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Continue reading →: Suspense: KILLING FLOOR by Lee Child
I once read of a technique that is commonly used by suspense writers to raise the tension level in a book. It involves breaking up sentences. Adding variety. Making it sound like a mind in the midst of a complicated problem.
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Continue reading →: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
I blame all of the cartoon adaptations that have popped up over the years. These adaptations present children with a softened version of the story, so it is a surprise when one opens the long novel and discovers elements of darkness or sketchy behavior.
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Continue reading →: Review: The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
When a famous Russian pianist is found dead in Windsor castle the morning after a lavish party, the police first assume that it was a suicide. Soon, a new theory surfaces involving politics and Russian spies.
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Continue reading →: Entering the Mystery Genre
Aware that I haven’t the slightest idea of how to write a mystery, I began searching for good ones to read. Ever loyal to the classics, I am reading Agatha Christie–but since what I’m writing is present-day, I’m also looking for modern mysteries.
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Continue reading →: NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman
I know I have written about the book Neverwhere in the past. It’s one of the few books I classify as favorites. Those stories become favorites because something about them remains in me. It might be a character, or a place, or a phrase I must repeat every few years.…
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Continue reading →: Your Favorite Author?It takes a while to discover which authors you might call ‘favorites.’ I, for one, tend to bounce from book to book, rarely lingering on a single author unless they wrote classics. Charles Dickens has been a favorite author of mine from the start—I read A Christmas Carol every Christmas…
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Continue reading →: From Dust to Rich Soil
All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Ecclesiastes 3:20 We have begun the liturgical season of Lent. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, Christians worldwide remind themselves of their dependence on God. As we set aside the airs of grandeur, we are forced…
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Continue reading →: How Covid Affected My FaithThis is part one of a long testimonial that sprang from a single question. If anything, the virus has forced me to think hard about what I believe and why. I do not know when I’ll post the rest. If you’re interested, perhaps I’ll share. Why is it so hard…
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Continue reading →: Poem: Avonlea
Five monarchs flutter in a row–They’re grace on wings,And as they go,Time stops. Am I in Avonlea?Though Avonlea has never seenFive monarchs in a row! They make no sound to my own ear,Yet my heart makes outMusic here.Five monarchs make a chord of light.It will ring clear into the night.What…
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Continue reading →: Church-Cat & Her Conscience
I am fond of the little world I’m creating with religious critters. Here continues the Church-Mouse saga with our new protagonist, Church-Cat!
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Continue reading →: Poem-a-Day & Church-Mice
This year I resolved to write a poem a day, and I’ve been keeping up pretty well. I’ll share them on here occasionally. If you want to read them as I go daily, follow my Instagram, @mariellahunt!
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Continue reading →: The Purpose of 2021
Some of you, like me, might feel inclined to weep as we near the end of this horrific year. Do it–let your tears water your faith. It will grow into a deeply-rooted tree, shade in the heat of trouble, shelter from the storm.
Hello,
I’m Mariella
Welcome to my cozy corner of the internet. This blog will be dedicated to all things books and reading, which happen to be my obsessions. Note the faint scent of coffee in the air; coffee is a must for me.
I will be sharing book reviews for reads that I enjoy. I’ll also be posting updates about my life as an indie author. Since I’m exploring the classics, expect the occasional poem or short piece as I experiment.
For centuries, land-bound descendants of Merpeople have been confined to hidden districts. Read The Sea Rose and sequel The Sea King if you wish to read their stories.
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Recent posts
Miss Marjorie Brahms, daughter of a mysterious wizard known by the townsfolk as Bamoy, is having a bizarre autumn. Her father, Johann, had reasons for purchasing an abandoned house situated in the middle of a graveyard in which to raise his family. That did not mean that evil spirits could never find them.
Mariella Hunt 