5 Wintery Reads to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

Posted on December 3, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Now that it’s December, you might have noticed a few subtle changes happening around you: pumpkin is out, and peppermint is in;  lights and decorations are magically appearing in peoples’ homes and storefront windows;  your inbox is suddenly FULL of coupons, flash-sales, and special gift ideas. All this can only mean one thing…Christmas is coming!

So what if we’ve still got a few weeks—there’s no harm in getting in the holiday spirit while you’re waiting for Santa to show! There are plenty of Christmasy movies around, but as far as we’re concerned, there’s nothing like curling up with a good book while the flurries start to fall. Below you’ll find some of Scribd Editorial Staff’s favorite wintery reads to get you in the holiday spirit.

Image

If you’re in the mood for a light-hearted throwback, Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews is a great place to start. Set in Savannah during the 1950’s, Blue Christmas is full of seasonal eccentricities and Elvis references.

the last noel

Can’t wait to get caught under the mistletoe? The Last Noel should tide you over. This passionate love story from Michael Malone spans four decades and will spark your Christmas spirit from head to toe.

immovable feast

Speaking of romance…there is no place quite as romantic as Paris during the holidays. John Baxter’s memoir, Immovable Feast, follows him during a year around France as he prepares for the ultimate test of love and devotion: cooking a Christmas dinner in Paris.

the xmas letters

For a Christmas story that feels close to home, check out the Christmas Letters by Lee Smith. Told in the form of letters between three generations of women, this novel spans everything from recipe sharing to marriage advice and will put you in a holly jolly spirit in no time!

xmas carol

No holiday season would be complete without an appearance from Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and Dickens’ Christmas ghosts! Whether or not you’ve read a Christmas Carol before, there’s nothing that will put the jingle in your bells like some Charles Dickens and peppermint hot chocolate.

Wishing you could get your kids in on this yuletide literary action? Not to worry—we’re working on a list of awesome books to read with your kids this holiday season. Stay tuned!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in In the News

Tagged , ,

Scribd Gift Subscriptions: The Perfect Gift for Every Reader in Your Life

Posted on November 26, 2013 by | 1 Comment

Image

As of today, Scribd is now offering Gift Subscriptions in the form of e-Cards for the holiday season. With access to over 100,000 e-books, including new releases and best sellers, on both iOS and Android, a Scribd Gift Subscription could be perfect for anyone on your list—young, old, family, friend, or co-worker. What’s better than a gift that’s fun and thoughtful? A gift that looks fun and thoughtful.

Image

That’s why we made Scribd Gift Subscriptions customizable. Gift givers can choose either one of eight exclusive book covers from the Creative Action Network (a marketplace of crowdsourced content from artists around the world) or a famous literary quote to accompany their e-Card when it is delivered via email. The book cover art, inspired by popular literary classics, is part of the Creative Action Network’s initiative “Recovering the Classic”; the quotes were hand-picked and feature famous authors such as Mark Twain or Louisa May Alcott.

Image

Gift subscriptions are available at one month for $10, three months at $25, six months at $50, and one year for $100. Design one for that special bookworm in your life—or get them for everyone you know that enjoys curling up with a good book on occasion.

Image

→ 1 Comment

Posted in In the News

Tagged , ,

Scribd Selections: Holiday Entertaining

Posted on November 21, 2013 by | 1 Comment

ImageAlright, everybody. Thanksgiving is exactly one week from today. ONE WEEK. Just think: a week from now, you’ll be munching on some turkey, watching a football game, or enjoying a real holiday from work. That is, if the stress doesn’t get to you first.

Because let’s be real—a week is a long time, and planning for Thanksgiving can be incredibly stressful, what with the travel, and the family visiting from out of town, and, and the cooking.

We may not be able to do anything about your in-laws, or the freak blizzard that’s bound to make you miss your connection, but cooking—that’s something we can handle. Whenever you’re ready to start planning your Turkey Day meal, today, tomorrow, or next Wednesday, we’ve got you covered with this collection of e-books on Holiday Entertaining. 

Image

Let’s start with the basics: if you’re in the mood for some good-old-fashioned American cooking, Hometown Recipes for the Holidays is the right place to look. Filled with dishes from every region and every season, this cookbook is so good it will last you through Christmas.

