Tag Archives: Sharing

07.08.17
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Tag #20: The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag

zombieap_booktag

Image Credit: My Tiny Obsessions

Yay! A tag that I was actually tagged in! Woohoo!

I’m so sorry this post is so incredibly late. But, better late than never?

I was tagged by Not-so-modern girl. Please check out her blog – She’s awesome!

This tag was originally created by Jill at Rant and Rave About Books!

Here’s the link to the original post where I was tagged:

The Rules

  • Choose 5 books.
  • Randomly set up your books in order.
  • Flip to a random page in the book and write the first two names you see.
  • Then, put the names in the categories listed below in the order you saw them (don’t peek!! 😉 )
  • Cry about how screwed you are!
  • Tag some more people to join in the fun!

My Books

  1. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead
  2. The Whistler, John Grisham
  3. Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee
  4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling
  5. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

The first person to die …

Cora from The Underground Railroad. No, crap, that’s a huge bummer! She’s the central character in her book, and she’s incredibly brave and smart!

—

The first person you trip up to escape the zombies …

Michael from The Underground Railroad. I’m sure it was an accident! Now I feel bad.

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The person that trips you to get away from the zombies … 

Lacy from The Whistler. This actually makes sense. She’s the central character in her book, and I can totally see her doing this! As an investigator with the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct (BJC), she’s super smart, and willing to do anything to save herself.

—

The team idiot …

Michael from The Whistler. He’s the boss in his book, which naturally comes with some idiotic characteristics.

—

The brains of the group …

Atticus from Go Set A Watchman. This – This I agree with! He’s a lawyer, and a pretty good one. I like this!

—

The team medic …

Calpurnia from Go Set A Watchman. Another one I’m honestly okay with. She’s a strong woman and helped take care of Atticus’s children after their mother died. So, I know she dealt with many an injury while helping raise Jem and Scout. My confidence is building!

—

The weapons expert …

Harry from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. YES! This is awesome. He is a wizard, and, come on, he helped form and train Dumbledore’s Army. I’m very happy about this. He can use his wand to do almost anything.

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The team brawler …

Hagrid from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Another excellent choice. The man is a beast, and very intimidating! I know that he wouldn’t want to hurt anyone intentionally, but I know that he won’t back down, either.

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The first to turn into a zombie …

Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. I’m not really sad about this. Gatsby’s story ends up very sad in his book, so we’d might as well get it over with early on.

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The team leader …

Daisy from The Great Gatsby. This is possibly the worst. Ever. Daisy is so self-absorbed and flirty. I would glad pick ANYONE ELSE. If her character existed in modern times, she’d be making duck faces and taking selfies most of the time, and always worried about her makeup. She’d be totally distracted! Not awesome if you’re tasked to be team leader. Sigh.

Well, I don’t have a totally terrible team. I think we’d make out okay, although I’m pretty sure Daisy would become a zombie right after Gatsby, and the rest of us would have to fend for ourselves. Regardless, I think we’d end up surviving.

This was really fun! I liked this challenge!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.05.17
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Writing Prompt #65: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 27)

Week #27: Favorite Spot In Your City.

My first thought was the Commodore Theatre in Downtown Portsmouth!

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Image Credit: Commodore Theatre

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Image Credit: The Virginian-Pilot

Built in 1945, it’s a 1,000-seat theater. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 1997!

You feel like you’ve been transported back in time. It was beautifully restored to its original glory years ago, and it looks awesome! I actually feel weird if I go to see a movie and I’m not dressed up.

You buy your tickets in advance, at the box office, when it opens. The tickets look older, too! They have their matinee at 2:00 p.m., and their evening show is at 7:00 p.m.

They only show one movie at a time, usually for four weeks. You can sit at one of the tables and have a meal – The food is delicious.  You order through the phone on the table!

You can also sit in the balcony and buy traditional concessions – Popcorn, soda, and candy.

It’s one of those places that have been around forever, and it feels special. I’m happy that we have such a treasure so close to home!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.03.17
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Commentary #53: “12 Things You Only Understand If You Grew Up Going To Church Camp”

Pinterest 2

Image Credit: Pinterest

My friend Cara shared this article a few days ago on Facebook. Just reading the title sent me back into nostalgia. Almost every summer, from fourth grade through college, and a few as an adult, I was at some sort of church camp!

Here’s the link to the original post:

I wish I had more photos to share!

Since a lot of my church camp experiences happened before I entered the world of Facebook, a lot of them are in traditional photo albums at my parents’ house, etc.

