How Books Are Linked to Our Personality

The Big Five is one of the most well-researched and widely used theories in personality psychology. This theory talks about how people sit on a spectrum of five main traits, and there was a cool study that looked at personality test results and book preferences. Here’s what they found:

• Openness: People who are more open-minded prefer books that challenge the conventional way of thinking. The more intellectually stimulating it is, the better, such as philosophical books.
• Conscientiousness: Disciplined and organized people like goal-oriented, practical books. Self-improvement books are popular with this crowd.
• Extraversion: Outgoing and sociable people prefer content about social situations and relationships, like popular modern fiction, memoirs, or autobiographies.
• Agreeableness: Cooperation and empathy tend to be common traits among people who enjoy literature with emotional depth, or stories that are family-oriented or have moral themes.
• Neuroticism: People who are easily stressed (I relate to this crowd) tend to prefer escapist books. Surprisingly, psychological thrillers are popular with this group, potentially as a means of emotional exploration or distraction.

These connections are so interesting, and they point to something deeper. Perhaps it’s not just that the books we like can predict our personality, but maybe they even shape our personality.

Does My Cultural Background Affect the Books I Like?

It’s no secret that our personality is shaped by the environment we grew up in. Different societies place value on specific book genres due to their cultural norms, which directly influence what people gravitate toward. For example, in cultures where group norms are important, readers may prefer books that emphasize social harmony, family relationships, or moral lessons. In contrast, more individualistic cultures might favor stories that explore self-expression, personal freedom, and individual heroism.

Language might also play a role in shaping book preferences. For example, places with a strong literary heritage like France see a higher appreciation for philosophical books. In countries where verbal storytelling is a strong tradition, fantasy fiction or folklore-based fiction may be more popular as they are more narrative-driven.

Early Reads Shape Your Worldview

Researchers found that when people read literary fiction that spends a lot of time delving into the characters’ psychology and relationships, they become better at inferring and understanding other people’s thoughts and emotions. This means that reading books that are character-driven can help improve empathy.

When the character’s motives and thoughts are not explicitly stated, readers are forced to use their imagination to understand their intentions. It turns out that people who do this when they read, then continue to do so in other situations, like in real life. This is perhaps a great argument for why high school reading lists should contain literary fiction.

How Books Shape Your Identity Over Time

Research shows that reading can actually shape who we are over time, influencing our identity, creativity, and even how we solve problems. Think about it—when we immerse ourselves in stories, especially ones with complex characters and emotions, we’re not just reading for entertainment. We’re also learning how to navigate life. Psychologists have even backed this up with theories like “Possible Selves,” which suggest that when we engage with different characters, we start to imagine versions of ourselves in their shoes. We explore identities and experiences we might not encounter in our daily lives, which can broaden our sense of self and what we think we’re capable of.

This isn’t just about big, life-changing moments, though. It’s also about connecting the dots between who we were, who we are, and who we want to be. Books help us reflect on our past and consider how it informs our present. Psychologists call this “self-continuity,” and it’s pretty powerful because it makes us more resilient and adaptable.

On top of that, reading boosts creativity and critical thinking. When a plot isn’t laid out perfectly, or a character’s motives are vague, we’re forced to fill in the gaps, and that skill can carry over into real life. We become better at handling complex situations and thinking outside the box. So, next time you dive into a novel, remember it’s not just a book—it’s a tool for personal growth.

A Perfect Excuse to Add to Your TBR Pile

The books we gravitate toward reveal more than just our literary tastes—they provide a window into our personalities. Whether we are seeking intellectual stimulation, emotional depth, or escapism, our favorite genres resonate with different parts of who we are. That’s the beauty of books—they soothe us and shape us. Books are not just a reflection of our current selves but also a tool for personal growth and understanding others.

So, next time you pick up a book, consider how it might be shaping your worldview and your ability to connect with those around you!

The post Why We Love the Books We Love appeared first on Magazine.

Act I: A Wilde Beginning

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin to his father Sir William Wilde, a distinguished surgeon known for being colorful and a little scandalous, and his mother, known mostly by her pen name, Speranza. To say his parents played a part in making him the literary leading light we know him as today would be a bit of an understatement. Sir William Wilde was not only confident in his meticulous organization skills, but he also published material ranging from surgical texts to antiquarian topics.

Speranza, born Jane Elgee, began writing and contributing poems and articles to The Nation, after reading the poetry of Thomas Davis, co-founder of The Nation, at his funeral at just 19 years of age. In an interesting and somewhat eerie foreshadowing, 1864 proved an interesting year for the family.

Dr. Wilde earned his knighthood based on services he provided to the census, and in the same year, then Sir William was featured in a rather scandalous trial brought on by a former female patient, Mary Travers. Travers accused him of rape, then to further complicate the situation, Speranza wrote a defamatory letter about Travers. In the end, Travers appeared deranged and Sir William left the court with a damaged reputation.

Act II: Growing Up Oscar

From the beginning, Wilde’s world was both artistic and literary, surrounded by books, folklore, rhetoric, and compelling personalities. Wilde excelled throughout the course of his early education, earning him a scholarship to attend Trinity College in Dublin. From Trinity College, he ventured to Magdalen College in Oxford where he first gave creative writing a shot. His poetry became an instant hit, specifically his poem, “Ravenna” which won him the prestigious Newdigate Prize for the best English Verse composition.

