This tree in my backyard is full of fresh new leaves for the spring season, and it makes for quite the picturesque place to sit and read under! 📖🌿

I just finished up a book called Stover At Yale by Owen Johnson. I learned of this book from my previous read, Skulls and Keys, because it was referenced many times in the book. Stover At Yale was published in 1912! (I kept thinking: oh my gosh, it came out the year the Titanic sank). A work of fiction, F. Scott Fitzgerald described this book as “the textbook of his generation.” It follows the main character, Dink Stover, who is fresh off the train arriving in New Haven, Connecticut to attend Yale. Coming from a prestigious prep school in Andover, Massachusetts, Stover is excited and nervous for his college years to come.

Initially, Stover is determined to do everything right – play football, eventually make the rowing team, and hopefully be top choice for a secret society by the time he reaches the end of his junior year. But as his college years unfold, he begins to question everything – is striving for perfection and conformity really the way to broaden his mind, or is it the very thing holding him back from becoming an individual?

I truly enjoyed watching Dink Stover bloom into his own person, and the most heartfelt part is that the very individualistic traits he fears will drive his college friends away, end up being the very traits that draw them all to him with glowing admiration. Another thing I absolutely LOVED about this book is the camaraderie amongst him and his college buddies! The silly antics and banter within the pages prove that the comical whims of teenage boys becoming young men are timeless.

The ending was truly a gem; much to Stover’s surprise, he ends up being the last man tapped for Skull and Bones on Tap Day – something he thought wasn’t in the cards for him. But alas, the smack on the shoulder and the loud command of “Go to your room!” changes everything in a glorious instant, and draws the book to a satisfying close knowing Stover became a Bonesman after all.

I loved the book! It felt like Dink Stover wasn’t just a character in a book, but a jovial spirit of a bygone era. I would actually re-read this in the future, I enjoyed it that much! ❤️

Fashion-wise, I was inspired to create a springy look based around my “preppy” sweater I DIY-ed!

See you next time!! 💛🧡