However, I did manage to find a few!

CCC 2012 (2)

CCC 2012, Albemarle, North Carolina – This was our finished wheelchair ramp!

CCC 2012

CCC 2012, Albemarle, North Carolina – We worked hard, but we also made time for fun, like ice cream!

Bandannas – Need I say more?

  • I’m not wearing bandannas in these photos, but for years, I did! They were fashion accessories – The girls traded them back and forth! We also went to the Dollar Tree before the trip to find new colors!

You probably dressed up in some interesting outfits.

  • Maybe? I remember the staff at Carolina Cross Connection (CCC) many a summer decked out in costumes, overalls, tights, tutus, and more!

Camp games were the best games!

  • Absolutely! I learned to play nine square at the camp in Florida with Daniel, Aime, and Loren (and quickly realized how competitive it was!)
  • At CCC, the icebreaker games were hilarious! Every summer was different, and it was great watching the adults!

Everyone had a camp crush they will always remember!

  • Oh, yes – No names mentioned here, but this was a definite.
  • I do know several people who met their true loves at CCC. Matt and Alex got married at a CCC camp!

You made friends that will last a lifetime.

  • Yes – I still have letters, cards, and photos from camp friends!
  • A lot of us have kept in touch through Facebook now.

You master taking 5 minute or less showers!

  • This is so true – Although the cooler water felt amazing after long days in the sun!
  • It was really hard to juggle everything carefully – Shower caddies would have been an amazing investment back then!
  • Most camps do this, but I highly recommend wearing Old Navy-style flip-flops or some type of sandal that can get wet in the shower! Camp showers are NOTHING  like your bathroom at home.

You were a master at coming up with skits and chants for your team!

  • I certainly tried. I enjoyed the group effort!
  • I definitely didn’t have much of a voice when I came home.

Every worship song seems to be 10 times better at camp!

  • This is probably the most true statement of them all!
  • CCC camps usually have some sort of “hill” or “mountain” on the property, and those experiences were always amazing!
  • I’ll always remember the girls on CCC staff standing on chairs to hold the handwritten song lyrics, with a lot of us holding flashlights!

You had a crush on someone in the band.

  • For me, this wasn’t necessarily summer camp, but mainly the Blackstone retreats!
  • I still have a few of my shirts signed by all the band members!

You always packed way more than you needed.

  • I was one of those people who followed the list of items to the letter!
  • It was so much fun packing for the trip, but such a drag packing to go home! Nothing seemed to fit properly.
  • Sometimes, I borrowed the big black garbage bags for my dirty laundry – Yuck!

You can try to tell someone about camp but no one else will understand.

  • Exactly! I wore my camp shirts to school a lot, and I enjoyed telling my friends when they asked.

You start your countdown for camp next year the day you leave.

  • This was especially true in high school, since I went to CCC nearly every summer!
  • I also did this in 2011 and 2013, because I knew I was going to be taking a whole week off work to go to CCC in 2012 and 2014! I felt very adult then, haha.

Did you go to church camp?

What were some of your favorite memories?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.01.17
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Getting Personal #74: July Goals

July Goals

Image Credit: Pinterest

Here we are! Summer in Virginia is in full swing. Hot and humid!

Here are my goals for the month of July:

  1. Clear the clothing clutter.
  2. Start designing my custom American Girl doll cabinet / storage unit.
  3. Register for the fall semester.
  4. See Spider-Man: Homecoming.
  5. See Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
  6. Write at least 200 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.
  7. Work toward weekly meal planning.
  8. Set up a consistent cleaning schedule.
  9. Update my resume.
  10. Publish a bigger variety of blog posts.

Here’s the breakdown:

Clear the clothing clutter.

  • Piggybacking off of last month, we’re trying to clean out our closets. There’s a lot of things that don’t fit / we don’t wear anymore.
  • We just need to bag it all up, and head to the local thrift stores.

Start designing my custom American Girl doll cabinet / storage unit.

  • This is going to be my birthday gift from Al. I’m so excited!
  • I’ve been designing it in my head ever since we started talking about it last weekend in the car.
  • I’ll finally have a functional / beautiful way to store my dolls and their clothes / accessories.
  • This will be a fun project that we can work on together!
  • I promise pictures!

Register for the fall semester.

  • Once the replacement Longwood transcripts come in, I’m making an appointment on campus to make sure everything is taken care in terms of transfer credits.
  • After that, I’ll talk with Professor Pedigo to make sure everything is squared away.
  • Then, I can finally register for Legal Writing!