In 1884 Oscar married Constance Lloyd and while professionally his career continued to grow, his personal life was rumored to be one of infidelity and scandal. By this time Wilde had already lectured throughout North America, ultimately returning to London where he worked as a reviewer.

Act III: Writing Wilde

After returning to London, Wilde was asked to take over an English magazine known as Lady’s World which was beginning to lose its popularity. Wilde accepted the challenge and chose to focus on fashion and various lifestyle aspects of women’s lives, successfully saving the publication. While working as an editor, Wilde was also producing some esteemed works that have since become popular classics.

In 1888, Wilde embarked on a new writing adventure – children’s literature releasing, The Happy Prince and Other Tales. Then, in 1890, Wilde published one of his most famous pieces, which would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, said to have been a reflection of Wilde himself.

Despite readers being shocked and frankly, offended, by his writing, he was still one of the most successful and well-known literary figures. In 1895, his play The Importance of Being Earnest became an instant hit, but the success was short-lived as Wilde found himself, or rather, his personal life, taking center stage. 

Act IV: Another Wilde on Trial

After only being married to his wife for 7 years, Wilde found himself in a love affair with young aristocrat and poet, Lord Alfred Douglas, more affectionately known as ‘Bosie’. Their affair was kept very quiet because at the time homosexuality was considered a crime. Unfortunately, once Douglas’’ father found out about the affair, he set out to ruin Wilde’s career.

In fact, Douglas’s father planned to disrupt Wilde’s play one evening by presenting him with a bouquet of rotting vegetables. Wilde, however, intervened and prevented him from entering the theatre which led to a spectacle that ended in Douglas’s father accusing and exposing Wilde of homosexuality. Outrage ensued and Wilde’s friends urged him to flee to France where homosexuality had been decriminalised in 1791. Instead, Wilde opted to take the argument to court and sued Douglas’s father for defamation, a court case that cost Wilde his career and a short stint in jail.

Accusations of Douglas’s father went nowhere with the court being more concerned with Wilde’s sexual orientation calling upon several witnesses who testified to seeing several young men entering Wilde’s bedroom. The trial ended with no verdict, then a few weeks later at the retrial, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years of hard labor. Wilde was released in 1897 and spent his remaining years in Paris, poor and a shell of his former self. Wilde passed away in 1900 at the age of 46. 

Act V: A Wilde Legacy

While Oscar Wilde saw and experienced his fair share of both tragedy and betrayal, it was through his words we got to experience humor, joy, and imagination. While late Victorians often considered him wrong, shocking, and offensive, today, we the readers know and understand that his reputation reaches far beyond literary achievement, as it is more than just his works alone that we continue to pay tribute to. But don’t just take our word for it: 

“I was a man who stood in symbolic relations to the art and culture of my age… Few men hold such a position in their own lifetime, and have it so acknowledged. It is usually discerned, if discerned at all, by the historian, or the critic, long after both the man and his age have passed away.

With me it was different. I felt it myself, and made others feel it…The gods had given me almost everything. I had genius, a distinguished name, high social position, brilliancy, intellectual daring; I made art a philosophy and philosophy an art; I altered the minds of men and the colors of things… to truth itself, I gave what is false no less than what is true as its rightful province, and showed that the false and the true are merely forms of intellectual existence. I treated art as the supreme reality and life as a mere mode of fiction.”

The post The Importance Of Being Unconventional: Oscar Wilde’s Literary Legacy appeared first on Magazine.

And then there are books that are somewhere in between. Books that are already written, woven out of the collective cultural fabric of the here and now, but which will not be read for a hundred years. This is what the Future Library in Oslo, Norway is all about – creating a sort of literary time capsule, preserving the works of great authors for generations to come.

If this sounds a little strange, you’re not alone. It seems counterintuitive to create books that no one alive today – or at least very few people – will ever read. So what exactly is going on here?

The Future Library Project

In Norwegian, it’s called the Framtidsbiblioteket. In English, it’s The Future Library. This is the name of a project that began nine years ago when Katie Paterson decided to do something remarkable.

Katie, an artist from across the North Sea in Scotland, wanted to create something that emphasized “time and longevity”, and reflected the human need for “hope and rituals”. To do this, she would bring together 100 books – one for each year in a century – and she would keep them locked away until the year 2114.

When this magical vault is unlocked, unseen works of 100 authors will be released to the world. Some will be fresh and new, works penned just a year or two before by still-living authors. Others will be the voices of writers who have long since left the world of the living behind. All of these works, all of these words, ideas, and images, will be released to readers at the same time. This is part of the magic of the project.

A Growing List of Incredible Authors

As of 2024, the Future Library is ten years old. So with nine decades left on the clock, which authors have already donated work to the project?

2014 – Margaret Atwood

The first author to feature in the project was Margaret Atwood, whose The Handmaid’s Tale made the Canadian author a worldwide sensation.

2015 – David Mitchell

Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas is a multi-award-winning work, and the English writer is a worthy addition to the library.

