Ramblings of a Thirty-Something

October is the perfect time to read a good ghost story. I don’t mean a horror story, with homicidal maniacs or killer clowns {looking at you, Stephen King}. I’m talking about a ghost story—ancient houses, lonely spirits, unsuspecting guests. Perhaps, to be more accurate, I mean a good Gothic ghost story. I know what you’re thinking, and no, a Gothic tale does not have anything to do with those kids from high school who wore all black {although their look was originally inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s work}. It does have to do with Gothic architecture, as many of the stories from the height of the Gothic fiction period took place in homes built in the Gothic style. There is a very rich history of Gothic fiction, and it came to spawn some of the most prolific “spooky” authors of all time:  Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and of course, Edgar Allen Poe. And my girl, Jane Austen, wrote one of the most famous parodies of Gothic fiction ever:  Northanger Abbey . Her heroine, Catheri...

One of my favorite things in the world is when a book I love is turned into a film or series. It's also one of my least favorite things. I'm sure every book lover has the exact same Jekyll-Hyde thing going on in their own minds. You get excited that someone else loves the text as much as you and possesses the resources to bring it to the screen. You cannot wait to see the costumes, hear the score, experience the sets as more than just an abstract concept in your mind.  But sometimes they cast an actor who, in your humble opinion, just does not do the character justice. Or they skip parts of the book {for the sake of time, usually} that are actually really important. Or {horror of horrors!} they change things! Names and backstories and pivotal scenes are re-imagined {Yara Greyjoy, for example, doesn't exist in the books. Her name is Asha. Still don't know why they felt the need to change it}.  Sometimes, when the author is a part of the process, I find it easier to swa...

As I write this post, we are in the last days of July. August is almost upon us, and the dawn of that month brings a lot of questions to which no one--and I mean no one-- has satisfactory answers.  I have a general-ish, vague idea of what my job as a teacher is going to look like in a few weeks. I have a thousand questions, some of which I cannot even articulate yet.  So I'm not going to talk about teaching in this post. {Side note, that was always the plan for this post...it was never going to be about teaching, but I was currently feeling the introduction, so I went with it.} I'm going to talk about my other job. My new summer job. The job I am viewing as a stepping stone toward an eventual dream job. That's right:  my job as a library clerk. Libraries have been impacted by the pandemic and the shut-down just like every other business. We are just now getting ready to transition back to open doors. The closing of libraries has been unfortunate for many people across the...

We are 2/3 of the way through July. That means August is almost here. That means that school will be starting in less than a month. What that looks like for sure is still uncertain, as are most things right now, but hopefully we see some positive changes soon.  Since I did not post a list for June, I have decided to just post one list for the whole summer! It will be longer than usual, of course, because I have watched a lot of shows, read a lot of books, listened to a lot of podcasts...you get the idea. And because this will be a bit long, I'm not going to waste a lot of time on the introduction. My Current Books If you didn't know, I started working at the Onarga Public Library this summer. This has been both a blessing and a curse {don't worry, I have an entire post planned on just that topic}, but suffice it to say, I have been reading a lot more than normal. And I normally  read a whole-stinking-lot, so I'm going to highlight a couple of my favorites and then just ...

*Full Disclosure (it's a hell of a thing...sorry):  I wrote this post in mid-August, trying to be proactive...so I didn't actually just finish reading it...and the books have arrived* I just finished reading a book. I know what you’re thinking. You’re a reading teacher who is going to library school. Don’t you do this all the time? Yes, yes I do. But THIS BOOK, readers! This. Book. First off, let me say that I bought this book like 5+ years ago. I have a problem, you see, and if it were neater, I would show you a picture of my bookshelf to illustrate just how big of a problem this is. But it is not neat, and therefore you shall not see it. Glad that’s out of the way. I bought this book all those years ago because the description on the back reminded me of a BBC America original show that I loved called Copper, which was about an Irish policeman in New York just at the end of the Civil War. It was gritty and raw without being too bloody, and I fell in l...

