tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11112766863359134032024-02-26T02:01:28.507-05:00Novel AmbitionFor the love of books.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-54182793440742519002015-04-13T01:05:00.000-04:002015-04-13T01:05:41.375-04:00For the Liberty of Free Internet, to the American Government, Concerning Net Neutrality<div>
As we all know, the only people who write in to their local, state, or federal government are either crazy conservatives or crazy liberals trying to get their #crazy ideas heard. It's always for someone who's for or against gay marriage, abortion, or any other hot button topic that has something to do with religion. Rarely do those topics affect <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank">87% of American adults</a>. You know what does?</div>
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That's right: the Internet. In fact, 97% of the population between 18 and 29 uses the internet, which means that almost all college students and young adults who have recently entered the workforce are on the internet, connecting, arguing, shopping, realizing their political views, gaming, blogging, etc.,etc.,etc., on and on and on, because the internet has no bounds.<br />
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As a female American college student who is twenty-one years of age, obsessed with Buzzfeed, and who has a view on the internet that only a millennial can, I feel that I am one of the best people out there to explain to you, our wonderful government, why it is that the idea of an internet controlled by corporations has most of us going "lolwut." (Which isn't a good reaction.)<br />
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For many young adults, the internet is how we connect with each other and the world around us. It's where we get our news, consume our media, meet people with the same interests, and, for college students, how we do our homework. There was, once upon a time, the possibility that one could get by without an internet connection. That idyllic time has passed. </div>
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What people do with the internet varies. Many use it for entertainment, some use it for business, and others use it for <a href="http://www.lolcats.com/" target="_blank">lolcats</a>. There are websites that allow people to raise money to eventually, at some point, maybe end up making that <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kickstarter.com%2F&ei=AysrVdSkAselgwSQnITYCQ&usg=AFQjCNEEhZ7MpBNKrD7x7T8c4DQ_Mg1iiA&sig2=EMoXdKQhBzzAp1nV36oAtQ&bvm=bv.90491159,d.eXY" target="_blank">one product they think there's a niche for</a>, websites that allow people to sell <a href="http://www.etsy.com/" target="_blank">products they've already made</a>, and websites that<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kickstarter.com%2F&ei=AysrVdSkAselgwSQnITYCQ&usg=AFQjCNEEhZ7MpBNKrD7x7T8c4DQ_Mg1iiA&sig2=EMoXdKQhBzzAp1nV36oAtQ&bvm=bv.90491159,d.eXY" target="_blank"> don't seem to do much of anything</a>. You can buy anything on the internet. You can sell anything on the internet. You can make any type of website you want to. </div>
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But is this type of freedom here to stay? </div>
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs), such as Comcast, Time Warner, and AT&T, want to be able to charge users more based on the content they use, and websites more in order to be in a "fast lane," or to be able to reach users at a faster speed than the websites that didn't pay for this.</div>
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I am serious. If they succeed in making this a reality, the internet will no longer be the land of wonderful possibility it is today. Instead, it will become a wasteland of defeated dreams. (Okay, that was a little dramatic. But it will still suck.)<br />
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<b>3 Arguments by ISPs as to Why They Should Be Able to Do This (And Why They Are Wrong)</b><br />
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1. <i>It's only fair for websites that use more bandwidth to pay us more. And they'll get to the customers faster. </i>The website is already paying you more just to exist. You are an INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER. You provide the website with a way to reach its customers. Websites that use more bandwidth do have to pay you more in order to stay up and running. Here, you're saying that you want these websites to pay you even more just so you continue giving them enough speed to be usable.<br />
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Using Netflix as an example: Customer pays Netflix so he can binge-watch the Walking Dead for 48 hours straight. Netflix pays an ISP, such as Comcast, so it can reach Walking Dead Fanatic's (Henceforth known as WDF) house. Comcast threatens Netflix: PAY MORE OR BE AS SLOW AS A ZOMBIE. Netflix refuses. Comcast slows down the connection between Netflix and WDF's house. Although WDF likes to watch zombies, he doesn't want his internet to be as slow as one. WDF gives up. Goes to Hulu, which paid Comcast more, to get his Zombie fix instead. Netflix is forced to pay more. Comcast gets more money, Netflix has to raise its price to customers. WDF is happy to be able to watch the Walking Dead at last, but wait. What's that? All of this binge watching is using too much bandwidth? He has to start paying his ISP more? He can no longer afford a monthly streaming service at all? Thanks, Comcast, thanks. Now where is WDF supposed to get his fix of smashed-in zombie heads?<br />
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The customer doesn't win in this situation. Netflix doesn't win in this situation. Comcast wins by forcing Netflix into paying more just to keep existing. If this becomes a reality, Netflix will either pay, or only continue to exist in the hearts of its millions of loved ones.<br />
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2. <i>If we are the pathway between the website and the consumer, shouldn't we be able to control what goes through our pipes? What about the people doing illegal stuff? </i>Well, ISP, you are not law enforcement. It's not your business if people are doing illegal things. That is the business of our government. It's not as though you're even liable for what goes through your systems, since up until this point you have been treated like a common carrier. Common carriers (telephone companies, mail trucks, and other things that transfer goods and services), legally cannot discriminate against what they are carrying, whether it's physical goods or data hurling through a space time continuum (isn't that how wifi works?). For this reason, common carriers cannot be punished if what they are carrying is illegal.<br />
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Are you saying, ISP, that you don't want to be treated like a common carrier? That you would, in fact, like to be held responsible for all of the illegal downloads of Taylor Swifts newest CD, among lots of other illegal things? Because I'm not sure that's the smartest idea, ISP. You would have to be really, really diligent in order to avoid being liable for anything. Really diligent.<br />
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3. <i>This measure will only increase healthy competition and end up benefiting the customer.</i> Okay, ISP, here is where you are very, very wrong. And you <i>know</i> you're wrong. You know why you know you're wrong? Because ISPs have a monopoly on the areas they provide to. Time Warner only provides its services to certain areas of the United States, and those areas often do no overlap with the ones Comcast provides to. Or the ones AT%T provides to. Or the ones literally any other ISP provides to. Time Warner is the only option for that area. A costumer <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/internet/178465-woe-is-isp-30-of-americans-cant-choose-their-service-provider" target="_blank">cannot shop around</a> to find the right ISP for her unique needs. No, a customer is stuck with the one she's got. If she wants to continue to exclusively use the internet for online shopping (isn't that the only thing women do on the internet?), then she's going to have to pay her ISP whatever it wants.<br />
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Once again, it looks like the only winner here is the ISP, not the customer.<br />
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What ISPs are trying to do is make more money. Whereas normally our capitalist market would mean it's a good thing that companies control a commodity and not the government, the monopoly situation here gives the ISPs entirely too much power. A free market economy cannot exists effectively if there is no competition.<br />
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So, my fine government that only has our best interests at heart and does everything in its power to protect its people, do you see the problem here? <br />
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Without net neutrality, ISPs will hike up their prices for both websites and customers, and will probably come up with a billing system that divides customers based on how much usage they want or need monthly, sort of like how cellular carriers do. These prices will, undoubtedly, only continue to expand with the move away from cable television and things you read in print and toward receiving those things through the internet, thus enlarging our average daily amount of usage.<br />
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It is not the right of an ISP to control, in any way, what a user is doing on the internet. It should not be able to block us from reaching certain websites because it doesn't like that website, or that website hasn't paid it enough. It should not be able to prioritize large businesses, like Spotify, over independent businesses just trying to make it in this cold, cold world. It should not be abel to prevent us from accessing the internet at all if we go over our allotted bandwidth for the month.<br />
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These ISPs, if left unchecked, would essentially end up censoring each and every one of us in some way, shape or form. You cannot let this happen. Right now, the internet is the great equalizer in America. Behind the screen, it doesn't matter what race or gender you are. All that matters is if you prefer The Backstreet Boys or *NSync and whether you are a cat person or a dog person. (That's a trick question: everyone on the internet is a cat person. No exceptions. Also, Backstreet Boys 4Eva.)<br />
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Our freedom has Americans to make our own choices about what (legal) activities we partake in is at stake. Protect our freedom, government. Do your job.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-5174881609620179942015-03-27T14:03:00.000-04:002015-03-27T14:03:16.675-04:00Study Abroad at RHUL: Camden Market, Sherlock, and Harry PotterOne of my absolute favorite days in London was the day trip I took with my friend Alex, where she showed me Camden Market and then we went to all of the Sherlock related places we could find. We finished with a trip to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station.<br />
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Saturday October 18: Camden Market</h2>
Camden was, by far, the most alternative place I visited in London. Every two feet there was another tattoo and piercing shop, or a clothing store that looked like Hot Topic on steroids. It was awesome!<br />
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Since it was a Saturday, it was very crowded and I felt like I had to stick super close to Alex while we were walking around. We went to the "market" part of Camden Market and I wanted to buy everything. There were people selling things from jewelry to soap to mirrors to clothing, and I wanted it all. I did buy a scarf and a cool leather watch that had one strap that wrapped around my wrist multiple times. Unfortunately, I broke it before I made it back Stateside. </div>
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The food stalls were really awesome and diverse. I had a hard time deciding what I would want for lunch, but then I found a mac and cheese stand, which I had to have. They don't do a lot of mac and cheese in England, so it was a little taste of home.</div>
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Another thing that contributed to the alternative atmosphere was the graffiti. The picture below features the words "Love is Art." I also got to take a picture with the awesome tribute statue of Amy Winehouse, which was unveiled in 2014. Camden Market is an overall awesome place and was a great experience, even if it was hard to resist buying things from all of the stands.<br />
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Next Up: Sherlockian Adventures</h2>
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Alex and I are both big fans of the BBC show Sherlock (starring Benedict Cumberbatch, natch), so when we heard that the Museum of London had a Sherlock Holmes themed exhibit, we had to go. The Museum of London is in The City of London, near St. Paul's Cathedral, which I visited the week before. The exhibit itself was focused on Arthur Conan Doyle's original texts, but had some features on the the adaptations. I really enjoyed the pictures and information about what London was like during Sherlock's time.</div>
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No pictures were allowed in the exhibition, but I did manage to take a completely against-the-rules picture of a coat that has actually been on Benedict Cumberbatch's body. That was exciting.<br />
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Speaking of things Benedict Cumberbatch has touched, our next stop was St. Bartholomew's Hospital, right down the street from The Museum of London. The hospital was featured in the season two finale of Sherlock, so I know Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have both been there and that was awesome.<br />
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Some other Sherlock fans had written some messages in the dirt on the windows, which was both weird and cool to see. That's more dedication than I have, for sure! I took a picture of the part of the pavement I think Benedict Cumberbatch probably laid on, too, because why not?<br />
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Our next stop was the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street (but not 221B, because that doesn't actually exist). We didn't end up paying to go into the museum, but spent a good amount of time in the gift shop, which had some cool merchandise.</div>
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There was a cool sign directing us to the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street.</div>
