Author: victoriavanvlear
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Top 10 Reads of 2022
I read about 75 books this year, and here are my favorites (in no particular order). The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah Genre: Historical Fiction This novel is about the dust bowl in the US in the 1930s, and a family who becomes “Oakies” trying to survive by going west to California. Kristin Hannah always…
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In Defense of Hallmark Films
I recently watched two romance comedies, and the difference was striking enough that I had to write about it. The films were Home Again (2017) and Falling For Christmas (2016). Home Again was a “modern” rom com—so modern, in fact, that there isn’t a clear romance. The main character (played by Reese Witherspoon) is a…
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My Favorite Books, and Why They Change
The conversation question I both love and hate is: “What is your favorite book?” As a bookworm, it’s impossible to pick just one. But I also read so many books that my list of favorites does occasionally change. I used to think that was a problem—after all, shouldn’t your favorite books stay favorites forever? But…
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Why Fantasy Heroes Have Too Much Power
I’ve recently grown tired of main characters with too much power. My husband inadvertently gave me a term for this (it’s a video game term): Overpowered. In a video game, if you have a character who is too powerful, it makes the game unfair because it’s either too easy (if your character is overpowered), or…
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Top 10 Reads of 2017
Hi all! As this is the last day of 2017, here is a highlight of my favorite reads this year. My reading goal on Goodreads for 2017 was 80 books, and I managed to read 91. Of those 91 books, all but two were in my five favorite genres: fantasy (42%), historical fiction (16%), classic literature…
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Book Review: A Million Junes
I read A Million Junes through Penguin Publishing’s First to Read program. The book comes out on May 16. Imagine a Sarah Dessen novel—filled with serious questions and teenage vulnerabilities—paired with a collection of American tall tales. Now mix it all up into the Romeo and Juliet story, and the result is A Million Junes by Emily Henry. Synopsis…
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The Wanderers: Introspective People Who Don’t Go to Mars
I recently joined Penguin Publishing’s program called First To Read, which allows reviewers and bloggers to read books before they come out. The first book I’ve read through the program is The Wanderers, a literary fiction novel by Meg Howrey that comes out on March 14. Here’s my review. Synopsis: The book is about three astronauts…
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February Bookstagram Challenge!
Welcome to the #booklovefebruary challenge! If you’re coming over from Instagram or Simona’s blog, welcome! We’re super excited to be co-hosting this February challenge together. Here are the daily prompts, along with a few ideas: February TBR: Your To Be Read list for this month—what books do you want to get through in February? Book…
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5 Contemporary Fiction Books to Read
This is the last installment of the 5×5 series, where I’m exploring five of my favorite books in five different genres. If you missed them, check out my posts on fantasy, literature, historical fiction, and nonfiction. I don’t read contemporary fiction as often as several other genres, but I should. Contemporary fiction deals with real-world…
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5 Books to Expand Your Mind This Year
In this 5×5 series, I’m sharing five of my favorite books in five different genres. Revisit the posts on Fantasy, Literature, and Historical Fiction if you missed them. I’ve always loved stories, so when it comes to books, most of what I read is fiction. However, I’ve read quite a bit of nonfiction too—mostly philosophy and theology…
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5 Historical Fiction Books to Read This Year
In this 5×5 series, I’m exploring five books in five different genres over five posts. Head back to the posts on fantasy and literature, if you missed them. Books transport you to new worlds, and historical fiction gives you a taste of life in the past. I’ve always enjoyed the genre—when I was in late elementary…
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5 Classic Books to Read in 2017
In this 5×5 series, I’m exploring 5 books in 5 different genres, over 5 posts. If you missed the first post on fantasy books, you can check it out here. The first literary classic I read was Heidi in second grade. I found it in my school library, and while my friends were reading The…
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5 Fantasy Books You Should Read
Welcome to the 5×5 post series—five posts that explore five books in five different genres. Over half of the 80 books I’ve read this year have been fantasy, so we’ll start there. I’m going to skip over some of my favorite series such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings because most people already know about…
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Writing News
My apologies for the long silence. Am I still writing? Yep. Just not blog posts—for the moment. Here’s why: Just about a month ago, I finished writing the first draft of my fantasy novel! It clocked in at 122,000 words, which is a little longer than Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, to give you a…
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Crime and Punishment: What’s the Crime, and What’s the Punishment?
Crime and Punishment: What’s the crime, and what’s the punishment?
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My Cat, the Vampire Slayer
It’s been a while since I’ve posted any of my creative writing (unless you count Hermione Granger’s History of Magic essay), so here’s a short story for you. This is in honor of the new kitten my husband and I are getting in a few weeks—and hopefully not a foreshadow. My Cat, the Vampire Slayer…
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How to Decipher Russian Names
I’m currently on a Russian literature kick—I finished Crime and Punishment this weekend and just started War and Peace via audiobook. There’s so much about classic Russian literature I love, but the names drive me crazy. Each character seems to have five different names, and the narrator changes which name he uses depending on the situation. Multiply…
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Hermione’s Homework: The Basilisk
Hermione Granger’s History of Magic essay on recordings of the Basilisk in ancient history.
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Spreading the Platform: Medium.com
I’m starting to blog on a new platform: Medium.com! This came about because I recently sat down with the new marketing director at my magazine company, and he gave me some pointers for my own personal brand. One of them was to split my blog time between my own website (here) and Medium, which provides…
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World Building: How to Bring a Reader Down the Rabbit Hole
I both read and write fantasy fiction, and one of the aspects I love the most about the genre is the world-building. The author gets to create his or her own world—come up with everything from biology and astronomy to scientific laws and the government system. There are a few different ways to introduce a…
Victoria Van Vlear 