnall Gleeson

Release Date: January 8, 2016

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The Choice by Nicolas Sparks

Synopsis: Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life — boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies — he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him…and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn’t help. Despite himself, Travis can’t stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Teresa Palmer, Maggie Grace

Release Date: February 5, 2016

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Wool by Hugh Howey

Synopsis: Thousands of them have lived underground. They’ve lived there so long, there are only legends about people living anywhere else. Such a life requires rules. Strict rules. There are things that must not be discussed. Like going outside. Never mention you might like going outside.

Or you’ll get what you wish for.

Starring: TBA

Release Date: TBA

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Synopsis: A big-hearted coming-of-age debut set in civil rights-era New Orleans—a novel of Southern eccentricity and secrets

When Ibby Bell’s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father’s urn for good measure. Fannie’s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been — and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum — is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie’s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secret.

For Fannie’s own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby’s arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby’s hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places.

Starring: TBA

Release Date: TBA

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A Thousand Piece of You by Claudia Gray

Synopsis: Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Starring:

Release Date:

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Live by Night by Dennis Lehane

Synopsis: Boston, 1926. The ’20s are roaring. Liquor is flowing, bullets are flying, and one man sets out to make his mark on the world.

Prohibition has given rise to an endless network of underground distilleries, speakeasies, gangsters, and corrupt cops. Joe Coughlin, the youngest son of a prominent Boston police captain, has long since turned his back on his strict and proper upbringing. Now having graduated from a childhood of petty theft to a career in the pay of the city’s most fearsome mobsters, Joe enjoys the spoils, thrills, and notoriety of being an outlaw.

But life on the dark side carries a heavy price. In a time when ruthless men of ambition, armed with cash, illegal booze, and guns, battle for control, no one–neither family nor friend, enemy nor lover–can be trusted. Beyond money and power, even the threat of prison, one fate seems most likely for men like Joe: an early death. But until that day, he and his friends are determined to live life to the hilt.

Joe embarks on a dizzying journey up the ladder of organized crime that takes him from the flash of Jazz Age Boston to the sensual shimmer of Tampa’s Latin Quarter to the sizzling streets of Cuba. Live by Night is a riveting epic layered with a diverse cast of loyal friends and callous enemies, tough rumrunners and sultry femmes fatales, Bible-quoting evangelists and cruel Klansmen, all battling for survival and their piece of the American dream. At once a sweeping love story and a compelling saga of revenge, it is a spellbinding tour de force of betrayal and redemption, music and murder, that brings fully to life a bygone era when sin was cause for celebration and vice was a national virtue.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Scott Eastwood

Release Date: 2017

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Stay tuned for part 3 of the series next week!

December 14, 2015 0 comment

Novels/Books Pop Cult News

Books to Read Before the Movie Release [part 1 of 3]

by Amanda the Brainy Librarian December 8, 2015

written by Amanda the Brainy Librarian

There are quite a few books that will be getting theatrical adaptations in 2016. I personally love to see how films translate novels. There are so many books that will be films in 2016 that we will be releasing the lists into 3 bite-size articles.

*Brief note: We gathered information from Goodreads and IMDB and used the top 3 billed in the credited cast when available.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Synopsis: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Starring: Eva Green, Sam Jackson, Asa Butterfield

Release Date: December 25, 2016

More about the book

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Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Synoposis: The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered – fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningliess. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend to complexities of human nature – and of herself – while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Starring: Theo James, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz,

theo james

Release date: March 18, 2016

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The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Synopsis: After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. are who have scattered as Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother–or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Liev Schreiber, Nick Robinson

Release date: January 15

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The Selection by Kiera Cass

Synopsis: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want; living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Starring: TBA

Release date: TBA

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis:

A copy of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them resides in almost every wizarding household in the country. Now Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.

Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to Comic Relief, which means that the pounds and Galleons you exchange for it will do magic beyond the powers of any wizard. If you feel that this is insufficient reason to part with your money, I can only hope that passing wizards feel more charitable if they see you being attacked by a Manticore.

