Binding Thirteen: Book One in the Boys of Tommen Series Review

            Binding Thirteen by Chloe Walsh is a captivating novel that explores themes of love, trauma, and self-discovery. The novel follows stories of two main characters, Johnny Kavanaugh and Shannon Lynch, who slowly build a connection despite their personal circumstances. Walsh has a specific writing style that keeps readers hooked and wanting more as they continue reading. 

The chemistry between Johnny and Shannon is undeniable, however a lot of the story is drug out more than readers may like. The novel constantly goes back and forth between the love between Shannon and Johnny and the forbidden nature that keeps them from being together. Every time the reader thinks that the two characters might be making progress in their relationship, it crashes back to the beginning. It becomes frustrating when readers want the plot to thicken, but struggle to get that aspect from Walsh. 

Throughout the moments that the story feels drawn out, it seems as though certain plot points could be resolved more swiftly. The pacing tends to drag, which tests the patience of many readers and has led many to put the book down altogether. The tension between the two main characters reaches a point where the resolution could have come much sooner, but Walsh decided to keep the novel at a 603 page length. There were many times when finishing this book seemed impossible, because of the circles that the characters go in. 

Binding Thirteen and the Boys of Tommen Series that it is a part of has gained significant attention on TikTok, which draws readers to purchase the book. They want to know what the hype is all about. The “BookTok” side of TikTok, where individuals share their book recommendations and jokes, is where the novel gets most of its attention. The hype has led readers to share their own personal opinions regarding the twists and turns of the book, some even finishing it with tears in their eyes. 

However, with popularity comes high expectations. Some readers find themselves disappointed if the book does not quite live up to the hype in their eyes. The massive following that not only the novel itself, but the whole series has possessed, causes individuals to think that it will be a lot deeper and twisting than it actually is. It has been considered a hit for individuals who enjoy books that challenge their emotional boundaries, but does not resonate with those that possess a shorter attention span and tempered expectations.

Reading the book was difficult at some points and easy during others. Certain chapters do grab the reader's attention and feel different than the usual circles that the two main characters are going in. However, many could argue that besides Shannon, many characters are very surface-level. It feels as though we get a clear representation of Shannon's struggles and home-life, but not much about any others which gives a sort of repetitive nature. It seems that the same things are happening over and over again, and the plot rarely strays away to more interesting aspects. Readers have a lot to say about what they wanted to know more about, or how the book could have excelled even further. 

Overall, Binding Thirteen by Chloe Walsh will resonate most with those who enjoy complexities within human relationships and personal growth. It is a heartfelt journey of overcoming past traumas and finding a way to move forward for the betterment of your future. Despite the slow nature of the book, the ending is well worth the wait. You can check out Chloe Walsh, Binding Thirteen, and all of her Boys of Tommen series from TikTok on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and her personal website ChloeWalshAuthor.com.

My Favorite Writer: Mark Brown

     

    One of the biggest things that draws me to a writer is whether or not I am interested in what they have to say. Granted, this being a sports blog, I'm sure you can tell what Mark Brown may be all about. Mark Brown writes for "Camden Chat", a Baltimore Orioles community news website. Camden Chat publishes many great works about the Orioles and keeps you up to date with everything you need to know to stay in the loop. 

    Brown is one of the primary writers for Camden Chat. One of the things that I enjoy most about his writings is how he breaks down what needs to be broken down, but does not go too in-depth about things that do not matter. It helps every Baltimore fan keep track of who might be on the IL list, who might be starting, and who they think should be starting. This whole community website is opinion-oriented and has many different threads. 

    One of my favorite threads posted by Brown are the "Daily Bird Droppings". Each day, Brown publishes a recap of what is going on in not only in Baltimore, but the entire baseball world. It is easy for me to be able to read these posts and get a good idea of exactly what is going on for Baltimore. I like that Brown is able to save me the time and research and simply give me all of the important points in one place. 

    The most recent piece by Brown is titled "Current Baltimore Orioles roster". The description under this peice says "Orioles players on the 40-man roster and their number of remaining minor league options". This subtitle gets straight to the point by using a summary lead. It makes it easy for individuals to know exactly what they will be getting in the post. If he did not include this, people may wonder why he is discussing minor league options that have nothing to do with their 40-man roster. 

    Brown's writing then goes into all of the transactions that the Orioles have made during the off-season. This makes it easy for fans to know exactly where these players came from, as well as who they had to give up in order to attain them. Personally, I have the MLB app notifications on, but there are so many sent out that it is nearly impossible to check every single one so when I want to know about my favorite team, this is where I go and I like how easy Brown makes it to stay updated. 

View some recent pieces from Brown on Camden Chat below!

