Charlotte Ahlin is a writer, actor, artist, and born-and-bred New Yorker. She recently graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in Creative Writing. Now that she’s out in the so-called real world, she’s thrilled to be writing articles for Bustle, working as Associate Artistic Director for Fat Knight Theatre, crafting plays and drawing pictures.
Latest Articles
10 Books That Sound Pretentious, But Are Actually Really Good
The word "pretentious" conjures a certain image. Specifically, the image of that one guy from your junior year creative writing class, who had the word "funeral" tattooed on his forearm and wrote about how cheating on his girlfriend made him sad. Pre…
By Charlotte Ahlin
13 Literary Monsters Who Weren't All That Bad
Pennywise. Dracula. The Gruffalo. Literature is full of monsters. From the terrifying creatures of Ancient Greece to the indescribable horrors of H.P. Lovecraft to the sexy vampires of our modern age, human beings have always been fascinated by the i…
By Charlotte Ahlin
Finally, An Explanation For The Super Weird Seasons In 'Game Of Thrones'
There is so much plot in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, so many mysteries and character arcs and secret Targaryen babies, that many of us have essentially forgotten the premise of this fantasy world. But there is one major thing that se…
By Charlotte Ahlin
12 Ways You Could Be Getting More Out Of Your Public Library
When you think about it, it's fairly miraculous that public libraries exist. I mean, can you imagine if such an idea was proposed today? A public institution where absolutely anyone can obtain books and knowledge for free Supported by tax payers? Lud…
By Charlotte Ahlin
10 Of The Most Hated Characters In Books, From Heathcliff To Umbridge
Nothing's better than finding a literary character who you love... except for maybe finding a literary character who you hate with the unbridled passion of a thousand fiery suns. I mean, sure, there are some characters out there who you might find de…
By Charlotte Ahlin
11 Of The Most Instagrammable Book Shops In The World
Any book lover will proudly tell you that it's what's inside the book that counts. But let's all be honest with ourselves... books are also very pretty. Books are attractive. Books are beautiful. And a good book shop is a work of art. We may claim no…
By Charlotte Ahlin
What To Read If You Already Miss The Hot, Sticky Days Of Summer
Well, fall is here, with its pumpkins and its sweaters and its various hot beverages. Our movie theaters are full of Stephen King and our internet listicles are full of Halloween costume ideas. Kids are going back to school. Birds are flying south. A…
By Charlotte Ahlin
13 Underrated Horror Novels That Will Keep You Up All Night Long
When we're talking about spooky books (especially during October, the spookiest of months), several titles and authors seem to come up time and time again. Stephen King. Shirley Jackson. The Goosebumps series. That one kids' book with the story about…
By Charlotte Ahlin
The Best Part Of '90s Reading? For Me, It Was Magic Tree House
OK, you can agree with me that The '90s were a pretty wild time in children's literature. We had Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and those truly traumatizing Animorph covers. Or, if you wanted something cuddlier and a little less horri…
By Charlotte Ahlin
11 Bookish Gifts To Give The Reader In Your Life (Or Keep For Yourself)
All you really need to be a true book-lover is a love of books. Reading, when you get right down to it, is a fairly simple activity: you sit and stare at thin slices of wood with ink squiggles printed on them, and you hallucinate vividly. Yet somehow…
By Charlotte Ahlin
13 Stephen King-Themed Accessories To Spook Up Your Vibe
I don't know if you've heard of this Stephen King guy, but he seems to be doing pretty well for himself. Between the new adaptions of It, The Dark Tower, Gerald's Game, and several other King novels, popular King homages like Stranger Things, and the…
By Charlotte Ahlin
What To Read Next, Based On Your Favorite 'Game of Thrones' Character
If there's one thing that everyone can agree upon when it comes to Game of Thrones, it's that Game of Thrones has a lot of characters—and that's before you even get into all the characters in A Song of Ice and Fire (we miss you, Lady Stoneheart). Par…
By Charlotte Ahlin
The One Classic Book For Your Myers-Briggs Type
Want to know who you should date? Where you should live? Which books you should read? Take the Myers-Briggs personality test. It's an infallible frighteningly accurate assessment of your very being. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed by the seemi…
By Charlotte Ahlin
What To Read If You Want To Get Published & Make A Career Out Of Writing
If you want to be a writer, chances are you already know that you'll need to read in order to write. But being a writer and having a career in writing are, unfortunately, two different things. Anyone can be a writer, after all. You can write as a hob…
By Charlotte Ahlin
11 Struggles You'll Only Understand If You're A Slow Reader
I have a confession to make, dear internet: I'm not the world's fastest reader. This is partly because I am not the world's fastest anything (you should see me jogging in the park, being swiftly overtaken by small children and elderly dogs). But this…
By Charlotte Ahlin
10 Books About Words For Logophiles Obsessed With The Wonders Of Language
Are you a lifelong logophile, a voracious vocabularian, or a savvy sesquipedalian? If so, you've come to the right place. Between books, texts, emails, articles, and Wikipedia rabbit holes, we all read hundreds of words every day at the very least. B…
By Charlotte Ahlin
Yes, Shakespeare-Inspired Lingerie Is Actually A Thing
Shakespeare famously said that "brevity is the soul of wit." Dorothy Parker amended that saying to "brevity is the soul of lingerie," and both, I think, are entirely correct. If you're a fan of the Bard, and all you want out of this life is to walk a…
By Charlotte Ahlin
10 Tips For Writing Horror From The Masters Of The Genre
When you think about it, the horror genre makes no sense at all. We sit and stare at pieces of paper with words on them, imagining monsters that we know are entirely made up... and that somehow makes us so scared that we have to sleep with the lights…
By Charlotte Ahlin
How The 'Game Of Thrones' Books Actually Subvert The 'Rules' Of Fantasy
On the one hand, A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones are about as high fantasy as you can get. There are knights, hot princesses, and dragons. There are ice zombies. There are many discussions of kings, battles, and birthrights, and everything…
By Charlotte Ahlin
10 Books Like 'Good Omens' To Pick Up If You Love Surreal, Absurd Humor
It might feel like a sign of the apocalypse, but Good Omens is finally coming to television. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's hilarious, irreverent take on the End of Days has been a fan favorite for years, spanning endless debate, fanfiction, and D…
By Charlotte Ahlin