I haven’t listened to the radio in months. Like literally, it’s been Christmastime at least since my car radio was tuned to a radio station and played music. I need to call Sirius and try to cancel again, just to see what kind of deal they’ll give me. But I do have a reason for not listening to the radio. I’ve been “reading” while driving. The safe way, via audio books, obviously. I only physically read when I’m the passenger, I promise. I have blogged about this before , but I just finished a book a little over a week ago that I had been listening to for a very long time. Whether you are an audiobook listener, Kindle reader, or prefer to take your literature in its purest form, I thought I would pass along a recommendation. If you like historical fiction, romance, or biographies, then I really think you might enjoy America’s First Daughter by Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray. image via amazon.com This novel features the main character of Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Rando...

The title might  be just a tiny misleading. This "new favorite thing" of mine is not actually new...as a matter of fact, it's very not  new. I'm pretty sure they have existed for most of my life, though I don't think before I was born. I'm talking about audiobooks.  Now, if you clicked on this because I posted something on Facebook like "here's the book you should read next," then just hold on and be patient as I rhapsodize about audiobooks. I promise, there is some actually decent content...this time. I know that audiobooks have been around forever. My mom used to check out the ones that came on cassette tapes from the library and listen to them on her way to work. We have some at school that are on CD, and Audible has been around for quite a few years. I know people who listen to audiobooks religiously. I am very well aware that they are not actually new...but they are new to me!  About a month ago, Audible had a free month tri...

I know April is officially over {and has been for awhile now}, but I have three final books to review for AUSTEN-INSPIRED APRIL! Not all of these books were on my original list, but because I finished the list I made, I decided to do a few more books. So there! The first book is actually just a short story, and it was on my original list. LADY SUSAN  by Jane Austen {yes, that one}. So Lady Susan  isn't so much "Austen-inspired" as "Austen-written." In the book, there are three stories by Jane Austen--two of which are unfinished, as she passed away before she could complete them. But Lady Susan  is complete and is, in fact, hilarious.  The story is told through letters between Lady Susan and the various people in her life, including her best friend {whose husband doesn't approve of Lady Susan}, her sister-in-law, her sister-in-law's brother and mother, and her lover {who happens to be a married man}. Lady Susan is an unashamed flirt who is bo...

I'll be honest. I had a completely  different plan in mind for today's post. I have yet to post about our excursions into London from last June, which is probably going to take two or three {or more!} posts...but I need to pull out my journal in order to remember when we went where and all that jazz. And my journal is in a tote up in our barn and I don't feel like climbing up there tonight, so instead, you get something entirely different. I've finished the first two books on my AUSTEN INSPIRED APRIL reading list, and so now it's time for me to review them! First up, we have AUSTENLAND   by Shannon Hale. Now, "Austenland" is not a magical theme park that has Austen-related things {seriously, wouldn't that be amazing?}. In this case, "Austenland" refers to Pembrook Park. Which is kind of like a Jane Austen theme park. But not really. Okay, this is getting confusing. I'll start over. Austenland  centers around Jane...

So...it's been awhile. To my dear readers, whoever you may be, I am sorry (I feel like I apologize for this a lot...I promise I'll get better!) For those of you who are new to my fantastic little blog world (my words...no one else has ever called it that to my knowledge), welcome! I'm here to provide a service to you today. I'm solving a problem you may or may not have known you even had! Summer is approaching (not nearly fast enough for my fellow teachers and me), and once all that free time hits, I know one of my first orders of business is my reading list. This is especially important this summer, as I will be doing quite a bit of travelling and always need something to read in the car/plane/train/whatever random transportation I'm using at the moment. For those of you who aren't teachers and are just looking for a great beach read (jealous = me) or pool read (still jealous = me) or backyard-whilst-trying-to-get-some-sort-of-tan read (definitely me), then h...

I haven't been very good about posting in this Reading List column. Granted, I haven't been very good about reading, either. I'm currently reading two books and have another waiting for me at the library, but for the past few weeks, I have just been so tired at the end of the day that I can't even focus my eyes on a page without starting to drift to sleep. Which means if I, Kaitlin Fink, can't read, then I must be the epitome of exhausted. But I have managed to make it through the next three books on the list, and so I shall give a short review of them now. 4. The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank This is not about hunting or fishing, nor is it a guide. In fact, it isn't even a very good book. It's all about this character, Jamie (at least I think that was her name), and her experiences with relationships throughout her life. From her brother's first serious girlfriend to her own affair with a man some thirty years her...