Featured

Oct 22, 2018

Fall Apartment Decor + Throw a Pumpkin Carving Party

Oct 22, 2018

All the cute and inexpensive decor you need to make your apartment an autumnal wonderland, plus everything you need to throw a fall party!

Oct 22, 2018

Featured

Oct 9, 2018

Subscription Box Review: PAGE ONE BOOKS

Oct 9, 2018

A review of the three-month subscription box from Page One Books. Mine is called “For the Foodie,” aka my dream sub box!

Oct 9, 2018

Sep 30, 2018

The September R.E.A.D. Report

Sep 30, 2018

A wrap-up of all my favorites, all the fun activities I did this month, and lots of fall-related things!

Sep 30, 2018

Sep 25, 2018

Best Books to Read in the Fall + My Autumn TBR Stack

Sep 25, 2018

Sep 11, 2018

My Instagram Intellectual Property is Not Your Free Stock Photo

Sep 11, 2018

Let’s talk about permission, giving proper photo credit, and, in general, not using Instagram accounts as free stock photos.

Sep 11, 2018

Sep 4, 2018

The Spines' Most Anticipated Autumn Reads of 2018

Sep 4, 2018

I cannot wrap my brain around how many amazing books are coming out in September, October, and November. Read about the most exciting 11 here!

Sep 4, 2018

Aug 23, 2018

365 Days of Bookstagram

Aug 23, 2018

Featured

Nov 13, 2018

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Nov 13, 2018

In the early 90s in a New England college town, Richard Papen steps on campus and finds himself irresistibly drawn to the five unapproachable, tightly knit students studying Greek in isolation from the rest of the university.

Nov 13, 2018

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Oct 30, 2018

Revenge of the Translator by Brice Matthieussent, translated by Emma Ramadan

Oct 30, 2018

A translated work from French author, Brice Matthieussent, Revenge of the Translator follows Trad as he translates a novel from French to English. We dive into the book in an unusual place—the footnotes …

Oct 30, 2018

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Oct 30, 2018

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

Oct 30, 2018

Serving as Stephen Hawking’s departing words to the world, Brief Answers to the Big Questions consists of his answers to the most pressing questions facing humankind in the 21st century.

Oct 30, 2018

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Oct 24, 2018

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Oct 24, 2018

Set in medieval Scotland, The Lost Queen tells us the story of Merlin’s forgotten-by-history twin sister as she grows up in the house of the king and marries for duty into another. Expect fantasy elements, plenty of war, two very entertaining love interests, and an epic time line!

Oct 24, 2018

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Oct 15, 2018

The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet

Oct 15, 2018

The flowers in the bathroom, the song on the CD player, the aftershave in the cabinet— When Caroline and Francis put their home up on a house swap website, the idea was to escape their past, not be reminded of it at every turn.

Oct 15, 2018

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Oct 7, 2018

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Oct 7, 2018

Featured

Oct 3, 2018

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance // Ruth Emmie Lang

Oct 3, 2018

Weylyn Grey has never been normal. Taken in by wolves at a young age and able to communicate with nature since birth, he lived an unusual life filled with living on the land and stopping major storms in their tracks. Everyone who spent time with him has a story …

Oct 3, 2018

Featured

Sep 12, 2018

Lake Success: A Novel by Gary Shteyngart

Sep 12, 2018

A deeply narcissistic anti-hero and his doomed hedge fund, a cross-country bus trip through middle America, 2.4 billion dollars of assets under management, and a Yale-educated lawyer turned affluent wife and mother: Lake Success is like a car accident—you can’t help but watch as everything bursts into flames.

Sep 12, 2018

Hello! My name is Megan. 90% of life is books: face behind @the_spines, publishing professional, and all day reader. So glad you're here!

What’re our thoughts on messy bookstores? 🤔 I visited this one in Chicago for the first time in awhile the other day and was kind of delighted by the floor stacks, the inoperable ladders, and the kind of grouchy proprietor. 📚 I think a messy bookstore reminds me of Beauty and the Beast and gives a place a mysterious vibe. Not mad at it, though not the most practical set up. •
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In other news, I’ve started 3 books in the last three days and I am just not amused by them. 👀 I think I have a slight book hangover. 💭Any suggestions?💭 Should I just continue to listen to Hozier on my commutes until I’m over it? 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Good morning, friend! 👋🏻 Guess what? I finished THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt, and I couldn’t have loved it more. For my full thoughts (and trust me there are MANY) ✨head over to the blog✨ for my review!
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The skinny, though? 📖 This book is something special. The prose is thoughtful, the story is well-paced and skewed with anticipation rather than surprise, the characters have more depth than some of the actual humans I know in real life, and questions of ethics, elitism, wealth, scholarship, power, death, life, and friendship are posed openly and with room to explore the dark and grey areas of each. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the depth and representation of female characters left something to be desired, but I nonetheless fell in love with this magnificent exploration of human behavior. Full marks from me. 🙌🏻
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💭 Have you read this book? If you haven’t, are you tempted now?💭 Lets chat! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 (If you have read this book, favorite character?)

