Between the Pages

SUMMARY      Kya Clark, the "Marsh Girl", doesn't need anyone's help. Kya was abandoned by her mother at a young age along with all of her siblings one by one, leaving her with her alcoholic, abusive father. After her father leaves, Kya is never surprised at one person or another leaving her life, the Marsh Girl lives off of supplies from a near-by fishing store. Kya Clark's name is whispered in hushed tones while city moms spread rumors and town boys make up stories about her "exotic beauty".  Barefoot, wild, and unconventionally beautiful. Kya Clark is a born naturalist, as she collects species from her swamp. Drawn to two young men from town, two drastically different boys, Kya begins to learn what it means to be cared for and loved, but she also learns what it means to be taken advantage of (to put it euphemistically).  The Marsh Girl isn't seriously spoken of until 1969 when Chase Andrews is found dead in Kya's swamp. REVIEW     Kya Clark...

All committed readers (or individuals dedicated to any craft) have facets of books and the way others read/treat their volumes that bother them. I consider myself a very specific and detail-oriented person. I think that is why I have so many book-related pet peeves.  First, the definition of a "pet peeve" as defined by Merriam-Webster: Here is a series of statements that sum up my book-related pet peeves that I am aware of . I am sure I will discover more as I get older.  A special edition or sale-announcing sticker right on the front of a book or across the synopsis that is impossible to peel off even with the longest nail in the world is a deed of evil that cannot be undone.  The reading interrupter said by the close family member or a complete stranger that is, "WHAAAAAT R U REEEEADIN' ?" is just a shrill sound that takes me out of my sweet reading trance. I always just show the cover by placing the book in front of my face as to block out their voice from my...

Happy (22 days into the) New Year! Sorry for the delay, but here are BTP's resolutions for 2021.  Enjoy Reading, like really This resolution is rather simple. I love reading, almost all reading. That's almost . I am going to try to find joy in even the most boring of school books that seem to always hit in the week before spring break. While I hate writing in margins, annotating, and talking books to death, I am going to try to be happy in reading all the time. It is what I claim that I want to do with my life. I might as well find all of the joy I can in books.  At Least 2 Pleasure Books per Month That's right. Now as a student, this goal might be lofty. This may not sound like a lot of books for a book blogger and lover to read in a month, but I also read for school. I don't want to make such an unattainable goal. (I have a tendency to do this.) At Least 3 Blog Posts per Month Like the last goal, I don't want to make something so unattainable. I love to post on th...

I am reading A LOT right now! I finished Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens per the request of my Instagram followers. It was very good - a review is coming soon. If you are thinking about ordering it or buying it in a store, I highly recommend picking one up. While it is an adult book, it is very good (the first "good for young adults" adult book I've read in a while).  I am currently reading the third book in The Charlotte Holmes trilogy by Brittany Cavallaro ( A Study in Charlotte, The Last of August,  and  A Case for Jamie ). I love these books. While I think the first is the best one so far (as is true with many series and trilogies), the other two are completely delightful. They are certainly thriller-light, but they make me want to be a smarter person.  Also, on another note, I am not sure about this little literary journal series I seem to be doing weekly or tri-monthly. I like keeping up with my reading as well. Plus, it doubles as a blog post. I don't k...

   Reviewing classics. That phrase sounds like an oxymoron. Add "as a teenager" to the end of the phrase, and it sounds even more oxymoronic. How can a person truly review a book from a time period they have never experienced? Books that have been beloved for decades by thousands of brilliant and qualified people? Books by writers who have such an extensive collection of titles to their name that the book you are reviewing seems like a minuscule part of their grand contribution to the universe? Even worse, what if you simply didn't like the book? What if your review is about to be a negative one? Scary, huh?    A classic book is a book like any other. The only exception to this statement is that classics have years worth of support. A reviewer's job is to make comments on a book based on the writing quality  and whether it is enjoyable to read. All classics must have good writing quality. If they didn't, they would not have received the amount of support that ma...