As an avid reader, I’d always romanticized the idea of belonging to a book club. Reading was always such a solitary activity for me (and for most people), but the idea of a shared experience reading and gathering with close friends to discuss a title every month warmed my heart. Having recently started a bookContinue reading “Midas touch: an overview of celebrity book clubs”
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A Toni Morrison read-through, part 1
A few weeks ago, a foundational belief of mine was shaken. In a casual discussion with a friend, I had mentioned that I will probably suggest a Toni Morrison novel for my book club when it was next my turn. “I don’t know who that is,” they responded. I was in disbelief, and, unable toContinue reading “A Toni Morrison read-through, part 1”
A primer on Joyce Carol Oates
There are very few writers as prolific as Joyce Carol Oates, and even fewer who are able to maintain a high level or literary quality like Oates can. Since her first novel in 1963, Oates has published 58 novels, as well as numerous collections of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. She has won a NationalContinue reading “A primer on Joyce Carol Oates”
We tell stories to remember
We are coming up on a full year in some version of lockdown, as our country’s failure to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic becomes clearer every day, taking the lives of over 400,000 people in the United States alone. But this wasn’t the first time. Over 40 years ago, HIV/AIDS ravaged queer and black communitiesContinue reading “We tell stories to remember”
Vegetarian cookbooks to up your green game
I love cookbooks. It’s a love instilled in me by my mother, who would sit with a cookbook on a Saturday morning, paging through and looking for something that struck her with inspiration. For me, vegetarian and vegan cookbooks provide the most inspiration. My love of vegetables only took shape in the past decade, andContinue reading “Vegetarian cookbooks to up your green game”
What art will define this era?
Good art connects with people. Oftentimes, these connections are made because of the message and the world surrounding the audience. It can be a film that directly comments on current events, a book the satirizes world news, or a TV show that uses escapism to unite an audience, good art reflects the world. The UnitedContinue reading “What art will define this era?”
Three recent documentaries about the state of our world
It’s been a great few years for documentaries, and 2020 was no exception. Each of these films, released last year and available to watch at home, shine a light on the world we currently live in, from our electoral politics, to the American prison system, all the way to government corruption at the highest levels.
Five wintry reads to get you through january
Growing up in Wisconsin, winter was a grueling test of my will. Sometimes, the best way to get through it was to curl up in a chair, cover yourself in a blanket, brew some tea, and read a book. I know many people like to read escapist reads, ones that take place somewhere tropical toContinue reading “Five wintry reads to get you through january”
Favorite books of 2020
The pandemic changed most of our lives in 2020, but it also provided ample time to read books. Below is a list of some of my favorites that I read in 2020. Some of them were new releases, others were books I finally got to after years of having them on my shelves. All ofContinue reading “Favorite books of 2020”
Three chords and a lie
The musical biopic genre is one of the most tried and true in Hollywood, and continually one of the most stale and cliche-riddled. Each of these films follows a formula, beginning with a complicated childhood, a moment where their early potential shines through, initial success, an internal conflict externalized (usually) by drug and alcohol abuse,Continue reading “Three chords and a lie”
