Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Overall, I liked this book. It contained a lot of elements that made it enjoyable: action, adventure and romance. Plus, it had a pretty kick-ass heroine and a swoon-worthy love interest. Also, the premise was really interesting and unique. That being said, there were certain aspects of this novel that made me nitpicky.

The book is mainly about Katsa. She lives in a completely made-up world where there are seven kingdoms ruled by some unjust and corrupt kings. In this world, there are also people born with "graces"--meaning that they have some extreme, unhuman-like abilities. Katsa is a graceling and her ability is probably the scariest one of all...killing. Her uncle is the king and he uses her as his personal "thug" to go out and kill, threaten or torture anyone who crosses him. Katsa spends a good chunk of the novel coming to terms with this horrible (although useful) grace while embarking on an adventure that teaches her not only about the world around her but also about herself.

I really liked the fact that Katsa was a strong heroine. She definitely didn't need saving like so many other female characters do. In fact, Katsa did all the "saving" in the book herself. She was a really strong character. But, when I say strong, I mean strong in the physical sense of the word. I felt like her strength was mentioned and described a little TOO much. So much so that I can't even think of another adjective for her other than just, well, strong. Also, it got annoying that she could do basically everything without fail. At the end, I got a little confused as to what her actual grace really was. Even though they do speculate what it could be, I just found that she was good at too many things. She didn't have enough flaws to make her relatable and likable. Not to say that she was downright unbearable because I did root for her and I was on her side but a lot of times I got annoyed with how she shunned anything and everything feminine like it made her a stronger person if she didn't dress up and grow out her hair.

On the flip side though, I did like that there wasn't too much fixation on looks in this book. Or at all, for that matter. It made the relationship between Katsa and Po, her love interest, that much more interesting. I've read so many YA books where the main characters fall for each other because they're gorgeous and hot and sexy. Katsa and Po definitely weren't like that. Their relationship was based more on friendship and understanding rather than lust and good looks. It was refreshing. However, I thought the transition from friendship to romance was a bit...abrupt. I mean, the author spent about half the book building a good friendship while the romance took about a page to go from nothing to everything. And I mean everything. I found that to be pretty unbelievable seeing as how Katsa hadn't ever had a boyfriend but she goes all the way in one fell swoop? It felt really rushed.

Another thing that was a major downfall for me was the pace of this book. A good section of the story dragged on and on and on. I can understand the beginning being slow because there's a lot of worldbuilding and explaining going on, but I don't need to see a hundred or so pages of the main characters going from point A to point B. There was a lot that could've been cut out and it would've made no difference to the plot. It was literally torture waiting for something to finally happen and for the characters to finally reach their destination. I was so incredibly tempted to skip ahead.

In the end, though, it was worth it. I thought the book was incredibly creative and most of the graces that the author came up with were really, really cool. I also liked how this fantasy world almost felt real at certain points. Like this could actually exist and happen. Sometimes there were moments where I could eerily draw parallels to our own world.

It's an excellent effort but the slowness of the story t made it something I probably wouldn't ever re-read.

I give it a: 3/5 stars.

Updates; I'm still alive!

In case I appear dead on this blog:

Twitter: twitter.com/sarareadsalot
Tumblr: wordisdead.tumblr.com
Goodreads: goodreads.com/ribsdafrog

Feel free to add me on any (or all) of these sites.

I'll have a book review up soon. I'm halfway done with the novel I'm reading now so hopefully next week. Also, please click the follow button on the bottom of this page? It'd be greatlyyyy appreciated. 

Review: Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee

I haven't really fully developed my thoughts on this book yet. I'm sort of on the fence about a lot of it and I don't know how I feel about many of the issues this novel presents. As I do with many of my problems, to figure out how I feel, I'm going to write through my thoughts and attempt to come to a conclusion. And I thought: why not bring you along for the ride?

The reason this book is so hard to put a rating on is because it's kind of about a touchy subject. Especially in today's society. The main character is overweight. I know that there are many books out there that have overweight protagonists in them but this is by and large ABOUT her weight. It addresses those uncomfortable topics of obesity and healthy eating habits and exercise and self-esteem that we'd like to ignore. And for that, I really appreciate this book. It's brave to take on this subject matter in today's social climate, when so many of us are already incredibly weight conscious and bombarded with conflicting messages to eat healthy, to look right, not too fat, not too skinny, etc, etc. Does it provide a clear answer to a lot of weight-related issues? No. Does it provide a unique perspective? I think it does, a little. Is it helpful to people actually going through these things? That's questionable.

The plot: Rosemary lives in a small, very southern, very gossipy town. Her mom owns a beauty parlor in which all the gorgeous, skinny girls from her school come to get their perfect hair done so that Rosemary can feel even more inferior. So, to deal with her pain, she eats. And eats. Then eats some more. This cycle is spiralling so out of control that Rosie decides to do something about it and attempts to lose the weight...however she can.

The problem with this book is that I didn't find it encouraging or uplifting at all. I was actually a little depressed after I read it. Rosie basically had to change a LOT about herself in order to feel good or feel remotely attractive and worthy of any attention. I felt like all she fixated on was her looks. She wanted OTHER people to see how smart she was and how she was interested in poetry and English but all WE ever saw her think about was her weight. It was really, really sad. Perhaps, this is the reality that so many girls go through today but in this book it felt like this obsession with weight was strangely justifiable. It was compared to having a serious health problem like cancer.

The book seemed to hint at the fact that the issue at hand is getting healthy. However, Rosie took some really UNhealthy routes to get to a "healthy" weight. And the biggest problem about that in the book was that it made it seem like these unhealthy habits were okay...as long as they were producing results. In fact, Rosie barely ate in the entire book and the reader was put in the uncomfortable position of having to go between rooting her on when she avoided the donuts and sweets and watching her drink only water for her lunch break. And the worst part is that there weren't really any consequences to this behavior, all she had to deal with were some stomachaches. Nobody ever found out about this weight-loss technique of hers except a friend who just said "It's so bad for you!" and that was that. But, she lost the weight, so it didn't even seem to matter anymore. I don't know, it just bugged me that I was rooting for her to get healthy but it ended up with me watching her become basically anorexic and increasingly MORE weight conscious than ever before.

Maybe this book is supposed to be realistic and honest which is perhaps why the author chose to write from this perspective. But, considering that this is such an important topic for lots of teens today, I just thought it could've been handled better. With more encouragement of self-esteem and personal strength rather than weight obsession and a fixation on outer covers, I feel this book could've been really good.

The setting was delightful--southern town? Beauty shop? Sign me up. Even though the characters were pretty two-dimensional and the writing was just okay, I felt engaged in the story. But, if there was less concentration on JUST the numbers on the scale, I feel I wouldn't be checking how many pages I had left until the ending.

I guess I give it a: 2/5 stars.  

Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

I usually strike out with supernatural and paranormal books. Especially of the YA variety. Maybe it's because they're all trying to be the same thing and lack a lot of originality. Maybe it's because it's such a creative genre in and of itself that the books just don't live up to the creativity expected. Or, maybe it's because I'm just a hater. Whatever the reason, I usually end up giving the lowest ratings to supernatural/paranormal YA books. This novel, however, is different.

I actually really enjoyed this one. And now I'm going to use a completely original phrase that has never been uttered in ANY book review before: It hooked me from the very first page. No, really, though. The prologue was so creepy. I actually read it online and after that, I absolutely knew that I had to read this book. It was probably one of the scariest openings I've read, and it seriously sent shivers down my spine. After that boom of a beginning, the story does not let up. There wasn't any down time in this book for me. I read it straight through and only put it down when I had to go to the bathroom or eat or, you know, go to work and school. But, oh I how wished I could just crawl back into the book the moment I got the chance. Funny anecdote: I was almost finished and was getting to a really, really good part when I looked at the clock and saw that my class started in ten minutes so I had to get out of my car and run to the classroom. It was useless, though, because I couldn't concentrate on anything and was counting the minutes until I could get out of there and finish the 20 pages I had left to read. God, it was torture.

The main strength of the book is the plot, the story, the concept. And, I'll mush those three things together because in the book, they are all kind of the same thing. The concept that you read about in summaries is one that you get when you read the book--it doesn't disappoint. So, if you read a synopsis and think it's worth reading, then you should really just pick up the book because it delivers what you want. The plot was wonderfully crafted. I think you can tell that Kelley Armstrong is a seasoned pro at this kind of thing because she absorbed me so completely in the story that I never got a chance to think, "I wonder when we're getting to the good part," like I do with so many other books. It wasn't even that it was action-packed...it was just that the author made sure that every scene was interesting and not just filler. Like I said, I didn't find myself bored at any part of this book so you know that she did a good job.

