“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” – Opening of… Continue reading Should You Read The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien?
Why I Prefer Books to Movies
When I was a kid, I would run out of the room when a preview for the first Harry Potter movie came on TV, much to the confusion of my family. I’d loved the books since my parents bought me the first one for Christmas—the only way that I could find a copy, since our… Continue reading Why I Prefer Books to Movies
Should You Read The Heather Blazing by Colm Tóibín?
“Eamon Redmond stood at the window looking down at the river which was deep brown after days of rain. He watched the colour, the mixture of mud and water, and the small currents and pockets of movement within the flow. It was a Friday morning at the end of July; the traffic was heavy on… Continue reading Should You Read The Heather Blazing by Colm Tóibín?
E-Books vs Physical Books
One of the things I love to hate about modern discourse is the sheer number of false dichotomies, silly arguments, and debates in which each person is more determined to prove themselves right than to listen and consider the other person’s viewpoint. As someone who loves reading, the question of whether I read e-books or… Continue reading E-Books vs Physical Books
Novel Openings in Third Person Omniscient
As someone writing a novel in the third person omniscient point of view, I’ve gotten some conflicting advice about the best way to “hook” the reader. Tales are told of agents rejecting based on the first sentence. The first paragraph, everybody seems to say, is crucial. But most of the so-called rules I’ve seen for… Continue reading Novel Openings in Third Person Omniscient
Visiting My Local Bookstore
I didn’t realize there was a bookstore where I live until last weekend, when I decided to Google it. Clearly, I don’t get out much, but I’m happy to have found a place worth getting out for. My sense of direction is so bad I often say I could get lost inside a paper bag,… Continue reading Visiting My Local Bookstore
Should You Read Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko?
“I shouldn’t have been surprised that fairies exist. “When elephants passed by in a lumbering sea beneath my window, flecks of light whispered in the dust, dancing above the rows of tusks and leather. I leaned precariously over the sill, hoping to catch a fleck before a servant wrestled me inside.” – Opening of Raybearer… Continue reading Should You Read Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko?
Should You Read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
“Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty, and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable. At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye; something indeed… Continue reading Should You Read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
Should You Read Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh?
“When I was ten years old, I wrote a letter to my future self and buried it in my backyard. Seventeen years later, I remembered that I was supposed to dig it up two years earlier. “I looked forward to getting a nostalgic glimpse into my childhood–perhaps I would marvel at my own innocence or… Continue reading Should You Read Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh?
Should You Read 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke?
“The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended. Here on the Equator, in the continent which would one day be known as Africa, the battle for existence had reached a new climax of ferocity, and the victor was not yet in sight. In… Continue reading Should You Read 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke?
Shannon Fallon 