Even if you haven’t read anything by Henry David Thoreau, you’re probably familiar with some of his famous aphorisms: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.” “I was not born to be forced. I will … Continue reading An Afternoon at Walden: What Thoreau Taught Me About Paying Attention
reading
The Childhood Books That Made Me Love Reading
I’ve been an avid readers since I was in the third grade. I was usually the first in my class to get my work finished, so I was able to sit on the red and blue rug in front of the bookcase and choose a book to read. That was probably my favorite part of … Continue reading The Childhood Books That Made Me Love Reading
My Low-Tech Cures for Boredom: The Joy of Analog
During this past summer, I made a specific effort to lean into my boredom, and, instead of allowing myself to feel defeated by it, I discovered some wonderful new ways to spend my time that didn’t include scrolling on my phone. I expected to be quite bored this summer since, for the first time in … Continue reading My Low-Tech Cures for Boredom: The Joy of Analog
What Makes a Mystery an Inverted Mystery?
Some of the more general questions I’ve received lately have to do with inverted mysteries and what specifically makes an inverted mystery. To put it in its simplest terms, an inverted mystery reveals the central event (the murder or whatever the mystery is about ) early in the story. Instead of focusing on the solving … Continue reading What Makes a Mystery an Inverted Mystery?
Five Favorite Reads from 2025 (The Books That Stayed With Me)
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)
My Bookshelf Aesthetic: Why I Keep Murakami, Morrison, and Thoreau Next to My Penguin Classics
Explore the bookshelf where Haruki Murakami meets Toni Morrison, Thoreau, and Penguin Black Classics. Discover the aesthetic and philosophy behind mixing surreal fiction with literary tradition.
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
What I’m Reading: The Thomas Cromwell Trilogy
Reading has always been a solace to me, these days perhaps more than ever. Here’s a bit of what I’ve been reading lately. After much anticipation (on my own part, as well as many others around the world), Hilary Mantel finally released The Mirror and the Light, the conclusion of the Thomas Cromwell Trilogy. As … Continue reading What I’m Reading: The Thomas Cromwell Trilogy
What I’m Reading: History and Self-Discovery
Here's a bit of what I've been reading lately. Bad Feminist I've heard much about Roxane Gay, mainly because, like me, she's an academic who writes for a more general population. Bad Feminist is the first book I've read from Gay, and I'm glad I finally took the plunge. According to Gay's definition, I would … Continue reading What I’m Reading: History and Self-Discovery
Books Are Dead? Not While Powell’s Lives.
The amazing Powell's City of Books. Every city needs one. Remember Book Stores? Today I saw an empty store where a Borders used to be, and I sniffled when I realized the building is now a Ross Dress-For-Less. I have nothing against Ross Dress-For-Less—I found some cute luggage there once—but as I drove past I … Continue reading Books Are Dead? Not While Powell’s Lives.