2016 – Sjón

Icelandic novelist Sjón is a celebrated author and poet, famed for works such as The Blue Fox, and The Whispering Muse.

2017 – Elif Shafak

An enormously prolific writer, Shafak has published work in her native Turkish and in English.

2018 – Han Kang

The Vegetarian disturbed and enthralled readers in equal measure back in 2016. The Korean novelist’s work was inducted into the library in 2018.

2019 – Karl Ove Knausgård

Hailing from Norway, Knausgård redefined the boundaries of the memoir form and is the Future Library’s first native donor.

2020 – Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese-American author who received significant acclaim for his novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous in 2019.

2022 – Judith Schalansky

Award-winning novelist Judith Schalansky is perhaps best known for her Atlas of Remote Islands but is among the most prolific authors writing in German today.

2023 – Valeria Luiselli

Valeria Luiselli, from Mexico, was recognized early in her career as one of the best young writers in the world. Donating a book to the Library is another significant milestone in her journey.

2024 – Tommy Orange

In August 2024, the Pulitzer-shortlisted Native American author Tommy Orange became the latest member of this exclusive club.

The Ethos of the Project

While the Future Library is certainly a standalone work in its own right, with its own merit, a look at the previous artworks of Katie Paterson provides some insight into the ethos and scope of the project.

Katie’s work includes a broadcast of the sound made by a melting glacier, a map of dead stars, a collection of images from the deepest parts of the universe, and a lightbulb that simulates moonlight. This is an artist who is tuned in to the delicate wonder of humanity and the universe, simultaneously understanding the lasting beauty, and fragile impermanence of our experience in the world. The Future Library is a fitting addition to Katie’s startling oeuvre.

Looking Forward to a Century of Great Literature

By challenging us to think beyond the spans of our own lifetimes and consider our position in the unfolding journey of humanity and culture, the Future Library offers a unique opportunity. With ten incredible authors already onboard, this is proving to be a fascinating, valuable, vital literary project.

When we consider that many of the authors who will feature in the library have not yet even been born, the magnitude of this endeavor becomes clear. It’s a pity that most of us, probably all of us, will never read these works, but in many ways that does not matter – they exist, and we exist, and that’s enough.

The post The Library Collecting the Books of Tomorrow appeared first on Magazine.

50 Years Of Bookselling

Scarthin Books was once a family home. Then, in 1974, one room of the home was transformed into a local bookstore. At the time, there weren’t many bookstores outside of cities, and so for Matlock to have one was a brand new and exciting addition to the village. Despite starting with no capital and no experience, the bookstore and its owner, David Mitchell, were welcomed into the community. 

Only a small store, Scarthin Books has always been bound by tight financial constraints, and its saving grace in those early days came in the form of a contract with Matlock Training College. Through working alongside the college, Scarthin Books made enough money to become a fully self-sufficient business. 

In 2006, David Booker took the helm of the store as the general manager. Two years later, in 2008, Scarthin Books was rated one of the best in the world by The Guardian. Since then, the store has only gone from success to success, surviving the COVID-19 lockdowns, opening more rooms, buying more stock, and serving more customers both in person and online than David Mitchell would ever have dreamed all those years ago. 

50 years later, Scarthin Books now has 12 rooms of stock split across four floors, a vegetarian cafe, and is even home to bookish events, talks, and meetings on a regular basis. Having just celebrated its semicentennial birthday, it is clear that the team behind the beloved bookstore has no intention of letting the store go anywhere. 

Held Up By Community

With an estimated 100,000 items of stock across its legendary four flours (including along the staircase!) the old home started to struggle in 2015. Customers and staff started to notice cracks in the walls and the floor of the staircases began to bow. After assessing the situation, it was determined that the store needed about £10,000 of structural work done in order to stop the building from completely collapsing under the weight of the stock. 

As an independent store, there was no way that the bookstore could fund this work. With the hopes of some financial support, they put out a request for donations. The staff of Scarthins only hoped to generate around 50% of the money needed to keep the store open and have the building work done.

Only months later, to their surprise, the store had made nearly £12,000 from customers both in Matlock and as far as overseas. People from all over the country and the world came together to ensure that the community bookstore could stay open. Manager David Booker spoke to the press, saying he was “humbled” by the response that allowed the building to be strengthened with four steel columns.

In addition to the donations, some of the loyal customers and fans of Scarthins Books also left comments to those who run the store. One customer, who donated anonymously, said that: “the bookshop deserves to go on. It would be a real tragedy for the community if it couldn’t go on because we all love spending time there. Places like this are dying out and Cathy and Dave are very special people.”

More Stock Than A Chain Retailer

It is becoming increasingly hard to run in-person stores as many of us flock to the internet for our purchases, and it’s even harder for independent stores like Scarthin Books who have to compete with big chain stores that can afford to make mistakes and losses in a way that they simply cannot. But this hasn’t stopped Scarthin Books. 

On their website, the Matlock store estimates that they compare directly with other chain bookstores in the sales they make per square foot and per staff hour worked. The place where they differ, Scarthin’s owner David Mitchell writes, is that they easily have three times the stock of your average chain bookseller, in what is probably half the space. 

