#3

After finally having finished and submitted my graduate school applications, I finished my third book this year.

Considering the awesomeness that is TFiOS, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan was completely mediocre.

Cool writing style, as always, relatively cool characters, and it has it's cool moments.

But.

The story was BORING. And the ending was ridiculously cheesy. A ton of Will Graysons telling Tiny they appreciate him? Come on! Unlike some other Green titles, this one was just WAY too young adult.

You've done better, Mr. Green.

Books and Brothers

So it's halfway through January and I've already finished book #2, so it's looking pretty promising thus far. I just love having the time to read, and it helps that this one was good.

I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, by the way. It was actually amazing. I would probably give it like 4.5 stars. Which is a lot for me. It might be in my top ten. What was really interesting, was that it kind of reminded me of a deeper, modern-day Catcher in the Rye.

The kid, Charlie, is so likable, lovable actually, I would say. He likes a lot of cool books and movies, and loves listening to records and making mixed tapes for people. He hangs out with a lot of cool, really great people. Not to mention he has a really mature view of the world. I love when I read a book and feel like I would be friends with the protagonist if he/she was real.

Also, there were a few shockers. And it ended absolutely beautifully. Now I have to see the movie, which, undoubtedly, will pale in comparison to the book, since I read the book first and everything.

My weekend was nice, not just because of the awesome book. My brother and I are fighting less and less frequently and he's turning into a pretty cool kid (though he certainly has his teenagery, douchey moments). The thing though, is that he doesn't read. He's very uncool like that. Also, he never wants to hang out with me, which is normally fine, but sometimes isn't.

This weekend, my brother asked me two things:

"What book should I read?" and

"Do you wanna go ice skating with me?"

Okay, so he asked about the book because he had to read something for his English class, but it was fun finding a book he'd enjoy. I told him to read The Fault in Our Stars which is one of the greatest books of all time, in my opinion.

He started reading it, while I was reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and it was kind of a cool moment. He was apparently 17 pages in and he said, "I'm kind of interested in this book," which made me smile and which is also when he asked if I wanted to go ice skating with him. It was nice that he wanted to do something with me so we went and it was fun. Yay, brothers. :)

The Casual Vacancy

The first book of 2013 is hereby completed!

This morning, I finished The Casual Vacancy by the brilliant J.K. Rowling. This was the first ebook I purchased on my new Kindle Fire HD that I got for Christmas and I bought it with high hopes.

I'm really disappointed that it didn't meet my expectations or live up to the legendary Harry Potter series. It's possible that, had it been written by another author, I would have been more impressed. But, because of everyone's high expectations, I kind of feel indifferent about it.

It was alright. A million characters and tons of plots and storylines to keep track of. It was hard to get through the first half. The second half was much better, but I still did not mind putting it down... 

Three stars. Sorry, Jo.

In other news: CAN I BE DONE WITH GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATIONS YET? MY GOSH.

Locks of Love

Today I crossed off a very fun/big/important item on my bucket list: "donate hair to Locks of Love."

Which meant I had to say goodbye to a lot... a LOT... of hair! I was kind of terrified. But not terrified enough to not do it, which was good. And the lady who cut it was so nice! It really was a fun experience.

Before:

It's already weird looking at these photos and seeing
how much hair I had!

.... HAIR EVERYWHERE.

During:

I love this picture! The best part was the
ceremonious cutting of the ponytail. :)

After:

Hopefully this means taming "the beast"
will be less of a chore...

This photo is Awkward Town, USA and bad,
but there you have it: short hair and stuff. AND CURLS.

This was really an awesome experience and I'm glad I did it! Yay for Locks of Love and crossing off bucket list items!

Best and Worst Books of 2012

I forgot that, a year ago, I had the intentions of making a best/worst book list at year's end. So here we have it.

I'll start with the worst, so that we can end on a high note.

WORST BOOKS OF 2012*

5. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

I had to put this one on the 5 worst list mostly because of its lack of content. Like I originally said, the first chapter was great, but it just wasn't funny past that. Also, it just dragged on and got boring to read.