Obviously, this isn't some great masterpiece. I'm not going to say the writing was amazing and beautiful and so original. Because, well, it wasn't. But, honestly, that's not what this book is aiming for anyway. This book is all about the story being told and makes the writing a means to get to the story instead of making it an obstacle getting in the way of the story. And I really respect an author who realizes what she has to do to her writing in order to achieve the affect that she wants. I wasn't sitting there thinking, "Man, that metaphor was really horrible," or, "If only she used more literary devices." She made her writing small and discreet so that you could enjoy the show. And, for that, she's a great writer and an expert at what she does.

The characters? I really liked them as well. I was SO GLAD that they weren't insanely gorgeous or absurdly unrealistic. Chloe, the main character, could've been any girl in school. I actually really liked that the author put normal kids (well, some) in there and not OMG-the-most-popular-in-school types. Also, I'm incredibly glad that she put a kid with acne in her story. With all the teen books that I've read, I have yet to encounter a main character that is dealing with skin problems. Which is weird because 90% of all teenagers deal with acne in high school. It should be brought up more in YA lit. It's a trivial thing, I guess, but it takes trivial things like that to make a character more relatable to the reader.

You may have noticed that I didn't actually tell you what this book is about. Well, that's because I am really scared of spoiling you since this book IS all about the plotline. So, I guess I'll just tell you the it's about a girl who can see ghosts. If you wanna know more before you jump into this book, I'd suggest goodreads...that has good summaries and they usually don't spoil you much.

All in all, I'm definitely going out to get the second in this trilogy as soon as I can. And that's not JUST because it leaves off on an insane cliffhanger but I'm genuinely curious as to where the author takes the story from here. Okay, maybe those two are kinda the same thing. Whatever.

I give it a: 4/5 stars.



Review: Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson



I don't think you can fully appreciate the YA genre if you haven't read Laurie Halse Anderson. She just gets how to write for teens. She doesn't BS and she definitely doesn't sugar-coat the issues that a lot of teens go through. For those of you who haven't heard of this fabulous author, you may have come across the novel Speak in your browses through the library or local bookstore. I actually haven't read that particular title because I think it takes quite a lot of emotional power to sit down and read books dealing with rape. I do intend to read that book but I just thought I'd start off with something smaller and lesser-known of her's. When a person I trust recommended Catalyst, I was sold. The premise seemed like something that would be really interesting.

Which brings me to...the actual premise of the book. Okay, for those of us who have gone through the process of applying to colleges, we know how incredibly stressful it is. It was so stressful for me that I mostly hid in my room senior year, huddled behind piles and piles of library books, refusing to see daylight and dealing with ANY of this college crap. More horrifying than the actual applying (which don't get me wrong, it sucks) is the waiting for your acceptance letters...or rejections. And it's this indecisiveness that puts most teenagers on edge. Am I going to get in? What if I don't get in? What in the world will I do? It's basically waiting for either the beginning of your life or the end of your world. And that wait is brutal. Trust me, I know. So, I was extremely excited to learn that Laurie Halse Anderson had chosen to write about this very stressful period in a teen's life. 

Basically, the book is about a girl named Kate who has applied to her dream school--MIT. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's a pretty prestigious school. It's also incredibly hard to get into. But, Kate is smart. She gets excellent grades. She places in local science fairs. She balances all that with a job in the pharmacy and running for her track team. So, for some reason, Kate decides to apply ONLY to MIT and have no back-ups because, well, she figures she doesn't need one. It seems like a great idea at the time, but when acceptance letters start to come in, Kate is not so sure if her great idea was so great after all. Because, God forbid, what if she doesn't get in?

This is just the basic premise of the book. There are so many more layers to the story, so many other characters with stories of their own in the book, and so many more aspects to Kate's personality that you'll discover while reading this novel. This is what makes Anderson such an incredible writer. She strips her language down to a strange simplicity but within that simplicity lies a complex mastery of language that few writers can pull off. This book is honest. So honest that it's brutal. You'll want to look away but you can't because you care about Kate, you care about her story. 

However, as with most books, there are some flaws. Nobody's perfect. There came one point in the book (which I would say is a pivotal moment in the story) where I had to put the book down and throw up. It seriously disturbed me. It was one of the most emotionally scarring things I've read in a book and it just made me want to quit reading. I'm obviously not going to tell you what it is but I just want you to be prepared before you jump into this YA novel thinking these are just fun little high school problems you're reading about. If you go in thinking that, then boy are you in for a nasty surprise. Like I said, Ms. Anderson does not sugar-coat. Like, at all. For most of the book, this was a good thing. But in that moment, it just broke the barrier of reading about something horrific as opposed to actually experiencing something horrific. When I read that scene, I felt like I was actually witnessing this in real life. That was scary...and not the good kind of scary.

To sum it up, I think Laurie Halse Anderson is probably one of the most powerful writers I've come across in YA. She can navigate her way through themes, symbols, characters so effortlessly that you won't even notice her doing it. But, sometimes, you'll feel the brutal honesty wear you down and overwhelm you. So, come prepared with a box of tissues and a barf bag before you start reading this book. That being said, please DO read this book. It's absolutely worth it.

I give it a: 4/5 stars.

Some Random Thoughts

 A lot of things have been going through my mind lately that I wish I had the time or the energy to write. But I don't so I'll just concentrate on two topics that have got me particularly angry. (Just a little note this is not book-related at all).

So, I'm a fan of Taylor Swift. Yeah, go ahead and mock me or whatever. But, I think she's actually a really talented singer/songwriter who has really honed her skills at a very young age. I also think it's quite a feat that she accomplished writing so convincingly and honestly about her teen years and even about her young adult life. As someone who reads YA, I don't think it's easy at all to portray those awkward and difficult years in a really accurate way. A lot of times when someone writes a story about a teen girl or sings songs about teen life, they fall into the trap of making it cliche'd and incredibly dumbed-down. That's probably the reason why so many people just look at Taylor Swift and know that she writes her own songs and dismiss her songs as typical "puppy love" or just mindless, spineless girl wanting a random boy. But I think it's a crime to dismiss T.Swift so casually.

She writes with pure emotion and to skim over her songs as just cutesy music or to label her as someone who can't sing about any real things, would be dismissing a lot of what young kids go through in high school as unimportant. It may be unimportant to YOU but to them, it's real life. And sometimes adults forget that. They forget that those intense emotions we feel during our teens IS real life. It's a part of our life. Dismissing them as unimportant is what leads to issues like teen suicide. We don't think that what happens during high school affects us because we've grown up and moved past it. But a lot of kids don't move past it and take their own lives. Was it not important for someone to recognize their emotions as authentic and help them? It definitely is.

What role does Taylor Swift play in all this? She created a new genre that was never accurately portrayed in music (at least not in my generation). Usually, teen artists are just puppets that sing someone else's songs or can only write about certain topics that are purely "fun" and mindless. Music that you can dance to, not music you can actually listen to or relate to. But Taylor's songs touch on bullying, cheating, growing up, being naive, and of course, falling in love. And she does it in a way that makes these emotions authentic and not just silly girls being silly. To just say that her music is all "rainbows and butterflies" without any substance is not only offensive to her as an artist but to all the girls around the world who can relate to it.

What also bothers me is when Taylor gets the "anti-feminist" label. Yes, she sings about boys and love. Yes, she wears flowery dresses and makes heart signs. That makes her a weak woman? What about the fact that she writes all her own songs? That she empowers girls to take control of their lives and reach for their dreams? That she basically organizes and controls almost every aspect of her life at the tender age of 20? And that she beat out almost every male artist (besides MJ) the past year on the charts? If that doesn't describe a strong woman, I don't know what does. It's just because she sings about love and wanting boys that makes her anti-feminist? I'm sorry that she can't conform to the stereotypes of feminism. I'm sorry that she finds ways to be strong by sticking to her personality. I'm just kidding, I'm not really sorry about that. Look, I'm not saying Taylor Swift is the most perfect artist, the most talented person ever. I'm simply analyzing the critiques she usually gets and a lot of them just completely ignore reality.

ANYWAY. I also wanted to shift your attention to this article:   http://dft.ba/-1D9. Take some time to read that but also take some time to read some of the absolutely horrendous comments underneath it. But, if you're too lazy, basically the article is addressing some German politician who said that "multiculturalism" just isn't working out in Germany because immigrants are just uncivilized people who can't be a functioning or helpful part of society. Now, she doesn't phrase it like that, but that is basically what she is saying. The article argues that either the multiculturalism isn't working because immigrants are not acclimating into the society, are not making efforts to fit in, or that Germany isn't doing a very good job at giving these immigrants a fighting chance. Look, if you treat these people with disrespect and prejudice, of course they're not going to find good jobs or vote or feel welcome. As a result, they'll retreat back into their own cultures and make neighborhoods that are secluded from the rest of the community. How do you stop people from isolating themselves from society? Well, for starters you can stop isolating them. Stop discriminating. Stop judging. Just stop being so hateful.

