“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
I don't know who you are..... I don't know what you are reading.... But you don't have to finish that book. I know everyone in the book community is crowing about how good it is, how "important," how transformative. But those people are dumb. Okay, they aren't dumb, they just have different opinions than you.… Continue reading It’s Okay to Not Finish That Book
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
I have a confession to make. While I consider myself to be a major reader, up until about three weeks ago, I had not frequented a library in almost 2 years. Before you judge,I had a good reason (or at least I thought). Life was getting hectic and I have no impulse control. I was… Continue reading Falling Back in Love with the Library
The other day I went to Barnes and Noble and the unthinkable happened... I didn't buy a book. No, really. I went to the bookstore and I didn't purchase any books. Not even one that I thought looked cool but knew deep in my soul I would never read....a.k.a a quarter of the books currently… Continue reading The Tragic Tale of My Reading Slump
Warning: The following contains butt-hurt and the overuse of commas. Viewer discretion is advised. I'm not afraid of putting my nose to the grindstone in the name of telling a good story. I can close my door, cancel plans, wake up early, stay up late, suffer blood-letting editing session after blood-letting editing session. I can be… Continue reading Adventures in Writerland: The Ugly Truth About Success in Publishing
It could be my experience in customer service that has inspired me to write this post, however, this is something I've always believed to some degree: Books are better than people. Don't believe me? You will soon. Books are always available. If you are up in the middle of the night, you can just roll over… Continue reading Why Books Are Better Than People
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 can say with unshakeable certainty that Rebecca is one of the best horror novels I've ever read. It wasn't an action-packed gore-fest like many books of the same genre, but in my mind that's what makes it one of the greats. It's a British novel positively dripping with atmosphere and dramatic tension with an excellent… Continue reading My Emotionally Abusive Relationship with Daphne Du Maurier
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 