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The Weather Book Tag

I thought this was appropriate with the heat wave surging right now. I found this one again on Books Are 42 and thought it would be a good way to cool off! Sunshine: A Book That Made You Smile Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry. It was so good!! Five stars, recommend. Rain: A Book You Couldn’t Put Down The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab was another amazing read from this year…

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A Study of Subgenres: Body Horror

We are moving into subgenres of the horror variety! As someone that’s decent at writing horror, I really want to read more and explore the various types. So let’s start with the one people tend to think of, the gory, the gross: body horror. Body horror, as its name suggests, showcases the grotesque of the human (or an animal’s) body. This could be through gore, disease, mutations, etc.…

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A Pinch of Poetry: Lies

The lies poem is a form I found on a classroom power point so it may not be very official, but I still I thought it sounded fun. All you have to do is write a poem where each line has a more and more outrageous lie. That’s it! Literally! Go be Pinocchio!

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Book List: Revenge

They say it’s sweet. Here are some books that center on enacting karma. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas Genre: Classic Average Goodreads Rating: 4.34 Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape,…

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The Europe Traveler Book Tag

You guys, it’s been way too long since I traveled. I really need to plan another trip to Europe soon. Funny how I thought I’d be living there by now, but life changes. Until I can plan another trip, I’ll do this tag! I found this on Books Are 42’s Blog. France – Your Favorite Love Story Starting off with such a difficult question! I think The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a good,…

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A Study of Subgenres: YA Fantasy

Of course every genre has a young adult subgenre! Because teenagers deserve to read too! Being YA means the target audience is teens ages 12-18, thus the main character is probably also around those ages, and exploring many of the same themes that come with those ages such as growing up, fitting in, finding one’s identity, and navigating emotions and life changes. Since the content is for…

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A Pinch of Poetry: I Wish

Today’s poem type is the I Wish poem! This is another very simple form. It’s 8-10 lines, and each line begins with “I Wish.” Cue Into the Woods music. This is another one of those poetry forms they teach little kids, so I don’t have any famous examples, but it’s still a fun one to try!

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May Wrap-Up

I can’t believe we’re entering summer (partly because the weather is not cooperating–it’s still chilly ugh). I think I’m also still working on books I meant to read in January…. Anyway, here’s what I managed to read this month! The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange This literary fiction follows the lives of three siblings after the youngest returns from a prison sentence. Each of the…

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The Greek Gods Book Tag

I’ve always loved Greek mythology and this looks like a fun tag! I found this tag on Books are 42 and it was created by Zuky. I couldn’t access her post, but I’m hoping the pingback works! Zeus, King of the Gods: Your Favorite Book Don’t make me pick a favorite!!!! I can’t pick an overall favorite, but my favorite for the year so far is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. Hera,…

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A Study of Subgenres: Urban Fantasy

Today’s subgenre is a familiar setting with not so familiar elements: Urban Fantasy. Urban typically means cities; in the subgenre realm, urban fantasy means normal everyday urban settings. The “fantasy” part, however, means magic or magical creatures are involved! Urban Fantasy also tends to be more “noir” like, which means the setting will be dark and gritty. Urban Fantasy also tends to be…

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A Pinch of Poetry: Explorer

I’m coming at you today with another poetry form: the Explorer poem. Ok, ok, so this is a form you’d most likely find in primary schools, but it still exists! It’s–you guessed it–a poem about a famous explorer with 5-10 facts about said explorer. Whether it’s Magellan or Marco Polo, an explorer poem is a way for kids to learn history and put it in a creative way! Today was a quick one; next…

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Book Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (Macmillan)

One of the online book clubs I joined decided to start the Mistborn trilogy this month, and I was so excited to finally get a taste of Brandon Sanderson literature. Because I drive a lot, I decided to go with the audiobook for this one, though in retrospect, I think with all the characters, hard magic system, and action scenes, physical would have been better and less confusing. In the Final…

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They're a 10 But....Book Tag

“They’re a 10 but…” is a trend that will never get old. I found this tag on Books Are 42 and it was created by KD Books. They’re Over 500 Pages Long The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. No, I still haven’t read it. They’re on Preorder A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid. Expected in August! They’re a Red Flag Lights Out by Navessa Allen. Look, I loved it, but can’t deny the bright red…

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A Study of Subgenres: Sword & Sorcery

Sword & Sorcery is another fantasy subgenre. Like its name implies, the subgenre often has sword-wielding heroes, magic, and even some romance. Unlike many high fantasies, Sword & Sorcery doesn’t have a theme of good versus evil but tends to have morally gray characters fighting unfair hierarchies, tyranny, or social structures. Thus, the subgenre tends to be darker or grittier and often has a…

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A Pinch of Poetry: Diamante

The diamante is a poem whose text makes a shape like a diamond. The poem can be comparing and contrasting two things or can be synonyms in the beginning and antonyms at the end. Iris Tiedt introduced this poem form in the 1960s. In order to write this… Line 1: Noun Line 2: 2 asjectives Line 3: 3-ing words Line 4-four nouns Line 5-3 verbs Line 6-2 adjectives Line 7-Synonym Because it’s a…

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Book List: Overpowered Heroes

Usually, we hate the OP protagonists. Stories can get boring if we feel like there’s no challenge or stakes. But…there are actually a few books that read well even when the MC’s have too many powers. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson Genre: Fantasy Average Goodreads Rating: 4.49 For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in…

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Top 10 Tuesday: Ohio Authors

The Artsy Reader Girl created a list of top tens to help book bloggers out and I thought I’d jump in on this week’s: authors from your country/state. I’m from Ohio (skibidi as the kids would say). Surprisingly, there’s some prolific authors from here. Celeste Ng Edith Pattou Margaret Peterson Haddix Emily Henry Mia Sheridan Mindy McGinnis Angie Hockman Toni Morrison Justin A.…