Guess what.
I'm writing from an airport! (DFW Airport, to be exact.)
Shocker, I know. It rarely happens that I'm waiting for a plane and am sitting on my adored laptop typing up a wordy and annoying blog post.
I realize that the last time I updated you on my very exciting life (it's really not exciting... just books and papers and class—oh my!) was February 18th and I'm sorry. (if you wanna skip ahead to my book reviews then fell free, no one will ever know.)
I catch you up on a few things:
- I wrote a paper comparing Juliet to a really tragic character from ancient mythology named Myrrha for my Shakespeare class and I was probably too excited to write it because Juliet is so cool. (Look up her story it's really sad and just wow.)
- I got a lovely speeding ticket today and almost had an anxiety in the car afterward. (To sum that situation up, I don't like being wrong or not considered "an upstanding citizen" and it took everything in me not to break down in angry, ugly tears in front of my friend in the passenger seat and the very mean police officer.)
- The whole situation with the fraternity and racism on my campus this past week and the media harassing us in our parking lot and some people reacting in violence.
- I've been reading for fun instead of focusing on midterms and papers and it bites me in the butt every time.
- My roommate opened our window (the window that we've had trouble opening since August) and it has been the best couple days ever!
- I crushed my Shakespeare midterm after studying for it for two hours right before I took it (guess what? I procrastinated studying for it until the day of instead of using my time wisely because I was reading and watching Netflix and oops... but I crushed it anyways).
- I started watching that MTV show called Eye Candy and it's really cheesy but the plot is so good and the guys are sooooo cute. No shame.
- I've also been keeping up with CW's The 100 and if you haven't heard of it look it up and start watching it. And if you're putting off watching it, go do it now. It's so addicting and captivating and alluring and a roller coaster to watch. Basically go watch it.
- I have read 21 books out of my goal of 90 for 2015 on Goodreads (23%). I've read 14 books on my 2015 Reading Challenge that I briefed you over in my first post of the year! Wuhoo!! Progress!
I realize that this is just scraping the barrel on my life and what's been going on in my life, but I figured hardly anyone reads these things where I just rant and rant so I'll stop venting. Mainly I want to talk about books. Yes. The breath and essence of my being. The thing that I wish I could get paid for. My gift. My beloved. [end dramatics]
So. Here's the list of my most current books for all you loyal and faithful readers (all two of you): The Tempest by William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward, Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, and the first two books of the Wait For Me Series by J. Lynn. It's a lot to cover for a blog post so I'm going to sum up a few very very briefly.
If you wanna know what I thought about Romeo and Juliet just scroll down or find my post before this one. It will tell you exactly what I think about Juliet and Romeo.
Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker was okay. It was an easy read and honestly I just needed to read angst filled text. The last 1/4 of the book thoroughly pissed me off though. The plot twist was ridiculous and irritating and how she handled the situation was worse. It was just unrealistic and I hated the ending. Up until that last jerk of a plot line, I'd give this book a solid 3 stars. But given how pissed off and irritated I was at the end, it gets a 2. I did read it within two days so wuhoo for speed reading.
Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward was good. A solid 3 stars all around. The characters were complex and there was depth to them. Their chemistry is what got me. I swooned and reacted in the best way possible. The only part that irritated me was her situation in New York. It made it seem like she was pouting. We didn't get any real glimpse into her life as an adult or anything. I wanted to know how successful she was! What life was like for her! Gosh darnit! Also read this within two days and I think I stayed up until 5:30 in the morning to finish it when I had class the next morning. It was worth it.
The J. Lynn books were solid reads. I gave both of them 3/5 stars. Very typical New Adult books but I like that kind of cliche crap so who cares! If you're looking for easy, yet good reads go to any of her books. She's a phenomenal writer and can manipulate language to her back and call. Solid, diverse characters.
Shakespeare's The Tempest was disappointing. I was expecting something witty and slightly romantic like all of his other works. It was mostly about a power struggle and tyranny and ruling and shit. 3 stars. It also took me f o r e v e r to read.
Now getting to the fabulous books I've read recently.
The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare
Started: February 22, 2015
Finished: February 23, 2015
Stars: 4/5
I had to read this book for my Shakespeare and Classical Myth class and I was expecting it to be completely different than what it really was. You know that movie that came out not too long ago called Winter's Tale? The one with Colin Farrell (the British one) and it looked really weird with time travel and immortality or something? That's what I thought this play would be about.
Not true.
Not true at all. I can't even really sum up what exactly it's about but I can tell you this, ITS SO GOOD.
Theres a bromance in it and then betrayal of the bromance and then reconciliation of said bromance.
There is actual romance between the two children of the bromance dudes and the power Perdita (the girl) has over her beau is insane. She literally has him whipped from start to finished and it's glorious to read.
