Delia Owens's bestselling drama, Where the Crawdads Sing, has been on my ‘to-read’ list for over a year. In fact, I bought a copy with every intention of reading it back in the spring of 2021. For numerous reasons I won’t get into here, I sadly did not read it until last week. And, man–I wish I hadn’t waited so long. 

Earlier this week, I discussed the hate The Hobbit film trilogy gets from fans. Today, I’m focusing on one plot piece that has received significant negative traction. Almost every Tolkien fan I’ve discussed The Hobbits with complains about the character Tauriel.

The quickest way to start a fight with a Tolkien fan is to say, “They should have just ridden the eagles to Mordor.” (I warn you not to test this. Just believe me when I tell you: it’s science). A close second is saying, “I loved The Hobbit movies.”

People read for many reasons, not the least of which is escapism. Focusing on someone else’s struggles and adventures is therapeutic when real life gets overwhelming. It lets you travel to worlds never before walked by human feet as well as those just across the country. Certain places have piqued my interest through all the books I’ve read, and I’ll admit to daydreaming about them.

Anthony Doerr is among my favorite authors. I fell in love with his Pulitzer-winning All the Light We Cannot See nearly four years ago and haven’t looked back since. I’ve gone on to read his first novel, About Grace, as well as his collection of short stories, The Shell Collector. I have a copy of his other collection, Memory Wall, which I have not read but I plan to soon.

For me, there are two distinct types of songs: those that are just there for the vibes and the sound, then those that are pure art. Songs that tell stories and rip your heart out a little more every time you lean into the lyrics. Sometimes, I wish I could know the story better, although I don’t believe there’s enough material for a full novel.

Who was Emily Dickinson? You may half-remember her from your high school English class as the reclusive, mystic, depressed poet you had to annotate. The original “sad girl”, if you will. Well, Apple TV’s original series Dickinson urges you to look deeper.