These Books Among Us

Young adult literature has seen a recent influx of the superhero. Already within the realm of heroes such as Katniss, Harry Potter, and many seemingly normal children, these superheroes are shown as more than just ordinary students or children. They are more than just the “chosen one.” They are different. Outsiders. But that being said, though they do have extraordinary powers, many of them are relatable to kids now. They are orphans, adopted, from non “nuclear” families, something that is much more prevalent in today’s society. But this is not shown as a bad thing. These heroes are more than just super, they are people who come from different backgrounds and want to make a difference in the world. Books like this, as well as being an introduction into nerd culture as shown in last week’s post, show kids that it is okay to be different and to use their talents to help the world become a better place. Now I know that a few of these books have yet to come out, so I cannot say wh...

It’s pretty obvious that nerd culture has become cool, possibly for the first time. Now in style are the glasses, the board games, the fashion, and the comics, but how did this come about? Well, first of all, the emergence of the internet (and iPhones) allowed for the nerd to raise to a place of power in society. People, in their strive for power, will look to these people for fashion (for who knows what reason) to be more like them. Thus, the nerd culture is here and is, hopefully, here to stay. Being from a family that emphasizes the nerdy (love you Dad) I can completely get behind this trend. Comic books are resurfacing, cool story lines and characters are getting revamped. Movies and television shows are being made and (most) made well. But what’s better than that, is this trend is seeping into young adult and children’s literature. Not only does this allow for children and young adults to be introduced to these awesome storylines, they are being shown people from...

Okay, so with school being back in session for a lot of students around the country, I thought I would share my thoughts on the idea of the “classic” novel. You may have noticed my use of quotations around the word classic. That was intentional. Mainly because what people consider a classic novel nowadays means more that it is old rather than something that should be inherently taught in classrooms to students to help them understand the way of the world of yesteryear. Now I will say that there are some novels in this category that I agree should be taught, but there are others that I disagree with. Partly because I did not like the books. Partly because I think teachers read too much into them or have thoughts on them that do not connect with what is written in the pages. But I will get to that later. Let’s start with a list of some books that I have had to read, more specifically in high school, not college because that opens another can of worms. So, let’s begin: ...

Hello Everyone! Nice to see you again! As I told you in the last post, I am changing this blog up a little. Instead of doing book reviews, I am going to be attempting to do some more “intellectual” posts dealing with themes that I can then transition onto the books I am reading or have read. There will also be some recommendations on the genre I am talking about in the post and some possible topics that you can come up with your own answers for in the comments! So, without further ado, here’s the first post. So let’s talk about King Arthur. I know, I know. Why talk about some legends that don’t tie into anything I like to read? How can this tie into young adult novels? I am glad you asked. I am going to explain my theories to you right now in this, probably, long winded post! Okay, we all know the legends of King Arthur. A man, who is chosen by his lineage, draws a sword from the stone, becomes king, gets betrayed by his best friend and his wife, then being possibly ki...

Hello there everyone! Long time no talk! I have been super busy with graduating college, trying to find a job, and just life in general that I haven't updated this in about six months! Oh no! I am going to try to get back into it, hopefully making posts every Tuesday. I will also start posting links to my YouTube videos, which I will also be updating, every Thursday, so be on the lookout for those. Did you notice the new theme? I like this one just a  bit better. There are going to be more pages and ways for you to interact on here as well. I also posted a new way for you to follow the blog. Just be sure to hit the Subscribe button on the top of the page and you will be notified when I make a new post! I am really excited to be starting this up again. It is going to (hopefully) help me stay focused in my reading and writing that I want to get done. Now onto some more updates. I am currently in the midst of writing my second book. It will not be the sequel to the ...