Then, there are these lovely, absolutely intelligent commentators who say things like "ship Muslims back to their own countries." Yeah, forget the fact that many muslims are actually U.S. citizens. Forget that they vote, go to school, start businesses in the U.S. Just ship them back because a minority amongst them abuse their religion. Send them all back. (Obviously being sarcastic).

There are also people saying that immigrants should submit to "American culture." I'm sorry, what exactly IS American culture? What is a unifying thing that we all Americans have in common? Well, if we go back to the pilgrims' time, it was escaping religious persecution, finding freedom and liberty. Huh. Doesn't that "American" ideal contradict the sentiment that all people of a certain belief should be shipped away? America was founded on freedom from religious persecution, people. Other than those basic American values, there really is no unifying American culture. Other than the fact that we all want freedom and happiness and a safe place to live, away from discrimination and hatred, there is no one culture. And that's how it should be. Freedom from persecution and discrimination. THAT should be the unifying culture. THAT should define us as a people.

Anyway, that was just my rant about the absolute bigotry in the world. I'm not sure if this is coherent at all. Probably isn't.

Review: The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

I have an exam tomorrow for my poetry class so OF COURSE I would be updating my blog. That's what I call dedication (or procrastination, same thing). Anyway, before I get into the nitty gritty details of this book and my analyzation of it, let me give you guys a little preface. Okay. So, I love Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott. And Deb Caletti gets thrown in with those authors quite a bit. When I first picked up a book by this author (Honey, Baby, Sweetheart), I was so excited because I thought I'd love it. It was the kind of book that is RIGHT UP my alley. When I finished it, I was left really disappointed because I didn't like it all that much. Next Deb Caletti book I picked up gave me the same results. So, you can see the apprehension I had before picking up this particular book. But the cover was so gorgeous and the premise sounded so good that I just had to read this.

The story revolves around a seventeen-year-old girl, Scarlet, and her family and neighbors. But mostly Scarlet. It starts off with her older (and quite obnoxious) sister coming home married and pregnant. Surprise, surprise. Where this book gets oh-so-interesting is the part where Scarlet finds herself falling deeply in love with her sister's husband and figuring out that her sister doesn't really love him all that much. A lot of the story deals with this particular complication but it also deals with other things. Like, Scarlet's need to help EVERYONE around her, whether they ask for her assistance or not.

All in all, I liked this book. It was okay. But I wish I had liked it more because I so badly want to love Deb Caletti's books. And it is this want that makes me analyze her more closely than I would others. I have narrowed down two specific reasons why I liked this book but also two reasons that prevent me from REALLY liking it. So here they are.

I liked:
1. The secondary characters. They were so colorful and interesting that I felt pulled to their storylines and found myself empathizing with them, rooting for them, or scolding them in the short periods that I did see them. The surrounding characters are what make Deb Caletti's books comparable to Sarah Dessen's or Elizabeth Scotts. They're definitely not stereotypes...they seem like actual people that pull on your heartstrings just as much as (or even more than) the main characters. My favorites were Clive Weaver and Fiona Saint George. I found myself really wondering what was going in their lives.

2. The overall theme of the book. I love that Deb Caletti writes books for girls that have great messages to them. This is no exception. You'll find lots of introspection and ideas that really make you think about your own life. This is something that I find missing in a lot of other YA contemporary novels targeted at girls--they sorely lack a significant theme that explicitly relate to the average girl. Deb Caletti always has that in her books and that's why I view her as a respectable YA author.

However, that being said...

I disliked:
1. Oh my gosh, the similes. Too. Many. Similes. Don't get me wrong, I love figurative language. It adds beauty, depth, style. But this book just took it too far. Every other sentence was a simile or a metaphor for something else. It was annoying because I would be caught up in the story and then find myself being pulled out of it because of these similes and/or metaphors. I understand that an author wants to paint as clear a picture as they can but, honestly, when they put too many similes in their books they risk TELLING instead of SHOWING which is a major problem. This isn't to say that there weren't some beautiful comparisons and poetic language--there definitely were. Some of them left me in awe. But I felt like it got to the point where it was becoming separate from the novel instead of being a part of the novel. She could have cut a lot of those things out.

2. The judgmental main character. I've had this problem with quite a few of Deb Caletti's books, I always find it irksome that the main character seems to mercilessly judge everyone around her. And every time her negative response to someone turns out to always be RIGHT. I mean, she is the narrator of the story, and we are seeing the world through her eyes, so when she makes a generalization about someone (example: bad boys don't belong in libraries) it makes me laugh at first. But then, I realize that she's being COMPLETELY SERIOUS and that it's not just the character but the writer that's holding this view. And that just throws me off. I don't know about you but I definitely don't want the voice of the main character to switch to the voice of the author. Ever. Unless I'm reading an autobiography. But, you see what I'm getting at? We know that the main character is flawed because she holds views like this but her views are treated as the RIGHT views of the book and not just a character flaw. This kind of makes the book a little preachy because we keep getting hit by what the character believes is right but it automatically translates into what the author believes is right. This takes away all the subtlety in regards to theme that novels should always have.

Anyway. Bottom line is that this book was good and fairly enjoyable. Deb Caletti has talent as a writer and I really respect her as one of the major authors of the genre. But, I just wish she'd tweak some things so that I could REALLY enjoy her books.

I give it a: 3.5/5 stars

I'm quiet.

I am a quiet person. I don't talk much, okay? It's just who I am. Some people talk a lot, some don't. We were brought up differently, we have different genes. Get over it. And what I cannot, absolutely stand is when people say stuff like, "You're so quiet!" Like, I didn't know? I know that I'm quiet. You don't have to point out the obvious to me. That's like if I said, "You're wearing a blue shirt!" or "Hey, that bird over there is flying." Imagine having someone say stupid shit like that to you at least ten times a day. It starts to wear on you. At least include some sort of insight in that observation. Like, "Hey, you may be quiet but sometimes when you talk, you can be really loud." Something that'll make a statement worth mentioning. That's partly why I don't talk a lot. A lot of the random crap people say out loud is so unnecessary and redundant that it's not even worth the energy of saying aloud. Also, I'm one of those people that when I want to say something witty or funny or something, it'll ALWAYS sound awkward. IDK why. But it always does. I'm that person in your class that whenever they raise their hand, you internally cringe because you know it'll result in oodles of second-hand embarassment for everyone in the room. That's why I keep it shut.

It's also a huge part in my gravitating towards the written word. I can be eloquent, funny, witty, whatever I want without having to stress about how I sound out loud. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't write. I'd probably be in a mental institution somewhere. Drooling. Playing Connect Four with Hurley. Actually, that doesn't sound too bad. Hm...

There was something else I wanted to mention. But I forgot. I should just have a tiny notebook in my pocket at ALL TIMES so that I could jot my ideas down. Before you jump up and point out the obvious, let me just say that no, I don't have those fancy schmancy phones and I'm not too good with typing on a cell. Like, at all. So that wouldn't work. Plus, my phone sucks. I could get a better a phone. But a tiny memo pad is much, much cheaper. And more romantic. I can just see myself. Standing on the bus, I get an idea, I pull out my tiny notepad and my tiny pencil and jot something down. And everyone around me is thinking, "I wonder what she just wrote." See? I already got 'em hooked.

I still have no idea what I originally wanted to say. Maybe I should buy that pad sooner rather than later?

BTW, I was thinking of going to the bookstore tomorrow to get some more books but I can only buy two and I have NO IDEA which ones to settle on. Here are the options:

1. Rich and Mad by William Nicholson - A realistic (maybe?) look at teenage sexuality. I know, it sounds juicy to me too.

2. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford - Three sisters are threatened of being cut off by their grandmother if they don't confess to their secrets. Or something like that. It's intriguing.

3. Zombies Vs Unicorns: an anthology by various awesome authors - Yeah, I think the title is self-explanatory. I mainly was sold on this because of the INCREDIBLE cover. Check it out next time you're at a bookstore.

There are many more that I want to get but these three are at the top of my list. Which one do you think I should get? I'm so indecisive, I'll probably spend three hours at the store just staring at these three books and making pro/con lists in my head. Yeah, I'm THAT pathetic.

I interrupt these book reviews with my life.

It's been quite a while since I last posted on here. I won't bore with the specifics of how hard school is, how busy my job keeps me, how demanding all the studying and reading is so...oh wait. I guess I just did complain to you. Sorry, my bad. It was totally unintentional.