See Spider-Man: Homecoming.

  • We’re definitely going to see it on Thursday, July 6th!
  • Depending on how the first show goes, we may go see it again with friends.

See Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

  • I was initially skeptical about this one.
  • But, after watching several YouTube videos and reading more about it, I’m excited to see it!
  • It looks super trippy, in a good way. I’m excited to see how they interpret the graphic novel.

Write at least 200 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.

  • I was re-reading what I’ve written so far, and I’ve been jotting down some thoughts. I’m excited to add more to the story, bit by bit.

Work toward weekly meal planning.

  • After looking at our budget recently, and finding out earlier this week that we need to replace our HVAC system, I’m motivated to start meal planning in a notebook.
  • We have several good recipes that we like and use a lot, but any new ideas and welcomed and appreciated!

Set up a consistent cleaning schedule.

  • This is another thing I want to put in writing, or on the calendar in the kitchen.
  • I need to make time every weekend to do some cleaning, so stuff like dust doesn’t pile up.
  • We have our laundry and sink / dishwasher routines down cold, but vacuuming / dust mopping / dusting – Not so much.
  • As an adult with my own house, I’m now starting to understand why my mom had me do certain things at certain times every month – It really helps!

Update my resume.

  • In talking with Professor Pedigo at the blood drive last month, she’s offered to help me update my resume. She keeps student resumes on file for lawyers needing help, and other job opportunities.
  • She also recommends to update it every six months, so I’d like to get in the habit of doing that now.
  • I also want to update my LinkedIn profile, and a few other professional things this month.

Publish a bigger variety of blog posts.

Do you have any goals for the month of July?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.30.17
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Getting Personal #73: June Goals Recap

June Goals Recap

Image Credit: Fueled By Carrots

June is over!

Here’s the link to my June Goals post:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Celebrate our 100th blood drive! — Accomplished!
  2. Refresh/update my summer wardrobe. — Semi-Achieved.
  3. See Wonder Woman! — Accomplished!
  4. Celebrate Nick and Savy’s engagement/upcoming wedding! — Accomplished!
  5. Attend the 10-year high school reunion with my IB classmates. — Accomplished!
  6. Celebrate Mom’s retirement! — Accomplished!
  7. Buy bikes! — Accomplished!
  8. Visit the library at least once. — Accomplished!
  9. Work to write between three-four Book Reviews. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Celebrate our 100th blood drive! — Accomplished!

  • We had an excellent blood drive for #100 on Saturday, June 3rd.
  • I was FINALLY able to give blood – Happy dance!
  • We collected 60 units total, which is excellent for a summer drive. Historically, the summer months are the worst for the Red Cross and other blood banks, because there are less donors.

Blood Drive 100

The awesome cake my mom bought at our local BJ’s!

Refresh/update my summer wardrobe. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I’m mainly happy that I moved/re-organized my fall/winter clothes! Those are stored away until the seasons change again (It won’t be long!)
  • I also moved some spring/summer clothes into my closet, and organized those properly.
  • Next: Go through the huge hamper at the bottom of the closet!

See Wonder Woman! — Accomplished!

  • I’m so glad we went to see it. It was AWESOME!
  • Gal Gadot is a FREAKING ROCKSTAR.
  • If you haven’t seen it, it is highly recommended!

Wonder Woman

Al’s caption on Facebook, June 4th: “Going to see Wonder Woman with my Wonder Woman.”

Celebrate Nick and Savy’s engagement/upcoming wedding! — Accomplished!

  • We had a great time at their house, as we always do.
  • Al’s parents drove us there, and my mom came with us!
  • It was an awesome reunion – Seeing Mia, Crystal and Steven, Jeremy and Chelsea, Rachel and Jason, Kudu, and others!

Attend the 10-year high school reunion with my IB classmates. — Accomplished!

  • After a few challenges, like changing restaurants, 18 of us (11 classmates, 7 spouses, and Sean’s not-so-little brother) gathered at Waterman’s at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Saturday, June 17th. We had a great time!
  • Thanks, Sean, for setting this up!
  • We had to wait an hour and a half for a table big enough to open up, so a bunch of us gathered on the boardwalk for a while. We stood in a huge circle and had a great time catching up and reminiscing. It was really great to have that opportunity, because by the time we got in the restaurant to eat, it was hard to hear everyone!

Markus Miller

Markus was smart to hand his phone to our waiter! This is one of the better photos. It was so great to see everyone! Image Credit: Markus Miller.

