I wanted to do NaNoWriMo this year but it didn't pan out. I've learned that I really need to have an outline before getting started. Back in the day I used to write rough drafts by hand-stories, papers, and the like. I miss writing like that; in college writing rough drafts on the computer was what you did and that habit has since stuck around, even with stuff outside of school. so, next year I'll be sure to have an outline put together. That's really the only downer in this post, other then that everything's been pretty good .

This weather makes me positively giddy-sweaters, hot tea, the sun setting earlier, Thanksgiving, Christmas, snow! At the moment I'm typing this up while wearing a cozy shirt with a plaid silhouette of a deer and under it is the phrase, Oh Deer. For some reason I love reading more during this time of year to. I've read 44 books this year and am  this close to reaching the goal of 50 books read this year!

I don't know if I've mentioned this but I got a knew job and I don't want to say what it is because I'd like to keep stuff like that private. All you need to know is that I'm blessed to have a job I love and work with great co workers.  I'm about to crack open my 45th book this year, Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakely-Cartwright and it's based on the screenplay by David Leslie Johnson. I've seen the movie before and thought it was great.

Anyway that's it for now. Please give me a read and leave a comment!

Turtles

It's not that I particularly like turtles, I'm just excited that John Green has his new book Turtles all the Way Down coming out on the 10th of October! He is one of my auto-buy authors and is one of my favorite authors of all time! I've decided that before buying the book I'm going to finish reading 10 books by the time it's released.

One thing I made sure of when doing this is to finish books that have been started and put down. Kindle books count as well. I'm an avid Kndle user.

The books I finished are:
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Diva by Jillian Larkin
Theft by Finding by David Sedaris
Alex and Eliza by Melissa de La Cruz
The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace
Real Friends by Shannon Hale

Started this in mid August and, who knows, maybe I'll finish more by then.
Happy reading everyone!

2 Book Reports for you guys!

Title: A Madness so Discreet

Author: Mindy McGinnis

This book was fantastic; there were times when I had to stop myself from reading because I flew through it so fast. This historical fiction novel follows Grace Mae, a woman thrown into an Insane Asylum because she is pregnant. It seems that her fate is sealed until a fellow into introduces her to Dr. Thornhollow, who recognizes her sharp memory and ultimately employs her as his assistant in crime solving under the guise of a lobotomized inmate.

I love historical fiction and it has actually been a while since I’ve red one. This book got me back into the genre and this novel renewed my love for it. I’ve never read a book that dealt with the workings of mental institutions, although I have done research on them. The historical depiction was spot on; in the case of the asylum Grace is first put in a majority of women were thrown into it because their husbands had no use for them. Later on the asylum she goes to in Ohio is one that treats the patients like people as opposed to burdensome animals.

There were still women put there because of their actions against social norms. One of the characters was put there because she slept with multiple men. Another character did, in fact, have a mental disorder; she claimed to have a piece of string on her shoulder that told her everything that went on or was going to happen. Dr. Thornhollow and Nurse Janey have apathy towards the inmates and help the best they can.

This novel shows the extant of cruelty towards women, the enduring love of friendship, and the prosperous and the hurtful consequences of using one’s head.   

QUOTES

“I think we’re all quite mad. Some of us are just more discreet about it.”

“Just because the insane tell the tales doesn’t make them false.”

“From one asylum to another, greetings.”

“She thought her heart had never felt so full as it did standing next to the defiled grave of a whore while lunatics sang the national anthem.”

Book: Ghosts

Author: Raina Telgemeier

I’ve been on a bit of a graphic novel kick this summer and Raina Telgemeier’s are absolutely adorable! Along with this one I’ve also finished Drama ,which qillbe in another post; I also want to read her other two: Smile and Sisters .What’s nice about graphic novels is, of course, the pictures, and, personally, I don’t find them too emotionally investing. Unless they’re a Joker graphic novel, I still have to finish the one a friend leant me. You can just fly thtough them, which makes them perfect for reading slumps. This one is about a pair of sisters, Cat and Maya, who move to a seaside town because it is beneficial for Maya’s health since she has Cystic Fibrosis; but there’s more to La Bahia de la Luna than meets the eye. On El Dia de los Muertos-The Day of the Dead- spirits come to visit the living and have a grand party at midnight.  