Anyway, so I was thinking about something the other day--how online school is just inevitable now. I mean, we already have online schools and stuff but I think it's going to spread a whole lot more. Especially for colleges. I mean, how many of you guys go to a college where most of your coursework is online anyway? I know I do. In fact, in a lot of classes, many people can get a decent grade by simply staying home, reading the book, and going on the school site to submit your assignments. I mean, the syllabus is online, the assignments are online, the essays we have to read are online. We just need the book. In a few years, I see these lectures to be a thing of the past as well. The professors should just put up youtube videos of them talking about whatever they want to talk about and then after you watch the video, you put your questions/comments in the comments section. It's interactive yet so much easier. How many people have skipped their lectures anyway simply because it was too much effort to go to class and they felt like that effort just wasn't worth the gain...because, let's face it, a lot of professors are hard to understand.

I know a lot of people are against online schooling and stuff. I, myself, don't think it's the best way to educate. But, it's just way too cost-efficient and convenient for us not to use this technology. I mean, just think, that gas money you need to commute? Saved. The time you take to get ready for those lectures? Saved. The anxiety of asking questions in a large class for fear of being laughed at or made fun of? Gone. It would be so simple.

Of course, I was thinking this as I was rushing to get ready for class myself so that I wouldn't be late. Therefore, there might be a slight bias because I may have left out the benefits of physical classes like face-to-face human interaction and the importance of oral communication. But, I think, in most regards, there is some truth to the claim that transferring most colleges online would be an effective way of saving money and resources. Don't you think? No? Well, fine, then. Hmph. I'm just gonna go back to eating my Milky Way. Later.

Review: Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

I read this book a while ago, so forgive me if my memory is a little foggy on the details. Basically, this was a novel about a very goal-oriented teenage girl named Vassar. She's definitely an over-achiever and could be labelled as slightly obsessive compulsive. Vassar's first goal in life is to become valedictorian and get accepted into the college which she's named after. I'll admit that Vassar is a bit of an annoying character. Especially in the beginning. But, mostly, I just felt horribly bad for her. You see, Vassar is the way that she is in large part to her family's excessive planning and over-analyzing everything.

Then one evening, a phonecall comes from one of Vassar's relatives that lives in Southeast Asia asking her to come visit her over the summer. By blackmailing Vassar's parents, this relative gets her way and our main character is now traipsing through Asia with her incredibly eccentric grandmother while meeting equally colorful characters.

I, personally, loved this book. But then, maybe I'm being biased because I love travelling and I wish to do more of it once I get older (and richer so that I can afford it). So, books like this one are excellent because they take you to these foreign lands without you having to pay and plan so much. This book is also very reminiscent of Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, in terms of writing style and tone and also in terms of plot. They both contain eccentric relatives, a lighthearted tone, a secret adventure, and travel through foreign land.

The best thing about this book, though, would have to be its humor. I was definitely laughing out loud on almost every page of the book. And I really wasn't expecting to do that when I first got this book. I thought it would be more serious and adventurous. While it is adventurous and it can be serious, it's just, more than anything, absolutely hilarious. This book is a good time and you won't regret seeing the sights, hearing the sounds, and smelling the smells of Southeast Asia along the way. Highly recommend this one. Oh but, slight warning, you WILL fall in love with a certain Asian cowboy. Just sayin.

I give it a: 5/5 stars

"Lost" and found.

I've actually been itching to write a blog post since last night. I just...didn't do it? I don't know. I'm weird like that. I had the time and everything, too. I guess I kept putting it off. Even though I wanted to do it? Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either.

Anyway. So I've complained about my parents on here before, right? Yes, yes I have. If you've been fortunate enough to skip those posts then for God's sake, please don't scroll down. Don't worry, this isn't going to be one of those posts. I actually want to defend my mother and father. I had a good sit down, scream and yell at each other, then cry and sob, then actually talk about things that matter kind of sessions tonight. And, I just realized that my parents are not bad people? I mean, they're not. I make them out to be the bad guys. But to them, I'm the bad guy. It's when we sit down and talk like this that we actually realize that NOBODY is the bad guy, we all have faults and we all need to work on them. I mean, my mom STILL wants me to be a doctor but I don't view her as crazy dictator lady anymore. No, she's just this poor woman who has this crazy dream for her daughter. It's not her fault. And it's not my dad's fault for wanting me to be PERFECT. They're just two people who want the BEST for their daughter. I just wish they sometimes stepped into my shoes a little and didn't forget what it's like to actually BE a son/daughter. Which is why I think the YA genre in books is so important for EVERYONE to read. Not just teenagers. It really helps everyone go back to a time when they were young and realize that what their sons/daughters are going through is more than just a small little problem. Being young is not easy, contrary to popular opinion.

Speaking of books, I'm STILL reading Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell. I'm almost done with that so expect a review of that soon.

I have to go to work tomorrow morning. I'm actually looking forward to it. I haven't been to work in a week because they cut my hours due to the fact that I hadn't gotten my school schedule yet so they didn't know when to schedule me. I miss it. It's pretty pathetic, I know, but I really do like everyone I work with and the job, itself, is easy enough. Sometimes it can get boring and repetitive but I guess I'm one of those people that really don't mind boring and repetitive things. As long as I know what I'm doing.

I also have school on Wednesday. Surprisingly enough, I'm not too bummed about this. I'm actually, -gasp-shall-I-say-it?-, EXCITED? Yes, I am completely changing my outlook on life, aren't I? That's what I get for being productive. It's a good feeling, let me tell you, but there's this tiny part of me that keeps saying that I've betrayed my inner fourteen-year-old self. Not to mention the YEARS I put into loathing school go all down the drain. But, all is not lost, there's still plenty of time for the school-loathing to return. Which I'm sure it will once I actually get assignments to do. Ah, I can hardly wait. My inner fourteen-year-old self needn't worry.

I finished Lost last week (I think?)!! The final season was BLOWING ME AWAY...and then I got to the last five minutes. I thought...that's it?! THAT'S IT?!!!! NOOOOOOOO! But then, I watched it again and I cried like a baby and accepted it and now I've moved on with my life but I will always internally mourn my loss. Oh, Lost, please come back? I need you.

I need a new TV fix? Any suggestions? Keep in mind that I like Lost, Desperate Housewives, Gilmore Girls, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Supernatural. Maybe a sci-fi, horror, dramedy, with soap opera elements set in a high school? Anyone? Nothing? Yeah, I didn't think so. What's that...BUFFY? *runs and rents all buffy seasons on DVD* Well, now I'm ALL set for the new semester.

Review: Breathless by Jessica Warman

Prior to reading this book, let me just say that I did not know anything about it. I hadn't heard about it from any of the many book blogs I frequent or the book vloggers that I watch. I came upon it while scanning the YA section of my local library. The cover was interesting and the synopsis seemed promising so I picked it up. And let me say, I was definitely glad that I did.

The story is about a girl named Katie Kitrell who, in the beginning, is trying to cope with a mentally unstable/ill brother and her hard-to-get-along-with parents. The family is pretty dysfunctional to begin with. But not unbelievably so. I think it's so easy to relate to Katie's situation because I don't believe any family is without its problems and its always refreshing to see YA books take this route of depicting highly dysfunctional families rather than perfect households. Anyway, her brother is a very unhappy person and he attempts to kill himself. This sends Katie's world into a whirlwind. Her parents decide that it would be best if she lived as far away from her tiny hometown and her brother as possible. So they send her to boarding school where Katie is finally able to fit in and have real friends and a really good chance of going to good colleges. But, of course, the presence of her brother and her home situation is always at the back of Katie's mind. So, she deals with it by lying to everyone and immersing herself in her swimming--the one thing she's really good at.

One thing about this book that really impressed me was the fact that I had no idea where it was going to go. I mean, I had read the inside flap and usually those pretty much give away the direction of the story. However, I was surprised to find that I had no idea where the plot would take me or how a character would act. This book is definitely not predictable.

Speaking of characters, there are a whole cast of characters in this book that are wonderfully drawn. Katie is a very relatable and very real protagonist. Her voice really strikes a chord with me and I think it'll do the same with a lot of other people, too. She's just easy to sympathize with. However, she's not perfect. In fact, every character in the book is flawed. Even her seemingly "perfect" boyfriend. But they're flawed in a way that make them interesting, rather than annoying.

The best thing about this book, though, would have to be the writing. Even though this is Jessica Warman's debut novel, she establishes a very clear yet lyrical style. This is the kind of book where it's so easy to get overly dramatic and fill it with a bunch of flowery prose but Warman definitely keeps her writing realistic and sprinkles it with some really wonderful lines here and there that really get to you. Her writing also keeps you so absorbed in the book. I stayed up late finishing this one and once it was over I was definitely thinking about all of the characters for hours in bed. This is the kind of book that I think a lot of teens (and older people too) will really like. I'm just excited to see what this new author comes up with next. Definitely check this one out if it sounds interesting to you.