Soaking up the last bits of fall this morning, complete with winter boots and the fluffiest gloves you could imagine. 🍂 Embarking on this George Saunders short story today for a little change in scenery. Following this up with brunch and many projects this Sunday!
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💭 Whatcha reading today? 💭

HAPPPY FRIDAY!! I’m clearly very excited for the weekend because I have a very good book to finish, lots of projects in my brain, AND Murat and I are finally starting The Project. 👀 One of these windowsills will soon be turned into an actual, beautiful reading spot. 🙌🏻 Can’t wait to show you when it’s done!
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💭 Do you all have a perfect reading spot in your house? 💭 I actually have many places I like to read but I love the idea of having a window view & no distractions. 😍 I’d love to know about your spots! 👇🏼👇🏼

(ad!) Hi friends! Do you ever find yourself at work but wishing you could pause time and finish the book you can’t stop thinking about?? THE TOAST by Matt Marinovich, sent to me by the lovely team at @adaptivebooks, did this to me, mostly because both our main characters are equally charming and absolutely deplorable. 👀 (It’s times like these that working from home gets WAY harder ... 😂) •
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A dark thriller centered around an out-of-control sibling rivalry, #TheToastBook absolutely flies by as you wait to see which brother will finally end the lifelong game of chess. I read The Toast in just under two days, so you could say I HAD TO KNOW!!! 📖
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💭 Which books have you read that you couldn’t wait to pick back up? 💭 I’m currently also experiencing this syndrome with The Secret History. 🙌🏻 Tell me yours! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

B O O K S S O L D H E R E 📖 Taking you along today on a little bookstore adventure. This one is a truly lovely bookstore in Pilsen and I could spend many days in here if given the opportunity. I also realized this isn’t on my Literary Tour of Chicago map, so I’ll be making an updated version on the blog for you all very soon!
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Today, let’s get to know each other! 👭👫 I’m from Michigan, but I’ve called Chicago home for 5 years now. 💭Where are you from and/ or where do you live now? 💭 let’s chat! 👇🏼👇🏼

Sometimes I accessorize for the outside world and sometimes .... I put on a hat and cute pants just to chill on the floor and read my book all day. Life is about balance, right? 😉✨
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As for books, I am currently reading two at once (😱). The first is a thriller that I’ll tell you about in a couple of days, and the other, as most of you know, is THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt. 👀 I am enjoying both quite a bit and I’m happy to report that TSH is living up to its hype magnificently! •
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💭 What are you reading this week? Did you finish anything good this weekend? 💭 let’s chat, friends! 👇🏼👇🏼

Ooo the much-talked-about book— THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt! 📖🤗 I started reading this a couple of days ago and I’m very excited to see why everyone has something to say about this book. I also realized that even though I hear about it all the time, I actually had NO idea what the book itself was about. I was quite surprised to read some illusions to thriller themes on the back cover .... I’ll let you know how I like it as I get a little deeper! •
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💭Have you read any Donna Tartt? 💭 Which books and did you like them? 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

[gifted 📚] Hello November, welcome!! We’ve been waiting for you and your beautiful trees, promise of turkey, and newly-published reads! So, in celebration, here’s a stack of books I plan to read at some point in the near future. @bookiful.life convinced me to move FOX 8 by George Saunders to the top in her post yesterday, the author of PURE will be in Chicago soon for a book event, MAY WE SUGGEST has been piquing my interest for nearly a year (👀‼️), and the other two just sounds like great books. So much awesome fall reading in my future. 🙌🏻 If you’ve read any of these, I’d love to know what you thought of them! •
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💭 what’s on your mind for November? Do you have a TBR lined up? 💭 👇🏼👇🏼 lets chat below!

Happy Halloween, sunshines!! Of course I had to embrace the holiday spirit and dress up as a galaxy queen for my October wrap-up... ✨🤗 Some of these books were stars all by themselves, too! 🙌🏻 Don’t miss The Lost Queen if you love epic tales and fantasy, read Poe even after Halloween has passed, and go for Revenge of the Translator if you’re patient and ready to get literary. Oh, and skip The House Swap, thriller fans.
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ALL of these books are fully reviewed on my blog, so slide over there if you want some more info or opinions on any. Thank you to the publishers who gifted some of these books! 🤗❤️
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💭 What was the best book you read this month? 💭 Give me all the recs! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

[gifted 📖] Hi y’all! I just posted two new reviews on the blog and one of them is for BRIEF ANSWERS TO THE BIG QUESTIONS by Stephen Hawking. If you are constantly searching for more to learn or you’re curious about the scientific backing for hard questions (like, does God exist? When is space travel going to happen? and is Earth doomed?!) this book is definitely going to spark your curiosity. 👀💡
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I also reviewed our VERY interesting and unique book club book from this month, REVENGE OF THE TRANSLATOR. It takes place below the footer line and lends a meta view into the mind of a translator. This book was absolutely rife with literary devices and I had the most fun reviewing it!! ✨Head over to the blog ✨for both! •
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💭 So, what do you think is the role of a translator? Should they make literal translations or do they have much more creative license than that?💭 I’d love to know your opinions! I’m new to the world of translations, so I’m very interested. :)