The bookstore stocks everything from children’s books to travel books, fiction, non-fiction—even sheet music. There are bookshelves on every single wall of the building. Even the stars aren’t safe from holding stock! 

A Pledge To Stay Standing

Having received such a phenomenal response, Scarthin Books was able to do all the work they needed to rebuild and correct the issues with the old building’s structure. The bookstore was able to stay open, and, according to David Booker, they hope that the work they did to the Scarthin Books building will allow them to keep the legendary and clearly globally beloved house-turned-bookstore open for at least another four decades. 

The post Scarthin Books: The Peak District’s Worst-kept Secret appeared first on Magazine.

The Story Behind Winnie-the-Pooh

A.A. Milne, famed author of the Winnie-the-Pooh series, had a young son in the early 1920s named Christopher Robin, who loved to go to the London Zoo and watch an American black bear named Winnipeg, nicknamed “Winnie.” Milne gave Christopher Robin a stuffed teddy bear named Edward, whom he adored. He and his son would spend hours together in the woods making up adventure stories with his teddy bear and other stuffed animals.

Christopher Robin soon changed his teddy bear’s name from “Edward” to “Winnie,” after the beloved bear at the zoo. (He later added the nickname “Pooh” at the end, named after a swan he used to feed. He would shout “Pooh!” at it whenever it wouldn’t come over to him.)

 A.A. Milne was a successful essayist and playwright. He was so inspired by their adventures together in the woods that he began writing and publishing children’s poems about “Mr. Edward Bear,” soon re-named  “Winnie-the-Pooh.” He later began writing short stories about Winnie-the-Pooh and his stuffed animal friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. The book was first published as a collection of short stories on October 14th, 1926. 

It’s been a hit ever since. Its skyrocketing popularity has led to an endless bestselling list of Winnie-the-Pooh movies, TV shows, and countless Disney merchandise. He’s a household favorite!

Its Legacy

Winnie-the-Pooh has had a long-lasting impact on other children’s books that are just as relevant today as they were back then. My favorite part about what set Winnie-the-Pooh apart from other children’s books at the time is that it is for both children and adults.

Adults can relate to the character’s emotions in the stories, giving them insight into human behavior and how we interact with one another. It brings us back to our childhood, and we remember the significance of using our imagination and finding joy and a sense of magic in life’s simple pleasures. It also illustrates a sense of humor and reminds us not to take life too seriously.

Pooh also teaches us that we’re not as different from each other as it seems. We all came from the simple world of childhood where life wasn’t based on social status or income. Yet at the same time, Pooh wants us to celebrate our uniqueness and what makes each of us special.

Self-esteem is an area that many people struggle with, both children and adults. It’s so important to teach children at a very young age how to develop self-confidence, and in a way they can understand and relate to. The Winnie-the-Pooh series shows us just how to do that. Two of the characters struggle with their self-esteem at times; Piglet and Eeyore. This is where their good friend Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin are so helpful: they teach them that they are wonderful just the way they are.

Its Philosophy

Winnie-the-Pooh illustrates the philosophy that we don’t need to try to change or control situations or other people. The series has a very mindful quality in that Pooh’s life is about acceptance and simply letting things be. Pooh shows us how to be brave in life by making the best out of every situation, and to always be there for your friends to listen without judgment or expectations.

Best 10 Winnie-The-Pooh Quotes

The Winnie-the-Pooh series has so many inspirational and heartfelt quotes that it’s hard to pick just ten. I put all of the quotes I’ve chosen into different categories that I felt best depicted a special life lesson we can all learn from.

 Our Emotions

 “Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.”

“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.” ~Eeeyore

 The Joy of Simplicity

 “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like, ‘What about lunch?'”

 “Think it over, think it under.”

 Humor

“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”

 Friendship

 “Any day spent with you is my favorite day.”

 Acceptance

 “Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

 “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

 Bravery

 “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ~Christopher Robin

 Self-Confidence

 “The most wonderful thing about Tiggers is I’m the only one.” ~Tigger

On a Final Note…

I hope you enjoyed reading (or re-reading!) these great quotes by Winnie-the-Pooh and friends! We can all certainly use them to help brighten up our day.

The post Top 10 All-Time Favorite Winnie-the-Pooh Quotes: An Anniversary Celebration  appeared first on Magazine.

Origin Story for Tokyo’s Book Town

Kanda-Jinbōchō, informally known as Jimbocho, is a neighborhood in Chiyoda City, Tokyo, and is the place to go for secondhand books of every genre and type.

Starting at the end of the nineteenth century, foreign language schools started opening up in the area, followed by bookstores and a publishing house. It went through two devastating fires, one in 1913 and another in 1923, but it has risen from the ashes of those tragedies stronger than ever.

A Bookstore Every Few Feet

In total, this one neighborhood boasts a staggering 130 bookstores and book cafés. These range from tiny holes in the wall only able to fit two or three people at a time to a massive, three-building hub with more books than cherry blossoms in a tree-lined street. You can check out the website here to see a full list of all of Jimbocho’s stores.

Jimbocho is quite literally jam-packed with books, making for a veritable bibliophile’s paradise. So, no surprise it has been featured in different media, such as the manga series Dropkick on my Devil and the light novel series Read or Die.

