Why I Avoid Reading Long Books
On Christmas Eve, I started reading Little Women. It felt like an appropriate choice because the story opens with a Christmas scene. I’ve read Little Women before, or so I
Category: Essays
Essays on a variety of topics. Included are favorites lists, health, product reviews, personal essays, nostalgia, and more.
Should I Remember What I Read?
I’ve read books where I can remember the story but not the title. I’ve read books where I remember the title and not the story. There are scenes from books
The Evolution of Believing in Santa Claus
There’s a home movie of me at 20 months old in my white Christmas dress and patent leather shoes. It’s 1987, and I’m holding my mom’s free hand as she
8 Great Ghost Story Tropes
Ghosts. Like most paranormal entities, they are not just one thing. Yet, they are immediately recognizable. Many believe ghosts to be the spirits of the dead. Others think of them
Don’t Lose Your Identity Trying to be Someone Else by Vinod Balan
By: Vinod Balan The importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses I used to play a lot of football/soccer as a kid. Most kids were obsessed with playing in the
5 Ways to Get Through Winter in Quarantine
The home stretch of the COVID-19 pandemic is going to be a tough one. No matter what the situation, everyone is worn out from this germophobic, isolated, divided way of
Experience Essays by the Blogging Community
This collection of essays below is a mixed bag of experiences from four different bloggers who detail common yet personalized moments that you may or may not have experienced as
Entertainment Essays by the Blogging Community
This post features entertainment-themed essays from fellow bloggers covering books and music. Entertainment makes us feel more connected as fans, but getting close to celebrities or creating a form of
Haunted Houses: How the Victorian Home Inspired Classic Ghost Stories
Victorian Houses. By day, they are the “painted ladies” of postcard row in San Francisco during the opening of Full House. By night, they are the sinister house silhouetted on
Parenting Essays by the Blogging Community
Below is a collection of essays written by fellow bloggers on the subject of parenting. More specifically, these three essays cover what it’s like to conceive and give birth to
Travel Essays by the Blogging Community
Throughout the month of October 2020, I’m featuring essays from fellow bloggers where they tell personal stories beginning with the phrase, “what it’s like…” These 15 essays will each fall
RIF Books, Dear Mr. Henshaw, and Writing Realistic Middle Grade Novels
RIF book day in school Do you remember the RIF Program? Each year in elementary school, our class would go to the school library where dozens of books would be
What Makes Us Smile?
I’m waiting for my six-week-old nephew to smile. Not a reflex smile. I want to see a genuine, gum-baring “I’m happy,” smile. Most of us come into this world crying,
What It Was Like to be a Teenager in the 2000’s Part 2
This post is continued from Part 1. Learn more or reminisce about what it was like to be a teenager in the early 2000’s. Listening to the radio As a
What It was Like to Be a Teen in the 2000’s Part 1
It’s been 20 years since the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000. I was 13 years old. Suddenly, I was living in the decade that science fiction movies had