-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
Victoria Van Vlear 