Half A Year Later… (+ a reading update)

 Well, to terribly understate a fact - things have changed. 

1, I’m finally writing another blog post! Yay!

2, I am, officially, a college student. It’s insane. And also wonderful. I get to do music all day long in a delightfully music-filled city (and no math… *cue rejoicing*)

I’m going to be rather busy, but I do hope I can do some more regular blogging! I’ve been doing a lot of reading, so perhaps it will take form as book reviews.

And speaking of which - 

I can’t remember what I’ve read since I last posted (although I do know there weren’t as many books as I should have liked) but most recently has been Anna Karenina and Theo of Golden. 

my edition - a beautiful translation!

I LOVED ANNA K. It was brilliant. A work of art. Superb. 100% would read again. The characters are soo well-developed, prose (even in translation because I fear I do not know Russian, alas) is beautiful, everything is perfect. A page-turner for sure (couldn’t stop reading even when I needed to practice… oops). 

I might do a full review of this one later, complete with quotes and what-not! I certainly hope to do so.

As for Theo of Golden…

Perhaps it was a mistake to read it right after Anna K. Perhaps I am not understanding the book as I ought. Perhaps I am wrong. (I really don’t think so.) But I couldn’t finish it. 

lovely cover, though

It was just… really long. Not like a Les Mis long, either. More like… a Space Odyssey long. Lots of filler. Lots of cardboard cut-outs and stereotypes. Lots of stilted dialogue. 

I wanted so so desperately to love this book. The concept was beautiful. A man changing peoples’ lives through art? Yes please.

Unfortunately, the execution was… not what I’d hoped. Much as I wanted to, I couldn’t force myself to finish it. Maybe I will someday, but as Aragorn would say, today is not that day. The whole thing felt forced and a little contrived. Dialogue felt unrealistic and rather adjective-heavy. There were many parts that sounded (although I doubt they actually were) like AI. Each of the characters struck me as a little bit stereotyped: the kindly old man whom everyone likes (and who knows everything about EVERYTHING), the abrupt war veteran with a Traumatic Past, the typical small-town-dwellers who all love this guy they barely know (after, of course, being suspicious of him and having a sudden change of heart after talking to him once.)

And maybe it’s just me, but the title-first-name (“Mr. Theo”, for instance) REALLY bothered me. Now, people don’t know Theo’s last name, so that I guess could be justified, but EVERYONE does it. “Ms. Katherine, Mr. James”, and so on and so forth. Ladies and gentlemen, this TRIED me, it really did. If you want to show respect to someone, address them by their proper title (Mr. Ponder, etc.). If you know someone well, call them by their first name. The other way, the intermediate way, that means absolutely nothing.

Please.

Don’t get me wrong, though, there were some beautiful things about the book. The way art was discussed, for example. I love it when books treat art as something to be cherished and valued wholeheartedly. That is what attracted me to the book in the first place, and it’s the only reason I would have wanted to keep reading. Art, whether it’s painting or music or anything else, is not just a universal hobby, it’s a language, a blessing, a career, a story waiting to be told. Creation, or rather sub-creation, is one of the most beautiful things man can do (and one of the ways we can best glorify God.) That part of this book I loved and appreciated. (Thank you, Mr. Levi - or should I say “Mr. Allen”? - for doing at least one thing right.)

I also loved the faith content. It wasn’t explicitly Christian, but God was brought in a lot (a little heavy-handedly) but also in some very beautiful ways. 

“For anything to be good, truly good, there must be some love in it. Whether the art is sculpture, farming, teaching, lawmaking, medicine, music, or raising a child—nothing is what it’s supposed to be if love is not at the core.” - Theo of Golden

If over-long, heavy-handed, super-nice books are your thing, by all means, read this book. You might love it. I, alas, did not. (You are also very welcome to disagree with me. (Nicely.) I can take it.)

Anywho—

You can expect more frequent posts from me (I hope!!) from now on. Also, I am fully aware that I have been nominated for a Biography Tag an embarrassingly long time ago (thank you Lizzie and I apologise for my aforementioned embarrassing delay… hi again) but I will do my best to get to that soon! (It’s been like 3 months, what’s another week?)

Till next time then! It’s good to be back :)

- Hannah

In Which I Say Goodbye To 2025 (Featuring a life update and my book highlights)

It’s raining as I write this.

