I just finished the complete Murderbot series by Martha Wells (I chose the format of audiobooks narrated by Kevin R. Free, which were phenomenal) and I’ve been trying to wrap my head around why I absolutely adore this series; to understand why it resonates so strongly...why the chord it plucks deep within my own experiences are ones so intimately known, in such a multidimensional way.

Far cry from the modern,

Grand, cosmopolitan

City of London,

The forested land of Blackmoor

Is always densely foggy at night

I am a firm believer in New Year’s resolutions . As one year ends and another begins — and the days are at their darkest — I find it helpful to throw myself into a new hobby or practice a new skill. At its best, New Year’s resolutions are a fundamentally hopeful practice that helps us recognize our ability to change and grow and start anew, even in times of struggle. I especially love reading resolutions.

One of my favorite things to do during the coziest of seasons is to curl up with a good book in my armchair by the window, sip on a mug of hot apple cider, and watch the snow falling through the soft lamplight.

But what to read?!

If you like learning about truths, I encourage you to read further.

If you like Thanksgiving, I encourage you to pause here and consider if you want to choose this particular adventure.

Isn't that nice, being given a choice?

I am.

And here is where I am.

There I was, watching the downpour through my window, stuck in quarantine in the height of the pandemic. I was daydreaming of a summer romance in Cousins Beach, entertaining the idea of camaraderie and burgers at Luke’s Diner, wishing to be as cool as characters in K-Dramas.

I have always found it very difficult to write about love, regardless if it is for people, for places, or for things. It’s hard to tack down an emotional experience so vast with just words. Love is huge, terrifying, unfathomable, calamitous, and persistent. It can’t be ignored. It refuses to be ignored.

Before CW’s Supernatural, even The X-Files on Fox, Alan Moore was cranking out Monster of the Week’s like nobody’s business. I wouldn’t dare credit him with the trope, but his work, especially the “American Gothic” arc on his Swamp Thing reinvention, to date, remains my standout exemplar.

Spooky runs through my veins (literally – ask any haunted house designer or movie-magic maven, blood is super spooky). For many, a list of their favorite things would include raindrops on roses or maybe whiskers on kittens. But for me? It’s darkened halls and a shadow moving where it shouldn't…

At age twenty-three, I’m unsure if I’ll continue to be a lifelong superhero fan.

As the weather gets colder, the days get shorter and the leaves begin to change colors, it is once again time for everybody’s favorite fall holiday — I am, of course, talking about OCD Awareness Week.