Television Spotlight: Pilot—Once Upon A Time (Season 1, Episode 1)

Welcome to a place where all of the characters from the fairytales of our childhood live together—but they don't even know it.

Season's Greetings, Beardies!

It's been several months since I have posted a review, and I am sorry. When the new school year started in September, I had 29 Kindergarteners by the end of the first week! Yikes! Twenty-nine little five-year-old bodies is a lot to mange. We waited patiently and finally hired a fourth teacher at the end of the month, but I have been busier than ever between helping her, starting my Masters program, and wedding planning. This winter break has been a blessing for my sanity; as much as I miss my Kindergarten babies, I will be sad to see it go.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays with new books to read, movies to watch, and to catch up on missed TV shows. I was able to reacquaint myself with many shows I follow, including Once Upon A Time, the subject of this review. I decided to watch the pilot episode again to remind me where it all started. I hope that if you do not already watch this show, this review will inspire you to have a day-long marathon of Seasons 1 & 2 over the holiday (they are available on Netflix and Amazon Prime)!

Without further ado...

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Book Spotlight: Everneath (An Everneath Novel, Book #1) by Brodi Ashton

Good Day, Beardies!

Summer is flying by! It’s July already! Summers in the south are hot and humid; luckily we got our camping trip in before the heat set in. Virginia is steeped in so much history, we decided to make a trip of it and visit some of the Civil War battlefields here.


Visiting these hallowed grounds makes me think of how life has changed so much in the 150 years since the war took place; it also makes me ponder what our future holds.

During our trip, I started reading a new YA series I found on a trip to the library. It is something different from what I normally read, and it intrigued me. When I fall in love with a particular genre or sub-genre, I tend to read only those types of books, similar to when you always order the same thing at your favorite restaurant. Every now and again, I like to branch out and try something different; this book was it. Without further ado, here is Everneath by Brodi Ashton.

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Book Spotlight: Fever (Chemical Garden Series, Book 2) by Lauren DeStefano

Good Day, Beardies!

School’s out for summer! I love my job, but after 2 weeks of our routine being turned on its head due to state testing, I am ready for a break. I’m usually in “relaxation” mode until July; that’s when I get the itch to start planning for the fall. Until then, I plan on working in my garden (my tomatoes are doing great!), cooking and baking (I’m taking the Wilton Cake Decorating course at Michael’s), getting started on wedding planning, and reading a ton of books!

Now that I have a little extra time, I can finish my Spotlights on Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden Series. I’m sure you are anxiously wondering what has happened to Rhine. Without further ado, here is Fever, the second installment in the Chemical Garden Series.

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Book Spotlight: Wither (The Chemical Garden Series, Book 1) by Lauren DeStefano

Good Day, Beardies!

I’m excited to introduce my first Book Spotlight! As a voracious reader, I’m always looking for recommendations for new reads, especially in dystopian fiction. Elizabeth, in her posts on The Quiddity of Speculation, wrote briefly about the explosion in Young Adult Dystopian fiction since The Hunger Games was published in 2008. One of the series briefly spotlighted was Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden Series, and she asked that I spotlight it since I had recently finished reading the series. Even though they are set in the same world and follow an over-arching plot line, each book in the series is distinct, so I will bring you a spotlight on each individually.

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Interview with Alainna Sarver

Bonjour Beardies,

I am excited to bring you the first of two interview posts to introduce our two new Guest Scribes.  The first, Alainna Sarver, is a fellow Alma College alumnus and bibliophile.  The second, Hannah Lesniak, is Elizabeth's colleague and friend; her interview and introduction post, presented by Elizabeth, will follow soon.

Alainna has been a Beardie for several months now, but it was her Goodreads updates that prompted me to invite her to the blog.  With every post, it seemed, was a new book she was currently reading, and so, with a quick message via Facebook, the invitation was submitted.  She was hesitant at first, doubting her writing talents, but I convinced her that I would help every step of the way.  Also, upon reading her bio, I have no doubt in my mind that she was downplaying her writing ability.