I read an interesting article yesterday that argued rest and downtime can fuel our creativity. The author asserts that rest and strategic laziness are necessary for not only resetting our brains, but also for allowing creativity to happen naturally. I agree that creativity can’t be forced. I’ve tried. I’ve stared…
Category: Reading
Abstract Art
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Review – Art & Fear
After reading the door-stopper, The Last Dangerous Visions, I thought I’d go with a quicker read for my next book. Luckily, Art & Fear was sitting on top of my to-read stack next to the bed. Co-written by David Bayles and Ted Orland, the book takes a look at both…
Books
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Review – The Last Dangerous Visions
The Last Dangerous Visions has been a long-time coming. Originally announced in 1973 by Harlan Ellison, the last book of the anthology series became a legend in the science fiction community for the simple fact that it didn’t seem it would ever be published. This was a mind-boggling situation after…
Art
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Public Domain Day 2026
January 1st is Public Domain Day in many countries. What this means is, certain works – music, books, artwork, etc. – have reached the end of their copyright protection and are now available to the general public for free. On January 1, many works from 1930 will transfer to public…
Books
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My 2026 Reading List
I’m sad to report that I read fewer books this past year than I did the year before. Partly because last year I was doing freelance book reviews, and that allowed me access to many more books than I usually have. And there were deadlines. Deadlines can be quite motivational. …
Books
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November is Family Literacy Month
One of my earliest memories is my father teaching me to read. We’d sit on the sofa together and work our way through one of my school books, sounding out words and learning how to string them together. While we weren’t necessarily close, this is one fond memory I have…
Mental Health
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A Golden Fox Award!
One of the great blogs I follow, Fox Reviews Rock, recently acknowledged me with a Golden Fox Award for being one of the top commentators on their site. I think it’s a nice way for the site to give a shout out to its followers and encourage readers to speak…
Books
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Banned Books Week – Let Freedom Read Day
Today is the last day of Banned Books Week 2025, but it’s not the end of the fight against censorship. Let Freedom Read day is an opportunity to take action and do something, even a small thing, to stand up to book bans and censorship. A quick post on social…
Books
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Poetry Moment – Freedom to Read
There are only two days left in Banned Books Week and I feel hopeful. I’ve not only enjoyed conversing with the people who were kind enough to comment on my posts this week, but also seeing posts on other blogs and on social media. It show me that people do…
Books
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Fight Book Censorship with Book Résumés
What’s a book résumé, you ask? It’s a great way to help people understand the educational value of books. Like a professional resume (or a CV internationally), it’s a stripped down overview of the whole that focuses on the positive aspects. The American Library Association (ALA) has a page on…