A page from my reading journal featuring poetry by Mary Oliver and Kafka on the Shore. I’m currently knee-deep into the fifth draft of my current #WIP, but I also don’t want to abandon my streak of blogging once a week since March 2025. This week, I wanted to do a (late-ish) round-up of my … Continue reading Five Favorite Reads from 2025 (The Books That Stayed With Me)
Reading Inspiration
Books To Curl Up With This Winter
Since I’ve been in a Victorian mood lately, with working on my literary scholarship about Dickens and researching the Victorian era in general, I wanted to focus on winter books with some of the same themes you’ll find in Christmas at Hembry Castle, stories about love and loss, memory and redemption, the pull of history … Continue reading Books To Curl Up With This Winter
Embrace the Cozy: My Ultimate Autumn Reading List
I've made no secret of the fact that autumn is my favorite time of year. After a rough summer of 100+ degree heat, the cooler weather and pretty-colored trees in my neighborhood are a welcome relief. While we're not quite in autumn yet in Southern Nevada, even 89 degrees Fahrenheit feels cooler after such hot days. … Continue reading Embrace the Cozy: My Ultimate Autumn Reading List
The Allure of Dark Academia: Why This Genre Casts a Powerful Spell
One of my most popular posts is this guide to the Dark Academia genre. I wanted to look a little more closely into the topic since reading Dark Academia novels has become one of my guilty pleasures. I’ve said before that I must live under a rock since I heard about Dark Academia maybe two … Continue reading The Allure of Dark Academia: Why This Genre Casts a Powerful Spell
Top Summer Reads of 2025: My 5 Favorite Picks
The Joy of Summer Reading It goes without saying that I read a lot during the summer, especially these days when I’m hardly leaving the house because it’s so hot outside. I know you’re thinking but you live in the desert…of course it’s hot! True, but the heat hit us sooner this year and we’ve … Continue reading Top Summer Reads of 2025: My 5 Favorite Picks
Annotating Books for Research and Enjoyment: My Personal Methods
The Joy of Annotating Books I’ve been a bookworm all my life. I started reading at a young age, which my mother attributes to my watching Sesame Street. Ernie and Bert and ABC songs aside, books were my first and best friends. I lived in books. In books I saw that there were other worlds, … Continue reading Annotating Books for Research and Enjoyment: My Personal Methods
Hidden Gems: My Favorite Bookish YouTube Channels Revealed
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I enjoy watching YouTube videos occasionally, particularly of the BookTube variety. Not all BookTube videos are created equal, though. Some are just okay, and there are too many BookTubers who recommend the same books and say the same things as other BookTubers. Then there are the creators who … Continue reading Hidden Gems: My Favorite Bookish YouTube Channels Revealed
Reading Recommendations: Historical Fiction, Poetry, and Magical Realism.
I finally have enough juice in the tank to write the first draft of my latest novel, so that has been keeping me busy lately. My daily word count is 500 words minimum a day when I’m writing a first draft, but things are flowing smoothly, and most days I write about 1000 words. At the … Continue reading Reading Recommendations: Historical Fiction, Poetry, and Magical Realism.
Exploring Dark Academia: A Guide to the Genre
I had a wonderful summer, for which I’m thankful. I managed to balance working on two different book projects, one fiction and one nonfiction, and I also took time to just exist and enjoy my summer break. I baked a lot and then I ate what I baked. Otherwise, why bake? I checked out some … Continue reading Exploring Dark Academia: A Guide to the Genre
What I’m Reading: Witches, 16th Century Life, and Demon Copperhead
As always, summer is a wonderful time for reading. While I haven't had a chance to visit the beach, summer days are perfect for lazing around with a good book and a glass of iced tea. Here's a bit of what I've read this summer. The Practical Magic Series by Alice Hoffman So far, I've … Continue reading What I’m Reading: Witches, 16th Century Life, and Demon Copperhead