About stories of all kinds
I can’t believe this fall is coming without it being associated with school starting for me. It’s the first time in four years that’s happened! Woo-woo, 2020 university graduate! But even before that, in the years I was finishing highschool, fall was not exclusively school time, nor was it quite the same as anticipating going… Continue reading Elsa, I think
One of the enduring types of fiction, one of the most prolific types of stories told to this day, through whatever medium, is the adventure story. There are quests, colourful characters, cut-throats, intrigues, losses, rescues, betrayals, cloaks, daggers… the works. I’m categorizing ten of my 100 books to read as predominantly adventure stories. 1. Kidnapped… Continue reading 10 Adventure Books: 100 Books to Read #4
Once upon a time, in days gone by, while I was still doing high school, I read books that interested me while they still interested me. There were times I actually read hyped books before the hype died down. Crazy, right? So here are 7 YA series I actually read all of. 1. Inkworld by… Continue reading 7 YA Book Series I Actually Got Into
Peveril of the Peak by Walter ScottMy rating: 4 of 5 starsWhen I started Peveril of the Peak I had no idea what it was about, which turned out to be fine because the first chapter or so pretty much lays it all out. There are, in fact, two Peverils of the Peak, a father… Continue reading Peveril of the Peak Book Review
The Nest of the Sparrowhawk by Emmuska OrczyMy rating: 3 of 5 starsThe Nest of the Sparrowhawk is an intrigue placed in the upheaval following the execution of Charles I and during the Protectorship of Cromwell. Lady Sue, orphaned daughter of royalist parents, has been placed under the guardianship of Cromwell supporter, Sir Marmaduke de… Continue reading The Nest of the Sparrowhawk Book Review
Twenty Years After by Alexandre DumasMy rating: 3 of 5 starsTwenty Years After brings back the old guard of The Three Musketeers (TTM), as D’Artagnan rises in the service of the Mazarin and seeks out his old friends in their various places of residence to join his cause. I was curious to see where the… Continue reading Twenty Years After The Three Musketeers: Book Review
Cromwell. The Roundheads. The Cavaliers. Bonny Prince Charlie. Wait, wrong Charles. Recently, I read three books in a row set in and around the English Civil War and it has definitely brought the time period to life for me. I’ve realised that when I read historical fiction I absorb a lot unintentionally about historical events,… Continue reading Recent Reads: Three Perspectives of the English Civil War
Drood by Dan SimmonsMy rating: 2 of 5 stars“My name is Wilkie Collins, and my guess… is that you do not recognize my name…my wager with you, Dear Reader, would be that you have neither read nor heard of any of my books or plays…” So begins the alternately falsely modest and egomaniacal narrator, a… Continue reading Drood: A Review
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
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
Fictitiously Yours 