Update

Hey everyone!

So I haven't written a post in 3 months, and I feel I owe you all an explanation for it. Well, other than school taking over my life, as it does every semester, I got to thinking. I love to read. I really do. But I also love so many other things. Like video games. And fashion. And more. But I don't really feel I can share those interests on a book blog because it's such a niche audience.  

I have also been considering switching to Wordpress, simply because when I originally started blogging, blogger was all I knew. Now Wordpress is the platform companies want people to know. I have actually considered switching this blog to Wordpress for awhile but just couldn't commit.

What I have been telling you all of this for is to say this blog will be going on hiatus this summer. I'm going to be starting another passion project, called The Flying Fiona where you will be able to catch me this summer talking about books and other things.

I'm not deleting this blog altogether; I'm just taking a break for this to focus on other things. 

Civil War Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott Review

Hey everyone! Today I have a review of Civil War Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott. You may be familiar with her work; she’s most known for Little Women, Little Men, and Jo’s Boys. To give you an idea of how this fits chronologically into her work, she was a nurse in the Civil War for six weeks in 1862-63, got sick, went home and wrote Little Women, which was published in 1868.

Civil War Hospital Sketches tells the story of Tribulation Periwinkle and her experiences being a Civil War nurse. While her experiences resemble that of Alcott’s, it’s important to remember they are not the same because it can get really confusing between the two. It is through Tribulation writing about her war experiences, a lot along the lines on how she would write letters back to her family. There`s also a postscript at the end, which neatly sums up her narrative.

In many ways, this book is exactly what it sounds like: short chapters about life in the Civil War. She writes about getting a train ticket, her travel to the front, and her experiences there. Not to give too much away, I found the ways in which her war experiences changed her particularly interesting. Nursing was a very different profession from how it is now, and these women and men went into this with essentially no training.

Another interesting idea this book slightly deals with is early feminism. Alcott begins with Tribulation saying, “I want something to do.” After being offered what was considered proper for a single woman to do (Write, teach, marry), her brother mentions nursing soldiers. Rather than being spurred by patriotism or a desire to keep the Union together, she is instead looking for some sort of life experience. This contrasts nicely with a character we meet later, who has joined the war effort because he believes in what he is fighting for.

This book flounders a little at the end. We have this pivotal moment then it just tapers off. The entire falling action is packed into one chapter. The first half is very heavy in war experience with the second half being very lack luster.

I’d definitely recommend this for fans of Alcott, especially if you want to explore beyond Little Women, Little Men, etc. Her writing style is still prevalent. I would also recommend this for people who are interested in war experiences in particular women’s war experiences. This was the main draw for me. For the class it was a good text to begin the class with, as it gave us some information on the American Civil War, which is the focus of the class.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know in the comments. 

January Wrap-Up/ February TBR

Hey everyone! So my original plan was to write a post each weekend between my January TBR and my wrap-up. Obviously, that didn’t happen, though I did sit down to write each post, they never quite were finished. With school starting back up, I didn't realize how busy I would be. Even if I only post every other week, that’s still better than nothing, right?

During January, I only finished two books. The first was a collection of short stories by Alice Munro called Too Much Happiness. I’m not really into short stories, but I’ve been putting off finishing it since May. I’m glad I did, and I want to read more by her, but it’ll have to wait until I feel like reading more short stories. The other book I finished was Civil War Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott. This was the first book we read for my American literature class, and it was a good introductory text to reading about the American Civil War, which we will be doing through the course of the semester. I hope to have review of this up this month, so you’ll hear more from me about this.

Right now, I’m still reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I did make progress in it this week, but I’m not making any guarantees to finish it this month. In all honesty, I probably won’t get to it until June with my graduation in May and my wedding in June unless I feel like neglecting all of my work and finishing it. I also have two books I’m hoping to finish either right as this month ends or the very beginning of February. They are Who Would Have Thought It? By Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton and Good-bye to All That by Robert Graves, both of which are for my classes this semester. I’m planning on at least reviewing Ruiz de Burton and possibly Graves. Both are pretty good.

As for nonbookish things I did in January, my fiancé and I celebrated one year of being engaged. We were unfortunately both sick, so it wasn't as much fun as it would've been if we were well. I also went back to school for my last semester of undergraduate. As of right now, I am still planning on going back for my master’s degree this fall, but I’m trying not to rule out any possibilities. Also, we found a house we really like, which hopefully he’ll get to move into in the upcoming month.