I give it a: 4/5 stars

I notice patterns in the paint.

Have you ever had that thing where you stay up all night just...thinking? About random stuff? Yeah. That, that right there, is my whole life.

So one thing you should know is that my brain revolves around a central theme. In fact, I think most of our brains have some sort of central idea that we base a lot of our interests, likes, dislikes, and decisions on. Some of us are aware of that central theme and others don't give it too much thought. But I believe we all have it.

MINE is the idea of good vs. evil. I am obsessed with this notion that the world contains things we perceive as good and others as bad. And a lot of those perceptions are not based on facts or anything else, really, except we just KNOW that certain things are good and others are bad. For example, killing people is bad, right? Most people believe that. I think I can say that it's pretty much a universal opinion. But, like, where did that come from? Is it just experience as human beings and history that lead us to these morals that we hold in our lives? Religion? Some old guy telling us what to do? I don't know. I just know that good exists. And evil exists. Whether or not they're conjured up by some sort of higher power or by society, it's there.

But that's not what I'm concerned with. What really interests me is the fact that most of us know things that are BAD and that we shouldn't do. And we know what's good and what we should do. And yet...we don't always do these things that we should and fall into things that we know are essentially considered BAD. Gossiping, making fun of others, cheating, lying, abuse of all kinds. We know these things are harmful. Yet we still do them. Why? If we KNOW that they're not good things then why? Is it just some internal mechanism in us that says...good doesn't exist, these rules don't apply RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE. Does it trick you into thinking that these things aren't actually evil? I think it does. Sometimes we lose track of all these things that we do because we're so caught up in, well, living. We don't even notice. But, if you're a real human being, after you do these things, after you turn off your lights and lie awake all night thinking about that girl you just gossipped about, there should be a sickening feeling in your stomach. And hopefully, remembering that sickening feeling should help you from gossipping about other people.

But sometimes it doesn't work like that. Sometimes we lie awake one night. We lie awake another night. Until it becomes a habit and that sickening feeling never comes back. Then you need to worry, my friend. Because I think that your good internal mechanism that is essential to your humanity is broken and you might have to see a professional to get it fixed. And it might be REALLY hard to find a professional because you might have no idea who he is.

Review: Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Okay. I just finished this book about two minutes ago so I figured I should write this review while my memory is still fresh. The first thing I should say was that my first impression after finishing this book was that I liked it. I didn't love it or anything, but I did end up enjoying it. Mildly.

I will say this, though: E. Lockhart is a great writer. She knows how to craft words and have them stick in your head. She's also a smart writer. She doesn't write meaningless things, she knows how to get a point across and her themes to really pop out at you. However, I didn't really like her storytelling in this particular book. I felt like that aspect of her writing left something to be desired.

The book is basically about Sadye (a straight, sarcastic, funny, determined, theater-obsessed girl) and her friend Demi (a gay, funny, determined, talented theater-obsessed boy) and their experiences at a well-known drama camp. Now, I'm not a theater/musical junkie. So, half of the references in the book were lost on me. But, I don't think it affected my overall appreciation of the novel. Maybe it did? Who knows. Anyway, this book starts off with Demi and Sadye making their way to the camp and you know right off the bat that one of them is going to leave disappointed.

For the first half of the book, I spent my time thinking, "God, Sadye is so annoying and such a bitch." Because, I couldn't really relate to her obnoxiousness and her always voicing whatever was on her mind. But, as the story progressed, I started to respect this quality of hers and really started rooting for her. But then my anger switched to the other characters of the book because they weren't getting Sadye like I was finally getting her. I think that tainted my experience of reading this book a bit because I happened to be angry at someone during every point of this book.

I also felt like some characters weren't fleshed out enough. For example, in the beginning we were introduced to Sadye's roommates, Iz and Candie. We're given details about their lives and personalities. But then they just disappear. We really don't get to see them interact with Sadye again. I mean, we do see them in the background; they don't disappear completely, but I wanted them to pop up more since we did get so much background on them in the beginning.

Also, Theo and Sadye's "romance" didn't really hit me as authentic either. It just felt too forced and I didn't really get the feel that they liked each other. 

But, all in all, even with its faults, this was a pretty good book. It was fast and fun and light but it also sent out a message very rarely seen in young adult books: just because you love something, doesn't mean it'll come easily to you. It is a book about self-discovery and realization and acceptance of your own talents. And I really loved that message and I loved the way that it was delivered. So, my advice is that if you want a book based around a theme and an idea and you happen to love musicals and theater then go read this book. But, if you want something with a compelling storyline and fleshed out characters, you might wanna skip it. 

I give it a: 3/5 stars.

I'm free!

Tonight was the last night of my imprisonment. No, really. I have been freed from the tortures of summer classes. Never again am I going to partake in such mind-numbing activities such as that.

Okay, okay. I'm exaggerating. It wasn't so bad. And I might take summer classes again depending on the circumstances. I'm actually pretty glad I did it; I learned a lot more from this class than I would have if I had taken it during the school year. I mean, I actually paid attention in class and knew what the answers on the quizzes were without even studying for them. I also enjoyed doing a lot of the discussions and papers and writeups. Mostly because I felt I genuinely wanted to know more. Maybe summer classes aren't a bad thing at all. Maybe the beauty of summer can extend itself into the school setting where I'll WANT to go out and drive through the sunshine-dripped roads and walk to class with the birds chirping and butterflies flying about....or not. But, no, seriously, my class went pretty well. That's all I'm trying to say.

So, now I guess I have about twelve days to chill out and just do...whatever I want. Like, reading?! You bet. I did get some good books from the library this past weekend. One is called Dramarama by E. Lockhart. It's about these two friends that go to summer drama camp and get up to some shenanigans. The other one is called House of Dark Shadows which is basically about a creepy old house. I'll let you know how those books turn out.

Anyway. Something weird happened to me the other night. I was walking to my car after my class ended and it was pretty dark and deserted on campus. But, from a distance I could see that there was this lone deer on the grass very near to where my car was parked. Now, I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I am deathly afraid of all animals big and small. The smaller they are, the worse my fear gets, actually. But deer are still pretty scary along with anything that breathes and...moves. I mean, it took me twenty years to get used to being around human beings. Anyway, the deer looks up when it sees me approaching and then it runs to a farther part of the parking lot where I guess his other deer friend is standing and they both just watch me briskly walk past them to my car. I suppose this just made me feel...secure and happy? in a way? I just felt so...reassured that these animals weren't going to hurt me. They were actually just as terrified of me as I was of them and that made me feel this weird kinship and compassion for them. Poor, innocent deer. I hope they stay safe and away from the roads...

Man, this blog is exciting. So far I've talked to you about the wonders of summer courses and innocent deer. Hot stuff, I tell ya. You won't get material like this anywhere else.

On a different note, my mom is finally coming home from her 2 month long vacay on Tuesday. I am kind of...nervous about it. I hate meeting people when they've been away. I feel like they become all new people and I have to re-introduce myself to them and that just feels awkward because they already know me and I already know them. I don't know. I feel like I'm not making sense. I have no idea what to write about anymore so I guess I'll just leave you with a funny anecdote...

At work this past week, we were unloading a bunch of new shipments and there are these apparently wildly popular toys that are called "Zhu Zhu" pets? Basically, they're cartoon hamsters that kids like playing with and having lunch boxes of? I don't know, the toy world comes up with weird things: like rubber bands in the shape of animals that you wear around your wrist. I mean, really? What the hell is that about? Anyway, getting back to the hamsters, there was this one lunch box with the zhu zhu pets on them and my coworker holds it up and says, "Sara, what's wrong with this picture?" And I stare at it for about ten seconds silently and then we all just start cracking up...because the picture on the lunch box was upside down. I guess someone fell asleep at work on the assembly line in Japan!

Yes, we are very easily amused at my job. Very easily.

I'm entering a contest...

Link: CLICK HERE

It's a bunch of fabulous books and I want to win, win, win. Granted, I have horrible luck in these things but still. Maybe there's a teeny tiny chance? Whatever. If this looks cool to you, then go and enter! And follow her blog because she's an AWESOME reviewer/blogger/writer. I think there are about 24 books to choose from. I'm salivating at the mouth just thinking about it.

New Books and the P word...

Notice how my blogging activity increases as soon as I have papers to write, presentations to do, quizzes to study for. Well, I guess that's what college is all about, right? I really wouldn't know actually. I feel like I'm floating through college. Like, I'm not really IMMERSED in it but just floating above it and observing it from higher ground. I don't particularly want to come down from here, either. I like my bubble.

