I watched Ender’s Game recently and it reminded me of the book that changed my life. Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch to say that it changed my life, but it most definitely changed me. And being a changed person can most definitely change your life. I read Ender’s Game in high school English….
Author: Rainey Nelson
The Place Where the Sidewalk Ends
I’ve been sick with a cold these last few days, which is really a shame in the beginning of summer. But really, I don’t mind. At least for now. By default, I’ve set up my relaxation station on the couch, the kind with the coffee table closer than usual, to hold my Murchie’s tea mug….
Why You Should Pick Up Shannon Hale’s “The Princess Academy”
Years ago, I asked one of my friends what her favorite book was. She said, “The Princess Academy”. At first, I thought that it sounded kind of dumb. Later she showed me the cover of girls in dresses walking on a long winding road in the mountains. A little house on the left and a…
How Can I Get Past a Writer’s Block?
Sometimes it seems like no matter how hard you try, you sit down at your laptop, and your fingers just don’t move. The words just aren’t coming to you. You try to think of what to write for hours. But your mind can still be accurately represented by a blank canvas. It happens to the…
Crazy Things in the Heavens and a Restaurant at the End of the Universe
“Dad keeps saying that it looks like we’re just a bunch of people waiting for the world to end.”
What happened at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe? And what were the “crazy things in the heavens”?
Top Ten Quotes: The Phantom Tollbooth
“There was once a boy named Milo who didn’t know what to do with himself, not just sometimes, but always.” This very feeling of boredom and not knowing what to do with myself happens to me every once in a while. Especially lately for some reason, I’ve felt like I wander around most of the…
Pride and Prejudice: Personality types
I love Jane Austen, her writing is timeless. Her tales from two centuries ago still resonate with readers today. Austen’s characters are what really propel me to keep reading her work. She peels masks off of them to reveal the truth of personalities. Austen knew how to make a character feel real. Strengths and weaknesses….
Happy World Book Day!
I don’t normally post twice in a week, but I just wanted to wish everyone a happy International Book Day. Keep reading, keep writing, and keep learning! Today’s a good reminder for those of us who are working our way through a reading challenge or are writing and trying to publish a book. Share your…
A Medieval Lesson for the Modern Reader
My family and I are renting a house right now from some friends who speak mainly Portuguese and German. But we both speak Spanish, so that’s how we communicate. Upstairs, they have a library stocked with a fair amount of books they left behind. It’s really fascinating to look at all the titles and see…
16 Photos that Scream the “POWER OF READING”
Years ago I found this photo of a boy sitting amongst piles of books and rubbage, the aftermath of a 1940 bombing. In his hands he holds one of those books. In the midst of destruction and horror, he finds a little shelter, a home built of words. I stumbled upon this photo again and…
The Reader in the Rye 