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. 

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.”

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.

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.

I am obsessed with Phillip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials. While I’d heard about both the tv show and film before, I had never read it or found much interest until last summer. I have since gone on to become a massive fan and if we ever talk, chances are I’ll end up persuading you to read or watch it in some capacity.

Dracula Untold (2014) is aptly named as it does exactly what the title implies: shows the origins of Bram Stoker’s famous bloodsucking villain.

According to my mom, I always have good movie recommendations. Whenever I’m home, it’s my job to pick what we watch. It’s an honor, truly, as well as nerve-wracking. There’s nothing worse than having someone hate a movie you suggested.

While they’re often disappointing, I still love watching book adaptations. It helps me visualize the material while reminiscing my love for the original source material.