Kanda Used Book Festival

Given the area’s status as Tokyo’s book town, it’s really no wonder it hosts not one, but two book festivals. The bigger event is the Kanda Used Book Festival, and it’s notable as the biggest market for secondhand books in all of Japan. Lasting a week or more, the stalls set up along Yasukuni Street create what has been nicknamed a “corridor of books.”

It’s no wonder, either, because walking down the street between rows of shelves piled high, it feels like you’ve walked into a whole forest of books, books, and more books. Some of them, no doubt, are rare and valuable; don’t be surprised if you find more than a few collectors’ items here. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that millions of books are on sale during the festival – it’s a huge deal.

Books aren’t the only things you can find, either. Some stalls sell postcards, art, or handmade knick-knacks. The festival also hosts lectures, so if you’re curious about what the literary scene looks like in Japan, it’s the perfect opportunity to find out.

One of the nicest perks of going to this particular festival is that you can find delivery services that will send your stacks of purchases straight to your address. No worries about hauling around luggage made ten times heavier by a pack of hardbacks; Kanda wants you to give your back a break.

Jimbocho Book Festival

While the Kanda festival offers a broad and fairly eclectic selection of used and antique books, the Jimbocho Book Festival hosts almost entirely publishers selling new releases. And they’re not just run-of-the-mill volumes, either. Publishers will often sell signed copies limited edition bookmarks and book covers to go with the books. It adds a unique appeal to the festival and a reason to flock there rather than trudging off to the same old bookstore as always. Who doesn’t succumb to a shiny, collectible gimmick every now and then?

Books aren’t all that you can find here. The festival only lasts over the weekend, but it makes the absolute most of the little time it has, stuffing the weekend full of performances featuring local elementary schools, nearby universities, and even, on occasion, celebrities. Expect to hear and see loads of instrumental mini-concerts and marching bands, plus live dance and comedy shows.

The Jimbocho Book Festival is definitely a lot more showy than its Used Book counterpart, but each has its own strong point that makes both worthwhile events to attend.

When & Where to Get That Book Fix

The Jimbocho Book Festival usually takes place on the last weekend of October. For 2024, that means October 26-27. It takes place along Kanda-Suzuran Street, which runs parallel to Yasukuni just a couple of streets south and also occupies an open space around the Jimbocho Mitsui Building.

The Kanda Used Book Festival, on the other hand, starts on Friday around the same time and lasts at least a week. This year, it’ll be a week and a half, starting October 25th and ending November 4th. As mentioned above, it’s held for a stretch of about 500 meters (or 0.3 miles) along Yasukuni Street.

Since Jimbocho Station exits right onto Yasukuni Street, walking to Kanda Used Book Festival is as easy as stepping out of the train station, and it’s not much farther to get to the Jimbocho Book Festival. The bus is also a possibility, but the train is definitely the easiest way to get there.

The post Literary Magic at Chiyoda’s Autumn Book Festivals appeared first on Magazine.

Book Park Lounge

What started off as a waiting room in one of Seoul’s coolest performance venues has since become an attraction in its own right. Book Park Lounge is famous for its five-story book display and unique but understated aesthetic.

Pay an entrance fee that gets you a free drink at the Lounge’s café and while away the hours. Its collection holds thousands of books and there are tons of comfortable nooks to sneak away to where you can read in private.

Check Grow Book Café

Located on the top two floors of a 9-story cultural center, the Check Grow Book Café offers an amazing view of the cityscape and an even more amazing menu. The light wooden interior and stylish design make it a delight to spend a few hours in, with comfortable single and group seating available.

If for whatever reason you don’t like the top floors, you can head down to the 6th floor garden plaza – also equipped with a decent selection of books – and relax there, instead.

Coffee Laon Library

Another book café chain, Coffee Laon Library’s various branches can be wildly different, depending on where you go. However, they tend to be more focused on the study-work aspect of a book café, providing amenities such as a digital catalog for their library collection, charging ports, and in some locations, even a copy machine.

A few recent branches have an almost zen quality, with a pristine white design with artistically positioned plant life and, in the case of the Gwangmyeong GIDC branch, an indoor gravel garden. Although the branches can be very different, they all promise a quiet space for either focusing on your work, collaborating on a group project, or de-stressing with a book.

Cafe Comma

Cafe Comma is a book café chain created by a publishing company, each with high bookshelves filled with a wide selection of books that patrons are free to browse while sipping on their latest seasonal drink.

As a chain, there are quite a few Cafe Commas you could check out, but one of the most popular is in Hongdae. That’s partly because of the slightly off-beat design that gives it a unique, stylish flair, but also because it was used as a set in the K-drama Tomorrow with You.

Yokmang Book Café

This is a book café for aspiring entrepreneurs and future business moguls. Owned and run by a business YouTuber named Jacheong, this café’s book selection focuses on finance and all that’s needed to get a business up and running, hosting regular book clubs and discussions on those very topics.

Yokmang Book Café also provides an unusual but handy array of amenities, including ear plugs, blankets, hair ties, and vitamins.

Salon de Chogo

Though book cafés are quite popular in Seoul, you don’t see a lot of book bars, making Salon de Chogo a rare gem. This bar and literary salon has a library anyone can browse, but if you’re interested in reading the book of the month, all you have to do is order the latest signature cocktail, which the owner carefully concocts based on the recommended book.

