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Reading Check-In: August 5, 2023

Well, we're in the second half of summer. And, while my reading has been more productive, I'm still struggling to read through many of the books I started as far back as last year. That being said, I managed to finish some excellent books and to write my reviews for them. What have I finished… Continue reading Reading Check-In: August 5, 2023

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“Barbenheimer”: Is It Worth Seeing Both?

For the record, my plans for this weekend included neither watching Oppenheimer and Barbie, nor writing up reviews about both the films and the “challenge.” Not to mention, I was only interested in seeing Oppenheimer; I was going to wait for Barbie to come out either on streaming platforms or on DVD/Blu-Ray. Then, some of my original plans fell through and… Continue reading “Barbenheimer”: Is It Worth Seeing Both?

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My Favorite Speculative Fiction Narratives

***My 200th Blog Post!!!*** For this post, which marks a new milestone for me, I decided to discuss one of the most enjoyable—and the most dreadful—topics: favorites. We all know why favorites is a fun topic, but it can be daunting for opposing reasons: others have them as their favorites, they are ubiquitous, they are… Continue reading My Favorite Speculative Fiction Narratives

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Why You Need to Read: “Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche”

Enola Holmes, #7: Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche By: Nancy Springer Published: August 31, 2021 Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction/Children’s Fiction NOTE: This post is part of the Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche Blog Tour hosted by Wednesday Books & Minotaur Books. …Mycroft came to much the same conclusions I had already reached: Enola did not need protection. Enola… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche”

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Speculative Fiction Starters for Children and Young Adults

This article was written for the Martian Chronicle blog, but it was never posted so I decided to rewrite and to present it on my blog. Enjoy!             When children and adolescents show an interest in reading, we—as adults, and as readers ourselves—want nothing more than to load our recommendations and favorite books on to them. Unfortunately, not… Continue reading Speculative Fiction Starters for Children and Young Adults

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TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “Tower of the Angels”

            This episode opens with how the Subtle Knife was created and the history of the world where it was created, and how both fell to corruption. The narration is similar to the opening scene in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring film, and I believe this was done intentionally in order to keep… Continue reading TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “Tower of the Angels”

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Adult Fantasy: Is There Such a Thing?

Video games, graphic novels and comic books and manga, and fantasy literature continue to share the same criticism from those who are neither fans nor creators: they are for children and/or they have no place in a classroom or in an academic setting. The fact that such notions continue to be made is a disconcerting… Continue reading Adult Fantasy: Is There Such a Thing?

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What We Can All Learn From Virtual Cons and Events

The obvious difference between this pandemic and those of the past is how humanity has been spending their time throughout the outbreak. Yes, many public places and events are closed, cancelled and/or postponed; and, there have been several cases and deaths due to COVID-19 throughout the world. Yet, it seems a lot of people have… Continue reading What We Can All Learn From Virtual Cons and Events

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My Shortlist Award Reading Challenge 2020

Yes, I am late with this post, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been keeping up with the news surrounding the nominees for this year’s speculative fiction awards. The good news is that thanks to all of my reading throughout the previous year, I’ve read a lot of the books that have been nominated for… Continue reading My Shortlist Award Reading Challenge 2020

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The Shortlist Award Reading Challenge 2019—The End

            As some of you may or may not know, I decided to partake of this crazy reading challenge in which, I would read as many of the nominees of the largest book awards for speculative fiction I could by the time the winners were announced. Obviously, this was easier said than done, but I did… Continue reading The Shortlist Award Reading Challenge 2019—The End