About stories of all kinds
Charles Dickens is a poet. In his Defense of Poesy, Sir Philip Sydney, said something like this: “There are many poets who never versified and there are many versifiers that need never answer to the name of poet.” So, Dickens may not be one to slide a romantic rhyming couplet over on you or scratch… Continue reading Sketches on Boz: Books Inspired by Charles Dickens
I'm re-reading the Raven Cycle by Maggie Steifvater right now. For a long time, I've had this comparison in my head between the second book, The Dream Thieves, and this scene from Inception. In The Dream Thieves, Ronan has the ability to pull objects and creatures out of his dreams and give them form in… Continue reading Inception’s alternate title: The Dream Thieves
I don’t know about anyone else, but I had travel plans for this spring. I needed a getaway, a change of scenery. Instead, I got confined to home. So I’m using the time to write. And read. And what better thing to read when you’re stuck at home than books about travel? I broke into… Continue reading 5 Fictional Travel Narratives: 100 Books to Read #3
Classic stories get around, from Greek legends to Germanic fairy tales. They are told and re-told with new elements, characters, and settings, inspiring spin-offs, backstories, and continuations: fan fiction, if you will. I’ve come across many stories in recent years that are based off of some classic work and I’ve wanted to do a series… Continue reading Mock Turtle Stories: Books Inspired by Alice in Wonderland… and other places, slightly less wonderful
"The Play is the thing." While not originally reading material (unless we wanted to discuss Restoration closet dramas, which I don't), it is undeniable that plays, particularly Shakespeare's, are commonly found in literature courses. Despite being intended for performance, plays in printed form can stand up as fascinating reading material as well. Taking two terms… Continue reading 10 Recommended Plays: 100 Books to Read #2
“100 Books You Should Read Before You Die;” “100 Books Everyone Should Read;” “Top 100 Books to Read.” You've probably seen these lists around with varying amounts of recommended books on reading sites and blogs. To be perfectly honest, I cringe a bit when I think about them, because (as I’ve briefly mentioned in a… Continue reading 15 Children’s Classics: 100 Books to Read #1
Well, the end of the term draws nigh and my life has ignited in one blazing pile of papers: articles, assignments, essays, and sheet music. As my life goes up in the proverbial flames of the fireplace that is university, what better time to review a Cinderella story? Or at least rake out the ashes… Continue reading Ashes to Ashes: Review of Cinder
You know those books that come out and they're a great hit and suddenly they're everywhere, in every store, and everyone is raving about them? And for one reason or another, you just don't subscribe to the hype--either you're busy reading something else, or you just don't have time, or aren't in the mood for… Continue reading 7 Popular YA Book Series I Never Got Into
Admittedly, it was the cover of this book that got me. Reading the synopsis, I wasn't too sure it was up my alley--the story of a young woman's experience in a new blended family--but the cover kept me coming back to it. It's interesting because this book is so focused on appearances and how they… Continue reading Boy, Snow, Bird: Mirror Reflections
When I first started writing stories, I probably had a setting, a few characters, and an inciting incident. Nothing more. I did not know the meaning of the word “plot,” as noun or verb. I embodied the method of "pants-ing" and, consequently, didn’t finish a single story until I was in my early teens. It's… Continue reading The Plot Thickens: A Writer’s Guide to Looking Like You Knew What You Were Doing All Along
Fictitiously Yours 