Enjoy the relaxed, laid back vibe while reading or while attending the salon’s regular open mic night.

The Forest Chosochaekbang

This former police box is now a popular café and literary haven at the base of Inwangsan Mountain. In the middle of the woods, many hikers use it as a rest-stop before or after a long trek. Its book collection reflects its surroundings, primarily focused on nature and environmental topics.

At night, you can get a fantastic view of Seoul’s city lights from its outdoor rooftop terrace.

Sojeonseolim

Sojeonseolim is a chic, artsy space that combines an art salon with a pay-to-enter library. Its collection holds 30,000 books on literature, art, and philosophy, and the art salon half hosts live art performances, lectures, and other literary and art events.

The only downside is you need to pay for a rather pricey membership to get access to Sojeonseolim’s events and a good chunk of its collection – and even then, that membership only pays for up to three hours a day of library use. And anyone who’s ever gotten lost in an interesting subject matter knows just how quickly a few hours can fly by.

Bookers

Though in a fairly home-like building, Bookers is decorated in a very artistic, secondhand museum-type fashion with a small indoor fountain, miniature Grecian columns, and a contemporary spiral staircase. It creates an interesting juxtaposition that might feel like a mishmash to some, but altogether, the book café is charming.

Tucked away from busy crowds, it makes an effort to provide a space that is both unique and welcoming, with a solid lunch menu and signature lattes. It also has a decent collection of clothes and Korean books for sale, but even if you can’t read Korean, it’s a nice escape.

Dangin Book Plant

This two-story book café has a bookstore on the first floor and a simple but pleasant café on the second. The ground floor doesn’t give off the typical indie feel of most independent bookshops, but is more like a miniature version of a general chain store, selling bestsellers, stationary, and miscellanea. It’s good for a look into Korea’s latest literary hits.

Meanwhile, the café offers a quiet, relaxing space to read and unwind off the beaten path.

The post 10 Best Book Cafés in Seoul for Weary Travelers appeared first on Magazine.

From landscapes from the book to simple symbols and lettering, fore-edge illustrations are a long-standing way to take a book from drab to fab without even touching the cover or the contents. But when did it start? Is it still a practice around today? 

Here’s everything you need to know:

What Are Fore-edge Paintings?

The fore-edge of a book is the side of the page block, the part usually hidden away when a book is slipped into its place on a bookshelf. Fore-edge painting or fore-edge illustrating is exactly what you would expect—it refers to artwork painted or drawn on the closed pages of a book. 

This practice has been around for a long time, and there are a few different types of fore-edge painting. Sometimes, artists will simply gild pages, covering the edges in gold or silver leaf. Other times, they may paint whole scenes or landscapes in a process known as ‘all-edge painting’. 

Some of the more ambitious fore-edge artists took this to a whole new level by creating ‘disappearing’ fore-edge paintings that were painted so specifically that, unless the book was looked at in a specific way, the artwork seemed nonexistent. This was done by painting only on the insides of the pages to create the image at the right angles.

This can be done from both sides of the book, too, to create one image when the book is fanned one way and an alternative image when the book is fanned the other direction. This was dubbed the ‘two-way double’ and gave artists the chance to make two amazing illustrations in one book. Artists could also do this by letting the book fall open and painting one half with one illustration and the other with another, equally as beautiful illustration. 

But those aren’t the only ways that fore-edge painting was experimented with! Artists also experimented with illustrations that had to be pinched and held in certain ways to see the artwork. Really, the only limitation to how fore-edge artworks were limited was by the artist’s imagination! 

What Kind Of Art Is Painted On The Books?

Fore-edge painting has been around for a long time, and so the art painted on the sides of the books has, naturally, developed and changed. But when we speak of traditional fore-edge painting, the illustrations cover a wide range of things! 

Early examples of fore-edge painting featured symbolism and heraldry, lettering, and other simple designs. But these developed and, by the 17th century, had become much more ornate. You could find landscape scenes, faces, buildings, historical monuments—anything that the artist desired, pretty much! The art didn’t even always match the contents of the book.

When Did Fore-edge Paintings Start?

The earliest fore-edge paintings have been traced as far back as the 10th century. These were the simpler designs, and are thought to have been used more for identification than for decoration. The fore-edge paintings with exciting illustrations and innovations like the disappearing fore-edge illustrations did not arrive on the scene until much later.

In England, it is thought to be the 1600s. In the USA, there is a legend that a duchess and friend of Charles II would often borrow books, and would frequently forget to return them (we’ve all got a friend like that!). In response to this, Charles II commissioned a court painter, Peter Lely, and a bookbinder, Samuel Mearne to devise a secret method for him to identify his books! 

There may be some truth to this legend. A former Superintendent of Bookbinding agreed that Samuel Mearne was the mastermind behind the art of fore-edge painting. However, research outside of the royal book collection suggests this wonderful art style might have reached the USA as long as 10 years before the legend took place. Historians instead claim that a painted copy of The Holy Bible is the first known instance, designed and dated to 1653. 

