The Curiosity Study

We’ve Moved!

We’ve moved to https://carpereadem.wordpress.com/ You can find all of our old posts (and many new ones!) there. Thank you!

Illuminae by by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

A 60 Second Review by Anne Brees ★★★★★ (4.75) Genre – Young Adult Science Fiction Summary – The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are…

5 Tips on Naming Your Characters

The name of your character is going to stay with your book the whole way. It’s very important to get it exactly right. Lucky for you, you don’t have to know your characters’ names before you start writing. I have started stories and named my characters @, $, ^, %, and *, just so that I could get on with the story and come back to the hard naming business later. But, once you get to that hard…

Pretentiously Staring Out of a Bus Window Playlist

Everyone has the time in their life when they must pretentiously stare out of a bus window. They must consider all of their life choices while mentally picturing themselves as the lead in their life movie. Lucky for you, we made a playlist just for that. Pretentiously Staring Out of a Bus Window Playlist Castle by Halsey Heartbreak Dreamer by Mat Kearney Postcards by Cry Monster Cry Fake…

is it a million

is it TWO million

word counter: 409 words

5 Tips for Writing Setting

Finding the balance for the right amount of setting can be difficult. Too much and the plot disappears. Too little and you have characters floating through white space. Setting can add a lot to your story, but only when written correctly. Use all five senses. This is a pretty standard tip when it comes to writing setting. That’s because it works. In your day, you notice a lot more things than the…

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

A 60 Second Review by Anne Brees ★★★☆☆ (2.50) Genre – Young Adult Realistic Fiction Summary – Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless. Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed “It” girl in her class, but her grades stink. Their worlds are about to collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom.(Summary from GoodReads) Initial Thoughts – This…

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

A 60 Second Review by Anne Brees ★★★☆☆ (2.50) Genre – Young Adult Science Fiction Summary – Reese can’t remember anything from the time between the accident and the day she woke up almost a month later. She only knows one thing: She’s different now. (Summary from GoodReads) Initial Thoughts – I was attracted to the intriguing cover of this book and a promise of interesting science fiction in the…