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Sign up for the 2018 Notebook and Pen Swap! - The Paper Trail Diary

We all love a good notebook and pen. New tools like these are a great way to refresh creativity, find comfort, or take notes of opportunities. Sign up for the swap by October 12!

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The Paper Trail Diary #1: This is What It's Like to be a Huge Stationery Nerd

This zine is perfect for both those who are obsessed with stationery and those who need to understand their paper-loving loved ones! Straight from a certified stationery addict, this zine is informative, funny, and super cute. 24 pages.

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Totally Sane Cat Lady banner on cat patterned paper

TOTALLY SANE CAT LADY Im sane, I swear. One-of-a-kind hand cut banner made to hang anywhere you please. Letters each measure 2.5 H x 1.5 W. Banner is 60 long at its straightest, but its meant to be hung loosely. Ends are tied for hanging on hooks, but you could easily cut the banner

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Fries Before Guys banner on french fry paper

FRIES BEFORE GUYS With extra crunchy flavour! One-of-a-kind hand cut banner made to hang anywhere you please. Letters each measure 2.5 H x 1.5 W. Banner is 45 long at its straightest, but its meant to be hung loosely. Ends are tied for hanging on hooks, but you could easily cut the

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The Pillars of the Paper Trail Diary zines: Books, Zines, Snail Mail, and Crafts

These mini-zines represent the four topics The Paper Trail Diary covers: books, zines, snail mail, and crafts. Each one shares my reasons for why I love them so. These are a fun little gift to share with friends and keep around for inspiration. Each zine is 8 pages.

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Cute As A Button banner on button patterned paper

CUTE AS A BUTTON The wall decor equivalent of *pinches cheeks* One-of-a-kind hand cut banner made to hang anywhere you please. Letters each measure 2.5 H x 1.5 W. Banner is 35 long at its straightest, but its meant to be hung loosely. Ends are tied for hanging on hooks, but you

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“Coffee time” 

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Book Lover Postcard Swap, Round 2: Winter Holidays!

Send a fellow bookworm paper lover a little holiday cheer with a postcard about a book on your wish list! Sign up by November 19!

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BOO! Just kidding, the only way we could scare you guys is to say “ooooh all the books are immediately going awaaaaay” – which, they’re not, so … here are some dark, twisted, creepy books to add to your TBR for all that time you’re gonna spend at home handing out candy on Halloween! (But hey, these books will last you all year-round, too.) Now go grab a bowl of candy and settle in.

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

From the always fantastic Victoria Schwab comes the first in a duology about a dark, post-apocalyptic city that’s divided amongst monsters and monster hunters. August Flynn, the son of the monster’s leader, can steal a soul with a song. Kate Harker, daughter of the baddest hunter, just wants to be seen as a future strong leader herself. The two are mixed up in things they don’t quite understand, and thus begins the run for their lives… 

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake 

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions. But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

As I Descended by Robin Talley 

As I Descended starts out with an Ouija board scene so you know it’s gonna be good. This Shakespeare-inspired story is filled with revenge and redemption as the ultimate power couple, Maria and Lily, turn to the dark powers long to be rumored on their school’s property, Guys, it’s so creepy it will keep you up at night!  

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes 

Were you always more fascinated with the conniving Queen of Hearts instead of the sweet, naive Alice? The first novel in this epic series digs into the vixen villain’s territory, where beneath each smile lies a secret, each tart comes with a demand, and only prisoners tell the truth.  There’s Dinah, the princess who will one day rule Wonderland, but she doesn’t know how dark the depths of her kingdom go…

The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight 

If you want to read something that plays out like a horror film, The Outliers will definitely do the trick. Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie’s in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself. But figuring out where Cassie is goes from difficult to dangerous, fast. And could finding her be only the beginning?

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee 

Inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein, This Monstrous Thing is set in an alternative fantasy world where some men are made from clockwork parts. Alasdair Finch, a young mechanic, does the unthinkable after his brother dies: he uses clockwork pieces to bring Oliver back from the dead. Buuuut yeah, it doesn’t really work so well. Oliver awakens more monster than he is man. So, that’s bad. But THEN a novel called Frankenstein is published and all the townsfolk think Alasdair and Oliver are a little too much like those famous fictional characters… thaaat can’t be good!

Asylum by Madeleine Roux 

A super-creepy photo-illustrated novel perfect for fans of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, the students are forced to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm—formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline’s twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here … secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum’s dark past. 

SO CREEPY. Happy Halloween! 

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Attention, please! Kenneth Oppel has a new book out!! And it’s SO goodl!! Every Hidden Thing is a cross between Indiana Jones and Romeo and Juliet – a tale of the forbidden romance between the children of rival dino hunters while all of them are on the hunt for the biggest dinosaur fossils in America. The fabled Black Beauty. The rex.

This book has something for everyone. It’s got action, it’s got romance, it’s got deceit and competition! This is truly the whole package, people. 

Here are five reasons why you need to read Every Hidden Thing:

1. Forbidden love

Ah, the most dangerous kind of love. Samuel Bolt and Rachel Cartland meet just before their professor fathers get into a big fight at a conference. Romantic! And wouldn’t you know it, their fathers are not only big-time competitors but just so happen to be going in the suspiciously same direction on their next expedition. So at least Samuel and Rachel will get some quality time together (their fathers expect them to spy on the other though, soooo). For Samuel and Rachel, it becomes almost like a game of wits before they really fall for each other and must sneak around. With such tricky circumstances, can they make their relationship last?

