John Green is a name that sends literary circles into either scoffs of indifference or screams of fangirlish delight. When I moved to Indianapolis to go to Butler University’s MFA program, my older sister Robin ecstatically asked to see the city with me, so as to point out all the places mentioned in The Fault … Continue reading Looking for Alaska, by John Green →

What original remark can I make about the queen of contemporary young adult literature, Sarah Dessen? She’s actually won an award for her contributions to young adult literature, for goodness sakes! And I applaud that, truly I do. But I was not all that excited to pick up The Rest of the Story because I … Continue reading The Rest of the Story, by Sarah Dessen →

I’m probably the only American girl that didn’t go through a horse phase. Nonetheless, I’ve always found horses to be a walking paradox. They are strong and powerful, but, once trustful of you, they are extraordinarily gentle. On many occasions, I’ve merely stood next to a horse, stroking its muzzle, and it produces the same … Continue reading Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry →

Thanks to Wunderkind for sending me an ARC of The Vine Witch in exchange for an honest review. Happy Halloween season, everyone! I probably should have said that in my first review of October, but I think this one is probably the most fitting to make that announcement on anyway. I’ve already established that I … Continue reading The Vine Witch, by Luanne G. Smith →

Prepare your torches and pitchforks. I’m probably the one person in the whole world that did not fall hopelessly, head-over-heels, over-the-moon in love with Hamilton: An American Musical. I know. What a disgusting, wretched heathen am I for not rabidly loving the groundbreaking music, ingenious storytelling, and the renewed national interest in the American Revolution! … Continue reading Alex and Eliza: A Love Story, by Melissa de la Cruz →

I’ll let it be known that I have never read Jane Eyre—at least, not in its entirety. I began it sometime in college, but distractions prevented me from finishing it. However, that didn’t prevent me from picking up Alexa Donne’s Brightly Burning, a sci-fi retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s classic. Like with Jenna Moreci, Ms. Donne’s … Continue reading Brightly Burning, by Alexa Donne →

Romance novels don’t frequent this blog very often. But sometimes, when I walk past my family’s bookshelf, I see the same books that pique my interest, and I have to finally give them a read. Catherine Anderson’s Only By Your Touch was one such book. I established in a previous entry that I was beginning … Continue reading Only By Your Touch, by Catherine Anderson →

My freshman year of high school, I took a Leadership for Life class, where we wrote our own eulogies and discussed our bucket lists—pretty heavy, I know. We also watched many thought-provoking movies, my favorite being Tim Burton’s Big Fish. I forgot, until recently, that the story of a dying father recreating his life as … Continue reading Big Fish, by Daniel Wallace →

I have a love-hate relationship with disaster stories. On the one hand, they can give me anxiety, but on the other hand, they can be riveting in how their characters react to the disaster. Much in the vein of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Last Survivors series (which I recommend checking out), Karen Thompson Walker’s The Age … Continue reading The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker →

It would be more than redundant at this point to say that I love fairy tales. The sad truth, though, is that very few contemporary authors make that world seem close and true to life. However, once in a blue moon, when the sweeping language, the charming characters, and wondrous locations of old tales is … Continue reading Wildwood Dancing, by Juliet Marillier →