"If they do not write the kind of books we want to read, we shall have to write them ourselves." -C.S. Lewis
The tale of Rumpelstiltskin is one of my absolute favorites so when I learned that Naomi Novik had written a short story in a collection of retold fairy tales, I hurriedly picked it up and read it. The book was The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe. Then I discovered… Continue reading Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Serafina returned in the third installment of Robert Beatty's epic Biltmore series and she did not disappoint. I love the imagination that went into the creation of this character and her story. I live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, an easy hour drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I absolutely obsess… Continue reading Book Review: Serafina and the Splintered Heart by Robert Beatty
I think we all have that one book that spoke louder to us than any other book we've read. A book that inspired us, sparked a fire within us and transported us to new worlds far beyond our imagination. For millions of people, myself included, across several generations and continents, that book was and is… Continue reading Happy Hobbit Day!
A few years ago, I started doing "visual exercises" where I took an image and created a scene with it. I want to get back into doing that for two reasons: The last time I did these, one post inspired me to write my first fantasy novel, which I'm trying to finish this year. Maybe… Continue reading Visual Writing
Have you ever been a part of a book club? Typically, everyone in the group reads the same book and then get together to discuss it. I find this boring. I mean, if I was a part of a group where every member enjoyed the same types of books as me, then I guess it… Continue reading A Themed Book Club
[WARNING: Game of Thrones SPOILERS are in this post, so only continue reading if you are caught up in the books and the show.] This is a post relating specifically to Game of Thrones, but generally to any story long enough to expose its readers to multiple characters in various different lights. I have been… Continue reading Shifting Alliances in Reading
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! I am so excited for this year because, as everyone does, I have set a New Year's Resolution, and it involves all of YOU (my followers and fellow bloggers). Unlike most of the "lose weight" plans, mine is (I'd like to think) realistic. I plan on finishing my novel. I've been writing… Continue reading Bringing in the New Year
I read The Hobbit every year. Like clockwork, every January I pick up my favorite book and I read it. It's so appropriate! The book is about an unexpected adventure. What better time of year to read that than at the start of a new year? What unexpected adventures await me? I have decided that… Continue reading The Magic of the Re-Read
What a creative and super imaginative journey with a superior plot and bright, vivid characters. I listened to this book on audio so the jumps in time and place could be disorienting at times, but I did not even care. The writing was fluid enough that if I was momentarily confused, I quickly got back… Continue reading Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Total Film magazine released their Top 10 scenes in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. While I certainly agree with some of their choices, I would place some scenes higher or lower than others so I have created my own list in this post. To celebrate six glorious films, more than fifteen… Continue reading Peter Jackson Tribute: Top Ten Scenes of Middle-earth
