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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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The Emergence of AI & the New Fight for Art and Artists

First of all, I want to make some VERY clear: I am NOT interested in consuming any format of A.I. art. As an individual who took art, music, and dance classes growing up, and as an individual who has spent years learning and working on their writing, I am disgusted that there are some people… Continue reading The Emergence of AI & the New Fight for Art and Artists

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Reading Check-In: December 25, 2021

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! Because today is a holiday and I'm a bit of a workaholic, I'm keeping this week's post simple and straightforward. What have you finished reading recently? I did it! I finished this book, which is the 20th book released in 2021, which means I'll be able to present… Continue reading Reading Check-In: December 25, 2021

A Song of Ice and Fire · Asian Influence · Authors/Writers · Award Nominee · Award Winner · Book Theories · Books · Christianity · Debut · Dystopia · Fantasy · Favorite Books · First in a Series · Gaming · Gender Roles · George R.R. Martin · Grimdark · Horror · humanity · Ideas · Indie Books · Literary Awards · Literature · Mark Lawrence · Military Fiction · Reading · speculative fiction · Trilogy · TV · Video Games · Vigilantism · Writing

An Analysis of the Genre: Grimdark, Horror & Dark Fantasy

NOTE: This post is a rewrite of an assignment I wrote for a graduate school course. If you would like to read the original essay, then click here. Also, this is written in APA Format. Speculative fiction is the general term used when describing books which fall under the genres of fantasy, science fiction and horror,… Continue reading An Analysis of the Genre: Grimdark, Horror & Dark Fantasy

A Song of Ice and Fire · Africanfuturism · American History · American Society · Anime · Asian Influence · ATLUS · Authors/Writers · Award Nominee · Award Winner · Black History · Book to Media Adaptations · Books · Children's Fiction · Coming-of-Age · Fairy Tale Retellings · Family · Family Dynamics · Fantasy · Favorite Books · First in a Series · Folklore · Gaming · Gender Roles · Harry Potter · His Dark Materials · Historical Fiction · history · humanity · identity · Japan · LGBTQ · Literary Awards · Literature · magic realism · Metaphysical Fiction · Movie Spoilers · Movies · mythology · novella · Old Magic · Paranormal · Parents and Parenting · Reading · School · Science Fiction · Seanan McGuire · Sequel · speculative fiction · supernatural · The Chronicles of Narnia · The Golden Compass · Trilogy · Video Games · Wayward Children · Young Adult Fiction

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

American Society · ARCs · Authors/Writers · Book Review · Books · Coming-of-Age · Education · Family · Family Dynamics · Fantasy · Freedom · humanity · identity · LGBTQ · Literature · Parents and Parenting · Reading · religious beliefs · Review · speculative fiction · Vigilantism

Why You Need to Read: “First, Become Ashes”

First, Become Ashes By: K.M. Szpara Published: April 6, 2021 Genre: Urban Fantasy TRIGGER WARNING: Be advised. This book contains elements of self-harm, imprisonment, rape, torture, abuse, and non-consensual sex.  I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are mine alone.             Her voice drips with pity I… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “First, Become Ashes”

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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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Why You Need to Read: “The Starless Sea”

The Starless Sea By: Erin Morgenstern Published: November 5, 2019 Genre: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/Magic Realism             Only the singular section of “Sweet Sorrows” is about him, though pages are missing, upon close inspection there are numerous vacancies along the spine. The text comes back to the pirate and the girl again but the rest is disjointed, it… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Starless Sea”

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Speculative Fiction: A Label for the Growing Spectrum of the Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror

*My 100th Blog Post!* For the past year in which I have devoted more time to working on my blog, I have gained a larger audience—followers, readers and other supporters—than I thought possible. Remember, even the most successful bloggers and vloggers start out as “small channels” and are thankful for those who support them. I… Continue reading Speculative Fiction: A Label for the Growing Spectrum of the Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror