Check in: It’s been a while…

Sigh. Apparently it is my destiny to go on hiatuses with 0 warning and for undetermined lengths of time. The good part is that I always seem to find my way back! Of course, I’ve missed you guys! Before I get back into blogging I figured I’d give you a small life update post. I …

Research: Stereotypes and Books

Well well friends, it's been a while! But I am back to finally give you the conclusion to my research series (I know you have been eagerly awaiting it, after all). However, while there is much research about the benefits of counterstereotypes in literature, there is relatively little research about the impact of stereotypical representations …

Tips and Tricks: Writing Reviews

Wow, its been a while since my last tips and tricks post! When you first start reviewing, it can be so difficult to find your own style, and to know what makes a good review. While the latter is very subjective, there are certain elements of a review that you can't go wrong in using. …

Wrap up: August 2021

This month I didn’t read as much as I hoped because things got SOOOO BUSY. However I am still a bit ahead to finish my goodreads goal this year, which has actually never happened (so fingers crossed). I’m hoping with all the time I spend waiting for the bus to and from campus I’ll get …

Discussion: Everything I Hate (and Love) About Goodreads

I have been thinking of writing this post for a while, and today I am finally FED UP. I love goodreads. Really, I do. But in the same way you love that perpetually obnoxious pet that is kind of stupid and mean, but you have to love it because it's yours and occasionally decides not …

Excerpt from a story I will (probably) never finish writing

First and foremost, this is a book blog. But I had a dream/nightmare a while back that has stuck in my mind ever since, and I took a shot at putting it on paper late last night. Basically, I need someone to tell me if it sucks or if I should keep going with the …

How Books Make Us More Empathetic (Research Part 2)

So if you didn’t see the first post about empathy, now may be a good time to read it here. Or not, I can’t tell you what to do. This post however is going to cover how narrative point of view and different genres may impact how fiction has the potential to increase empathy. There …

Wrap up: July 2021

This month I finally read more than 2 books, which was pretty cool. Because I'm lazy, I'm only going to be giving a star rating and one sentence reviews. 1. A master of Djinn I really love the Dead Djinn world building, and thought this was a pretty solid addition. The characters could have used …

How Books Make Us More Empathetic (Research Part 1)

So, when I started my unit on empathy, what I expected to find out was “reading fiction makes people more empathetic” point blank period. And because nothing I think is simple is ever actually simple, I’m going to need a whole two blog posts to cover the complexity of empathy. Horray! You all get to …

Bookish Research: Children and Diverse Books

Hello everyone, welcome to my second research post of the summer! This week's topic is the importance of having diverse children’s literature.  One of the most researched areas of stereotypes in children’s books is on the topic gender stereotypes. As of 2020, researchers note the continued disproportionate representation of male protagonists in children’s books. Oftentimes, …