“For books are more than books, they are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives.”

— Cicero

  • Books I’ve DNF’d

    Books I’ve DNF’d

    It is pretty rare that I “DNF” (“do not finish”) a book. Typically, I choose books that I think I’ll like, or that are well-regarded in the literary world. I don’t frequently choose books at random, nor do I choose books that sound uninteresting to me. I’m a picky reader, and I’m not ashamed of…

  • My Personal Reading Soft Spots

    My Personal Reading Soft Spots

    After I wrote my second reading pet peeves post, I realized I should probably add some positive content about things that I really like to see when I’m reading a book. Sometimes when you’re reading, there are certain aspects or inclusions that will just make you enjoy a book a little bit more than if…

  • My Biggest Reading Pet Peeves: Part 2

    My Biggest Reading Pet Peeves: Part 2

    It’s time for some more complaining. I think anyone who reads extensively gathers a lot of pet peeves along the way. When you read a lot, you see that a lot of authors will commit the same faux paus or use the same tropes, and the more you read the more recognizable these patterns become.…

  • Book Review #21: Ninth House & Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

    Book Review #21: Ninth House & Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

    By now, I think it’s safe to say that you all know I’m a pretty big Leigh Bardugo fan. The Six of Crows duology is one of my favorite YA book series (that feels more “adult” than YA anyway), and I am always excited to read anything Bardugo puts out. Because of this, I was…

  • Book Review #20: Misery by Stephen King

    Book Review #20: Misery by Stephen King

    What. A. Ride. Before I delve into this review, I feel I should mention that I am a big Stephen King fan, so I’m generally biased when it comes to his novels. There are some that I have felt just weren’t for me, but for the most part I know that when I pick up…

  • Book Review #19: Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

    Book Review #19: Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

    It’s been a while. Some time ago I wrote a post about how to motivate yourself to write when you really don’t want to. As you can tell by my months-long absence, I did not take my own advice. I would like to add a quick tip, though: Another great way to make yourself write…

  • Easily Accessible Nonfiction Books Everyone Should Read

    Easily Accessible Nonfiction Books Everyone Should Read

    As I progress as a reader, I try to challenge myself to read more and more nonfiction books each year. Nonfiction has always been a challenging genre for me due to the dryer nature of the books. I’ve always liked a great story, and many nonfiction books are just not story books. However, there are…

  • Books for If You Like Gothic Literature

    Books for If You Like Gothic Literature

    When I was in college I took a class that explored classic Gothic literature novels. We read books like Frankenstein, Carmilla, Dracula, The Portrait of Dorian Gray, and so on. Some of these novels ended up being books that really changed the way I viewed writing and reading, and gothic literature quickly became one of…

  • Book Review #18: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

    Book Review #18: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

    Today I’m coming at you with some slight controversy. I didn’t hear about this book when it came out (because I don’t pay attention to these sorts of things), so I didn’t have very much background about it before going into this read. However, it was pretty apparent from the synopsis of the story that…

  • Tips to Make Yourself Write When You Really Don’t Want to

    Tips to Make Yourself Write When You Really Don’t Want to

    Everyone gets in a writing rut sometimes. Whether it’s true writer’s block or simply a lack of motivation to write, it can be difficult to jog your artistic abilities. I suffer from the ebb and flow of motivation frequently, and when I’m lacking motivation, I’m REALLY lacking it. So, I have a lot of experience…

Thank you for reading.