I will never not love the rain, I think. There’s something so calming and beautiful about it. I’d be happy if it rained every day.

This year has been… well. It’s certainly been. Joyous and sorrowful and full of laughter and tears and successes and disappointments. In other words, life. When I think about everything that’s happened, I see God in my life and I’m thankful. He’s good and everything will turn out right because of Him.

This season in my life is particularly difficult. I’m in the process of auditioning for major music schools across the country, and it takes a lot of dedication and no small amount of time. So if I disappear from the blogiverse for an extended period, it’s probably because I’m off somewhere practicing my tail off. 

Yet despite the difficulty, it’s still good. I get the chance to pursue a career in the thing I love doing most in the world. Hard things are worth doing. Perseverance.

But somehow I’ve also managed to read a good deal this year (thank the LORD!) In no particular order, I’ve compounded a list of my most memorable books of 2025. Enjoy!

1. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott*

3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery*

4. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery*

5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen*

6. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

7. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

8. That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis*

9. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien*

10. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

11. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett*

12. Echoes of a Silent Song by Amanda Wen

13. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis*

14. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis*

15. The Book Jumper by Metchthild Glaser

16. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë*

17. The Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot

18. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

19. What Comes of Attending the Commoners’ Ball by Elisabeth Aimee Brown

20. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

* = re-reads

Happy New Year!

Hannah

In Which I Indulge My More Rambly Tendencies

You ever get the feeling where you have so much to say but you’re not quite sure how to say it? I do. I try to keep a journal, but time, that cruel invention, runs away from me like Peter Pan’s shadow. Sure an’ don’t I know that’s everyone’s favourite excuse.

I was re-reading Emily of New Moon the other day - Anne Shirley’s less famous literary sister. Emily’s a writer, or at least she’s becoming one. Father Cassidy tells her to “keep on”. I remember that sometimes, when I’m not sure what else to do. “Keep on”. Keep going. Don’t you dare ever give up. You can become something, if you work hard enough. God knows how much I want that.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.

I am a lover of beautiful things in a world that is often cruel. You see something ugly and you think oh, how terrible. You see something beautiful and your soul sings. Words move, music moves / only in time; but that which is only living can only die. Words after speech / reach into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern can words or music reach / the stillness, as a Chinese jar still / moves perpetually in its stillness.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Hannah

In Which I Chatter On About Books And Attempt To Defy Time

I got asked some rather wonderful questions in my “Ask Me Anything” post!

1. How do you manage your time? This is something I'm not great at, and since you seem like a hardworking person, I'd love to hear some tips.

To be completely honest, this is something I’m still working on. I’ve learned that you have to say no to some things in order to do the more important things excellently.

2. Do you plan to study violin at Curtis or some other music school? I know you're insanely good at violin...

Well, I’m currently working on auditioning for some major music schools to attend next fall, and I hope to make a career out of violin!

3. What's your worst fear? I'm just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to.

Umm… I tend not to dwell on fears in general, but when I really think about it - probably losing people close to me, or not being loved. 

4. Do you have a book and a film you think everyone should read/watch at least once?

I have many, actually, probably unsurprisingly. The Lord of the Rings, of course - if you know me, you know that I’ve been in love with those books since I was but a wee child - and also Pride and Prejudice (any Jane Austen, really), The Book Thief (AHHHH MY HEART), The Great Gatsby, The Four Quartets…

I could go on, but time is apparently finite.

5. Is there one day in your life that you would re-live if you could?

Hmm, a difficult question. (How could you, Lizzie.) Perhaps either the day of the concert that I was concertmaster and we played Dvorak 8, or when our family took a trip to Sedona!

6. What kind of tea best matches your favorite piece of music?

Well, my favourite piece of music tends to change and I generally have more than one at any given time. But that said, I’d have to say Shostakovich 5 and cinnamon black tea.

7. Is there a certain character trope you find yourself constantly using in your writing? Are there certain character tropes that you realize you never use?

