I came out of reading My Pressures having laughed (quite a lot) and realizing how important it is to take big risks when you know it’s the right thing to do.

Reader entitlement is out of hand. From demanding trigger warnings (to avoid a small bit of discomfort) to misunderstanding literary devices, we’re losing the plot (pun intended).

Imagine if our negative feelings, or at least lots of them, turned out to be illusions, and we could dispel them by just contemplating them from a particular vantage point.

‘She’s not sick, but there’s no life in her. I don’t know what to do.’

Removing his spectacles, as he always did when he believed that serious matters were at hand, the old man said, ‘Poor child. Reality is poisoning her blood.’

Nobody wants to hear about what you like. There’s nothing less funny than hearing about the stuff you have fun doing. Fun isn’t funny. Comedy is pain. It’s struggle.

Stop thinking in terms of individual action. What most causes need instead are acts of individual leadership that inspire collective action.

As Mark contemplated his future — his legacy and the coming year’s personal challenge — I think he came to this dark conclusion: if Trump can do it, so could he.

After all, not only does Mark now have Trump’s playbook, he owns the tools and sets the rules. And he has something no one else has, the ability to control the algorithm with zero transparency or oversight.

Bookstores are foundational to community and representation.

Whether you’re an Amazon worker or an Amazon neighbor, you’re more likely to bear the brunt of Amazon’s environmental impact if you’re a person of color.

I’ve stopped rating books with stars. Why? Books are too nuanced and there are so many options. Why would I want to yuck on someone’s yum?

The American Dream’s narrowly defined paths to happiness and success rely on an acceptance of prescribed roles, and a lot of accumulation and exhibition.

The point is… how do you know how to rate a book? How do you understand what others feel when they rate books? It’s difficult to know across the board, but at Beguiled By Books, here’s what the Star Ratings mean.

Sometimes it’s better to be happy than right.