A Moveable Feast

Literary giant Ernest Hemingway was a bullish character who captured the public interest with his colorful life. An ardent adventurer, he poured his experiences into rich, stirring tales, written in his singular, understated prose. To celebrate his birthday, here are seven surprising facts about the iconic figure.

Suzanne Collins captured the world’s attention with her blockbuster Hunger Games trilogy. Now she’s back with a prequel to the thrilling saga. Here, we tell you a bit about about the author, her background, her inspirations, and her favorite books.

Five words you never want to hear in a comparative lit class?

"Yeah, going off of that..."

Which, when translated to normal human speak, actually means "This in no way relates to the point you just made, but I really love to hear myself talk." Every English major knows the scenario: The class circles up after reading (or not reading) a beautifully crafted piece of literature, and an intellectually-indulged twenty-something decides to hijack the discussion with the deluded idea that they have the book completely figured out. But the thing about great literature is that no one has managed to totally figure it out – that's why it stands apart as a selection of work that we all keep coming back to. Plus nothing kills an engaging class discussion quite like an unchecked know-it-all. Whether you're the type of student who's read the book before it was assigned, or who only highlights quotes they find on sparknotes, these ten works of literature are worth a second (or third) read. And here's a plus; two of them are comic books.