I am rather inclined towards writing both arranged marriages and also defying tropes. As for something I’ll never write…

*RANT WARNING*

So many modern authors, primarily of YA fiction, loooooove the “strong independent woman” who’s “better than the boys” and is also incredibly unlikeable yet somehow beloved by everyone else in the story. And her love interest is a suave, leans-seductively-on-doorframes-and-treats-the-girl-horribly-but-she-still-loves-him, stinkin’ hot (literally) mess. (I tried to make that sentence make grammatical sense and gave up. Oh well.) Oh, and let’s not forget his awfully mysterious past that he’ll never talk about.

Please, for the love of everything good and beautiful, STOP WRITING LIKE THIS. Jane Austen is a much better influence than Twilight.

*RANT OVER* (you can open you eyes now)

…moving on.

8. You just found out you're leaving tomorrow on a week-long trip. Which books do you pack to bring with you?

Are all of them an option? No?

Bother. Okay, probably my Bible, T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, Pride and Prejudice, and Little Women.

9. One of your stories (whichever you like) is going to be adapted to screen. What genre of movie will it be? What kind of changes will it make from the original story, or will it be a completely straight adaptation? Who will be in it? (Optional bonus questions: Who will direct the movie? And we have a time machine, so what decade do you want the movie filmed in?)

Oh I love this question!!

Okay. So. I’m currently writing (“currently” is generous, by the way, because yay college) a book called The Red Sun Rises, loosely based on some childhood drafts I’d written with some friends. I’d probably want it to be a pretty straight adaption, but I’d accept minute variances for the sake of movie-ization. I kind of would want it to have a film noir kind of setting (maybe like Hamlet-but-less-dark) OR a Pride and Prejudice sort of atmosphere and directed by… Christopher Nolan, maybe? Or Kenneth Branagh. I’m not too well-versed in directors, though. Alas.

What: set in a fantasy world without magic where a duty-bound princess is forced into a marriage with the king of a warring country.

Who: the main characters are as follows (sorry, this is going to be long and I’m completely ignoring time periods here because of course we have a time machine, why wouldn’t we?)

Tovíen Serenil (played by Keira Knightley as in Pride and Prejudice 2005)

• nineteen, 5’4, long honey-brown hair, golden eyes, fading freckles
• princess of Raváryn
• duty, arranged marriage, fire eyes, golden, sunkissed, sarcasm, masks, autumn, chilly wind, meadows, daffodils, flower crowns, fairytales
• Vivi

Theronan Aisryl (played by Henry Cavill as in Enola Holmes)

• twenty-one, 6’3, dark wavy hair, emerald green eyes, scars on his chest and arms, beautiful smile
• king of Alynia
• dark, scars, war, trauma, hope, healing, survival, deceit, brown cloaks, forest, ferns, stars, learning to love
• Ronan

Anwir Sereníl (played by Kenneth Branagh)

• thirty-two, 6’1, white-blond hair and stubble, piercing black eyes, uncomfortably cruel
• king of Raváryn
• decorated palace, royal, elaborate, cruelty, prisoners, darkness 

Barínthin Sereníl (played by Jimmy Stewart as in It’s a Wonderful Life)

• twenty-five, 6’3, golden hair, brown eyes, laughing
• royal advisor and heir of Raváryn
• smiles, agreeable, jokes, easily persuaded, manipulate, dark cloaks, nighttime
• Barí

Skylyn Argyros (played by Robin Wright as in The Princess Bride or Lily James as in Cinderella)

• eighteen, 5’7, long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, elfin nose, mischievous smile
• lady of Alynia (Theronan’s cousin)
• courtroom meetings, sundials, scribbling late at night, ocean waves, high cliffs, easy smiles
• Sky

Emira (played by Emma Watson)

• sixteen, 5’3, black hair, brown eyes
• Tovíen’s maid
• birdlike, sharp motions, bad spy, shy and careful
• Emi

There are more characters, but I fear I haven’t written them into the book yet and thus things would be Confusing. We’ll leave it there and hopefully I can write again soon (someday…)

Anyways! Thank you to everyone who asked questions - it was lovely to answer them all :)

Merry Christmas and God bless :)

Hannah 

Book Recommendations For Winter

 Some wonderful works of fiction that will assist in properly getting into the Christmas season :)

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

2. What Comes of Attending the Commoners’ Ball  by Elisabeth Aimee Brown

3. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

4. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

5. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

6. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

7. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

8. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

9. The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare

10. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

Merry Christmas!

In Which Questions Are Asked… By You

    I shall do a quite original thing and borrow, with of course the intention of returning, an idea from my lovely friend Lizzie. 