Celebrate Mom’s retirement! — Accomplished!

  • We celebrated at Spaghetti Eddie’s with my parents on the last day of school.
  • The school had a wonderful end-of-the-year luncheon, where Mom and several other retiring teachers and staff were recognized.
  • A photo mat was passed around the school and signed for my mom, and all the messages were so sweet!
  • She received a wonderful send-off after 23 years at Chittum Elementary.

Buy bikes! — Accomplished!

  • We were able to support a fantastic local business, SCAT Bikes – And, they’re only a few miles from our house!
  • In one Saturday, we purchased two bikes, two helmets, a bike rack that works for both of our cars, and a fancy adjustable bar that makes my bike more stable when transporting it.

Bikes

Al took this photo last weekend before we hopped on. We love riding around our neighborhood – Very safe and quiet. We certainly work up a good sweat! The only change we’ll make is better bike seats!

Visit the library at least once. — Accomplished!

  • I went twice!
  • I picked up The Man in the High Castle and The Lost Symbol, and then renewed The Lost Symbol. I’m deep into that one now, and loving it! Trying hard to finish it before next Saturday!

Work to write between three-four Book Reviews. — Accomplished!

Final Thoughts:

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to eight out of nine goals. I think this is a record! I was so excited when I started counting!
  • The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I’m just happy that I got things organized. I still have some more work to do, but that’s fine by me!

Did you have any goals for June?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for July!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.29.17
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Getting Personal #72: “Forest Path, Cork County, Ireland” (Reblogged)

It’s been a while since I shared one of Just Wunderlust’s incredible photos!

Ireland, among many other countries and places, is on my “bucket list” to visit. I’ve always loved being in nature as much as possible, especially surrounded by trees.

I’m living vicariously through one of my college roommates right now, as she shares her cross-country trip with all her Facebook friends. They’ve made it to the West Coast, and her photos have been awesome!

This photo makes me think of the stories I used to dream up when I was younger. The first “book” that I wrote was set in a forest (in Oregon, not Ireland), but that’s what I thought of when I saw this photo earlier today.

I could easily take this photo and start to create a whole world/story line. I love that I still have an active imagination. I need to pick up a new notebook this weekend – I have several story ideas bouncing around in my head that I want to write down ASAP!

Are there certain places you dream of visiting?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.28.17
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Writing Prompt #64: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 26)

Week #26: Someone You Got To Meet.

First of all, I can’t believe this post marks the halfway point of this challenge! Time is flying by!

—

Now, I was originally going to write about Robert Redford, but then I realized that I was only in the room with him that day in 2011, so he doesn’t count (Rats!).

However, I will talk about how I got to meet Sister Helen Prejean.

Here’s a question: Have you seen the movie Dead Man Walking (1995) with Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon?

Did you know it’s based on a true story?

—

I had the opportunity to write about Sister Helen’s guest lecture at Longwood University for the student newspaper, The Rotunda. I was so moved hearing about her experiences that I immediately wanted to buy both her books – Dead Man Walking (1993) and The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions (2004). The second book appealed to me because of one of the innocent men was from Virginia.

After she finished speaking, I was only able to talk with her for a few minutes, but she graciously inscribed both of my books with personal messages. She thanked me for coming out, and I offered to send her a copy of the article I was writing. I headed back to my dorm that night forever changed! Her work advocating against the death penalty will stay with me for the rest of my life – I think about her often.

The piece I wrote ended up being one of the longest in the eight semesters that I worked on the paper. It had to be significantly revised for publication, but I’m immensely proud of what I wrote, and what was published. I looked – I couldn’t find it in The Rotunda’s online archives, but I know I saved it somewhere on my computer or a flash drive. After writing this post, I’m committed to finding it – Once I do, I’ll share with you all soon.

After I graduated, I added up all of the pieces I had written for the paper. I think it was around 125 total, maybe more. It felt really good.

I’m fortunate that I was able to meet Sister Helen. She changed my world view, forever.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.26.17
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Blog Awards #14: Mystery Blogger Award – Number 2!

Mystery Blogger Award

Image Credit: Found on Bookmark Your Thoughts

This post has been a long time coming – Back in late April, the beautiful Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts nominated me for the Mystery Blogger Award! I’m so honored to have been nominated for this award for the second time.

Thanks, Jenna!

Here’s the link to the post where I was nominated:

What is the Mystery Blogger Award?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best our there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award if also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.

– Okoto Enigma

Okoto Enigma is the creator of the Mystery Blogger Award! A link to her blog is here.

