Pen and Sword Blog

Book Banter

  • My Weekend Attending Get Lit! Fest 2026

    The weekend of April 17th, Saige and I had some much-needed, creation-focused time together in Spokane attending the Get Lit! Festival. Get Lit! is put on by a nonprofit of Eastern Washington University and features a diverse and talented panel… Continue reading

    My Weekend Attending Get Lit! Fest 2026

  • Do We Really Need Another Harry Potter?

    I am far from the first person to talk about the new Harry Potter show, especially with the recent release of the first trailer. But I still feel like sharing my thoughts on it, since I have a lot of… Continue reading

    Do We Really Need Another Harry Potter?

  • My Favorite Blend: Discussing The “Horror Western”

    I know defining genre can get murky, so I’ve consulted with an expert to give us a solid definition of what makes a western. My dad. His credentials: He’s read approximately 3-400 westerns in his life. I don’t think we… Continue reading

    My Favorite Blend: Discussing The “Horror Western”

  • Genre-Fluid Heroes

    If you’ve read Stephen King’s On Writing, you may remember an anecdote between King and Chuck Verill (pretty sure it was him, his agent) where King is warned, as they’re gearing up for his third book to release, that this… Continue reading

    Genre-Fluid Heroes

  • Blech: An Attempt To Discuss Mia Ballard’s “Shy Girl”

    UPDATE 3/19/26: It was just announced that Hachette is actually pulling this baby before its release due to the AI allegations. I think that’s a pretty good confirmation that the allegations have merit, so I guess there’s your answer about… Continue reading

    Blech: An Attempt To Discuss Mia Ballard’s “Shy Girl”

  • Let’s Talk Fairy Tale Novel Adaptations

    A while ago in our book club, we did a themed round where we all picked books that were inspired by fairy tales. It was fun to see the differences in the books we each picked, and we enjoyed comparing… Continue reading

    Let’s Talk Fairy Tale Novel Adaptations

  • Everything I Read For “Out of This World Month”

    Everyone enjoying this bleak, dark, late-winter weather? I’m sure not! Thankfully, this past month I’ve been escaping into other worlds nearly non-stop. That’s right, I’ve just concluded my very first Out of This World Month, where I read only fantasy… Continue reading

    Everything I Read For “Out of This World Month”

  • 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

    Five Books I Almost DNF’d (And One I Actually Did)

  • 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

    Reviewing Every Story in “The End of the World As We Know It”

  • 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

    Return of the Book Bracket