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Our final Sherlock related stop was the actual building where they film the entrance to 221B in the BBC show Sherlock. Here I am, modeling the cool bag I got at the Sherlock Holmes Museum that says "I am Sherlocked," a reference to the show.</div>
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The last thing on our itinerary for the day was to go to platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross station. Alex had been there before, but I obviously had not and was really looking forward to it. The line was pretty long to take a picture, but it moved fast, and before I knew it I was getting my picture taken on my way to the Hogwarts Express!</div>
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Note: The building on the left is NOT King's Cross Station, even though Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets tried to trick you into think it is. It's actually St. Pancras station, which is right beside King's Cross. It's way prettier than King's Cross, probably why they featured it in the movie.</div>
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So, that was one of my favorite, nerdy, awesome days in London! We fit a lot into one day, and I'm so glad I had the chance to spend a whole day with Alex. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-90124035180005513142014-10-20T17:00:00.000-04:002014-10-20T17:00:08.317-04:00Study Abroad at RHUL: Shakespeare's Globe and The White Cliffs of DoverI seem to be averaging two trips per week where I leave my campus and Egham, the surrounding town, to explore other parts of England. I think that's pretty good! My third week at Royal Holloway I went to Shakespeare's Globe Theater and the White Cliffs of Dover.<br />
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Wednesday October 8th: <a href="http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/" target="_blank">Shakespeare's Globe Theater</a></h2>
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This was one of my solo trips, mostly because I'd only learned a few days before that there were only a few shows left for the season. Due to limited planning time and the fact that I could go on a Wednesday afternoon when many of my friends can't, my options were either go by myself or not go at all--easy decision. To make the most of my trip, I decided to get to the Globe by going to <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stpauls.co.uk%2F&ei=6TNEVKW1CoLeavXigJgM&usg=AFQjCNH3pECGB-0i-j3fP2UR2r1OAxDfJA&sig2=DgU1BhwsFNqlouQ5bcsNrA&bvm=bv.77648437,d.d2s" target="_blank">St. Paul's Cathedral</a> via tube then crossing the Thames on the <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDsQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.londonmillenniumbridge.com%2F&ei=tiFEVP6TIaeu7Abb0oDADg&usg=AFQjCNFh1klQwAHdvzn0b0DRdb6HJ2ejjQ&sig2=LoTkRjFPYC9bZW3y-cwK3w&bvm=bv.77880786,d.ZGU" target="_blank">Millennium Bridge</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Paul's Cathedral </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing Millenium Bridge</td></tr>
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If you're unfamiliar with the Globe Theatre, it is a reconstruction of the theatre of the same name that many of Shakespeare's productions were performed in when he was alive. It was built in the 1990s to almost exact specifications of the original, including a thatched roof. I got lucky and managed to make the very last tour for the day, without even planning to go on one. I even got to see some of the actors warm up!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A model of the Globe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the seats</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the actors warming up!</td></tr>
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The Globe has an open top, so you can either buy seats and be covered by the roof or choose to stand in the yard as a "groundling." I chose to take advantage of the cheap tickets (and the great view!) and stand in the yard, which means that I got pretty wet when it was pouring before the show started. Luckily, the rain stopped right before the play began and didn't start up again for the duration.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting in the rain </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The people behind me in the yard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My view of the stage (!!!)</td></tr>
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There's no photography allowed during the show, but take my word for it that it was amazing. I barely even noticed that I was standing for the full 2 1/2 hours because I was so enthralled. I laughed the entire time, and the actors were wonderful. One of the leads had had a part in Sherlock for an episode, so that was cool.<br />
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After the show, I bought a bunch of stuff from the fantastic gift shop. That gift shop is the bomb. I got a Shakespeare's Globe tote bag and some magnets with a quote from each <i>Macbeth</i> and <i>As You Like It, </i>my favorite drama and comedy, respectively (at least, that I've read so far). I wanted so much more, but I do have a semblance of a budget to stick to. All in all, it was a great day and I'm really happy that I decided to go despite having to make last minute arrangements.<br />
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Saturday October 11th: <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/white-cliffs-dover/" target="_blank">The White Cliffs of Dover </a></h2>
I went to Dover with my friends Lauren and Kiana. We got up early to catch a bus from London Victoria station to Dover that took 2 1/2 hours, which wasn't super fun but was about a fifteenth of the price of taking a train. Unfortunately, the tickets we booked didn't give us a ton of time to explore all of Dover, but we got to spend a few hours on the cliffs taking pictures and walking around reveling in the beauty.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The majestic Dover Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you squint, you can see France!</td></tr>
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When we were approaching the cliffs it was raining, but that cleared up fast. Although the skies and view got prettier, the mud did not automatically go away when the sun came out. At the end of the day all of our shoes were covered in mud from walking along the paths and climbing the hills. I would recommend wearing really sturdy shoes if you ever visit Dover. I would also recommend that you visit Dover.<br />
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<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FH4EKNfnBZ05sM8d1-Tq4q9nL99VP-jYj7NzByCo2KCjEOE3sxDpjpEOinZrCmWpUdYf-keX4p4GJs5HUEHEUgZKOPawTBMf_QYKfac0q-DczRbmbewDbEehLKZmLpp7qB01s43NBCef/s1600/IMG_0069.jpg" width="200" /></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucQYJC-GwRrVFGH9RdRiYZ6oieIMWQy1Q1x1E2y8OGhEPsqOcM0aYPsvamcnHKJXOYAm5TrONrWYhxp9lC-c61i5comIkvzUOCrj5YR5G8lQ_d9SSUdtQQWHIJSvgzKxlZ3XhiXW_eY6E/s1600/IMG_0076.jpg" width="200" /></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLPFrQWsubZQRQjAY422CktOJcOelhV_iNMnod4qJPJb19tTezc6ia2kulzUCsynxQLXhTGE726zGuVBpbk1JpOXLHmBa95TTzVpd_N4pApXMgpu6pVlEDYjvJ6Dn5SalD59ILlk6SdQy/s1600/IMG_3194.jpg" width="200" /></td>
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Despite our limited time and muddy shoes, all three of us really enjoyed the trip to Dover. If I had more time in England I would probably even go back, but as it is I think that I need to spend my time exploring other things. We capped off our day with a wild hunt for Mexican food in London, and ended up at Wahaca, a great restaurant where I tried my first ever mojito. Overall, a very successful day.<br />
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Until next time,<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-57415481389445787452014-10-13T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-19T15:21:17.407-04:00Study Abroad at RHUL: Trips the First Week of OctoberI've now been at RHUL for three full weeks. In some ways it feels like I've been here forever, and in others like I'm fresh off the boat. Though I haven't been here super long, I've still found time to pack in four trips to London and a trip to Dover. Not having class on Wednesdays or Fridays really helps, because then I have a whole day in the middle of the week where I can go explore London, and I have more time on the weekends to plan longer trips.<br />
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This are the trips from my second week here, the trips from the third week will be up soon!<br />
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Wednesday October 1st: Leicester Square and Charing Cross Road</h2>
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I learned how to use the train and the tube on my first trip to London with Lauren and Kiana. It's practically idiot-proof, so I felt like I could go into London and get around by myself no problem. Of course the first thing I did when I had the chance was go book shopping. I got off the tube at Leicester Square (pronounced Lester) and just walked around all day, exploring the famous-for-bookstores Charing Cross Road and wandering to Picadilly Circus. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of Leicester Square</td></tr>
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There are a ton of independent and secondhand bookstores in that area, and I went into four or five of them. I found some super cheap editions of Shakespeare plays that I will be reading for class at Henry Pordes, a fairly large secondhand store, and I spent hours in Foyles, a bookstore with six levels including the ground floor. I ended up with four books from Foyles.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The books I bought from Foyles</td></tr>
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When I was in Foyles, I noticed that a there seem to be far fewer hardcover books in the UK than in the US. Which was good for me, because they weren't nearly as expensive. It felt a little odd to see so many super thick paperbacks, because it seems like US publishers keep books in hardback for as long as possible. I also rediscovered that in the UK only single quotation marks are used for dialogue instead of double quotation marks. (Sidenote: It might be a good idea for me to see if that applies to academic papers too...).<br />
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After I wandered pretty far up Charing Cross Road to Foyles, I went back toward Leicester Square and down a few side streets. I went into a really cool store that had signed copies of a lot of popular books. I was surprised at how recently some of the signed books had been released. I also checked out Marchpane, a store for rare children's and illustrated books, but they were closed when I passed by. They had a signed first edition of Harry Potter in the window, though, so I'll probably be back at some point to see what other treasures are inside. </div>
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When I had lunch I discovered that saying you want cream with your coffee means you want whipped cream on it. It was awesome. I started One Day by David Nicholls while I was there, and I ended up continuing to read it on the train back home even though I'd intended to read for class (whoops). </div>
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After lunch I walked to Picadilly Circus without even realizing it. I realized that things are a lot closer together than Google Maps would lead you to believe. It was really busy, but there were a lot of souvenir shops around so I stopped in one and picked up some things to bring back home. </div>
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After a quick stop in Starbucks for a very American Pumpkin Spice Latte, I headed back to Waterloo station and got on a train to Egham. I think it went pretty well for it being the first time traveling to London on my own. </div>
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Saturday October 4th: Bus Tour of London and the British Museum</h2>
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I went on this trip through Royal Holloway's study abroad office. It was a bus tour where we got to get out and take photos at quite a few different places, while also getting a feel for London as a whole. Our guide, Kevin, was super awesome. He was funny and made sure to tell us the important things and the things we would find interesting. I could tell that he really enjoys giving the tours. <span id="goog_1220377165"></span><span id="goog_1220377166"></span> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in front of Buckingham Palace</td></tr>
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I'm really happy I went on this trip, because I got to do some of the more touristy things that my British friends aren't super interested in. Buckingham Palace was our first photo stop, and it really wasn't as grand as I expected it to be. Unfortunately, we'd just missed the time of year they let visitors inside. But it was still Buckingham Palace, so it's automatically cool. I found out that the Queen likes to spent her weekends in Windsor Castle, which is actually really close to Royal Holloway. That is definitely on my list of places to visit.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben</td></tr>
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If you went to London and didn't take a picture of Big Ben, did you really go to London? Fun fact: Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the clock tower, not the name of the clock or the tower. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower Bridge</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Another fun fact: Tower Bridge is the super pretty one that you want to take pictures of (even when it's raining, like it was when I took this one). London Bridge is just a normal bridge that cars go over like nbd. I was actually taking this picture from London Bridge, so I can attest that it's not very cool. </div>
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After we finished our tour of London, we went to the British Museum. It is both huge and free. There are so many exhibits there that we only got to go to a few in our two hours, so hopefully I'll be going back before I leave to spend more time there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chess set that inspired the one used in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The head from a huge statue of King Ramesses II</td></tr>
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I also want to go back for the gift shop, because there were so many awesome souvenirs there. I couldn't even begin to think of what to buy while I was there the last time, so I didn't end up with anything. That will have to be fixed. </div>
