You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa ~Review~

“No one seems to understand that real loss never eases; we just become more adept at carrying a weight that settles deeper in our chests, smiling through it, pretending like we are totally fine whenever someone mentions them.” You're Invited Hey guys. I am back? Kind of. I don't even know where to begin. My …

~Tolkien…Thursday?~ September Letters!

I'm BACK!Just kidding. I am just checking in and trying to get at least one post up before September ends. Teaching is great! I love my kiddos! I am hoping they decide to hire me for the rest of the year, but things are still uncertain and I am working hard to prove to them …

~Tolkien Tuesday: The Lost Road Part I~

"I wish life was not so short,' he thought. "Languages take such a time, and so do all the things one wants to know about..." The Lost Road Guys.It is almost time.The Rings of Power is almost here and I could cry. I have been waiting for this for so long. I have been working …

The Last Hours by Minette Walters ~Review~

“It will be as if we never existed if our history cannot be read.” The Last Hours Yes, I am still here, and yes I am still reading. But with the credential program, working in first grade, and the RONE Awards for InD'Tale Magazine-- my updates are minimal. I have a backlog of reviews that …

~Tolkien Tuesday: The Lost Road: Numenor~

"And a great land was made for them to dwell in, neither part of Middle Earth nor wholly seperate from it."The Lost Road We are in a new Tolkien book! Now it is time to begin The Lost Road and Other Writings. The first section of this book is the original outline for the story …

How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi ~Audiobook Review~

“The opposite of racist isn't 'not racist.' It is 'anti-racist.' What's the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an anti-racist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as …

~Tolkien Tuesday: The Lays of Beleriand ~Part 3~

"When Morgoth in that day of doomhad slain the Trees and filled with gloomthe shining land of Valinorthere Feanor and his sons there sworethe mighty oath upon the hillof tower-crowned Tun, that stillwrought wars and sorrows in the world..."Lay of Leithian Lines 1584-1590 This week I am working through The Lay of Leithian Canto V …

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler ~Audiobook Review~

“The world is full of painful stories. Sometimes it seems as though there aren't any other kind and yet I found myself thinking how beautiful that glint of water was through the trees.” Parable of the Sower My first Octavia E. Butler book was Kindred and I knew then it would not be my last …

Tolkien Tuesday: The Nature of Middle Earth ~Mind Pictures~

"The Incarnates have by the nature of sama the same faculties; but their perception is dimmed by the hroa and their fea is united to their hroa and its normal procedure is through the hroa, which in itself is apart of Ea, without thought."The Nature of Middle Earth When I say there is a lot …

~Back to School Stack~

It is that time of year! I now have a 1st grader and a 5th grader. I also started teaching first grade this year too. It may end up being something permanent, it may not. We shall see. I hope it is permanent because of how much work I have been putting into the classroom …