4. Becoming Sister Wives by Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Brown

I also had to include this one on the naughty list merely because the writing sucked. I mean, it's to be expected: these people are not writers. Also, I got a lot out of it, but it didn't reveal much more than is revealed on their TLC show.

3. Mockingjay- Suzanne Collins

This was a really disappointing end to the series. The story was comparatively boring and the world of Panem continued to be under-described. Ms. Collins, take a page out of Jo's book (pun intended).

2. The Girl Who Played with Fire- Stieg Larsson

I was NOT a fan of the second book in this series. In fact, I was so much not a fan, that I refuse to read the third one. Just too much going on, I guess. And too many mundane details.

1. The Pilot's Wife- Anita Shreve

This one was BY FAR the WORST book of the year, perhaps the worst I've ever read. Cheesy, boring, shallow, terrible writing, etc. If I happen to notice another book by this yahoo, I will laugh. Out loud.

BEST BOOKS OF 2012*

5. The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger

This one kept me laughing and kept me reading, even though nothing super compelling happened. It was thought-provoking, however, so it deserves 5th place!

4. Expecting Adam- Martha Beck

Reading this one was kind of a spiritual experience and also made me rethink what we're taught when we're part of a university. I generally believe I have a good quality education, but Beck sheds light on what really matters and that there's more to life than what you learn from professors.

3. Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 is brilliant. Bradbury was one smart dude. He predicted, sometimes metaphorically and sometimes literally, many major flaws with today's society. My mind was blown. Round of applause for Mr. Ray Bradbury, may he rest in peace.

2. Sarah's Key- Tatiana de Rosnay

This story is beautiful and it was beautifully written. First of all, I didn't even know about this part of World War II. Second, it totally tugged on my heartstrings, always a plus. I don't think this one is very well known, but I highly recommend it. 

1. The Fault in Our Stars- John Green

Okay, I'm pretty sure I read this masterpiece in two settings and sobbed intermittently. John Green is one awesome dude. What's even better is that he doesn't underestimate a teenager's ability to take in deep subject matter, and he doesn't limit his readership (many adults love it too!). Very very powerful read and I recommend it to anybody and everybody. Congratulations, Mr. Green-- your novel has rightly earned 1st place in best books of 2012!

*Note: I am not including books I'd already read prior to 2012, for obvious reasons.

New Year, New Renovations

My blog is boring. I know it is. All I really blog about is book reviews and how much I'm failing at my book-reading goals. It started out fun, and I still sort of enjoy it, but it's too limited. Why not blog about other things?

Hence, the new name and design. 

It's inspired by one of the most beautiful songs ever written, in my opinion ("Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory, the original/1971 version, of course). This was one of those movies that I watched over and over again as a child, probably every day for a year and many many times in other years. Our VHS tape of it is probably ruined from overuse. Hey, I was a kid who was in love with chocolate (STILL AM) and thought Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory existed until an embarrassingly old age. 

But I digress.

The lyrics of the song have deeper meaning than chocolate-making, and especially resonate with me now. I think many of us (especially students) focus so much on their future and getting to a certain happy, enjoyable, ideal life situation that we forget to appreciate where we are now. Which is something I'm working on. Okay, I'm living with my parents when I wish I had the funds to pay for school AND my own place, I'm getting tired of being tired and stressed, and this hour-long commute to school is becoming unbearable. But what I should do is enjoy the time I have with my family in their beautiful house and neighborhood, appreciate their willingness to help and my opportunity to get a higher education, and use those long commutes as a time to reflect. 

Another thing that's bogging me down is my graduate school application process. I got to a place where I was extremely overwhelmed and afraid of not getting in anywhere. While being rejected at all five schools to which I'm applying would disappoint me for a time, I need to consider and be aware of the possibility that I will be doing something else next year. At first, the idea terrified me-- my biggest fear is failure. But feeling sorry for myself wouldn't get me anywhere, nor would it lead me to becoming a licensed speech pathologist. So I've decided that I don't NEED to get into a graduate program right away if it just doesn't happen. It would give me the opportunity to stay at my awesome jobs and earn some more money first to actually pay for it.

Anyway, to spare you further ranting, I will leave you with the song that inspired my renovated blog and my new attitude: