Katie Bachelder

Writing Towards Compassionate Connection

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  • Building a Magic System (WoT Setting Study #2)

    Wheel of Time is known for many things, and for its readers, channeling is often touted as an impressive magic system. It is expansive, detailed, and well-thought-out. For those who are interested in a more present, harder magic system, the series offers as a template three major facets that differentiate channeling from other magic systems.…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 30, 2020
    For Writers: Builder’s Theory, Reading Reflections
    Fantasy, fantasy writing, hard magic, magic, magic systems, Robert Jordan, setting, setting study, Wheel of Time, world-building, WoT
  • A Song of Wraiths And Ruin: Book Review

    Back in June, in an effort to support black authors, I sought out a handful of books that I might add to my reading shelf. Of the five of them, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was the book most aligned to my usual tastes: an epic fantasy tale promising some in-depth world-building. That said,…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 28, 2020
    Reading Reflections
    a song of wraiths and ruin, book review, books, Fantasy, magic, mental health, roseanne a. brown, world-building
  • Let’s Talk Tropes: Love Triangles

    To the dismay of many young adult readers, the number of love triangle plot-lines exploded, in thanks, no doubt, to the success of the Twilight series. Fortunately, it did not become a staple of the fantasy genre, but a reader browsing the shelves still wouldn’t be surprised to find that a book’s synopsis hinted at…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 25, 2020
    For Writers: Builder’s Theory
    books, Cassandra Clare, Fantasy, love interest, love triangles, maggie stiefvater, plot, Sarah J. Maas, tropes, twilight, Wheel of Time, writing
  • Tale of Despereaux Movie Analysis

    I knew from the moment I started my Middle Grade Reread Challenge, I wanted to end with Tale of Despereaux so I might watch the animated film to see what comparisons could be made. Of course, Tale of Despereaux is not a long book–at 270 pages, it’s actually the shortest book of the challenge–and I was…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 23, 2020
    On Stories and Ethics, Reading Reflections
    books, fairy tales, Fantasy, middle grade, Tale of Despereaux, theme
  • Adult Reader vs. Middle Grade Book: Inkheart

    Certain books, you’re bound to love. Others, you can’t help but hate. And some, you find you just couldn’t care less about. If you read my Reading Challenge Wrap-Up from Wednesday, you probably think that Inkheart falls in the middle category. It certainly felt that way sometimes as I read the book. But then I…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 21, 2020
    Reading Reflections
    Cornelia Funke, Fantasy, fantasy writing, Inkheart, magic, middle grade, villains, writing
  • The Winterkeep Cover Reveal!!

    Back in May, we got one of the few pieces of good news that 2020 has to offer: the Graceling Realm series isn’t over. A new book is going to be released in early 2021, called Winterkeep. You can find all of the initial information in my blog post, plus some of my expectations for…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 18, 2020
    Uncategorized
    Bitterblue, book news, books, Fantasy, Fire, Graceling, Graceling Realm, Kristin Cashore, winterkeep, young adult
  • Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

    In case you didn’t catch the The Middle Grade Reread Challenge post, here’s a little TL;DR. Last month, I challenged myself to read five book that I hadn’t read or even thought of since my middle grade years, and I gave myself a month to do it. The books I chose are as follows: Here, There…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 16, 2020
    Reading Reflections
    books, Fantasy, Inkheart, James A. Owen, Kate DiCamillo, middle grade, reading challenge, reread, science fiction, Shannon Hale, The Mysterious Benedict Society
  • Sidestepping Monarchy (WoT Setting Study part 1)

    The Wheel of Time series is a vast and detailed world, based not on your traditional medieval European setting but rather drawing from a multitude of sources to make each country, even those most resembling the expected medieval England-esque setting, feel very much distinct. As a result, it would be impossible to do a single…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 14, 2020
    Reading Reflections
    Aiel, Atha'an Miere, Fantasy, fantasy writing, Robert Jordan, setting, setting study, Wheel of Time, world-building, WoT
  • A Mole Named Talpa (Celebrating 100 Followers)

    Hello, everyone! I am so excited to announce that our little corner of the internet has grown to include 100 followers. That may not seem like much to some, but it was only recently that I started to get more active on my blog, and I’m happy to see that it’s paid off, that the…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 11, 2020
    Uncategorized
    animal magic, elemental magic, Fantasy, magic, magic systems, Short Story
  • Setting Study: Bayern from The Goose Girl

    The Books of Bayern is a middle grade fantasy quartet by Shannon Hale, centering around the country of Bayern. The Goose Girl is the first of the series. The protagonist, Ani, is from neighboring country Kildenree, betrothed to a Bayern prince she has never met. En route to Bayern, Ani’s lady in waiting starts a…

    Katie Bachelder

    September 9, 2020
    Reading Reflections
    book review, books, Fantasy, middle grade, setting study, Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl, world-building
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