Melissa Ragsdale

It probably comes as no surprise that recent data indicates that Americans are becoming more and more anxious. Considering the news cycle, how could one not be anxious? If the weight of the world feels overwhelming and you just want to make it…

There's a lot you can inherit from your family: your name, the shape of your nose, the color of your eyes — as well as pain, secrets, and trauma. In her debut novel, The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls, author Anissa Gray explores how,…

It's a new year, which means it's time to channel your inner Marie Kondō and get yourself organized. If you're an organization freak like me, you're probably rubbing your hands and cackling maniacally at the thought of opening up a new planner,…

The skies are grey, the wind is blowing harder than ever, and the weather is freezing — winter can be tough, so it's important to take care of yourself and pay attention to your mental health. A good book can't take the place of professional…

There are many things you cannot predict about the future, but there is one thing I know for sure about the coming year: the new fiction books of 2019 will be extraordinary. If you love romance, you're in luck. In 2019, Helen Hoang, Jasmine…

History is all around you. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the blood running through your veins — everything has its own story. So, readers and history-lovers, what happens when we zoom in a little and focus on the stories told in these…

Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, there's a general assumption that most audiobooks are written in prose. But you might not have realized that there are some fantastic poetry audiobooks out there, just waiting for you to listen to them. It's a…

The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but they can also be the most stressful time of the year. Traveling, spending money on presents, dealing with your family... all of it can be seriously overwhelming. When it all…

Italian author Elena Ferrante's best-selling, fan-favorite book, My Brilliant Friend, is now a television series on HBO. If you're a fan of the book (and its sequels in the Neopolitan series), you know what a thrill this is. My Brilliant Friend is…

The holiday season is in full swing, which means you're probably staring down a long list of people to shop for. And of course, books are the best gifts, in my opinion. They're personal, they're beautiful, they're easy to wrap — and they have the…

"Can you even have an identity without other people? Who are you really?" So asks the introductory comic of Ariel Schrag's latest graphic memoir, Part of It. The question plays a pivotal role in all these graphic stories about Schrag's life. For…

Is there anything more wonderful than Hogwarts during the holidays? As a Harry Potter fan, I wish that I was a wizard every day of the year, but I especially wish I was a wizard during the month of December. Every Harry Potter book features the…

Picture this: the snow is falling, the fireplace is crackling, and you have your favorite Hallmark holiday movie on your TV. The holidays are here, and it's time to rock those 'tis-the-season vibes you've been craving all year. Bring out the sleigh…

The holidays are upon us, which means it's time to come together with your family and friends to celebrate the joys of the season. Of course, as you gather with your loved ones, your Instagram is going to be filling up with photos of your…

Last week, Margaret Atwood announced the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. Coming out next year, The Testaments will take place 15 years after the events of the first book. If you're completely freaking out about this new development, you're certainly…

If you can believe it, it's finally the end of 2018. While this year sure has been long and hard, it has also been an incredible year for literature. It should come as no surprise that in December, eight new fiction books are coming out that will…

Author Madeleine L'Engle would have been 100 years old on Nov. 29, 2018. The author of over sixty books, L'Engle died at the age of 89 in 2007, but her work lives on in the hearts and minds (and Twitter feeds) of many. (Her most famous book, A…

The holiday season can be a bittersweet time, no matter how or if you're celebrating. Sure, it's supposedly "the most wonderful time of the year," but it can actually be difficult for many people to enjoy the holidays. There's the strain on your…

Classics are the books that have withstood the test of time, the books that have become pillars within our literary canon. Literature is filled with classic books whose stories that have lingered in the hearts and minds of readers everywhere. Good…