New Classics, Books From Lovers, and How to Name Your Novel

Need motivation to participate in National Novel Writing Month? Mental Floss compiled a list of six famous novels that were completed in less than a month. Just think — you could be the next Fyodor Dostoyevsky!

Graphic designer’s mantra: “Judge a book by its cover! Please!” The Book Deal chats with design pros about how they go about creating an eye-catching cover that embodies the book.

Slate editors nominated pieces of pop culture phenomena they considered to be “The New Classics”— the most enduring ideas since 2000. From hip footwear, to up-and-coming fonts, this list is pretty comprehensive. The one book that made the list was Aleksandar Hemon’s Nowhere Man.

Remember when your ex gave you a copy of He’s Just Not That Into You, and you were like, “But what does it mean?!” The Tumblr, “The Books They Gave Me,” explores that very idea — contributors write about the books that their former partners gave them as gifts.

Some exciting news: You can finally throw away those flashcards you made in ninth grade English class. Book Riot lists seven literary terms you definitely don’t need to know. But what will you do with all that brain space?

NPR’s Monkey See blog offers tips on how to name your first novel. Hmm, I’m wondering if I should go ahead with mine: How I Flunked Differential Equations But Passed NSYNC?