I really can’t believe it’s almost February; it feels like January just started. Soon, it will be spring and I’ll be so close to being done! I’m really excited, but I've got a lot to do before then and a lot to read.

I’ll start by finishing the two books I’m currently reading now, see above. Then, in my American lit class, we’re reading The American by Henry James and The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells. We’re getting into realism in America this month. I haven’t read anything by either of these authors, and I’m excited to start. As for my capstone course, we’re going to read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I've read some of his stories before, and I’m not a huge fan. However, I’m willing to give him a chance to wow me. Reflecting back, though I’m not a huge fan of him, Hemingway’s an author I’m glad to have read so I can give an informed opinion about him, even if I don’t like him. I’m interested to see him in a different medium and see if I like him more as a novelist than short story author. I know this book has something to do with World War One, which makes it a little more appealing than his other books. The other book we’re reading in the capstone is The Good War by Studs Terkel. I know nothing about this book either, except I believe it is about World War Two, based on my knowledge of the course. Also, we’re watching Casablanca this month, which while it isn’t a book, I’m still excited to watch it again.

Lastly, I really need to get through the three books I’m reading for my honors project this month. Those are Testament of Youth, Not So Quiet, and One Woman’s Freedom. I’ve read the first two before, and I’m looking forward to reading the last one. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get them all read.

And I think that’s all I’m going to be able to handle reading this month. What did you read this month? What are you reading next month? Let me know in the comments. 

2015 Bookish Resolutions & January TBR

 Hey everyone! As  2015 begins, I thought it would be good to set some goals for myself in terms of reading and blogging for the new year. I’m hoping that since I’m graduating from college finally, I’ll have more time to devote to blogging and more time for fun reading in general in May. In the mean time, I plan to also talk about the books I read for my classes on here in order to compensate. Here are my goals for the year.

Read 50 books.

This is a goal I set every year. This number is arbitrary to me, I don’t feel bad if I don’t read 50 books, but I think it’s a nice goal. A book every week with two weeks off. I started this back in 2010, I believe, if not 2009. I once tried to up the amount with no success, but I still read 50 books. The past two years, I have not, having only read under 30 books each year. But I was not counting things I read for school in that, so I think that will help.

Read at least 1 book where the author or protagonist life experience differs from my own.

This is basically my way of saying, “I’m going to read diverse books.” I figure one a month is a good starting point, but from there, I hope to increase this number.

Post at least once a week.

I think this one is going to be the biggest struggle for me. I get so wrapped up in everything going on at school that I forget to keep the blog up. I’m hoping that by planning out my posts and writing them ahead of time, I’ll be able to keep this one for once.

Set TBRs for each month

This is something that really intrigues me that I want to try for the year. As you might guess from the title, this post comes in two parts. The second part is going to be my TBR for the month, which is something I have never done before. I’m hoping that by selecting 1-2 books to read each month on top of my school work, I’ll be able to make time to read.

Read more ebooks and audiobooks.

This is one is less measureable because I don’t feel inclined to set a particular number with this one. But as I own a Nook, I think it’s doable for me to read more ebooks. I’m also very intrigued by Audible, so depending, I may add that subscription service.

Organize this blog.

I’m doing The Book Addict’s Guide’s Blog Organization Challenge for 2015, which in part inspired some of my resolutions and this post. If you notice slight changes to the blog, that would be why.

So without further ado, here is my TBR for the month of January. Since I have another before school and am not expecting too much work that first week of classes, I’m feeling ambitious for this month.

To start, I want to try to finish up two of my carryover books from 2014. One of which I have been reading since May. That would be Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro.  Don’t get me wrong; it’s a fine book. But short story collections lead me to believe that I don’t have to read it for an extended period of time and it will be fine. I only have three stories left. My other carryover book I’ve been reading over winter break is The Awakening and Other Selected Short Fiction by Kate Chopin. I thought I would like this a lot more than I did, but in all reality, it just feels like an American South version of Madame Bovary. I’m hoping to finish at least The Awakening this month.