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Although I had to get up early on a Saturday for this, it was definitely worth it. I met my friend Sophie on this tour, and now we're planning to go on at least two trips to cities in Europe together! So it was a great experience, though I certainly didn't feel as independent and awesome as I did when I went by myself. </div>
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Until next time,</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fresher's Week</span></h2>
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Fresher's Week, AKA Welcome Week, occurs the week before classes begin and is primarily for first year students. Both the university and the Students' Union host events throughout the week, and every night there are at least two different "official" parties to go to. I prefer a more low-key setting, so I skipped most of the bigger events and hung out with smaller groups to get to know people instead. I had a lot of fun being able to go out any night of the week without having to worry about class in the morning! The difference in drinking age was a little disorienting at first, since I'm not used to having a university actually sponsor events with alcohol.</div>
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Fresher's week isn't only about partying, though. The degree seeking students have introductory lectures for their courses, and other commitments to help them understand the next three years in their department. I didn't have to go to these because I'm a visiting student, so I used my days to get to know the other girls in my hall, learn my way around campus, and explore Egham. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the High Street in Egham.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Royal Holloway is technically located in Egham, which is a lot like Oxford, OH. It is close enough to walk to from campus, and most of the shops, restaurants, and bars are on one long street. It's really convenient for students studying at Royal Holloway and there are a lot of housing options for upper-class students. There's even a Tesco grocery store, which is like Wal-Mart (but not nearly as big). </div>
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My main motto for this week seemed to by "Buy all the things!" Even though I packed my own suitcase, I think I didn't fully comprehend how little I was actually bringing with me until I got to Royal Holloway and didn't have many of the conveniences I'm used to. Such as full sized bottles of shampoo. And a bed-sheet. And food. Let's just say I've been to Tesco quite a few times.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My First Trip to London</span></h2>
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Even though Royal Holloway is part of the University of London, it's actually about a 45 minute train ride to get from Egham to Waterloo station in London. So although it's unfortunate that I can't access it from my doorstep, if I lived directly in London I wouldn't be able to live in my Hogwarts substitute castle, and that would be a shame. </div>
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I made it to London my first full weekend after arriving. I went with two other visiting Americans, Lauren and Kiana. They both go to the University of Florida, but didn't know each other until they got here. Lauren's been to London multiple times on shorter trips, and she showed me and Kiana how to use the tube (it's actually incredibly easy). She also knew where to go to get the perfect phone booth shot with Big Ben in the background. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, doing the tourist thing.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We started the day by just walking around Southbank and taking pictures of the recognizable parts. The crowds were so crazy that it was sometimes hard to keep track of each other. That's what you get for going on a Saturday, I guess.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't ride it on this trip, but I will before I leave!</td></tr>
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Keeping with the theme of crazy crowds, we spent the rest of the day shopping on Oxford Street, which is a really long stretch of stores that vary from inexpensive (Primark) to more high-quality (Topshop), but there aren't the super high-end designer label stores there. If you want Chanel or Dolce & Gabbana, you can find them on Bond Street. </div>
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Oxford Street is so long and busy that stores actually start repeating themselves. Walking from Topshop to Primark (less than a mile) I saw many stores three times. </div>
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The crowds were crazy, but that didn't mean that I didn't enjoy exploring English fashion. I bought my first pair of ankle boots from a store called River Island. Riding boots, unfortunately, aren't nearly as popular here as they are in America.<br />
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One thing I really like about fashion in London, as described by my friend Lauren, is that the philosophy seems to be "if you like it, you wear it." There's a wide variety of what's "in" and I wouldn't say that there's any sort of unofficial dress code at Royal Holloway like there sometimes seems to be at Miami. Most of the students here do dress fashionably, however, so I once again chose a school wear sweatpants are not frequently seen in class. Score.</div>
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We were so tired after spending the afternoon shopping that we left London right after we finished on Oxford Street. I'm so glad I have the rest of the semester to go back and see as much as I can before I have to leave, because although I enjoy buying clothes, there's so much more to do in London. Such as spend hours in the bookstores and explore some of the museums. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-18329101062452355192014-09-21T19:00:00.000-04:002014-10-19T15:21:32.066-04:00Studying Abroad at Royal Holloway: Settling In<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Flight</span></h2>
I left the US from Port Columbus International Airport. I was very surprised when they put my suitcase on the scale and it was actually about seven pounds <i>under</i> the weight limit. I was sure it was overweight (mostly because my whole life is in one suitcase, but also because I could barely lift it). The guy checking IDs at security asked if I was single and if I date 28 year-olds, to which I said no. Somehow I don't think that's part of his job description.<br />
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My first flight, to Toronto, was on a tiny propeller plane that fit about 25 people. I actually had to walk outside to enter the plane. I thought that only happened in movies, but I guess that's standard for small planes.<br />
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I had a three-hour layover in the Toronto airport, which is awesome. There are tons of tables with iPads on docks, and they let you surf the internet and check your flight status from them for free.<br />
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Unfortunately, I was stuck with a middle seat on my seven-hour flight from Toronto to London Heathrow, but I sat next to a really nice woman from Zurich, Switzerland who was on her way back home from staying in San Fransisco and Seattle for a few weeks. It was weird to me that she was traveling in the US in the same way I want to travel in Europe. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Arriving</span></h2>
Once I arrived at London Heathrow, I had to go through customs before I could get my bags. It was slightly nerve wracking because the customs agent didn't show any facial expressions the whole time he was looking over my paperwork, so I had no idea if I'd done things right or not. But he let me in, so I guess I couldn't have gotten it too wrong!<br />
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A student representative from Royal Holloway was waiting outside the terminal for international students, which was awesome. From there we went and waited for the bus that would bring us directly to campus. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My Room</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQJPRIppntLP2PHVa5tHeI_LkZz319lP_PLgXBpztFC2Kqh5xxmdukgCIGdX7dfDkzC1Mt5XfPYXlvVCa4jNda9mh6lNNDoA9HXO-H0kQRbf3k5RUf4rZHjZvzFDFYJgzOvOPKESLc0LW/s1600/IMG_2977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQJPRIppntLP2PHVa5tHeI_LkZz319lP_PLgXBpztFC2Kqh5xxmdukgCIGdX7dfDkzC1Mt5XfPYXlvVCa4jNda9mh6lNNDoA9HXO-H0kQRbf3k5RUf4rZHjZvzFDFYJgzOvOPKESLc0LW/s1600/IMG_2977.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I checked in and found my room in Founder's Hall fine, but the building is huge! There are two wings, the east and west, and then the quads are the North Quad or the South Quad, and you have to leave the building to get from one wing to the other. The hall has student rooms, two dining halls, a library, the health center, a chapel, and even more that I haven't discovered yet. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition to a corner of the building, you can see my friends Julia and Erin!</td></tr>
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My room is a single, and it's pretty small, but I like it! I didn't bring much stuff at all, so I have plenty of room for everything.<br />
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I had to go to Tesco (Pretty much Wal-Mart) for the sheets and duvet cover, and my friend Julia's mother offered to drive us there before she left! It was so nice of her. Since then, I've made another Tesco trip for more essentials.<br />
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I have a sink in my room, which is strange but really awesome. I wish more universities had sinks in the room in America. Super helpful. But I don't have a refrigerator, which is strange and not awesome. <br />
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The posters on my wall are from a sale at the Student's Union. I needed to buy them because my room was so bare, and they've really made the place feel more like home.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My Corridor</span></h2>
I seem to have gotten super lucky with my corridor, because we all spent the first afternoon sitting in the hallway talking and introducing ourselves. Many of us in the corridor pictured just sit outside in the hallway when we aren't doing anything, or we leave our doors open so we can chat with each other.<br />
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<br />
All the five floors of Founder's are all painted a different color, and because our floor is green we've named ourselves The Green Mile. It's been really awesome to have everyone be so social and willing to get to know each other, since I'm here by myself. It's been so easy to make friends this way.<br />
<br />
So far, I've met some awesome people and have had a great time. I'm starting to get a feel for the campus and kind of know my way around my own building. Sometimes. I still have a whole week until classes start, so hopefully I'll be able to navigate better by then.<br />
<br />
Until next time.<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-69638077168879279792014-09-19T08:00:00.000-04:002014-09-19T08:00:12.585-04:00The Bibliophile's Guide to Studying Abroad: The Books I'm BringingTo prepare for my upcoming <a href="http://www.novelambition.com/2014/09/study-abroad-at-royal-holloway.html" target="_blank">study abroad trip to London, England,</a> I've been buying books in addition to other travel necessities. I hope to get a lot of reading done while traveling, both to England and when I'm taking my side trips in other parts of Europe.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">The one print book I am bringing with me:</span></h2>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12262741-wild?from_search=true" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354159655l/12262741.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12262741-wild?from_search=true" target="_blank">Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail </a></i>by Cheryl Strayed: I'm reading this book with my best friend, so of course it's the book that I want to be able to read even when my battery is running low. Also, it's about finding yourself through travel, which hopefully will be inspirational to me as I see other parts of the world for the first time.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">The ebooks that I've been saving for this trip: </span></h2>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9627755-isla-and-the-happily-ever-after?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362064564l/9627755.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9627755-isla-and-the-happily-ever-after?from_search=true" target="_blank"><i>Isla and the Happily Ever After</i></a> by Stephanie Perkins : I've read Perkins's first book, <i>Anna and the French Kiss</i>, which is about a girl at an American boarding school in Paris, three or four times. Each time I read it I want to see Paris more. <i>Isla</i> is a companion novel set at the same boarding school, though I've also read that there are more European cities in this one. I've been anticipating this book for years now, so needless to say I am incredibly excited to finally dig in. Maybe I'll even get to visit some of the places I'll read about!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12617758-the-expats?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325641431l/12617758.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12617758-the-expats?from_search=true" target="_blank"><i>The Expats</i></a> by Chris Pavone: Yet another travel themed book, this one intrigues me because it is set in Luxembourg. Though it is a small European country that is often overlooked, my home school, Miami University, has a campus there. Students can study at that campus for a semester or a year, and though I am not participating in that program, I think it would be cool to know a little bit more about the country. Also, it's a mystery/thriller and that sounds like a major boredom buster. <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18813642-bad-feminist?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389909963l/18813642.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18813642-bad-feminist?from_search=true" target="_blank"><i>Bad Feminist: Essays</i></a> by Roxane Gay: Feminism is my favorite thing to become more educated about. I consider myself a feminist, but I am not in any way an expert on the topic. I've heard that this book is hilarious and full of truth, my favorite combination. Many people who have read it say that it should be "required reading," so consider this an example of my teacher's pet tendencies.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These are the books I've chosen as travel companions. I will be sure to report back once I've finished them. Expect another post at the end of my trip with all of the books that I'm bringing back with me! </div>