A very Monday image today — coffee + a Chapter 1. 📖 ☕️ I’m always so fired up on Mondays and ready to take on some of the 500 projects and ideas I have floating around in my head! In fact, I usually try not to plan anything during my free time so I can really get a good, productive start to my week. I love feeling inspired!
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💭 What inspires your creativity? 💭 For me, being outdoors and getting out of my work space and into the world really sparks my brain! How about you?💡

Today is the ultimate cozy day. A stay in bed until noon, only go out for coffee and bagels day. I have lots of books I want to finish today, so I think you can imagine what I’ll be doing. ☺️📖🙌🏻
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PS peep our carved pumpkins the background. 🎃 Murat’s was carved as a Turkish flag 🇹🇷 and mine was a spooky face! (Which quickly turned into an old man without dentures ... 😂) •
💭 Did you all carve pumpkins this year? 💭 Tell me your designs!

Hey hi hello my sunshines! Since there are some new friends in the mix, I thought I’d take a second to reintroduce myself. I hope you find this entertaining and, if you do, tell me something about yourself in the comments so I can learn some things, too! 👯👯
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SO HI! My name is Megan, I’m 23, I live in Chicago, AND here are some random facts for ya: I started my first-ever blog about 8 years ago & it was called eyelinerandextrafrosting.com. (No amount of googling will bring it up, i checked 😂) • I currently work in academic publishing, because my whole life is about books. • I LOVE podcasts, but I can’t do audiobooks. (❓) • I am the second oldest of four siblings, and I attribute a lot of my personality to them. 👫👭• My biggest pet peeve is the rudest thing ever, but I hate when people tell me my shoe is untied. (Because you ALWAYS KNOW). • I have degrees in English and in Criminal Justice. • I got married in April to the greatest person in the entire world! We met on a ski / snowboard weekend trip. • I’m a self-diagnosed Ravenclaw, but Murat says I’m a Hufflepuff. 🙄 • My big plan if I won the lottery on Tuesday was just to get a dog. 😍 • I never, ever listen to music. • I am comically bad at Math and I had a math tutor all the way through school. She’s not surprised about my English degree. 😂 • My dream job is to diagnose and create personal brands for people, because how fun does that sound?! • My hidden talent is that I can tell you the exact flavor of any color jelly bean by color alone. •
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Okay that’s all for now.... your turn! I know lots of things about your tastes in books, but tell me some things about you! 🤗✨

The fiction section is a very dangerous place to leave me ... 👀 Last night I spent some time wandering around a Half Price Books and it was such a delight! I will also have you know that I showed great restraint and only bought one book as a gift for someone else. Are you impressed? I’m trying to limit my buying until I get some bookshelf homes for the books I already have. •
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💭 Last book you bought? 💭 I bought 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari last night, but the last book I bought for meeee was The Secret History by Donna Tartt. You? 📖

$I don’t know about you all, but this work set-up is my productivity ideal. 👀 As always, my life to-do list is one mile long, but my focus this week is actually taking a step back and ignoring the arbitrary deadlines I’ve been putting on myself to get things done. Things will get checked off, but not everything needs to happen this week or even this month. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ In case you need to hear this, too, and to quote someone very wise, it’s equally important to lift your head and live a little. ✨ • • 💭 How’s your week looking? 💭 Any deadlines to meet or habits you’re trying to create? Tell me about it! 👇🏼👇🏼$ Soaking up the last bits of fall this morning, complete with winter boots and the fluffiest gloves you could imagine. 🍂 Embarking on this George Saunders short story today for a little change in scenery. Following this up with brunch and many projects this Sunday!
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💭 Whatcha reading today? 💭

What do you do when you have one million unread books but nothing seems like the right one? Go for the ultimate re-read, of course!! HINT: ⚡️👓✨😉 (pst, watch til the end ☺️)
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💭 What’s your go-to read in this situation? 💭
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[& What do we think of this stop motion format? I had too much fun making it]
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Thanks to @colormecourtney for the format inspo. 😍🙌🏻 // 🎶: Aware by Kontinuum (https://bit.ly/1NG83sv)]

Perfect Saturday morning picnic with my fluffiest friend & a book! 🍂📖🐶 what’re you all up to today?
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P.S. I created a hashtag for my timelapse reading vids so you can give it a follow & see these all in one place! 👉🏼#thespinesreads 👈🏼

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the spines I megan r. prokott

RT @meandorla: A juicy read - This band faked a fanbase online & was booked for a European tour. Nobody came. A great cautionary… https://t.co/YGlVDIA8ci
about 3 days ago
the spines I megan r. prokott

“How many gin & tonics did you have last night?” https://t.co/PK90pWYo6h
about 3 days ago
the spines I megan r. prokott

If this isn’t me idk what is https://t.co/AeugB2Fvys
about a week ago
the spines I megan r. prokott

Murat named his horse after me in #RedDeadRedemption and that, my friends, is a sweeping gesture of modern romance. 😂😍
about a week ago