The Halloween Tree: Book or Movie?
The Halloween Tree. This cartoon haunted me as a child. I found it absolutely mesmerizing. I used to cherish the VHS tape where my mother had recorded it from TV, loving it despite the parts where the…
Review: Like Water for Chocolate
When most people travel, they research local cuisine and cultural heritage markets. I research celebrated writers and literary works. In my opinion, literature adds something to travel. So when I went to Mexico a few weeks ago, I decided…
Review: Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Summary of Long Bright River “Mickey” is a thirty-something single mom working as a cop in Kensington, a community rocked by America’s opioid epidemic. Mickey and her sister Kacey grew up in an environment of rampant drug…
The Library of Babel
I hope everyone has the opportunity at some point to stumble upon a job so well-suited for them, it seems pre-destined. That’s honestly how I feel teaching my academic seminars every weekend. I get paid to talk…
The Gift of Fear
Have you ever returned home, walked into your bedroom, and immediately sensed something was off? You can’t explain what it is exactly (Did I leave that light on when I left this morning? Did I leave the…
Readers Make Better Travelers: Why I Skip the Travel Guides and Head to the Fiction Section
I’ve never been much of a fan of travel guides. This is funny because I grew up with a mother who would browse the travel section of Barnes & Nobel to kill time, pick up a guide…
Shall We Shakespeare?: Is Shakespeare Still Relevant?
I rarely get culture shock in the ways I used to when I was a travel novice. Squat toilets, different languages, or strange menu items just don’t rattle me these days. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still…
Welcome to The Bookshelf Abroad!
Welcome to The Bookshelf Abroad! I am a nomad. I’ve lived on nearly every continent and visited more countries than I can count. Living abroad for nearly a decade now, I desperately wanted to know the people…
