Category: Book Stuff

There will be a notification when spoilers happen in this review. If you don’t want to find out what happens, stop there.

This book is one of Abbi Glines’ Young Adult fiction novels. Set in Alabama, it is told from two points of view: West Ashby and Maggie Carleton.

West Ashby is the football star running back of the small town’s high school. He has captured the attention from the females and is one of the most popular people at the school. But he is hiding a secret from everyone else, and it is tearing him apart.

Meet Maggie Carleton. Mute by choice due to a horrific scene she witnessed, she is moved to a new high school and a new town to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. Her cousin is the quarterback of the football team and is not thrilled to have her there. He is forced to bring her to parties and show her around school, mentioning to everyone that she is off limits and mute.

They meet at a field party (hence the name of the series). West slowly opens up to Maggie, who in turn opens up herself. They become an interesting couple and the talk of the town.

This is a sweet love story for those who want to just have an escape. It is not centered around football, like the title might suggest, but is rather centered around West and Maggie’s love story.

Some parts of it are a bit … [Read More]

Now, I know I may be a little bit late on reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, considering it came out three years ago. I also never read her book Eat, Pray, Love, which I need to rectify. But what made me finally pick up Big Magic was a recommendation by several trusted friends.

Her book details her beliefs on “living a creative life.” It is split up into sections and each section is filled with short anecdotes from her life, as well as her musings on what these stories mean for her life. It is written in an engaging and humorous way that is easy to read and pick up where you left off, even months later.

I should know — I multi-read. Between going to school and having a job, I started this book when I couldn’t read for hours at a time. I am sad to say I neglected this book. But every time I came back to it, it never failed to inspire me.

I have a short list of books that I turn to when I feel bogged down and unable to write my stories. They are usually reference books that state different methods for writing. Big Magic is different in so many ways to those books, but it has made the list. After reading through a couple short stories, I found it hard to decide between stopping to write my own stories or to keep reading.

But this book isn’t just meant for writers. It is meant for any kind of creativity, and she lets the definition be whatever it means to you. Sure, she mentions writing a lot, but that is simply because it is her chosen route of creativity.

Gilbert will inspire you to get over the mental roadblocks in your way to use your creativity. And she’ll encourage you not to do it for…[Read more]