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Until next time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-16375947204656652692014-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:002014-09-16T08:00:04.479-04:00The Bibliophile's Guide to Studying Abroad: eReader or Tablet?We bibliophiles are lucky to be living in the age of the eReader. Thousands of books can be stored on a device that weighs as much as a paperback. I love my print books, but it would be really hard to convince myself that they are worth the weight in my luggage if I had to bring paper copies of everything. Fifty pounds is not that much, people!<br />
<br />
No matter how much you love paper copies of books, it's obvious that ebooks are much more convenient for traveling.<br />
<br />
While preparing for my <a href="http://www.novelambition.com/2014/09/study-abroad-at-royal-holloway.html" target="_blank">study abroad semester in London, England</a>, a big question was: Do I bring my Kindle or iPad Mini? <br />
<br />
As I'm also bringing my laptop for schoolwork, it seemed like a waste of space to bring both entertainment devices. But which one is better for my trip? <br />
<br />
Though I only have experience with my iPad mini and Kindle Paperwhite, many of the benefits can apply to other eReaders or tablets. <br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">eReader</span></h2>
<b>Pros:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Holds a lot of books without worry about exceeding the space limit</li>
<li>No back light or screen glare</li>
<li>Very long battery life </li>
</ul>
<b>Cons:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Doesn't support magazines or video</li>
</ul>
If you are someone who can read exclusively while traveling, I would definitely recommend bringing an eReader. The long battery life and practically unlimited reading options make it great for people who can get through multiple books during one trip.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Tablet</span></h2>
<b>Pros:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Holds both books and magazines</li>
<li>Allows for TV and movies</li>
<li>Holds music</li>
<li>Can use an internet browser or social media apps with wifi</li>
</ul>
<b>Cons:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Much shorter battery life. </li>
<li>The backlit screen and glare may make it hard to read in some situations</li>
<li>The storage space fills up pretty fast with everything downloaded </li>
</ul>
If you are like me, and need forms of entertainment other than books while you travel, then the tablet is the way to go. With it, I have various ways to occupy my time while traveling. I like options.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<br />
Ultimately, the pros of the iPad mini outweigh those of the Kindle. Though I love that I don't have to worry about charging my Kindle, I also love my magazines and the seasons of Sex and the City I've downloaded on my iPad. And my Kindle will be waiting for me when I get back, perhaps ready for its turn on my next adventure!<br />
<br />
<b>Winner: Tablet!</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Until next time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><b> </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZMuGct-WGywad9v5GRaYXQ0R6wwcw45PoA5sPPIWZ4OFMVGzVHdJ_d2W8kPge-j-X1BGEc3ch9UElKzAPlLCEOU5c5QmocXPLEQWGx-N54lFujhHWWNPa3IFxGMaiJIkzTnnqgr8x3_K/s1600/signoff2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZMuGct-WGywad9v5GRaYXQ0R6wwcw45PoA5sPPIWZ4OFMVGzVHdJ_d2W8kPge-j-X1BGEc3ch9UElKzAPlLCEOU5c5QmocXPLEQWGx-N54lFujhHWWNPa3IFxGMaiJIkzTnnqgr8x3_K/s1600/signoff2.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-1775244050653117152014-09-15T08:00:00.000-04:002014-09-15T22:57:27.874-04:00Study Abroad at Royal Holloway UniversityIn less than one week, I depart from my hometown in Ohio to London, England for a study abroad semester that I hope will expand my horizons and expose me to the world in the way reading a book can't. I'll be abroad for 12 weeks, studying at <a href="http://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Royal Holloway University of London</a>.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Why London?</h2>
I've wanted to study abroad since high school, when I discovered that you could actually travel to a different part of the world and get academic credit for it. Until my first year of college, I wanted to study in Spain. That dream ended when I declared two majors in the English department (Literature and Professional Writing). Unfortunately, studying Spanish was no longer conducive to earning my degree. Bummer.<br />
<br />
But never fear! I went online and found a semester-long study abroad program that fit my major and which I was able to use my Miami University financial aid with. Win-win. It also happened to be in London. Win-win-win. Who doesn't want to see London?<br />
<br />
It seems to me that I couldn't have picked a better place to study English lit. Something about reading Shakespeare in his native England appeals to me. Not to mention the numerous book-related things to see, such as the <a href="http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes Museum</a>, the <a href="http://www.bl.uk/" target="_blank">British Library</a> (the largest library-by number of catalogued items-in the world), Platform 9 3/4, and <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariannarebolini/literary-london-spots#z6n24r" target="_blank">more</a>! <br />
<br />
<h2>
A Little About Royal Holloway</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/iQuad/graphics/cER/Primary/RHULMasterlogoCMYK-Cropped-550x275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/iQuad/graphics/cER/Primary/RHULMasterlogoCMYK-Cropped-550x275.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Founded in 1886 as a college for women, Royal Holloway has since made a name for itself as one of the best undergraduate institutions in the UK. Now a coeducational university, it was ranked 12th in the UK by in the Time Higher Education World University Rankings, and placed as 5th in the world for international outlook. Out of 9,000 students, about 20 percent of them are from outside of the European Union.<br />
<br />
I will admit that their pedigree is impressive, but honestly I'm more concerned with the fact that I get to live in this building:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01902/RoyalHolloway_1902945c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01902/RoyalHolloway_1902945c.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The building I will live in. Me. Living there. For a semester.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
My room will probably look something like this:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/alumni/graphics/FoundersRefurb/FoundersFurniture/1840754470773153451491420513804n528x396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/alumni/graphics/FoundersRefurb/FoundersFurniture/1840754470773153451491420513804n528x396.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And I get the study in this library:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://n0tice-static.s3.amazonaws.com/image/13748482711932a0f1948248a687f880e0c86433befa5-mediumoriginalaspectdouble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://n0tice-static.s3.amazonaws.com/image/13748482711932a0f1948248a687f880e0c86433befa5-mediumoriginalaspectdouble.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's not quite Hogwarts, but I'll take it.<br />
<br />
<h2>
My Classes </h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Hw-shakespeare.png/250px-Hw-shakespeare.png" class="shrinkToFit decoded" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Hw-shakespeare.png/250px-Hw-shakespeare.png" height="200" width="140" /><img alt="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Henry_James_by_John_Singer_Sargent_cleaned.jpg" class="shrinkToFit decoded" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Henry_James_by_John_Singer_Sargent_cleaned.jpg" height="200" width="159" />
<<img alt="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV5tT374t6_cLWWBZW_INnetNqoy8mr9rZek4dBa4eEXDMvO018S_sE2kaLUTbzCMFvSi87HG2zJBCSE6e7mhIeYyL2dPkLpgqQrM5uuSXvmA26nF41EEEiCrnoPAVPv0qjCjtVOje5g/s320/Medieval+Romance.png" class="decoded" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV5tT374t6_cLWWBZW_INnetNqoy8mr9rZek4dBa4eEXDMvO018S_sE2kaLUTbzCMFvSi87HG2zJBCSE6e7mhIeYyL2dPkLpgqQrM5uuSXvmA26nF41EEEiCrnoPAVPv0qjCjtVOje5g/s320/Medieval+Romance.png" gt="" height="200" img="" width="171" /></div>
Since one of the big reasons students study abroad is to achieve understanding of how the education system works in different countries, I'm going to be taking three English classes:<br />
<br />
Shakespeare -- This one is a basic introduction to Shakespeare's plays, starting with the comedies in the first half and closing out the semester with his later Jacobian works.<br />
<br />
Modernist Fiction -- In this class I'll be reading a lot of Henry James, and Joseph Conrad, with a few other authors thrown in. Modernist generally isn't my favorite, but I hope I learn some things about it that will give me a better appreciation of these authors.<br />
<br />
Strange Fictions: Romance in the Middle Ages -- Honestly, I have a reading list for this class but I'm still not even sure what it is I'll be reading besides Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Nothing else is familiar. <br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
--- </h2>
I think Royal Holloway is a great fit for me, and that I will learn a lot in the short amount of time I have there. I'm very excited to move in and really see everything that I've read about online. <br />
<br />
Until next time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-30937921213607021382014-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:002014-09-16T00:17:33.259-04:00Novel Ambition<style>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello! Welcome to Novel Ambition, my new-and-improved blog
(previously titled Reading is the Thing). </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As you may have noticed, I haven’t posted anything to this
blog since May. Before that the posts were few and far between. Usually, I
would use my extra time in the summer to pay more attention to my blog and the
blogging community as a whole. But I just wasn’t feeling it. So, I decided to change
things up a bit.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My sordid blogging past:</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You see, this is my third attempt at a blog. I kept my first
blog in high school. It didn’t look very good (lime green and purple? Really?).
It was a classic book blog, which means that I reviewed books, participated in
book-themed memes, interacted with others in the book blogging community, and racked
up followers by hosting giveaways. I also got free advanced copies of books
from publishers so I would review them and post the reviews to my blog. Which
was cool.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eventually this felt too much like an obligation. So I
stopped.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Take two. My second blog (this one. Sort of.) was created
over winter break my first year of college. To put it mildly, I was bored out
of my skull. Since “traditional book blog” was the only thing I knew how to do,
I used this blog to review books. I wasn’t motivated enough to really find a
place for myself in the book blogger community this time around, so I pretty
much just stuck to my own little corner of the internet, posting stiffly
formatted book reviews every so often.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As you can imagine, this also got boring. So I stopped.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My Hopes and Dreams for Novel Ambition</span></span></h2>
</div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How is this blog going to be any different?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, for starters, I own the domain <a href="http://www.novelambition.com/">www.novelambition.com</a>. Which means that
I am serious, dammit. No longer am I one of the many blog.blogspot.com users. I
am my own person and I refuse to have a blog that suggests differently.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Content wise, you can still expect to see reviews, but also
expect to see other things! Such as a large number of posts pertaining to my
upcoming study abroad experience in London!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“But Taylor,” you may be asking, “why didn’t you make a
separate blog devoted to studying abroad?"</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I thought about it, but decided that I want my blog to be a
holistic view of myself. Which includes my study abroad, my life at school, my
ambition to become a part of the publishing industry, and my love of books.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, for the first time ever, I’m sharing my blog with all
of my real-world friends and family! Hi family!*</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I intend to keep this blog for a long time. I want it to be
a part of my own personal brand, and I want it to reflect the dedication I have
to my dreams, the world of publishing, and books. All of the books.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Until next time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> *If you get that this is a Frozen reference, we should be
best friends. </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-90953023904294645232014-09-10T21:35:00.001-04:002014-09-10T21:35:35.860-04:00<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12852049/?claim=jxt47az8aub">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-65712986490359013722014-05-06T08:00:00.000-04:002014-05-06T08:00:03.268-04:00Review: Boys Like You by Juliana Stone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18215057-boys-like-you?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386621815l/18215057.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>Title:</b> Boys Like You<br />
<b>Author:</b> Juliana Stone<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> May 6, 2014 by Sourcebooks<br />
<b>Genre:</b> YA Contemporary Romance <br />
<b>Source:</b> Received for review from NetGalley<br />
<b>Rating: 3 out of 5 </b><br />
<br />
Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18215057-boys-like-you?from_search=true">Goodreads</a>: <i><span id="freeText14429139751735216053">One mistake.<br /><br />And everything changes.<br /><br />For
Monroe Blackwell, one small mistake has torn her family apart –leaving
her empty and broken. There’s a hole in her heart that nothing can fill.
