This year I am participating in NaNoWriMo. For the uninitiated among you, NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writers Month, is an annual challenge writers take to try to write an entire novel in the month of November. Since its inception, NaNoWriMo has changed slightly. Many writers, myself included, are using the month to focus hard … Continue reading The Zone – How I Conquer NaNoWriMo
Author: ThePluckyReader
Review – Brother John by August Turak
Recipient of the prestigious Templeton Prize, Brother John is the true story of a meaningful encounter between the author going through a mid-life crisis, and an umbrella-wielding Trappist monk. This magical encounter on Christmas Eve eventually leads the author, and us all, to the redemptive power of an authentically purposeful life. Uplifting, deeply moving, and set … Continue reading Review – Brother John by August Turak
Review – The Burn Zone: a Memoir by Renee Linnell
If you’re anything like me, you find the psychology of cults very interesting. I cannot tell you the amount of hours I have devoted to reading about Heaven’s Gate, Scientology, Children of God, and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Growing up, I had friends who were in a cult and I think that probably sparked the fascination … Continue reading Review – The Burn Zone: a Memoir by Renee Linnell
We Are All New York
I’m sitting here in an apartment overlooking Midtown and listening to the sounds of New York City. I’m at a white desk, typing on my laptop and I wonder: is this what Carrie Bradshaw felt like? Did she sit, narrate in her head, and write with awe and wonder at the city around her? Or … Continue reading We Are All New York
Banned Books Week – Of Mice and Men
Did you know that 56% of book challenges take place at public libraries? Libraries which are supposed to represent the communities which they serve. Libraries which are supposed to be places of acceptance and information. It doesn’t make sense to me that people ask libraries--the public forum for books and information--to ban books. But maybe … Continue reading Banned Books Week – Of Mice and Men
Banned Books Week – A Separate Peace
Do you want to know the quickest way to get me to read a book? Call it a “filthy, trashy sex novel.” And in 1980, somebody did just that with today’s challenged book. You’ll notice from the graphic above (provided by ALA.org) that one of the biggest reasons books are challenged is sexual content. Because, … Continue reading Banned Books Week – A Separate Peace
Banned Books Week – To Kill a Mockingbird
You’d think that in this forward-thinking society, books would stand a chance, right? Wrong. Books are being banned and challenged today. And I don’t mean just new releases. It’s not like people are standing in line picketing the latest Stephen King novel. I don’t mean to say that modern releases aren’t being challenged. I just … Continue reading Banned Books Week – To Kill a Mockingbird
Banned Books Week – The Wizard of Oz
How dare L. Frank Baum create such a role modern of feminism at the turn of the century? I hope he was ashamed of himself for the amazing character that he crafted in Dorothy.
Banned Books Week – Looking for Alaska
It's my favorite literary week of the year! Happy Banned Books Week, reader! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Banned Books week I've provided some information, before I begin talking about my favorite banned books. What is Banned Books Week? Banned Books Week is the annual celebration of the freedom to read. Every … Continue reading Banned Books Week – Looking for Alaska
Review – The Storm Runner by J. C. Cervantes
Some time ago, I read that Rick Riordan was opening his own publishing imprint. As an avid reader of Riordan's work, I was pumped. The more I read, the more excited I got. Not only was he starting an imprint, he was going to use this imprint and his influence to publish original middle-grade works by … Continue reading Review – The Storm Runner by J. C. Cervantes
