Goal 1: Read More

It's important to set goals or "dreams". But these are called goals because they are small achievable things that will add up to living the dream. What the dream is I'm not sure. It's not the American Dream. The American Dream died in the Jazz Age. I learned that in The Great Gatsby. 


I kid. But yeah, I have goals. I'm going to post them one at time because I get into detail about them.

Goal 1: Read More
Since starting college, I've been busy with life and school, and when I am not doing school, I am relaxing with the internet. And Netflix. Especially when they put How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. That will be the end of my college career.

But in order to read 50 books this year, I need to read 6 more this month. Thankfully, I have them picked out.

• These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
• away Laughing on A Fast Camel by Louisa Rennison
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Mind you, this list could change. Except the first three. I'm already reading the first two, and I've been so excited to read Maureen Johnson's new book for quite some time. Plus, I'm an English Ed major. I always need to read more.

Tomorrow I'll post about my second goal. Stay Beautiful!

November Favorites

I love this time of year. Holidays, anniversary with the boyfriend, just starting to get cold, but it's not frozen. It's just awesome. I felt like I hadn't really done a post in awhile, so I thought I'd do a November Favorites post of the stuff I like in November.

I did not read much in November but I did read Geek Girls Unite by Leslie Simon. And it was really interesting. Helped me to embrace my inner geek. And I have several inner geeks. Probably why I spend most of my time on the computer. I'm currently reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. It's pretty funny, but I've been busy with school.

As far as tv goes, I've definitely obsessed with How I Met Your Mother, especially since they put it on Netflix last week. Like, I literally watch it as I do other things. Like my speech which I failed. And studying. And now. Earlier this month, I was watching Gossip Girl which I also enjoyed despite not reading the books.

I tried to do NaNoWriMo this year, but that was an epic fail in case you hadn't guessed I just got busy and it turned out i'm not a good fairy tale writer. I'm much more inclined to write contemporary, if I ever have a not cliche idea. Being creative is hard.

Hey, guys, I'm participating in John Green Week!

Link to ieatwords 's post below

What is John Green Week? Click here!

NaNoWriMo

Guys, I am so ready for National Novel Writing Month, it's ridiculous. Today I wrote back story. BACK STORY. Stuff that happened before my story began. And by using these characters in another environment, I can see that Amira (my MC) could be giving me some trouble in the next month, barging in where she's not supposed to go and everything.

But seriously. I have my main plot outlined. The first seven chapters have very detailed outlines. i know where everyone is going and when they are going there. I know my characters lives. For example, Amira is an only child. Peter is the oldest of four and is more like his uncle than his father. Finn has an older brother who his parents praise as perfect. Finn and Peter are friends due to their dislike of snobbery.  Amira and peter have been friends for as long as they can remember which is why Amira knows that Eva isn't right for Peter. Finn also knows this, but he also knows other things about Eva because they are cousins. Abbott wrestles with guilt over his daughter every day. When the truth comes out, it is more of a relief to him than his wife. The kingdom is on the brink of ruin and revolution if the prince doesn't get his act together quick. Romance blooms and romance dies. I'm excited to start. i'm trying not to start in advance.

My Banned Books Week Post

Apparently, because I like books I am obligated to make a Banned Books Week post. So here is goes.

I really, really don't care. I'm not pro banning books, but I fail to see why we need to make a big deal about it. I could understand banned books day, but a week is just a little excessive. Plus, all these books get famous for being banned, not for having high quality material. Like Twilight. Really guys? We're going to promote Twilight as banned book? As if everyone hasn't already read it. Most of the banned books are read in school for English class, hence the reason they rushed into the limelight to be banned. I'm looking at you, The Sun Also Rises, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Catcher and the Rye, The Great Gatsby, 1984, The Color Purple, The Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, just to a few. Some have sex in them. Some have violence in them. Some have sex and violence in them. It's pretty much the same with television.

Also, they sometimes ban books so that you will actually read them. Funny story, they banned Silas Marner  so that the teens would actually read it. And guess what? They did.

Reading a banned book does not make you cool or rebellious. Especially since it probably isn't banned in your area. Are you doing something against the law? No. Reading makes you cool, kids. No matter what you are reading.

Knightley Academy Review

I'll admit, I was a little concerned when I chose to read this book next. It sounded a lot like Harry Potter to me, which admittedly it was, but I was concerned that it would be too similar and that I wouldn't be able to finish it. And then I'd feel bad because I've watched the authors youtube videos and think she's awesome, but I wouldn't like her book.

This thought was disproved about twenty pages into the book.

I want gush on and on about how much I adored this book. I think it's simply brilliant. And while yes, I can draw comparisons from Harry Potter to this, this does not keep me from being excited to read the next one by any means.

Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher (a pseudonym, by the way) is a book about a school for knights, fittingly enough called Knightley Academy. But that's not where our story begins. Our story begins at the Midsummer School and with a servant boy named Henry.

Now Henry, despite his lowly position, has been treated to a gentlemen's education by a professor at the school named Professor Stratford. Professor Stratford convinces Henry to take the entrance exam to Knightley by showing him a loophole in the rules. He agrees and to the surprise of no one but him and the other boys in the story, Henry makes it into Knightley Academy. Naturally, he and hi new friends get into all kinds of adventures.

Now one aspect of this book that is touched upon is that it is not contemporary nor is it hisorical fiction. But it is steam-punk, which to me is a rather silly word. Basically, it takes place in Victorian Era (true, but not an England any of us would recognize) and has a twist (their country is not called England but it's like an alternate universe). Maybe I don't have a strong conception on what steampunk is (genres are not my strong point) but this fits the classification to me.

Definitely check it out!

Scarlett Fever Review

As a general rule, I dislike reviewing books that are sequels or as in this case, the second book of a series. I feel that if you read the first book in a series, you'll base your opinion of whether to read the second book on whether you liked the first book or not, not on what I think.

However, I feel the need to review Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson.

Having read all of Maureen Johnson's previous books I did have some expectations when beginning to read this book.

a. That the whole Martin family would be back for more fun adventures.

b. That it would be something I"d enjoy reading.

c. That it would be hilarious in general.

I can safely say that all of these expectations were fulfilled. When we last left Scarlett, she and Eric had broken things off, leaving her heartbroken and her brother Spencer had successfully saved his career. After many more failed auditions, he is happy to finally land a job on popular television show called Crime and Punishment.

I feel that the main plot rarely focuses on Scarlett herself. It's more of a book of things that are happening around her that she can't control and her reactions to them. Which at first sounds silly, but it makes sense. She's fifteen; there isn't much you can control at fifteen. Despite never wanting to be an actress, she seems to be surrounded by actors and actresses, professionally or otherwise.

All of your favorite characters are back. Scarlett's brother Spencer, the aspirign actor, Marlene the cancer survivor, Lola the hardworking one, and Mrs. Amerson, Scarlett's crazy boss. But we are also joined with a new cast of characters. Chelsea, an aspiring actress who just moved to the city, her pageant mom Mrs. Biggs, her rebellious brother Max, and Dakota Scarlett's best friend.

I enjoy Maureen Johnson's book immensely. My one complaint is that this book ends rather suddenly in my opinion. It just sort of stops. There's a bit of a cliffhanger and a bit of resolution, but overall the ending felt rather sudden for me. I do hope that the third book in this series comes out next year, for I am excited to see how it ends with Scarlett.