“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
To anyone that has read this blog for any length of time, it's no secret I love reviewing stories in all forms of media. It enables me to think critically and learn what makes a story fail or succeed. I owe much of my growth as a writer to watching other reviewers discuss what they… Continue reading How to NOT Suck at Reviewing in Five Easy Steps
Now that we've shucked off our ugly Christmas sweaters and vacuumed up all the tinsel, it's time to create unattainable goals for ourselves! We do this pretty much every single year, or-- if you're like me-- you've pretended to not come up with resolutions so that you aren't disappointed by your inevitable failure. However, now… Continue reading Books, Writing, and Other Goals for 2020
After the colossal wash-rag that was season 8, people are growing steadily less patient with George R.R. Martin and his slow output. The newest installment of the series, The Winds of Winter, has been in the works for nearly a decade now and people are chomping at the bit for a return to normalcy. They want to go… Continue reading My Thoughts on the Long Wait for “The Winds of Winter”
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 1 OF GAME OF THRONES AND MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE BOOKS. Good news! I can consider myself a good nerd now that I have finally completed the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. That being said, I have many thoughts that I am wanting… Continue reading Game of Thrones: Book 1 v. Season 1
A special thanks to theorangutanlibrarian for nominating me for this award! I'm honored to be receiving it and I enjoyed making this post! Here goes! Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blogging site. Answer the questions. Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions. Notify the… Continue reading Sunshine Blogger Award #5
WARNING: POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE SECOND BOOK IN THE OUTLANDER SERIES, A DRAGONFLY IN AMBER. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. My relationship with the Outlander series so far is mired by indecision. There's so much to adore about these books: the remarkable characters, the rich descriptions, the sexy-fun times, the action-packed storyline that constantly… Continue reading Damn you, Outlander Series: Thoughts on A Dragonfly in Amber
WARNING: CONTAINS MILD TO SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK. The Terror and her flagship, Erebus, are stranded in the arctic. Their food source is contaminated. Sickness is rampant. Their ships have been ravaged by ice. And no rescue is expected. .......Oh, and, also, there's an immortal polar bear demon that can only be appeased by… Continue reading Thoughts on “The Terror” by Dan Simmons
This may make me sound like a traitor to readers everywhere, but I am generally not a fan of big books, specifically ones that exceed 450 pages in length. That's not to say I don't like any large books. One of my favorite books of all time, Gone With The Wind, is nearly 1,000 pages long. However,… Continue reading TL;DR: The Problem With Big Books
I'm not going to lie. I had many, many illusions about blogging when I started The Crooked Pen. I thought that, with enough vigor and talent I would be able to flock hundreds of thousands of people to this site. I had seen other blogs similar to this one and I thought I had them… Continue reading How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK OUTLANDER AHEAD. Strap in, folks, this is gonna be a long review. Then again this was a long book, so what do you expect? What I liked: The great characters. I didn't always like Claire, but she always felt like a person and not just a vassal through which the author… Continue reading Thoughts on “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon
The Crooked Pen 