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