Here are eight free apps to access books, ranked by their libraries and actual free-ness.

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Is it Bushwick rooftop weed? No! It’s the unkillable Tree of Heaven as a metaphor for perseverance! A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith is the tale of Francie Nolan, a young girl growing up in Williamsburg in the early 20th century. There are no yuppies at coffeeshops sucking down six dollar cold brews here. It’s all working class people, down on their luck and dreaming of better lives. Francie’s family is one of them. Her mom works like a dog, while her dad drinks like a fish. And all she wants is an education to make her way in the world.

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The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is both one of the finest works of horror fiction and a brilliant work of early feminist literature. Written in the 19th century, The Yellow Wallpaper tells the story of a woman who is locked away in a room by her husband and doctor in order to treat her “nervous condition.” As the woman continues to remain in solitude, she begins seeing another woman trapped in the yellow wallpaper that covers the room. And thus, a slow descent into madness begins. The best part? By going absolutely feral, the woman begins to experience a sort of freedom of her own.

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The Satanic Verses

Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses got the author in a boatload of trouble. The book was banned in the U.S. by title alone, it was deemed heretical to the tenants of Islam by Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomein of Iran, who issued a fatwa against the author calling for his murder. Why? The book is a rhapsodic recount of Islamic history and myth, where plane crash survivor Gabriel takes on the aspect of the Islamic angel Jibreel (the angel Gabriel in Christianity) and is whisked between the material and the supernatural planes. It must be read to be believed.

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10. Hooked

Sometimes we all need our familiar childhood memories corrupted, and Emily McIntire delivers. Hooked is a dark reimagining of Peter Pan that places Neverland in the criminal underbelly. James “Hook” Barrow is a ruthless crime lord with a singular goal: destroy his nemesis Peter Michaels. How? By targeting his twenty something daughter, Wendy. Wendy isn’t gonna be an easy mark, and sees through Hook’s facade to the vulnerable man underneath. If you thought Jason Isaacs’ Captain Hook was hot in the live action 2003 Peter Pan adaptation, I think this is the book you need.

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10. Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist

Set in New York City during the heyday of indie rock, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist centers around two teenage protagonists finding love in the time of The Strokes. The action takes place over one magical night in the Big Apple, where a chance encounter between the two star-crossed music lovers sets them on a quest to find the secret show that their mutual favorite band is playing. If you spent your teenage years making playlists for the one you loved, this little piece of 00’s nostalgia is for you.

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10. All The Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See is a Pulitzer Prize-winning banger set against the backdrop of World War II. It revolves around a blind Parisian girl and a tech-savvy German orphan boy who find themselves on opposite ends of the conflict, whose lives become intertwined after both of them end up in the French city of Saint-Malo. One of the major themes of the work is light itself (hence the title). While the boy sees visible light that the girl cannot, the pair are connected by the mutual fascination with radio waves that are imperceptible to both, and that connection will change their lives forever.

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As we head into the back half of Disability Pride Month 2024, you may be wondering how you can show up for disabled people. A major step you can take toward becoming a better disability advocate and ally is learning about disabled people’s experiences and hearing what they have to say. To that end, we’ve compiled the following list of Disability Pride Month books for you to add to your bookshelf—but don’t forget that disabled people exist all year, not just in July. Once you’ve gotten through this list, branch out! There are dozens of disability books out there.

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Hilderbrand’s novels are mostly romances tinged with a mystery-thriller side. She has written more than twenty-five of these beachy reads to date, although she recently told The Wall Street Journal that the appropriately-titled Swan Song (2024) will be the last of the Nantucket-based novels. “I have run out of really good ideas for Nantucket novels, and I don’t ever want to put out a product that is subpar,” Hilderbrand explained.

The post 10 Elin Hilderbrand Novels That Go Perfectly With a Beach Towel and an Umbrella Drink appeared first on The Mary Sue.

Netflix’s landmark 80s-set sci-fi and horror hit has given us some beloved characters like Eleven, Max Mayfield, Steve Harrington, Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, Lucas Sinclair, and Nancy Wheeler. It’s also given the world some incredibly intriguing villains, terrifying mysteries, and immersive settings, so if you want to ensure that your knowledge of Hawkins, the Upside Down, and all your favorite characters is up to date when the final adventure premieres, you’ll not only want to try and catch the Stranger Things prequel play but read the official tie-in novels, as well.

The post The End of ‘Stranger Things’ Is Nigh! Have You Read All the Books Yet? appeared first on The Mary Sue.

On July 15, Donald Trump appointed U.S. Senator Vance as his 2024 running mate, and the announcement has raised interest in Vance’s career and political views. Although he has been critical of Trump in the past, Vance has since aligned his views firmly with the MAGA movement, supporting a nationwide abortion ban and repeating sentiments of the white supremacist Great Replacement Theory. However, Vance isn’t most well-known for his fairly fresh political career. He’s arguably more well known as the author of  Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, which was also adapted into a film starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close.