Former Orioles All-Star Jorhn Means is reportedly signing with the Guardians

Tomoyuki Sugano's late-career MLB leap is important to the fortunes of the Orioles

Sunday Bird Droppings: All Orioles pitchers have officially made it to spring training

Trey Mancini in 500 Words

    From Florida to Notre Dame to Baltimore, Trey Mancini has been a star first basemen since his youngest years. His journey throughout his baseball career was tough, but even stage 3 colon cancer was not enough to stop him. 

    Mancini is from Winter Haven, Florida where he attended Winter Haven High School and made huge moves for their baseball program. Following high school baseball, he was offered a scholarship to continue his career at the University of Notre Dame where he played a crucial role in their program

    Drafted in 2016, Mancini signed to the Baltimore Orioles organization, where he quickly became a fan favorite. His skill, combined with his heart and love for the game, made O's fans love him. He was a strong addition to the Baltimore lineup. Mancini ended with a .357 batting average in his first season with the Orioles, and added up 117 home-runs in his 5 seasons with the O's.

    However, if one were to look at Mancini's stats, they would notice a blank spot in his stats for the year of 2020. This is not because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but because Mancini was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer towards the end of 2019. This caused him to miss the entirety of the shortened 2020 Major League Baseball season. Instead of taking this setback as a loss, he chose to take this opportunity to bring awareness to his diagnosis, and use his platform in a positive way. 

    Even when Mancini was undergoing treatments through a global pandemic, he was committed to being an advocate for cancer education and awareness. Although his goal was to return to Camden Yards with the O's for 2021 Opening Day, he was not just going to turn his back on the journey he had endured.

    Mancini stated that even though he was eager to get back on the field, he could not go on without doing everything he could to help others struggling with the same diagnosis. He partnered with many organizations, including the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Play Ball shortly after his diagnosis. Mancini claimed that he knew "given his line of work, that he could have an impact on people like they had on him", and an impact is an understatement for the change that Mancini was able to make. He raised over $80,000 for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance through t-shirt sales, and returned in 2021 to be named the American League Comeback Player of the Year. 

   Although the Orioles stood by Mancini during his journey with colon cancer, he was later traded to the Houston Astros in 2022 where he played for one season before he was off to Chicago. Mancini played for the Chicago Cubs for a year as well before he was traded to the Miami Marlins in 2024. 

    It is sad to say that Mancini no longer plays in the Major League, as the Marlins sent him back down to their minor league Triple-A team. Trey Mancini made a huge impact not only on the Orioles organization, but on the entire MLB fanbase along with individuals that are enduring cancer treatments. Mancini was a blessing to the sport, and will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Orioles fans.

Camden in 500 Words

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?" It was a question I never seemed to have a consistent answer for.

"I want to be a teacher!", seven-year-old me thought. "I want to teach kids and draw on the SMART board just like my teacher does, and when I'm a teacher we will all have extra recess," seven-year-old me thought.

"I want to be a veterinarian! I want to take care of dogs and puppies so that all of the animals in the world never have to hurt again", eleven-year-old me said. 

"Maybe I'll be a forensic nurse," I thought at sixteen. "After all, I love watching criminal minds, so it could be interesting". 

I was never good at committing to a specific dream. My young mind was curious and easily entertained by new ideas. I thought for sure I'd never be able to settle on a career path, and as I was beginning my junior year of high school, it felt more crucial than ever. 

Sports always made up a large part of my life. I spent my whole life on the softball field, and majority of my teenage years on the volleyball court. Sports seemed to be the one thing in my life that remained constant, when everything else was ever-changing.

Throughout high school, my love for baseball spefically grew stronger. Of course my dad loved this, he finally had someone in the family who wanted to watch the games with him. 

When I was 15 I presented my dream of visiting all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums to my dad. Needless to say, it did not take much convincing.

Not even a week later, we had a weekend trip planned in Atlanta, Georgia to watch the Atlanta Braves. This was when I was able to officially check off my second Major Leage Ballpark.

Fast-forward to my junior year of high school and I had visited a total of ten stadiums when I finally reached the conclusion that baseball was the one thing that could consistently keep my interest.

Although I had no idea what I wanted to be, the one thing I seemed to always know was that I wanted to have a job that I was excited to go to everyday. 

People that worked in baseball always seemed to be having so much fun, whether they were in the locker room, in the announcing booth, or on the sidelines. I yearned to have as much fun while working as they did.

That is when I discovered the major of sports media. Everyone always hears about sports management majors, but I had no idea that sports media was even a field of study. I thought that these people just got lucky, and that's how they ended up on the sidelines. 

My dad told me that with a solid work ethic, and drive to achieve my dreams, that I would have no trouble being on the sidelines just as these individuals were. He never once doubted me, and for that reason I have never doubted myself. 

If the sidelines are what I want, then the sidelines are what I'll get.