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Despite the Christmas celebrations ending several days ago, I continue to nibble peppermint bark and sip hot chocolate until my blood resembles a concoction similar to a minty chocolate slush. Moreover, I continue to celebrate the winter holidays past a socially acceptable date and much later than any radio station will play "Jingle Bell Rock" or "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." So, as a naturally curious reader craving holiday stories even after the winter holidays conclude, I can only imagine the fictional favorites behind the twinkling eyes, rosy cheeks, and full heart that is the grand figure behind the Christmas festivities. Although the year before and especially the days leading up to his Christmas flight are exceptionally busy as toys are prepared by elves and sleigh avionics are strategized by Claus's team of engineers and reindeer pilots, I can only assume that Santa's mind not only readies for a long flight but also craves stories as rich ...

After finals season, there are two activities I enjoy partaking in: reading books until the sun announces the next day and napping until my dreams resemble that of a dragon fever dream. And, when I passed all my classes of my first semester (of many) of grad school, I knew there was only one appropriate response: a pre-Christmas book haul. Especially when there is no truly no bad occasion to excuse bringing books into a good home.  Thus, the following are only a few of the acceptable reasons for a (mandatory) book haul: Earn good grades? You definitely deserve a book (or one for each A+)! Get a bad grade on a test, or have a bad day? Sop up your tears with a breathtaking story to rejuvenate your motivation for school and other difficult challenges. Bored of doom-scrolling on social media? Read for 5 minutes to achieve another addiction that is even harder to break and can be expensive on the wallet or the library card! Left heartbroken by your last re-read of Harry Potter and th...

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders... Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre:  dragon riders . But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise. Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and t...

Unless you live in the sun-blazing heat and humidity of Houston or anywhere close to the Earth's equator, summer rolls around only once a year. Nonetheless, summer in the United States is a time of change: the weather itself turns warmer as the sun works overtime, tropical storms and hurricanes become more occurrent as beach attendance rises, another academic year ends and readies for the subsequent classes to come later, and the awaited summer vacation and family traveling finally arrives.  Whether I went to my local park or partook in a family road trip to Florida, each vacation was the most anticipated part of my summer. Moreover, partaking in exciting adventures only gave me more brownie points when I inevitably returned to school and expressed all the amusement to my classmates and friends. Nonetheless, I still left energy to read imaginary stories as well as listen to my classmates' summer stories.  Meanwhile, to distract myself from the never-ending wait to reach a dest...

Every Tuesday, Jana at  That Artsy Reader Girl  hosts Top Ten Tuesday, a series of posts created to appreciate lists of books and reading-related culture. The theme changes every week and is chosen by Jana. Come join our fangirl/boy craziness by naming your top ten favorite short reads in the comments or in your very own blog/social media. Poking through the library reveals the genius of authors whose book collections line several shelves, these authors’ successes do not merely exist because of wishes made on glowing shooting stars or blowing dandelion fuzz into southbound winds. While relying on the works of a witch's bubbling purple portion or luck for success, these writers cultivate their talents through scraped outlines and near-infinity drafts until their finished work is finally released to readers. Much  time is needed to both master the writing and development of stories and the characters we empathize with or root for. Thus, it is safe to assume that the storyte...