The post ‘Review-Bombing’ or Finally Correcting the Narrative on J. D. Vance’s Awful ‘Hillbilly Elegy’? appeared first on The Mary Sue.

If only he were a relative of Tony, and could live the good life with a bajillionaire superhero uncle to help guide him through the world. But Rickon Stark wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his hand, it was Valyrian steel. Rickon Stark is the youngest child of Eddard Stark, the Warden of the North and lord of Winterfell castle during the reign of Robert I Baratheon. Rickon is only but a wee boy when the action of Game of Thrones starts, three years old in the books and not much older in the HBO series. Rickon spends his days hanging out with his siblings, playing with his direwolf Shaggydog, and begging his half-brother Jon Snow for sweets. It was a good life for the young boy.

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Sometimes, the graphic novel gets a bad rap as the format that screwed over Alan Moore (in that regard, there are probably valid complaints). However, the format also brought with it previously unknown creative freedom.

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Here they all are, behold the miracle:

• The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo, 1969
• Iggie’s House, 1970
• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, 1970
• Then Again, Maybe I Won’t, 1971
• Freckle Juice, 1971
• It’s Not the End of the World, 1972
• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, 1972
• Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, 1972
• Deenie, 1973
• Blubber, 1974
• Forever, 1975
• Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself, 1977
• Wifey, 1978
• Superfudge, 1980
• Tiger Eyes, 1981
• The Judy Blume Diary, 1981
• Smart Women, 1983
• The Pain and the Great One, 1984
• Letters to Judy: What Kids Wish They Could Tell You, 1986
• Just as Long as We’re Together, 1987
• Fudge-a-mania, 1990
• Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson, 1993
• Summer Sisters, 1998
• Places I Never Meant to Be [Edited by Judy Blume], 1999
• Double Fudge, 2002
• Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One, 2007
• Cool Zone with the Pain and the Great One, 2008
• Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One, 2008
• Friend or Fiend? with the Pain and the Great One, 2009
• In the Unlikely Event, 2015

Wow, that’s a lot of books. Sorry, Margaret. I guess god just likes me better.

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Authors have dreamed about all the countless ways the future can go wrong and will go wrong, so much so that a new genre was born from the collective unease: dystopian fiction. These novels are the worst—meaning they’re the best in their field.

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“Beach reads” are a little different for everyone, despite the common misconception that people only want to read romances or comedies in the sand. (Or at home, or anywhere—”beach” is a state of mind.) If you prefer horror, sci-fi, or even short stories, rest assured there are hot new titles for you, too.

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Book banning has been on the rise across the nation ever since conservative politicians and parents turned their culture-war sights on books. While many books have faced challenges and bans, LGBTQ+ books are the most frequently targeted. Although conservatives claim that they’re removing “obscene” or “sexually explicit” books from schools, the real purpose behind the movement has always been to censor any book that doesn’t align with the right-wing agenda. Hence, books about women’s issues, abuse awareness, Black history, and LGBTQ+ topics are most frequently being pulled from school libraries and even from public libraries. Many states have begun passing legislation that makes it easier to pull books from schools by the hundreds or even to instigate statewide book bans.

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Sunfyre

Described as the most beautiful dragon ever to live, the golden-scaled Sunfyre was the personal mount of Aegon II. Sunfyre served a pivotal role in the Dance of the Dragons, the civil war between the forces of Aegon II and his half-sister Rhaenyra Targaryen that tore Westeros apart. Sunfyre allowed Aegon II to win a number of decisive victories, including the Fall of Dragonstone, which dealt a fatal blow to Rhaenyra’s campaign. The victory was a pyrrhic one, as Sunfyre later died of the wounds he sustained in the battle against the dragon Moondancer, after eating Rhaenyra Targaryen alive, of course.

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10. Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg

In terms of raw strength in one single body, Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg, known to The Giants as Mag the Mighty is the most powerful sentient being in the Known World. Sure there might be even BIGGER giants in the Far East in Essos, but we don’t know for certain. Mag the Mighty makes the most powerful warrior in Westeros The Mountain look like a twig. He is king of the giants. Why? Because he’s the BIGGEST. He was able to rip through the iron gates at the foot of The Wall, and able to decimate an entire squadron of the Nights’ Watch before finally being brought down.

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10. Yarrick: The Omnibus

What is a commissar’s duty, you ask? Heretical question. You should know already. A commissar is responsible for maintaining the morale of the troops of the Astra Militarun in their glorious battle against the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. Who was Sebastian Yarrick? The greatest commissar of all. Beneath the black banners of vengeance, even when all hope was lost, Commissar Yarrick led his forces to victory time and time again. These texts will tell you how. Unsurprisingly, it was through example. And a liberal use of the chainsword.

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