2. Wacky, competitive dads

Speaking of dads, Professors Bolt and Cartland are total nutters. They’re selfish, rude, competitive and proud. They provide both drama and comedy to the novel, from their hotheaded arguments to their childlike reactions. They will stop at nothing to be the first man to find the largest dino in America, and I mean nothing. And not only do the Professors want to find the rex themselves, but Samuel and Rachel both have their own motives, making it quite the competition.

3. Dinos!

For most of us, our exposure to the hunt for dinosaurs and their fossils comes from textbooks and movies. With Every Hidden Thing, you really feel like you’re right there, with Samuel and Rachel, as they’re on the hunt and digging for the fossils. You’ll feel their anticipation and their pure fascination for finding dinos. The excitement when a bone starts to come out of the ground, where it’s been buried for centuries. Can you imagine the feeling of being the one who found that??

4. The Wild Wild West

Small dusty towns in the middle of nowhere, rickety trains, riding horses out into the open land, gunslingers, snakes, sacred burial grounds, and more make for very cool scenery. 

5. It’s for realzies

Kenneth Oppel was inspired by the two pioneering American paleontologists Edward Drinkwater Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh and their real life Bone Wars in the late 19th century, when the discovery of dinosaur bones in the western United States was just beginning. He did a lot of research and had key people read over the manuscript, so you know it’s as close to authentic as can be. But the book is so fun that you won’t even realize you’ve been learning about history! (Isn’t that the best? #nerd)

Every Hidden Thing is out now! Find out where you can get your copy here. 

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GoatGirlMH on etsy

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NEEEEDDD

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La lectura tiene sus colores (ilustración de Judy Kaufmann )

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this made me chuckle

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@cielo-e-voragine

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As bookworms, we can’t deny that we’re attracted to pretty, shiny books. And it’s 10x better if they have a compelling story behind them! While reading The Thousandth Floor, my eyes continuously bulged for numerous emotions – fascination, excitement, disgust, horror – which really makes for quite the reading experience. Here are five reasons why The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee is going to be one of the most memorable books of the season.

1. Dramaaaa

The first thing I say when I talk about this book (which is a lot) is that it’s like Gossip Girl but in the future. It’s TRUE. Epic Reads agrees! Just imagine the extremes! The Thousandth Floor takes place in the year 2118, when a monstrosity of a building over what used to be Central Park is totally normal. It also deals with class – the rich live on the very top of the tower, the poor live on the bottom, and they judge each other accordingly. Since the book follows five characters who live throughout the tower, that’s five times the drama! There’s rivalry, jealousy, romance, secrets, and so much more to dig into.

2. Look at how pretty it is. LOOK AT IT.

It’s SHINY and GOLD. You are going to want this on your shelf! People are going to ask to borrow your copy and you will laugh in their faces! From the gold embossed title on the cover to the epic metallic tower on the spine to the glittery endpapers, you’re going to want to touch this book from cover to cover. Also, think of all the potential Instagram photos.

3. That ending, though.

The book starts with the ending but not the ending of the ending. Get it? Someone has fallen off the tower (don’t worry that’s not a spoiler, read the first few chapters for yourself right now, right here!) but we don’t know who it is. Could it be one of the five characters – Avery, Leda, Eris, Rylin, or Watt – or someone else? What happened to them? What led up to this? When I finished reading, I was shaking. It’s the kind of ending that you’ll be thinking about for a long time after you finish reading it. I’M STILL THINKING ABOUT IT.

4. The awkwardness of future communication

We are all glued to our phones 24/7, let’s be honest. But what if instead of phones, we contacted each other through our eye contacts? (*makes dad joke about ha ha, contacts*) The characters in The Thousandth Floor blink to send messages, can scroll through their feeds while looking out at the world, and if they’re on a call or sending a voice message they’re basically just mumbling to themselves (and that’s totally normal in this world!!!). For me, this provided a nice, humorous touch to the story.

5. The characters

Everyone wants something that they can’t have, and they’re willing to go to great lengths in order to get it. Avery lives on the thousandth floor – the rich and fancy girl who has it all except one forbidden thing. Leda, her best friend, can’t tell Avery about her recent rehab stint and why she ended up there. Eris, another friend of Avery and Leda, has everything until she has nothing, so she has to work her way back up again. Rylin lives on a low floor, but has found a key to moving up, which could jeopardize the life she’s built around her and her sister. Watt is a tech genius – he has an illegal bot that can tell him anything he wants to know, so of course, information can get you into trouble. Each character has their own gritty exterior that acts as a shield – whose will be broken, who will let theirs down and who will use theirs as a weapon? You must read to find out!

- Jessica

The Thousandth Floor is out on August 30th! Click here to read the first four chapters and here to find out where you can get your copy. We can’t wait for you to read it! (!!!!!!)

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i wrote this because YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW

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I’m pretending it’s already autumn

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Choosing between a hardcover or a paperback

Me: Do i want a firm, unbendable book with a nice dust jacket?

Me: Or do i want a light, portable paperback that won't take up all the room in my bag?

Me: *buys both*