I’ve never read anything about the Day of the Dead and it was so cute! Maya is instantly drawn to the magic of the holiday and decides  to make an Oferenda, an altar covered in marigolds, pictures of the deceased, and food for the visiting spirit. In the case of this story it is for their abuela. Cat is apprehensive, but is reluctantly dragged along in the preparations, but soon she discovers the wonders of it all and makes a couple new friends in the process.

Telgemeier’s graphic novels are geared towards middle grade readers but I believe that no matter your age you’ll enjoy them. The artwork is simle and colorful, all the characters are memorable. This book is highly recommended if your looking for something light, warm, and a little magical for the month of October (and the first 2 days of November, since that's when El Dia de Los Muertos takes place).

Time Alone = Posting Time

     I'm sitting at home alone-well, exactly, there's also a cat and dog keeping me company-and decided that writing a post would be a great thing to do at the moment. Been doing regular house stuff-dishes, laundry, those sort of things. Today seemed like a great opportunity to post something.

     I absolutely love being in the house by myself. It's complete freedom to read all day or binge watch all my DVDs of Home Improvement. But today I even took a break from that since I've been watching that for weeks. Currently I'm reading Theft by Finding by David Sedaris, which is a collection of diary entries from 1977-2002. Im on the year 1990, loving it but unfortunately I'm getting a little burnt out.

     Does this happen to anyone else? You're enjoying the book, but for some reason you just want to start something new. I think it's because Theft by Finding is a tome; a tome is a book that is 500 pages long or more and it's been a while since I've read a book that thick. It's been put down for the moment and this is by no means a slump, just a little stand still. Reading a couple books at a time is normal for me, so it's time to find something else for now.
   
     Let me know in the comments if this happens to you too.

Thoughts Before Bedtime

Should I use one pillow or two?

I should clean my room.

I wish the cat would stop licking my hand.

Crap, I forgot to make a payment.

How did this teabag get under my covers?

There's that earring I lost!

A group chat at midnight, I'm not alone at this hour!

Why did he send me a picture of a demon clown at 1AM?

Ouch! I'm laying on a pencil.

What would I use as a Horcrux?

If  my wand really worked I'd be playing with it right now.

If I was in Hogwarts I'd be roaming around the castle right now.

There's no way I could share this bed with anyone.

It's midnight I should stop reading.

Great, just spilt tea on my blanket.

It's 1AM and my eyes hurt, but one more chapter should be okay.

Where did this spoon come from?

Book Review #1

I've been reading quite a bit of books since school ended, but I don't think there will be a review for every one. I don't really know how to write a book review, to be honest, but I'm assuming it's like when you're in elementary school and doing book reports. I loved doing those; it got to the point that the teachers just let me do them for fun. they kept taking the extra ones when I handed them in. That's what these are, book reports for you all.

Title: The Gilded Cage

Author: Lucinda Grey

In the 1820s sixteen year old Katherine Randolph and her brother George are wisked away from their ranch life in Virginia to the glittering society of England. Due to the passing of their uncle they are now the heirs of Walthingham Hall. As if navigating this world of manners, balls, and wealth wasn't enough, Katherine finds herself determined to solve a sudden, horrendous murder on the estate. Some say it was the beast of Walthingham; but the question is, does this monster stalk the surrounding woods or the halls?

Reading this got me back into historical fiction; the time period is one of my favorites the descriptions of estate, clothes, and city were great, and I've never read a murder mystery in that time period before. It was suspenseful and even when the odds were against her, Katherine had enough nerve to literally break out of her restraints. There were, however, a couple things I didn't care for in regards to a couple relationships in the novel. One relationship had no substance and the other remains unclear at the end of the novel. For these reasons I'm giving this a three out of 5 rating. The reasons are in the paragraph below and IT CONTAIN SPOILERS. If you plan on picking this book up DO NOT READ ON.

First and foremost is the fact that Katherine and the family Lawyer William Simpson fall in insta-love. They barely spoke to each other during her coming out ball and her brother's funeral and all of a sudden when she declares that she wants to move back to the states he says that she can't because there are people who ahve come to care deeply for her. Obviously he means himself, but how can that even be when they've hardly seen each other? He did help her escape the asylum she was thrown into and after that he helps her with the mystery, but to me it would make sense for the love to grow more. Also, when Henry is discovered as the killer, the mystery solved, and all is well she has no confrontation with her cousin Grace, Henry's sister. She stood idly by during Henry's plot and it wuld have made sense for Katherine to get some answers from her as to why.