I have like a ten dollar fine at my library. It's so stupid because I was just a DAY late with the dvds but since there were five of them...I have to pay ten bucks. It doesn't seem like much but when you have a limited supply of money in your hands, ten bucks is a hell of a lot. Especially for things like late overdue library books. I mean, really? How lame could I get? Why can't I be a normal young person and pay fines for speeding or something?

I've been having a pretty horrible week. Yesterday, I was especially sad and down so I decided to treat myself for no reason...just to make myself feel better. So, I got in the car and drove to...you guessed it: Borders. God, I love that place. And I bought myself about four new books. It was great. But, unfortunately, I won't be able to read them any time soon. First of all, I have a bunch of crap to deal with before I can do any recreational reading. And, second of all, I have many, many OTHER books that I bought and have been neglecting to read. So, I must read those before I can read my shiny, new books.

The books I got are:

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott: I believe it's about an eighteen year old girl who has been a thief her whole life along with her mother. But, I think she's had enough of the criminal life and wants to break free from the clutches of her mother's occupation. It sounds completely different from any other Elizabeth Scott book I've read. Which is not unusual because almost every single one of her books is different and unique. Just one of the things that makes her a great writer.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa: Okay. I don't usually like "faery" books. It just doesn't appeal to me very much. But this book came highly recommended and my library didn't have it and the cover was pretty so I thought, what the hell. It's basically about this girl whose father went missing when she was six (don't know why this is relevant but it's mentioned in the back of the book so it must be important) and she grows up and then her brother is kidnapped or something. And she has to save him but she lands herself in the midst of faeries in the process. Oh, and she gets the hots for the sexy/cold faery prince. Of course. It just sounds like one of those books. But, it's pretty and I'm willing to give it a chance.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson: This book sounds fairly Sarah Dessenesque. It's about a girl who is dealing with the death of her older sister. I suppose it's just about grief and living in the shadow of an older sibling your whole life and then dealing with them not being there anymore. It's more interesting than that though. Apparently the girl starts bonding with her dead sister's boyfriend who shares her sadness and understands her sorrow. But, she also starts having a thing for the new kid in school who just makes her incredibly happy and allows her to forget about her grief. So, I guess it's some kind of crazy, complicated love triangle. Again, this book came highly recommended so I can't wait to read it.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce: This is probably the most interesting book of the bunch. It's basically a modern retelling of the classic "Little Red Riding Hood" except with a crazy new angle. I guess it's about two sisters who hunt the wolves that are trying to kill them. I don't really know much more than that...the synopsis of the book was pretty cryptic. But, it says that one of the sisters falls in love with the hot woodsman that lives next door. Really curious to see how it'll all play out.

...And that's it. Like I said before, if I have a limited supply of money, why am I spending so much on new books? Because I am an idiot. That's why.

I guess I have to go work on my school stuff now. Or maybe I can postpone it to later? Like, I can probably start it at around 5...that won't be too bad, right? Yeah, I think I'll start it at 5.

Sad Thoughts

I have so many things to do and think about and stress over this week...and possibly next week. My summer class is quickly wrapping up which means the end-of-class squeeze where you try and get your assignments in before the due dates and stressing over your grade. But, on top of that, I have to worry about work and my parents and all that. I hate to sound whiny and complainy but I'm just really...stressed.

Let me try talking about something less depressing. Oh, while I was waiting for an appointment with my advisor the other day, I was scanning the magazines on the table in front of me. There was this one that included a great article on Emily Dickinson and poems in general. And it brought up a great point about words and creative ways to use them. I mean, we don't read books simply to know what happened...we do it to connect to something. Or to go beyond the words? Or to float amongst the words? Whatever it is, I just completely lost the point of this anecdote. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Screw it.

I guess I could try talking about friendship. I've been thinking about it a lot. I sometimes feel like I care more about people than they do about me. It's a sad feeling because you constantly feel lonely even when you're with someone. Like there's a barrier that prevents me from connecting to someone. I don't know. I guess I could try caring less.

What else do I want to say? Life is like a circle. You feel like you're moving forward and getting somewhere but when you walk through what you think is a "new" path, you realize that it's led you back to where you started. Circles are annoying.

The frog stopped coming back to our porch. I haven't seen it in a couple of days. I actually kind of miss it. Okay. No, not really. It was disgusting. I hate small animals. I'm sure I've mentioned that.

Happy things now. No more sad things. Let's see...what's happy? Oh! I was driving home last night and I switched the radio on because it's depressing driving alone at night (I'm getting to the happy part) but then this song came on. It's called "I'm Awesome" by Spose? Or something? And I was just listening to it and I couldn't stop laughing. Because that song perfectly describes about ninety percent of our population. I mean, we like to think that we're special and talented and not completely...average. But, we kid ourselves. We're ALL average. Even famous people. I truly believe celebrities get famous through luck and looks and just working hard. But, working hard doesn't make you extraordinary. In fact, I don't believe in extraordinary people. I believe in extraordinary accomplishments and creations. But people? Are just people.  I mean, behind all our differences and individuality is an ordinary person with insecurities, emotions, hormones that go out of control sometimes. We're all very much the same.

Wow...I'm not having any success talking about happy things tonight. I'll try again later.

Review: The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty

This book was incredible. I don't know where to start. First of all, let me just say that this is part of a "kind-of" series. It's not a sequel, it's a companion novel to 3 other books, I believe. They're all set in the same world and a lot of them contain many similar characters but they're all completely different stories. Also, these books are told through letters, diary entries, messages, transcripts. It's such a creative and inventive way to get a story across, I think. The writing, itself, is really nice where you can just HEAR the main character's voice in your head.

Jaclyn Moriarty's books are always strange. But they're strange in the best way possible. Because they catch this emotion in you that is a cross between sadness and happiness. I don't know what to call it because you'll be reading a paragraph in the book and want to cry and laugh at the same time. I think the term I'm going to use is heartbreakingly funny. Seriously.

Basically, the book is about this girl named Bindy who is kind of what we like to call...a freak. She's a nerd, a know-it-all, a really big dork. And worse of all, she has NO IDEA that she comes off like that. She thinks that she's probably the best person around...until she finds out that not all her classmates like her very much. From then on, Bindy kind of spirals out of control. She loses interest in a lot of her classes and her schoolwork. She starts hallucinating, having strange dreams, throwing up. Also, she starts becoming OBSESSED with trying to make her fellow classmates like her again. But there's WAY more to the story than I'm telling you. Trust me, you're just going to have to read it to find out.

I didn't think that I'd be able to relate to Bindy at all. But, I think I learned from this book that no matter how different someone seems to be from you, you have to remember that they're still human. That they still have feelings. They're not indestructible and that they can break just as easily as you can. I ended up not only relating to Bindy throughout the course of the book, I became her cheerleader and rooted for her unconditionally and got mad at any character that tried to be mean to her. It was a crazy ride.

I finished this last night at, like, 3 AM. After you get through a certain point in this book, it's really hard to put it down. It has a little bit for everyone: romance, jokes, adventure, friendship, family, and larger more complex themes woven throughout the book. I think a lot of people can get something good out of this book. Go read it. Oh and it's set in Australia (did I not mention that?). But don't worry, I'm an American student and I related more to the school setup in this than anything I've read in those other silly high school books that are now abundant in YA lit.

In conclusion, I give it a: 5/5

One of Those Annoying Vents

I don't understand how people can be so hypocritical. Especially parents. I know, I know...I've already complained about one of my parents in the last post. But now I'm here to completely bash my father. I'm like one of those nightmare kids who don't get along with their parents. But, maybe it's the parent's fault? I doubt anyone out there will believe that but I honestly think that despite teen's and young adult's so-called "bad attitudes" most of the times a bad parental relationship is caused by the parent. So, if you're a parent of a young person and you don't know how to make things better between you and your kids, here's a list of things you SHOULD NOT DO.

1. Yelling. It's pointless, it doesn't help, and it only makes things worse. If you yell very, very rarely then this could become a sort of weapon you can use if your kid has acted REALLY bad. But, usually, kids don't get "rowdy" and uncontrollable simply because they're bad at heart.I believe that when kids act out, they're usually in some sort of trouble or they're confused and hurt. So, yelling doesn't really help the situation. It doesn't scare them. It just makes them even angrier. And one thing you DON'T want is an angry teenager.

2. TELLING them what to do. Especially once they get above the age of 12. You can suggest things and help them with their problems and give them logical advice but don't DICTATE to them what they HAVE to do. This just makes you a dictator and nobody likes dictators.

