Beth Overmyer's Blog: The Blog of Beth Overmyer, page 7

Am I in Truth a Fan?

When you enter a fandom, how fanatical are you?

I had a conversation with a family member recently about Brandon Sanderson. I called myself a Brandon Sanderson fan, as I have read some of his books and enjoyed them. I’ve read the first two books of the original Mistborn trilogy, The Reckoners books, Starsight, The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, and The Emperor’s Soul, and I realize there are quite a few more yet for me to enjoy. My one family member jokingly said that I wasn’t really a Bran...

The Bookworm Tag Challenge

I’ve been tagged by Bookmarkedone to participate in the Bookworm Tag challenge.

How is your bookshelf organized? By color, author, genre, size, etc.?

Wow. Okay, confession time: my bookshelf is ANYTHING but organized. Once upon a time, I tried to organize by topic and genre, but more books kept coming, I ran out of space, and now there are books EVERYWHERE. My room is basically just a vortex of paper: books and notebooks scattered across the landscape. But if I organized, it would be by g...

4 Basic Reasons to Reread Fiction

I know not everyone likes to read books for a second time. It’s not in everyone’s nature to want the same literary treat more than once, and that’s okay. We’re all made different. But if you’re anything like me, there are some books that just beg to be visited again.

Here are some excuses to give your SO or parent when they ask you WHY you are reading, say, LOTR for the twentieth time:

1 – MORE VALUE!

If you paid for it, you’re getting more than your money’s worth! If you’re checking it...

Fabulous: Dressing Like a Hobbit and Making People Laugh

When I was in high school, I was introduced to the wonderful world of J.R.R. Tolkien: Middle-earth. First I read The Hobbit (as one does–it’s still my favorite to this day) and then I made my way through The Lord of the Rings trilogy in a few weeks’ time. What made me want to read this books in the first place? Well, I saw trailers for the live action motion picture of The Fellowship of the Ring directed by Peter Jackson. Talk about breathtaking! The Nazgul in particular gave me chills and I kne...

7 Ways Readers Can Help an Author Right Now

Read more

Here’s a doable list of things you can do to help your favorite author (or any author, really) stay in the business of writing the books you consume.

1 – Request your local library buy a copy of the author’s book.

While libraries make up around a little over 1.3% of book sales (according to a 2015 Publisher’s Weekly article), they are still buyers. Also, libraries display books, giving the casual browser an opportunity to see the covers, blurbs, and so forth. At a later date, ...

Beth’s Top 6 List of Book to Movie/TV Adaptations

Movie-to-book adaptations abound, I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to hear that their favorite paper and ink hallucination trough is about to be offered up in visual and audio? Except…when you buy your ticket, take you seat, and then sit through a condensed dream-soup that reeks of “We didn’t have the heart or the budget, so we present this muck-of-a-movie. Enjoy?” Ugh. That is the worst.

I could do a longer list of movies/TV adaptations/streaming/etc. that not only miss the bullseye, th...

That One Time I Attempted to Cook Like a Hobbit

Cookbook and apples–oh boy!

Back in January, I attempted to make a recipe from AN UNEXPECTED COOKBOOK, a collection of recipes inspired by the food found in THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien. The recipe in question was apple hand pies. The method? Both freeform and patted into a cupcake tin. The process went about as well as you can imagine for someone who is short-tempered and has very little experience making hand pies.

Have an apple!

First, I washed and then peeled eight (you heard me) Gr...

If You’re a Witcher Fan and Like the Music, This One’s for You!

Toss a coin to your Witcher….

Has anyone else watched and enjoyed The Witcher on Netflix? So awesome. Lots of swearing, some nudity and sex, lots of violence/gore, though, so be forewarned.

One of the things I love most about the show, besides the amazing acting and storylines and characters, is the music. Joey Batey (who plays the loveable minstrel Jaskier) has a wonderful voice and is so much fun, it’s really icing on a magical cake.

Here is a look at some of my favorite songs from t...

7 Head-Bangingly Awesome Songs I Cannot Stop Listening to Now

Cassette tape/mixtape

Why did it take so long for me to discover Spotify Premium? I mean, I’d had a regular account for years and never used it, instead opting for YouTube and Amazon Music. The first one is hard to make playlists on because, well, ads. The second one is okay, but when I bought songs, a lot of times it wouldn’t let me play them. It got to be old and irritating. I mean, what writer wants to deal with ads and missing songs when you’re in the creative groove?

ANYWAY…

This ...

Where Can You Find Fantastic Food? In Literature, Good Friend!

Empanadas that look a bit like pasties, which I would like you to pretend they are.

One of the most fun details to read about in fiction, for me at least, is food and how it’s prepared (this is probably because I enjoy cooking a bit myself.) It adds a bit of realism to what I’m reading, given we all have to eat at some point.

Here’s a look at some books and the food contained within. Bon a petit!

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“What would you like best to eat?” “Turkish Delight, your Majesty,” said Edmund.

I...