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Currently Reading:

Nightmares & Dreamscapes

short story collection

Reading this collection has been so great! The prose is absolutely superb, the language is deep and vivid. I’m so slow at completing the book reviews, but I’m honestly taking care of making an in depth report. And that takes time.

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Visit the magazine’s website to read our latest!

Emmy Elena Katzen

#booklr #book review #bookish #books and reading #fiction #stephen king #short story

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“Give your mind a job to do, or else it will find a job to do, and you might not like the job it invents.”

Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

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@lovesdaya

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my study corner

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Check out our latest 💝💖

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My latest read, working on a review ✍️♥️

Stephen King’s The Night Flier

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#001

Forward (November 21, 2022)

Hello there. Thanks for stopping by to read my debut blog post! I want to mention here, upfront, that my intentions for this blog are: to write about things I care about talking about, and share my take on information I find. Think of this as an in-the-know, underground journal, like the New York Times but ran by E E Katzen. As a fiction writer I spend most of my free time in my fiction realm, which is great for people who like to read stories. With this blog, though, I want to write useful things to bring into your daily life when you’re being mindless on your phone ;). Please follow, like, share to support me <3.

Beginning the *aesthetic* *annotating* journey

an•no•tate (verb)

add notes to (a text or diagram) giving explanation or comment.

I want to open you up to a world of deep imagination and aesthetic: annotating books. (If you’re new to the concept of annotating, check out the Oxford definition above <3.) Annotating the books I read was something I avoided for a while, never taking the ‘scary’ leap into writing in them. At first I was flagging quotes I wanted to remember with a post-it, then I would pencil in a small note on the flag. This worked for me because I could keep track of my thoughts, but I could also decide to take them out. I did this with both books I borrowed and the ones I owned. When curiosity finally got ahold of me, I looked online to find people who were showing how satisfying and fun it can be to annotate. I came across photos of books that are highlighted and underlined with notes in the margins. It was all beautiful to me, because somewhere behind each photo was a human that sat and indulged in that text. So this is where I started to change my mind. At first I saw it as damaging to a book, and started to see it as an enhancement. So the dream was born! I started experimenting with my favorite books - deciding that as long as I own it I can do whatever I want.

I can tell you the very moment I knew the time was right to begin. As I was reading The Eyes of Darkness (Dean Koontz), I came across a scene that made me pull out one of my flags. I wrote: this chapter= woah. That chapter ended up being my favorite chapter of the book, and it is the first scene that I felt confident to tackle with annotating. I connected with this scene and it hit me as magical, so it was the best time to begin. I pulled out some washi tape, a pencil and a ruler, and got to playing around. I underlined my favorite lines and made notes on colored paper that I taped to the page. It’s themed and quite cute, for being the first try and with limited resources :). And it had a profound effect on my experience in the story. I can remember so well what happened in this scene, after going in and interacting with the words. I love the scene a lot more now, and I am closer to the story. I have appreciated and worshipped the text, sat with it and found a deep understanding of it. I can also go over it again anytime I want, layering my thoughts onto the page over time.

A note- for nonfiction. Many nonfiction books come to my mind that I could analyze and study deeper by annotating them. To name a few: The Artful Edit by Susan Bell, The Right to Write by Julia Cameron, Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. For me this technique should thrive in nonfiction. There is always something to learn and understand that I can’t digest in the first read through of these books. I want to approach this when I have a bit more practice.

I learned that annotating isn’t only about making it look pretty and colorful, it’s about bringing the book closer to me. It’s about diving in and getting my hands involved in the text, and filtering the text through my own words. My own thoughts. Penciling notes in the margin and underlining good quotes. (Once I find a set of pens and highlighters that won’t bleed through the pages I will be eager to incorporate them.) Looking now outside of my office window, it’s so cold and the wind is rough. There is also calamity in the world that is affecting us all, no matter who or where we are. I can think of no better advice for us all than to indulge in a fictional world, and step back from life as we know it. Because who needs to think about real life all the time, right? Books are excellent therapy, and I can’t wait to read more and connect with more scenes that I can annotate. Now, I have all the motivation I need to cut down on my TBR <3! I wish you all the best for reading this blog, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

You can expect the next blog post on Sunday (11-27) <3

Follow me as I practice consistent essay writing for you!

