The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

As an aspiring writer, I have a burning desire to tell a meaningful story, a feeling shared by Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help , and the protagonist in the story, Skeeter. Regardless of these desires, however, there is a question all writers must consider: Whose story can I tell? Warning I am going to start by revealing that I gave this book 2/5 stars; the writing was captivating, and Stockett is clearly a talented writer, but there are some issues that should be addressed. Fair warning, in order to discuss these issues, I will have to refer to parts of the plot, but I will never give anything away outright.   The Issue of Perspectives Stockett is a white woman who grew up in Mississippi and later moved to New York, where she wrote The Help.  She used three perspectives to tell this story, which is set in 1960s Mississippi: Skeeter, a 23 year-old white woman fascinated with civil rights, and two African-American maids, Aibileen and Minny. Throughout the book, s...

There are many types of nerds out in the world, some of which are: the bookish ones, mathematical and scientific geniuses, and of course, the science-fiction/fantasy obsessed. Nerds can exist in one category, cross between categories, or exist in the in-between. We are everywhere. Now, please do me a favour, and do not look up the definition of "nerd" or "geek," as some definitions are not particularly kind. Instead, I ask that we stick to my loose definition above, because I happen to consider myself a nerd, and I don't think that I am socially inept. So the dictionary on my computer might need to broaden its horizons a little bit. Moving past my imaginary battle with my dictionary, I will say that I consider myself to be a bookish and sci-fi/fantasy obsessed nerd, but I have recently learned that my obsession with science-fiction/fantasy novels does not mean that I love every book that is a member of the genre. The Atrocity Archives The title so...

The question that is at the heart of every mystery/crime/thriller novel; the question that fuels authors and inspires readers to turn the page. Although the mystery/crime/thriller genre (from hereon, abbreviated as MCT) is one of the most popular genres of all time, it is one genre that my bookshelf seems to lack. From my limited knowledge of this genre, however, I have learned that MCT novels can be written with many tones: Witty adventures, such as the The Adventures   of Sherlock Holmes  by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Eloquent, eery tales such as The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre (you can actually listen to the music from the film "The Godfather" while reading this, it is surprisingly fitting) Calm, contemporary tales of suave detectives, such as Still Life by Canadian author Louise Penny  And last, but not least--the ones that make your skin crawl, and the inspiration for this blogpost:  The Snowman by Jo Nesbo In the midst of a snowy Norwegian winte...

They are words everyone hopes they will hear at least once in their lifetime. Okay, maybe not these exact words, because I really think only Colin Firth can pull off using the word "ardently" and still look sexy...but you get my point. Romance is one of the most popular fiction genres, second only to the mystery/thriller/crime genre. What is it about romance that has people picking up one book after another? Perhaps the answer is, because we fall in love each and every time. Why do we do this to ourselves?! I can't be the only one who does this. I am speaking from a heterosexual female perspective, as that's really the only perspective I can speak from, but I am sure this is not a unique event. There are several movie, tv and book adaptations of Jane Austen's work that would suggest that falling in love with literary characters is completely normal (see list below). Also, I have talked to many friends who rant about how handsome Mr. Darcy is (although, ...

These are powerful words.  Words I want to get tattooed on my skin so I can have them with me everywhere I go (don't worry Mama Bear, I won't do it). But the words of Canadian journalist and photographer Samra Habib are so empowering, that I think everyone should remember them. I can only imagine how strong writing these words must have been... Writing is a strange and wonderful thing. It is a sort of therapy; a way to lift the weight of the world off of one's shoulders. And yet, reading, a partner that is in a relationship with writing, is also a wonderful thing. By writing, a person extends their hand into the unknown, and by reading, we accept that hand, allowing this person's story to touch us. Too deep? Fair enough. But I can only describe Samra Habib's memoir, We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir , as a hand reaching out to those who have been made powerless. When reading this book, there were moments when I thought I couldn't turn the pa...

COVID-19 Has Me Thinking… I mean, of course COVID has me thinking. My work is closed, all other activities are cancelled, and my whole family is stuck together for at least two weeks. There is nothing for me to do but think. But what should I do with all of these unspoken thoughts? Let them bottle up until I burst or send them out into the void, hoping someone finds them interesting? I favour the latter option. But what could an opinionated bookworm such as myself possibly blog about? The answer to this question is a story in itself, and I do hope you enjoy it.  One particularly dull day at work, I asked my coworker - a kind, Czech man, only a few years older than myself - what he would want to do for work, if he could have any job, regardless of qualifications or salary. He pondered the question for a moment, then proceeded to tell me about how he would love to work with animals, and to help protect endangered species. He then turned the question on me, and I was sl...