Two years ago, I set out to add reading back into my life as a practice and a habit — one that inadvertently pairs well with my other established habit of reflective writing. First and foremost, I read and write for my own benefit. The pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is one selfish act that…
Book Review: Uncommon Type – Some Stories
Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks is a collection of fictional stories that all have some connection (if an extremely loose one) to a typewriter. While each vignette starts with a photo of a typewriter, the machinery rarely plays a part in the plot. The one story that did revolve around the actual typing tool —…
Book Review: The Actor’s Life—A Survival Guide
I have been a fan of the American version of The Office since I first saw an episode (roughly 2007). My extended family was collectively enjoying downtime on Christmas break and my uncle popped in a DVD disk of the show. I followed The Office throughout high school and college, frequently quoting memorable lines with…
Book Review: The Bourne Supremacy
This time last year, I was writing a review for The Bourne Identity, the first in Robert Ludlum’s trilogy. As I discovered while reading that book, the storylines of the book and the movie series are incongruent. Other than being fairly similar in the characterization of the main character, Jason Bourne, the screen writers really…
Documentary Review: The Social Dilemma
I’ve decided to branch out with my reviews. I’m still reading books consistently and jotting down my thoughts, but after watching (and feeling sick to my stomach from) The Social Dilemma, I figured I would share my take. As the communications manager for a university, a large part of my job involves managing social media…
Be still. Do Less.
The past seven months have been weird. In the spring, the pandemic forced everything to close down and all my extracurricular activities and side hustles to temporarily cease and desist. My body and mind rested and remembered the joys of peace and quiet. I made reading, baking, painting, working out, cooking, self-care and cleaning weekly…
Learning to survive the learning curve
I have an awful lot of hobbies and side hustles – I like to feel productive by pursuing things that bring me joy. I also have a hard time remembering that there are only 24 hours in a day and that a good portion of those are used up by my full-time job, sleeping and…
Book Review: Born a Crime
From comedian and talk-show host Trevor Noah, Born a Crime is a delightful look into the formative years of one of America’s favorite comedic expats. This was yet another book on my reading list that I will honestly admit I didn’t buy until the most recent explosion of racial tension in America occurred earlier this…
Book Review: Just Mercy
In Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, attorney and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), Bryan Stevenson, recounts his experiences working to appeal the sentences of prison inmates, particularly those on death row. While this book was another on my books to read list for quite some time, the current atmosphere of…
Book Review: The Kite Runner
I added Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner to my books to read list a few years ago. I remember that it received lots of attention when it hit the bookshelves in 2003. I knew it was popular and I wanted to find out why. I didn’t even realize it was a novel until I received…
L.M.Beatty 