The whimsy of history & life

2020 (A Late) Book Review

The books below were some of the most memorable that I read last year, and I realized I’d been sitting on this review for a while. Oops! I’ll provide reasons I give certain ratings and classifications. Here we go! A Time of War and Demons by S.E. Wendel (4/5) Classification: Medieval high fantasy with its own mythology that ultimately intertwines with its human world. Brief Rundown: Follows…

NEW ON THE BLOG: My Top Fictional Characters of 2019 (A Sort-Of Book Review)

This year’s theme, over and over, without my realizing, was fantasy, fantasy, and more fantasy—with strong heroines that ended up fighting for those they love (either physically, as warriors, or fierce nonviolent movers of fate. And yes, this includes rereads that I reread this year from my absolute-favorite library (so some books weren’t actually published in 2019).

There were some men that…

"Encouraging genuine searching for truth, without threat of coercion or force, creates room for grace to spread."

I was struck by the TV show Vikings a while back and was recently rewatching these episodes of interest — or at least, a subsection of the story, around season 2 and 3. It ended up being my favorite plot line amidst so many others.

Athelstan, a monk who is captured by Vikings and initially treated as a slave, becomes an important character for unfolding the show’s spiritual and moral themes…

Book Review: The Winternight Trilogy

I had just finished, two days previous, my Master of Fine Arts. With surreal satisfaction, I pressed SEND to my faculty advisor all my relevant components required for graduation.

I was ready to dive into reading for fun, reading that I didn’t have to critique or analyze. I’d had this series (at least, the first book when I started) on my TBR list for two years, and I was excited to dive in.…

Warming Rays Against Ping-Pong Thoughts

For me, in the last month or so, I have struggled a lot with knowing my worth. Professionally, personally. This is not a search for a pat on the back or validation — it’s merely me trying to be honest and real with myself, and maybe let people in on that process of figuring that out too.

There’s a thing about negativity. Well, there are a lot of things that areit, but I find that once it gets in…