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2025 in Review: Annotated Classics, Journals, & More
My biggest goal was to expand my annotated classics series, and I've largely succeeded, even if I did stray a tad off course in the book choices.
Dec 29, 20252 min read


Frankenstein Is Great, But Have You Read Dracula?
I'm not trying to be contrarian, but with all the fanfare surrounding Netflix's recent adaptation of Frankenstein , I can't help but think of the book's far more readable cousin, Dracula . In the A-list annals of Halloween costumes, the two are often paired together, but the reading experience of each is vastly different. Frankenstein is slow and cerebral. You zone out, and 20 pages later, the protagonist is still describing the landscape. Dracula , on the other hand, is a p
Dec 11, 20253 min read


Get an "A+" in Organization With These Beautiful Binder Covers
Plain white three-ring binders are so boring. Most of us remedy this fact by using different colors for different subjects, but why stop there? Get an A+ in organization with my gorgeous new three-ring binder covers, designed just for you! In true Renaissance Revival style, each design blends timeless art with a modern twist. With beautiful choices for history and English, your cover arrives as an instant digital download. Simply hit "print" and slide it behind your binder's
Nov 5, 20251 min read


What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks? It Is Juliet (And Romeo!)...
There’s something so delightful about the unrestrained drama of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . As I wrote in the foreword to my annotated edition-- on sale now! --very few of the characters act with anything resembling common sense. It’s all, “This is how I feel ! Hang the consequences!” Most of us have probably been tempted to act that way, but we subsume* those instincts so we don’t die of our own stupidity. Romeo and Juliet is under no such obligation, giving
Oct 25, 20252 min read


Ivanhoe: Annotated Edition (I Couldn't Help It!)
Ivanhoe really does feature everything you could want in an English adventure story: sword-fights, Robin Hood, Richard the Lionheart, damsels in distress, knights, heroes, scoundrels, and plenty of derring-do.
Aug 30, 20252 min read


'Ivanhoe' by Sir Walter Scott (An Ode to Audiobooks!)
I recently drove from Texas to Minnesota, and decided it was high time I dive into some classic literature that's long haunted my TBR pile: specifically, anything by Sir Walter Scott.
Jul 1, 20252 min read


Summer Reading 2025: Suggestions for 5th-12th Grade
It's no secret that some summer reading books are better than others. Over the years, I've developed a few hard-and-fast rules to sort...
Jun 8, 20254 min read


Latin's Hidden Superpower
It's no coincidence that when America decided Latin was too "old fashioned," the humanities stopped producing great minds.
Apr 8, 20253 min read


I Never Want My Son to Touch an iPad Again (It's Worse Than You Think)
Something has felt instinctively "off" about society's relationship with technology for a long time. I tried (and failed) to delete...
Apr 2, 20255 min read


Thoughts on a Potential Pivot? ("Renaissance Revival")
Hello wonderful Vocabbett readers, Ever since launching Vocabbett Annotated Classics , which have been selling wonderfully, I've been...
Apr 1, 20252 min read


Introducing: Annotated Shakespeare
The moment I began annotating classic novels, people started asking, "Why don't you do Shakespeare?"
"It's been done!" I'd reply.
Feb 20, 20253 min read


How to Send a Book to Kindle
Did you know you can support your favorite author by buying directly from their website? That's right! Amazon even makes it easy with...
Feb 16, 20252 min read


Conquer the Classics (I'll Pay You!)
You know that book you've always wanted to read, but haven't yet gotten around to? For many of us, that book is a classic, but we shy...
Feb 4, 20251 min read


2025 Goals: Annotated Classics
Having recently completed my 2024 recap , it's time to write my 2025 goals! My focus will remain on Vocabbett Classics , where I annotate...
Dec 20, 20244 min read


2024 in Review (And 5 Years of Vocabbett!)
To my utter amazement, Vocabbett turned five years old this year! And while it can be easy to lose oneself in the day-to-day, I love...
Dec 17, 20242 min read


Conquer a Classic This Christmas
Did you know it's a Christmas tradition in Iceland to exchange books for Christmas? To be specific, these books are exchanged on,...
Dec 13, 20242 min read


The Worst 'School Book' Ever?
'Great American novel' or 'worst school book ever'? Having recently annotated 'The Great Gatsby' for Vocabbett Classics, I'm here to say...
Nov 16, 20242 min read


The Iliad Is My Odyssey
This book has been in the making for 10+ years, if not 3,000. In a way, you could say The Iliad is my odyssey!
Nov 9, 20244 min read


Pin This Poem to Your Wall. Seriously.
I have little patience for poets. More often than not, my attitude towards this admirable artistic medium runs more along the lines of, "Spit it out, already!" than, "Oh, what a beautiful metaphor!"
Nov 8, 20243 min read


Are Textbooks Just 'CliffsNotes' for History?
I'm currently reading Britton LaTulippe's Revealing School: Discover What School Is Really Doing to Your Kids , and one of his claims is...
Nov 3, 20245 min read