As for the books, I’m hoping to start and finish this month, I’m planning on reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurtson this month for my diverse pick. I’ve wanted to read this for awhile; I believe one of my professors recommended it some time ago. But I figured it would be a good place to start. If I had my syllabi for my classes, I would tell you what books we have projected for this month. However, for my Honors Project, I plan to read One Woman’s Freedom by Helen Zenna Smith, since that and Not So Quiet are at the focus of my paper.

What are some of your goals for 2015, bookish or otherwise? What are you planning to read this month? Let me know in the comments. 

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.

Why Emma Watson is Fantastic

I was seven when I started reading Harry Potter. Well, having it read to me. I loved it, but there was one character that stuck out in my mind and inspired me for years to come. That character is Hermione Granger.

Emma playing Hermione
(Source here)

If I had to attribute myself to one fictional character, it would be Hermione. Hands down, favorite character of all time. She's not afraid to show how smart she is, and she's not afraid to show her vulnerabilities.

I could go on about why Hermione is so fantastic, but you will notice this post is not titled, "Why Hermione Granger is Fantastic." No, this post is dedicated to the actress who portrays her. When the movies started to be released, I was finally able to put a face to a name, causing me to love Emma Watson as well.  But as I began to learn more about her, the more I began to realize she is just as fantastic as Hermione, if not more.

Like Hermione, Emma also values education, just having graduated from Brown University in May of 2015. (She was an English Lit major!) She has also gone on to act in numerous other films, like Perks of Being a Wallflower. Not only that, but she has used her status for good as well, being an ambassador to the UN. Recently, she has launched a campaign for gender equality called He for She. You can watch the video below.

The thing that amazes me so much about Emma Watson is that she is not that much older than myself, yet she seems a lot more mature. While I'm sure some of that is due to having a fantastic PR team, I do think she is remarkably levelheaded. She has been a inspiration to me for the past decade easily and I do not doubt she will continue to amaze us all for years to come.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Book Review

Cover from Goodreads

Title: The Happiness Project, or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean my Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

Author: Gretchen Rubin

Published: December 29, 2009 by Harper

Plot Summary:

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and Eat, Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.

Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for her—and what didn't.

Her conclusions are sometimes surprising—she finds that money can buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference—and they range from the practical to the profound.

Written with charm and wit, The Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining, thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own happiness project.
Funny story: I actually began reading this last summer, just before I went to Philadelphia.My friend Katie recommended it to me, and I really wanted to read it. I got it from the library, I read about half of it, then I went on my trip. When I came back, my mom had returned it without me finishing it. And it took me another year to get the book again and start reading it again.

The concept of a happiness project itself was interesting enough to me, but I really enjoyed the way the author organized it. I realize this is nonfiction and she's not a "character", but I found her easy to relate to. I loved how thorough her research was before she began her project. It wasn't a half-hearted New Year's Resolution.She was committed to doing this project the entire year.

As for the project itself, there were some months I found incredibly interesting and helpful, others not so much. I really liked January, for instance, as I was fascinated on how she increased her energy. The chapters on friendships and books were also really interesting.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Reading nonfiction for a change was definitely fun, and if you are looking to branch out, I would definitely recommend this book as a jumping off point.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? If not, what do you think about the idea of a happiness project? Is it something you would try? Let me know in the comments.

Note: Also, since the school year is starting back up again, this means I'll have less time for blogging again. However, I am hoping to get a post up every Saturday. Sometimes it will be a book review, sometimes it won't be.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson Book Review

Photo&Summary from Goodreads

Title: Second Chance Summer

Author: Morgan Matson

Published: May 8th, 2012 by Simon & Schuster

Plot Summary:

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

So I was at the library by my work, looking for Since You've Been Gone. They didn't have it, but they did have Second Chance Summer. I thought it might be fun to read some of her earlier book. Plus this looked like a fun summer read.

I was right, but I was also wrong. I enjoyed this book, it was a fun summer read, but it also wrecked me. I cried and I don't usually cry at books. I just related to the main character so much that I could easily put myself in her situation. It also didn't help that I had just hung out with my dad as well when I got to the ending.

However, that was what really drew me in at the end of the book. At the beginning of the book, I was reading for the mystery of what she did to make all of these people mad at her. While that was revealed and I can understand where those people were coming from, I felt Taylor built it up a lot more in her head.

