Owl Moon Books

Owl Moon Books is the home blog of Leah Dearborn, a Boston based blogger, writer, and bookseller.

[owlmoonbooks]

The Butler Did It: Why We Always Blame the Servants

The guilty butler trope appears to damn servants by their employment status alone. After all, they know everything about the victim’s daily routine, and they’re always suspiciously nearby.

He does look fairly evil...

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Embracing the Brutal Brilliance of Pixar

Although predominantly a children’s movie studio, Pixar is notorious for creating highly empathetic characters and then breaking viewer’s hearts by putting them through hell and back.

What can writers learn from Pixar?

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Women Who Punched the Prize Gap in the Face

With the the prize gap still facing female writers in the 21st century, it seemed like a good time to highlight a few talented women who battled for literary recognition in the past.

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“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” —Hafiz

Shakespeare and Company, Paris (Photo via instagram @mauemily )

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When a 4-decade old bookish skill meets technology

Philip Bradburn, a Bookbinder expert based in England, got what he called a “KleverCase lightbulb moment” when he thought of giving a twist to his son’s Christmas present in 2011: Unifying his 40-year-old bookbinding experience with the modern technology by producing a handmade gadget case in the form of hard bound book.

Their book cases fit certain sizes of kindle, phones, and ereaders. One case could either be specifically moulded plastic for popular gadgets, or a universal fit reusable grip area for other devices.

Mr. Bradburn’s workshops in the New Forest England produces a variety of British and American literature-inspired gadget cases, ranging from Sherlock Holmes to To Kill a Mockingbird.

Sherlock Holmes:

The Great Gatsby:

To Kill a Mockingbird:

His little company KleverCase is a passionate family business, which also helps people in his area back to work.

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Voices From the Red-Light District: 10 Books About Prostitutes

How writers choose to describe prostitution and those who engage in it can reveal a lot about gender dynamics and cultural attitudes towards sex.

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The writer diagrams the shapes of authors' stories, from Shakespeare to Kafka.

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Reading in the Dark: A Brief History of Books for the Blind

The challenge of creating readable books for the blind extends much further back in time than the invention of Braille, and continues into the 21st century.

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When the Bully Eats Its Tail

Indie author Zoe Zorka on the cycle of self-perpetuating cruelty.

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Bookshots: 'The Shark Curtain' by Chris Scofield

Hallucinations of Jesus, 1960s television, and a lot of dogs — 'The Shark Curtain' is a strange and original young adult debut.

[maggie-stiefvater-deactivated20]

This post is going to be a mess, because I’m just …untidily angry right now. It began with a series of tweets I made today about my ever-broken Datsun. The mechanic had told my husband that he was “working on that Datsun just as fast as I can because now that I’ve met her I can’t wait to get that...

[owlmoonbooks]

Writer Creates “Color Thesaurus” To Help You Correctly Name Any Color Imaginable

Ingrid Sundberg, a writer and children's book illustrator, created a very useful infographic chart for anyone struggling with color names. The writer says that she loves to collect words that can help give her stories variety and depth.

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Giving Up the Ghost: How to Bury Dead Writing

Giving up on a piece of writing seems counterintuitive. We’re told from an early age that if we just keep trying, one day we’ll succeed. But sometimes effort just isn’t enough.

[obviousplant]

Finally! Some books that cater to MY needs.

[owlmoonbooks]

Vintage Flower Power Bundle

Vintage gardening books up for sale, yo! Get your spring on like it’s 1952.

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Trash or Treasure? A List of Five Obscure Literary Movements

From to Spiralism to Martian poetry, not every idea finds a solid foothold in history or a wide audience.