Oh, to be in a cabin on a mountainside surrounded by woods, staring out at the morning whilst sipping my coffee... I'm as close to that as I can be in Kansas, sitting instead in front of a computer writing as I take my daily dose of caffeine. At least there are mountains painted on my mug. A thought, err musing, crossed my mind this morning as I laid in bed snoozing since I had the leisure for once. It's something I've puzzled over for quite a while now. I know before I kvetched about the ...
fantasy
An Erev Shabbat Story
It’s Erev Shabbat, and I’ve just said goodbye to my husband who left for work, leaving me to watch the Dawn as I drink my tonic of coffee. Soon I’ll be going to the DMV for some much needed name changing...stuff, cleaning our home, get my hands covered in dough kneading challah, cooking dinner, preparing myself — all in anticipation of greeting the Sabbath. Except now as I sit in the stillness, I need to find silence. I need to quiet my soul. It is the month of Elul, a time of ...
WOMS: The Glass Spare Duology & the Deceiver’s Heart
The Glass Spare & The Cursed Sea by Lauren DeStefano This duology intrigued me simply because the magical power of the protagonist, Wil, was turning alive objects -- humans, plants, animals, etc. -- into gemstones. Kind of a bizarre concept, except DeStefano makes it work. That is what fascinated me. Unfortunately, that's the only thing which fascinated me. Sure, the plot is a bit predictable, but there's enough differences the reader stays entertained long enough to finish the books. ...
WOMS: Grishaverse
Let me start by explaining I'm going to begin referring to my "What's on my Shelf" posts as WOMS. Makes sense, right? And now your mouth isn't too full. As I catch up on these posts, I'm going to work backwards through what I've most recently read before recommitting to build my consistency, but this post is going to be the odd ball out. While I have recently read some of the books within Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, I read the first installment trilogy last summer. Here's hoping I ...
For the Love of Reading
How many times have you ever heard that to be a good writer you need to first be a good [avid] reader? I've lost count myself; I think it was this cliche which I gritted my teeth or rolled my eyes at the most. My annoyance or anyone else's, however, does not negate the truth behind this advice. It's a cliche for a reason. The greatest problem I had overcoming my agitation any time someone mentioned this to me was first admitting to myself I did not read anymore. Shocking, I know, but a ...
