My 2019 Christmas Book-Lover’s List
By Tamara Wilhite
A good book is almost always a great gift idea. It may inspire or educate, but it will never expire. It provides hours of entertainment or enrichment, and it can be the door to another world or another path in life. That’s why I’ve compiled my 2019 Christmas book lover’s list. I’ve tried to include literally something for everyone – well, age group.
New Humor: 3 Reasons Why I Think I Do Not Exist in the Way You Think I Do
By John Meyer
Being unheard and unseen are only some of the services I provide. I have always been truly amazed at how some people actually don’t see or hear me. There have been many times in my life, starting at childhood, where I was convinced of my invisibility or non-existence. At school, when the teacher would ask a question, I would raise my hand with utter glee for the teacher to select me, but she wouldn’t see me. Out on the playground, the other children would look straight through me when picking teammates. I do realize that I must have fazed in and out, because if not, how could I have gotten anything done. Last year I attended my grade school class reunion. No one, not even the teachers remembered me; they had no idea who I was. I’m not sure if my invisibility was the reason or not, because I realized as I was leaving that it was the wrong class year, and that my class is having it this year. I don’t think I’ll go.
UPDATED: Ranking My 10 Favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe Films
And sorting out the others. Disagree with my choices?
By David M. Swindle
With the fourth Avengers movie debuting this weekend, the closing chapter of a 22-film series, I decided to start a discussion over which installments in the series have been the best, which are weaker, and why.
The 50 Top Liberty Island Posts & Stories from 2018
By David M. Swindle
Check out this list featuring some of the year’s most popular and thoughtful contributions to Liberty Island.
3 Big Dumb Action Flicks For a Break From the Anti-Kavanaugh Circus
What the hell did I just watch?
By Roy Griffis
Soon, the long national nightmare will be over. Brett Kavanaugh will be confirmed as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (his reputation forever tarnished by the craven cretins of the Democrat party), or he will not.
While I do believe the psycho-drama of the hearings (the psycho provided by the clearly disturbed Dr. Ford, the drama by Kavanagh who chose not to go quietly into that good night preordained for him by the Stalinist Socialists formerly known as the Democrat Party) is an important event, reflective of our culture and the war for America’s soul, I think we also need to step back and take a break.
I mean, with campaign slogans like “You have no presumption of innocence here” and the equally catchy “Accusations are all we need,” the Democrats will be coming for the thought-criminals soon enough.
Therefore, herewith, some dumb fun movies you might have missed (some with, alas, more dumb than fun).
10 Badass Heavy Metal & Alternative Tracks to Fuel Your Wicked Writing
Put these songs on when you want to slip into the zone
By David M. Swindle
For this list, we’re going heavy — these are the metal and alternative tracks to help you get focused and creative while writing. Presented in no particular order, save for my pride for my brother’s debut album…
A 25 Song Playlist to Energize Your Writing
These are the tracks I return to regularly when I’m trying to create
By David M. Swindle
Yesterday in an online writing group, one sci-fi author wrote, “I am writing a chapter where the protagonist is (finally) leading a mutiny against her spaceship Captain. I need a playlist to write to. Taking all song suggestions!”
I threw a half dozen youtube videos at him and then decided that it might be worthwhile to compile a longer, more complete list of favorite tracks and explain how they assist me. So here you go.
I believe that essential to creative writing is the ability to shift and re-focus one’s normal state of consciousness — embracing the altered state. Thus, when I’m going to seriously write for a number of hours chances are it’ll be aided by some combination of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, exercise, and yes, specific songs. The objective of these varied methods is to prevent the mind from growing distracted and wandering to non-writing subjects. Music of numerous genres can contribute toward this shifted consciousness effect. Thus, I have chosen 25 tracks from throughout history and genres — from the Baroque era on through classic rock of the ’60s and ’70s, heavy metal and rap from the ’90s, and onto this century’s often more electronic pop songs.
I hope you find at least some of these tracks both useful and entertaining.
Transformative Titles: From St. Augustine to Koontz’s Frankenstein, The Exorcist, & Dinesh D’Souza
Which books and authors most shaped your life? Part 3
By Fred Tribuzzo
Books have been transforming me, getting under my skin, ever since I read Charles Lindbergh’s The Spirit of St. Louis as a boy. Many books, and many years later, here are some that I currently enjoy.
7 Book Pairs That Transformed My Life
Join the discussion! Which authors and books have influenced your the most?
By Mark Ellis
After reading excerpts from the Liberty Island Klavan symposium, I decided to take David Swindle up on his call for others to write about books that transformed their lives. For writers, in addition to literature that had great personal impact, books that change the way they approach writing in my opinion qualify as life-changing.
If you’re a person with two or three books going at all times, it may be hard to pinpoint the life-changers; for this exercise I came up with seven pairs that seemed to fit together, and reflected chronological milestones in my history of literary appreciation.