That no one can fill. And a summer in Louisiana with her Grandma isn’t
going to change that…<br /><br />Nathan Everets knows heartache first-hand
when a car accident leaves his best friend in a coma. And it’s his
fault. He should be the one lying in the hospital. The one who will
never play guitar again. He doesn’t deserve forgiveness, and a
court-appointed job at the Blackwell B&B isn’t going to change that…<br /><br />Captivating
and hopeful, this achingly poignant novel brings together two lost
souls struggling with grief and guilt – looking for acceptance, so they
can find forgiveness.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText14429139751735216053">--</span></i><br />
<br />
<i>Boys Like You</i> was an enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable, young adult romance that relied a little too much on the "two broken people help each other through their issues" trope. The characters were interesting and the plot was intriguing, but I would have liked to see a lot more character development. <br />
<br />
Monroe and Nathan are two teenagers trying to get through some difficult things from their past. Monroe goes to Louisiana to stay with her grandmother for the summer, because she can't seem to get better at home. Nathan is court-appointed to work during the summer, and it just so happens to be at the bed and breakfast Monroe's grandmother owns. Throughout the summer, Nathan slowly brings down Monroe's skyscraper high walls, and Monroe helps Nathan truly forgive himself.<br />
<br />
What I liked most about <i>Boys Like You </i>was the chemistry between Monroe and Nathan. It was practically coming off the page. They worked so well together that I wanted to smoosh their heads together and say "now kiss." There was so much tension that I couldn't help but anticipate the moment they finally would realize they were meant to be, a moment that did not disappoint my rather high expectations. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of the duel narrative structure of this novel. I don't think it left enough room for the character development these two deserved. I felt like I was always playing catch-up to see how the character had progressed since the last time I saw him or her, instead of seeing that development for myself. Nathan and Monroe make a lot of leaps in this novel, and I was happy with the final result, but I wish I could have focused on one of them and seen it through the entire thing.<br />
<br />
I have mixed feelings about the secondary characters. Though I liked Grandma's personality, her dialogue felt stiff to me. Nathan's friends and ex-girlfriend were very two dimensional. The author tried to make them more dynamic, but I didn't feel any real connection to them at all, nor did I particularly understand some of their actions. I wish the secondary characters could have been more developed, because there was some real potential for them to be a great asset to the novel.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, I enjoyed reading Boys Like You because of the chemistry and tension between Nathan and Monroe, but I didn't like the duel narration or feel a connection to the secondary characters. I recommend it if you're looking for a love story with some heavier elements and has a great ending. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-56461788739354288752014-04-30T08:00:00.000-04:002014-04-30T15:02:27.293-04:00What I've Learned from Binge Watching Game of Thrones (Without Reading It First)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I have a confession: I never, ever, ever watch a movie before I read its literary counterpart.<br />
<br />
Ever since the travesty of <i>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</i>, my favorite of the HP books at the time of the movie's release, I have refused to trust Hollywood with the task of accurately adapting a book into a movie. (I mean, come on, the movie never even explained that Mooney, Wormtail, Padfood, and Prongs were Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James.)<br />
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<br />
Don't misunderstand: I'm not a book-to-movie purist. I'm aware that some things need to change in order to take a book and make it a movie. I'm even okay with a different ending, as long as there's a reason for it. No, you won't find me banging down doors because the ending of <i>My Sister's Keeper </i>was changed<i> </i>or because an entire, semi-important character from <i>The Hunger Games </i>wasn't included in the movie (I'm looking at you Madge).<br />
<br />
What you will find me doing is judging the snot out of every one of the filmmaker's decisions. I love comparing what was changed, deciding if it worked, and trying to figure out why. I'm less concerned with the accuracy of the adaptation, and more concerned with if it <i>works</i>. <br />
<br />
I was the girl sitting in <i>Breaking Dawn Part 2</i> who wasn't freaking out about<i> that</i> scene, but who was trying to piece together how it fit in with the book's ending. When I was watching <i>The Great Gatsby</i>, I seriously considered the implications of opening with Nick in a mental institution before deciding I didn't like it. I'm the girl who reread <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i> in two days before the final movie, just so I could know all of the details to compare. My point, dear reader, is that I like to be informed of the tone of the novel, what the reader is supposed to get out of it, and what the characters are supposed to be like before I see it adapted for the screen.<br />
<br />
I completely went back on all of my standards when faced with the task of reading <i>Game of Thrones</i> before watching the show. Between a busy schedule and societal pressure to know what on earth a red wedding is, I decided not to wait until I had read the books and dove in to the show headfirst. <br />
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And I enjoyed it. A lot. I liked not knowing where the plot was going; I groaned the cliffhangers and the shocking deaths; I couldn't get enough of the twists and turns. The best part was that I could just <i>watch</i> the show. I didn't care that they added characters, or didn't include such and such plot point because I didn't even know anything was changed.<br />
<br />
I just let the show guide me to wherever it wanted, with nary a complaint from my over-analyzing mind. This experience has made me much more open to the idea of watching adaptations before reading the book. <br />
<br />
However, I feel almost as if I've let the show <i>Game of Thrones</i> spoil me for the delights of the books. Sure, seeing the events unfold on screen is awesome (and fairly easy on the brain after a long day), but assuming I do eventually read the books: will I enjoy them as much as I would have if I hadn't seen the show? Obviously I will never know the answer to that question, but I'd like to think I will like them just as much no matter how many of the deaths I already know about.<br />
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<br />
In conclusion, my Game of Thrones experience has taught me that it's okay for me to not read the book first, but it has also made me think about the reading experience I'm giving up by doing that. I think that in the future I will be more open to watching a screen adaptation before reading the book, and my decision will have less to do with snobbery and more to do with which experience I think holds more value. <br />
<br />
What about you? Do you like to read the book before or after seeing it's adaptation? Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-31010702947627973632014-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:002014-04-28T08:00:08.143-04:00Review: Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17573559-roomies?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1369636433l/17573559.jpg" title="" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>Title:</b> Roomies<br />
<b>Authors: </b>Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> December 2013 from Little, Brown <br />
<b>Genre:</b> YA Contemporary<br />
<b>Source:</b> Gift<br />
<b>Rating: 4.5 out of 5</b> <br />
<br />
Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17573559-roomies?from_search=true">Goodreads:</a> <i><span id="freeText9003945266216294137">It's time to meet your new roomie.<br /><br />When
East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate
assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics:
television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan
Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each
girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so
different will ever share a dorm room.<br /><br />As the countdown to
college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family
relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly
seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the
complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though
they've never met.<br /><br />National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and
acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing
up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your
college roommate.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText9003945266216294137">--</span></i><br />
<br />
<i>Roomies</i> is the story I wish I'd read before college. It addresses the assumptions people have about others, about college, and about romantic relationships that I certainly had before my freshman year. Had I been able to read this before starting college, I think I would have learned a lot. It would have made me think about the assumptions people hold about others, and the ways our different lives make us who we are. I feel like I've grown enough as a college student that the ideas in <i>Roomies</i> weren't revolutionary for me, but I still enjoyed it immensely. <br />
<br />
<i>Roomies </i>is the story of EB and Lauren, two girls who are are assigned to each other as roommates, but who have never met. The book follows their lives the summer before their freshman year at Berkley, and the narrative is connected by their email correspondence. EB and Lauren aren't very similar: they live on opposite sides of the US, Lauren has four siblings and EB is an only child, Lauren has one best friend and EB has a group of friends. The chief similarity between them is the fact that they both enter their roommate relationship with assumptions about the other girl and what her life is like. <br />
<br />
<i>Roomies</i> has a dual narrative structure, a personal favorite of mine. Zarr and Altebrando gave EB and Lauren such different tones in their narratives that I was never confused about whose point-of-view I was reading from. The emails the girls send back and forth are the only real connection between the events that occur in each girl's life, and I really enjoyed comparing the emails to the actual events. The emails change as the relationship between the main characters develops, giving the reader a way to see how each girl could be perceived by the other.<br />
<br />
My favorite part of <i>Roomies </i>was the transformation I saw in both EB and Lauren. It was exciting to see them grow into friends and realized that they had a lot to learn about each other. I feel that often people make a lot of assumptions about others, and that was certainly true for EB and Lauren at the beginning of the book. By the end, however, they both had grown to realize that their assumptions aren't always correct. I also saw them become more confident in all aspects of their lives, which is an important part of transitioning from high school to college.<br />
<br />
I also enjoyed the way Roomies included romance and sex. EB has to deal with her changing feelings for her long-time boyfriend, and Lauren has to recognize that she might actually have feelings for one of her co-workers. The romance in this book is so good. There are so many sweet moments, and so many awkward moments, and it's all just so easy to relate to. I really appreciated that sex was also something addressed, but it focused on emotional readiness instead of explicit scenes. <br />
<br />
There aren't enough books like <i>Roomies</i> out there. It addresses the anxiety of entering college without wrapping everything up in a neat little bow at the end. EB and Lauren's email relationship is very realistic, and could be taken from the lives of real girls. Much like <i>Fangirl </i>by Rainbow Rowell, <i>Roomies</i> has the feel of a YA novel, but the emphasis on college will be appealing to an older age group as well. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-39992039396280957402014-04-14T08:00:00.000-04:002014-04-14T08:00:08.310-04:00Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13514612-all-our-yesterdays" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370046261l/13514612.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>Title:</b> All Our Yesterdays<br />
<b>Author:</b> Cristin Terrill<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> September 2013 from Disney Hyperion<br />
<b>Genre:</b> YA Science Fiction<br />
<b>Source:</b> Bought<br />
<b>Rating: 4.5 out of 5</b> <br />
<br />
Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13514612-all-our-yesterdays">Goodreads</a>: <i><span id="freeText11033291085937365362">What would you change?<br />Imprisoned
in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice
of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds
taped inside the drain.</span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText11033291085937365362"><br />Only Em can complete the final
instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time
machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she
has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in
the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and
tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. </span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText11033291085937365362"><br />Marina
has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous,
introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families,
James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one
disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for
their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it
means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive
it... at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a
race against time that only one of them can win.</span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText11033291085937365362"><br />All Our Yesterdays
is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable
sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.</span></i><br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
I'm not the biggest fan of science fiction novels, maybe because science and I don't get along very well. I enjoyed <i>Pivot Point </i>by Kasia West because it didn't have a lot of scifi elements, not in spite of it, and I didn't love <i>Across the Universe</i> by Beth Revis, though many did. Something about <i>All Our Yesterdays</i> compelled me to read it anyway. Thanks to that, I have had a great science fiction experience that I hope can be replicated by other books like it.<br />
<br />
<i>All Our Yesterdays</i> opens with Em, locked in a cell with only her friend Finn in the cell next door for company. Em is fixated on a drain in the floor, eventually stealing a plastic spoon to unscrew the grate and finding a note to herself inside...a note that she doesn't remember writing. The note consists of a list, with all of the items crossed off except one: "You have to kill him." From here, we get to know Marina, a normal high school girl with some insecurities, who just wants her best friend to be as in love with her as she is with him. We follow both girls throughout the story, until the climax brings them both together.<br />
<br />
The plot in <i>All Our Yesterdays</i> is a bit of whirlwind, but it's not as confusing as you might think a time travel novel would be. Tirrell gives us information in small segments, always just enough for the reader to understand what's happening, but never enough to overwhelm. I enjoyed continuing to get the small pieces of information about how the time travel worked and what exactly happened between Marina's time and Em's time throughout the novel. <br />
<br />
Duel narration is a personal favorite; I love getting two different consciousnesses in one book. The dual narration in <i>All Our Yesterdays</i> is a little bit different from the typical boy/girl type, but it's still fun to read. Tirrell definitely uses dual narration to build the suspense--just when you're getting into what Em is doing, she'll switch to Marina, and vice versa. It worked really well to keep the pace up, because though <i>All Our Yesterdays</i> is face-paced, it's not full of non-stop action.<br />
<br />
The characterization in <i>All Our Yesterdays</i> wasn't the strongest, but I would have to spoil something to explain why in detail. Short version: there was some disconnect for me, concerning how the reader is supposed to view the characters and the way they act.<br />
<br />
Finally, the romance between Finn and Em was minimal, but it was there and it felt like real love between two people, not like infatuation or the very beginnings of love. It made me care about the outcome of the story even more than I would have had there been no romance, because more was at stake. There is also romance between Marina and her best friend James, which was more of the traditional YA love story where the girl wonders "Does he or doesn't he?", but it ended up being more that meets the eye.<br />
<br />
Overall, <i>All Our Yesterdays</i> was a very interesting take on time travel that had me flipping through the pages like nobody's business. It wanted to know the connection between Marina and Em, and I really wanted to know how things would turn out for them. It was full of twists and turns and I was very satisfied with the way it all turned out, though the ending was confusing. I think I might try to give some other sci-fi books a chance now that I've had so much success with this one. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-53069685052998310422014-04-09T08:00:00.000-04:002014-04-09T08:00:09.258-04:00Waiting on Wednesday <b><span style="font-size: small;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>. It's a way to showcase books I'm excited to read that haven't been released yet.</span></b><br />
<br />
<h3>
The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith </h3>
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<b>Release Date:</b> April 15, 2014 from Poppy<br />
<br />
<b>Summary:</b> <span id="freeText6730368985994131870">Lucy and Owen meet
somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City
apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide
blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together,
wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of
stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality.
Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west
with his father.<br /><br />Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across
the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails,
and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.<br /><br />A
carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E.
Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a
place. It can be a person, too.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6730368985994131870"><b>Find it:</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295852-the-geography-of-you-and-me?from_search=true">Goodreads</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Geography-You-Jennifer-Smith/dp/0316254770/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396901245&sr=8-1&keywords=the+geography+of+you+and+me">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-geography-of-you-and-me-jennifer-e-smith/1116333030?ean=9780316254779">Barnes and Noble</a>, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316254779">Indiebound</a></span><br />
<br />
<b>I've read an enjoyed Smith's two other novels, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and This Is What Happy Looks Like. They are fun, contemporary YA novels that satisfy my cheesy romantic side. I'm so excited to see this one play out as a long distance relationship, and I hope there's quite a bit of Edinburgh in the novel so I can indulge some wanderlust as well. </b><br />
<span id="freeText12193716090779493374"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-49282129262358973762014-04-07T20:26:00.000-04:002014-04-07T20:26:06.458-04:00Introducing Turning Page Magazine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://turningpagemag.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWeEsOUR3HYDtpR42zn5gujfQxMRQU5bjX2-RuFf7QUoxovN1rjAKq7ID5YurbajfOr-sk_HT3E5Tp1O0_vPm-cFzzHAe37ARBu8grPpKrq_8NJHu73aqA2Nyc5tLwPr1hz85QXfO2VU/s1600/turning+page+logo+mockup5+%25281%2529.png" height="61" width="400" /></a></div>
Today is the launch day for <a href="http://www.turningpagemag.com/">Turning Page Magazine</a>, an online publication that showcases bookish articles, such as:
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.turningpagemag.com/2014/03/wearing-books.html#.U0NAicfPohk">Wearing Books by Samantha Comen</a>, an article about <a href="http://outofprintclothing.com/">Out of Print Clothing.</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.turningpagemag.com/2014/03/humans-of-new-york-boundless-community.html#.U0NAcsfPohl">Humans of New York by Holly Jeric</a>, which is feature on the unique website (<a href="http://www.humansofnewyork.com/">HONY</a>).</li>
<li><a href="http://www.turningpagemag.com/2014/03/lauren-baileys-how-to.html">Lauren Bailey's How To by Melissa Petrick,</a> an interview with industry professional Lauren Bailey about becoming a freelancer. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.turningpagemag.com/2014/03/my-temple.html#.U0M__8fPohk">My Temple by Lee Upton</a>, a short story from the forthcoming collection <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18528130-the-tao-of-humiliation?from_search=true">The Tao of Humiliation</a>.</li>
<li>And many more, to be updated weekly.</li>
</ul>
<b>The philosophy behind it:</b> Turning Page is a magazine devoted to exploring the dynamic state of the publishing industry, encompassing the old and the new, electronic and print, traditional and self-publishing, brick & mortar and online bookselling, and more. We're a magazine that, like the industry itself, is capable of embracing all of these aspects at once; our aim is to publish articles that examine and engage this kinetic moment for writers and readers, considering where the production and promotion of creative work has come from and where it's headed.<br />
<br />
Please check it out! All book lovers are bound to find something that interests them, as was the goal of the project. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-86145747221939741752013-10-03T08:00:00.000-04:002013-10-03T08:00:11.874-04:00Review: The Vow by Jessica Martinez<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> The Vow<br />
<b>Author:</b> Jessica Martinez<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> October 15, 2013<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA Contemporary<br />
<b>Source:</b> Received from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.<br />
<b>Rating: 4 out of 5</b><br />
<br />
Summary from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17170553-the-vow?from_search=true">Goodreads</a>: <i><span id="freeText16207877833466399764">No one has ever believed that Mo and Annie are just friends. How can a guy and a girl really be best friends?<br /><br />Then
the summer before senior year, Mo’s father loses his job, and by
extension his work visa. Instantly, life for Annie and Mo crumbles.
Although Mo has lived in America for most of his life, he’ll be forced
to move to Jordan. The prospect of leaving his home is devastating, and
returning to a world where he no longer belongs terrifies him.<br /><br />Desperate
to save him, Annie proposes they tell a colossal lie—that they are in
love. Mo agrees because marrying Annie is the only way he can stay.
Annie just wants to keep her best friend, but what happens when it
becomes a choice between saving Mo and her own chance at real love?</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText16207877833466399764">-- </span></i><br />
<br />
<i>The Vow</i> combines so many of my favorite things into one well written package. There's dual narration, done well and uniquely. There's an honest to goodness friendship and it's the focus of the book(!!!!). There's a steamy romance on the side. And all of that combines with characters that feel real and situations that make you ache.<br />
<br />
I've read a lot of YA Contemporary, but never have I read a book about two best friends who get married so one doesn't have to be deported. If the situation had been approached any other way I'm not sure if I would have liked it. The way Martinez tells Annie and Mo's story is perfect.<br />
<br />
Though the title, cover, and even summary lead the reader to believe the majority of this book is about Annie and Mo's marriage lie, really only about half of it is. The first half of <i>The Vow</i> is similar to most other contemporary novels. It introduces us to the characters-to their life, their feelings, their hopes and dreams. The second half of <i>The Vow,</i> where the marriage comes in, would not have been nearly has enjoyable if Martinez hadn't take the time in the first half to ease us into the conflict.<br />
<br />
I got really emotionally involved in <i>The Vow,</i> especially from Annie's point of view. She has to make decisions that are impossibly difficult, and I could feel her pain. I do wish the story of her relationship with her parents would have had an actual resolution. It is a good way to help the reader understand Annie better, but I didn't like the way it wasn't fully resolved.<br />
<br />
I would have liked to see the secondary characters in <i>The Vow </i>be more developed. Some of them, like Mo's sister Sarina, were fantastic. Others didn't serve much of a purpose. I'm always a fan of the well-developed secondary character, so I was a little disappointed.<br />
<br />
<i>The Vow</i> is novel about friendship, loyalty, and love in all of its forms. Martinez knows how to work a reader's emotions and keep them engaged in the story. Thoroughly enjoyable and original, though not altogether unpredictable. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-63108678552356866622013-09-18T08:00:00.000-04:002013-09-18T08:00:09.423-04:00Review: Twigs by Alison Ashley Formento<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Twigs<br />
By Alison Ashley Formento<br />
Publication Date: September 18, 2013 by Merit Press<br />
Source: Netgalley/Publisher<br />
<b>Rating: 3.5 out of 5</b><br />
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Summary from Goodreads: <i><span id="freeText9737654484270963076">One pint-sized girl. Ten supersized crises. And it’s high noon.<br /><br />They
call her “Twigs,” because she’ll never hit five feet tall. Although she
was born early, and a stiff breeze could knock her over, Twigs has a
mighty spirit. She needs it, as life throws a whole bucket of rotten
luck at her: Dad’s an absentee drunk; Mom’s obsessed with her new deaf
boyfriend (and Twigs can’t tell what they’re saying to each other).