– Albus Dumbledore

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Gemma Chan

Release date: November 18, 2016

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Legend by Marie Lu

Synopsis: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Starring: TBA

Release date: TBA

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Me Before You by Jojo Meyes

Synopsis: Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of color. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

Starring: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman

Release date: March 4, 2016

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The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Synopsis: When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Starring: TBA

Release date: TBA

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Matched by Ally Condie

Synopsis: In the Society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one…until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Starring: TBA

Release date: TBA

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Synopsis: In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

Starring: Olivia Cooke, more TBA

Release date: December 15, 2017

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Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Synopsis: When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

Starring: TBA

Release date: TBA

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Inferno by Dan Brown

Synopsis: In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code,Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

Starring: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ben Foster

Release date: October 14th, 2016

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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Jim Kay (illustrator), Siobhan Dowd (conception)

Synopsis: The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

Starring: Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver

Release date: October 14, 2016

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Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Synopsis: Eleanor… Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough…Eleanor.

Park… He knows she’ll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There’s a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises…Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Starring: TBA

Release date: TBA

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The BFG by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (illustrator)

Synopsis: Captured by a giant! The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It’s lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher, or any of the other giants-rather than the BFG-she would have soon become breakfast.
When Sophie hears that they are flush-bunking off in England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Mark Rylance, Bill Hader

Release date: July 1, 2016

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Fallen by Lauren Kate

Synopsis: What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?

17-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross . . . only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good & evil forces plot to keep them apart.

Get ready to fall . . .

Starring: Lola Kirke, Joely Richardson, Addison Timlin

Release Date: TBA

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The Death Cure by James Dashner

Synopsis: It’s the end of the line.

WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.

Will anyone survive?

What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.

The truth will be terrifying.

Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.

The time for lies is over.

Starring: Dexter Darden, more TBA

Release Date: February 17, 2017

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Which of these titles are you adding to your “To Read” pile? Which movie adaptation will you be watching? Leave comments below.

We’ll be adding part 2 (of 3) of this article next week.

December 8, 2015 2 comments

Novels/Books Pop Cult News

Scholastic Children’s Book Features Promo Photo of Ben Affleck Batman, Henry Cavill Superman

by Manny Popoca November 28, 2015

written by Manny Popoca

Scholastic children’s books get a sneak peek of the upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie. The Scholastic website released cover images and details for new books that will be an all new original companion novel to the film. Promo pics (below) for a Batman Vs. Superman companion novel “Cross Fire” show never before seen images of the two central figures to the movie.

Also a guild for beginners to the comic book universe about Gotham’s vigilante The Batman and on the flip-side The Man of Steel; Superman. All the info you need to know and a color insert with movie photos!

Scheduled to be released on February 16, all these books are now available to pre-order from the Scholastic Online Store.

“Cross Fire”: An Original Companion Novel (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) [Paperback]
Batman and Superman are on the case!  After saving Metropolis from an alien invasion, Superman is now famous around the world. Meanwhile Gotham City’s own guardian, Batman, would rather fight crime from the shadows. But when the devious Doctor Aesop escapes from Arkham Asylum, the two very different heroes begin investigating the same case and a young boy is caught in the cross fire.
This action-packed junior novel tells an original story about the stars of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The book also includes a full-color insert with images from the feature film.

Age Range: 7-10 years Grade Level: 2-5 Paperback: 144 pages Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (February 16, 2016) Language: English ISBN-10: 0545916305

“Guide to the Caped Crusader” and “Guide to the Man of Steel” Movie flip books  from Superman and his mighty powers to Batman and his clever gadgets, this full-color flip book contains everything fans need to know about the stars of the new film: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Striking images from the movie are accompanied by cool facts about the two heroes. Readers will begin by discovering the world of Batman, then flip the book over to learn more about his rival, Superman. Plus, the book also comes with a poster!

Age Range: 8-12 years Grade Level: 3-7 Paperback: 112 pages Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (February 16, 2016) Language: English ISBN-10: 0545916275

Synopsis to Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice movie

After the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.

Features a Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Ray Fisher as Cyborg with Callan Mulvey, Holly Hunter as Senator Finch and Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves. Justice League is to follow directed by Zack Snyder as well.

visit here for trailer

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” has a March 25, 2016 release.