There's also this character called Hermione and she is a queen and strong and stubborn and independent and doesn't take no shit from anybody. She is persuasive and alluring to the point where her husband thinks the baby she's carrying isn't his (which is totally not true). AND HER NAME IS HERMIONE LIKE FROM HARRY POTTER!!! I have read something that is very probably to have influenced J.K Rowling when she wrote HP and developed Hermione's character, because HELLO they have the same name!!!!!
It's really amazing how I can incorporate HP in vast majority of my posts on this blog.
Wow, I also just love strong female characters.
[this book satisfied the "100 year old book" on my 2015 Reading Challenge]
The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Started: February 21, 2015
Finished: February 27, 2015
Stars 5/5
This is sci-fi or fantasy or whatever and IT WAS SO GOOD!!! Mare Barrow is stubborn, reckless, impulsive, some of my favorite qualities to read in a character. I really loved this book. It was a little confusing to read at first and a little slow but then I got to page 60 or so and my nose was glued inside. HOLY MOLY GUACAMOLE!!!
Think of the Hunger Games but without the annoying qualities of the characters and all the depressing factors. Actually scratch that. It's not like Hunger Games cuz I really hate those books. Think more Divergent. Yes. That sounds better. Divergent series minus the third book (because I have convinced myself that the third book did not happen and Tris and Four live happily together wherever they like in post-apocalyptic USA).
Anyway, sorry for the tangent and for this post getting so damn long. Possible spoilers ahead. READ AT OWN RISK.
I loved every single character in this book. I already talked about Mare, but CAL. Oh my goodness gracious. He's amazing and my fave. I love him. I really do. We're getting married soon. Be on the lookout for our save the date. (jk... kinda). Maven is dark and evil and a perfect villain. Seriously. For those of you who've read The Shadow and Bone series, he's like the Darkling. Maybe better. We'll see. Her friend Kilorn annoyed me. He was whiny and boring and all he did was complain to Mare. Sorry bro, can't handle that. If she ends up with him I'm going to be pissed. Mare's family dynamic was realistic and endearing. Most novels the parents are completely absent and the main character has at most 1 sibling. Mare's family is intact. It's atypical for the family to have more than 2 siblings or where the parents are present. It's easier to relate to her with her family and her emotions and relationships with her family members.
The plot was fabulous. It was complex and detailed and zero potholes in the structure. There was a KILLER plot twist within the last 2 chapters of the book and I was breathing heavily while reading and yelled "What the hell?" and freaked my roommate out at 1 am. Needless to say, I need more of this fictional world and Cal and Mare are together and fantasy and wow. I just need the next book ASAP.
After I finished it, I went into a book hangover for a good 5 days and couldn't even look at another book without wanting to reread Red Queen. It's good. I had a couple dreams about it too. No shame.
Go read this book. Please. We can talk about it together if you want.
[this book satisfied my "author under 30" in my 2015 Reading Challenge]
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Started: March 6, 2015
Finished: March 10, 2015
Stars: 4.5/5
Think you've heard every variation of the fairytales ever? Think again. Because if you haven't read Cinder you need to to fulfill the childhood still sleeping inside of you. It's loosely based on Cinderella, but with cyborgs. And a futuristic society. And princes, and robots and magic and mind control and embarrassment. It's great. She tweaked a few of the characters like one of Cinder's stepsisters, Peony, whom Cinder actually feels sisterly affection towards instead of distaste like the original Cinderella.
Cinder is sassy and intelligent and strong willed. She is inspiring to read. She never gives up and is so versatile. Expect some archetypical characters though (the mentor, the love interest, etc.). Prince Kai is enchanting. He is so eloquent with his words and wow swoon! The ending leaves you hanging for more! Ready for the sequels and I'm ready to venture to any book store to pick my copies up!
I really loved the narration. It's told in 3rd person selective, both from Cinder and Kai's perspective. I love books written like that. It really makes you feel like you're there in the story rather just stuck in the limited narrator's mind. I'm trying to write using this style and I really liked seeing how Meyer tweaked it in her book. She made it easier to read and easier to fall into her trap of hooking the reader into the story. So S/O to her narration.
The complexity of this plot was astounding. It was more than Cinder struggling against her stepmother or even against a fatal illness spreading through the country. It was her struggling against her true identity and her ancestry and a literal opposing force from outta this world (get it? hehe). There was so much going on in this book, but because of how well it is written and how captivating it is, you hardly notice nor do you even mind because it's a fabulous adventure going on behind your own eyes (or right in front? I don't know. Both maybe?).
[this book was my "nonhuman characters" for my 2015 Reading Challenge— because cyborgs aren't human right?]
I'm really sorry this post is like 8 days long and ridiculous and mostly me just ranting and being weird. If you sucked it up and read it all the way through, kudos to you friend. (You should tell me who you are so we can be friends or something to let me know people like you actually exist.)
Also, I, out of spur of the moment, copied this into a word document and it's 4 pages. HAHAHAHA and 2,000+ words. I'm really truly deeply sorry for this. It's the English major coming out in me. Seriously, I'm laughing so hard right now.
SOP: Settle Down by The 1975
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