Books Tell You Why. All About Collecting Rare Books

Adrienne Rivera

Adrienne Rivera received her MFA in fiction from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She currently lives in southern Indiana.

The Life and Art of Ralph Ellison

By Adrienne Rivera. Mar 1, 2016. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Awarded Books, American Literature

Ralph Ellison was born in 1914 in Oklahoma City. He was named after poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. His father was a voracious reader and often read to Ellison and his younger brother, Herbert. When Ellison was only three years old, his father was killed in a work-related accident after shards from a fallen ice block pierced his abdomen. Although his mother eventually remarried, Ellison grew up knowing how much his father loved him, and as an adult, he learned his father had wished for him to grow up to be a poet, like his namesake.

20 of the Most Romantic Quotes in All of Literature

By Adrienne Rivera. Feb 14, 2016. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Literature, Rare Book Gift Ideas

Valentine's Day has a long and storied history. It was originally a celebration of the martyrdom of Saint Valentine, a Christian priest of Rome. St. Valentine was imprisoned and beheaded for marrying soldiers despite being forbidden to do so and for preaching his faith which was against Roman law.

February 14 did not become associated with romance until the Middle Ages. And sometime in the 18th century, it became customary to give flowers, candies, and cards. While today Valentine's Day is symbolized by hearts, cupids, and a score of other glittery commercialized items, at it's core, Valentine's Day is all about love. The following are 20 of the most romantic quotes in literature to help you get into the heart of the holiday.

A Brief Guide to the Works of Judy Blume

By Adrienne Rivera. Feb 12, 2016. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Children's Books, Awarded Books

Judy Blume has an influence all her own. Throughout her career, she has written books for children, young adults, and adult readers. Blume is known for her frank depictions of issues facing children and teenagers. As a result, in the 1980s an organized effort was made to ban her books from libraries and schools. Inspired by the objections against so many of her books, Blume became an advocate for intellectual freedom and serves on the board for the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Because of her dedication to the real issues facing young people, Blume is beloved by readers of all ages. Perhaps the most telling of her impact on children's and young adult literature is the fact that each year she receives thousands of letters from young readers detailing their own life experiences and sharing with her how her books have helped them through. Whether you're new to Judy Blume's work or looking to collect some old favorites, don't miss these titles.

Zane Grey: Father of the Western Genre

By Adrienne Rivera. Jan 31, 2016. 9:00 AM.

Topics: American Literature, History

Throughout his extremely prolific career, Zane Grey wrote nearly 100 books—including over 50 Westerns—baseball stories, books on hunting, young adult books, autobiographies, books on fishing, and a handful of books set in Australia. Grey is widely acknowledged as one of the fathers of the Western genre. His seminal work, Riders of the Purple Sage, is considered the best example of what the Western genre has to offer: a sweeping plot and detailed descriptions of the character of both the people and landscape of the American frontier. In effect, Zane Grey created the vision of pop culture's American West.

Five Important Canadian Writers You Should Know

By Adrienne Rivera. Jan 27, 2016. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Awarded Books, Literature, Movie Tie-Ins

Canadian writers have made significant contributions to the landscape of North American letters. Without them, we'd have missed out on some of the most beloved characters of the last century, not to mention on important ideas and perspectives. We think rather highly of our literary neighbors to the north, and today, we spotlight five important Canadian writers you should know.

Renaissance Women: Five Harlem Writers You Should Know

By Adrienne Rivera. Jan 7, 2016. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Legendary Authors, Literature

In the time between the First and Second World Wars there came a great outpouring of art, music, writing, and culture from Harlem. Works of art explored themes such as the cruel realities of institutionalized racism, race riots happening all over the country, the impact of slavery on African culture, Christianity, and the burgeoning urban culture brought on by industrialization in the North. Out of the Harlem Renaissance came artists like Langston Hughes, Rudolph Fisher, Cab Calloway, and Ella Fitzgerald. The following five women are just some of the writers that made up this amazing time in literary history.

Six Spot-On Predictions About the Future From Isaac Asimov

By Adrienne Rivera. Jan 2, 2016. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Movie Tie-Ins, Science Fiction

The name Isaac Asimov is practically synonymous with science fiction. Throughout the course of his extraordinarily prolific career, the Boston University-based biochemist wrote and edited hundreds of novels and short story collections as well as an innumerable amount of letters. With such a background as his—and his finger on the pulse of so many scientific ideas in his day—it makes sense that Asimov would be a thought-leader. But how close did he come to predicting some of our modern day staples? It's almost unbelievable.

Five Little-Known Facts About Queen of Suspense, Mary Higgins Clark

By Adrienne Rivera. Dec 24, 2015. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Mystery, Suspense & Crime

Mary Higgins Clark's name is now synonymous with the suspense genre. She's penned 35 suspense novels on her own, and she's worked in collaboration with friends and family on several more. Her books, including favorites like Before I Say Goodbye and He Sees You When You're Sleeping, are bestsellers. In fact, her first suspense novel, Where Are The Children? (1975) —which was also made into a feature film —is in its 75th edition. So, we know her by her work, but what are some little-known facts about the reigning Queen of Suspense?

Beatrix Potter: A Pioneer in Self-Publishing

By Adrienne Rivera. Dec 16, 2015. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Literature, Book Making

When one thinks of Beatrix Potter and her literary legacy—her delicate illustrations and charming stories that have delighted children and parents alike for over one hundred years—one does not necessarily think also of writers like E.L. James, John Grisham, or Edgar Allen Poe. But these writers, though they differ greatly in genre and in time, all have something in common with the celebrated naturalist and storyteller. Each of these writers, like Potter herself, began their literary careers by self-publishing. From her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, to Wag-by-Wall, the last of her stories published in her lifetime, Potter owes her considerable success to her own self-publishing efforts.

A Reading Guide to Sue Miller

By Adrienne Rivera. Nov 29, 2015. 9:00 AM.

Topics: Literature, Movie Tie-Ins

Finding time to write can be difficult for anyone with a job and other commitments. Add to that the increased responsibilities that come with having children and images come to mind of single-mother J.K. Rowling writing away on dinner napkins on a train to and from work—savoring the few precious hours of alone time after she put her eldest daughter to bed, before she too had to go to sleep. That she managed to turn those stolen hours and ink-filled scraps of paper into the Harry Potter series, arguably seven of the most beloved and influential books in contemporary literature, is no small feat. She was thirty-two years old when her first book was published. For author Sue Miller, it took a little more time.