3. Not admitting your mistakes. We know parents make mistakes. Seriously, we know grownups are not perfect. But what pisses us off the most is when parents try to act like they ARE perfect. What the hell? We know you're not. And acting like that mistake you made WASN'T a mistake is just going to make you look like an idiot. We'll respect you more if you actually admit when you're wrong and apologize.

These are just a couple of tips. Good parents probably already know all of them but my dad sure as hell doesn't. Not to say he's a BAD dad. He's provided for us, he isn't an alcoholic, he isn't abusive. He just does all the things I've listed that parents shouldn't do. And that makes him very hard to live with or get along with. But I wish the man the best. And I've learned to have a very thick skin when it comes to him. I just hate it when he yells and criticizes to death but doesn't have the decency to see his own glaring flaws.

Okay. Hideous vent over. Thanks for listening.

The Pros and Cons of Other People

What's this? I'm writing another blog post within a 24 hour time period? Why, yes, I believe I am. Also, I lied to you. I didn't have work today. Yeah, my 3 AM self is so much more stupid than my 3 PM self. But. That's to be expected, isn't it?

Anyway I just wanted to talk about some things. Some things like other people. Now, I'm a self-proclaimed loner, okay? Give me the option of staying at home alone, curled up with a good book and good food, instead of out and "partying" and "mingling" with aforementioned other people and I will gladly take it. Trust me. I'm definitely not big on the concept of sharing my time with "friends" (I put quotations around this word because I'm using the term loosely).

However. And I know this is a big jump. But, sometimes, the company of these others can be quite soothing. Sometimes, one just needs an ear to talk into, some eyes to look into, some souls to mingle with. It just lightens the load a little. It can be good for you. Bring you back to earth a little. So that you can realize that you're not the ONLY person who inhabits this tiny planet of ours. And that fact, when given at the right time, can be incredibly soothing.

Of course, there are many, many exceptions to what I just said. For example, some people, try as they might, can never be soothing and good for the soul. Talking to these people might just ruin your entire day. Like, my mother. And I know that's harsh. I shouldn't talk about my mother like that. She's the one who raised me. Fed me, clothed me, "guided" me (whatever that means). But, I'm sorry. She just doesn't know how to encourage someone. Making someone feel better is just not in her capabilities. I'm not bashing the woman (I love her very much) but I'm simply stating a fact. She only knows how to PUSH and PUSH and PUSH until her plans for you are carried out and seen through.

She's wanted me to be a doctor, right? I mean, she's REALLY wanted it. It's her DREAM. The biggest dream I think she's ever really gone after. Now, I believe in respecting your parents, and loving them, and obeying their wishes...but upto a certain extent. I don't think that me being a doctor is something that SHE has any right to go after. It's a dream that doesn't belong to her. But she doesn't understand that. She thinks that it's her responsibility as a parent to PUSH that dream on me. To tell me what to do. Therefore, whenever I talk to her she smashes me into pieces instead of encouraging.

Now, this summer, my mother is vacationing miles away from me. And I've never been so clear about what I want to do in life. That sounds horrible but it's completely true that, without her in the picture, I'm not held back by this stress to please her, to go after HER dream. However, she does call and talk to me from time to time, and while I like these phone calls, today she brought back this old topic of "You're throwing your life away" that got me in a foul mood for the rest of the day. And resulted in me curling up into a ball on my bed and not wanting to deal with anything.

So, I think the only temporary remedy to this situation is to find some other other people and take a load off from this feeling of suffocation. Any takers?

Why is 2 AM so popular?

Ever notice how almost every song/movie/show, whenever referencing some really late night hour, they almost always randomly say 2 AM? I don't know why. It's never 3 AM or 1 AM. It's always 2 AM. I guess it's just one of those weird things people do without even noticing that they're doing it.

I don't really have a plan for this particular blog post. Usually I try and think about a topic that I want to discuss before I actually start writing something. But right now, I'm just writing for the sake of writing. So...stick around, this could get interesting.

An update on what I'm reading? It's called The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty. I haven't gotten too far into it (about 70 pages) but it's pretty good so far. I just haven't gotten the time to read. I've been working. And when I'm not working, I'm usually at school. And if, by some miracle, I'm not doing EITHER of those things, I'm getting caught up on other chores/errands around the house. OR, when I get really lucky, I'm out with friends or my sister trying to enjoy the summer days before they end. I really need to move reading up on my list of priorities though--that is, if I still want to be a writer (which I do).

Let's see what else I can talk about...

Um....uh...I saw a frog today? Outside my house, when I came back from work. Let me set the scene: I'm opening the front door and I look down at my feet and there it is in all it's grossness. So, of course I jump about twelve feet in the air (not really) and quickly descend my steps and run back to my car (this part is true). And, as I'm sitting there, being kept outside of my own house by a two-inch frog, I contemplate the hilariousness of the situation. So, instead of kicking myself metaphorically for the absolute retardedness of my actions, I laugh at them. Which, I have to admit, is a MUCH better way of handling these kinds of things. Laugh and it'll be easier to let go later on. You won't be stuck sitting wide awake at 3 AM (AHA not 2 AM!) and wondering why you're such a wuss. Anyway, eventually my sister (my YOUNGER sister, I might add), got home from the movies and let me into the house and we (actually, SHE) shooed the frog away. Yeah, I needed to be saved by my sixteen year old sister. Life is funny, isn't it?

Also. Frogs are gross-looking. Just saying.

Hm...anything else? Nope. I should probably get to bed now since I have to be up for work tomorrow...and the cycle continues. :)

Some New Things

Like the new layout? I do! I guess it's kind of a given that I like it though considering I'm the one who picked it out. ANYWAY. I figured it was time to revamp this blog and get to be more active on it. I'm working on that, by the way--being more active in all aspects of my life. Let me fill you in on the progress I've made from being permanently glued to my bed to being on the go.

First and foremost, I got a new job. It's literally walking distance from my house and all my coworkers/managers are super nice and friendly. So that's a plus. They seem to like me too and I'm just liking the fast-paced environment and stuff. So, that's all positive. Oh and I'm getting nice paychecks again which is probably the BEST thing ever.

Next, I started my summer classes which haven't been going as well as the new job but they're still pretty okay. The thing that sucks about these classes is that they're about four hours long so I get off at 9:30 PM and have to wait outside for twenty minutes for the bus to take me ALL the way across campus to where my car is parked because our school's parking arrangements SUCK. The class, itself, isn't too bad...but it could be better.

Thirdly, I'm just trying harder to get my goals and values and "things that are actually important" list sorted out. I think it's really good for me to think about stuff like my future and what I want to do with my life with an open mind and not be petrified at the thought of it. Shows that I'm going in the right direction, right?

I also have a brand new obsession in my life. Have any of heard of a small, relatively unknown TV show called LOST? I know, I hadn't heard of it before either! (Cue the sarcastically deaf folk). Anyway, I've put away four seasons thus far and I have two more to go. I'm trying to savor them and not fly right through them because once it's over, I'm going to be oh-so-sad. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I just hopped on the bandwagon since Lost just ended and it's been everywhere lately. Well...you're right. I did just hop on because I've been hearing about it EVERYWHERE and someone told me the concept of the show and I thought it sounded cool so I saw if hulu had some episodes up and they had ALL SIX SEASONS up so I thought, why not? Anyway, I usually like getting on things AFTER they've ended or after their hype has died down. I don't know why. I just do.

Okay, so my sister just told me to "Go wash your feet. NOW!" I'm flipping her off in my mind right now. HAHA. And ignoring her. And now she just slammed the door on me. Well. Some things in life improve and change but not EVERYTHING can. Small steps, baby. Small steps.

Top Ten Favorite Books (kind of)

Yo. This blog post is going to be dedicated to one of my favorite things in the whole entire world: books. Just. I just. Love books. So effing much. I love the feel of them in my hands, I love their smell, how they look, their pretty covers, stacking them on shelves. And of course, reading them. So, I think instead of creeping you out with my obsession of books, I'll just list my top ten favorite books of all time and why I love them so much. A fair warning, though: I am quite a fan of YOUNG books. Meaning I'm quite attached to the children and young adult genre. It's just infinitely cooler than haughty, snooty adult books.

10. Paper Towns by John Green: Okay. If you haven't heard of John Green, then you are seriously missing out. This guy is HILARIOUS but he's hilarious in the smartest way. He just is really witty and his writing is fast and reads like he's talking directly to you. Also, one thing I love about his writing is that, unlike many other young adult authors, he doesn't talk down to the reader. He doesn't assume that being young means being retarded. Or that young people are incapable of understanding important themes. He knows his audience and he really delivers a voice in this book that can strike a chord with everyone. Plus, the plot of this book, the characters, the theme were all PERFECT. It had everything.

