September Book Chain: Let’s Start with Albert Einstein When I planned out this year’s reading challenge, the theme I chose for September, in honor of back-to-school month, was “great minds.” As I began deciding which “great minds” to feature for the challenge, I realized that all the people whose biographies and memoirs we’ve read this year have [...]

We're halfway through our 2022 reading challenge. If you've been following along, you've been introduced to remarkable people whose talents and ideas have delighted fans, pushed limits, sparked revolutions, and even changed the world. Now we dive into famous chefs. Memoirs and biographies allow readers to go behind the curtain into the lives of incredible people. [...]

The clothes we wear tell a story and communicate to the world who we are and how we'd like to be perceived. A great pair of shoes can improve our mood, and the perfect little black dress can give a much-needed boost of confidence. Whether you love Levi's or Chanel No. 5, follow the latest trends or stick to the classics, this reading challenge is for you.

May 8th is Victory in Europe (VE) day; on this date in 1945, world leaders formally accepted Germany's unconditional surrender, and WWII ended. As events unfold in Russia and Ukraine in 2022 – 77 years later – it's impossible not to look back at what the last major conflict in Europe cost the world.  Our [...]

Not a day goes by without hearing music. Whether we're singing in the shower with our favorite playlist, humming along with the background tunes at the grocery store, or patiently listening to the music playing while we wait on hold. Music is the soundtrack of our lives. Every year in April, the Grammy Awards are [...]

"Let's go to the movies. Let's go see the sta-a-ars!" This classic song from the movie musical, Annie, is the perfect introduction to our March book chain that's all about Hollywood and movie stars. Do you love reading, movies, and reading books about movies? Then this is the challenge for you.

2010 is a decade that's still clearly visible in the rearview mirror. Not enough time has passed to give us a well-defined sense of the significance of this decade. That kind of understanding comes only with space and perspective. What we can say is that the 20-teens did have a character all their own. By [...]

2000, a decade without a name, was a big deal. Let’s read some great books remember what the first decade of the the new millennium was like.

As the decade of the ‘90s began, the world saw Germany reunite and the Soviet Union collapse. Bill Clinton became the first baby boomer president. Iraq invaded Kuwait and the first Gulf War ensued. As the 1990s marched on, the internet rose, OJ Simpson fell, a sheep named Dolly was cloned, a young golfer named Tiger Woods won his first Masters, and the entire globe braced itself for Y2K. While previous decades have a distinct character, it’s a bit hard to pin down the essence of the ‘90s, but two words do fit: techn

Flashback to the 80s with this reading challenge. 10 books from the 1980s.

It's all about counterculture. The word "counterculture," a term used to describe a group or system with a conflict with mainstream values and norms as its primary and defining purpose, was first coined in the 1960s and for a good reason. Whereas the 1950s marked a boom in all things mainstream, the '60s were most [...]

How to describe the 1950s in one word? Try BOOM. People around the world felt an overwhelming sense of optimism in 1950 following the end of WWII. With eyes looking forward to a future of peace and prosperity, the world experienced a boom. Economies boomed as big things like highways and schools were built at [...]

The 1940s were profoundly shaped by WWII and its aftermath. Despite rationing, censorship, and the war's heavy demands, the demand for books remained steady. Everyone, from the men on the front lines to the folks at home, wanted stories, all kinds of stories.  Here are 10 great books written in the 1940s.

Flappers, jazz, Prohibition, bob haircuts, the Charleston, and wonderful books. Now that we’re solidly into the 2020s, it seems appropriate to take a voyage back 100 years to the 1920s to get a taste of the remarkable literature produced during that decade. We'll explore 10 of the best books from the 1920s and why they [...]