I simply loved all of the characters. Like I said, Taylor was very easy to relate to. I also really liked Warren and their whole family dynamic. All of the characters were people I would want to hang out with, which is rare in books I read. While the romance wasn't too romancy, I felt it fit well within the book. It didn't overwhelm what the book was really about.

Overall, this book sold me on Morgan Matson. It was utterly fantastic. I would definitely recommend it for people who enjoy contemporary but don't want to just read romance. I will definitely be reading the rest of her work. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten (Six!) Characters I Would Want on a Desert Island with Me

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is brought to us by the Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic is "Top Ten Characters I Would on a Desert Island with Me." I decided that my goal of having all these characters with me would to get off of the desert island.

1. Molly Murphy from City of Darkness and Light
Despite the problems I had with this book, Molly was not one of them. She would be very resourceful and help solve the mystery of how we got to the deserted island and how we would get off.

2. Nancy Drew from the Nancy Drew series
Same reason as above. Two heads are better than one. And afterwards, we could open a detective agency.

3. Addie from Pivot Point
While Addie would have great difficulty adjusting to deserted island life (so different from the Compound or Texas), she could always Search if needed to determine the best course of action.

4. Percy from the Percy Jackson series
Percy could help us build a raft and then sail it. With the help of his father Poseidon, we would be out of their in no time.

5. Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series
Annabeth is actually my favorite character from this series, and naturally if I'm going to bring her boyfriend, I might as well bring her. Plus, as a daughter of Athena, she would be very useful as well.

6. Katniss from The Hunger Games
I don't think we'll make it off of the island right away. Therefore, Katniss will be here to help us hunt and cook and just generally survive.

I'm probably forgetting someone who would be incredibly helpful but I think this team of six and I could do it!

Who would you take with you to a desert island? Let me know in the comments. 

Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart Review

Photo from Goodreads

Title: Real Live Boyfriends

Author: E. Lockhart

Published: December 28th, 2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Plot Summary:

She’s lost most of her friends. She’s lost her true love more than once. She’s lost her grandmother, her job, her reputation, and possibly her mind. But she’s never lost her sense of humor. The Ruby Oliver books are the record of her survival.

It's no secret that I absolutely love the Ruby Oliver series. She is probably one of the most relatable characters I have come across this year. In this novel, she is in her senior year and preparing college applications while still dealing with high school drama and the like. 

Her growth throughout this series has been phenomenal. I think of the character in the beginning of the series and the character in this book and they are remarkably different. I think this series accurately portrays the type of growth teens go through throughout their later high school years. When I look back at my life, sophomore year Fiona and senior year Fiona are so different. Ruby and her friends are the same way. 

In terms of the plot of this book, it's pretty similar to the other books. Ruby dealing with whatever life throws at her. I will say this one is a little more intense in what she deals with than high school drama. It's a really enjoyable story. I would definitely recommend this series if you enjoy contemporary young adult with funny interesting characters. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten (or Seven) TV Shows

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is brought to use by The Broke and the Bookish. Today, we diverge from bookish topics to other types of stories. This topic is timed perfectly because I have been watching a lot of TV recently. Let's get started!

1. Warehouse 13
I love this show so much! It combines everything I love: sci-fi, history, humor. I'm on the fourth season right now and it's killing me not to watch it all. It's the show my fiance and I watch together so I feel bad watching it without him. Hopefully, we'll finish the season soon!

2. The Mindy Project
This is a show I just finished. I started watching it on Hulu then signed up for a free trial of Hulu+, in which I proceeded to binge watch both seasons. This show is so hilarious and I cannot wait until the next season.

3. Gilmore Girls
If I had to choose one show that had a profound influence on me as a youth, it would be this show. I started watching it when it started running on ABC Family and became obsessed. I own all of the seasons (this was pre-Netflix days, although it's STILL not on Netflix.) I'm actually planning on rewatching it soon.

4. Friends
This is another show that had a profound influence on me. One summer, I decided I was going to watch Friends every time it was on in order to see most of the episodes. And I did. My sophomore year of college, I would watch it in bed on Nick at Nite until I fell asleep  (or until George Lopez came on).