Little sister Marlee is trying to date her way through the entire high
school; Twigs’ true love may be a long-distance loser after a single
week away at college, and suddenly, older brother Matt is missing in
Iraq. It all comes together when a couple of thugs in a drugstore aisle
lash out, and Twigs must fight to save the life of the father who denied
her.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText9737654484270963076">--</span></i><br />
<span id="freeText9737654484270963076"><b>I wasn't sure what to expect </b>from <i>Twigs,</i> but what I got was a heartfelt contemporary featuring some great character growth. </span><i><span id="freeText9737654484270963076"> </span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText9737654484270963076">It's immediately clear that Twigs doesn't have an easy life. Her dad left, her brother is a soldier overseas, and her boyfriend just left for college. Twigs, a short and slim girl, is trying to create a more mature identity for herself. She starts asking people to call her by her actual name, Madeline, but it doesn't exactly stick the way she'd hoped. When a maelstrom of bad things seem to happen all at the same time, Twigs has to decide how to handle them and who she really wants to be-Twigs, or Madeline. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText9737654484270963076">I was drawn into<i> Twigs</i> from the very beginning. Formento's writing drew me in and made me want to know more. Who is the crazy lady in the convenience store and why is she throwing hair dye? Why are their military personnel at the front door of Twigs's house one night? I was so enraptured with Twigs's life that I didn't want to stop reading.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText9737654484270963076">Twigs as a character is interesting. She's very fierce, but also very scared. I honestly have no idea how she could handle everything life threw at her. Sometimes I got frustrated with her for acting a certain way, but so much goes wrong for Twigs that it's hard to blame her for being a little, well, crazy. Twigs grows a lot over the course of the novel, and I was happy to see her become someone she can be proud of. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText9737654484270963076">The most negative thing about <i>Twigs</i> is the number of plot points that occur throughout the novel. There are a lot of characters, and a lot of problems for Twigs to deal with. There were a few parts where I forgot who a character was or I was asking myself "Is this really necessary?" I think Twigs could have been a little bit stronger if Formento had eliminated one of the plot points, though I'm not sure which one. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText9737654484270963076">Though I am very pleased with the development I saw in Twigs throughout the novel, I think the secondary characters were a little bit lacking. As I mentioned above, there are a lot of characters. I had trouble keeping them all straight at times, and I think that a few of them were just there to further the development of Twigs without really getting much characterization themselves. I love novels with a great cast of secondary characters, so I was a little disappointed with how Formento handled hers. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText9737654484270963076">Overall I really enjoyed Twigs and thought it was a great contemporary with a lot of heart. Though I had some issues with the secondary characters and the number of plot points, the engrossing writing and development of Twigs herself more than made up for it. </span><i><span id="freeText9737654484270963076"> </span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-9758862749041083172013-08-01T08:00:00.000-04:002013-08-01T08:00:11.516-04:00Taylor Reads Adult: The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> The Engagements<br />
<b>Author:</b> J. Courtney Sullivan<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Adult (Historical?) Fiction<br />
<b>Published:</b> January 2013 by Knopf<br />
<b>Source:</b> Borrowed<br />
<b>Rating: 4.5 out of 5</b><br />
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Summary from Goodreads: <i><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">From the </span></i><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">New York Times </span><i><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">best-selling author of </span></i><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">Commencement </span><i><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">and</span><span id="freeText9614747973988672512"> </span></i><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">Maine</span><i><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">
c</span><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">omes a gorgeous, sprawling novel about marriage—about those who marry
in a white heat of passion, those who marry for partnership and comfort,
and those who live together, love each other, and have absolutely no
intention of ruining it all with a wedding.<br /><br /> Evelyn has been
married to her husband for forty years—forty years since he slipped off
her first wedding ring and put his own in its place. Delphine has seen
both sides of love—the ecstatic, glorious highs of seduction, and the
bitter, spiteful fury that descends when it’s over. James, a paramedic
who works the night shift, knows his wife’s family thinks she could have
done better; while Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen
every kind of wedding—beach weddings, backyard weddings, castle
weddings—and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own. <br /><br /> As
these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances
Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on
the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night
before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: “A Diamond Is
Forever.” And that line changes everything.<br /><br /> A rich, layered, exhilarating novel spanning nearly a hundred years, <i>The Engagements</i>
captures four wholly unique marriages, while tracing the story of
diamonds in America, and the way—for better or for worse—these
glittering stones have come to symbolize our deepest hopes for
everlasting love.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText9614747973988672512">-- </span></i><br />
<br />
I'm not usually drawn to adult fiction, but something about <i>The Engagements</i> stood out to me. Maybe it was because I love the idea of multiple storylines being connected by one small factor. Or maybe it's because I'm a sucker for historical fiction. Whatever the case, I'm very happy I took the time to read <i>The Engagements</i> because it was a literary work of art.<br />
<br />
<i>The Engagements</i> tells the story of four different marriages set during four different times in the past century. Only the fifth story, that of Frances Gerety, the woman who coined the phrase "A Diamond Is Forever," actually moves through time. The other four stories take place over a day, more or less, and incorporate flashbacks and backstory masterfully to tell the entire tale of our characters' lives. <br />
<br />
I was immediately enamored with J. Courtney Sullivan's writing. Normally, the introductory phase of a novel is the most tedious part; the conflict has yet to make itself known and there's no reason to care about the characters.<i> The Engagements</i> has five separate introductions for the reader to get through, yet it was never tedious. Sullivan writes in a way that drew me in without me even realizing it and made me long to keep reading even thought I'd only read Part I. <br />
<br />
The Engagements is set during multiple time periods, from 1947 to 2012. Though I knew the novel focused on multiple characters, the inclusion of multiple time periods was unexpected and delightful. I enjoyed being able to see the changes and continuities in the way marriage and divorce is viewed throughout the different times.<br />
<br />
The characters in this novel are wonderfully varied and unique. Not once did I feel as though the tone or thoughts of one character was bleeding into another. Sullivan writes old, young, male, and female equally fantastically. She doesn't romanticize the life of a young couple with a family but without much money, nor does she soften the sting of a love affair gone horribly wrong for a Frenchwoman who gave up everything for a man who goes on to scorn her.<br />
<br />
The only reason I'm not giving <i>The Engagements</i> five stars is the ending. Something about it was a touch unsatisfying. There wasn't a lack of closure, exactly, but I was left feeling a bit uneasy about the paths some of the stories would end up going down. Although, I do admire Sullivan for giving these characters realistic lives that don't all end in happily ever after. Maybe I'm more disappointed in the way the stories tied together than the way they ended. I think I hoped for more connection than there was. <br />
<br />
<i>The Engagements</i> is an engrossing novel about much more than love and marriage. It touches on family relationships, and the affect small decisions can have later in life as well. Sullivan's writing is superb, a true pleasure to read. I will definitely be looking into her previous novels now that I know how much I love her style. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-44832126889000363142013-07-30T00:00:00.000-04:002013-07-30T00:00:06.883-04:00Release Day Launch and Giveaway for Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUAslbrGNpECuYyDIK0PrhZBttCl9ydCRgqMB7B5VvPYHK0rz1Cb_9Tnv8cfotjrnwqx6LcSxDs2lP4eY8WfIMyA0w_hH1t7tyPC9hE_uq_NrmhwYn3MReQVlEfqes4rS6CgJ15dok_-X/s1600/EscapingMeRDL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUAslbrGNpECuYyDIK0PrhZBttCl9ydCRgqMB7B5VvPYHK0rz1Cb_9Tnv8cfotjrnwqx6LcSxDs2lP4eY8WfIMyA0w_hH1t7tyPC9hE_uq_NrmhwYn3MReQVlEfqes4rS6CgJ15dok_-X/s1600/EscapingMeRDL.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone! I'm so excited to be a part of the Release Day Launch for Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee. It's, in one word, HOT. I can't wait for you all to read it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPY_3Uatkw9Px-6hB-_iNz2OHKaAErsbn-fw9It66EF44-TBGdiamh3_luckhBNNiEP5ha5EooWvmU22e3kwcQWDa7DNpdpmzQYkTkaKQz4QIyQu2c1KMTIxhFbF5SmRVuQrbQ-68jbWFk/s1600/EscapingMeEL.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPY_3Uatkw9Px-6hB-_iNz2OHKaAErsbn-fw9It66EF44-TBGdiamh3_luckhBNNiEP5ha5EooWvmU22e3kwcQWDa7DNpdpmzQYkTkaKQz4QIyQu2c1KMTIxhFbF5SmRVuQrbQ-68jbWFk/s1600/EscapingMeEL.png" height="320" width="212" /></a><b>Synopsis:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">All she wanted to do was
forget. Forget the memory of walking in on her boyfriend in the middle of,
well, another girl. Forget how she had her entire life planned out. And, forget
about being perfect all the time. Unfortunately, she was Whitney Vandaveer and
despite the fact that she moved to the middle of nowhere—she couldn't.<br />
<br />
He always knew he would never be more than nothing. No job, no money, no
future. Cole Pritchett had accepted the fact that he would always be the screw
up and he was okay with it. Until he met her.<br />
<br />
Here's the thing they quickly found out—sometimes we all need a little help
escaping who we think we are.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvXfglvwSwOyyyOfgaaAtZcDWNAFln5JPJpQQYGDqWuTs2GmMK1vM2tZMFC842eaNbz6SMrffNsHgPPh2BvFd17avegX5SQ1FkjWvmfWwGVm6D315CqrHuUd9uWGwk-wOuZiq7qfo7W3K/s1600/ELeePic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvXfglvwSwOyyyOfgaaAtZcDWNAFln5JPJpQQYGDqWuTs2GmMK1vM2tZMFC842eaNbz6SMrffNsHgPPh2BvFd17avegX5SQ1FkjWvmfWwGVm6D315CqrHuUd9uWGwk-wOuZiq7qfo7W3K/s1600/ELeePic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Elizabeth Lee Bio:</b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When I'm not writing or playing the part of wife
and mother, you can find me dancing back-up for Beyonce, singing back-up for
Miranda, or sunning myself on the beach with a drink in hand. Here's the thing about being born and raised
in a small town—you have a very vivid imagination! Now, I channel it all to create stories where
the girl always ends up with the right guy, first kisses are magical, and a
happy ending is just that!</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">Links:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Facebook: </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/elizabethleewrites" target="_blank"><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>elizabethleewrites</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Twitter: </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/elwrites" target="_blank"><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">www.twitter.com/elwrites</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Website: </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://elizabethleewrites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">http://elizabethleewrites.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Author Goodreads: </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6542627.Elizabeth_Lee" target="_blank"><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">http://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>author/show/6542627.Elizabeth_<wbr></wbr>Lee</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Novel
Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17854029-escaping-me?ac=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.goodreads.com/book/<wbr></wbr>show/17854029-escaping-me?ac=1</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-31130860203173612602013-07-29T00:00:00.000-04:002014-04-30T15:00:49.605-04:00Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Unspoken</i><br />
by Sarah Rees Brennan<br />
Published September 2012 by Random House<br />
Source: Borrowed<br />
<b>Rating: 4.5 out of 5</b><br />
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<b>Summary from Goodreads:</b><i> <span id="freeText10520406278993859563">Kami Glass loves
someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever
since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during
her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English
town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not
fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is
only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just
the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.<br /><br />But all that changes when the Lynburns return.<br /><br />The
Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that
overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters
who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with
their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to
Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s
determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is
suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths
of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary
friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate
him? Can she trust him?</span></i><br />
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<span id="freeText10520406278993859563">--</span><br />
<br />
<b>I became aware that<i> Unspoken</i></b> existed when I started folliwing Sarah Rees Brennan, the author, on twitter (@sarahreesbrenna). Not because she shameless plugs her books, but because she shamelessly plugs her readers' <i>reactions</i> to her books. It felt like every time I got on my twitter account I would see that another reader of <i>Unspoken</i> was upset by the ending. Many readers express their desire to harm SRB, but it's all in jest-how would they get a sequel? Needless to say, I was intrigued by the strong reactions to <i>Unspoken </i>and snatched it from my library the moment I saw it.<br />
<br />
Kami Glass is an aspiring journalist from Sorry-in-the-Vale, a small village in England. She has long thought her town hides secrets, especially when it comes to the Lynburn family, but can't put her finger on exactly what they are. Kami has a secret of her own, one that doesn't have the rational explanation her friends and family want. A secret that comes out when the Lynburn family returns to Sorry-in-the-Vale.<br />
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Besides an ending that elicits a strong reaction from readers, I had no idea what to expect from <i>Unspoken</i>. What I got was a spunky main character, an intriguing love interest with a fabulous twist, and a wholly original magical element. I typically have an aversion to third person narration, but Brennan's writing was absorbing, not isolating.<br />
<br />
I fell in love with Kami almost immediately. Her sharp wit and big heart were a big part of why I became invested in the novel. I was also intrigued by her unusual relationship with Jared, her "imaginary friend" that she speaks to in her head. In relation to Jared, there were a lot of things I saw coming from a mile away, but I still enjoyed watching them play out. <br />
<br />
Though I may have been immediately drawn in by Kami, there's a lot to say for the secondary characters in <i>Unspoken</i> as well. Kami's friends are all dynamic and add something to the novel, though we see them from Kami's view and she can be a bit short sighted about her friends. The adults in <i>Unspoken</i> have their own stories, their own motivations, and become more and more important as the novel goes on, something that I really enjoyed.<br />
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Sarah Rees Brennan's writing is very atmospheric. <i>Unspoken</i> has a light Gothic feel to it. The town, Sorry-in-the-Vale, was almost a character in the book. It feels like the book is set in the early 1900s, but it's really set in present day. The juxtaposition of the tone and the modern setting was a lot of fun to read.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I couldn't completely get behind the magical elements of this story. I felt a disconnect from it, possibly because Kami is an outsider to the magic, or maybe because they don't fully appear until the end of<i> Unspoken</i>. Hopefully the sequel, <i>Untold</i>, will explore these elements more fully.<br />
<br />
<i>Unspoken</i> is a novel that I adore. I enjoyed everything: the main character, the setting, the writing, the romance, the intrigue. It felt as though I was reading a novel written in a different time, in the best way possible. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-70463332550978501292013-07-25T00:00:00.000-04:002013-07-25T00:00:07.535-04:00Review: Stalking Sapphire by Mia Thompson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> Stalking Sapphire<br />
<b>Author:</b> Mia Thompson<br />
<b>Published:</b> April 2013 by Diversion Books<br />
<b>Genre:</b> New Adult <br />
<b>Source:</b> Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.<br />
<b>Rating: 3 out of 5</b> <br />
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<b>Summary from Goodreads:</b> <i><span id="freeText6505308639508985484">Despite the illusion
Sapphire Dubois presents to the rest of the world, she is not just your
stereotypical 22-year old Beverly Hills heiress; she hunts serial
killers. While her fellow heirs spend their nights with trending celebs
and drugs at the hottest club, Sapphire secretly spends hers luring,
capturing, and anonymously handing over So-Cal’s most wanted killers to
the police — just your average Tuesday night. <br /><br />What Sapphire
doesn’t know is that one of her adversaries is watching her every move,
aware of both her true identity and her unconventional hobby. Needless
to say, he doesn’t approve. Used to being the one who redefines the
definition of predator and prey, Sapphire’s world abruptly shatters when
a gruesome ‘gift’ arrives for her at the Beverly Hills Country Club.
