Movies to watch during the spooky season By Cassie (cynefin) Spooky season is quite a fun time, from pumpkin picking and hayrides to cozying up on the couch to watch your favorite Halloween movies. Here are a few different Halloween movies to consider watching now, or any time of year. Please note that no horror movies are included in this list; it is meant to be a lighthearted, feel-good list of movies. While some of these movies are Halloween themed, others have minimal mentions or are...
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Hocus Pocus 2: A review By Cassie (cynefin) Hocus Pocus 2 was released on Disney+ on September 30th, 2022. It was long awaited by fans as it was released 29 years after the original in 1993. The trio of evil witches known as the Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler as Winifred, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah and Kathy Najimy as Mary) made their return to Salem, Massachusetts, after their previous visit in 1993. Zombie Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones), the man Winifred once shared a kiss with, also...
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Book recommendations: Black representation Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) Traditionally published novels are not all that diverse. According to Lee and Low Books, 76% of authors that are published are white. The other 24% are split between the different ethnic groups. In recent years, there has been a call for more books to be published by People of Color (POC) and other diverse populations such as disabled and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Over the years, I have read a lot and I have tried to work to...
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'Assassin's Apprentice' by Robin Hobb: A review By Sue (Matter) Ever wondered what dragons, standing stones, politics and jester’s prophecies have in common? If I got you interested, you’re about to find out about one of the best fantasy novels ever written. The topic of this review is a 1995 Robin Hobb’s novel ‘Assassin’s Apprentice’, which is the first book in The Farseer Trilogy. It follows the story of a prince’s bastard son, Fitz Chivalry, and is written through his eyes...
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Things to do with your old iPad/iPod/iPhone By Holly (Celyn) In 2018, Apple sold over 217 million products (reference: https://www.statista.com/statistics/276306/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-fiscal-year-2007/ ) so it’s likely that you may already have bought, or received as a gift, one of their gadgets, such as an iPhone, iPad, or iPod. However, as newer products are released, older ones may become less compatible with important updates and as a result, may not be able to install the...

A review of Spilled Milk by K. L. Randis By Cassie (cynefin) source] Spilled Milk by K. L Randis is about a young woman named Brooke experiencing and surviving abuse. The title in itself made me think of the phrase "there's no use crying over spilled milk" which is synonymous with a turning point in the book when Brooke realizes that her home life is not normal or healthy. The book opens at a trial, and Brooke takes note of her Organic Chemistry flashcards in her pocket. Following...

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) Imaginary Friend is written by Stephen Chbosky, the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It's the first novel he's written in 20 years. Imaginary Friend is a horror novel centered around a young boy, Christopher, who disappears for six days and when he is found he has changed. Christopher starts seeing and hearing things. Christopher begins to hear and see a man who he refers to as the nice man and he begins to hear and see a...

Orange: A Series Review by Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) Orange is a manga series that consists of five volumes. I ended up reading the complete collection which was basically a compilation of the five volumes in only two separate books. The premise of the novel is that the main character, Naho, is instantly drawn to, Kakeru, a new student who transfers to her school from Tokyo. Naho receives letters in the mail and the person who wrote the letters claims that they...

Solo: A Star Wars Story review By Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) Solo: A Star Wars Story was released last year and I have had the pleasure of seeing it. The movie gives us more information about Han Solo. Han Solo was a major character in the original Star Wars Trilogy. The movie begins with Han and his girlfriend, Kira, trying to escape their home planet because they are being mistreated and forced to work for someone they do not want to. Han and Kira are trying really hard to escape but are...

Ugly by Margaret McHeyzer By Cassie (cynefin) source] Ugly by Margaret McHeyzer is a sad yet enlightening story about a woman named Lily and her journey out of abusive living situations. Throughout the book, Lily is put into abusive situations and struggles with denial and not feeling worthy enough to deserve better treatment. Being a survivor myself, I think this book did a good job portraying physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. The characteristics of emotional ...

White Stag: A review By Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) White Stag, by Kara Barbieri, is a novel about seventeen year old Janneke who is taken captive by an evil goblin named Lydian. While being held captive by Lydian she is subjected to a lot of cruel things. After a while of being held captive she is forced to work for his nephew, Soren. The novel focuses on Janneke trying to cope with the abuse she was forced to endure at the hands of Lydian. This novel has trigger warnings for...

The Daughter of the Pirate King: A review By Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) The Daughter of the Pirate King is the first book in a duology written by Tricia Levenseller. The novel follows Alosa who is the daughter of the pirate king. She is sent on a mission, by her father, to retrieve an ancient map that will lead them to treasure. The novel starts off with Alosa being captured by her enemies so that she can search for the hidden map. During her time in captivity she meets Riden...

Instant Family: A review By Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) Instant Family is a movie that focuses on Pete and Ellie Wagner, a couple who decide to take in foster children. The couple go into it expecting to take in one child but they end up fostering three children after finding out that the child they are interested in has two younger siblings. The children, Lizzie, Juan and Lita have dealt with a lot of difficult things and end up giving the couple a difficult time because of their...

A Heart in a Body in the World: A review By Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti is the story of Annabelle who suffered from a traumatic experience and decides to go on a cross country run from Seattle to Washington D.C to try and cope with the trauma she experienced. The story had two main parts, the past where Annabelle relives the events that led up to the trauma, and present where Annabelle is going on the cross country run and trying to cope with...

Monday's Not Coming: A review By Jenna (.:Bibliophile:.) Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson is a novel about the power of friendship. The novel focuses on Claudia and Monday who are best friends. One year, Monday goes missing but Claudia seems to be the only person who notices and she spends her time trying to figure out where her friend went and she tries to get the adults in her life to do something more to find Monday. This novel was beautifully heartbreaking. The love that...