Image

For many people, meat is the superstar of the Season of Eating. That’s what makes Smokin’: Recipes for Smoking Ribs, Salmon, Chicken, Mozzarella and More with your Stovetop Cooker such an obvious addition to our list. With over 95 recipes, tips, tricks, and ingredient suggestions, this book will fulfill all your smoky needs—even if you’re a vegetarian.

Image

For the no-fuss kind of host, Real Life Entertaining: Easy Recipes and Unconventional Wisdom is the ultimate go-to party guide. Jennifer Rubell’s expert tips and low-stress recipes are just what you need if you’re actually trying to enjoy yourself this year.

Image

What are you looking forward to more: the sweet potato casserole at dinner on Thursday, or the hours of football you’re going to watch before and after you eat? If you picked the second option, then The Tailgater’s Cookbook by David Joachim is probably right up your alley. 

Image

There is one essential food group (aside from turkey) without which Thanksgiving weekend would be incomplete: pie. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie—bet your mouth is already watering. Whether you’re a pie-making expert, or a newcomer to the craft, United States of Pie: Regional Favorites from East to West and North to South is worth peeking at.

Don’t see that dish you’re craving here? We’ve got tons more books on Holiday Entertaining on Scribd.com. And don’t worry—we’ll keep them up till next year, just in case you decide you’re dying to bake some Christmas Cookies.

 

→ 1 Comment

Posted in In the News

Tagged , , ,

Six weeks into our subscription service–100K new releases and bestselling books

Posted on November 19, 2013 by | 4 Comments

In the six weeks since launching our premium book subscription service, we have been tirelessly working to add more books and publishers. Scribd readers now have unlimited access to over 100,000 books, including bestsellers and new releases, from 900+ publishers and counting.  More than 1 million books have been bookmarked and saved to subscribers’ libraries.  The most popular bookmarked title is Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle.

catscradle (1)

We have thousands of brand new titles hot off the presses, like the recently released Room 1219: The Life of Fatty Arbuckle, the Mysterious Death of Virginia Rappe, and the Scandal That Changed Hollywood which was just featured in the New York Times.

room1219

Other new releases include the latest in Karina Halle’s Devil series, Devil’s Metal, and My Best Race, a collection of stories from 50 different runners around the world by Chris Cooper.

MyBestRace_cover

devilsmetal

The number of our subscribers is growing every day. “We blew past our subscriber goals within the first month of launching our premium subscription service,” said Trip Adler, CEO of Scribd. “And the feedback has been incredibly positive. It’s great to hear how much people are enjoying the all-you-can read experience on our product.”

“I read a lot and I can read really fast so having the access to all of the books quickly through Scribd for one price is amazing,” said Scribd reader, Danielle Reynolds.  “Before, I’d have to go to different apps and I like having a seamless experience.”

Subscribers also like that the service is available on both Apple and Android smartphones, tablets, and computers, syncing to the exact page you are reading across all platforms.  When it comes to book selection, we offer readers an expansive array of genres–from yoga to quilting to mixology–we have books on almost everything.

As we continue to grow our collection, we try to gain as much feedback as possible. We love hearing what our readers have to say–the more we hear from them, the better we can build the Scribd library.

→ 4 Comments

Posted in In the News

Calling All Bookworms: Recently Added Books

Posted on November 15, 2013 by | 3 Comments

Do you spend so much time reading that it feels like you never have time to do anything else—eat, sleep, watch TV, talk to other people?

Do you always feel like, no matter how many books you add to your list, you never know what to read next?

If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then you are probably a bookworm.

Here at Scribd, we love bookworms! And while we can’t do anything about that first problem (nor would we want to), we can definitely help you out with the second. Our library is constantly expanding, and our Editorial Staff has made a list of some of our favorite recently added titles just for your enjoyment.

unfinishedbusiness

If you’re the kind of bookworm that craves murder mysteries so suspenseful you could read them in a single sitting, then you should check out Barbara Seranella’s books. Our recommendation: start with Unfinished Business, and work your way through the rest of her titles over the next few weeks.

husk

Sick of fiction? It’s ok, we’ve recently added lots of poetry collections, including Husk by Chris Price. Price is a well-known New Zealand poet, and his writing full of sensory images.

whenIMetFood

For bookworms who also have an affinity towards food, read When I Met Food: Living the American Restaurant Dream from Bibliomotion. The book chronicles Kathy Sidell’s foray into becoming a restaurateur in Boston.

witandwisdomofYogiBerra

As far as we’re concerned, The Wit and Wisdom of Yogi Berra is a necessary addition to anyone’s reading list. Through “Yogi-isms,” Philip Pepe follows Berras’s journey through the world of baseball while exploring his many personas.

