Welcome to Pen & Sword, a blog by two fans of all things reading and writing.
Join us for updates twice a week as we ramble about our favorite reads, bemoan the struggles of being an aspiring author, and discuss anything else related to the lovely world of literature.
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I’m Ready to Crawl Into A Cave: A Rant
Bro, I’m straight up not having a good time. In this rant, I will be discussing two main points: social media and my own stupid brain. First, I would like to say for the record that I am not trying… Continue reading
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Five Books I Almost DNF’d (And One I Actually Did)
Usually, if I start a book, I’m going to finish it. I think a huge reason for this actually comes from Stephen King, actually. One of my biggest takeaways when reading his book On Writing in high school was to… Continue reading
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Reviewing Every Story in “The End of the World As We Know It”
Who else was over the moon (M-O-O-N, that spells excited!) when this book was first announced? You all know Grandpa King is my #1. And for my very first pick in our book club we started almost three years ago,… Continue reading
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How YOU Can Be Better than the Average American in 2026
Did you know that, in 2025, roughly half of polled US citizens didn’t read a single book? Oof. Guys, we’re facing a HUGE problem right now. I see it almost everyday at work, where students struggle to read and understand… Continue reading
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Return of the Book Bracket
Quick update: I’ve decided to join the cool cats on StoryGraph! Check me out! https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/ac_bookaddict Also, check out this awesome teaser Saige made for Losing Air! Now back to the post! If you’ve been following us for a while, you… Continue reading
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Yet Another Five Magical Book Reviews
This is installment three of this series, where I review magic and fantasy books! Check out installments one and two, and enjoy these reviews of my favorite genre! The Crimson Moth Series – Kristen Ciccarelli – 4 Stars This is… Continue reading
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Reflecting on My December Writing Goals
What an informative month. When I set these goals, I honestly wasn’t really expecting to meet them- they were lofty and meant to be more of a kick in the pants than anything. But I learned a lot about myself… Continue reading
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Three Sentence Pitches for EVERY Book I Read in 2025
Strap in! I read over 50 books this past year (a personal high since I started recording!) so here are three sentence summaries/pitches for what each book has to offer. These are listed in order of when I finished them.… Continue reading
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My Weakest Skill As a Writer: A Free Write
Time to get honest. And bitchy. I did a free write recently to warm up for a good writing session, and I ended up complaining about my perceived inability to plot for almost a thousand words. It started as a… Continue reading
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Reflecting on 2025: My Writing, Reading, and Plans for 2026
2025 was a crazy year for me. I started my current job of substitute teaching, and with it, gained a remarkable amount of free time at a computer. With that, I dedicated much of my time to working on some… Continue reading
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