Either way, by 1750, the development of fore-edge painting was incredible. By this point, landscapes, religious scenes, and everything in between, painted in full color could be found on the side of books. This rise in popularity and designs is often accredited to The Edwards of Halifax, a family of bookbinders and booksellers who made fore-edge painting popular in London, leading other booksellers to create similar designs and products.

Do You Still See Fore-edge Paintings Today?

You can absolutely still see fore-edge painting today. There are still plenty of historical works, like those in the Ralph H. Wark Collection (the biggest fore-edge collection in the USA) and in various libraries and museums, but there are also modern equivalents! 

Plenty of books these days come with what are called ‘painted edges’ or ‘sprayed edges’. The latter is done digitally, so is not quite the same as fore-edge painting, but the former is very much a similar technique! These books are usually collectors’ editions or first prints and can be sold for quite a lot online to those who have their at-home collection. 

There are also lots of people out there who offer fore-edge painting services, taking books that people already own and adding illustrations to the fore-edge for them.

Some of The Most Impressive Fore-edge Paintings

1. The Pictorial Edition of The Works of Shakespeare, Vol 7. 

This old Shakespeare text has two wonderfully illustrated pictures of the playwright himself sitting neatly on the fore-edge.

2. About Yorkshire

This book about Yorkshire, a county in the UK, features a stunning image of York Cathedral! 

3. The Natural History of Monkeys 

This beautiful illustration of two monkeys in the wild is the perfect fore-edge artwork for a book on The Natural History of Monkeys! 

4. The Dictionnaire Grec-Francais 

This slightly more risque fore-edge is so intricately detailed it’s unreal! The tiny brush strokes that it would’ve required…

5. The Book of the Thames 

This stunning three-sided rendition of the Thames in London is worthy of its own frame and place on a wall! 

6. The Lord of The Rings 

A more modern fore-edge painting, this gorgeous cottagecore Hobbit house is just wonderful. 

The post Hidden Illustrations: The World Of Fore-edge Painting appeared first on Magazine.

Libraries are often thought to be a notoriously serious place, filled with studying students and stern librarians. However, maybe that reputation is nothing more than a bad rep. Because just like any job that deals with the general public, library employees have stories that will have you giggling and kicking your feet. 

So, here are 14 moments shared by library employees that will have you laughing out loud right along with us:

1. Imagine a man with a buzz cut and broad shoulders – your typical Marine. Despite his bravado, he seems a little out of place. And, when he flagged down a library employee he whispered that he needed to find a copy of Major Underwear for his kid. 

He was looking for Captain Underpants. 

2. When library staffers noticed an odd smell and a little smoke coming from one of the aisles, they went to investigate. Imagine their surprise when they found a group of teenagers trying to light Takis corn chips on fire. When confronted, the teens said they were only trying to toast them. 

Apparently, the already spicy chips weren’t hot enough for these kids!

3. Children’s story time is always an employee favorite. During one in particular, the book asked the children to match the feet pictured to the animal they belonged to. Imagine the librarian’s surprise when a picture of fluffy squirrel feet with claws prompted one of the children to guess that the feet belonged to their dad. 

Maybe their dad has fuzzy squirrel slippers? That’s definitely our hope! 

4. While browsing the aisles around the circulation desk, an elderly man’s pants fell down around his ankles. He didn’t notice right away and stayed that way for several moments. And, when he finally did notice, he simply pulled them up casually and then walked over to check out his new books. 

Can we all aspire to be as unbothered as him? 

5. A librarian was approached by a man seeking assistance. He described to them a picture he was looking for of a large rock. After gathering a little bit more information, the man revealed the picture showed a rock with a lot of blue and green on it, and it appeared to be in space. Earth. The man was looking for a picture of Earth. 

That’s some out-of-this-world service if you ask us. 

6. When a library goer was walking around looking confused, an employee approached and asked if there was anything they can assist them with. The customer then proceeded to ask if they knew where the library was. 

They were so, so close. 

7. When an architect came in with a drawing of a building he claimed to be designing, the librarian on shift asked how they could help him. The man then proceeded to request they scan the image to produce a floor plan and seemed perplexed when they explained that isn’t something they could do. 

Librarians are often able to work magic. But creating blueprints from nothing more than a drawing is not one of their superpowers. 

8. When one customer fell asleep, they began snoring so loudly that everyone could hear him. Of course, the employees couldn’t touch him, so they had to get creative on how to wake him up. They proceeded to drop heavy stacks of books near him to jostle him awake. 

We understand. Libraries are a relaxing place, and you’ll catch no judgment from us! Snooze away. 

9. Imagine a librarian’s surprise when they received an email response to a newsletter that was two years old. When they clicked into it, it was a complaint that the event outlined in the newsletter should be virtual and not in-person, as he couldn’t attend due to health risks. The event was from 2019. 

Although we do love a health-conscious patron. 

10. A group of teenage boys snuck through the library sticking cheese to every vertical surface they could find. They made sure to keep a lookout for the security cameras watching overhead. But, did not think of the employees that were watching them as well. 

Ahhh, the naivety of youth. 

11. Perpetrators aren’t always patrons. Not when one librarian shared the story of a volunteer that would walk behind the video shelves and let loose on very loud farts. 

Those are not soundproof, my friend. 