These are only a few of the awesome titles we’ve added to Scribd recently. Feel free to check back as frequently as you like for your latest literary snack. As long as you keep reading, we’ll keep feeding you.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in In the News

Tagged ,

Delicious Food Fiction for The Season of Eating

Posted on November 13, 2013 by | 2 Comments

We’re almost halfway through November, and you know what that means—the season of eating has begun!

howtoeatacupcake

It’s still early in this yummy time of year, so you’re probably hungrily skimming food blogs for great seasonal snacks and trying to incorporate pumpkin into everything.  We figured that in between feasting your eyes, you may want to feed your literary soul a bit, too, so the Editorial Staff at Scribd put together a delicious collection of Food Fiction just for the occasion.

therecipeclubFor those interested in culinary inspiration, The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkle may be the way to go. Part cookbook, part novel, The Recipe Club is written in the form of emails, and includes 80 mouthwatering recipes.

 

 

 

 

fivequartersoftheorange

Looking for a taste of something more exotic? Try Joanne Harris’ Five Quarters of the Orange, a mysterious novel that takes place in postwar France along the rural Loire River.

If you’re into eating local, How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donahue could be the book for you. Set in Scribd’s hometown, San Francisco, the story follows the dramatic happenings between old friends at a cupcakery.

 

 

 

hungryforhappiness

Whether you’re from the South or just love Southern comfort food, Hungry for Happiness will definitely make you both happy and hungry. Once you finnish this empowering, funny book by James Villas, you’ll be craving biscuits and gravy.

 

 

 

 

 

No collection of Food Fiction would be complete without something sweet from Joanne Fluke. Keeping  with the holiday spirit, we recommend Candy Cane Murder; it includes shorts by Leslie Meier and Laura Levine, and is full of murder, festivity, and original recipes.

caNdycanemurder

Nothing here whetting your appetite? Take a peek at the full Food Fiction list on Scribd.com, but be warned: reading while hungry can be dangerous.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in In the News

Tagged , , ,

Scribd S-elections: Political Biographies

Posted on November 7, 2013 by | 1 Comment

Election Day: every year, those first few days of November are jam-packed full of hype and political messages, but in as little time as it takes you to cast your ballot, it’s all over. Sure, there might be a few differences here and there, but we all know that any real aftermath takes months to go into effect.

Image

You might be back to things as usual, but that doesn’t mean you have to be done with all the hullabaloo! Scribd’s Editorial Staff has put together a collection of absorbing political biographies featuring politicians past and present from any and every side of the spectrum.

 

Image

While it’s not unusual for the American public to keep an eye on the First Family, there’s no denying that the media has hit a new level of fascination with the Obamas. In Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage, Christopher Andersen takes readers back to the Obamas’ individual beginnings before walking through their history together as a power-couple.

 

 

 

 

goingrogue

Sarah Palin is a source of…well, lots of different things, depending on who you are. Whether you’re a fan, foe, or just curious about her controversy and how she got to where she is, her autobiography, Going Rogue: An American Life, is worth reading.

Speaking of controversial women…did you love Meryl Streep’s performance in Iron Lady? Then you’ll love The Downing Street Years, the first volume of Margaret Thatcher’s memoirs, encompassing her entire time as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

 

Image

If you’re in the mood for something a little less Western-centric, Christopher de Bellaigue’s Patriot of Persia could be the right read for you. Following the life of Muhammed Mossadegh, Iranian Prime Minister, the book gives interesting context to present-day conflict in the Middle East.

None of these bios quite your cup of tea? We’ve got a whole section full of hand-picked political biographies ready and waiting for you to read them on Scribd.com!

 

→ 1 Comment

Posted in In the News

Tagged , ,