Earlier this week, I issued a challenge, which was to spend some time talking about censorship and/or a banned book that had a significant positive impact on you as a reader. As I was thinking about my own response to this challenge, it occurred to me that many of the books that had the greatest…
Argh! It do be Talk Like A Pirate Day, mateys! Okay, that's quite enough of that, but the statement still stands. Today is Talk Like A Pirate Day, which makes this a perfect time to discuss books about pirates. It's really not surprising that people find pirates fascinating. Not only are they part of world…
Have you ever watched anime or taken the time to read a volume of manga? Do you play Nintendo or sing karaoke? Did you ever beg your parents to buy you a Hello Kitty backpack, or have a meltdown during class because your teacher confiscated your Tamagotchi? If you answered "yes" to any of these…
There's something special about non-fiction, especially when it is written in a way that really engages the reader. As many of you already know, I really enjoy non-fiction, particularly books relating to history and anthropology. I am fascinated by the past, and love reading about how people lived a long time ago. I recently came…
When it comes to housekeeping, I will be the first to admit that I am not perfect. I'm not a particularly messy person, but I do sometimes find it very difficult to stick to a weekly cleaning schedule. Like so many other people, I've tried to follow multiple "cleaning systems" recommended by people on Pinterest,…
Though I can remember going to Chinese restaurants on occasion when I was young, my love for Chinese food (particularly for Chinese takeout) was very much a product of my college experience. We had two exceptional Chinese restaurants near our college campus, one of which was only a five minute walk from our dorm. My…
Whether it's for a birthday, the holidays, or just because, people love to bake (and eat) cakes. While boxed cake mixes and cans of pre-made frosting work just fine (and usually taste great), there are times when you just want something a little more special. For some of us, that means breaking out our cake…
I may be in the minority here, but I love reading nonfiction. When I was a kid, I really enjoyed books about different time periods and cultures, and was especially interested in ancient civilizations. That hasn't changed a whole lot since becoming an adult, and most of my choices for nonfiction reading (probably about 80%)…
Happy Pi Day, everyone! After completely disregarding my reading goals last week in favor of indulging in excessive amounts of Harry Potter fanfiction, it probably won't surprise you to learn that this week I threw myself back into the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge with a vengeance. My goal for the week was to complete some of…
Where has February gone? It's hard for me to believe that tomorrow will be March 1st. This past week has gone extremely fast, with a lot of busy (but good) activity. My grandmother was released from the hospital early Sunday afternoon, and is settling back in at home with support from family and her new…
