Category: Literature

"The smell of musty books lingered in the distance." That independent clause was the first one in the futuristic novel I began to write in fourth grade. I've always gone through book genre phases. At that point, I had just progressed from beloved young adult science fiction novels — Lois Lowry's "The Giver" and "Gathering Blue," to name two — to more adult classics, such as George Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm." The idea of an alternate way of life captivated me so much that I daydreamed about it for the next few years. But I didn't just want to create my path — I wanted to create someone else's. So, I started to write. "8563" began in an antique bookshop, where Chloe Blackwood (which weirdly turned out to be…

I've found my challenge for 2013 (or maybe even the rest of college, with how busy my life ends up being). Besides watching "Homeland" and "Breaking Bad," I'm going to take some time to disconnect from anything with a screen (sans possibly my iPad) and ... read. My friend Sara posted a link to a "Gilmore Girls" reading challenge on my Facebook wall about a week ago. "Gilmore Girls"? Books? I'm in. I don't take the time to read, and I need to because I miss it. I've marked the ones I've read (fewer than I thought, sadly) and commented about them. The others? Challenge accepted. (Note: I'll also go back and cross off ones as I read them.) "1984" — Orwell ("Thought police, Big Brother, dreams about your mother"…

If you're ever forced to memorize poetry, the eight-liner by Shel Silverstein beginning with this phrase is the way to go, and I promise you, after hearing it at least thirty times in eighteen weeks, you'll remember it for years to come. I've never been a huge fan of poetry, to be honest. If I'm forced to read that Robert Frost poem again in English class, I might tear the pages out of the book, rip them up and throw them away. Just kidding, I'm not that violent, and I would never destroy works of literature (except, perhaps, for this reason). But I love song lyrics, so I'm not certain where the disconnect is. I truly do enjoy Judith Viorst's poem, especially those in the "Sad Underwear" collection. They were humorous, clever…

Borders Books. What a lovely place. I haven’t had the privilege to know Borders since its birth in 1971, but since 1993 (well, maybe 1995 when I actually started reading), Borders Books has been my friend. I know I’m one of millions, but I disregard that vague number. I know we had a bond like no other. Each trip to Borders was a journey into another world with endless opportunities. I’d often start in the magazine section, working my way through issues of Teen Vogue,Paste, and my nerdy guilty pleasure (graphic design magazines). After I’d secured copies of missing recent issues, I would make my way over to the bestsellers. While hardbacks were nice to look at, I knew that I didn’t have the $26 to splurge, so I would skim…

Our parents had Star Wars. We had Harry Potter. And now, many state that this era has ended. Rowling released her first novel when I was about six or seven. I borrowed the first one from my cousin, whose mother had heard about the series and ordered it from Amazon, since it wasn’t yet available in the United States. Although the young boy’s encounters with the Philosopher’s Stone engrossed me, I couldn’t have imagined the kind of worldwide phenomenon his wizarding world would become. Four midnight novel premieres/all-nighters reading, four midnight movie premieres, and several private school costumes later, it’s safe to say I’m a fan. I’ve read every book, seen every movie at least twice (including the new one - just saw it again!), and watched Harry Potter Puppet Pals on YouTube…