Poolside Picks for Harry Potter Fans: Give Hunger Games a Chance
Some stories are just too good to fit into one novel. Harry Potter needed seven. The Twilight saga needed four. The newest favorite, The Hunger Games, became a top-selling trilogy. Our favorite stories hook our lives to their characters until we just can’t get enough. The hold us hostage to their tale. We sit in shock at cliff hanger endings,...
Back for Seconds: Revisiting Your Favorite Books-Gone-Movies
Let me just say this: I love movies. I love my Red Box (with free rental codes), my Netflix account (well, my dad’s), and I love my (limited) collection of DVDs at home. But most of all, I love going to the movie theater. I hardly ever feel guilty forking over a handful of hard-earned cash for even...
Poolside Picks: Death Comes to Pemberley
Jane Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice, is brought back to life with a mysterious murder twist in the best-selling novel, Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James. Set six years after Elizabeth’s marriage to Darcy, James beautifully evokes the world of Elizabeth Bennet with a twist. She brings a murder to the grounds of Pemberly in a...
Two Creepy Guys: A Peek into the World of Horror
I have never been one for horror. After reading In Cold Blood for a high school English course, I couldn’t sleep for days as images of blood-splattered mattresses danced in my head. I admit that I sometimes leave my bathroom light on and the door cracked after accidentally watching a preview of a scary movie,...
Poolside Picks: Velva Jean Learns to Drive
Do you remember the feeling you got the first time you turned the key in the ignition, let your foot off the break, and pressed that gas pedal? The car lurched into motion and suddenly everything in the rearview mirror grew smaller and smaller. Driving became the symbol of freedom for all sixteen year olds...
Poolside Pick: The Glass Castle
Summer has arrived complete with heat-infused days that drag on lazily, inducing a dire need to get out of the office (or classroom) and down to the pool. While not everyone has a three-month break from responsibility, the season does call for us to take a moment to slow down and savor the sun-drenched days...
Read Alert: Infidels and Self-Publishing
One thing I’ve learned about book reviewing: It’s hard to know what to review. Obviously I can cover the top-sellers, throwing in my two cents on what everyone else has already trashed or praised. And I get a lot of review copies from aspiring authors, though sometimes, I must admit, it’s not the most appealing selection....
Event Horizon: Michael Franti & Spearhead
I will never forget my first exposure to Michael Franti. MTV’s recently revived program 120 Minutes was my primary window into music outside the mainstream throughout high school. Prior to Spearhead, Franti was in an alternative hip hop group called Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. He rhymed these lines in the band’s sole promo clip: “Television,...
Read Alert: DPL Book Sale
You might remember last year when I attended the used book sale of all used book sales, and–thank God!–just like every year, the Denver Public Library is at it again. During last year’s sale, I had a few glorious finds, novels that I’d heard of but never gotten around to reading right at my fingertips...
Read Alert: Download at the Digital Library
Now that I’m on-board with this whole e-reader thing, I’m discovering all sorts of neat stuff. Here’s one particularly fascinating tidbit: Did you know that you can check-out digital library books on your smartphone or e-reader? And that’s for free, just like a hard copy library book. And the best part of checking out an e-book? At...
Read Alert: Childhood Stories
My parents have recently moved into a new house in the foothills with plenty of room to spread out. Between that and their first grandchild, my daughter, starting to show an interest in “big kid” things, in the past few weeks I’ve seen boxes come out of storage, filled with things I’d long since packed...
Read Alert: Leather Journals
Spring, we hope, is now officially here. For me, the season’s arrival is reminiscent of strolls and bike rides through parks, with long stops on benches to gaze at the flowers, people watch, and ultimately, write. I’m a big journaler. Sometimes it’s just a matter of the day’s record; sometimes it’s a story idea or...
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine
303magazine