November 28, 2015 0 comment

Novels/Books

From the Librarian’s Desk: Follow A Literary Road Trip

by Amanda the Brainy Librarian August 3, 2015

written by Amanda the Brainy Librarian

The site Atlas Obscura has mapped classic road trips that are discussed in favorite books. Among those mapped are: Wild, The Cruise of the Rolling Junk, Rolling Nowhere, A Walk Across America, Cross Country, The Lost Continent, Blue Highways, On the Road, Roughing It, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Travels with Charley, and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

Now you can see the routes from the books in a map of the United States. There are clickable locations throughout the routes where you can view the text of each of the mapped books. Book nerd fun.

Check out this literary map here.

BY RICHARD KREITNER (WRITER), STEVEN MELENDEZ (MAP)

Wild, Cheryl Strayed. 2012. After a series of personal crises, the author hits the Pacific Crest Trail and walks from Southern California to Portland. Self-actualization ensues.

The Cruise of the Rolling Junk, F. Scott Fitzgerald. 1934. Scott and Zelda’s wacky adventures along the muddy, unkept roads of the mid-Atlantic and the South, as they drive from Connecticut to her hometown of Montgomery, Alabama.

Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails With America’s Hoboes, Ted Conover.1984. Conover, our most accomplished method journalist, studies with a merciful lack of sentimentality a subculture of transients that has long been mourned and romanticized more than it has been loved or even tolerated.

A Walk Across America, Peter Jenkins. 1979. Jenkins and his dog Cooper hoof it to New Orleans from upstate New York; along the way they encounter poverty, racism, hippies, illness, hateful cops and—at least for one of them—violent vehicular death. Oh, and in Mobile, Alabama, God.

Cross Country: Fifteen Years and 90,000 Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America with Lewis and Clark, Robert Sullivan. 2006. As much a free-association history of the American road trip as the chronicle of one in particular, Sullivan’s book is rare in that it documents a time-restricted straight-shot across the continent, interstates and chain-motels and all. Abandon nostalgia, all ye who enter here.

The Lost Continent, Bill Bryson. 1989. A sneering account of this exile’s return from abroad and his re-acquaintance with his native country. Bryson seems to be reminded on almost every page of why he chose to leave it, and we of why we let him.

Blue Highways: A Journey into America, William Least Heat Moon. 1982. Not less critical of America and Americans than Bryson but more interestingly so, the author takes his van on the road for three months after separating from his wife and sticks only to smaller highways while avoiding the cities. He has long debates about local history and current affairs with people on the road and pays especial attention to quirky place-names–a traveler after my own heart.

On the Road, Jack Kerouac. 1957. Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty search for bop, kicks, speed and the night.

Roughing It, Mark Twain. 1872. Twain’s book about his journey west by stagecoach a decade earlier is a incredible account of transcontinental travel before the railroad made it infinitely easier; his sections about the early Mormons in Salt Lake City, the mining settlements in Nevada and the pre-Americanized Sandwich Islands–aka, Hawaii–are also well worth the read.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig. 1974. The author and his son ride by motorcycle to California; Profound Philosophical Ruminations ensue. Very 1970s.

Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck. 1962. The aging novelist, his black-poodle pooch and Rocinante, the customized van named after Don Quixote’s horse, light out for the territories; Charley discovers redwoods, which depress him; Steinbeck discovers that you can’t go home again.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe. 1968. Ken Kesey and the highly-acidic Merry Pranksters take the bus Further across the country to “tootle” its citizens out of lethargy. Neal Cassady rides again.

August 3, 2015 1 comment

Novels/Books

Adult Coloring Books Trend Continues to Grow

by Amanda the Brainy Librarian May 9, 2015

written by Amanda the Brainy Librarian

Adult coloring books have been best-sellers in countries in Europe and now the trend is spreading to the United States. According to the Huffington Post, coloring can relieve stress. Not only does it remind us of a simpler time, our childhood, the person coloring focuses on the activity and forgets their worries.

Of the most notable adult coloring books is Johanna Basford’s “Secret Garden” that has sold over a million copies online and has been translated into 14 languages.