I picked up my family's copy of The Fellowship of the Rings just the other day to start reading it. My family just recently watched all of the movies, and I decided to read the books again. My dad read them all out loud to me when I was younger. He used to read out loud … Continue reading The Smell of Books →

I just recently learned that the Ancient Greeks used to invite orators to their banquets and parties, and they would listen to stories of the gods and past heroes as the entertainment for the evening. I wasn't too impressed. I didn't even take much notice. Plenty of past civilizations kept their history, myths, and legends … Continue reading The Lost Art of Storytelling →

Stifle your gasps, everyone--it's actually happening. Two book reviews in one week. Let me explain myself. I actually finished Anna Karenina a good bit before I posted about it. I finished it on August 1, 2018--a date which will live in infamy. I then procrastinated writing the review for a while, because--hey--I was done with Anna Karenina … Continue reading Book Review: At Bertram’s Hotel →

Friends-- Companions-- Readers-- I have done it. Anna Karenina, having been read once, now sits on my shelf--big, fat, and inanimate, never to be read again. I don't know. Maybe years from now, when I'm older and wiser and more patient, I'll pick it up again and immerse myself in 754 pages of Russian politics and … Continue reading Book Review: Anna Karenina (for Real This Time) →

We live in a large fish tank of many, many different types of fish. Figuratively. There are fish of different colors, sizes, shapes, and capabilities all around us. That's what makes life so interesting. There's the plain, solid-colored fish: you know, the one that isn't anyone's favorite fish, but we all think of this kind … Continue reading Kinds of Fish →

It's about time for another book review, don't you guys think? I just recently finished reading Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, and . . . Haha, just kidding. I only started it like two months ago. And no one, ever, in the history of the world, has read Anna Karenina in under four years. Why? Because it's a … Continue reading Book Review: Anna Karenina →

Those of you who know me well knew that this had to come. It had to happen. I can only go so long without talking about it. I'm going to talk about Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. More specifically, I'm going to talk about Edward Rochester. This isn't a standard book review. I haven't even read … Continue reading The Absolute Worst →

I haven't posted in a while. Sorry. I know I talk about being a writer. I know I talk about writing. I know I've talked about how you need to write and read and write and write more and no matter what you do, keep writing. I know I've talked about how, when you don't … Continue reading Pies, and the Fingers We Stick in Them →

Like the people of the world, all punctuation marks are created equal. Like your elders and Kit-Kats, all should be respected. (Don't be the monstrosity who bites into the Kit-Kat without breaking it apart first, you hear?) Some, however, will just never get the respect they deserve. Periods are simple enough. Anyone with a first … Continue reading Crimes Against Grammar: The Poor, Poor Apostrophe →

It's a strange but indisputable fact of life that grumpy old men make excellent fictional characters. Why do you think so many people love Up? If these grumpy old men are soft inside but in denial about it, that's even better. Guess what this story is about? This is another short story that I wrote for … Continue reading Short Story Saturday: Greenhaven →