The Rules

  1. Put the award logo/image on your blog
  2. List the rules
  3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
  5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
  6. You nominate 10 – 20 people
  7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
  8. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
  9. Share a link to your best post(s)

About Hot Shot Headlines

I started Hot Shot Headlines several years ago as a way to continue blogging after college. I was assigned to create a blog in my Computer-Mediated Communication class with Dr. Bill Stuart in 2009. I decided to write about movies that my classmates may have never seen before. Several people complimented my writing, so I knew I wanted to blog in my spare time. After several failed blog attempts, I wanted to combine my Mass Media education with writing. The result has been this amazing experience where I’ve been able to connect with so many people around the world! Thanks to everyone who has read my posts, liked them, commented on them, shared them, and appreciated my writing. It means the world to me!

And The Nominees Are …

I’ll admit, I don’t like pressuring anyone to do anything! Participation in these awards is completely voluntarily. However, I love seeing other people’s responses!

  1. In A Messy World
  2. meganelizabethmorales
  3. His Perfect Timing
  4. The Real Deal

Questions from Jenna

One. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

  • I would love to be invisible – Think Harry Potter’s Invisibility Cloak! That would be amazing!

Two. What are your top three book/book series?

  1. Harry Potter series
  2. The Great Gatsby
  3. Anything American Girl-related, but especially the Historical Fiction

Three. What is your favourite colour and why (i.e., reminds you of something, etc.)?

  • I love the color green – It represents many things in my life. I have a green birthstone (peridot, for August), I’ve been a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan for practically my whole life, I love the green grass and trees, and my sorority colors are green and gold (Alpha Sigma Tau).

Four. If you could become part of a book, television or movie fictional world, which one would it be?

  • This question is so hard for me, simply because I love so many types of books, television series, and movies! But, if I had to pick just one, I would love to be part of the Harry Potter books / movies. It’s an amazing world!

Five. What are you currently reading? How would you rate it at this moment?

  • I just started reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. It’s good, so far!

My Questions to the Nominees

  1. What’s your favorite song at the moment, and why?
  2. What / where would be your ideal place to live?
  3. Do you have a favorite place to go on vacation?
  4. If you could do one job for your whole life, what would it be, and why?
  5. What is your dream car?

My Best Posts

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.21.17
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Writing Prompt #63: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 25)

Week #25: Education.

I’m incredibly grateful for the education that I have received. I was so fortunate that my parents picked an excellent school district when we moved to Chesapeake. Overall, I had really good experiences throughout elementary, middle, and high school. I think fondly of many teachers that I had over the years!

After high school graduation, I was one of the very few that didn’t have to take out any loans to be able to earn my college degree. I don’t say this to brag, not at all – I say this out of incredible gratitude to my parents, who worked so hard to help me get a great education from Longwood. I have multiple family members, co-workers, and countless friends that have student loan debt. That makes me sad! It also makes me angry. Higher education has changed so much, and it’s even changed in the six years since I graduated.

Now, I’m grateful that I have a job that offers educational assistance to its employees! I have used it for several semesters, and it has been a significant benefit. I’m almost done with my Paralegal Studies degree after nearly five years.

I can’t say enough good things about the quality of the education that I have had over the years. With that said, I’m inspired by countless others and their stories.

  • The ones that have worked multiple jobs plus loans to pay for their education themselves
  • The ones that raise or have raised children while working full-time and attending classes
  • The ones that work tirelessly for years to educate themselves in the field that they are passionate about.
  • The ones that go for the Ph.D.
  • The ones that simply have a high school diploma and are just amazing husbands/wives, mothers/fathers, hard workers, volunteers, and so much more than their educational experiences.

My hat goes off to you all!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.14.17
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Writing Prompt #62: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 24)

Week #24: A Book You Learned From.

I wasn’t a big science fiction fan for a long time, but one book helped change my view.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

I wasn’t thrilled when it was assigned summer reading when I was getting ready to start the IB program in 2003.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading it. The story was so intriguing, that I didn’t want to stop.

As I delved into the world of Ender, Valentine, his family, and the intricate / complicated world of Battle School and Command School, I learned several things. I learned to better appreciate the genre of science fiction, but I also identified with several of the characters. I saw parts of myself in Ender, Valentine, Rackham, and Colonel Graff. Thinking about it now, some of the wars and political themes aren’t so far off from our real world at the moment. I think this book also helped me become a better writer, and to be more considerate of other genres.

I learned later that there are other books with Ender. Eventually, I want to read them all.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