Welcome to March! Reader Mailbag: Do You Lend Your Books To Friends or Family?
In the February newsletter we asked readers if they ever lend their books out to friends or family.
Here are the responses: (more…)
Order of Daniel Keyes Books
Daniel Keyes (1927–2014) was an American author of science fiction novels and non-fiction books. His work blends emotional intensity with speculative premises, often focusing on characters undergoing profound cognitive or psychological transformation. Keyes’s landmark novel Flowers for Algernon remains one of the most influential works in modern speculative fiction, celebrated for its intimate narrative voice and its examination of human dignity. (more…)
Order of Edith Wharton Books
Edith Wharton (1862–1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Her work dissected the social codes, moral constraints, and hidden tensions of Gilded Age and Progressive Era high society. Her fiction blends psychological insight, precise social observation, and elegant, controlled prose, often revealing the quiet tragedies that unfold beneath rigid class expectations. Wharton’s major works, including The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, and The Age of Innocence, have secured her place as one of the central figures of early 20th-century American literature. (more…)
Order of Friedrich Nietzsche Books
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) was a German philosopher, cultural critic, and philologist. His writing blends aphorism, polemic, and poetic intensity, challenging inherited values and proposing concepts such as the will to power, eternal recurrence, and the revaluation of all morals. Nietzsche’s influence spans philosophy, literature, psychology, and political theory, with works like Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Beyond Good and Evil remaining central to debates about modernity and individual agency. (more…)
Order of Flannery O’Connor Books
Flannery O’Connor (1925–1964) was an American author of Southern Gothic fiction. Her work is marked by sharp moral vision, grotesque imagery, and characters caught at the crossroads of violence, grace, and revelation. O’Connor’s distinctive blend of theological inquiry, regional detail, and unsentimental wit has made her one of the most influential short story writers of the twentieth century. (more…)
Order of Dante Alighieri Books
Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) was an Italian poet, philosopher, and political thinker best known for writing The Divine Comedy, the epic narrative poem that helped shape the foundations of modern Italian literature. His work blends medieval theology, classical influence, and deeply personal reflection, charting a visionary journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante’s fusion of allegory, moral inquiry, and poetic innovation has made him one of the central figures of the Western literary canon. (more…)
Order of Adib Khorram Books
Adib Khorram is an Iranian-American author of YA novels. His fiction blends humour, emotional honesty, and nuanced explorations of identity, often focusing on queer protagonists. His protagonists must navigate family, friendship, mental health, and cultural heritage, with a voice that is both heartfelt and sharply observant. Khorram’s debut novel Darius the Great Is Not Okay earned widespread acclaim and established him as a distinctive voice in modern YA literature. (more…)
Order of George Orwell Books
George Orwell (1903–1950) was the pen name of British writer Eric Arthur Blair, who wrote political fiction and non-fiction books. Orwell was known for his sharp social commentary, and clear, unadorned prose. His work spans novels, essays, reportage, and criticism, often exploring themes of authoritarianism, class, language, and individual conscience. Orwell’s influence on modern political thought and dystopian literature is immense, with Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four remaining touchstones of 20th‑century writing. (more…)
Order of T. Kingfisher Books
T. Kingfisher is the pen name of American author Ursula Vernon, who writes fantasy, horror, and fairy-tale retellings for both adults and younger readers. Her work blends dark humour, imaginative world-building, and emotionally grounded characters, earning her multiple major awards. (more…)