Welcome to The Literary Guillotine: Reading with Antoinette — where books meet the blade in a celebration of the written word. This blog is the companion to the podcast of the same name, diving deeper into the world of literature with thoughtful analysis, insightful reviews, and engaging discussions. From peeling back the layers of timeless classics to exploring the themes of today’s most popular reads, we’ll uncover what makes every book a work of art. With a nod to history and a passion for prose, join me as we turn each page together. Ready to sharpen your literary insight? The guillotine awaits…
Meet Antoinette
Hi, everyone! My name is Antoinette Cea-Lopes and I am the founder of The Literary Guillotine. After making one Tik Tok about a book I was reading, I found myself in the BookTok community and from there things just spiraled. I decided to jump in and launch The Literary Guillotine to take our book discussions to the next level.
I grew up in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and live there still with my husband and two sons. I graduated from The Catholic University of America with a degree in English and minors in Theology & Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Medieval & Byzantine History. While at CUA, I was the President of the English Society, Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper (The Tower), copy editor for the undergraduate research journal (Inventio), and member of Theta Alpha Kappa. After graduation, I got married, had a baby, and decided to go back to school. I received an MA in Theology & Religious Studies from St. John’s University, with a focus in Historical and Systematic Theology. While in graduate school, I worked as a Graduate Assistant for the department of Theology & Religious Studies.
I’ve always enjoyed reading. Even more than that, I have always enjoyed combing through a text and really digging deep into the words. I am glad you stopped by to my little corner of the internet!