5. Parks and Rec
I enjoy the small town feel of this show, plus I admire Leslie Knope's ambition and determination.

6. Psych
I have been watching this show forever and it is absolutely hilarious! I haven't seen the last season yet, but I'm really excited about it!

7. How I Met Your Mother
After seeing the series finale, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this show. I went through a phase where I really liked it, but now with some distance, I think it's okay but not super fantastic! I put it on the list though, because at one time I really liked it.

Do we share any favorite tv shows? Do you have any recommendations? Let me know in the comments. 

Split Second by Kasie West Book Review

Photo from Goodreads

Title: Split Second
Author: Kasie West
Published: February 11, 2014 by HarperTeen

Plot Summary:
Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything

As someone who loved Pivot Point and loves Kasie West's writing, I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of Split Second. 

Dual perspectives doesn't always work; often the two perspectives sound the same to the point where the reader is confused on who is who. However, Laila and Addie are so different that it is impossible to be confused on who is who. Their stories are vastly different and come together perfectly. 

The Compound became a lot more fleshed out to me throughout this book. Also, seeing part of the book through Laila's perspective allowed me to better understand her and like her more. Duke also returned in this book, but  I think I like him less than I did previously. I still loved Addie and Trevor and loved seeing more of them. Connor was also a fantastic edition!  The love stories intertwined perfectly and the ending kept me reading. I don't know if there is a third book in the works but I would not be surprised in the slightest. There is still enough information left open that it was would be easy to write a third book. If there isn't though, the ending to this book would still be a good ending to the series. That's what I love about these books; they feel like they could be standalones but they are also connected for a series. 

If you liked Pivot Point or enjoy West's writing, I would definitely recommend Split Second. It has a little paranormalcy without having to learn a new universe. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Blogging Confessions

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is brought to us by the Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is blogging confessions. I'm really surprised I actually have ten on this list; when I first saw the topic, I thought I would be lucky to have three. After researching this topic thoroughly, I think I have a list that is confession worthy. Note: Some of these are about books, some of them about blogging, and some of them are about book blogging.

Books
1. I prefer library books over buying books.
If there is a book I'm unsure if I'll like or if I don't think I'll want to read it again, I would much rather use the library than buy the book. Buying books is expensive and I can't afford to buy every book I want to read. Which is why libraries are the best. I seriously don't understand why more book bloggers don't use them.

2. I prefer used over new.
When I do buy books, I much prefer to buy used over new books. Why? For one, it's less expensive, which allows me to buy more books withe the money I have allotted. Also, if I bought a new book, I'd want to keep it in pristine condition. Otherwise, I'd feel like I "ruined" it. For my sanity, it's just easier for me to buy used.

3. I write in books.
Gasp, the horror! I know. But it's an occupational hazard. If you don't bookmark a quote with a sticky, you'll never find it. Sometimes, if you sticky it but don't put some sort of indication of what exactly it is you're saving, you'll never find it. This is another reason I never buy new.

Book Blogging
4. Sometimes I don't feel like reading
This is a thing that happens. I read in spurts; I'll finish three books in a shorter amount of time, then I'll take a break and do something else. Sometimes I feel I don't read enough in comparison to other bloggers, but I have to remind myself it's okay not to spend every waking minute reading.

5. I get tired of YA
Don't get me wrong, I still love YA, just not like I used to. It was all I read when I originally started this venture. I've learned to accept that I'm not going to read every YA novel I come across on other blogs or even most. I'm learning to discern what I think I would actually read and focusing on that.

Blogging
6. I feel like I'm not very creative.
I don't have a lot of interesting ideas lined up in the future for this blog. In fact, I'm struggling to come up with ideas. (So if you have types of posts you'd like to see, let me know in the comments!) This is difficult for me because I used to consider myself a creative individual.

7. My blog design frustrates me!
 I'm constantly unhappy with the theme and layout of my blog. Constantly. It's not exactly what I want, but I have no idea how to get exactly what I want. But until I either buckle down and learn how to design or cave and pay someone to design it for me, this will be my state. If it feels like I change the layout a lot, this is why.

8. I wish I was able post consistently. 
Every time I create a posting schedule, it never works out. I've been working on one from now until the end of the month and hope it will actually work out. It only gets worse when I go back to school. It always feels like I have zero time to work on my blog.

