This past weekend was the last theatre production of my high school career. For my senior role, I was honored to portray the Lady Larken in Once Upon A Mattress. It has been fun, and I’m thankful for all the memories I’ve made with the cast. Since the show is a retelling of The Princess and The Pea, I thought it would be fun to tie in a few retellings this week, too. I’ve got three amazing books to share with you, so let’s get on with the show!

       I went to see Hamilton last week since my parents gave me tickets as a Christmas gift, and it was just as amazing as I could’ve dreamed. So, when I stumbled upon this tag, I knew it would be the perfect post for this week. Nothing makes me happier than combining my love of books and theatre. Make sure you check out my other dramatic posts at the end of this one!
(Also beware of the last three songs for spoilers!)

        Happy holidays fellow readers! Since Christmas is quickly approaching, I thought it would be fun to create a gift list for all the bookish people in your life. This past year of reading for me has been a compilation of so many different types of books, so I feel I am able to find a story for your best friend AND that one aunt who you only see once a year (and aren’t sure of her name). I hope you enjoy and remember to spread holiday cheer to all of the people who matter most to you through a book.

       I don’t know about you guys, but I love dogs with my entire being (and that’s an understatement). Dogs are the cutest, kindest, and most lovable creatures to ever walk this planet, and you can’t convince me otherwise. The best part of my day is opening up my Twitter feed to find a new tweet from @dog_feelings. My dad even got me a “gooob morning” mug. (#dadgoals) So, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to compile three of my favorite YA books with dogs in them. 

​🎝 Hello, my name is Elder Smith, and I would like to share with you the most amazing books! 🎝
​       Shoutout to all my fellow theatre nerds, and welcome to the most dramatic post I’ve ever done. After spending a whole weekend with the cast and crew of my high school play last month, I thought it would only be appropriate to compile a list of books that featured their own cast and crew in the story.

       Back to School season is in full swing, and to celebrate the first day of my last year of high school, I thought it would be fun to put together a few of my favorite books about senior year. The three that I have chosen (Which all happen to be purple, my favorite color if you couldn’t tell. I love it.) are the ones that most accurately represents my senior experiences so far. If you have any other recommendations for senior year books, please leave them in the comments below. I’d love to read them during the school year!

​       Welcome back to my small corner of the blogosphere. Recently, I’ve been wanting to start up one or two new series here on my blog, and this post is the start of the first one! “Keynote Three” is going to be a series where I recommend books based on common tropes, characters, or other aspects of the stories. This one features three books where the characters visit a Waffle House at one point or another in the story. Be sure to let me know in the comments what topics I should consider in the future.

​      As readers, we have loads of choices to make. We have to pick what book we want to read at any given moment, what format we want it, where we want to read it, and so many other things that coincide with our overall book experience. I thought it would be fun to share the ten most frequent questions I find myself asking at different stages of the book reading process. Please feel free to leave your answers in the comments, and also ask any "this or that" questions you have for me!

       I love reading—there’s something about being able to look at symbols on a page and be able to create worlds, characters, and scenarios inside your head. While I love “seeing” all of these things come to life, my favorite scenes to craft in my head are the ones involving food. Books with food scenes (specifically baking and desserts) can bring a little extra spark of immersion into their stories while also having a bit of fun along the way. For that reason, I am bringing you five of my favorite books featuring the foods they’re known for.

       We’ve all been there. February 14th is the day where all us single people get to watch the happy couples fawn over each other. So while we all say we don’t care that we don’t have a valentine, it can be sad to think we don’t have a significant other with whom to share the day. The good news is that you and I are in the same boat, and I have compiled a small list of charming and amusing stories that are sure to be better than any valentine you could’ve gotten. (Unless you received a stack of books from someone as a valentine. Or a giant cake. Then it probably won’t be better. However, it will come close. I promise.)