I took the photo above in one of the public bathrooms in my school. I believe the Random Acts of Kindness Club wrote and posted this note and others that had lots of different messages and appeared in various places around campus. A fun project I approve of, but not the point of this post….
Author: caritagardiner
287. Why Consider the Percentage
[I tried to make the percent sign above look really spiffy, using an even larger, blurred, lavender shadow text, but after three tries of its not saving correctly, I gave up. If you know how to make such things happen, maybe you can give me a lesson sometime. Anyway, this paragraph has nothing to do…
286. Why a Book isn’t a Platform
In February, I got to attend the inaugural weekend of the Bread Loaf Winter Institute, a thought-provoking, enjoyable program I highly recommend. (If you want to check it out, click the photo above to learn more about the event and/or sign up for 2025’s iteration. Depending on how I’m feeling, maybe I’ll see you there.)…
285. Why I’m Not in My Basement
The above is a photo of me during my hockey season. Oh, don’t be silly. It’s a stock photo I found online of someone who spent a lot of time in a basement practicing to be able to shoot the puck like that. When this post goes live, I will be solidly in my off-season…
NetGalley Review of It’s All Relative
title: It’s All Relative author: Rachel Magee publisher: Thomas Nelson publication date: August 6, 2024 pages: 336 peppers: 1 (on this scale) warnings: none summary: Helena can’t stand the idea of going to her mother’s wedding to a great guy for two reasons. First, his family is annoyingly perfect. Second, she has a crush on Gage,…
284. Why Be a __ Fairy
The photo above shows the back of my computer. You might recognize the “Embrace the Quest” line as the one I offered in my Lufkin Prize speech. I had those stickers made with Hotchkiss’s Main Building, sparkles, and that catchphrase to give out after the speech. (If you’re reading this and want one, please let…
NetGalley Review of How to Fall for a Scoundrel
title: How to Fall for a Scoundrel author: Kate Bateman publisher: St. Martin’s Paperback publication date: August 20, 2024 pages: 320 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: none summary: Ellie and her friends run a detective agency under a man’s name because many people won’t hire women, but one night at a party, a handsome stranger first…
NetGalley Review of Prime Time Romance
title: Prime Time Romance author: Kate Robb publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback publication date: September 3, 2024 pages: 336 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: vomit, drinking and binge drinking summary: After her divorce, Brynn spends as much time as possible watching her favorite teen series, Carson’s Cove, in which everything ends happily ever after, except the…
283. Why Getting Older Isn’t What I Expected
If you zoom in really close on the above photo of me (I’m not recommending this), you’ll see my gray hair. I didn’t have any grays at all until I became a head of the English Department at my school. Now, I have plenty of them. I am not surprised by gray hair, as I…
NetGalley Review of A Legend in the Baking
title: A Legend in the Baking author: Jamie Wesley publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin publication date: November 19, 2024 pages: 336 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: none summary: Sloane Dell impulsively quits her marketing job after not getting the promotion she deserves. To prove herself for another job, she runs the social media accounts for her brother…