9. I wish I was more confident to share my blog with people I know. 
I could not tell you why this is such an issue for me. It took a lot for me to start sharing my posts on Twitter. While I had a blog twitter for awhile, it just was not being used when I was actually blogging. So I caved and started using my regular Twitter.

10. I have no idea when my blogaversary is.
Couldn't tell you. Which is sad because then we can't have celebrations.

What are some of your blogging confessions? Let me know in the comments.

June in Review

Me after seeing The Fault in Our Stars opening weekend.

To me, June always flies by. Always. In contrast, July seems to last a lifetime. However, this year, it seems especially true. We were two-thirds of the way through June before I even realized we were past the first week. I did not accomplish as much as I hoped I would have, I'm hoping to make up for that in July.

Books I Read in June:
We Were Liars by E. Lockart
Split Second by Kasie West
Real Live Boyfriends by E Lockhart

This reading month was not as fantastic as the previous month. I would like to think that's due to the two weeks I worked two jobs and did not have time for anything else, but really I just didn't feel like reading a lot this month.

Life Things That Happened in June:
1. Had the two jobs, felt exhausted all of the time with no time for fun, finally quit the job I hated and felt relieved.
2. Went on short camping trip with fiance's family. Fun!
3. My friend Katie came to visit from New York! I missed her so much and it was fantastic to see her!
4. I finally started on the road to planning my wedding. It's turning out to be quite a bit more than I expected.

Songs I Loved in June:
1. "I Wanna Get Better" Bleachers
To be fair, I've loved this song since my friend Kayla introduced me to it. However, I started to love this song even more this summer.
2. "Dangerous" Big Data
I heard this song one day and I was like, "I like this song. I like driving to this song."
3. "Boom Clap" Charli XCX
Featured in The Fault in Our Stars movie, I fell in love with this song slowly then all at once. Hah, but seriously, this song is so upbeat and catchy. I find myself singing and dancing to it all of the time.

Movies/TV Shows I Saw in June:
1. The Mindy Project
I started watching this at my fiance's apartment one night and loved it. I then proceeded to sign up for a free trial of Hulu+ to watch it.
2. X-Men
I'm just going to cover the whole series. I finally jumped aboard the X-Men train at the end of May and have caught up to see the new movie. I don't know how I went so long without watching anything from this series. So good.

What did you read this past month? Or listen to or watch? Let me know in the comments; I am always looking for recommendations.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Classic Books/ Classics I Want to Read

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is brought to us by The Broke and the Bookish. Today's topic is "Classic" Books. Classic is in quotation because it means different things to different people. For the purpose of today's list, it will mean books traditionally included in the literary cannon. Let's get started!

Top Five Classic Books
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
P&P was the first "classic" I ever read and really helped me to broaden my horizons in reading. Because I finished it, previously daunting books were now nothing. If I could read Austen, I could read anything.

2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
While I read this a lot later than #1, it is probably my most reread book. Twice in high school and twice in college so far. It definitely has to stood up to every reread I have done. Simply amazing. Sadly, I have yet to read any of Fitzgerald's other work yet.

3. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
I realize I talked about this book last week, but it really resonated with me. It's a very interesting book from the 1950s and I highly recommend it.

4. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
This book really surprised me when I read it. I came to it with zero expectations and was absolutely amazed it. I read this book in the fall of 2012 and I still think about it to this day. It's really weird, and I really enjoy it.

5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I can't say I've been wowed by this book like I can the previous two, but I find it to be a very important book.

Top Five Classics I Want to Read
1. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
I just watched a review of this and would love to read it. It's on the top of the list because that review convinced me I should read it. Link here. (Also, if you are not subscribed to this girl, you should be. She's amazing.)

2. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
I feel like everyone in my major has read this book but me. I actually have a copy sitting patiently on my TBR shelf, so hopefully I'll get to it soon.

3.A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
I've been wanting to read this forever, but I've never gotten around to it. Now that I've read some other Dickens, I think I should be able to conquer this no problem.

4. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Remember when I said I hadn't read any other Fitzgerald?  I definitely want to change that.

5. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Though I love Fitzgerald, I've only read a little of Hemingway and didn't care for him. Before I write him off completely, I think I should at least read one novel by him.

What are some of your favorite classics? What are classics I should definitely read? Let me know in the comments.