Author: victoriavanvlear
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March Reads
March has been full of pages. Here are the books I’ve read and my accompanying thoughts: Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton Genre: Christianity, Philosophy This book has officially made it on my Top Ten list. I read it for the first time six years ago, but I was young and foolish, and didn’t take much in. This…
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Book Review: Fairest of All, by Serena Valentino
Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen, by Serena Valentino About the book here. My sister and I are huge fans of fantasy, fairy tales, and Disney. So when we walked into California Adventure’s Off the Page store and saw a novel about Snow White’s Evil Queen, we were excited. To say that…
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Writing as Art
During my final semester of college, I’m taking a class called “Vision, Voice, and Practice.” The painting and poetry professors have teamed up to teach it, and it’s offered for either upper division Art or English credit. That’s where the “Vision” (art) and “Voice” (writing) parts come from. The class has afforded me a wonderful…
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Book Review: Gilded by Christina Farley
Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa moves from California to Seoul, South Korea, where she discovers that she’s part of a long lineage of girls who have been abducted by a Korean demigod. And she’s next. I read Gilded as an interlude between the second and third books in Colleen Houck’s Tiger Curse series. The two stories run…
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Monthly Reads: February
It’s a diverse bunch this month—everything from nihilist philosophy to junior high fantasy. It’s nice to break up that dense school reading with some fun adventures! Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King Genre: Non-Fiction, Editing Thoughts: This book blew me away. It was straight-forward, helpful, and insightful. Why was I reading…
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Meet Sydney Carton, a Man Famous for his Death
Warning! Contains spoilers. An interview with the late Sydney Carton, who was a resident of London at the end of the 18th century. Before moving briefly to Paris, Mr. Carton spent most of his time in the local pubs and taverns, and frequenting the residence of a Dr. and Lucie Manette. For his full story,…
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Benjamin Franklin’s Self-Help Book
It’s 1752 on the outskirts of Philadelphia, and pouring hard. Twelve-year-old Jeremy is bored; he’s been left at home with his mother while his older brother goes with their father to the local pub for a pint of ale and the local gossip. Jeremy reluctantly goes out into the barn to feed the three hens.…
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January Reads
The month of January marked my very last college interterm—a glorious five week break from school. As usual, I spent a lot of time reading. Here’s a quick run-down of the books I read in January: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen Genre: Young Adult Fiction See my review of this book here. Frozen…
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Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo For a fantastic review of the first book in the trilogy, here. One of the reasons I love reading fantasy novels is because of the magic—I get to experience a new world that isn’t limited to the familiar laws of Earth. Each world has it’s own set of…
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Why You Should Listen to Communists
Don’t panic. I am not a communist. I’m a patriotic American, and I fully believe in the freedom and opportunity of the capitalist system, in which hard work, motivation, and diligence gives way to success. I did, however, just finish reading Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ Communist Manifesto, with (I hope) an open mind. Let’s…
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Review: Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz
Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston, Heart of Dread Book 1 About the book here. In December, I went to see Disney’s animated Frozen with some friends. The story was characteristically Disney—happy and light-hearted, with dancing snowmen, puppy-like reindeer, and singing duos. Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston’s Frozen, on the…
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Review: The Moon and More, by Sarah Dessen
About the book here. I’m not usually a fan of steamy romance novels. Sure, they excite my imagination and get my heart pumping. But many of them are unrealistic, catered to the emotional desires of the female population. So when a friend bought me one of Sarah Dessen’s books a few years ago, I…
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Why Read Books?
The current age is that of technology—but more importantly, that of the Internet. We thrive on Facebook, Twitter and blogs. We watch movies on flat screens, post pictures on Tumblr, and text instead of talk. Our world is instantaneous, filled with fast-paced sound bites and bold colors to catch our fleeting attention. We get frustrated if a webpage…
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Starving, Going to War, and Giving Thanks
The images that come to mind with Thanksgiving are typically related to food: turkey, gravy, stuffing, a slice of pumpkin or apple pie. Family may also come to mind, along with the occasional Pilgrim. We don’t usually think of bloodshed, cannons, civil war, and patriotism. Yet these were the circumstances under which Thanksgiving became a…
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A Final Act of Service
Who does a funeral benefit? This last week, I took some time off from work and school to be with my family as we buried my grandfather. It was a difficult but rich time, remembering and learning more about a man who was one of my heroes. Prior to this week, I had always thought…
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A Time for Everything: Changing Seasons
Last weekend in Los Angeles, we had 90-degree weather. On Saturday, I wore shorts and flip flops; on Sunday, a sun dress. I am very tired of the summer. Don’t get me wrong—one of the reasons I love living in Southern California is the near-paradise weather. We rarely get rain, bask in 80 degrees in…
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What Kind of Faith Do I Have?
There seems to be a disconnect in my life between my absolute faith in Christ as the Savior of the world and of my soul, and my sometimes-less-certain faith in his guidance of my everyday life. Of course, in my head I absolutely believe that he will provide for me every second of every day.…
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From Atoms to Mustard Seeds: Assurance and Uncertainty
My latest post for Evangelical Outpost: John Wesley insists we can have assurance of our salvation. Romans 8:16 states, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Wesley takes this to mean that we can be absolutely certain of our entrance into heaven: “To secure us from all delusion,…
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Vacation Bible School and Athanasius: the Power of the Gospel
I never thought I’d be using Saint Athanasius to explain God to a fifth grader. But this Wednesday, I found myself thinking over Athanasius’ arguments in On the Incarnation as I challenged a group of squirmy 10-year-olds to tell me why Jesus had to die on a cross. Why couldn’t he die in his sleep…
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The Novelty of the Old
Hello, again! In lieu of posting on my personal blog, I have been contributing to a larger Christian blog called Evangelical Outpost. I have received multiple requests to publish the posts here so that the email subscribers receive them, too. This is my latest post, which went live today. Throughout my schooling career, teachers have instructed…
Victoria Van Vlear 