With her involuntary crush, handsome Detective Aston Ridder, close on
her tail, Sapphire now has to rethink her routine strategy and figure
out how to capture a killer who already knows she’s coming.</span></i><br />
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--<br />
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<b>Stalking Sapphire is a New Adult mystery/thriller</b> that kept me turning the pages late into the night. I've never read anything quite like<i> Stalking Sapphire</i>, a mix of thriller, mystery, and Beverly Hills drama. The main character, Sapphire, is part of the reason the story is so unique. A socialite who spends her free time catching serial killers anonymously? Talk about badass.<br />
<br />
Sapphire, a Beverly Hills socialite, has an interesting hobby: catching serial killers. She just can't make herself care about the same things a normal Beverly Hills heiress does, and finds catching killers to be much more fulfilling than sipping mimosas with her best friend Chrissy at their country club. Then Sapphire receives a severed finger in the mail and the stakes are higher than ever. Now it isn't just Sapphire putting herself in danger-the life of another young woman is in her hands.<br />
<br />
Though I had some issues with <i>Stalking Sapphire</i>, which I will get to later, I really enjoyed the novel as a whole. I don't often read mysteries, and <i>Stalking Sapphire</i> has me wondering why that is. It was so much fun to question whodunit and to feel like I couldn't stop reading until I knew. I'll admit, I thought I had it figured out pretty early on, but Thompson threw me a curveball. Maybe a more experienced mystery reader would have had the read culprit figured out before I did, but it sure was a surprise to me.<br />
<br />
I loved Sapphire as a character. She has a lot of spunk, and tells it like it is. She puts on a show for everyone around her, but it's obvious to the reader that she doesn't fit into her high class world. She could be really funny, and also had a lot of heart. Aston, the love interest, is just an ass. Seriously, I honestly couldn't stand him for most of the book. He wasn't putting up a front to disguise his inner softy. He was really, truly, a judgmental misogynistic ass. It was hard for me to get behind him as the love interest, yet at the end I found myself softening toward him a bit. <br />
<br />
<i>Stalking Sapphire </i>is told from multiple points of view: Sapphire, Aston, Sapphire's stalker, and the girl her stalker is keeping captive. The alternating POVs went smoothly, for the most part. I wasn't crazy about the POV of the culprit. Those sections felt really repetitive but I've never The secondary characters, meaning those who didn't get a POV, were a little bit lacking for me. Sometimes they said things that felt out of character. Other times they just didn't have much of a personality at all.<br />
<br />
<i>Stalking Sapphire</i> was a fun, enjoyable read with a spunky main character who is unlike any I've read before. I had a few problems with the characterization, but I think I will be continuing with this series. Honestly, who can turn down a serial-killer-hunting Beverly Hills socialite? Not this girl!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-13095200173131341642013-07-23T00:00:00.000-04:002013-07-23T00:00:05.277-04:00Review: A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> A Really Awesome Mess<br />
<b>Authors:</b> Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>July 23rd by EgmontUSA<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult Contemporary<br />
<b>Source: </b>Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review<br />
<b>Rating: 3.5 out of 5 </b><br />
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<b>Summary from Goodreads:</b><i> <span id="freeText3104825280856935726">A hint of <i>Recovery Road</i>, a sample of <i>Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist</i>, and a cut of <i>Juno</i>.
A Really Awesome Mess is a laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching/heart-warming
story of two teenagers struggling to find love and themselves.<br /><br />Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.</span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><br />Justin
was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a
very compromising position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the
worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after
a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock
bottom.<br /><br />Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted
from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they
came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a
scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she
threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.<br /><br />Justin and Emmy
arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to
deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for
authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who
are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the
end, they might even call each other friends.</span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><br />A funny, sad, and
remarkable story, A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and
self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText3104825280856935726">--</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><b>I don't know about you, but I</b> would not expect a book about a reform school to be funny. I would think it would be pretty depressing, actually. </span><i><span id="freeText3104825280856935726">A Really Awesome Mess </span></i><span id="freeText3104825280856935726">definitely proved me wrong in that aspect. I laughed out loud a few times and that's pretty rare for me. A whole lot of heart accompanies that humor, and the combination is as perfect as sweet and salty. </span><br />
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726">Justin and Emmy are both wrongly sent to Heartland Academy, a reform school for problems ranging from pathological lying to eating disorders, by their evil parents who just want to get rid of them. Or that's why Justin and Emmy think they're being subjected to teenage hell, at least. Slowly, Justin and Emmy begin to realize that they may actually have a reason for being at Heartland that has nothing to do with their parents not loving them. </span><br />
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><i>A Really Awesome Mess</i> uses dual narration, and let me tell you, both Just and Emmy are hilarious. Seriously. I loved them. Justin's wisecracking and Emmy's sarcastic humor were such a treat to read. A few times I forgot whose head I was in and got a little confused, but I think that's due to the continuity of the secondary characters and the setting more than voice issues. </span><br />
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726">Speaking of the secondary characters; they were prefect. They all had depth and awesome individual personalities. Not to mention the plethora of growth going on for them as well as Justin and Emmy. The interactions between the group were my favorite part of the book. The characters were all so original and hilarious.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726">I was a little disappointed in the level of "after school special" the end of the novel reached. I'm happy with the way it ended, but I think it diverged from the tone of the rest of the novel. Other than that, I am happy with the way the authors portrayed the real issues these teens had, and I don't feel as though the issues were trivialized, which could have easily been the case.</span><br />
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText3104825280856935726"><i>A Really Awesome Mess </i>was a surprisingly funny read with a lot of heart. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be looking for more from these two authors. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111276686335913403.post-90190685631705193982013-07-22T00:00:00.001-04:002013-07-22T00:00:12.199-04:00Review: My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> My Ex From Hell<br />
<b>Author:</b> Tellulah Darling<br />
<b>Published:</b> April 2013 by Te Da Media<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult Paranormal <br />
<b>Source:</b> Received from author in exchange for an honest review.<br />
<b>Rating: 3.5 out of 5</b>
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<b>Summary from Goodreads: </b><i><span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746">Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:</span>
</i><br />
<div class="col" id="imagecol">
<i>a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)</i></div>
<i><span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746">b)
The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome
abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that
puts cable to shame.<br /><br />Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures
her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy yoga girls, and
being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then
she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.<br /><br />Literally.<br /><br />This
breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone,
Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the
Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally
screwed.<br /><br />Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.<br /><br />Big
picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s
would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld
to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus,
outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from
getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …<br /><br />… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.<br /><br />My Ex From Hell is a YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology smackdown. Romeo and Juliet had it easy.</span></i><br />
<i><span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746"></span><span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746"> </span></i><br />
<i><span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746"></span></i><span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746">--</span><br />
<br />
<span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746"><b>I started <i>My Ex From Hell</i> when on a break </b>at work and was surprised to find myself thinking about it throughout the rest of the day. Then I finished it the same night, though I'd planned to read a different book entirely. It's everything you could want from a light contemporary with some mythical elements thrown in. And it has a really, really funny narrator. </span><br />
<span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746"><br /></span>
<span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746"><i>My Ex From Hell</i> is about sixteen year old Sophie, a normal girl who attends a rather modern boarding school and has two awesome best friends and a witchy adoptive mother. Except Sophie is really Persephone, Goddess of Spring. Obviously that is not a problem normal teenagers have. And if that wasn't enough, Persephone had a lover. Kai, son of Hades. Sophie doesn't remember their relationship, but that doesn't mean she can't feel the sparks. </span><br />
<br />
<span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746">Sophie, the narrator, is my absolute favorite thing about this book. She was so witty and had a snarkiness that I envied. Her narration kept me entertained more than anything else, and I couldn't help but love her. Her two best friends are also great, and have really distinct personalities. I was surprised at how easily I could picture these characters in my head-normally it's difficult for me to maintain a distinct image for each character throughout the novel, but I had no problems with this one.</span><br />
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<span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746">The Greek mythology in <i>My Ex From Hell </i>was really easy to understand, but I found it to be too simple. A lot of the mythological details were explained once, and then the reader is expected to accept it and move on. I'm pretty familiar with Greek mythology (Hello Percy Jackson!) but there were a few things in here that I'd wished we were given more detail about, because I'd never heard of them before and was interested. </span><br />
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<span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746">The plot in My Ex From Hell moves really fast, which means I was never bored. Unfortunately, there are a few places that felt rushed, where I wasn't sure how we got from point A to point B. The writing was really engaging though, so that was a definite plus.</span><br />
<span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746"><br /></span>
<span class=" PIN_1372914701407_hazClick" id="freeText12984773766961827746"><i>My Ex From Hell</i> is a funny, fast paced YA contemp that is sure to please an fans of Greek mythology. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360636759766927273noreply@blogger.com2