Tara Hardy gives you her life’s thesis when she writes, “…my/blood does not make a pity trip.” Indeed, what grips about the poems in Bring Down The Chandeliers (Write Bloody Publishing) is not that she speaks so directly about incest, chronicling the sexual abuse from her father. (In fact, nowhere is the word “abuse” even used in these poems.) Hardy’s gift is her ability to take bravery where ... Read More

  We here at BUST don’t have much interest in diet tips (unless you’re talking about ways to incorporate more tequila and/or marshmallows into our diets), but we are unabashed fans of reality TV. Project Runway, I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant, Drag Race, and Hoarders are particular favorites, but we also have several die-hard Real Housewives of New Jersey fans in the house. Silly and tacky as the series may be, we can't ... Read More

In totally standard/I-can’t-believe-I’m-even-shocked Olympic news, NBC aired last night’s women’s gymnastics qualifiers straight from Catty Voyeur City. Look, I realize Olympic gymnastics has always been lousy with personalities, whether it’s the (usually Russian) so-called Diva Gymnast or the commentators who make their own creepy sport of over-deriding and/or over-praising anyone who dares set foot on ... Read More

  If you’re a crafter who’s dreaming of quitting your day job, this book will provide you with the necessary know-how. Hello Craft is a non-profit trade association dedicated to crafters and the handmade movement, and their insider knowledge of the industry makes them a natural (and adorable) guide to its nuances. Handmade to Sell walks you through the ins and outs of business -launching, covering topics such as registering ... Read More

In Battleborn, a collection of short stories, Claire Vaye Watkins recreates the rich and complicated history of the desert regions of California and Nevada. The title is derived from one of Nevada’s nicknames, The Battle Born State, which it earned by becoming a state during the Civil War. Similarly, the ghosts of past battles are never far away from the characters’ minds as they struggle through life. Watkins succeeds at using ... Read More