Friday Reads: The First

Hey everyone! So my original intention was to actually make a video for this post because I thought it would be fun. However, I just didn't get around to it because of work. So here's what I'm reading this week:

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
I'm liking this book. It reminds me a lot of Madame Bovary. A lot. Like every time I read a section, I think of Madame Bovary. That is just what happens. Here' s a quote so far that I like:

But the beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing. How few of us ever leave emerge from such a beginning! How many souls perish in its tumult! 

I thought this section as a whole was really interesting because it's her starting to awaken. In spite of the fact I can only think of some other book, I'm still really enjoying this and hope to finish it next week.

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munroe
I've been reading this for awhile. I started it in the summer and have yet to finish it. It's a collection of short stories so I don't feel super bad about leaving it so late. I'm thinking about reading some stories after I finish The Awakening. 

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Basically, I'm going to go from reading one depressing book about women to reading another depressing book about women, This tells the story of Bertha Mason, Rochester's wife he locked in the attic in Jane Eyre. I've been wanting to read this forever, so I'm planning on starting it soon.

What are you reading this week? Let me know in the comments. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read in 2014

Hey everyone! I'm here again for Top Ten Tuesday, which as always is brought to us by Broke and Bookish. Today's list is the top ten books I've read in 2014.

1. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

2. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

3. Split Second by Kasie West

4. Let's Get Lost Adi Alsaid

5. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

6. The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West

7. Not So Quiet by Helen Zenna Smith

8. One of Ours by Willa Cather

9. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson 

10. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Overall, it was a rough reading year for me. I'm going to be lucky to finish the year out with 25 books read. Next year, I'm hoping to make more time for reading. Have you read any of these books? What were some of your favorites from 2014? Let me know in the comments.

Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors of 2014

Hey everyone. Top Ten Tuesday is brought to us, as always, by the Broke and the Bookish. Today's the list is "New-to-Me Authors of 2014." Of course, I hardly read outside my coursework in 2014, but I do have some new favorite both from my courses and from reading for fun.

1. Dorothy Allison
I think in a lot of the posts I've written since last spring have mentioned her debut novel, Bastard Out of Carolina, but I thought I'd mention it again anyway. I cannot explain how much I enjoyed this book. It's just one of those books that stays with you. I bought her other novel Cavedweller, and I am so excited to read it soon.

2. Richard Yates
This is my other life-changing read from last spring, though I would say less to the extent than Dorothy Allison. Revolutionary Road made me think a lot and was an incredible reading experience. Sadly, I do not own more of his work, but I'm interested in reading more.

3. Morgan Matson
Early in summer, there was a lot of buzz around her new book Since You've Been Gone. I put it on hold at my local library and decided while I was still hyped, I would read Second Chance Summer since it's one of her earlier books. And it wrecked me. It just wrecked me. Definitely a fun summer read, especially if you enjoy crying.

4. Gayle Forman
Once upon a time, I bought a copy of If I Stay at my favorite used book shop because I heard it was good and I got on clearance so it was around $1.00. Flash forward to RT Convention in Kansas City where I awkwardly got my book signed even though I had never read it. Flash forward to last summer when the movie was coming out, and I thought to myself, "I should probably read If I Stay." I read it on my flight from Atlanta. And I cried.

What are some of your favorite authors you've read in 2014? let me know if the comments.

Music Monday

Hey everyone. For those of you who have finals this week, I hope those are going well. If you don't have finals, thank your lucky stars. For a change of pace, I thought it might be fun to share a couple songs I've been loving recently.

"Work" Iggy Azalea
Confession: Iggy Azalea is my girl. I don't have a definitive reason for liking her other than her songs are super catchy and a little motivational. "Work" is probably my favorite by her. I just find it incredibly motivating, especially during hectic times of the semester like finals!

Note: This video is a little explicit. Just a warning!

"Shut Up & Dance" Walk the Moon 
This song is also super catchy, and it's probably my favorite break song. It's just super fun to dance to, and it's the song I crank all the way up in my car while driving.

"Budapest" George Ezra
"Budapest" is a lot slower than the previous two songs, but I also really like driving to it. It's still catchy (apparently I only like catching songs) but a lot more melodic and relaxing, as opposed to the high energy of the last two songs.

What are some of your favorite songs right now? How are your finals going? Let me know in the comments.

Finals Week

This is my finals week, meaning that instead of typing this I should be studying for my Business Law Final tomorrow. To be fair, I have studied at least half of the material that is going be on the final.

At least I only have one final per day. I've had weeks in previous semesters where I would have two sometimes even three finals per day.

After this week, I'll be fully into the holiday frenzy. Shoot, I'll be in it come Thursday when I go back to my retail job. I'm hoping to have more time for recreational reading and blogging. I have one book I absolutely must read for my Honors Project in the spring, but other than  that, I'll be able to read whatever I want. Hopefully, I will want. I miss reviewing books. But Alpha Sapphire has been taking up a lot of my times because y'know, I need to catch all of the Pokemon.

While studying, I've been listening to Iggy Azalea's New Classic, and while it's not the kind of music I'm usually into at all, I really like it. Just really catchy beats and a lot of her lyrics are about working hard to get where you want to be. My favorite track is probably "Work" because it's really fun to sing while working on homework.

If you have finals this week, good luck! Hopefully once my finals are over, I'll have some longer posts for y'all.

Fall Semester

One day I will blog consistently.
And it won't just be about books.
While I'm planning my wedding
About healthy eating
Wearing leggings as pants.
As the semester is winding down, I'm realizing this will be my last fall semester.
And that I only have one semester left.
While I'm ready to be done with it all for awhile, I've also come to realize that we shouldn't rush our lives away.
So I'm going to try to enjoy my last semester.
At a school I've never loved
But was absolutely what I needed.