I always find myself drawn to old comforts. Whether that be aching for a warm mug of hot cocoa filled to the rim with marshmallows or the smell of the desert after a rainstorm. These old comforts provide a sense of safety and familiarity, drawing me back to childhood. Almost nothing can beat the feeling,…
Category: All Things Books
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Book Review
Welcome back our dear readers. Sorry for the extended absence and thank you for your patience. We at Umbra Ex Libris enjoyed a very busy summer leaving us little time to write. But, here we are back and hopefully better than ever! For our returning post I am writing a book review on Shirley Jackson’s,…
What Exactly is Satire?
Satire. A term you may or may not be familiar with. What is it? Where did it start? What are some popular examples of satirical works? Today we will be answering all the above questions and possibly a few more. Let’s start with what is satire. Satire is both a literary device and a genre….
5 Tips to Build Your TBR List
Finishing a book is always bittersweet for me. On one hand, I got to enjoy a (hopefully) fantastic story, meet new characters and watch an adventure. But on the other hand, I’m faced with a daunting question, what will I read next? Most readers keep a “To Be Read” pile or list. This TBR contains…
A Winter’s Promise Book Review
I love a good fantasy novel. They fascinate me. The way authors are able to build worlds using words on paper is remarkable. The problem for me is I don’t always want to read a series, and from my experience, the best fantasy novels are always in a series. After months of collecting dust on…
Video Games Inspired by Books
Movies and television shows often look to books for inspiration. Hollywood translates books to the biggest screens all of the time. Look at Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings for example. Did you know video games take inspiration from books as well? Books to video games are much less popular than books to movies…
Plant Guide to Classic Literature
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….
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…
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…
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…