    You can comment on this post with questions to ask me, if you so desire - all I ask is that they be appropriate, kind, and Christ-like as always (and if I am uncomfortable with answering something, I shan’t.)

    But aside from that, have at it! I shall relish the opportunity to wax eloquent about music and tea and all things literary…

Oddly Specific Things I Love In Books Tag

    Why hello there :)

    An embarrassingly long time ago in a galaxy rather close by, I was tagged for the Oddly Specific Things I Love In Books Tag by my dear friend Miss Lizzie Hexam. Since there in fact are many I things I love in books, Let Us Begin. 

    (Because you know, we could be here all day.)

    First, allow me to present The Guidelines. 

1. Link back to who tagged you.
2. Share the Graphic on your blog
3. Share the Outline on your post.
4. Share a detail you love about the season of summer into fall.
5. List at least 7 random/ specific things YOU love to read about in books, big or small.
6. Tag 7 people who would enjoy taking part/whose answers you are curious to read!

    As you (hopefully) know, unless you have buried your head under a rock for the last few months (and as Lizzie pointed out as well) it is no longer summer into fall, but rather fall into winter. Autumn is of course my favourite season, but the feeling in the air when it’s slightly crisper (despite living in a Rather Warm Place), the rain, pumpkins everywhere and hot chocolate and tea (of which I have been known to drink an Uncivilised Amount) - it’s all just wonderful.

    Anywho, after having ado-ed for longer than necessary, shall we proceed?

    

    1. Faith content

Let me clarify on this one. I absolutely love it when authors include faith content that is not preachy, heavy-handed, or inaccurate. Well-done, like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien; or like some more modern authors such as Elisabeth Aimee Brown or Nadine Brandes, it is brilliant. I am all for good stories; and faith-filled fiction is even better :)

2. Cozy descriptions

I have a weakness for cozy things and for beautiful things. I tend to be attracted by anything warm, fuzzy, pretty—you name it. The beginning of The Hobbit is a wonderful example of this.

3. Loveable side characters

The main characters are great and all (or sometimes they aren’t), but everyone has their own story and I love seeing well-developed, relatable side characters who are actually people too. (Lewis does this really excellently. For example, Tumnus. And Puddleglum. You can’t go wrong with Puddleglum.)

4. Music… described correctly

One of my biggest pet peeves, as a classical musician, in any form of media (movies and books) is music represented or described incorrectly. So naturally I love it when it is done correctly all the more :D

(I still haven’t found a book that does this. Let me know when you do.)

EDIT: I  found one!  The Echoes of a Silent Song by Amanda Wen (an actual musician and also a Christian!) is a split-time romance and murder mystery and it’s actually really good ;D

5. Flawed and virtuous characters

One of the biggest problems in today’s modern literature is stereotypes. There’s the strong female character who’s better than the boys at everything; there’s the suave, dark male love interest who’s always got a suspicious past; and I’m tired of it. I love it when people do new and interesting things. Give me torn characters, flawed and indecisive characters, human characters. You know it’s a good book when you actually care about what happens to the characters, even if you don’t necessarily like them all the time. 

6. When characters repeat a phrase to each other

This one’s oddly specific and the title doesn’t make that much sense, but it just Does Something to me when one character says something that’s meant as a reproof or slight, and then the other character says it back to them at a later point. Example: in Enola Holmes, Sherlock tells Enola “you’re being emotional. It’s understandable, but unnecessary.” She later repeats it back to him and it’s just So Satisfying. (And yes I know that’s a movie but it’s a very good one and please don’t kill me because that’s the only example I could think of.)

7. After-marriage romance

I’m kinda stealing one of Lizzie’s points here, but… I love it when the author lets you see beyond the initial romance into the marriage relationship as well. In so many stories it’s like okay they fall in love and kiss and that’s the end… but really, in real life, it’s not. So I love seeing the characters fall in love with each other again continuously. (Love is a choice, after all.) L.M. Montgomery does this really well in the Anne series, and so does Alcott in Little Women. 

And there you have it - seven of the Oddly Specific Things I Love In Books ;P

I shall tag…

Hannah Ruth at Faith, Fiction, and Fairytales

Iona at Story Blossoms

Olivia at Meanwhile, in Rivendell…

And because everyone else I know has already been tagged, consider yourself tagged if you’d like to be! 