#booklr #books and reading #booksbooksbooks #annotating books #fiction #nonfiction #quotes #blogger #author blog #indie author

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The Eyes of Darkness

Dean Koontz / review

The Eyes of Darkness is a classic Koontz thriller with the author’s signature style. But this one was particularly emotional for me and had my heart’s attention until the end. Throughout the book, we get to know Christina Evans. Tina has lost her young son, Danny, in a mysterious camping accident. In the year after, things happen to her that make it hard to move on, and because of this she is stuck with questions. It is heartbreaking how much Tina cares for her son, she will go through anything to find out what happened to him. Her enduring personality is a major force in the story, and it’s touching to see where her dedication takes her.

In the beginning of the novel, Tina Evans is struggling to live a normal life after losing Danny. Even her marriage to Michael has fallen apart, when they should have been closer than ever. But, she has pursued her passion to be the Director of her own broadway show, and she’s killing it. She put together an amazing production for Magyck! and the opening night goes so well. But she is being haunted. She’s having terrifying nightmares about her son, and hearing loud noises in the middle of the night. We see that something paranormal might be happening. Tina thinks she must be going insane or that someone is messing with her, somehow. She can’t understand what’s going on. The truth runs deep, and as she involves herself more and more, she is in serious danger.

Dean Koontz is great at his craft, so let’s take time to appreciate my favorite bits of this book. I found Koontz made this story shine with the cliff-hangers at the end of a scene or chapter, keeping up the tempo. As for the atmosphere, I especially appreciate the showgirl, casino, and Broadway setting. This did wonders for imagery and added such a nice tone to the story and the plot. With characters, there were only a handful of people in Tina’s circle, but each person is deeply-rooted. I found myself caring about every one of them.

Tina’s headstrong advances illustrate how serious she is about finding the truth. It’s this cherished love that held onto me until the resolution. And, of course, the tried and true Dean Koontz elements help to make this yet another thriller that’s hard to put down. In the end, Tina finds out about the strange goings-on, with the fortifying ending that we all deserve. This book will be living on my shelf and I will continue indulging in all things Dean Koontz. All in all, I adored The Eyes of Darkness. I picked it up for the love of Koontz, and stayed for the primal motherly love of a woman who’s done getting no answers. Tina comes up against some pretty serious stuff and is victorious. For the soul, this book is an absolute gem.

4 / 5 stars

👁 👁 👁 👁

-Emmy

#book review #booklr #dean koontz #thriller #conspiracy

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Imaginary Friend

by Stephen Chbosky

rating : ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️ /5

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky is honestly the best book ever! This plot and theme hits on a massive scale and speaks volumes about humanity and relationships between people. The storyline was fluid and exciting to read until the very very end.

The novel starts with a little boy Christopher and his mother, who are trying to start over in a new town. They have a dark past, and would like to get fresh air and move on. But they don’t know something is waiting for them, and every move they make is bringing them closer to danger.

But it’s not just Christopher and his mom. There are different characters and subplots woven together that made it dynamic. Using multiple points of view worked very well to solidify the impact on the world as a whole. With each character we learn the impact that this villain has on the town and everyone in it.

After reading this book, my mindset has been slightly shifted. I can see what Stephen Chbosky wanted us to see when he sat down to write Imaginary Friend. To me, it’s about vulnerability and about mortality. It’s a deep dive into the human psyche and how outside situations affect how our minds and how we live our lives. And this is the wonderful thing about writing!! If a book can make you stop and think about your life and the meaning of it, there should be room for it on your bookshelf!! Imaginary Friend has a permanent home on mine.

There was an element of mystery that held onto me throughout the entire book, yet the end was a satisfying one. Chbosky was well equipped for this one; he wrote this (lengthy) novel with a beautiful purpose and did it well. This story is my favorite, and by far deserves all of these 5 star ratings!

E E Katzen

#book review #stephen chbosky #booklr #books and reading #book recommendations #goodreads