12. When a library employee wished one of their patrons a “good morning” and welcomed them to the library, the man proceeded to berate and reprimand them. 

Apparently, “good morning” is a step too far. 

13. A librarian staffer recalls one customer who would come into the library and go to the adult section. They later found out that he was going there to quietly “bless” the books. 

Isn’t that why we all go to the adult section? For “blessings”? 

14. When asked to leave the children’s section, one woman decided to rebuke “Satan” out of the librarian making the request. 

Apparently doing your job is one of the seven deadly sins. Jot that down. 

Libraries are one of the last great resources that are free to the public. They are filled with a wealth of information, and access to books of any genre. For many, they are a lifeline to the world of literature. 

And, while their usually serious reputation might be warranted, we’re hoping that the next time you go there, you might also find yourself with the gift of a free laugh as well. 

The post 14 Laugh Out Loud Stories as Told by Library Employees  appeared first on Magazine.

Just a Boy and His Typewriter

R.L. Stine, or Robert Lawrence Stine, a future graduate of Ohio State was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 8th, 1943. Little did his family know at the time, it would only be 9 short years before he would discover a dusty typewriter in the attic of his childhood home, a discovery that would completely change the course of his life.

“My friends and I all agreed that Columbus was really boring when we were kids,” Stine explains. “People always ask me, ‘Did you have a horrifying childhood? Is that why you write this stuff?’ But I had a very normal childhood.”

Instead of heading outside to play with his friends, as his mother begged him to do, Stine opted to stay indoors and start on his very first manuscripts, joke books. “You know, I always wanted my own humor magazine. This was my real ambition!” At school, Stine didn’t exactly prioritize academics or physical education for that matter, but he was able to debut a number of comedic bits. 

Fast forward to 1965, when Stine officially became a graduate of Ohio State. During his time there he devoted most of his energy to The Sundial, the school’s humor magazine. So much time in fact that he never really went to class. “My very first week at Ohio State, they had an open house at the Union. I went right into the Sundial office and tried to get on the staff immediately.

And that’s pretty much all I did in college! I didn’t care much for my classes, they were all pretty bad.” It took next to no time for Stine to make a name for himself, literally. Stine quickly became known as, “Jovial Bob”, producing dozens of humorous stories, editorials, and even plays for the publication under his new name. It wasn’t long before Stine earned the title of editor-in-chief for the magazine; a title which he held for 3 years until he eventually graduated.

“My proudest accomplishment [as Editor-in-Chief] was that we took a magazine that basically was failing, wasn’t selling many copies, wasn’t really doing well, and we turned it into something that would sell out every month. We had people out on the Oval in booths selling it, we’d sell it in dorms and in some of the stores on High Street… We turned it into something that people on campus really wanted to read every month.” After graduation, Stine took the money he’d earned as editor-in-chief and set out for the Big Apple. 

Look Alive: The Working Years 

Stine began his writing career at Scholastic where he wrote for school magazines, then returning to his roots, began to write joke books for kids, and even created Bananas magazine, a cooky, humorous magazine that he wrote and edited for 10 years under the name, you guessed it, Jovial Bob.

“I wanted to go to New York and become a writer, and I hoped to have my own humor magazine. And I did – I had my own humor magazine for ten years at Scholastic. It was called Bananas. That was my life’s dream! My own funny magazine. And when it ended, I thought I’d just coast for the rest of my life. I had no idea what was in store for me!” 

In 1969 R.L. Stine married Jane Waldhorn who would go on to become an editor and writer with whom Stine would work on several books with. 

Reader Beware, You’re in for an Unexpected Scare 

The year was 1989 when Stine created the Fear Street book series for teens and the series quickly became the best-selling YA series in history. What may shock fans of Fear Street books is that there was never some grand plan for Stine to go spooky, “I had no intention of ever being scary.” And if dabbling into the horror-verse and becoming wildly successful after Fear Street wasn’t enough of a plot twist, enter the Goosebumps series.

The year was 1992 and Goosebumps quickly became a worldwide sensation. As of 2024, there have been more than 230 Goosebumps books published, including the original 62 books. And if you thought the birth of a grandson would soften this beloved horror author, you thought wrong. R.L. Stine’s first picture book, Little Shop of Monsters was published in 2015. 

In recent years, R.L. Stine has continued to do what he does best – write. And freak people out. Stine continues to write Goosebumps books, comic books for Marvel, one graphic novel, and horror for adults. 

It’s Been a Scream: The Legacy of R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine has sold over 400 million books and his books have been translated into 35 different languages making him one of the best-selling authors in history. Fans of both Fear Street and Goosebumps have now grown up and started families of their own, but Stine’s terror reigns supreme as fans have now passed the beloved books down to their children, achieving what Stine set out to do – to get kids reading.

While we’re no longer kids saving allowance money and couch cushion change for the Scholastic Book Fair, but rather adults with adult money for bookstores and the proud owners of a library card to our local public library, we owe R.L. Stine countless thank yous for the mark he continues to leave on the hearts of millions. 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Stine, and thank you, from the bottom of our bibliophile hearts for the thrills and chills over the years. 

The post A Scary Good Time: Author R.L. Stine is Turning 81 appeared first on Magazine.