Over the weekend, I spent my time engaged in one one my favorite hobbies, plants. I have a small collection of houseplants as well as a small garden. Over the years, the plants come and go, but recently both of my gardens have taken off. While repotting, I began thinking of some of my recent reads….
Month: May 2023
![](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7-Book-Series-To-Spark-A-Joy-Of-Reading-In-Middle-Schoolers.png?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1)
7 Book Series to Spark a Joy of Reading in Middle Schoolers
In today’s world, there are less readers than there used to be. We have more distractions at home or better things to do than read. Why read when you can play on your Playstation or watch your favorite show? Unlike watching television, reading provides many mental benefits such as improved concentration, bigger vocabulary, and overall…
![](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Girls-Are-All-So-Nice-Here-1.png?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1)
The Girls are All So Nice Here Book Review
Going off to college is a scary, exciting new chapter for many people. For many people, you are going to a new town, with new faces, and you start on a clean slate. Years later, it is fun to look back on memories from undergrad. However, when we hide secrets in our past, they eventually…
![](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Heros-Journey-Story-Structure.png?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1)
The Hero’s Journey Story Structure
There are many different ways to structure a story. The easiest and most common is the plot pyramid, which we’ve briefly discussed in this post. The plot pyramid starts with an exposition introducing our hero and the world. The next part is the rising action where the struggles and challenges become more apparent for our…
![](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Memoirs-of-an-Imaginary-Friend.png?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1)
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend Book Review
When you want to read a book filled with courage and whimsy, you most likely think of a fantasy. The last thing to cross your mind would be a book about an eight-year-old boy and his imaginary friend. However, I have never experienced such immense amounts of courage and whimsy in a book since I…
![](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Top-Five-Books-to-Read-for-Aspiring-Writers.png?fit=850%2C283&ssl=1)
Top Five Books to Read for Aspiring Writers
Have you read countless books with dreams of writing your own book? Maybe, you’ve read a book so bad you thought to yourself you could do better. The number one advice people give to aspiring writers is to read a lot. You have to read a lot to write well. Reading helps you figure out…
![](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month.png?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1)
6 Books For Mental Health Awareness Month
Happy Mental Health Awareness month! May was declared mental health month back in 1949 and we continue to learn and advocate more each year. I find learning more about mental health important not only because I work in the field of mental health, but because it is necessary to learn in order to better myself…
![](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ugur-akdemir-XT-o5O458as-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=850%2C567&ssl=1)
The 7 Major Forms of Literary Conflict
As unfortunate as it may be, we all love to read about human struggles. Without these struggles, there would be no books, no movies, or no stories worth telling. When we read a book we are reading to find out how the protagonist will resolve all of his problems. Problems arise due to conflict. Someone…