As a rule, I am impatient with the gaggle of quirky, silly sidekicks that populate many books and movies for the sole function of comic relief. Fantasy books are particularly egregious offenders in this regard because there is an abundance of lesser creatures that can be employed as throwaway comic characters with funny speech patterns … Continue reading Twilight: So Sparkling Bright
There is probably no English author quite as well known by reputation as Shakespeare. The only others who could come close would probably be Chaucer, Dickens, and more recently, Agatha Christie. But for a playwright with such a firm position in the annals of English literature and a reputation as “serious literature for serious people,” … Continue reading A Tale of Sprites and Goblins: Books Inspired by Shakespeare
I can’t believe this fall is coming without it being associated with school starting for me. It’s the first time in four years that’s happened! Woo-woo, 2020 university graduate! But even before that, in the years I was finishing highschool, fall was not exclusively school time, nor was it quite the same as anticipating going … Continue reading Elsa, I think
One of the enduring types of fiction, one of the most prolific types of stories told to this day, through whatever medium, is the adventure story. There are quests, colourful characters, cut-throats, intrigues, losses, rescues, betrayals, cloaks, daggers… the works. I’m categorizing ten of my 100 books to read as predominantly adventure stories. 1. Kidnapped … Continue reading 10 Adventure Books: 100 Books to Read #4
I have a problem that’s been going on for quite sometime. I’ve sort of noticed it off and on in the background, but always dismissed it as something I don’t really need to take steps to fix. Until now. It came to a head when I went back to a WIP and started thinking about … Continue reading Secondary Characters: The Curse of the Dark Horse
Once upon a time, in days gone by, while I was still doing high school, I read books that interested me while they still interested me. There were times I actually read hyped books before the hype died down. Crazy, right? So here are 7 YA series I actually read all of. 1. Inkworld by … Continue reading 7 YA Book Series I Actually Got Into
Peveril of the Peak by Walter ScottMy rating: 4 of 5 starsWhen I started Peveril of the Peak I had no idea what it was about, which turned out to be fine because the first chapter or so pretty much lays it all out. There are, in fact, two Peverils of the Peak, a father … Continue reading Peveril of the Peak Book Review
I’m a chronic re-reader. I can’t not have the desire to revisit books I have previously enjoyed. Particularly when I have a stack of unread books in queue waiting for more of my attention than just an occasional dusting. Part of this liking for re-reading books feeds into my need to own all the books. … Continue reading Re-Read to Weed (but also just to re-read)
So I was reading along in The Nest of the Sparrowhawk, and in one scene a paragraph of narration caught my attention and reminded me of something else. In the scene, some Cavaliers have been cornered in the upper room of an illegal gambling house by Cromwell's guards. They draw their swords initially, taking umbrage … Continue reading Enjolras, Cromwell, and Counter-Revolutionary Dictates of Common Sense
The Nest of the Sparrowhawk by Emmuska OrczyMy rating: 3 of 5 starsThe Nest of the Sparrowhawk is an intrigue placed in the upheaval following the execution of Charles I and during the Protectorship of Cromwell. Lady Sue, orphaned daughter of royalist parents, has been placed under the guardianship of Cromwell supporter, Sir Marmaduke de … Continue reading The Nest of the Sparrowhawk Book Review
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Writer of short stories, flash fiction and children's novels
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A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say. – Italo Calvino
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