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We Need More Hope-Filled Media
Whenever anyone asks me what kinds of movies and shows I like, I tend to just give the vague umbrella answer of “fun and feel-good,” occasionally followed up with, “if I wanted to be depressed, I’d just watch the news.” This usually returns a mixed bag of recommendations, since of course different things make different…
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What Happened to Competence Porn?
In 2009, Leverage writer John Rogers wrote in a blog post about how viewers enjoyed “watching competent people banter and plan,” something his team had come to refer to as “competence porn.” This phenomenon, now named, has loosely cropped up throughout all forms of media over the years, from Odysseus escaping the Cyclops to Sherlock…
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An Argument for Literary Perseverance
Nearly every job I’ve ever had I’ve quit for a reason that was, in all reality, rather unsatisfactory. I cleaned pools throughout college and, when told my future sister-in-law was moving to Georgia for work, I decided to quit altogether over the phone that same day, at a pool I was cleaning no less, rather…
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Making Time to Read, Not Excuses
I should read more, but I just don’t have time. We’ve all heard it. You may have even said it at some point. Either way, it’s most likely a lie. It’s a known fact that our world is busy. People race from work to pick up the kids from school or soccer practice to go…
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Get Off Your High Horse, the Book Is Not Always Better Than the Movie
It is common knowledge among book readers that the movie version will almost always be inferior to the book it’s based off of. It’s a popular refrain by moviegoers, dinner guests and librarians everywhere. And to some degree this belief is well justified. There are a lot of bad or utterly forgettable book adaptations out…
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A Genre For Every Season: Summer
Whether summer means blistering in the sun on a white sand beach or finding your next outdoor fix, you’re bound to find some time to read. After all, summer is a season for relaxation and self-reflection, and books are perfect for just that. So slap on that sunscreen and spread those toes as we splash…
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Good Literature Is Not Self Help: A Critique of ‘The Alchemist’
Near my apartment there is a cemetery sandwiched between the river and a main road. If you walk long enough hugging the path near the river you will see a gravestone partially obscured by flowers. If you push aside the leaves, you find a black and white picture of a young couple smiling warmly at…
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Books and Tea for the Cold Early Spring
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man of good fortune probably doesn’t read enough, but probably drinks a lot of caffeine. Switch your coffee pot off, put the kettle on, go to your local library and snuggle up. Here are five books and five accompanying teas to keep you sane as the…
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A Genre For Every Season: Spring
Goodbye to winter jackets, roaring fires, and the bitter cold. Hello to tiny rabbits, spring showers, and an explosion of green. Where pastels and floral patterns are in, and life blooms bigger and better with each rising of the sun. With the dawn creeping up earlier every day and the birds chirping a sweeter melody,…
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Pairing Books With Breakfast
I occasionally read while I eat and have since I was little. I even have proof, a picture tucked away in a photo album of me shoveling oatmeal into my mouth while reading a picture book. So, I promise you that just like the right juice can make or break a breakfast, so can the…
The Lit Nerds 