We all have heard or watched or listened to a fairy tale at some point in our lives. From Cinderella to Beauty and the Beast to Snow White (and pretty much anything else written by the Brothers Grimm) we have all experienced the feeling of being swept away into the story.  But is a fairy…

If you’ve ever watched a Hallmark Christmas movie, then you know the four essential parts of what the world calls a “good” romance: cute guy, creepy boyfriend, peaceful Christmas tree farm, and the climactic kiss. But is this everything we should be expecting? What is Romance? If you were to jump back 200 years and…

“The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.” – George Washington Profanity. It’s become an exclamation of surprise, excitement, anger, joy, and a general fill-all. You’ll hear it everywhere and in everything. Movies, art, books.…

Violence. Romance. Profanity. These are probably the most controversial and contentious topics when discussing modern and even classical literature. “How much is too much?” has become the common phrase, and every reader differs in their approach, beliefs, and understanding. Over the course of the next couple weeks, I’m going to explore these three topics, the…

Reading aloud as a family has been a Christmas tradition in my house for as long as I can remember. Every Christmas, we gather in the living room and work on quiet activities while mom reads aloud devotionals, fiction stories, and our annual advent readings. Some of the stories are so familiar to us that…

What makes a good story? Is it the rebellious protagonist, the hero-saves-princess plot, the intense world-building? Is it themes of sacrifice, loss, and love? Is it the well-done romance sub-plot or the carefully plotted character arc?  What we read impacts what we think. What we think impacts how we live. And how we live impacts…