books

June 1, 2017

To the Books on my Shelf: A Sonnet

Too often, I find myself staring in admiration at my bookshelves. The ornate covers of collectables, the crackled pages of old favorites, the bright illustrations of new editions… *sigh of delight* To my abashment (isn’t that a lovely word for a not-so-lovely feeling?), I own and admire many books I have yet to actually… Continue reading

literary living, Poetry

Book, books, bookworm, humor, poem, poetry, reader, reader’s response, Reading, shakespeare, sonnet, sonnet for books, truth, word
February 4, 2017

A Bookish Blessing

“May your books be deep and your tea well-steeped.” -RJ McLaren Continue reading

literary living

blessing, Book, books, inspiration, journal, mclaren, quote, reader, Reading, ryanne, tea, truth
December 21, 2016

10 Going on 30

I turned twenty on November 14th, 2016. It was weird. Every day I was thinking, “one more week until I am no longer a teenager” or “three more days until I am a real adult.” But then, when the day came, I felt the same. This should not have been surprising, but I could not… Continue reading

literary living, Musings

author, Biola, biola university, bookish, books, bookworm, extraordinary, faith, Fantasy, inspiration, journal, literature, Music, not normal, odd, old, ordinary, piano, teenager, truth, twenty, twenty-something, unusual, word, work, young
August 28, 2016

Well-read and Caffeinated: 10 Ideal Coffee/Tea and Book Pairings

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all readers in possession of a good book are in want of a delicious beverage to sip. But why settle for just any latte? In my opinion, books and coffee are like fine wine and cheese; you must pair them properly so as to derive the fullest enjoyment… Continue reading

literary living

Anna Karenina, author, authors, Book, book review, books, bookworm, character, coffee, Fiction, literature, Little Women, novel, poetry, Reading, romance, writer, writing
August 14, 2016

Reflections on Writing a Novel Draft

During my journey home from Italy, I was super bored and, thus, my brain went crazy and came up with a novel idea that I am ridiculously excited about. Thankfully, I hit 50,000 words on my other novel draft, so I was able to set that one aside without too much guilt to begin this… Continue reading

Musings, Scribblings

author, authors, Book, book review, books, bookworm, brainstorming, character, essay, Fiction, first draft, inspiration, INTJ, literature, NaNoWriMo, novel, reader, Reading, romance, short story, writer, writer problems, writing
July 11, 2016

Writing Victories

Just had to brag a little bit: Today marks the two-year birthday of my baby novel. On this day in 2014, I was inspired to write a book about a quirky little town that I stumbled upon and, to my delight, today I reached the word count required for my manuscript to qualify as a… Continue reading

Scribblings

author, authors, Book, books, bookworm, cobbly nob, coffee, coffee shop, draft, editing, Fiction, first draft, inspiration, manuscript, NaNoWriMo, novel, Reading, tea, tennessee, writer, writing
June 23, 2016

Miss Darcy

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman having read or seen Pride and Prejudice, must be in want of a Mr. Darcy.” – Jane Austen and Ryanne McLaren* *Note: The above quote does not actually represent the entirety of this post, but I did think it rather apt in capturing the feelings of Austenites… Continue reading

Literature, Musings

AP Literature, author, authors, blog, blogger, Book, books, bookworm, character analysis, characters, classic literature, darcy, elizabeth bennet, great books, inspiration, INTJ, Jane Austen, literature, meyers briggs, mr. darcy, novel, pride and prejudice, reader, Reading, romance, torrey honors institute, writer, writing
May 23, 2016

11 Writers’ Paradises

I use “I’m a writer!” to justify haunting many eclectic and sometimes downright strange locations. I visited four of the below Eleven Writers’ Paradises today, so I guess you could say it was a successful Sunday! (And yes, I know 11 is a weird number for a list, but it is my favorite number so sorry not sorry.)… Continue reading

Musings

antique, author, authors, Book, books, bookworm, cemetery, church, coffee shop, hipster, inspiration, inspiring, library, novel, paradise, poem, short story, used bookstore, writer, writing
March 9, 2016

Jill of all Trades or Renaissance Woman?

I am what one might call a “Jill of All Trades,” the female counterpart of a “Jack of All Trades.” I quite liked this phrase until I saw a quote on Pinterest (seriously, Pinterest? You’re supposed to be my social media happy place!) that reads: “Jack of all trades, but a master of none.” Well stink.… Continue reading

literary living, Musings

blog, books, classic literature, composing, da vinci, inspiration, jack of all trades, jill of all trades, Music, novel, organ, piano, Reading, renaissance man, renaissance woman, short story, writing
January 30, 2016

The Shop

“Okay, what quirky place inspired this story?” asked my editor upon reading the following tale. “It’s too random not to be based on reality.” My editor (who may or may not also be my mother, but she was an English teacher/professor so it’s kosher) was right. This story sparked to life in an antique mall in… Continue reading

Scribblings

1920, antique, antique shop, author, Book, books, desire, editor, era, fashion, flapper, inspiration, literature, modern, modern woman, old fashioned, roaring twenties, shop, short story, store, story, style, the shop, thought-provoking, time, vintage, writer, writing
January 30, 2016

Please share this letter!

No, this is not some “reblog to solve a major world crisis” post and you won’t end up with bad luck for a year if you don’t share. Odds are that if you ignore this altogether, nothing bad will result. However, I truly am asking you, my fellow lover of books, to share this post… Continue reading

A Bit of Light Reading, literary living

author, Biola, biola university, Book, books, bookworm, brain candy, erin morgenstern, gift, gym reading, inspiration, kindred spirit, letter, literature, novel, pleasure reading, Reading, share, thank you, the night circus, writer
January 20, 2016

Everythingism

I promise I’ll explain the cat sandwich in space picture in the end, so just bear with me for a few paragraphs, okay? Thanks. I am what most would consider a perfectionist, which is in itself both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, it leads me to, more often than not, accomplish… Continue reading

Musings

books, cat sandwich, diligence, do all the things, do everything, everything, excellence, hard work, literature, Music, music major, perfect, perfectionism, perfectionist, pressure, trying too hard, writer