9. The Year My Parents Ruined My Life by Martha Freeman: I first read this book when I was in the fourth grade. And I continued to read this book multiple times every year until tenth grade. I stopped reading it after that because I lent my copy of this book out to my friend and she lost it. Unforgivable. I was absolutely addicted to this book. It was just like some sort of comfort food for me. I read it when I couldn't go to sleep at night or when something was stressing me out or just when I felt like I missed the characters and the places in the story. I formed an unbreakable bond with this book and I need to get my hands on another copy so I can continue to enjoy it for many more years to come.

8. Keeping the Moon by Sara Dessen: First thing you need to know about me is that I'm a huge Dessen fan. I love everything about her books. Yes, they're labelled "girly" and their covers pretty much confirm that but there's so much more to these books that people overlook. They have a pulse. You can hang onto the characters and really get lost in the world that Sarah Dessen creates. You know how there are just some authors who, no matter what they write, you just can't help but become addicted to their writing? Sarah Dessen is like that for me. But this book is especially close to my heart. It's about self-esteem and having more faith in yourself. Which is a topic that I've always struggled with as a teen (and even now that I'm 20). I actually think that no matter how old you get, you constantly have to deal with this. And so having coming of age novels such as this one lying around that toot the horn of feeling better about yourself is always nice.

7. The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty: I absolutely adore non-traditional novels. This book (like every other Moriarty book) is pieced together by notes, diary entries, letters, and bulletins. I love authors who are creative enough to pull something like this off. Plus, it's just more fun to read all these things--it's almost like you've broken into somebody's life and are reading all that private stuff that you never would get to read in real life. Scandalous. But besides that, this book is just heartwarming and really, really unique. I love how this author depicts friendship between young girls and I love this half-insane and half-serious world she's created.

6. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: This book really touched my heart. I have never cried so much over a book as I have while reading this story. The narrative is beautiful and my heart went out to the main character's father. I'm not kidding you when I say that on every single page I was bawling my eyes out. The ending...isn't perfect. But the book is just so tragic, so moving, so beautiful that it really didn't take much away from it.

5. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding: I have a thing for diary-type books. Getting inside the character's head and reading about all their obsessions and less-than-perfect attitudes really entertains me. Plus it just makes the main character way more fleshed out and easier to relate to. In the case of Bridget Jones, the diary does all of that WHILE being uproariously funny. As much as I cried over The Lovely Bones, I laughed while reading Bridget Jones. It's just an immensely fun book.

4. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott: This is perhaps the most perfect book about first love I have ever read. It's just one of those stories that makes your soul sigh because of its incredible coziness and cuteness. Just one of those books you must read over and over again because you can just never get tired of it. It also helps that Scott's writing is impeccable and flawless.

3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: This book really changed the way I look at life. It made me take feminism seriously and realize that a lot of what we have is taken for granted. This book is definitely political but it's also so much more than that. It's a gripping story about survival and one woman's journey from a world she's comfortable in to a world she doesn't recognize at all--transformed right before her eyes. Beautifully executed story.

2. Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling: What can I say about these books other than the fact that they represent everything happy and fun in my life? I can go on and on about the characters, the world, the writing in Harry Potter. But, really, it just embodies my entire love for reading and books.

1. This is where the "kind of" part comes in. I don't have a number 1 favorite book. Because I don't think I've read it yet. I'm still searching. But when I find it, I'll definitely add it to the list.

Lying

Reading over my last post, I realize that I don't make much sense. But, give me a break. It was, like, midnight and I'm not used to this "blogging" thing so I'm allowed to screw up, okay? I'm not normally an idiot...okay, well, not ALL of the time. Just sometimes. I'm really bad at defending myself, as you can see, so let's just move on.

So today I was talking to my sister about random things...which I sometimes do. I mean, sometimes it's just fun to TALK...ain't it? It doesn't matter what it is...sometimes it's just nice to have a release. Almost like exercising. But with your mouth. (Yeah, I realize that sounded dirty).

So as I was walking around our basement talking and simultaneously dribbling a ball, my sister is lounging on the computer pretending to ignore me. But, really, she wasn't ignoring me. And I can always tell because I sometimes look at her and she twitches her mouth when I say something weird or gives a slight smile when I say something funny. See, my sister is in the middle of her I-hate-the-world-and-everyone-in-it phase and she usually acts like I'm the biggest loser in the world. But, really, she adores me.

So, I was talking and talking when I stumbled on this idea. (And that's another thing about talking rubbish, sometimes between ridiculous ideas and misused words, you actually can fall upon a really cool thought). Anway, my thought was this: Lying.

Lying is so strange because I think it depends fully on your audience. Only if your audience believes it can it take the full form of a successful lie. And if the audience rejects the lie, then the lie is out of business, done, it's run out of town. So, I was thinking that who's better able to detect a lie for what it is? Someone who has known you all your life? Or a complete stranger? See, the obvious answer would be someone who's known you, who is familiar with your quirks and habits. They're probably better equipped to notice when you're lying more than a stranger can.

Aha. But that is where I disagree. I think people who know you well and like you have more reason to BELIEVE in your lies than a complete stranger. A complete stranger can call you out on your bullshit without any consequences. Whereas a family member or friend might get hurt that you lied to them, disappointed about what you lied about. So, I think sometimes our loved ones develop this sort of unconscious mechanism in their brains that shields them from the hurt of figuring out that their son/daughter/mother/father/friend is lying to them.

Plus, a loved one has more reason to TRUST you than a complete stranger does. I mean, to a complete stranger you may appear like a serial killer so they'll probably be on their guard from the beginning.

Moral of the story: don't lie to your loved ones, they're hopelessly blind. And loved ones? Don't be stupid, okay? Recognize when someone is blatantly lying to you.

It's Thursday!--Let's talk about sex.

Okay, so some of you might be scared of that topic. And some of you might be excited. Me? I'm excited. But, that's only because I'm hiding behind a computer and can be relatively anonymous while talking about this subject. I also don't have to face a physical audience, so that helps. Trust me, if I were talking about sex in real life, face-to-face, I'd be beat red by now. Alas, that's the magic of the internet, though. We can say things we'd normally be too afraid to say in real life.

Anyway, as a young person in today's society, I've noticed that the media throws around a LOT of conflicting messages about sex. Is it good? Is it bad? How young is TOO young? It has consequences, it can get you pregnant and alter your life. You can end up with STDs. But, really, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing, a natural part of life. Should you wait until you're married? Or is that too 1950s of me? Yes, so many questions, and no right answers. But, there's always ONE thing that every TV show, every movie, every romance book agrees on about sex: you must be hot to do it.

Think about it: When is the last time you saw fat people making out in a movie or TV show? And not just in a funny way, but in a serious, "this is sexy" kind of a way? When was the last time you read a romance novel that had described its male character as a balding, middle-aged man, with a huge nose? I've never come across it. And if you have, kudos, my friend, but you have to admit that was probably a one in a million kind of a book/movie.

I know that we all want fantasy nowadays. We don't want an "ugly" character in a romance. It's just a turnoff, right? But my problem is that nobody in real life looks like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt. We just don't. The average guy going to a movie to see Angelina Jolie is probably going to be a little balding and maybe have a bit of a beer belly. It's just NORMAL. Also, this average-looking guy probably has a wife or girlfriend and has an active sex life. So, why don't movies/shows get made about the AVERAGE guy? Why is it so "disgusting" to see overweight people make out on screen, when obviously it happens in real life? What is our obsession with optimizing looks in order to portray a "beautiful" love story? Especially since beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

Why do some things scare me so much? Seriously, I'm sitting here freaking out about watching my uncle's wedding movie. Like, that shouldn't be a big deal...but, for some reason, it is. Maybe it's the fact that I haven't seen or talked to a lot of my extended family in so long. It's just weird. Like tapping into an alternate life, an alternate ME. But, at the same time, I'm also ITCHING to watch it because I miss all my family so much and it would be so nice to see some of their faces and get to watch this happy ocassion. I don't know what the hell I'm talking about right now. So, let's move on to a new topic, shall we?

I finished an ENTIRE 300+ page book from beginning to end today. Yes, I don't have a life. What's your point? I just couldn't put this book down. It's the third book in the Evernight series written by Claudia Gray. It's called Hourglass and if you haven't picked up this series yet, then I STRONGLY suggest you go out and BUY these books. They may not have much literary merit but they really know how to entertain. If you need a break from college or high school reading then these are the PERFECT distraction. Now, they are in the "Twilight" mold and yes, that did turn me off initially but after about 100 pages into the first book, I was totally blown away. Just give it a chance.

I don't have much else to write about....so I guess I'll leave it at that. See you tomorrow, maybe?