What Can I Say? This is Hard

I had a cup of Earl Grey and realized that I hadn’t posted in a while; like the now empty cup with its shriveled teabag this blog keeps being abandoned and stained with the gap between posts.  I’ve been reading more than in the previous semester, and that’s because of two things: 1. I’ve made a designated reading time in the day and 2. Comic books and graphic novels.

With the first it was actually easy to decide a chunk of time to use specifically for reading, and has been 9pm to whenever I go to sleep, which varies between 11:30pm to 1:30am. It also helps to have a particular spot to do your reading-curled up on the couch, lying in bed. I actually purchased a sea green, crushed velvet chair for this purpose; it sits by one of my bookshelves and it’s the perfect little book nook. Recently when I read in bed I fall asleep. I’ll grab the current read and my book light and snuggle under the covers to be realize I’m overwhelmed with tiredness. Then, I think, “fuck it, I’m tired,” and its lights out. But the specific reading time helps because I’ve finished 11 books already for the Read 50 Books a Year Challenge.

Now, the second aid in this process, I give thanks to a friend. He has a plethora of newspaper comic bind-ups, Garfield being an absolute favorite of mine. He’s also a massive Joker fan and let me borrow a graphic novel called Into the Badlands, which I still need to read. In fact, I’d like to read more graphic novels. These types of books get me eager to read more in general, they’re quick and build confidence in the regard that, yes you do enjoy reading and have the ability to finish books. Now that the reading is pretty much in order maybe the writing can get that way. I have some rough drafts of posts written, now they just need to be typed up.

Slump: An Explanation

There haven’t been any posts because this week I’ve finally started clawing my way out of a reading slump that’s lasted six months. Last weekend I was at the library with a group of friends-yes, we are the people who hang out at the library for fun-and couldn’t find anything. One of them said, “I never thought I’d see the day where you couldn’t find anything at a library.”

As mentioned in the previous post the last semester was pretty packed, reading wasn’t a priority and became even more stressful. Reading was beginning to feel like another assignment, so it had to be put away. A friend did let me borrow a stack of Garfield comics and that helped in a sense that there is no way to read a comic and feel like it had to be done at a certain deadline. They made reading fun for a little while, and for that I’m thankful. But, for some reason, reading novels just wasn’t cutting it.

A couple days after the library get-together, however, I finally picked up This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills and I’m flying through it. Reading this book has me excited to read the other contemporary romances on my shelves. It’s also getting me into writing again because one of the topics mentioned is fanfiction, and I’ve been a fic reader and writer for years. Fanfiction helps get me into a headspace for writing in general; I’m getting an old, abandoned story out and rewriting it. this is also having me write original stuff, nothing worth showing at the moment, but at least a little is getting done. Just random sentences here and there, a notebook dedicated to a list of titles that could be used for potential books and poems. The next post will be a book review and touch on the subjects of fandom and fanfiction. This will most likely be posted next Saturday. Maybe there will be other post between now and then.

New Year, New Post, Same Me

I know that yesterday was the day to post a blog entry or a video about shutting the door on 2016 and standing at the threshold of 2017, but I spent it gallivanting with my family doing a bit of shopping and putting a list of resolutions together. I will share a few on here but some are too personal for me to post, but at least you won’t be left with nothing! Maybe when this blogging thing becomes more normal some more personal stuff will be mentioned.

 

In a brief review 2016 was a good year, and, yes, many people would beg to differ based on the presidential election, but I choose to take a more positive-and some may say selfish-route. I knocked FOUR classes out this semester; granted there were headaches and tears but it was finished. I have a new job-again, not going to do specifics just yet, but rest assured I’m ecstatic and enjoying the new change! We have a new cat, which unfortunately was the follow-up after the passing of our old cat. He’s just as mellow and gentle as his predecessor and we’re lucky. This year was the first time we traveled out of the country. We went to Puerto Rico and I do plan on living there at some point; I’ve said the same thing abought the UK, NYC, and Chicago. Took my first Spanish class and plan on making it my Minor. This is just a small chunk of the good stuff that’s happened. 

Now here is a list of a few of my New Years Resolutions:

1. Read 50 books
2. Write one thing everyday
3. Save a specific amount of money
4. Get published more
5. Post one picture a day on Instagram
6. STUDY ABROAD
7. Get an internship
8. More blog posts

Again, this isn’t everything. Hopefully I can stick to #8.