BOOKS

The cover of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein.’

11 Surprising Facts About Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

Here are the nuts and bolts about Mary Shelley's 200-year-old tale about what can go wrong when people play God.

These spooky tales will have you thankful you live in modern times.

6 Creepy Victorian Ghost Stories to Read Right Now

These stories need no contrivances to create places that are lonely and old, a place where bad things are kept hushed up instead of dealt with.

Charles Dickens gifted us with plenty of new words and phrases—including ‘not to put too fine a point on it.’

The Origins of 8 Literary Clichés

Clichés are viewed as a sign of lazy writing, but they didn’t develop that reputation over night.

The Girl With the Green Ribbon: A Grisly History of ‘Headless Woman’ Stories

Precursors to the story about the girl with the green ribbon were written by Washington Irving, Alexandre Dumas, and more famous authors.

Before John Polidori’s ‘The Vampyre,’ the creatures were far from suave, sexy aristocrats.

The Wild History of the Tale That Created the Modern Vampire (And No, It's Not ‘Dracula’)

‘The Vampyre’ is largely forgotten today, but it upended centuries of vampiric lore 80 years before Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’—and from its spooky beginnings to its scandalous misattribution, its history was as dramatic as fiction.

The cover of Henry James’s ‘The Turn of the Screw.’

10 Frightening Facts about Henry James’s ‘The Turn of the Screw’

Learn about Henry James’s ‘The Turn of the Screw’—the classic ghost story that inspired (among many other things) Netflix’s ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor.’

Here are all the new jawns in the dictionary.

Jawns and Shower Oranges: See 30 of Dictionary.com’s Newly Added Terms

Non-Philadelphians can finally look up the meaning of ‘jawn’ in the dictionary.

The cover of Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House.’

13 Chilling Facts About Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

Shirley Jackson's classic novel ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ was inspired by real-life paranormal investigators—and so scary her husband was afraid to read it.

The cover of L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.’

13 Facts About L. Frank Baum’s ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’

‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ was the Harry Potter of its day: There was merchandising, a Broadway musical, a silent film, and a whopping 13 sequels.

9 Crimes Linked to Books

These offenses include everything from historical forgeries to audacious heists to cold-blooded murder—all with a bookish twist.

The Actual '73 Giving Tree Movie Spoken By Shel Silverstein

Watch: An Animated Version of ‘The Giving Tree,’ Narrated by Shel Silverstein

The controversial 1964 children's book about a codependent tree was adapted into a 1972 animated short.

10 Frightening Facts About Shirley Jackson’s ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’

Shirley Jackson is best remembered for “The Lottery” and 'The Haunting of Hill House,' but her gothic mystery 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' is regarded as her greatest literary achievement.

The cover of John Steinbeck‘s ‘The Grapes of Wrath.’

11 Facts About John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’

John Steinbeck’s 1939 book ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ humanized the “Okies,” captured history as it was happening, and earned its author so much personal trouble that he started carrying a gun for protection.

The cover of 'My Brilliant Friend' by Elena Ferrante.

10 Facts About ‘My Brilliant Friend’

'My Brilliant Friend' kicked of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series and inspired an HBO adaptation.

12 Novel Facts About John Steinbeck

The author of ‘East of Eden’ and ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ was also a three-time Academy Award nominee and found an enemy in J. Edgar Hoover.

The Doors, The Airborne Toxic Event, Louise Post of Veruca Salt, and Steely Dan.

20 Band Names Inspired by Classic Books and Literature

These 20 bands each took their names from the pages of classic works of literature by the likes of C.S. Lewis, William S. Burroughs, Charles Dickens, and beyond.

10 Thought-Provoking Novels About Artificial Intelligence

Although we’re probably still a long way off from the sentient forms of AI that are depicted in film and literature, we can turn to fiction to probe the questions raised by these technological advancements.

~Check out~ a few of these overdue tomes.

11 Ridiculously Overdue Library Books That Were Finally Returned

Next time you bring back a library book a few days past its due date, know that your fine could have been a lot worse.

This Brat Pack drama features a riveting performance from a young Robert Downey Jr.

12 Surprising Facts About ‘Less Than Zero’

Bret Easton Ellis’s debut 1985 novel “Less Than Zero” was quickly adapted for the big screen, but here are some fun facts you probably didn’t know about the book (and the Brat Pack-led drama).

From left: Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickson, Dolly Parton, Jimmy Buffett, and Gil Scott-Heron.

14 Musicians Who Are Also Novelists

Jimmy Buffett—yeah, the “Margaritaville” guy—is one of just a few authors to have books that topped both the fiction and non-fiction ‘New York Times’ bestsellers lists. Other authors that have that distinction include Hemingway and Steinbeck.

Map showing the highest-rated books by local authors in each country.

The Highest-Rated Book in Each Country, Mapped

If you read to explore different worlds, this map of Goodreads' top book by a local author in each country is for you.

6 Fascinating Facts About Geoffrey Chaucer

'The Canterbury Tales' author Geoffrey Chaucer's work spanned poetry and prose and ranged from the humorous to the scientific—but there's so much more to know about the "father of English poetry."

A Rarely-Seen Maurice Sendak Story Will Finally Hit Shelves Next Year

'Ten Little Rabbits: A Counting Story With Mino the Magician' was originally part of a museum fundraiser.

The cover of James Baldwin’s novel ‘Giovanni’s Room.’

10 Facts About James Baldwin’s ‘Giovanni’s Room’

James Baldwin's novel 'Giovanni’s Room' was rejected by editors and publishers before it was eventually released in 1956.