Recent Posts
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Girl on Fire: Comics, firefighting blurring gender lines
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, April 16, 2015] A few months ago, I sat on the couch of my friend Nicole Shope watching something on Netflix. We were talking, and she mentioned she had started buying a comic book series focusing on the life of Kara Zor-El, or Supergirl. I flipped through the pages […]
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Book Review: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
Title: The Fellowship of the Ring Author: J.R.R. Tolkien Series: Lord of the Rings #1 and #2 Published: 1954 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Pages: From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 8/10 I love the Lord of the Rings. I’m so much of a nerd that last month at a bar in Des Moines a guy said […]
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Book Review: Mother of Eden by Chris Beckett
Title: Mother of Eden Author: Chris Beckett Series: Dark Eden #2 Published: 2015 Publisher: Broadway Books Pages: 480 From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 9/10 Chris Beckett came out of left field. The British author, who does social work as well as writing novels, wrote a novel called Dark Eden, which takes a biblical approach to […]
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Book Review: Atlantia by Ally Condie
Title: Atlantia Author: Ally Condie Series: None Published: 2014 Publisher: Dutton Penguin Pages: 298 From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 7/10 I saw the cover of Atlantia by Ally Condie one day while I perused Barnes and Noble’s website, and immediately I was hooked. Recently, I’ve been breaking into the young adult genre for unknown reasons, […]
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Book Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass
Title: The Heir Author: Kiera Cass Series: The Selection Published: 2015 Publisher: HarperTeen Pages: From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 6/10 I didn’t think it was possible, but The Heir made me want to be a princess even less than The Selection. American author Kiera Cass continued her Selection series with The Heir, which focuses on […]
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Book Review: The One by Kiera Cass
Title: The One Author: Kiera Cass Series: The Selection Published: 2014 Publisher: HarperTeen Pages: From: Walmart Rating: 7/10 The third of American author Kiera Cass’ Selection series has finally been finished, and I must say, I am at least a little bit excited for the fourth novel The Heir. Cass’ novel The One focuses on […]
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Book Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass
Title: The Elite Author: Kiera Cass Series: The Selection Published: 2014 Publisher: HarperTeen Pages: From: Walmart Rating: 6/10 As I’m sure most of you who have read The Elite know, it is the second in a series of young adult dystopian romance novels by American author Kiera Cass. The Elite, the second of The Selection […]
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Book Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass
Title: The Selection Author: Kiera Cass Series: The Selection Published: 2012 Publisher: HarperTeen Pages: 336 From: Walmart Rating: 5/10 This book made me wish I was a princess. Well, no. Not really. Kiera Cass, an American novelist from South Carolina, started the Selection series in 2012, and since then it’s become a hit among the […]
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Book Review: Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
Title: Dark Eden Author: Chris Beckett Series: Dark Eden Published: 2012 Publisher: Corvus Pages: 441 From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 9/10 Imagine a world with no sun. The air is chilled, everything is dark. But, thanks to the darkness, creatures and plants have developed amazing ways to light the way. Then, imagine living on that […]
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Girl on Fire: Life is short
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, April 2, 2015] As I get older, I keep learning new life lessons. Recently, the lesson that has been playing over and over in front of me is that life is short, and we must take chances. My heart goes out to fellow firefighter Kevin Webb, his son Tanner […]
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