What do you think of tropes in books? What’s your favourite Oddly Specific Thing?

Book Recommendations for Autumn

cozy comfort books

• Anne of Green Gables
• The Hobbit
• The Chronicles of Narnia

victorian classics

• Jane Eyre
• The Scarlet Pimpernel
• Little Women
• Emma

“I-have-time-to-read-a-Russian-novel”

• Anna Karenina
• The Idiot

mystery

• The Phantom of the Opera
• The Murder on the Orient Express

Au Revoir,

Hannah

In Which I Say “So Long, Farewell” To Summer

A sad fact: It’s been ages since I’ve posted anything on here.

A happy fact: The reason being, I was off on the other side of the country playing violin and (on occasion) buying books.

But now I am back. 

A crazy fact: School starts soon (bebother summer homework 😠) and so do college auditions, and I shan’t have much time.

But!! I will be posting and sharing still (as time permits) on both blogs, which is very exciting because it’s been so long since I’ve been able to.

Summer was amazing. I got to do so many amazing things while at music camp, and I’m SOOO grateful for my experience there. 

After the six weeks I spent there, my family and I went vacationing and (as one does) we stopped at a bookstore. I acquired many delightful books (nevermind I had to carry them home on the airplane) and so here’s a brief outline of my post-summer-reading TBR: 

The sequel to Little Women and a journal to go along with Gatsby 🤩

A book with love poetry and a historical fiction, which I’m super excited about!

And of course, who can go wrong with Dostoyevsky?

Adieu,

Hannah

Chasing Sunbeams: A Summer Book Blog Tag

    Exciting newsflash: I was tagged by Cecilia from Craft, Coffee, and Cake for a Summer Book Blog Tag not too long ago, so here are the rules and my responses!

    The rules are: 

1. Acknowledge who tagged you! (Thanks muchly, Cecilia :D)

2. Answer the questions!

3. Tag friends!

4. Have fun!

    The questions:

1. What's a book you read with summer vibes?

2. If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would you go?

3. What's a poem or quote that reminds you of summer?

4. Describe your favorite summer memory.

5. Your ideal summer is filled with _______, _________, and _________.

6. What is your favorite summer food?

7. Favorite summer activities?

8. How do you usually celebrate 4th of July?

9. What's a song that reminds you of summer?

10. What are you most excited for this summer?

    Answers!

1. What's a book you read with summer vibes?

It has (sadly) been a while since I’ve read this, but Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery always felt rather summery to me. It’s such a beautiful book—and actually, the entire series is lovely. Please go read it.

2. If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would you go?

I’ve wanted to travel around Europe for a long time. Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Norway, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, France…

3. What's a poem or quote that reminds you of summer?

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” (Predictably, this is Tolkien. The first lines of The Hobbit. Don’t ask me why it reminds me of summer. I don’t know.)

4. Describe your favourite summer memory.

Oh, dear, why must this be so difficult?? I’ve so many. For the past three summers (this’ll be the fourth) I’ve attended an intensive violin program. We get so many amazing experiences there; meeting famous conductors and artists, getting leadership experience, making friends with other passionate musicians. Some of my favourite memories are of us making music together and improving as musicians and people.

5. Your ideal summer is filled with violin, books, and God.

6. What is your favourite summer food?

Watermelon. I don’t think this needs any explanation.

7. Favourite summer activities?

Besides practicing? Reading, pretending to be a lizard in the sun, sleeping in (too much), walking at the beach.

8. How do you usually celebrate 4th of July?

So I’ve unfortunately been gone at aforementioned summer camp during 4th of July for the past three years, so I haven’t really celebrated it, other than texting HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to various group chats. But before I started doing this, my family and I would usually go see fireworks and all that fun stuff :D

9. What's a song that reminds you of summer?

Not exactly a song per se, but Dvorak’s New World Symphony, perhaps because I played it at camp last year as concertmaster.

10. What are you most excited for this summer?

Violin, reading, writing, spending time with family and friends, and actually, getting up early and spending time with God. I’m terribly bad at both mornings and consistency, so I want to develop the habit now :)

    I tag…

Anyone who would like to fill it out! I’m not picky ;)

Blessings,

Hannah