by Melissa J. Troutman | Aug 14, 2026 | Blogs/Podcasts, Fantasy, Fiction, Friday Fiction: Books From Off the Beaten Track
A Study of Shattered Spells by Josiah DeGraaf is not just another magic-school book. Because . . . . . . Chintor Academy is not just another magic school. It has problems. Deep problems. All across the student body and even the faculty. It’s supposed to be the most...
by Melissa J. Troutman | Jul 31, 2026 | Blogs/Podcasts, Fiction, Friday Fiction: Books From Off the Beaten Track
A Little Bit of Background The first time I read the Little House on the Prairie books, I was Laura’s age, in elementary school. I remember liking the stories as pleasant, if a little boring at times, though I thought the last book (The First Four Years) was weird...
by Melissa J. Troutman | May 29, 2026 | Blogs/Podcasts, Fiction, Friday Fiction: Books From Off the Beaten Track
When it comes to my favorite classics, Ben-Hur may have more depth, but The Scarlet Pimpernel has more intrigue. Published in novel form in 1905 by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, after two years of success as a play, The Scarlet Pimpernel tells the story of what happens when...
by Melissa J. Troutman | Feb 13, 2026 | Blogs/Podcasts, Fantasy, Fiction, Friday Fiction: Books From Off the Beaten Track
I could not be more excited to share this review of Caligo by J. J. Fischer. (If you haven’t read The Nightingale Trilogy, read with caution, because I couldn’t avoid some vague spoilers of the last book.) Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a series like The...
by Melissa J. Troutman | Nov 21, 2025 | Blogs/Podcasts, Fiction, Friday Fiction: Books From Off the Beaten Track
If I asked you to name a classic work of literature, I’m sure one of the first to come to your mind would be A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Everyone knows about this book, and chances are everyone—or almost everyone—has read at least an excerpt of it...
