Tall Poppy Writers

8 Books to Make You Glad You Stayed Home This Summer

You remember vacations, right? When you got to leave your home, on your own or with your darling family, and pack into a car or plane, and head for a bustling vacation destination, with gloriously crowded beaches and bustling restaurants and expeditions and adventures. Okay, so, next year, we hope. …

Hank Phillippi RyanSeptember 3, 2020

Fiction Listicles

10 Beach Books to Take You to the Beach Vicariously

You can instantly recognize a good beach book. It’s the one with the grits of sand in the binding, and translucent splotches made by Coppertone fingers turning the pages. The ones you find on the shelves of that musty-smelling summer cottage by the ocean you rented, tattered and swollen by…

Hank Phillippi RyanJuly 30, 2020

Fiction Listicles

10 Books to Take You Far and Away (Even When You’re Stuck at Home)

Staycations may be relaxing, but they rarely satisfy wanderlust. Sometimes when your looking for adventure, you don't have to travel any further than your own bookshelf. If you're itching to explore destinations near and far while stuck at home, these reads are your ticket to new and exciting locales.

Julie CantrellJuly 9, 2020

Fiction Listicles

8 Novels About Asian Heritage to Celebrate the Lunar New Year

I hear you. Didn’t we just celebrate the New Year? Well, I’m talking about the Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival in many parts of Asia. A major holiday outside the U.S., it follows the lunar calendar, usually arrives at the end of January and middle of…

Weina Dai RandelJanuary 9, 2020

Fiction Listicles

If You Like “This Is Us,” You’ll Love These 5 Books

Family is … complicated. So is love. And when the two intersect — well, it’s almost impossible to look away, which is exactly what makes the television show This Is Us so compulsively watchable. The hit NBC series chronicles the Pearsons — parents Jack and Rebecca and siblings Kevin, Kate…

Camille PaganJanuary 23, 2020

Fiction Listicles

8 Books Featuring Memorable African American Characters

Memorable characters are like friends in my head who stick around long after the book has ended. They dazzle me with their imperfections, deliciously awful decisions, and take me on a read that I just can’t resist. The best ones follow me to bed, dance through my dreams, and when…

Sadeqa JohnsonFebruary 6, 2020

Fiction Listicles

Need a Diversion? Escape Into These 11 Reads

Is everyone reading? Supposedly, everyone has a lot of time to read now; though, in my case at least, my brain is a little fidgety and it’s hard to focus. Books I open are acquiring some sinister subtext, just like everything else. So, hey. Let’s escape. Into joy and love…

Hank Phillippi RyanApril 2, 2020

Fiction Listicles

9 of Fiction’s Worst Mothers: Aren’t You Glad You Weren’t Their Kids?

I wanted a perfect Mother’s Day selection of books, but not about perfect mothers. Because bad mothers — in fiction at least — are more intriguing. So I asked myself: What books have bad mothers? And I answered in a whispery little voice: your own. Well, that was surprising. But…

Hank Phillippi RyanMay 7, 2020

Fiction Listicles

5 Books That Will Warm You Up on a Cold Winter Night

The holiday season is coming and it’s the perfect time to snuggle up by the fireplace with a mug of something warm and lose yourself in a good read. But while some of you are reaching for the Christmas stories that are perfect for fireplace reading, I’ll be fantasizing about…

Orly KonigNovember 21, 2019

Fiction Listicles

7 Books Featuring Empty Nesters

It’s quieter here. There is no loud music, no kid-gangs running around, no pleading for pizza. This happens when all of your children have moved out. What great books feature empty nesters? Here are some of my favorites:

Cathy LambNovember 28, 2019

Fiction Listicles

6 Books to Enjoy When You’re Home for the Holidays

During this festive time of year, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply can’t wait for New Year’s Eve, there are so many wonderful books that can put you in the holiday spirit as you enjoy those quiet moments between the hustle and bustle of the season. For me,…

Kerstin MarchDecember 12, 2019

Fiction Listicles

5 Books with Snowy Settings

I live in the midwest, where winters come with frigid temperatures, seemingly endless hours of darkness, and slippery sidewalks that seem intent on breaking people’s necks. For all of its downsides, though, winter has some big upsides. For me, snow is at the top of the list. I love skiing…

Susan GlossJanuary 2, 2020

Fiction Listicles

5 Books with Best Friends You’ll Wish You Had

What makes a book irresistible? High stakes and a fast-paced plot may keep our attention, but the characters are the ones we keep coming back for. Enter the swoon-worthy love interest or the endearing, wise grandparent. And then there’s the best friend, the fun, flawed, ride-or-die character. Through these friendships,…

Tif MarceloAugust 15, 2019

Fiction Listicles

Four Novels That Will Make You Look Smart at the Beach

I’m of the opinion that any book is a good book. There are no guilty pleasures when you’re reading because, hello, you’re reading. But sometimes you really want something meaty, something you can savor and not race through just to see what’s happening next. And sometimes you happen to want…

Kelly SimmonsAugust 22, 2019

Fiction Listicles

7 Books With Courageous Heroines

The word “brave” can mean many things, even though in our society we typically associate it with masculine topics like fighting and hitting things and jumping off of tall things. The books I love, though, are almost exclusively written by women (sorry, dudes), and almost exclusively feature female leads. These…

Katie PryalSeptember 19, 2019

Fiction Listicles

Five Books That Will Make You Feel Young Again

Maybe it’s because my youth was a tad, shall we say, “misspent” – but nothing makes me feel young again like reading about young people and their crazy families. It’s like a do-over, seeing other normal people go through their teens and twenties. Would I have made the same judgments,…

Kelly SimmonsOctober 17, 2019

8 Books to Make You Glad You Stayed Home This Summer

10 Beach Books to Take You to the Beach Vicariously

10 Books to Take You Far and Away (Even When You’re Stuck at Home)

8 Novels About Asian Heritage to Celebrate the Lunar New Year

If You Like “This Is Us,” You’ll Love These 5 Books

8 Books Featuring Memorable African American Characters

Need a Diversion? Escape Into These 11 Reads

9 of Fiction’s Worst Mothers: Aren’t You Glad You Weren’t Their Kids?

5 Books That Will Warm You Up on a Cold Winter Night

7 Books Featuring Empty Nesters

6 Books to Enjoy When You’re Home for the Holidays

5 Books with Snowy Settings

5 Books with Best Friends You’ll Wish You Had

Four Novels That Will Make You Look Smart at the Beach

7 Books With Courageous Heroines

Five Books That Will Make You Feel Young Again

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